Subject: Black Sabbath

• Tonight @ Detroit: Totimoshi / Fu Manchu

  Buck Owens is Black Sabbath and Totimoshi knows why: distinctive guitar tone and songs about Satan make a boy from Bakersfield do good, and Totimoshi guitarist Tony Aguilar learned the necessary lessons from both. Central Valley-raised—where he grew up on country/western as much as rock & roll and Mexican corridos—Aguilar and now-wife/always- bassist Meg Castellanos have been the Rose and Buck of Oakland's noted heavy-rock scene for almost 10 years, nosing their band Totimoshi

  November 16, 2006

• R.I.P. Mark St. John, ex-Kiss Guitarist

  Reader Pat O'Connor called this morning to inform us that former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died of a cerebral hemorrhage April 5. He was 51. St. John's death has received little attention in Orange County media, but it has been reported by Billboard's website, Reuters, msnbc.com, Wikipedia, and other major news outlets. St. John's major claim to fame was playing on Kiss' 1984 album Animalize, which many fans consider to be among the best by that band during its unmasked phase. After his bri

  April 11, 2007

• Mammatus' The Coast Explodes

  Mammatus The Coast Explodes (Holy Mountain) Release date: April 23, 2007 Curb Your Cynicism is a recurring blogtastic feature in which the music editor pithily enthuses about new releases and reissues he thinks will enhance your life and erode your cynicism about the state of music, circa now. A quintet out of Corralitos, California (no, me neither), Mammatus wrestle with the legacy of Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, and other progenitors of heavy, brain-glazing rock loco-motion. Plenty of intellige

  May 4, 2007

• The Devil Plays for Mater Dei

  Mater Dei High is a haven for cover-ups (see our Ex Cathedra archives), but none are lamer than the one attempted by head football coach Bruce Rollinson in today's typical OC Register Mater Dei blowjob. Register sports writer Carlos Arias (who is a great boxing writer--too bad nobody sees the sport anymore) begins the piece by telling readers the Monarchs' offensive line is known as the "War Pigs," then asks Rollinson where he got the nickname. "He doesn't remember where they got the name, but t

  October 12, 2006

• Free the Robots, Detroit Bar (Busywork), September 26, 2007

  Click the photo for more snaps from the show. I had absurdly high expectations for Free the Robots' OC live debut—and, knock me over with a feather, those expectations were exceeded. That experience is so rare, I'd almost forgotten what it feels like. Seeing Free the Robots (SanTana impresario/musicians Chris Alfaro and Phil Nisco, who are also readying the potentially awesome Crosby restaurant/club) walk off the stage at Detroit Bar after their riveting, teasingly brief set, I was overwhelme

  September 27, 2007

• Om, Lichens, Echoplex, January 20, 2008

  Lichens (Chicago guitarist/vocalist Robert Lowe) has balls. Before a crowd of metal heads who wanted to rock the fuck out on cochlea-threatening volume and controlled bombast, he began his set with field recordings of birdsong, while seated off to the left side of the stage. You could sense he was sending currents of unease through the audience at Echoplex. He gradually added dulcet vowel sounds from his throat and then intricately looped the “oh”s and “ooh”s. Soon after came Frippian el

  January 21, 2008

• LYT's Film Pick of the Weekend 5-2-08

  There's really only one, isn't there? I mean, sure, if you live near an L.A. art-house theater, you can and should go see SON OF RAMBOW, unless you already caught it at the Newport Beach fest. But I don't need to tell you what the main movie to see this weekend is. [Adopting Beavis and Butt-head voice and clutching air guitar] DUH, DUH, DUDUDUH! DUDUDUDUDUDUH DUH DUHDUH DUH! Okay, some things don't translate so well to the printed word. But that's the riff from IRON MAN. I'd love to review t

  May 2, 2008

• Judas Priest!?

  January 24, 2002

• The Process of Weeding Out

  December 19, 2002

• Get a Little Weird

  This week in nightlife and more
  Sept. 15 - Sept. 22

  September 15, 2005

• Last Night: Buckethead at the Anaheim House of Blues

  Not even the comfort of an ice cold beer was enough to curb the blazing body heat that filled the rafters of last night's Buckethead show at the House of Blues. Then again, a wall to wall turnout for one of rock-n-roll's most mysterious guitar gods should probably be expected. After all, it's one of the few times this year that hundreds of local musicians from age 14 to 44 can pay to stand with folded arms and slack jawed expressions while watching  a blistering display of musicianship in a cou

  November 23, 2008

• CD Review

  Tusk, The Resisting Dreamer (Tortuga)

  December 27, 2007

• [Game On] With 'Guitar Hero: World Tour,' a Series Shreds Its Momentum

  November 6, 2008

• Bronze Metal

  April 10, 2008

• Vincebus Eruptum

  January 10, 2008

• Locals Only

  Magic Lantern

  November 8, 2007

• Locals Only

  Costumed in Doom: Repeater, Forcefield ON, Maritime Academy Scare Up Covers for Helloween

  October 25, 2007

• Blue Blood & Guts

  The Upper Crust’s Hard Rocque Has Ignoble Intentions

  October 18, 2007

• Cool Stuff North of the 91

  The Fullerton Music Festival

  August 30, 2007

• The Big Con

  Out of the basement and into the spotlight, Comic-Con 2007 is the place to be

  July 19, 2007

• For Those About to Schlock . . .

  KNAC/DC supply the metal, you shout at the devil

  July 19, 2007

• Aural Reports

  May 10, 2007

• Locals Only

  Fu Manchu as loud and proud as ever
  

  March 15, 2007

• Hits!

  THE NOIZE MUSIC

  February 8, 2007

• Cuzz Yore So Sweet

  Dec. 21-Dec. 28 Get Out! Nightlife and More
  

  December 21, 2006

• Sabbath Was the Blob

  Get Out! Nightlife and more: Nov. 30 - Dec. 7
  

  November 30, 2006

• Get Out!

  June 29 - July 6: Handjobdrugscum
  

  June 29, 2006

• Get Out!

  May 18, 2006

• 4,100,000,000 Flies

  March 30, 2006

• Library Music

  March 23, 2006

• SXSW Report

  March 23, 2006

• CD Review

  February 16, 2006

• Guitar Song

  Pearls and Brass: An American band

  February 2, 2006

• Get Out!

  Kill them all
  

  December 8, 2005

• Wotta Country

  December 1, 2005

• Monster Mash

  Five hits from Hell

  October 27, 2005

• Black to Comm

  August 18, 2005

• Sissssssssssssies!

  August 18, 2005

• Oh, Dread

  June 30, 2005

• Get Googled

  March 31, 2005

• Into the Void

  July 29, 2004

• Iron Man

  April 1, 2004

• Killing Them Loudly

  October 30, 2003

• Diary of a Mad County

  June 5, 2003

• Eric Blair

  January 25, 2001

• Various ArtistsBenefit for Truth & Justice: Free the West Memphis 3 Aces & Eights/Koch Re

  November 2, 2000

• Too Cool for School

  June 29, 2000

• Notes From the Revolucion

  September 2, 1999

• Happy 4/20!!!!

  To boring people, April 20 means two things: the anniversary of the Columbine massacre or Hitler's birthday. To stoners, it's something way cooler.Because stoners can't agree on anything other than, yes, they should smoke another bowl, the origins of 4/20 vary. Some say it's police code. Some say it has something to do with the Bible. But again, like only stoners can, they overlook the past and keep their eyes on the prize, ie getting stoned.Now, I have something to admit. This 4/20 will be the

  April 20, 2009

• Release the Sounds: Meet the Meatbats by Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats

  ​ For the average mortal musician, the idea of playing drums for eclectic funk megastars The Red Hot Chili Peppers would be more than sufficient. In fact who could imagine wanting to do anything else with your time? The answer: the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, that's who. Though Chad Smith, 47, has spent two decades weaving his legend as the hard hitting man on the toms behind Anthony Kiedis, he (along with his axe-wielding compadres in RHCP) has found other musical outlets to e

  September 16, 2009