Despite being dubbed as a grunge band in their infancy, we know Alice in Chains is much more than that. They’re tagged as an alt-rock band these days… but, sprinkle the terms heavy metal, alt-Metal, or hard rock, and you can get the gist of what AIC is all about (more or less). The thing […]
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Eat This and Drink This Now! Tear Into Ancient Grains and Booze at Tana
Not all eating experiences need to be educational. However, sometimes a dish is so foreign that it needs to be broken down and equated into something familiar. More than a decade ago, I had Ethiopian food for the first time in San Francisco’s Haight district, and it made quite the impact. Once I got over […]
New Podcast Sleuth Highlights Mysteries in Bizarre Orange County Double Murder
While digging into one of Southern California’s most bizarre double-murder case, investigative journalist Linda Sawyer answered her phone in 2015 to hear the voice of Daniel Wozniak, the killer. A veteran of ABC, MTV, CBS, FOX, PBS and HBO as a producer/writer, Sawyer—as most crime reporters would—felt a mix of apprehension and excitement. Wozniak’s gruesome […]
Devil’s Weed was Sold Unlawfully at the Church of Peace and Glory, Sayeth the Law
California’s new Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) participated in the arrest of a Newport Beach man accused of operating an unlawful marijuana dispensary in Costa Mesa. Omid Delkash, 47, was charged Monday with four misdemeanor counts of unlawful transportation, sale and furnishing marijuana, according to a joint statement from the BCC, the Orange County District […]
Members of OC-Based Dissident Group Convicted in Vietnamese “Subversion” Trial
Twelve people, including two U.S. citizens, were convicted of “subversion” yesterday in a Ho Chi Minh City courthouse for allegedly seeking to undermine the Vietnamese government. The defendants are all allegedly members of a mysterious OC-based group calling itself the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam. Little is known about the group, which as OC […]
Katzu Oso Mixed Trap Beats Into Love Songs To Create Mellifluous Pop
Katzu Oso — not his real name — and I meet up at the labyrinth known as the Outlets of Orange during the early afternoon. As he walks towards me, I can see a skateboard in one hand and his phone on the other. Katzu is worried that he’s being awkward because he smoked weed. He […]
OCSD’s Secret Telephonic Data Mining System Expands Scope of Jail Scandal
Hints of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens’ latest ugly scandal—the law-enforcement recording and studying of phone calls between defense attorneys and their pretrial, in-custody clients—surfaced without fanfare inside Fullerton courtroom N-11 in June 2016. That’s when Superior Court Judge Michael A. Leversen presided over the trial of Hugo Jovanny Jimenez. Prosecutors accused the 23-year-old Stanton resident of […]
Eat and Drink This Now! 320 Main’s Tiki Throwdown
We’re probably years away from robotic bartenders, but if any place could pull it off, it would probably be a tiki bar. Imagine thatched roofs, tiki mugs and a team of Westworld-like Don the Beachcomber robots blending tropical juices and rums, stopping periodically to oil up the joints of a Trader Sam’s Kelly Merrell animatronic […]
Todd Spitzer Tries to Rain on OCDA Tony Rackauckas’ Golden State Killer Parade
Tony Rackauckas, his prosecutors, his investigators and his crime lab were praised by the district attorneys of Tulare, Ventura, Sacramento, Contra Costa and Santa Barabara counties as they stood by the Orange County DA, who announced Tuesday morning alleged Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo will be tried in the state capital. “Tony Rackauckas has […]
Radical Grace in “Women Making Waves” Exhibit at SHACC
Four phenomenal athletes are profiled in Surfing Heritage and Culture Center’s (SHACC) exhibit “Women Making Waves.” Their prowess on the fiercest waves is only part of what makes these surfers legendary. Fearlessness in life, challenging the status quo, and taking action to overcome hurdles for others as well as themselves make them role models and […]
Psycho Las Vegas Was Four Days of Heavy Music
The floor and bar areas of popular Las Vegas casinos are chaos on a standard weekend night. This past weekend, folks embarking for a weekend stay at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in search of pool parties, bachelorette get-togethers, and gambling were besieged by hordes of headbangers and stoner-rockers search for the power […]
Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California Presents: Bids & Bites for Bassets!
Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California Presents: Bids & Bites for Bassets | Saturday, September 29, 2018 | 6PM to 10PM | Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel | 500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 | All tickets include beer and wine, a 3 course sit-down dinner, and a live band. All tables seat […]
What the Lamestream Media Doesn’t Want You to Know About Forrest Gordon Clark and the Holy Fire
Shortly after 1 p.m. on Aug. 6, cabin 15 on Trabuco Creek Road burst into flames. By 7 p.m., approximately 1,200 acres of the Cleveland National Forest had burned. Cabin 15, owned by a man named Frank R. (authorities had not released his full name as of press time), was the first of 14 cabins […]
The MC5’s Wayne Kramer is Still Kicking Out the Jams 50 Years Later
Before your favorite hard rock musicians were old enough to tie their own shoes, Wayne Kramer had already founded and dismantled one of the most influential bands of all time, put on one of the most legendary musical performances in the history of politics, gone to prison for selling drugs, and become a sought-after collaborator […]
Golden State Killer Book Reveals OC Crime Lab’s Deception in Murder Cases
Crime clues occasionally appear at the most unexpected of times and places, which in one particular case isn’t good news for Bruce Houlihan, director of the Orange County Crime Lab. In part of my research to write a recent cover story related to the Golden State Killer’s ties to Orange County, I read Michelle McNamara’s […]
Panic! at the Disco Fans Prove that Equality is Where the Heart Is
Brendon Urie has been in the music game a long time. But the Panic! at the Disco frontman couldn’t help but be taken aback by what he saw on July 1, 2016. That night, as Urie took to the stage to sing his song, “Girls/Girls/Boys,” pops of color began to illuminate the Xfinity Center in […]
Coastal Commission Fines Laguna Beach Couple $1 Million, Orders Seawall Removal
The California Coastal Commission recently fined a Laguna Beach couple $1 million for rebuilding their ocean-front home without a permit. Jeff and Tracy Katz were also ordered to remove a seawall that damaged the public Victoria Beach, according to a Coastal Commission media release. Weichert Realtors of Newport Beach previously had the three-bedroom, 4.5-bath Katz […]
Why Rockabilly Fans Still Rant n’ Rave Over the Stray Cats
It’s 2018, and there are a ton of great bands we can honestly say took part in making history. However, there are only a handful of them who are history. The Stray Cats just happen to be one of those bands who moved the needle. In a very retro way, they were ahead of their […]
Towne Park Chela, Our Beer of the Week!
With many new breweries opening, it seems like they’re coming in for crash landing. With others, it seems like they’re still on the runway about to take off. With Towne Park’s opening last year, I wasn’t sure what to think. Their “White Ale Beer” tasted like a Hefeweizen, the IPA had notes of Pine Sol, […]
OC Dems Denounce Mike Huckabee’s Upcoming Medieval Times Appearance
Mike Huckabee isn’t coming to Medieval Times in Buena Park until November, but the political jousting over his appearance is already underway. The former Arkansas governor is the special guest speaker for the city’s 40th annual mayor’s prayer breakfast dubbed “Faith in Life and Leadership.” The event touts Huckabee as a renowned author, television host […]
The Pixies Have a Ball at the House of Blues in Anaheim
Heading out to see the Pixies is a bucket list moment for me. I’ve never seen them before. I have most of their CD’s — yes, I still have those. I bought most of them at the Goodwill for one dollar. (A deal compared to $20 for a record.) So seeing them and writing about […]
