For a band embracing the “millennial” culture so much that ... [more]
Music
Chewing Foil’s Immersive Art Shows Disrupt the Normal Art Viewing/Musical Listening Experience
Sitting on a busy street in Koreatown is Chewing Foil gallery, an art space that brings immersive audio-visual experiences to open-minded audiences. Inside, rows of televisions stacked on top of each other à la Nam June Paik take over one side of the 4,500 square foot space, neon and LED light fixtures illuminate the walls in one […]
Teenage Goo Goo Muck Hits the Doll Hut
Who knows what weirdness lurks in the shadows of Anaheim on a Wednesday night? The World Famous Doll Hut knows, at least on the first Wednesday of every month! For, that is when Grimm Beatz (aka Leigh Mass [Louis Fuentes]) and Anathema (Steven Rivera) present their deathrock club, R.I.P., and on some occasions, such as […]
Thrice Break The Mold On New LP and Primed For a National Tour
Irvine’s favorite post-hardcore band is back in the spotlight. Thrice, who began in 1998, and includes the same four original members will release their tenth record, Palms, Sept. 14th. Now signed to Epitaph Records, the group is looking to push the boundaries with the LA-based indie label’s support. Speaking with guitarist/singer Dustin Kensrue and drummer […]
Classic KROQ Gets a Second Wind With ROQ of the ’80s
Contrary to popular belief, radio isn’t dead! The truth is, video didn’t kill the radio star; it was free entertainment on the internet that almost did. It’s hard to fathom, but before the internet provided us with a deluge of digital choices, if you wanted to hear a new song from your favorite band, you’d […]
Santa Ana to Be Hit with a Perfect Storm of Tiki Events
Escape is in the air! This Saturday, fans of tiki culture can sail the mystical seas to two very colorful events in Santa Ana. During the day, Original Mike’s restaurant will host the Tiki Island Expo, an event that will feature live music, food, drinks, and an extensive assortment of vendors selling tiki-centric wares. Then, […]
Rad Cat Records Keeps Their Wacky, Rock-n-Roll Label In-House
You wouldn’t know it based on the look of the neighborhood, or from the vibe of the surrounding city, but the sound of the modern American psych rock band is being packaged and sold out of a nondescript, quaint little home just outside of downtown Orange. Mike and Casey Condia’s home is as unassuming as […]
Chris Cruz’s Political Song About Baseball Hits Home at Local Bar Near You
We’re never really prepared to hear a new song that makes our lives feel a lot easier, or at least a little less complex. Sometimes it’s a tune we hear on the radio, or maybe it’s an acoustic jam being strummed at the back of your local bar that sounds like goofy little ditty about […]
Santa Ana’s We Up Next Fest Taps Into the Future of West Coast Hip-Hop
Music’s democratization is the brightest spot in this current technology-driven epoch of humanity. It’s brought us some of the most phenomenal figures in just a matter of years and gave rise to local movements that encompass perfectly the realities of regions around the world. Orange County’s inaugural We Up Next Fest buttressed this sentiment […]
Long Beach’s Busker Fest to Wrap Up 10 Year Anniversary Celebration
Set your ears to Long Beach, where Busker Fest will be taking place in just a few days. This charming music festival will conclude the season-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the city’s Summer and Music (SAM) festival, which this year also included: Bicycle Drive-In, FKA720, and Twisted at the Pike. SAM, produced by […]
Lowrider Band’s Performance at the New Blues Festival is More Than Just a Gig, It’s a Homecoming
It might’ve taken a few decades of war, but Harold Brown Sr.’s finally been able to find some peace–for the lifelong drummer and Long Beach native, it’s the peace of coming full circle. On a recent afternoon, the 72 year-old drummer sits on the phone with the Weekly in a room where he teaches drum […]
Suburban Legends and Goldfinger Are Still Riding High During Ska’s 4th Wave
It was just two years ago that I wrote an article about the 4th wave of ska. There wasn’t an exact date, but we knew it was coming. The locals believed that once a new Ska tune got back on the radio, the ska world would be in vogue all over again. On July 26, […]
The Best Concerts in OC Aug.31-Sep.6
Friday, August 31 Garden Grow 2 with 2Mex and Vel the Wonder, 5 p.m., $15, all ages, Garden Amp (The Locker Room), 12762 Main St., Garden Grove, (949) 415-8544, gardenamp.com The Hula Girls 9 p.m., $8, 21+, Marty’s on Newport 14401 Newport Ave, Tustin, (714) 544-1995, www.martysonnewport.com Professor Colombo, Mrs. Henry, Beax Gris Gris, 8 […]
Blink 182 and The Wave Pool Co-Headline the Surf Ranch Pro
Despite the cult classic surf movie North Shore making wave pools look super hacky, it seems the wave pool is the future of surfing — and it’s thanks to surfing legend Kelly Slater. His investment into wave pool technology and subsequent sale of his surf ranch to the World Surf League will change how the […]
George Clinton’s Legend As the Master of P-Funk Will Endure After Retirement
Every Atomic Dog has its day. For George Clinton, that day’s gone on longer than anyone could’ve imagined. Decades after the Mothership landed on Earth, opening its shiny metallic hatch to reveal the smoky silhouette of the man nicknamed Dr. Funkenstein, Clinton continues to be a man ahead of his time. The extraterrestrial groovemaster of Parliament […]
After All These Years, We’re Still In the Box with Alice In Chains
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 […]
Smashing Pumpkins’ Joy Stays Shiny and Oh So Bright
There’s a reason why The Smashing Pumpkins remain one of the bad-asses of alternative rock. Love them, or hate them, there is one thing we can all agree on, they’ve had a major impact on the world of music. Formed in ’88, the Chicago-based band was put together by founding members, front-man Billy Corgan, D’arcy […]
Stormhouse Brings Latin Roots to Classic Punk Rock
If there’s one place in the world where Stormhouse’s fusion of classic punk rock and authentic Latin music makes sense, it’s probably Orange County. When Santa Ana native Noel Becerra returned from Puerto Rico with a new appreciation for the country’s music and a driving passion to blend some of it into his beloved punk […]
David Byrne Surfs Troubled Waters with American Utopia Tour
David Byrne’s American Utopia tour came to LA this weekend for a stop at the Shrine Auditorium, leaving a wonderstruck crowd in its wake. The mostly middle-aged crowd came to experience the latest opus of maestro David Byrne. What they got was a decent cross-section of new and old Byrne tunes and Talking Heads songs, […]
10 Underrated Steve Soto Songs You Need to Hear
Two months after OC punk legend Steve Soto passed away the void of his absence is felt in the community and in every band that will never be the same without him. And while it’s not necessarily a time that inspires us to sing happy songs, it is a time to remember the songs Soto […]
The Best Concerts in OC August 24-30
Friday, August 24 Cherokee, Torosboros, Prettyboy Paul, 8 p.m., $10, 21+, The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. Indigo State, Jasper Bones, 8 p.m., $5, all ages, Constellation Room. 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600, www.constellationroom.com. Azucar! Las Chikas Salsa Tribute to Celia Cruz, 7 p.m., $15, all ages, […]
Hokey Forever: Steve Soto Was OC’s Punk Hero From Adolescent to the Afterlife
There’s a phrase that followed Steve Soto until the day he died: “The Nicest Guy in Punk Rock.” On the surface, it sounds appropriate, even pleasant. After all, everyone likes a nice guy. However, for a figure who cast such a monumental shadow over Orange County punk, nice is too small of a word. Nice […]
