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Music
Maxo Kream Brings Street-Level Storytelling to Santa Ana
Fueled by critically acclaimed recognition, Emekwanem Qgugua Biosah Jr., better known by stage name Maxo Kream, invades Orange County on his headlining “Punken Tour”. “West Coast shows are always the best shows,” he says. “The fans show out and they are real fans; they’re not there to just be cool and stand around.” Punken is […]
Pope Paul and the Illegals Create a Devout Rockabilly Following
Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana is known for a lot of things. Actually, it’s mostly known — besides being a private prep school — is for producing a slew of pro athletes. Paul “Pope Paul” Bouyear and John “John the Bassist” Kveen, both alums of the school, are aiming to add incubator for […]
Best Concerts in OC Mar.22-29
Thursday, Mar. 22 Lil Xan, Steven Cannon, $20-$89, The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600, www.observatoryoc.com. All ages. The Main Squeeze, Devil Season, 8 p.m., $12-$15, The Wayfarer. 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. 21+. Ministry, 7:30 p.m., $29.50, House of Blues Anaheim, 400 W. Disney Way, Anaheim (714) […]
Ministry’s Al Jourgensen is Done Playing With Our Puppet President
When Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States in 2017, Al Jorgensen felt the immediate need to make another Ministry album. The pioneering musician in the worlds of industrial and heavy metal music has been in the music business for over three decades, as his sound has evolved from synth-pop electronic […]
Musink 2018 By the Minute Review
Friday, March 16 5:00 p.m. Various freeways surrounding the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds such as the 405, 73, and 55 were jam-packed, making delays in parking and waiting in line for the event awful. Many people traveled far distances for both the music and the tattoos, including all over Southern California, and places like Texas, Arizona, Colorado […]
Starpool Celebrate Their Skanniversary With Two Shows
Fifteen years ago, eight friends and former members of big-name ska acts like Save Ferris and No Doubt came together to help re-invigorate the Orange County ska scene and their own dedications to the scene. Today, the Anaheim-based Starpool – comprised of vocalist Alan Meade (ex-No Doubt), trumpeter Oliver Zavala (ex-Six Feet Deep, Los Superspies), […]
Musink Continues to Make Its Mark on OC
Some of us like to think that music and tattoos are a birthright, and for the 11th year in a row, Musink supports that mindset. This year has an epic lineup that sucks us back into the world of punk, rap and permanent ink. What is it about Musink that has led this festival into […]
Diary of a Former OC Tower Records Employee
On Sunday March 4, while watching the Academy Awards with a glass of whiskey, Russ Solomon–the founding father of Tower Records–had a massive heart attack and died at home at age 92. It was another historic day when the music died again for many of us Tower Records employees and fans of Solomon. I never met […]
OCSX Bands Give Texas a Taste of Our Local Scene at South By Southwest
If Robert Jon Burrison of Robert Jon & the Wreck gets struck by lightning while onstage at South by Southwest this year, just know that he didn’t get fried in vain. After all, the magnificently bearded frontman is just one of the many local performers driving out to Austin to be a part of this […]
HB’s Yung Pinch Keeps His Cool Through the Turbulence of the Music Industry
20-year-old Huntington Beach native Yung Pinch sits placidly on a couch in a dimly lit room full of blue lights behind a pair of John Lennon shades under wild, wavy, young Ozzy Osbourne-esque locks. It’s unclear whether his cool can be credited to a kickback, coastal upbringing or to the calm brought on by the […]
M. Rivers is a Champion of Indie Soul
You may not know M. Rivers by name, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard his voice before on one of his previous projects. Back in 2003, the artist — then known as Kazzer — had a track featured in The Italian Job. Nearly a decade later, he was the singer of Redlight King you […]
TODAY: Burger Records Hosts a Pop-Up Show For Burger Revolution
The fact that Burger Records flipped itself from a local label to a world wide brand shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone these days. But what you might not know is that they’re always down to throw a local show, whether it’s in their native Fullerton or somewhere on another continent. Today mark’s the label’s […]
Music Tastes Good Releases Early Bird Passes for $99
Last year, Music Tastes Good had a chance to really make its mark on Long Beach. This year the city’s newest festival founded by the late LBC music legend Josh Fischel will resume once again at Marina Green Park, right on the shoreline of Downtown Long Beach, which proved to be the perfect stunning backdrop for […]
The Best Concerts in OC March 9-15
Friday, Mar. 9 Eden, Veritie, 8 p.m., $20, The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600, www.observatoryoc.com. All ages. Big Monsta, Ginger Root, The Shape Pitaki, 8 p.m., $5, The Wayfarer. 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. 21+. Rufus Wainwright, 8 p.m., $45, City National Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E […]
Katie Jo & The Mijos Bloom with Prairie Flower EP
For the last two years, Katie Jo & The Mijos continue to specialize in a sound that they lovingly refer to as bluegrass-infused California country with a Kansas kick. Based out of Long Beach and led by native Kansan, Katie Jo Oberthaler, Katie Jo & The Mijos are taking their two-step vibe to The Pike […]
Ginger Root Went From Recording Music in His Car to Rocking the Stage
If you’re tuned into medicinal herbs, then you know ginger root has plenty of feel-good benefits. The same can be said for the indie soul project that shares the name. Cameron Lew, the mastermind behind Ginger Root, is completing his senior year of school as a film production major. While he is preoccupied with the […]
Albert Hammond Jr. Returns to Cause Trouble, Francis Trouble
There are still four hours left before showtime, and already handfuls of teenagers anxiously stare at their phones outside of the Troubadour. As excited as they are to see Albert Hammond Jr. stroll up the sidewalk to sign autographs and take photos in his gold jacket, he looks almost surprised to see them. Sure, it’s […]
Travis Barker’s MUSINK Festival Returns With Diverse Lineup
As the premier festival bringing together the best of music, tattoos, and cars, Travis Barker’s MUSINK, presented by KROQ, returns in 2018 to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The 11th annual event is set to take place Friday, March 16th through the 18th. The lineup feature hundreds of world-renowned tattoo artists, […]
The Altons Fuse Genres To Create A Unique Southeast L.A Sound
The Altons sound was never supposed to be a blend of funk, blues, and rock. It’s only when they met singer Adriana Flores that everything changed. The Altons are a five-piece band from East LA led by Bryan Ponce (singer/guitarist) along with Adriana Flores (singer/percussionist), Gabriel Maldonado (bass), Joseph Quinones (guitar), and Carlos A. Canovas […]
SanTana Restaurants Create Community DJ Culture With Open Turntables
Open mics and karaoke make up the bulk of the low-budget entertainment found in most of our local restaurants and bars. But in Downtown Santa Ana good times are about to start spinning with two separate restaurants giving audiences and aspiring artists a different spin on sign-up sheet stardom–with open turntables. The comeback of vinyl […]
Premiere: Mind Monogram Releases the Spacey “Insomniac” Video
We like to keep our songs open to interpretation,” tells me Edgar Ruiz, singer and co-founder of Mind Monogram about their new single “Insomniac.” Mind Monogram has had many line-ups over the years with Christian Caro (guitarist) and Edgar Ruiz (vocalist) being the sole stable members. With this new incarnation now two years running, the […]
