In a short span of five years, K-pop has gone from a relatively unknown music scene that made everyone look at it with “Gangnam Style” to harboring arguably the biggest boy group sensation in the world, BTS, who now break Billboard records with every release and are regular figures in U.S. media. Last year specifically […]
Newsletter - Music
Coachella By The Minute: Weekend 1
Friday, April 13 4:35 p.m. Coachanimal spotted in near the Outdoor Theater wearing a rainbow-colored fur cape and a pink, sparkly, full-body banana hammock unitard. Comfort means different things to different people at Coachella. (Niyaz Pirani) 5:02 Rolling into the parking lot and within a minute I roll past a girl in a sparkly […]
Stereo Brewing Company’s Passion For Records is Always on Tap
As I sit with Rick Smets in the taproom of Stereo Brewing in Placentia on a late Friday afternoon, a series of precursory warnings get thrown my way from the regulars at the end of the bar: “Don’t bring up Tool.” “No Dave Matthews either. And he hates Beastie Boys.” “Alice in Chains and Soundgarden […]
Coachella Sets The Standard Of Security In High Risk Festival Environment
It’s 90 degrees, and you’re waiting in line, except it’s more of a swarm of sweaty people herding toward the entrance, trying to get into Coachella. The wind stirs up dust, which blows in your eyes, sticks to your skin and coats your hair. A person passes out in line because of the heat. The […]
11 LGBT Punk and Metal Artists Who Made An Impact
If there’s at least one positive thing we’ve learned in the ongoing chaotic aftermath of the Trump administration, it’s that as a modern civilized society, we can’t take things like diversity and inclusion for granted. When it comes to musical genres like punk rock and heavy metal, one should keep in mind that there have […]
This OC Couple Has a Coachella Love Story For the Ages
Love is to Coachella what LA smog is to sunsets. By 7:15 p.m. on Saturday at the Indio festival, eros covers the sky like a blanket, painting the clouds a pink and purple hue over the booming sounds the Outdoor and Coachella stages. A cocktail of David Byrne and Tyler the Creator swirls in the […]
Los Angeles Azules Bring the Cumbia Heat to Coachella
With Coachella quickly approaching this weekend, most festival goers are excited to see the typical headliners like Beyonce, The Weeknd, and Eminem. However, no group stands out more from typical this year than the legendary backyard dance troubadours like Los Angeles Azules. By far the most seasoned act on the Coachella stage, Los Angeles Azules are […]
How the Coachella 2018 Set Times Conflict and Compliment Each Other
Damn, Coachella. Not only do you knowingly keep us in suspense every year as we wait for the moment to start planning every hour of our festival experience, but now you make us skip dinner to salivate over your newly released festival set times for 2018. Whether it leaves you filled with joy or aching […]
The Spirit of Long Beach Folk Revial Finds Rebirth at the Red Leprechaun
Walking around the 2017 Long Beach Folk Revival Festival was a blissful, if slightly surreal, experience. The craft boutiques that had long since been corporatized at other festivals felt once again local, the stages had an openness to them, and the blankets and folding chairs that dominated Rainbow Lagoon Park indicated a small festival where […]
Sabroso Craft Beer, Taco & Music Festival Kicks Off Spring in SoCal
The 95.5 KLOS Sabroso Craft Beer, Taco & Music Festival returned to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point this past Saturday, bringing craft beer, mouthwatering tacos, and live entertainment oceanfront, a crowd of over 8,000 who enjoyed a punk rock fueled spring awakening. As the first stop of the festival series (now in its fifth […]
Skull & Roses Festival Returns to Ventura to Celebrate the Grateful Dead
This weekend, the spirit of the Grateful Dead returned to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Though the Dead had played there multiple times back in the day, this weekend marked the second year the venue held the Skull & Roses Festival, featuring an eclectic variety of Grateful Dead tribute bands. The 20 bands that performed from […]
Long Beach Producer Cavalier Continues the Evolution of G-Funk on His Debut Innate
The city of Long Beach has given the world many great things, not least of which being the G-Funk sound. Pioneered by Long Beach natives Daz Dillinger, Warren G, The Dove Shack, and DJ Battlecat, and popularized by Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, and ultimately Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, G-Funk articulated the […]
The Skull & Roses Festival Returns For a New Wave of Deadheads
The Skull & Roses festival has returned for another year of providing young and old Deadheads with the music and the community that they love. Last year, Chris Mitrovich founded and organized the festival at the Ventura County Fairgrounds as a hub for the burgeoning new wave of Grateful Dead fans to come together in […]
The Best Concerts in OC April 6-12
Friday, Apr. 6 Thicker Than Thieves, Rebel Shakedown, Low Budget, 9 p.m., $10-$12, The Wayfarer. 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. 21+. Crowder–American Prodigal Tour, 6 p.m., $25, House of Blues Anaheim, 400 W. Disney Way, Anaheim (714) 778-2583, www.houseofblues.com/anaheim. All ages. SOB X RBE, 8 p.m., $20, The Observatory, 3503 S. […]
Not Going to Coachella 2018? You Can Still See Some of Your Favorite Artists Perform
Part of the beauty of Coachella being so close to the bustling array of venues in the Southern (and Central and Northern) California music scenes means that you don’t have to shell out $1000+ bucks to see artists on the 2018 lineup! Didn’t manage to score that ticket to Coachella this year? Didn’t care about […]
Long Beach’s Toxic Toast Announces More Shows, Despite City Opposition
A Long Beach record store is chugging on with live music despite hurdles from the city to allow the business to open a proper music venue. Toxic Toast Records will present Epic Beard Men on May 5; PEARS, Fireburn, HIGH and Vultures United on May 19; and MC Chris and Bitforce on May 26 at […]
Seal Beach Label Awfully Good Records Helps Local Bands Blow Up Again
Eric Walden started going to shows about a decade ago because the Two-For-Tuesdays concerts at the original House of Blues Anaheim were “cheaper than seeing a movie.” Getting his first taste of live music inspired Walden to take it upon himself to help such smaller, local bands flourish. The 23-year-old began his mission by writing reviews […]
OC Parks Announces Their 2018 Summer Concert Series
Another summer on the horizon means its almost time to party in some of our best local outdoor spaces. OC Parks Summer Concert Series returns with 10 free outdoor concerts Thursday evenings, June 21 – August 23 from 5 – 8 p.m. Enjoy live music with friends and family under the summer sky at Craig Regional […]
The Best Concerts in OC Mar. 30-Apr.5
Friday, Mar. 30 Kolars, Escondido, Sammy Brue, 8 p.m., $12, The Wayfarer. 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. 21+. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dar, 7 p.m., $30, House of Blues Anaheim, 400 W. Disney Way, Anaheim (714) 778-2583, www.houseofblues.com/anaheim. All ages. The Slop Stomp featuring the Premonitions, 9 p.m., Free, Alex’s Bar, […]
Starcrawler Prepare to Write Their Next Chapter After Stealing the Show at SXSW
Starcrawler formed almost three years ago now. They first got some buzz when Sir Elton John played their single “Ants” — their only song out at the time — on his Beats Radio show, Rocket Hour, late November last year. Singer Arrow de Wilde was in high school when that happened. Since then, the group […]
Desert Daze 2018 Lineup Includes Tame Impala, Mercury Rev, Ty Segall, and War Paint
It’s hard to top Iggy Pop. But the beauty of Desert Daze and its ever-evolving lineup of guitar-toting, experimental rock of all stripes continues to unfold following their sixth landmark installment last year featuring the Godfather of Punk. This year’s festival hosted in a new location in Lake Perris Oct. 12-14 sports another impressive conglomerate […]
