Friday, June 22 Long Beach All-Stars, Fayuca, Califa, 8 p.m., $5, 21+, The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600, www.observatoryoc.com. The Gospel Swamp, Lanitarians, Polly Esther, Tokyo Lucky Hole, 8 p.m., $5, The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa (949) 764-0039, www.wayfarercm.com. Mike Eldred Trio, 8 p.m., Free, all ages, The […]
Orange County
Tiger Army’s Cover of Lana Del Rey Embraces a Dark Paradise
Nick 13 knows what’s expected of him and the rest of Tiger Army, and although he’s generally happy with it, he likes to surprise people sometimes. So when the band was approached about putting out a quick EP featuring a cover song, the songwriter knew he wanted to take things in an unexpected direction. This […]
SoCal Reality Check for Donald Trump’s Border Wall Musings
There’s a strip of Southern California oceanfront real estate that for decades has been a continual Orange County landing spot for immigrants traveling from Mexico and Central America by boat to enter the U.S. without government approval. Federal government officials charged with protecting borders know this fact well, but, regardless of presidential administration, continuously appear […]
Plaintiff: Irvine Cops Beat Me For Being Black Man in Public Park
If 23-year-old Jazwan Orejel is right, aggressive City of Irvine police officers found him guilty of an imaginary offense: being black while sitting on a public park bench and minding his own business. In a lawsuit filed this month inside Orange County’s Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse, Orejel claims “hostile,” racially-motivated cops approached him on the […]
Dutch Video Game Music Composer Joris Hoogsteder Finds Opportunity in OC
Three years ago, a devoted love for composing brought Joris Hoogsteder from the Netherlands to Orange County. He has completely immersed himself in his passion, earning his masters in Composition and Theory from Cal State Fullerton, working at Moonwalk Audio with the renowned composer Adam Gubman, and freelancing. Since living in OC, he has composed/arranged […]
Orange County Attorney Guilty in $5 Million Ponzi Scheme Files For Bankruptcy
An Orange County attorney who helped con more than $5 million from duped investors and awaits a sentencing hearing is seeking bankruptcy inside the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Santa Ana. In his Chapter 7 filing, Irvine’s Bruce Haglund claims he owns assets worth between $1 and $1o million but owes between $10 million and […]
Federal Judge Delays Mongols Trial But Warns The Gang About Manners
Inside a stately Orange County federal courtroom on June 4, U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter silently eyed a wild looking bunch of at least 25 Mongols Motorcycle Club members dominating the public seating section. Several of the club’s crew looked bar-room ready to rumble with anyone who held their probing gazes, but Carter, […]
BREAKING: FBI Accuses U.S. Marine of Molesting Japanese Student on American Airlines
The FBI is accusing an intoxicated U.S. Marine of sexually molesting a Japanese student during a 10-hour American Airlines flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. According to FBI Special Agent Dana Murphy, Zachary Kahl this month violated federal law by knowingly engaging “in sexual contact without permission” with a victim identified only as “Y.U.” in […]
FBI Seizes $3 Million From Owners of Orange County Nursing College in Fraud Probe
Accusing the owners of Pacific College, a private Orange County nursing school, of operating a brazen student financial aid scam, the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking legal ownership of more than $3 million FBI agents recently seized following a corruption probe. “Beginning in November 2012 and continuing through the present day, the FBI, the […]
The U.S. is Quietly Detaining and Deporting Our Cambodian and Vietnamese Neighbors
By Sandra De Anda Most of the migrant caravan Central Americans have been admitted into the United States to apply for asylum. While they await what comes next, refugees already in the country from Vietnam and Cambodia are quietly being sent back. Orange County is home to both populations. We frequent local Cambodian doughnut shops […]
County Supervisor Todd Spitzer Blasts Probation Department Over “Offensive Flyer”
Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who wants to be your next district attorney, is seeking an apology from the chief of the Orange County Probation Department for “an offensive flyer announcing the job transfer of a director that depicts Santa Ana as a gang haven.” The flyer announces a May 10 going-away party for Division […]
The Distillers Mosh Pit Reconnected Me to My Angry,Wild, Beautiful Youth
Full circle moments were ominous and abundant last Friday night. The parking lot of The Observatory was quiet when I arrived to the sold-out Distillers reunion concert. It was hard to not be nostalgic tracing the same steps alone that I made as kid, only this time I’m sipping sparkling water instead of chugging 40s […]
Dana Watch: Annotated Blowhard
Below is a March 23 statement titled “Homeless Shelter Nonsense” by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-Putin’s Hand Puppet) . . . with helpful annotation by yours truly. The chickens are coming home to roost after almost a decade of Liberal/Left control of our state and federal government. Those chickens have ended up in Orange County. [Where […]
Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas Mocks Court of Appeal’s Snitch Ruling
Before letting police officers answer questions on the witness stand about possible crimes, prosecutors usually establish credibility by eliciting their work experience. Most cops impressively recall the day, month and year of every promotion, even in multidecade careers. But recently inside a Little Saigon-area courtroom, Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) deputy Cyril Foster appeared […]
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. […]
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 […]
Homeless are Still Homeless but They Sure are Getting Mucho Attention
The only thing that could make Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles hotter would be to take every single thing away from him and stick him in Orange County. That’s how hot Orange County homeless people are right now. (Side message to Foles: Should you go through with that, keep the Super Bowl ring somewhere safe […]
Memory Den Integrate Their Love for Sci-Fi with Experimental Music
Every video game aficionado will immediately recognize Memory Den as a location in Fallout 4 in which players can retrieve memories. For OC and LA residents, they’ll recognize it as one of the most inimitable, otherworldly sounding groups to recently emerge from the area. Memory Den is an experimental band that consists of members Isles […]
Supervisor Todd Spitzer and Other Leaders Organize Active Shooter Response Forum
While announcing an active school shooter response forum it is sponsoring, the County of Orange warns parents that mature subject matter will be addressed so discretion is advised when it comes to bringing along students. Then again, it is the enlightened students of Parkland, Florida, who are teaching adults a thing or three about this […]
Three OC Sex-Industry Workers Share Their Personal Experiences—In All Their Gory, Glorious Detail
Editor’s Note: For this year’s annual sex issue, OC Weekly spoke to three sex workers in Orange County. Their stories are gritty and graphic, but they also reveal a sense of personal pride, dignity and even humor in a profession that, despite being known as the world’s oldest, remains tainted with shame, scorn and, perhaps […]
Onetime Orange County Political Operative Faces 8-Year Prison Trip
A former Orange County Republican Party operative who swindled $1.25 million pleaded guilty this week in an Arizona federal court to bank fraud, tax evasion, wire fraud and money laundering, and now faces a maximum eight-year prison sentence plus a minimum forfeiture of $650,000. You saw Frances Akhavi’s wild tale on these pages […]