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 […]
Original Mike's
Lost In OC: Deep-Throating Tide Pods and Other Life Mistakes
I have never, intentionally at least, snorted a condom up my nose. I have yet to ingest a Tide Pod, though it can’t be worse than the sea urchin I ate in Laguna Beach in 1987. I got on a plane, flew two states away and still couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth. […]
Dominant Santa Ana Landlord Michael Harrah Trips in Original Mike’s Restaurant Lawsuit
Admirers and critics alike consider Michael Harrah, the Newport Beach real-estate developer who owns Original Mike’s Restaurant, one of Southern California’s most daring, colorful entrepreneurs. Harrah bought The Orange County Register headquarters in 2014 and this year attempted to lure Jeff Bezos’ $5 billion Amazon plant to Santa Ana. The 6-foot-6, thrill-seeking, white-bearded, Whittier native […]
Best Bar for Dancing
It was once the space where OC institution Phil Shane performed his weekly lounge act (hot damn!) and is now the site where a diverse roster of talent play on a nightly basis, from hip-hop, jazz and post-punk to rockabilly, the Funk Freaks, some iteration of cumbia legends La Sonora Dinamita, and enough oldies singers […]
On a Sunday Afternoon
While listeners to terrestrial radio can't get their oldies music fix six nights a week anymore now that the Art Laboe Connection was removed from Hot 92.3 (now Real 92.3, a Top 40 hip hop radio station), you can still kick it with your homies today at Original Mike's vinyl-spinning event. OG Mike's own DJ […]
Noche De Los Psychos
To the casual listener, the psychobilly music scene seems to be gearing up for a revival of sorts, but as diehard fans with flattop hairdo's and quiffs would tell you, it's remained strong all these years. Tonight's Noche De Los Psychos event proves this point, with musical guests that include local trio Crash Cadillacs to […]
Dephnoize
Charles Fullwood, Mr. Smith, Goons, Dragonsoundz, Arthur Caves, Dripping Gems, Etta, hdlnds, Dirty Merlin, Repeated Measures, crimson chin Thu., March 19, 9 p.m., 2015 Aimee MurilloAimee Murillo is calendar editor and frequently covers the Orange County DIY music scene, film, arts, Latino culture and currently pens the long-running column Trendzilla. Born, raised, and based in […]
Big City Hillbillies
Bring out the cowboy hats and boots, because local OC performers Big City Hillbillies will be playing country music at Original Mike’s. Get ready to dance to songs with catchy, pop-influenced choruses while enjoying the emotional lyrics of the band’s heavier country songs. If one thing’s for certain, it’s that this show is more on […]
Best Place to Spot a Local Powerbroker
Almost every weekday and -night, Mike Harrah's Original Mike's Restaurant in downtown Santa Ana is loaded with wealthy businessmen, federal and state judges, corporate lobbyists, prosecutors, sheriff's executives, high-ranking county bureaucrats, journalists, police officers, union bosses, and women, uhhh, looking to meet power players. Harrah—a Newport Beach resident who is in the process of building […]
Phil Shane
Like parasites on a large whale, cover bands thrive in any city with bars. With so many choices out there, it's hard to know what cover band is worth risking alcohol poisoning and a DUI for. Take our word for it, the premier performer of cover jams is the self-proclaimed one-man legend Phil Shane. Flamboyant, […]
Don't Forget to Vote Tomorrow, Then Hang Out at Original Mike's
So you've got your voter's guide for city council and a defintion of all the propositions being voted on. Now all you have to do is figure out where you're going after the vote. Original Mike's in Santa Ana is inviting everyone to come out to the non-partisan event to view election results–with free live […]
Sunday News Notes
Highlights include:The Latest Grocery Store Scam KCBS Channel 2 in LA is promoting its Monday investigative look into an area grocery store that pretends to honor product coupons but actually credits the shopper $0.00. No word on the identity of the alleged offender. The report is scheduled to air Monday during the 11 p.m. […]
Headlines N Suprises: Jailhouse Shocker!
Last year, I sat in a booth at Original Mike's in Santa Ana and listened to Assistant Sheriff Jo Ann Galisky explain–quite logically, in her mind–that jail deputies in Orange County have never used excessive force because jail deputies always behave. Why? Because, Galisky assured me, deputies are the good guys, and folks in custody […]
