Friday, January 11
Cheap Sex/Lower Class Brats
The Observatory
No, the band's not getting back together–Cheap Sex is reuniting for one night only to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their debut album's 2003 release. And while fans are charged to once again hear the band's reckless, thrashing grade of American street punk, it's a bittersweet homecoming as Cheap Sex broke up in 2007 following the tragic death of guitarist Chris Wick–their final show was played in Fullerton. But Mike Virus, Johnny O. Negative, Gabe, Brock and Phil DeVill come back to pay homage to the wild decade they've endured since Launch Off to War launched their punk rock pilgrimage around the world. They play this night with friends and fellow tour-mates Lower Class Brats. —Erin DeWitt
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Los Lobos
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Los Lobos may be an LA institution by now, but every so often–well, more often than not–they like to do something a little different. They started out as a band from the in-between places, finding a spot to call home between punk and rock and folk and even more idiosyncratic styles of music. But in 2005, they put out their Acoustic en Vivo album, which (just as you'd think) was a live Los Lobos set of traditional and original music cut back to its barest roots. Now they're doing the first of a select few California appearances at the Cerritos Center in just the same way, and if it's anything like the album, they'll be presenting Lobos classics and Lobos obscurities in between the kind of folk songs you might catch your parents singing now and then. —Chris Ziegler
Saturday, January 12
The Champanties
The Prospector
The
Cramps had Songs the Lord Taught Us, but of much additional utility to
us scholars of scuzz was the quasi-legal compilation series Lux and
Ivy's Favorites, a guided tour through three decades of revved-up,
off-the-map rock 'n' roll 'n' fuzz 'n' soul. Long Beach's Champanties
have studied this kinda thing well, so you get a fangs-out backing band
doing the dark side of '66 with a line of tuff-girl singers singing
about voodoo and assorted delinquency. There's some of the Pleasure
Seekers and some of the Downliners Sect–yeah, that's right, the Pleasure
Sect!–and plenty of fire-starting power at work here. If they ever put
out a record, it needs to be a limited-edition black-vinyl 45. —Chris Ziegler
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The Dollyrots
Slidebar
The
Dollyrots have taken musical elements many OC fans might remember about
the 1990s (snotty punk vocals, ska rhythms) and made them more
palatable to a new generation of ears. Piling record scratches on top of
lead singer Kelly Ogden's sleek and highly-produced voice, the
uber-melodic arrangements also feature anthemic choruses. Signed to Joan
Jett's Blackheart label, rock n roll never sounded so clean. —Brandon Ferguson
Sunday, January 13
Monterey Jazz Festival 55th Anniversary Tour
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
In
2012, the world's largest jazz festival celebrated its 55th
anniversary–and jazz fanatics should take note, this year's dates are
set for September 20-23, 2013, so put in that request for some vacation
time soon. The Monterey Jazz Fest features more than 500 dixieland,
bebop and jive artists in a nonstop two-day, three-night musical
blowout. But for those who missed the massive jazz party, or just can't
wait nine more months, a few talented performers stop by the Segerstrom
Center while on this 55th Anniversary Tour. Come see the jazz stylings
of Ambrose Akinmusire, DeeDee Bridgewater, Benny Green, Christian
McBride, Lewis Nash, and Chris Potter and revel in just the smallest
taste of one of the craziest, finger-snapping, toe-tapping parties of
the year. —Erin DeWitt
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