The Five Best Shows in OC This Weekend: Sound Asylum, Agent Orange

 

Meiko

The Yost Theater puts on three musical events in one night–the festivities start off with a co-headlining act of Meiko and Bobby Long at the early hour of 6 p.m. Local transplant folk musician Meiko, a native of Georgia, came to Los Angeles at a young age to pursue dreams of stardom–and discovered a natural talent for getting her songs on network television shows. Her latest album The Bright Side, out last May, is effortlessly cool and sweet. This night, she shares the stage with Bobby Long, a British singer-songwriter who wields an acoustic guitar and soulfully sings from the roots. But should you feel like dancing afterward, the Yost prepares for another show at 10 p.m., this time featuring the DJ stylings of Tatiana. See? Something for everyone.–Erin DeWitt

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Sound Asylum

The genesis of the first installment of Soul Asylum this past summer was simple: deliver an ego-free, hip-hop club night that doubles as a curated showcase of four rotating, OC-bred MCs. Outsiders from LA or elsewhere need not apply. Inspired by the historical impact of Abstract Workshop and such renowned LA club nights as Boom Box and the Do-Over, rapper Aliso Black parlayed his credibility as a resident MC for promoters such as Club Mercy into negotiating a slot for this new pet project at Detroit Bar. He used his gig as host of Sound Science, a monthly DJ staple at the Crosby, to tap influential crate diggers including Salam Wreck, who's spun for artists like DJ Quik, Obie Trice and Tha Dogg Pound. Instead of being focused on rapping, the night has to be about creating a party vibe that makes his prized MCs the cherries on top. This round of the sure-to-be-packed hip-hop dance party includes a grip of talented emcees, including Kadillak Kaz, Kevin Parx and C4Mula. –Nate Jackson

Best Coast

Though a vast glut of indie bands floods the channels of sound these days, none conjures images of Southern California like Best Coast. With singer Bethany Constentino's reverb drenched vocals and songs about getting high, this music was made for lazy afternoons at the beach. —Brandon Ferguson

Agent Orange

Hailing from Fullerton, Agent Orange has been at it since the late 1970's. How's that for longevity? Mixing sounds from a broad palette of influences ranging from surf to metal, Agent Orange took punk in directions that no other band of the genre has done before, or since. –By Brandon Ferguson

Texas label Hillgrass Bluebilly believes in just about what you'd think–or hope–they believe, which is a shotgun marriage of roots, Americana, country, punk, folk and rock, all delivered by bands that'd actually seem pretty at home hoisting a shotgun, should the occasion demand. Their Hello-California! show is helmed by the perfectly selected Restavrant, who even with a couple guys on deck are still very much in the tradition of one-maniac-bands like Hasil Adkins and Bob Log III. It's hollerin' amplified by electricity, and it'll rush through your brain like a jar of white lightning. Also on the bill are LA's RT n' the 44s, doing their own ramshackle country with instruments they built themselves. A good ol' fashioned Sunday kick-in-the-ass! –By Chris Ziegler