Monday, April 8
Moxi
Constellation Room
Mondays in April are Moxi Mondays. Along with special guests every week, the dreampop chanteuse takes over the Constellation room for a month-long residency. If the dreampop genre makes you think of autotuned vocals and a laptop, fear not; Moxi mixes her gorgeous, wispy vocals with beats and a backing synth that isn't overbearing. Her debut EP In My Dreams has already started garnering ample hype around blogs and websites, but don't wait until she blows up in fame and fortune so you can pay an arm and a leg to see her live again. (Aimee Murillo)
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Tuesday, April 9
Rihanna
Honda Center
Bad Gal RiRi stops by the Honda Center this Tuesday during her 2013 Diamonds World Tour. Rihanna and her opener, A$AP Rocky, have traveled all over the US and Canada in the last month–but had a little trouble on the Canadian border. Twice now, the truck carrying RiRi's stage was stopped under suspicion of holding marijuana. And if there's anything to know about Rihanna, it's that she loves blunts all day, errday. But the singer was not the guilty party–and is free to smoke until her stage arrives. All will be sorted out by the time she gets to Orange County, though, but if you can't make it to see her sweet moves in person, just light one up and scroll through her Instagram feed. With hashtags like #throwbackriri, half-naked photos, and inspirational quotes, you'll be just as entertained. (LP Hastings)
Wednesday, April 10
How to Destroy Angels
Fox Pomona
Oscar-winner Trent Reznor, plus his lovely wife Mariqueen Maandig, Atticus Ross, and Rob Sheridan make up the gritty, digital industrial outfit How To Destroy Angels–whom you probably first heard hovering in the background of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo film. But now, with two successful EPs out and causing NIN fans to froth at the mouth, HTDA released their first full length album, Welcome Oblivion, just last month. And just before they hit the sun-drenched wastelands of Indio to play both Coachella weekends, Reznor and company warm up with a show at the Fox Pomona Theater–making for a great night of some eerie, experimental electro-pop, minus the chaos of said desert festival. (Erin DeWitt)
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Thursday, April 11
Merle Haggard
City National Grove of Anaheim
Let's just cut right to some of the brightest news so far in 2013: Merle Haggard just got an honorary doctorate from Cal State University Bakersfield. So from now on, that's Dr. The Hag to you–and that's also some welcome academic recognition for the guy who not only brought the Bakersfield sound to the whole wide world, but whose voice and heart pretty much established a sub-genre of country music all by themselves. Hag has as many classics behind him as he does teenage jailbreaks–dozens, if not more for both, he was quite the young escape artist! And at 75, he's lost none of his vigor or wit. Next time you put on “If We Make It Through December,” remember that sometimes people can actually make it through, and get a Ph.D for their trouble, too. (Chris Ziegler)
Friday, April 12
House of 80s
House of Blues Anaheim
The House of Blues in Anaheim is about to take a totally awesome trip back in time to become House of '80s, a music showcase celebrating one of the raddest decades in modern music. Legendary KROQ DJ Richard Blade has been a music fixture since he made his career in the '80s playing New Wave and rock hits, later hosting his own MTV-like video program for KTLA (most recently he hosts the '80s music show First Wave on Sirius Radio); tonight he will be spinning New Wave (Rock Lobster, anyone?) and '80s alternative rock hits, alongside '80s tribute bands Past Action Heroes, One Hot Mess, Neon Nation and The Reflexx. (Aimee Murillo)
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