Reviews
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Speedy Ortiz with Anna Burch and Winter at The Echo

Speedy Ortiz stopped in L.A. on their “You Hate The Title” Tour on June 7th at the Echo. Along with them on this performance, the band brought Echo Park local, Winter, as well as Polyvinyl new-comer, Anna Burch. This show was all about grrrl power, and it was a nice change of pace to see that an even half of the performers on stage were women. Winter was a sparkly indie-pop dream. The songs were part hard-rocking and part candy sweet, and the band had accompanying psychedelic pastel visuals pr
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'Shifted' by Knuckle Puck - Band Performing with Warped Tour 2018

From Chicago, Illinois, Knuckle Puck seems to draw artistic inspiration from early 2000’s emo pop-punk. With this in mind, their sound, parts old and new, culminates together to form something uniquely their own. The band’s Shifted EP, released in early April, is a re-imagining of five songs selected from their most recent LP, Shapeshifter, which came out October, 2017. Accompanied by a drum machine, thin synths and acoustic guitar, the EP — as the Shifted title implies — is stripped down and m
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'Dead Cross' EP by Dead Cross

Last week — much to the delight of SoCal hardcore fans —  supergroup Dead Cross released a surprise 4-track self-titled EP. Dead Cross, based out of Southern California, is the project of drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Misfits), vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk), bassist Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox) and guitarist Michael Crain (Retox). This EP follows their well-received 2017 full length — similarly self-titled. The EP kicks off with two new songs, “Skin
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Mad Hawkes 'Undone' EP Out May 11

Emerging from LA’s South Bay, indie-pop/rock artist Mad (Maddi) Hawkes releases her debut EP Undone this Friday, May 11. The record is a solid introduction to the singer/songwriter, who describes her style of music as “Babe Rock.” Her synth-laden alt-indie-pop is lyrically complex, going beyond the well-overdone themes of heartbreak found in mainstream pop, and delves into subjects of depression, shame and self-deprecation. Undone has a strong start with glittery/sultry dance tracks “Face Punch
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'Pinkus Abortion Technician' by The Melvins

In true stoner rock fashion, The Melvins’ latest album, Pinkus Abortion Technician, released on 4/20. Along with Melvins’ constants Buzz Osborne (vocals, guitar) and Dale Crover (drums), the record marks the return of occasional Melvins’ bassists Steven McDonald (Redd Kross, OFF!) and Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers). That’s right — the band that helped define sludge metal in the 80’s currently has two heavy bassists. While the double-bass roster isn’t obviously apparent on the new record (althoug...
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Pussy Riot with Dorian Electra and Bebe Huxley at The Echoplex

On Monday, April 2nd, members of the politi-punk collective, Pussy Riot rounded off a weekend of Los Angeles performances at the Echoplex. The final show included openers Bebe Huxley and Dorian Electra, supporting an overall sex-positive, pussy theme for the evening. Part performance art, part feminist political demonstration, the event was less a music show, and more about sharing messages through art and music to protest transmisogyny, sexism, homophobia and racism. Bebe Huxley is an experime...
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Musink 2018 Day 1 - The Descendents, FEAR, Strung Out and The Adolescents

Day 1 of Musink 2018 was an old school So Cal punk’s dream. The lineup boasted local punk legends The Adolescents, FEAR and The Descendents, along with Strung Out. Set up in an open hanger-type building on the OC Fairgrounds, watching bands on the covered stage almost made you forget you weren’t inside a venue. First up, The Adolescents played a collection of classics as well as newer material, including the single from their upcoming record Cropduster, “Black Kiss.” The song was also featured...
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Jawbreaker with Waxahatchee at The Hollywood Palladium

Jawbreaker never quite fit comfortably into the punk scene in which fans made them central. When Dear You came out in 1995, fans screamed about feeling betrayed by the major label signing. How the band sold out. How Jawbreaker went against ideals that the fans themselves prescribed to them. The band broke up shortly after, returning 21 years later to play shows together once more. The mainstream conversion of punk began in the early to mid-90s with bands like Green Day and Blink 182 seeing huge
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Jeff Rosenstock and Lemuria at The Teragram Ballroom

So far, 2018 has been a little series of surprises concerning Jeff Rosenstock. He kicked off the new year with a surprise announcement and immediate release of a third album, POST-, at the stroke of midnight. Soon followed a tour announcement and then, of course, a recent reveal of big news from Polyvinyl Records (of Montreal, American Football, Vivian Girls) announcing that they had signed Rosenstock to the label. His tour, featuring support from fellow New Yorkers Lemuria, made a stop in Los A
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Album Review: 'WILT' by Hungover + Q&A with Vocalist Marc Cortes

With the rerelease of WILT, Hungover reminds 2018 of earlier pop-punk roots — but not in a way that one might expect. Rather than pulling from a 90s sound, the EP is reminiscent of 2004-2006 era emo pop-punk. The vocals and melodies on the new tracks “Three’s Company” and “Exit – Stage Left” are especially comparable to the classic A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out Panic! At The Disco — back when they had a sharper punk sounding edge. The melismatic, sweeping vocal style paired with swishing disco-y d
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"Tough Dance" by Selene Vigil + Q&A

On November 17, Selene Vigil, formerly of the Seattle band of 90s fame, Seven Year Bitch, released her second solo record, Tough Dance. The LP is the first new release from the grunge-punk singer/songwriter since her 2010 record, That Was Then. Vigil, who is now based in Los Angeles, co-wrote Tough Dance with her longtime friend, Ben London (Alcohol Funnycar, STAG.). The record features guitarist Ryan Leyva (Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, Full Toilet), bassist Drew Church (Mark Lanegan, Jeremy Enigk)
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'Broken Down 2' by Tony Lovato of Mest

Tony Lovato, singer and guitarist of pop-punk band Mest, released a second collection of acoustic re-imaginings of Mest favorites on November 3rd. The record — aptly titled Broken Down 2 — was entirely fan-funded and features 12 tracks spanning from across Mest’s catalog. For any fan of the band and Adam Lovato’s music, this record will no doubt be a treat. The recordings are comprised of acoustic guitar with some soft piano accompaniment and layered pop punk harmonies, and a majority of the so
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Film Review - 'Don’t Break Down: A Film About Jawbreaker'

The Los Angeles premiere of Don’t Break Down: A Film About Jawbreaker hit Hollywood’s Vista Theater on Wednesday, October 4. While initially only planning on a pair of back-to-back screenings Wednesday night, two additional screening were added on Thursday after the first evening quickly sold out. The quick sell out was perhaps due in part to the Q&A sessions with drummer Adam Pfahler and guitarist/vocalist Blake Schwarzenbach paired with the screenings. Don’t Break Down has been over a decade
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Concert Review - Big Business at The Bootleg Theater

On Saturday, September 30th, the metal two-piece, Big Business — comprised of bassist/vocalist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis — performed at The Bootleg Theater in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Originally from Seattle, WA, Big Business relocated to Los Angeles in 2006, after joining the Melvins until 2015. As Big Business, Warren and Willis have released 5 full-length albums, with the most recent, Command Your Weather, having come out in 2016. Big Business had two openers at
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Concert Review - Wire and Minibeast at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

Tucked away among the shops which border Harvard Yard in Cambridge, MA, The Sinclair is a small, unassuming venue, conjoined next to a restaurant/kitchen of the same name. Here, in the shadows of the Ivy League, UK punk rock revolutionaries, Wire, performed on Saturday, September 23rd. We found out about the show the day of – invited by a friend of Peter Prescott, whose band Minibeast was opening for Wire that evening. Prescott is best known as the drummer for Boston band, Mission of Burma, but
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Concert Review - It's Not Dead 2 at the Glen Helen Amphitheater

On Saturday August 26th, The Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernadino, CA hosted It’s Not Dead Festival 2. The first It’s Not Dead Fest actually took place in 2015, giving festival organizers two years to fine tune the event. This year’s festival offered better organization, and a kickin’ line up as well. The festival had four stages this year — one more than It’s Not Dead #1. The main stage was named in honor of Mike “Gabby” Gaborno, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 51. Gaborno
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Concert Review - Dead Cross at the El Rey Theater

The Dead Cross show scheduled for 8/21, and then cancelled do to a skateboarding injury suffered by vocalist, Mike Patton, was rescheduled for the following day, 8/22 at the El Rey Theater. Secret Chiefs 3 opened the show night previous, before it was announced that Dead Cross would not perform. For Tuesday’s make-up performance, the band chose to bring aboard two openers: Qui, a rock duo from Los Angeles, and Silent, a post-punk band from Mexico.
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Concert Review - Dead Cross (CANCELLED) and Secret Chiefs 3 at The El Rey Theater

Last night (8/21) in Los Angeles, metal super group, Dead Cross – ft. drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies), vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle), bassist Justin Pearson (The Locust, Head Wound City, Retox) and guitarist Mike Crain (Retox) — was set to play The El Rey Theater. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Lombardo and Crain came out on stage about 20 minutes after the band was scheduled to start to make the announcement that the show was to be cancelled fo
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Concert Review - Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson at The Troubadour

The Jeff Rosenstock/Laura Stevenson Summer Tour made a stop in Los Angeles last Thursday, July 28th at The Troubadour. The tour, which began earlier that month, did a stint through several cities in Canada before hitting up the Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago on July 15th (unfortunately sans Laura). Heading out across the west coast and back to the east, the tour will wrap up next week in Jersey. The billing for this tour was a match made in heaven; the two musicians are great close friends, wi
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Concert Review: Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra at Rockwell Table & Stage

Not many people know that Jeff Goldblum plays a mean jazz piano — a skill he picked up well before he became a famous actor. Even fewer know that he performs almost every Wednesday at the Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. A close friend of mine was visiting from South Carolina and, having spent numerous collective hours together watching clips of the sexy Sir Ian Malcolm while mouth trumpeting the Jurassic Park theme, we decided to check out the show last night.