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You know… I had a feeling that this Conway gig was gonna be a bit of an industry show. Managed by the same company that handles Katy Perry and Adam Lambert, I expected to see a packed house of ‘industry’ folk. Instead, the Echo was a bit of a ghost town, with it only getting […]

On Monday, J Mascis performed a very intimate show at the Constellation Room at The Observatory in Santa Ana. The crowd filled the room and waited as the iconic frontman/guitarist of 90s grunge era band, Dinosaur Jr. took to stage.  He slowly climbed the steps to the stage, walked over to his stool and acoustic guitar. He took his […]

Jedi Mind Tricks took over The Observatory in Santa Ana this past Sunday for a solid evening a real and raw underground hip hop. The Philly natives have been laying down the beats and rhymes since 1993 and are still rolling strong. Performing in support of their new album, The Thief and the Fallen which […]

Two years ago, Mumford & Sons were set to headline Bonnaroo at the peak of their success. When bassist Ted Dwane had to undergo emergency brain surgery, the band had to cancel their appearance just two days before the festival. If redemption was what the London-based folk rockers were after, they got that in spades after […]

Of all the festivals I’ve traveled to the past few months, I felt least prepared for Bonnaroo. Flying in from LA I could only bring a small one-person tent and carry-on bag but I lucked into camping with people a bit more prepared. We got into the line of cars to pull into the campgrounds […]

Let me start by saying that the only reason I was interested in going to the Tedeschi Trucks Band show this week at The Greek Theatre was because of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. I’m not a fan of the blues and despite the misleading tour name, “Wheels of Soul”, this was most definitely […]

Arriving at The Echo this past Tuesday for The Picturebooks’ headlining performance, the small venue was adorned with motorcycles. From a flashy Harley Davidson that was inscribed with “The Panty Dropper”, to vintage BMW R90s and Honda CB450s, the Los Angeles biker community was definitely in the house tonight. It was no surprise to me […]

There comes a time in every band’s career where they have the opportunity, the privilege to be able to perform back-to-back-to-back-to-back nights at the same venue. Furthermore, having the amount of material to string across four evenings without repeating a song is quite the feat. From last Thursday night through Sunday evening, Alkaline Trio put on […]

This is a big year for New York based indie pop band, MisterWives. A band that’s only been together since 2012, they’re making some big moves that will no doubt propel them nicely in their career. With the launch of their first full length LP, Our Own House, they’ve been hitting the festival circuit this […]

It was a colorful Saturday night at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The black lights were out and fluorescent colored skeletons bookended the stage, faces were painted and on the lineup was Santé Les Amis out of Uruguay, Little Jesus out of Mexico, and the headliner was Bomba Estéreo from Colombia.  Each sound was fun, […]

It’s been more than three years since Of Monsters and Men exploded on the scene behind the strength of their radio smash-hit “Little Talks.” The time has finally come for their much-desired follow-up to 2012’s My Head is an Animal, and on Friday on the Honda Stage at iHeartRadio Theater LA, the five-piece band played old favorites […]

Sweetgreen is a smartly sourced seasonal food chain that began in DC and now operates all along the East Coast, founded by three Georgetown University graduates. With two of those founders being LA-based, it was only a matter of time until they tried their hand on the West Coast. Though the W. 3rd St. location […]

Cage The Elephant Of all the festivals I’ve covered in May (Shaky Knees in Atlanta, HangoutFest in Gulf Shores, Sasquatch at The Gorge), BottleRock Napa Valley’s was the one I was most intrigued to discover what the demographic would be. Napa is bougie wine country, and BottleRock was being pitched as a family festival, so […]

The second opening night at the Teragram Ballroom was just as spectacular as the first. Aptly dubbed “An Evening with Delta Spirit and Friends”, the show was one to never forget. The night featured special guests Nate Willet (Cold War Kids), Richie Follin (Guards, Willowz), Sam Outlaw, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), & Daniel Michicoff (Tijuana Panthers). […]

The super charismatic and totally relatable, Courtney Barnett just finished up two back-to-back sold out shows this weekend at The Roxy. The Melbourne singer/songwriter has certainly made a name for herself over these last couple years and it doesn’t look she’ll be leveling out anytime soon. While people weren’t lining up for hours to get […]

It’s quite the difficult feat to pull me away from my cozy living room on a Game of Throne’s Sunday; however, last night was an exception. While I left my beloved Game of Thrones to be HBOGo’d for a later time, I ventured to the new Teragram Ballroom, the latest live music venue to sprout in […]

Celebrating the release of their new self-titled album which was just released this past April via their own Pink Flag, London’s seminal post-punks, Wire came to the Echoplex to show off their chops and new tunes. Playing over 20 songs, both new and old, Wire delivered a performance that was fresh in sound, but still […]

It was a night of pure rock n’ roll at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California last night. Three bands would play, Rocket From The Crypt, Los Angeles punk rockers, The Bronx and Dead Heavens. All three bands brought their own style of rock and each kept the crowd engaged. Rocket From The Crypt was […]

Playing their first show in 14 years, the newly reunited veteran grunge riot grrrls, L7, played to a VERY sold out Echo last night. With fans lining up hours since 2pm, this was most definitely the show to be at. It was nice to see Donita Sparks come out and say hi to all the early […]

As part of his “Eye Patch Tour,” the one-and-only Slick Rick The Ruler came to The Observatory in Santa Ana and treated fans to a very special $5 show on a Tuesday night. With his slick rhymes and welcoming stage presence, Slick Rick took fans to old school hip hop heaven. Soon as The Ruler played […]

Will Butler is well-known for his antics on stage as a member of Arcade Fire. Having released his first solo effort earlier this year, he made his first appearance in Los Angeles from underneath older brother Win Butler’s shadow at the Troubadour last night. That energy was there in spades. I had just seen Butler […]

When U2’s latest album Songs of Innocence was released and gifted to all Apple users for free without asking, the band took a bit of a PR hit. On Tuesday, Bono and Co. proved that it didn’t have a negative effect on their drawing power nor their claim as one of the best arena rock bands […]

As part of their highly anticipated run of small club tour dates, Refused pummeled the Observatory in Santa Ana this past Monday, along with supporting acts White Lung and Turbo Negro. It was truly a perfect lineup of punk music. The influential Swedish hardcore punks made their triumphant return loud and clear. Touring in celebration […]

The Tallest Man On Earth (aka Sweden’s Kristian Matsson) gave the Observatory in Santa a most delicious aural treat last Tuesday. Touring in support of his most personal record yet, the Tallest Man On Earth performed songs from his lush new album Dark Bird Is Home, as well as some classic favorites. Exciting fans with […]

This past Memorial Day Weekend, I flew from Los Angeles to Seattle for my first ever Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge. I found a ride and camp mates via a ride-sharing site and arrived Thursday mid-afternoon, with the music kicking off Friday and extending all the way through the Monday holiday. It was my first […]