Orange County, California: home to 40 miles of beaches, world-class surfing, and glimmering sunshine. What could be a better location for a Summer Salt concert? 2012 saw Matthew Terry (vocalist/guitarist) and Eugene Chung’s (drummer) introduction into the Austin, TX music scene, developing a sound reminiscent of bossa nova, 60s rocksteady, and surf psychedelia. Two years…
Photos by Sophia Russo Surfing the wave of Indie Sleaze, (and now Indie Sleaze resurrection) Metric is a powerhouse of synthy, alternative pop rock neighboring the sounds of CHVRCHES, Tegan and Sarah, and Silversun Pickups. Opening for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Garbage, most attendees are still looking for parking as front woman Emily…
Photos by Neel Bonthala It quickly became apparent that the Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles was the perfect stage for Nathan William’s beach indie-rock outfit, Wavves, to take on. The venue was an intimate space connected to a bar and quaint pizza parlor, a welcome accompaniment to live music. The carefully curated energy of…
Photos by Angela Kan There are a million different places a person can go to on a Friday night in Los Angeles. However, it seemed that everyone arriving to the YouTube Theater that Friday was a part of a community that wouldn’t be anywhere else other than Melanie Martinez’s Portals tour. Upon arrival, my friend and…
Kara Jackson @ Feels Like Floating [05/26/23] Photos by Evan Ibarra To say that May has been an odd month feels like an understatement. Ever since my dog back home passed away at the tail end of April, I’ve spent a good portion of this month grappling with the weird and unsettling reality of learning…
The techno-house music that lit up the Wiltern last Thursday night featured no synths, mixing boards, electronic keyboards nor headphones; instead, a marching band supplied the sound. The Hamburg-based music group, Meute, uses trumpet, marching percussion, saxophone, and other brass instruments to compose an incredible sonic experience for listeners that mimics electronic music with spectacular…
Ripped fishnet tights, barely-there mini skirts, distressed t-shirts, the lowest of low-rise pants hanging loose from exposed hip bones. Grunge didn’t die in the ‘90s; it’s alive in “Pretty Sick” and I’ve never felt so simultaneously out of place yet at home. It was 7:45pm; Thursday evening; and a line was already extending down Hartford…
It’s still light outside as I am heading into the venue, so the red light of the “Roxy” sign hasn’t yet started to drip onto the sidewalk. I appreciate the lengthening of the days lately, and this is my first Sunday of the year where the night hints of summer. I grab my press pass…
Photos by Chloe Gonzalez Written by Candace Fernandez The first time I heard about 100 gecs was on a first date. Newly out of high school and still drowning in the melancholia of my adolescence, the music I frequented at the time began and ended at the subdued melodies of Cate le Bon, Billie Marten…
Photos by Angela Kan One of DTLA’s oldest bars, the Moroccan Lounge is an unassuming little white building lined with blue tiles and a sea blue dome at top. Tucked away on the outskirts of the Arts District and neighboring Little Tokyo, it is easy to miss. Tonight, I’m glad I didn’t miss it. The…
Hippo Campus @ SOMA It’s my good friend Brad’s birthday today and I’ve made the trip to San Diego’s historic SOMA to see the sensational indie-rock band Hippo Campus. I’ve only ever been to the smaller side stage at SOMA. But tonight, I’m eagerly waiting to see Hippo Campus rock SOMA’s sizable main-stage. The impressive…
“album cycle tours? old hat, played out, over! ep cycle tours? IN, fresh, sexy. only the hottest bands tour on ep releases. catch us on the road dishing out the hits and subjecting you to only minimal new music!” Hippo Campus’ Instagram post @thehalocline 5/15/23 Hippo Campus knows why you’re at The Greek. Yeah, they…
Seven is a significant number, representing fullness, completeness, with numerous religious implications. It is also the number associated with the experience of Avey Tare and his newest venture, 7. The name Avey Tare probably doesn’t ring a bell unless you’re an avid listener of Animal Collective. The band is renowned for their unique style and…
Alfa Mist @ The Fonda, 5/4/23 by Harry Frahn (photos by Chloe Gonzales) In a dimly lit concert hall last Thursday night, around 11:30 pm, I watched someone standing barely two feet in front of me whip out their phone and, apropos of nothing in particular, type “Connect w people that was here – same…
Written by Lucas Chen Photos by Chloe Gonzales It’s a Friday night in Los Angeles, spring has sprung, and Wednesday’s sold-out show at the Teragram Ballroom is teeming with restless energy, camouflage clothing, and people who definitely order alternative milks in their coffee. Wednesday, signed to the independent label Dead Oceans (Japanese Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers,…
To me, Coachella has always been an extravagant, elites-only experience that I never imagined I would participate in. Let alone the financial cost of the tickets, food, and lodging, the distance and desert heat were enough for me to rule it out indefinitely. The legendary festival, consequently, was not on my radar when my old…
Co-written and photographed by Angela Kan On an otherwise uneventful Wednesday night in Hollywood, The Backseat Lovers cast a magical spell on all that rode upon their powerful wave. While the back seat usually puts us into weird positions cramming for the right angle, as I’m sure these four band members have had plenty of…
Photos by Skye Schoenhoeft Leaning against the box office fence, I jolt at the initial booming guitar riffs and screaming that fling out of the front doors of El Rey. While I’m perched off to the side of the crowd, I’m caught in the middle of the scene, veiled in cigarette smoke and the cross…
Photos by Angela Kan As if producing some of the biggest trap-hits of the modern era weren’t enough, Pi’erre Bourne also boasts a successful body of work as a rapper in his own right. My friend Wolfe and I have trekked our way to LA Live’s The Novo in DTLA to see if Pi’erre Bourne’s…
Photos by Angela Kan My favorite part of Coachella? Not going. Instead, I got to show-hop around LA for a fraction of the price, thanks to Goldenvoice’s annual “April 2023 Coachella Sideshows,” hosted at various venues across LA and the Bay. Tonight, I’m in Pomona to see Yves Tumor and WILLOW. Eagerly wondering if (and…
Photos by Sophia Russo If anyone can disrupt a scene and make it their own, it is singer-songwriter Kelela. Kelela debuted her experimental sound with her mixtape ‘Cut 4 Me’ in 2013, where she mixed R&B, house, electronic, and soul to establish her own sound and identity as an upcoming and unapologetically herself artist. Fast…
Monday, April 3rd, 2023. I am walking up the smoke-stained staircase, the carpet grayed by travelers like me. Rounding a rickety exterior walkway, I scoot around the bleach blond couple making out dangerously on the railing. I push through a thick curtain into a hazy art deco scene, populated by people shrouded in cloaks of…