OC Weekly Music

11/27/2017

Guns Will be Guns...

Guns n' Roses At Staples Center Fri., Nov. 24 I’ll admit it... as a rock chick, journalist and music dork, I pretty much always want to be at “the buzz gig.” I mean, don’t we all? Ya know, the not-so-secret surprise set by the huge band everybody loves or pretends...

11/27/2017

Thanks, GWAR our clothes are soaked with blood and semen...and we couldn't be happier.

GWAR Fonda Theatre 11/22/2017 Hard to believe it’s been over three years since GWAR’s lead singer/plallus secrete-er Dave “Oderus Urungus” Brockie went to monster heaven (or rockstar hell as the case may be), and for some hardcore fans, it’s been harder still to adjust to the band’s decision to sold...

11/27/2017

Considering the success of their resurrection and the excellence of American Dream, it would be a huge disservice to their legacy, and especially their potential, to stop the party now.

If you were at the Hollywood Palladium for 1 or more of LCD Soundsystem’s 5 sold-out shows last week, you witnessed some of the dance-rockers’ greatest performances ever locally. The start of the last night was especially thrilling, with frontman James Murphy arriving on stage as if he’d just punche...

11/22/2017

Grab a shot of whiskey at Diego's this weekend and pay your respects...

We're sad to say that this is the second time in equally as many years that we're reporting on the death of Diego's. Earlier this month, the organizers of Sellout Productions which leased the Santa Ana building and rebranded the former Mexican restaurant as a rock-n-roll bar, announced that they...

11/20/2017

It wasn't just about the records, rap, or Snoop Dogg...for 40 years this place and this sign made an ignored segment of Long Beach feel like VIPs.

Kelvin Anderson always says that no matter where he’s traveled in the world over the last few decades, anytime he asks strangers to name two places in Long Beach, the answer always the same: The Queen Mary and VIP Records. “One thing about the [VIP] brand is when people see...

11/17/2017

Our cover this week features the heroic struggle of DJ LALA that scratches way beyond the surface.

East of Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles' Airliner nightclub is filled with somber fans drinking by the bar in their blue crew apparel. Fhanet Rubio, a black bandanna covering her head save for the shoulder-length cherry-red locks that frame her face and match her lipstick, takes over the turntables just...

11/15/2017

An inspiring story out of Anaheim

For decades, a historic two-story home in Anaheim’s Maxwell Park hosted the Ability First program, which provided services for people with developmental disabilities. However, when Ability First left Orange County in December 2015, the city was left without a principal program for the developmentall...

11/02/2017

Our cover this week features the harrowing story of a local legend who you might've seen on a sticker...

It's hard to not look at the smiling face of Bigira Mustapha Prince David W***y Kirokiro without feeling a little bit better about life. It's rare to meet a human so magnanimous, especially one so iconic to a locale that his face is printed on vinyl slaps, inspiring onlookers to...

10/30/2017

Growlers Six felt like a perfect apology for Beach Goth 5

Growlers Six Port of L.A. 10/28-29/2017 Any fan of The Growlers knows that when parsing the words of philosophical jester Brooks Nielsen, even the smallest, throw away jokes sometimes bare the biggest meaning. After taking a swig of the crowd's intoxicating energy following their opening song "Drink...

10/16/2017

The Orange County ska community lost its tiniest warrior Oct. 8. Carter Ankeny, 6, of Fountain Valley, was a beacon of light and innocence at ska shows throughout the county — but mostly at Suburban Legends shows at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace — even before he could walk, let alone dance...

10/11/2017

The Expanders new record will hope fully lead some reggae fans to expanding their roots reggae collection.

Roots reggae band The Expanders are always on the move. Following their third studio album, aptly titled Hustling Culture, the Los Angeles-based group recently released a second volume of reggae covers called Old Time Something Come Back Again Vol. 2. With covers of songs from Burning Spear, The Eth...

10/11/2017

Mostly, we just can't get enough of David Gahan's dance moves...

It’s hard to believe that after nearly four decades, we still can’t get enough of Depeche Mode. Affectionately; the band is known as DeMode, or simply DM by their hardcore fans. Dave Gahan is the band’s front-man, Martin Gore is on drums / keys, and Andy Fletcher is on bass...