Junior High

Junior High
Junior High
http://wearesolidgold.com/artist/junior-high/More >>

The Immortal Minds
Elements EP
http://immortalminds.bandcamp.com/

Stepping back a little with this one -- Elements was released last year -- but it's always good to give a nod to things that might have been missed first time around. Such was the case with Santa Ana's Immortal Minds. It's a little unclear what's up with the trio at present -- member Calikid reached out to us with copies of Elements and their earlier album The Diagnosis, but while their Bandcamp profile is up, the band's overall site is down at present -- but if he, Droopy and Teren G are up to either solo work or a future group effort, might be worthwhile to keep an ear out to see what might be next.

More >>

Lucidiom
Flux
DHP Records

San Clemente always seems like the kind of place where there should be some sort of wasted-and-groovy garage psych band at work -- call it the mix of surfers and San Onofre. Plus there's the whole legacy of OC legends like Fu Manchu and Nebula, so Lucidiom kicking off their debut album with a song called "South County Outlaws" seems appropriate enough. (As is having an instrumental called "End of the Road" that ends with a car crash and weird voices.)
More >>

Beat Blvd. is Heard Mentality's weekly review of local releases. If you're an OC musician or band with something new to offer--vinyl single, full-length album, CD, cassette--we want to hear from you! Send copies, along with any photos and PR material, to Beat Blvd., c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste. 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. You can also e-mail us digital downloads at lbose@ocweekly.com.

Cory Bishop
Southern Pines
www.corybishopmusic.com

It's perhaps appropriate that this week's entry in the column is one that occurs shortly after Levon Helm's passing, if only because the shadow of the Band and its retooling of roots music for a gentle grandeur has been hanging so heavy over a lot of 21st century American music that it's almost oppressive. Not that we're complaining about the Band or Helm or anything like that -- hey, there's a reason why people are mourning -- but the fact that nobody's come close to that synthesis or extended it yet is pretty inescapable. (Personal bias would be for the Walkabouts, but alas they're not local).

More >>

Alex Cima
Black Widow
http://www.alexcima.com

Okay, so we didn't expect this in the mail. But that's a good thing, because why deal with the same thing over and over again? So suffice to say we're as surprised as you are that on the day Coachella fully kicks into gear after an initial run-up of separate area shows and all, and proceeds to eat our lives for some time to come, we're listening to a demi-techno project from Alex Cima, a former faculty member in the music department from Fullerton College who has a general resume as long as our arms put together.More >>

Beat Blvd. is Heard Mentality's weekly review of local releases. If you're an OC musician or band with something new to offer--vinyl single, full-length album, CD, cassette--we want to hear from you! Send copies, along with any photos and PR material, to Beat Blvd., c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste. 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. You can also e-mail us digital downloads at lbose@ocweekly.com.

Low Life Music
Paychecks and Pocket Change
www.lowlifemusic.com

Revivals. Traditions. A mix therein.  Call it what you want but Low Life Music's Paychecks and Pocket Change reminds me of something I tend to forget, namely that living in OC means living in the county where one of the most consistently successful bands over the past decade and a half has been the Kottonmouth Kings. Omaha has 311, Insane Clown Posse owns Michigan if not the Upper Midwest -- the point is something that makes perfect sense once you wake up and remember it: there's a pretty strong regional tradition now of dudes sometimes singing, sometimes rocking, sometimes MCing, sometimes whatever, and making the best of it. More >>

​We apologize here at Beat Blvd for being a little late on this one -- the band's record release party was yesterday -- but it's been a distracting week on our end, including the passage of a dear friend.  So if you were at last night's show you probably already know the score about the partially-Fullerton-based Max and the Moon and their sophomore release and that the opening track on the EP starts with such a note-perfect Beach Boys harmony bit that for a second we were wondering if we'd accidentally hit shuffle on iTunes.

More >>

​

Matt Hurray
Egyptian Summer
http://matthurray.com/

So it might not officially be summer yet but c'mon, you've seen the weather this week.  (Okay, so maybe there's rain on the way too--bear with us.) Anyway, the thing about surf music and OC is that 1) it's been happening here for decades, after all 2) there's always going to be more of it.  The fact that Egyptian Summer has the kind of cover art we almost just expect with any celebration of an established style--slightly distressed feel like a well-loved vinyl sleeve and all--is almost the kind of thing that makes a listener go "Well, yeah, but surely we've heard this." More >>

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts
Spare Parts for Broken Hearts
https://www.facebook.com/sparepartsforbrokenhearts

A little late with this review, perhaps -- the EP's been out for nearly a year, for a start.  But Long Beach's Spare Parts for Broken Hearts have been revving up a bit for the journey to Texas for SXSW and as with any band hoping to get greater attention we have to wish the trio all due luck, because it can get crazy out there.  And that's just the food lines.  They've been playing out a few local shows to get ready but if you've missed them there's always this as a quick three song dose.
More >>

Beat Blvd. is Heard Mentality's weekly review of local releases. If you're an OC musician or band with something new to offer--vinyl single, full-length album, CD, cassette--we want to hear from you! Send copies, along with any photos and PR material, to Beat Blvd., c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste. 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. You can also e-mail us digital downloads at lbose@ocweekly.com.

Andy Schmidt via thefallenstars.com

​

The Fallen Stars
Heart Like Mine
thefallenstars.com

We apologize for our extended absence here for a bit but when it comes to things like nasty flu-like viruses they tend to do lovely things to the ability to concentrate on music properly. Which would have meant that our appreciation of a song like "Valentine's Day" on this album, even if it was more timely, would have been muddled. Said song, beautifully sung by bassist Tracy Byrnes, is definitely a treat, as is much of Heart Like Mine, the fourth release by these local country-rock stalwarts. More >>