We all know that in addition to aged steaks and lobster tail, La Cave serves up a variety of musical genres in its guise as Costa Mesa's favorite burgundy-brown den of decadence. While indie bands and trance DJs have done well on the calendar alongside Phil Shane, '80s & '90s flashback night, and legendary Frank Sinatra impersonator David Kinwald, one style of music is always conspicuously left out: metal. 
More »

BRONCHO

First and foremost, it's pronounced Braun-cho. Secondly, the capitalization is purposeful. And thirdly, this is a band, not a Mexican pony (important!). It's a band that plays gritty, straightforward punk songs a la The Replacements and Iggy Pop. It's a band that calls Oklahoma home (which is impressive in its own right). It's a band that self-released its debut album and gained International praise all on it's own.

This dedication and persistence paid off, and the quartet recently signed with Fairfax Recordings, which will be re-releasing 2011's Can't Get Past The Lips before dropping BRONCHO's anticipated sophomore release. In the meantime, the punk rockers are touring the States, including a stop at Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar on March 9. While en route to Oakland from Portland, bassist Jonathon Ford chatted with us about BRONCHO's origins, and how the new album will still be loud, but a little more sophisticated.

More »

Holychild

Though East Coast transplants Holychild are relatively new to the SoCal music scene, the experimental pop outfit has been making strides in its new home. Aside from gearing up to release its debut EP, Tribes, next month, the quartet is currently headlining Santa Ana's Detroit Bar every Monday night for its February residency, joined by the likes of fellow L.A.- and OC-based acts like Travelers (featuring members of Young the Giant), Steffaloo and Hotel Cinema. Amidst the chaos of the residency and album release, Holychild's founders, Louis Diller and Elizabeth Nistico chatted with us about the new EP and their to give a Miles Davis cover some indie rock flavor from out of left field.

More »

Poolside

Culture guide gurus Flavorpill have teamed up with Sony to present the "Sony Sessions," an event that celebrates the local culture of six US cities including Houston, Long Island, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and our very own Costa Mesa.The fact that we made it into the company's lexicon of posh, cultural hotspots is a bit of a surprise. But hey, we're not complaining.

"Events and culture are what we do," says Flavorpill's managing editor Leah Taylor, "so Sony came to us in hopes of creating something not just fun and cool, but original; something that really celebrates the imagination of the participating artists and vendors."

More »

This year seems to be one of re-releases and anniversary tours, and The Faint has followed suit. After taking a few years off to experiment with new endeavors, the Omaha-based kings of dance rock are not only releasing a deluxe edition of their famed 2001 LP, Danse Macabre, but have also embarked on an eponymous tour in which they play the album from start to finish.

Though this is technically an "Anniversary" tour, the quartet looks at it as a chance to play new material and hopefully write enough on the road to release a record in the foreseeable future. Ahead of their show at The Glass House on November 21, keyboardist Jacob Thiele took some time to chat with us about how the Dance Macabre tour came to be, the excitement of playing new music, and how the band's side project, Depressed Buttons, has helped shape The Faint's future sound.

More »

Kristina Sky

Kristina Sky sensed that the EDM movement would continue to gain popularity in the states since her early rave days in the 90s. The LA-bred trance artist started off promoting dessert parties before picking up vinyl records and a set of turntables 10 years ago. Today, she DJ's all over the world sharing stages and singles on record labels with idols like Armin Van Buuren and Paul Van Dyk. After playing on New Years Eve for power-house promoters Giant in 2006 alongside Ferry Corsten and Sasha & Digweed, she gained a much sought after residency at Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood and became one of the most in demand female DJ's of the decade. This Friday she comes back to her second home in OC for a headlining show at the Yost Theater in downtown Santa Ana. We spoke to Kristina about getting dragged to her first "rave," being a female in this mostly boys club and playing the ASOT stage at this years Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.

OC Weekly (Alejandra Loera): Describe to us that moment when you realized dance music and trance in particular spoke to you individually and changed your perspective on EDM.

Kristina Sky: Being a punk and ska girl, I was really resistant to attend my first rave in the early '90s. I got dragged into it by a friend, but soon saw how untrue some of the stigmas were. It was really different from the aggressive punk shows I was used to, filled with mosh pits and such. It was the exact opposite - very friendly, calm and accepting. At the time the music connected with my classical background. I was in choir and played the violin in an orchestra for over five years. The sounds in trance and a lot of electronic music was a more new age kind of take on my classical thing. Back then there were no DJ idols or icons. Rather than freaking out about a song or DJ, going to these types of events was about the people in the scene and the community behind it.

See Also:
Despite Being Underrepresented, Female DJs Say There's No Crying in EDM
Norin & Rad: A Pair of Local DJs Putting OC Trance on the Map
John O'Callaghan and Kristina Sky at the Yost Theater Last Night

More »

Courtesy of Bjorn Jonas

Alexander Ridha, aka Boys Noize

See Also:

*HARD Summer vs. Nocturnal Wonderland--Which One is Better?

*Insomniac Donates $115,000 From EDC Sales

*CD Review - Boys Noize, Oi Oi Oi (Boys Noize/Last Gang)

Today Boys Noize premiered it's remix of "XTC" by MMM in the UK a couple hours ago and now in the US here. The remix amplifies the classic Boys Noize old school disco house sound elongating the intro and allowing for a more electrifying banging in-your-face punch when the robotic "ecstasy, one for me" lyrics surface. The remix gets even more delightfully strange as it goes on and is sure to rock dance floors everywhere.

The original song "XTC" was released as a preview two days ago and will be officially released on August 6th on Boys Noize Records. The song was first heard as he opened his sets at last years Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Electric Zoo in New York and apparently at the festivals all around the world. A year later, the techno gem has finally surfaced and the German DJ/producer fans couldn't be happier.

More »

More »

These must be strange days indeed for Calvary Chapelites. Having heard from Chuck Smith for more than four decades that Jesus will return in the Rapture, they must've expected to be in glory by now, alongside their faithful pastor and friend.

But it appears Chuck may be heading to heaven the old fashioned way, and one wonders if it is a bittersweet reminder to the aging Jesus People that they won't escape the fate of every man. So what's a church to do as Papa Chuck prepares to meet his maker? Rock that shit, of course.

More »

 

Google images

Baby-making music, courtesy of Leo Dan

Southern Californian baby boomers got a nostalgic musical fix earlier this month when The Beach Boys, cruised into the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater for their 50th Anniversary Tour. On Friday, June 15, their Spanish-speaking counterparts will get their own trip down memoria lane, when--in a rare appearance-- music legend Leo Dan, performs at Santa Ana's West Coast Theatre. If you were born in the '60s or '70s, and your parents spoke Spanish, there's a possibility--nay, a likelihood-- that you were conceived while one of Mr. Dan's tunes played on the AM radio.

In the English-speaking world, the '60s represented a time of social unrest as the so-called innocence of the 50s was fading out. Although there were plenty of tunes documenting these transitions, a lá Bob Dylan and Jim Hendrix, there was still room for the love-making ballads immortalized by the likes of Marvin Gaye. Pop music at the time balanced between socially conscious protest anthems and the romantic melodies that the carnal hormones commanded.

More »