Orange County Music Blog

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When you think about lacrosse, you probably think about in-your-face Top 40 hip-pop.  "What an of-these-times sport, really the symbol of my plugged-in, brand-conscious and fiercely/collectively independent generation of consumers," you likely say to yourself.

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We recommend seeing the Antlers on Nov. 3 at the Glass House.

No, not Crystal Antlers, the Long Beach buzz band. Just Antlers, the New York buzz band. You're puzzled. It's okay. Here, let's compare and contrast.

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Yesterday, it was announced that Long Beach psych-rock jam artists Free Moral Agents (pictured) are hitting the road with their El Paso compadres Zechs Marquise. Their tour, which starts November 7 in ZM's hometown, is set to run for about three weeks at this point, with dates to be added shortly. It's worth noting that both bands share a pretty obvious Mars Volta connection, with FMA keyboardist/brain child Ikey Owens and ZM drummer Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez sharing the stage in that band.

Marcel is joined by his brother, bassist Manfred, in ZM (both are brothers of big brother Omar, so you get the idea). Besides that, both bands seem to be a perfect fit on a spaced-out rock bill. Between FMA's tangent of atmospheric jazz pounding and ZM's intense, instrumental Latin sound you can guess that ecstatic expressions and weed smoke should be permanent fixtures in the crowd. Harnessing a flood of chaotic sounds and technically sound sonic wanderings, it's no surprise that they've found enough in common to hang out for a month.

The last time FMA and ZM grazed each other in OC was at the SoundDowntown festival last fall in Santa Ana. Though they've promised to add more dates and it seems that Zechs is holding the reins on the tour so far, we can't help but ask one question: where's the Cali dates? Check out the tour schedule thus far after the jump. In all fairness, it seems likely that things won't stay this way for long. Hopefully.

​The Used is one of those bands created seemingly to embody everything Chain Reaction, so regular Chain Reaction-goers might be psyched to know the Utah screamo quartet will be playing there Aug. 31 -- and you don't even have to buy a ticket. You just gotsta pre-order their new album, Artwork, here, which you, a Used fan, probably were gonna do anyway.

Speaking of the new album, a set of circumstances (well, really one circumstance) gave me a sneak preview. Didn't sound as awesome to me as it would have sounded to me circa 2002... but if you really like yelling and hooks and lyrics about bleeding, you'll really like Artwork.

And since I just spent an hour or so entering all of Chain Reaction's show listings into our database, here are two more extremely Chain Reaction-y shows coming up: The Ataris on Sept. 25, and Finch on Oct. 10. Pogo stick on!

Okay, so maybe this blog post is a bit premature considering the Look Daggers' show at The Prospector is a solid 10 days away. After all, 10 ten days in the bloggosphere, might as well be 10 years. But somehow, I'm convinced that fans of Ikey Owens' progressive hip hop side project will need some advanced notice.

The band seemed to be in hibernation for a while following the release of their debut CD/DVD release Suffer in Style back in October of 2008. You may or may not remember the article I did on them waaayyy back then. Check it HERE. But in between the busy schedules of Owens, rapper 2 Mex and the rest of the band (Travis Laws, Chris Clawson, Mendee Ichikawa and Jesee Wilder) the delay is pretty understandable.

The band is playing their first show of 2009 down at The Prospector in Long Beach on July 23 at 9p.m. (well, probably not right at 9p.m. but you probably already guessed that). In preparation, the bands label, Up Above Records, is offering a sale on their album along with a copy of the Before You Say No 7" single with FREE  shipping anywhere in the Continental U.S. until the day of the show. That deal is definitely worth taking a stab at.

The late Chris Gaffney created beautiful music, though he'd rather have been watching "Sportscenter."

It was a misty day in December when I ducked into the Swallow's Inn in San Juan Capistrano to talk with general manager Cheryl Krupp about one of the entertainers she frequently booked there, the late Chris Gaffney.

"I knew him very well," Krupp said while glancing in the direction of the empty stage that had been regularly darkened by the country/folk/R&B/soul/rock singer-songwriter-guitarist-accordion player and his various bands. "He had his own type of music, he had a great following, and he had great fans. He was laid back, easygoing. It was a shame when he got sick."

Gaffney, a military brat who bounced around Europe before eventually landing in Tuscon, Arizona, southeast Los Angeles County and Orange County, succumbed to liver cancer at 57 in April 2008. His pal Dave Alvin has put together a Gaffney tribute album that the Blasters co-founder and Grammy winner promotes down the street from Swallow's at the Coach House Saturday night.

Asked if she could recall any Gaffney antics during her 17 years at Swallow's, Krupp got a twinkle in her eye. "You never knew what he was going to do," she said. "He was one of the bands you always had to remind had a show to do. You had to go find him during breaks to tell him he's still got to keep playing."

She never quite knew what he would end up playing either. She recalled booking Gaffney to play country music one Saturday night. "He was on a break and he said, 'Oh, I don't know what I'm going to play. I'll do something different. I'll just play country.' That was what he was supposed to play!"

It was worth the trouble, according to Krupp: "He would bring in a crowd that was unbelievable."

Garden Grove's Scott Huckabey is this really nice guy with a pretty cool band who can't seem to catch a break.

I mean, just look at the press page for his band, The Caroline Movement. You've got the New York Times saying his performance was a "standout" at a festival in 2001. And you've got three early-oughts quotes from the Weekly raving about Caroline Movement's shows. Take this quote from Rebecca Scoenkopf: "The audience was buzzing trying to
figure out who the band--of whom nobody had ever heard--might be. Whoever
they are, they are fantastic. Watch for 'em"

The cruel thing is that if you'd started to "watch for 'em" in 2001, you wouldn't have seen a lot. Huckabey's been doing this band thing since the early-mid 1990s, and he loves it, but: There's been no album. No record deal. No national tour. No big write-ups.

"Sometimes I feel like it's on the verge of something great," Huckabey told me when we met for lunch last month, "and then... it doesn't happen."

Huckabey, 39, has watched two alt-country resurgences pass by his alt-country-ish band (by "band," we're pretty much talking about Huckabey himself, though he has a crew that records and performs with him). He's headed to the studio a few times, but never came out with a full album.

But he's got high hopes for his most recent foray into recording, which finds him at a studio called RPO Headquarters in Ladera Ranch (yes, Ladera Ranch!). The Caroline Movement used to exist squarely in the No Depression set, but Huckabey says that years of playing shows have trained him to drop the affect and forget about genre.

"I can listen to songs that I've written for this [latest] record, and I can say, 'Well, this one song sounds like it's rippin' off Hall & Oates,''" Huckabey says. "'Oh, and this song sounds like Spoon.'"

Whether he gets an album out this time: Anyone's guess, but Huckabey's pretty hopeful he will. Whether you can soon see his quite-enjoyable brand of rock without pretense: Definitely. The Caroline Movement is playing on Monday at the District Lounge in Orange. Based on recent Gypsy Lounge shows, I'm going to give it the coveted Heard Mentality stamp of recommendation.

And don't read too much into that flier up there. "I never wore a cowboy hat," Huckabey insists. "Not even once, man."

The blues! What's it all about? I dunno. But I'm gonna find out.

Tomorrow marks the start of the two-day Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point. I'll be covering the highlights of the performances from soulful people who got famous before I was born, from Brian Setzer to B.B. King. Follow the beach-and-blues action on my Twitter (skornhaber), and check this very blog for the wrap-up review.

Newport Beach's The Jakes have been steadily rising in stature as of late--opening up for Kings of Leon, playing the OC Music Awards live band finals, getting their tunes on The Real World, and even being written up in the OC Weekly (don't hold that against them)--and next month they're hosting a Tuesday night residency at all-ages Costa Mesa venue eVocal. They'll be playing each Tuesday in May, along with a rotating cast of guest bands. The series is sponsored by KROQ's Locals Only show (not to be confused with our Locals Only, natch), which has given Jakes tunes like "Cough Syrup" some airplay as of late.

Dates and supporting bands after the jump!

There's a new artist collective in Long Beach called Roll Up. It's comprised of six people who are throwing their intial bash tomorrow night. How do I know this, you ask? Well, I am one of the six.

In full disclosure, my duties in Roll Up are very limited. Consider me sort of like someone who has limited access to the key to the vault, but can't open it without some higher up official watching over my shoulder. Basically, I've helped write some of the copy for their site, but I didn't have anything to do with booking any of the acts or, well, anything else for that matter. I would have, but I got sick in a way that really sucked and this prevented me from having a larger role.

But that doesn't mean I can't tell you, the great readers of Heard Mentality, about said event. So without further ado, here's the flyer. Come by and say hi.

I am a cheap bastard. And I know you can one too, especially when the prospect of getting something for free is dangled in your face. Maybe that's why, for one night only, the folks at Heat are indulging your thrifty ways with a free admission free-for-all tomorrow. Even those of you who can't stand this place have to turn your head and recognize that deal. From the time Heat sprayed it's first vodka cranberry wayyyy back in 2008, it has been home to some of the biggest names in house, trance, jungle and pretty much any other form of music that requires glow sticks.

But as free-wheeling and fun as this club can be, it definitely joins the ranks of other high fallutin' ultra lounges when it comes to the cover charge (I'm starting to think "ultra" is a code word for $20). But tomorrow night, as you rummage through your wallet or purse on your stroll through the Anaheim Garden Walk, one thing you won't need is cash for the door. Come in and dance the night away guilt-free in the center of a neon floor enveloped by tight and toned go-go dancers, or just chill in one of the VIP lounges and order up some bottles for you and your friends (though that kind of baller mentality defeats the purpose of you getting in for free...but I digress).

 I know it sounds like the only thing good about this club night is that it's free...and that may be true for some of you. And for those that have never had the desire to spend $20 on this place, now's the time to go in an poke around and judge the atmosphere for yourself. Besides, it's Thursday, you'll probably be out anyway and we're in a recession...need I say more?

Heat Ultra Lounge
321 W Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 776-4328

More news on the Alfunction front: The OC guitarist is pulling double duty this Saturday at the Galaxy Theatre's first show back since they decided to close some months ago.

The lineup includes Mr. Function's rock/metal group SiX, his garage/punk band (and my former group) the Heathens, Franki Doll and the Broken Toys, Riotgun, Kansas City Gunfight and DJ Rowdy.

The show is $5, but if the thousand of myspace bulletins I've got regarding this show means anything, if you contact the bands, you might be able to get in for free.

Upcoming shows at the Galaxy include Doors tribute Wild Child on March 27, Fear and the Dickies on March 28 and Candlebox on April 2.

A 25-track disc comprised of beats made by the late J Dilla is "dropping" (that's hip-hop for "being released") June 2 on Nature Sounds. Dilla was a much-heralded producer who gained fame in the late '80s with the group Slum Village. Many credit him for helping to place Detroit on the hip-hop map, but it was role in the production team The Ummah (with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammed) that made him a hip-hop household name.

Dilla's time with The Ummah saw him work on A Tribe Called Quest's two final albums. He later went on to work with Prince, Janet Jackson, Common and Erykah Badu before passing away from Lupus-related issues at 32.

This latest disc, titled "Jay Stay Paid," is said to be mostly instrumental with a few vocals from Black Thought, MF Doom and M.O.P. The tracks were arranged and mixed by Pete Rock, who Dilla looked up to. Dilla's mom acts as executive producer and says her late son would have been "flabbergasted" that Rock was working on his beats.

The songs are compiled from Dilla's early career, floppy discs, DATs and stuff he did in the hospital.  

In my ongoing quest to let readers know about things at least 24 hours in advance, one of my favorite local bands is playing at DiPiazza's in Long Beach tomorrow night. They're called Ninja Academy and they fucking rule.

Imagine if you will...two guys dressed as ninjas playing ferocious instrumental tunes with influences that range from the Minutemen to Coltrane to Slayer. Seriously.

Now before you say, "Ryan, I'm not into costumed bands," remember: Ninja Academy are ninjas. They're stealth. On the down low. Sneaky. Here and then gone. Without the masks, they'd be nothing but two guys playing music. Everyone loves Superman, but who the hell cares about Clark Kent?

I've seen Ninja Academy about a dozen times at parties and legit venues. Whether or not there's a full stage or a dude wearing a lampshade, they always rock the fuck outta me to the point where I want to join them in wherever they're taking me.

I'd wish them luck on their upcoming national tour, but they don't need that. They're ninjas ferchrissakes.

This Saturday night, the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC) and KCRW are hosting a giant dance party—under the stars. And it'll run until midnight! (In Orange County, imagine that!)

After a successful Uptown Underground in downtown Los Angeles last year, KCRW is bringing the event to their brethren here down south. Jason Bentley—you know, that KCRW DJ who hosts the electronic pulse-filled "Metropolis"—will DJ a live set of what the press release assures us as "urban beats and hypnotic rhythms."

The dancing, the music and the beautiful outdoor setting will all be set to David Michalek's outdoor installation Slow Dancing—basically larger-than-life, ultra slow-mo video portraits of world renowned dancers that will be projected onto the east façade of the Center's Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall above the community plaza. The dance portraits will span from ballet to even krump-ist Lil C.

Tickets are totally free and open to the public—no RSVP required. After the jump: More preview images!

Uptown Underground OC at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Community Plaza, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 556-ARTS; www.ocpac.org. Sat., 10 p.m.-midnight. Free.

Pixies mainman Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis and Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) will play Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar Aug. 21. You can get tickets here.

I'd post a video right about now, but YouTube appears to be broken at the moment.

Acclaimed folk-raga guitarist Peter Walker plays a rare solo gig at UC Irvine's Cross Cultural Center July 24 (5 p.m., $5). The show's another coup by Sam Farzin's Acrobatics Everyday organization.

Walker recorded two albums for Vanguard Records in the '60s. In 2006, Tompkins Square Records issued A Raga for Peter Walker, which included four new Walker originals and compositions by younger guitarists such as Thurston Moore, Jack Rose and James Blackshaw. Now the label's releasing Echo of My Soul, Walker's first full-length of new material in 40 years. The master stringsman is touring in support of the album, which reflects his intense interest in flamenco. No less a luminary than Six Organs of Admittance guitar sorcerer Ben Chasny cites Walker as being a primary influence on his style.

Check out Walker's beautiful, fluid, spiritual picking in the videos below.

Black Fag ponder the meaning of "Loose Nut."

I wonder what Greg Ginn and Hank Rollins think about this: Black Fag, a “Mimosa Beach”-based Black Flag tribute band who cover their songs in a decidedly effeminate manner (“Jealouth Again,” anyone? And they turn "My War" into "My Wardrobe"). Well, the music's still pretty tough, but the vocals defiantly subvert Sir Henry's über-macho delivery.

Black Fag consist of Liberace Morris (vocals), Greg Streisand (guitar), Cher Dykeowski (bass) and Robo Simmons (drums). For some background, here's an old interview with Black Flag and a FAQ the band posted on their MySpace blog.

You can check out Black Fag—along with the Cute Lepers, Sun Trash and Prima Donna at Alex's Bar Sat. July 12.

Costa Mesa's west side (W. 19th St., specifically) will be a patriotic explosion of music and visual art Friday July 4. The first annual Freedom Festival goes off on America's burfday at eVocal, Avalon Bar and Detroit Bar. See this week's Sprawl of Sound for more details and check the lineup below for set times, etc.

Watch out for firecrackers and fired-up crackers, eh?

As part of their Lights In The Sky North American tour, Nine Inch Nails will play the Forum Sat. Sept. 6. Atlanta space/drone rockers Deerhunter will open (a surprisingly, bold choice by Mr. Trent Reznor). Tickets go on sale June 28 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.

Since Reznor and Interscope Records parted ways, NIN have been on a prolific roll; Trent seems creatively rejuvenated now that he's working for himself and not a major label. I especially enjoyed the two-disc set of electronics-heavy instrumentals, Ghosts I-IV, NIN released earlier this year. You can download for free NIN's latest album, The Slip, at www.nin.com. Judging from what I've heard of it, The Slip still contains enough requisite Reznor angst to fuel several thousand high-school graduating classes through the next few semesters.

Nine Inch Nails’ 2008 touring lineup includes NIN fixtures Robin Finck, Alessandro Cortini and Josh Freese, as well as Justin Meldal-Johnson, an established LA studio pro who's played bass for Beck and Garbage. “We’ve added, we’ve subtracted and we’ve wound up with unquestionably the strongest lineup I’ve EVER had,” Reznor posted on his website, adding, “We’ve been working on something really special for these shows and so far I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

More data about The Slip:

The Slip marks the first time Nine Inch Nails—or any artist of NIN’s stature—has made its new album available completely for free as a DRM-free digital download. The Slip is available as a high-quality MP3 or in a variety of lossless formats including, for the first time, a higher-than-CD quality 24 bit 96k version. All downloads include a PDF with credits and artwork. In addition, The Slip, like its instrumental predecessor, Ghosts I-IV, is being released under a Creative Commons license, allowing fans to distribute the songs and files freely and without fear of copyright infringement. Like the free single “Discipline” released to terrestrial radio stations and their websites and the track “Echoplex” appearing on iLike, The Slip is a classic straightforward NIN album. A physical configuration on CD and vinyl is in the works for a July release.

Here's are vids for "Starfucker Inc." and "We're in This Together" [embedding's disabled].

The video trailer for Beck's Modern Guilt (out July 8 on DGC) is up now on Amazon.com's site. The clip's stylized B&W starkness pays homage to Warhol and Truffault, while the peppy, urgent retro-surf pop shimmying recalls B-52's, with unexpected tangents into analog-electronic tomfoolery and clipped, staccato funk and what could be a sideways nod to Motown. Intriguing, if not mind-blowing...

Hurley Entertainment is hosting a day-long music/fashion/sports event Wed. June 18 at its Costa Mesa headquarters (1945 Placentia Ave.). Action starts at 2 p.m., with bands playing at 4 p.m.

Vans Warped Tour 2008 acts Beat Union (Clash/Jam/Joe Jackson-style new wave/punk from Birmingham, England), Broadway Calls (peppy pop-punk from Oregon) and DJ Geometric will be performing while the Hurley Skate and the Soil BMX teams will be demonstrating their skills. Also, Hurley and Science Records will be displaying and giving away some of their clothing and musical goods, respectively. In addition, you can tour Hurley's new state of the art recording studio and take in the “Show of Hands” art display and “Collaboration Clothing,” a joint effort between musicians and visual artists. Wahoo's Fish Tacos will provide free food and drinks.

Donations will be accepted to benefit Jay Adams, an original Z-Boy who's considered one of the most original and influential skateboarders ever. According to a press release, “Jay Adams is being released from jail and is coming to work at Hurley to manage the Skatepark. Hurley is looking to assist him with a job, our moral support and financially as well, in an effort to let him hit the ground running with no worries except getting on the right track and supporting his family.”

Check out this vid, Jay Adams: The Original DogTown Z-Boy

To celebrate the end of another school year at UC Irvine, Sam Farzin of Acrobatics Everyday is throwing a partay (those are 34 percent more fun than a traditional party) involving at least 10 bands. The bill includes the following rising indie-rock luminaries (they're much more entertaining than descending indie-rock luminaries):

DEVON WILLIAMS
TALKDEMONIC
THE GREAT WHITE JENKINS
RED PONY CLOCK
LLOYD AND MICHAEL
VOICE ON TAPE
GLASSER
INFINITE BODY
RAFTER
PALMS

The action goes down Sat. June 14 at Phoenix Grille. Cover is a reasonable $8.

In the meantime, peruse Talkdemonic's “Mountain Cats” video.

Norwegian electro-rock duo Datarock will show OC what they got on the decks Fri. May 30. We know they can rock rad ski goggles and red track suits with panache and create whip(it)smart Devo/Talking Heads simulations in the studio and onstage. Should be interesting to see if they can move a crowd/hold our attention with their music collection.

With Chris White at Detroit Bar.

Over the last 13 years, Philadelphia quintet the Asteroid #4 have proven themselves to be extremely capable rejuvenators of psych pop, garage rock and country rock. They plow familiar ground yet still find rich seams of sonic sweetness in their hooky, sincere songs.

The Asteroid #4 know rock history and they earnestly repeat it with panache, even if they sometimes dip into pastiche. In this way, they recall the Lilys, another band of crafty appropriators of slightly underground rock tropes. Whatever the case, both groups' melodies win the day (and night), arguments about originality be damned.

You can listen to the Asteroid #4's albums here.

The Asteroid #4 play with the Quarter After, Matthew J. Tow, and DJs Frederick Phases and Billgazer at the Prospector, 2400 E. 7th St., Long Beach, (562) 438-3839; 10 p.m.

Here's live footage of the Asteroid #4's "My Love."

Up-and-cunning garage rockers Foxboro Hot Tubs (who've never been seen in the same room with Green Day) will be playing LA's The Roxy May 27 and Alex's Bar in Long Beach May 28. Tickets are $20 and only available day of show at the venues. Bring your most comfortable sleeping bag—it's going to be a long day camping out. (Oh, and leave your cameras at home.)

Foxboro Hot Tubs will release their debut album, Stop Drop and Roll, on vinyl June 24 (it's already out on CD).

Here's the “Mother Mary” single.

Your favorite krautrock/bossa-nova/French ya-ya/exotica/retro-futurist pop groop return to Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar just as summer's expiring. Tickets went on sale May 12 at the usual places and sites. Hesitation is not advised if you want to see this show.

Stereolab's first new album since 2004's Margerine Eclipse, Chemical Chords, comes out Aug. 19 on Duophonic/4AD. The songs I've heard from it sound like... Stereolab; no radical departures at all, but then they never radically depart from their signature approach. And that's cool. The track listing [see below] also maintains their typically oblique poetry.

'Neon Beanbag'
'Three Women'
'One Finger Symphony'
'Chemical Chords'
'The Ecstatic Static'
'Valley Hi!'
'Silver Sands'
'Pop Molecule' (Molecular Pop 1)
'Self Portrait With "Electric Brain"'
'Nous Vous Demandons Pardon'
'Cellulose Sunshine'
'Fractal Dream Of A Thing'
'Daisy Click Clack'
'Vortical Phonotheque'

Pitchfork recently interviewed primary 'lab songwriter Tim Gane. Here's a snippet:

I make music that I like the sound of, but then I tend to like kind of melodic music with slightly strange elements. The thing I really wanted to do on this record-- and that we did do, I think-- was make short songs that were more upbeat. Deliberately pick rhythms that were quite fast.

Now check out this great "Brakhage" song/video.

I was at the Good Foot monthly Friday night at Que Sera when I spotted the flier for Savage Republic's May 30 gig. I nearly spit out my vodka tonic. To see these post-punk legends in a club as intimate as Long Beach's Que Sera should be amazing.

In the '80s and early '90s, Savage Republic were one of my favorite bands, but I never had the pleasure of seeing them perform live, unfortunately. Although the prospect of seeing these guys (now based in Claremont) 20 years after the period that I consider to be their peak shouldn't be all that thrilling, I suspect that Savage Republic have not lost much of their ability to generate riveting, tribal-inflected rock and psychedelic dub. (Waleed Rashidi's live review on Heard Mentality from Jan. 13 confirms this suspicion.)

Savage Republic's music can move from the deepest, earth-moving trudge to the most sun-bursting flights of psychedelic expansiveness. Their range is incredible and their songs possess this irrepressible, triumphant spirit that somehow doesn't come across as corny; on the contrary, it makes you feel as if you could actually fight city hall... and win. Now if they can convince Brad Laner to rejoin them, I can die happily.

Below is footage of Savage Republic performing “Jamahiriya” live in Italy in 2007.

Huntington Beach punk popularizers the Offspring will release Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace on Columbia Records June 17. Produced by Bob Rock, it's their first studio full-length since 2003's Splinter.

Check out Rise and Fall's first single, “Hammerhead.”