Photos and words by David Hall Was it really only back in September that I saw British experimental quartet Alt-J last roll through Orange County, drawing around 300 fans for an opening slot ahead of punk duo Blood Red Shoes at the tiny Constellation Room, the Observatory’s venue-within-a-venue? Seems like a lifetime longer, given the [...]

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Photos and words by Sam Saturday You could practically feel the desert in the air as The Faint and White Arrows teamed up to play the Observatory between their Coachella dates. In the process, White Arrows psyched up the crowd with cool jams, mostly from their full length Dry Land Is Not A Myth. Nebraskans [...]

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Photos and words by Brandon Winters With the final stage placement of a horse head mask and a bucket of ice cold beers, Deer Tick infested the stage at The Observatory. After opening acts Restavrant and The Shrills, the crowd raged from punk to country-alt blues to a little country rock blues. Basically, John McCauley [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi Big props to Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard of Burger Records for putting together Burgerama. With strong acts like Tijuana Panthers and Beach Party kicking things off, it was an easy decision for many to arrive early for Night One at The Observatory. Things were done right with 19 [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi With a string of teaser dates in anticipation of the April 2nd release of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, Cold War Kids impressed those lucky to be at OC’s Observatory with a fierce performance. Starting a 90-minute set with the new album’s title track, fans couldn’t contain their excitement at hearing [...]

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Photos and words by Debi Del Grande Tuxedos and Ninjas! Those crazy Swedes came back for some more Southern California loving at Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach and House of Blues in Anaheim. Many tracks were played from the latest creation Lex Hives and some oldies were thrown in as well. No one stood [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi The Celebrity Ballroom at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel was brimming with people early on for the final night of Deke Dickerson’s Guitar Geek Festival weekend. As the time to the end drew closer, the joy and camaraderie was always present, no doubt bolstered by the positive energy of organizer [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi “Where are all the girls at?” joked Del Casher early in the evening. “This is the Guitar Geek Festival,” deadpanned Deke Dickerson. “There aren’t any girls here.” This wasn’t entirely true. Heck, I was there! The crowd that gathered inside the Anaheim Plaza Hotel encompassed music fans of all [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi It’s been little over a month since Social Distortion started a SoCal domination of small concert venues, and Social D shows no indication of tiring out. Offering fans the chance to see the band in an intimate setting, the OC group played yet another sold out night at the [...]

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Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi Santa hats and puffy, red sweaters made up the whirling dervish of a mosh pit in the center of the House of Blues Anaheim. This was a clear indication that it was the 17th Annual Christmas Formal with The Vandals, also dubbed this year as The End of the [...]

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