Waterhouse has been on this planet for a mere 25 years but his homage to vintage soul feels like that of a lively octogenarian. This, indeed, was a happy nerd gathering of all things retro.

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This foursome bring out the 18 year old, under-aged drinker in all of us. Part reverie and part release, an OFF! show is a lesson in musical history, a spectacle of punk-rock appreciation, a walk through the mosh-pit of memory lane.

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On a night that promised tequila-filled amateurs roaming the streets and a “super moon,” many people were barring their doors, stockpiling ammunition and preparing to spend a quiet evening alone, but those brave souls who ventured to Deer Tick at El Rey Theater on Saturday night were handsomely rewarded.

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It may have just been the special “incense,” but as they sang “There’s no place that can be better, when you’re up in clouds forever,” a certain presence filled the room, and the band’s pure magic was fully realized.

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Fresh off the announcement that The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach will produce the garage/soul rocker’s sophomore album, Hanni El Khatib started a month long tour at The Satellite. The ring-leader of “knife fight music” has been touring relentlessly, promoting Will The Guns Come Out, and is quickly becoming indie rock’s newest hardcore darling. The much-deserved [...]

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Every member of HMBSMS brings a distinctive, essential quality to the table—or rather, stage. Sister/singer Rachel Kolar kicked off her shoes and sang the blues with her brother Robert , who complimented her sultry bends and trills with gritty soul in between a bowler hat, glittery guitar and red and black stripped bellbottoms.

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Partly because we were a stone’s throw from Hollywood, it was interesting to see a person do something creative purely for the pleasure of it. When a creative pursuit is generated from pleasure and the result objectively sucks, the pursuit is usually called self-indulgent. But when the result gives pleasure to others, the pursuit is a rare, generous thing. Allen is 76. His last film grossed over $50 million. He doesn’t seem too thrilled to be around a lot of humans, with their pointy haircuts and phone cameras probably stabbing his personal space all the damn time. He does not need to leave the house. But he likes to play. He likes to spread the word about this lovely thing.

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Besides being a solid drummer playing at Modest Mouse levels of complexity, DeLong isn’t that guy sitting in the glow of his laptop. He’s the guy dancing around stage among three laptops, a couple MIDI-interfaces and drum pads, several pedals, a number of mics plugged into different inputs, a couple Wii-remote and Sega controllers, and oh yeah the full drum-kit he rocks out on.

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What Milagres has done (which only occurred once, I bet, in the brilliantly warped Japanese movie Funky Forest: First Contact) is set to music the precise feeling of sinking into a mossy clearing in the woods at 4 a.m., on purpose.

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It was a full house at the Echoplex. A large ‘Drums’ banner hung on the stage. The excitement rose before the show even began, as loud new wave sounds bumped on the speakers. People had already set up shop at the front. I took my place and prepared for fast drum beats and sexy bass.

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