Though he doesn’t look much like a typical rock star, at 91, Ravi Shankar could have fooled anyone during his mesmerizing performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Uniquely worthy of the term “living legend”…

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Teams, aka Sean Bowie, at Check Yo Ponytail, was a tsunami of brilliance. I couldn’t help but splash my feet about to the eclectic textures of his submerged disco trill funk. Teams’ music takes you to a another realm filled with saturated colors and aquatic vibes. I can’t get enough of his sound right now. [...]

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Security was tighter than usual. The women behind the table were awfully suspicious of people whose names were “supposed” to be on the list. I walked into the smoky venue filled with obvious Butthole Surfers fans, shirted up, and I knew this was going to be a wild show.

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With a combination of songs from their newest record, Helplessness Blues, and their first, self-titled album, the set was thoroughly satisfying and the night close to perfect. Everything was copacetic. Just as I had thought years ago, the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur was the perfect places to experience not just live music, but this music.

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This is music for seducing, being seduced, or worse yet, falling in love in some foreign locale while on vacation, giving in to the irresistible intrigue of an exotic lover in a place where the sun seems to be perpetually setting. We all know that, outside of 1980s softcore, this type of scenario never actually occurs in real life. However, if opening night at Staples Center of Sade’s sold-out run of Southern California dates is any indication, that fantasy is the preferred form of escapism for a great number of Angelenos (myself included).

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QUeUe (All photos by Chihiro Higaki) Sigh’s Smell of Farewell, the Cocteau Twins tribute night at the Smell, was also a night of interesting musical collaborations, as every single performance was an amalgamation of musicians. First up was Life Group, a project featuring co-organizer Scott Cornish, and former member of Veer Right Young Pastor, members [...]

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For anyone who wanted to see the Growlers at this year’s Sunset Junction, the festival’s cancellation was a massive blessing delivered by the city’s gavel of justice. Before I go on, I should confess my general bias against festivals and explain a couple underlying beliefs I hold about how to best experience live music: 1. [...]

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The Ettes show at the Echo brought to life the term “fabulous disaster” as singer/guitarist Lindsey “Coco” Hames took the stage visibly intoxicated. As bassist Jeremy Cohen set up Coco’s guitar, she writhed around the center of the stage leading one audience member to say “I don’t think I paid enough for this show.” After [...]

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Pairing three great garage bands who should play together ALL THE TIME turned out to be as great in practice as it was in theory. This FYF outing paired So-Cal heroes Tijuana Panthers and Audacity with S.F. sunshine pop darling Ty Segall at Eagle Rock’s historic-library-turned-concert-venue Eagle Rock Center for the Arts.

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“Joy Division’s first show was 15 minutes!” That’s what we heard exclaimed from the stage after iceage’s vicious L.A. debut at the Echo for Part Time Punks. OK, so that comparison is a bit much, but it’s apt in that what Iceage seems to want to do is bring danger to the stage, much like [...]

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