photography by Ward Robinson
We Were Jet Packs performing at The Troubadour on February 26, 2010 to a sold out and enthusiastic crowd that sang along en mass.

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photography by Ward Robinson
The Icarus Line brought people West, way West, to The Roxy on February 25th. It can be weird being on the Sunset strip. right in the middle of the audience was a woman with an unfortunate boob job and a cowboy hat and outside the sidewalks were scattered with leopard and [...]

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photography by Ward Robinson
I’ve seen The Entrance Band before, and they are really good. A power trio full of the jammy heaviosity of early Blue Cheer, but modern, nimble, sexual. This show was different, though. This show was special. This was a real rock and roll show, a brilliant gut wrenching pagan festival. Bootleg [...]

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photography by Ward Robinson

The Smell was sold out for the Vivian Girls and Best Coast Saturday night. Best Coast’s set was great with Vivan Girls’ drummer sitting in with them. Their leader seemed a bit shy on stage but sang beautifully. Vivian Girls put on an excellent set and the crowd went nuts throughout the entire show.

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photography by Ward Robinson
Detroit Bar was packed to see Girls. Hunx and His Punx opened with an innocent 50’s drive-in sound, punched up by Hunx’s over the top style (especially for Orange County) which he played for all it’s worth. The other opener, Smith Western, produced by Christopher Owens of Girls, were young, rough, and [...]

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photography by Ward Robinson
It was a mystical evening at The Echo with White Arrow, The Holloys and the Phenomenal Handclap band. The New York based headliners bordered on campy with their neo-boho vibe while locals The Holloys stole the show. Later in the evening I spoke with Jim Brown, the leader of The Holloys, and [...]

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photography by Ward Robinson
Pershing Square is a funny venue for these Eastside bands. Mostly the audience is made up of ice skating families enjoying the outdoor rink in a park in the middle of the financial district. Maybe it’s just that the show is not well promoted, but the audience for the band seemed to [...]

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photography by Ward Robinson

Random Patterns performing at The Echo on October 28, 2009.

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photography by Ward Robinson

Peaches’ albums benefit from their confrontational approach and aura of danger. The Wiltern seemed to be too large of a venue for the intensity to translate; only Brian Lichtenberg’s radical costumes packed a punch. It made me wish we were in a smaller space with the band right in the audience’s face.

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photography by Ward Robinson

Julian Casablancas performing at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles on November 27, 2009.

Packing a double trio behind him (two guitarists, two drummers, and two pipe organs), Casablancas played two sets of fantastic new music. And it did feel new, the beats were modern and progressive, the arrangements angular, pipe organs held down the bass lines making everything feel dreamy, and the guitar lines felt in a way synthy. Of course his voice pulled it all together into coherent pop songs. Whatever internal mess created the vague and incoherent First Impressions of Earth was no where to be seen, his vision was clear as a bell.

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