Here’s why Brenton Wood’s name looks so familiar: for 40 years you’ve seen it printed in block letters on a cardboard poster stapled to a telephone pole. That’s the way small clubs—often in East L.A. or the Inland Empire—have been promoting Wood’s shows since his one and only year of what you might call stardom. [...]

Rob Walsh drags it out to report:
An accidental afternoon nap led to me waking up and desperately pedaling down to the Que Sera to catch Wednesday night’s ’secret’ loud rock show with Howlin Rain, Crystal Antlers, the West and CB Brand. I arrived to catch the tail end of the West’s spirited but ultimately ho-hum [...]

Daniel de Boom recovers from a long night and reports from Saturday night at the Prospector and beyond:
I woke this Sunday morning to find my hands and wrists smeared with blotchy ink like stamps in a passport. The original destination Saturday night was the Prospector to see the Paperplanes unveil some new tunes from their [...]

The first thing I did last night was forget my wallet at home. Thank God for all-ages nights. Then I watched a band called Restaurant and became smitten. Two pretty men, one hi-hat made of license plates, one generic brand hollow body covered in hot pink tape, one synthesizer from the 1960s and an apple [...]

Rob Walsh bikes home and reports from last Thursday night at Call Sick On Friday:
“I just broke the ‘R’ key on my keypad,” says tall lanky rapper Subtitle, aglow in front of his Apple laptop. “We’re just warming up.” My, how times have changed, and my, how technology changes things even further. Years ago an [...]

Bloody but unbowed Rob Walsh reports from Saturday night:
At this show, I was reminded with how far we’ve come since the days when punk rock was relegated to warehouses, basements and former jazz clubs on the verge of being condemned. Pine Street’s Vault 350—with lavish twin big screens and an impressive lighting setup—certainly contrasted with [...]

@ BROADLIND CAFE
DEC 8

PHOTO by LONNIE NGUYEN
Rainy Saturday ArtWalk at Broadlind Cafe: There’s adorable Abraham Lincoln art on the wall and coffee brewing behind the counter and, before us, Moedog Darling (aka Marisa Predisik) just a girl with a guitar—or, on some songs, ukulele—and a soft/sweet good-time voice. “Velvety” comes to mind, and I almost [...]

PHOTO by LONNIE NGUYEN
@ ALEX’S BAR
FRI | NOV 30

Another cold cozy smoky boozy Friday night at Alex’s, and familiar faces greet each other and duck to the bar quick-like for a tall can of PBR. In the house tonight is Don Caballero, and the music cognoscenti of Long Beach come out for the rare opportunity [...]