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 [...]

Well, this is about one of the best bands in California and even though bassist Paz once lived downtown, this is their first-ever Long Beach show. Guy Blakeslee was a field-blues kid on Fat Possum and learned lots from Elizabeth Cotten before he learned lots from Hendrix; drummer Derek James is Paul Whaley/Ginger Baker and [...]

Long Beach delivers again with the first in {open}’s third-Thursday multimedia series that’s starts with this Amps for Christ show. AFC is a bedrock Inland Empire zoned/droned institution and this spiel is more elegant than I could muster:

Via Michael Coyle, who was there the night this came out on LP:

Que Sera and Call Sick score brutally with this very rare (in general) and completely rare in Long Beach set by Labwaste, the beyond-hip-hop duo of Subtitle and Thavius Beck. Even individually these guys are fearsomely historic (Blowedian alums both and twined up with every independent fast-thinker in L.A.; I think Subtitle was 2MEX’s roommate [...]

Thanks to Micah of Paperplanes for copying their upcoming Rhinestone Republic album for me. I have been listening only to like Terry Allen/Jerry Jeff Walker/Guy Clark/Texas ’70s buddies for weeks now and Rhinestone fits in so well. Story is that though the Planes have been laying low for a while—and I will be detailing this [...]

First show in ‘08 from one of the first bands I wrote about for this paper. Via Soft HQ:
We hope to see you there as we join The Youngs, Writer(from SD) and
others at The Prospector this Tuesday night. Show starts a little
before 10, we play in the middle so get there early.
The Prospector is located [...]

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 [...]

Camp-out-at-Prospector week continues with Watt and the Missingmen (Watt, drummer Raul and guitarist Tom, who were chopping up BOC and Stooges very nicely when I saw them in Pedro a bit back) plus some other bands oh man guys I gotta split right now sorry to truncate this bloggggg you all deserved more go see [...]

I’m resurrecting a post I made when I was sick because Katie The Pest is playing FULL BAND at Prospector tonight (Talia, drummer Mike, Valley Arena Warren Woodward on guitar and also appearing in the paper tomorrow and Joe Suitor on bass) with Family Tree, who Katie politely urges you and me to come see, [...]