Thursday, July 14th
In The Red Records 25th Anniversary, NIGHT 1:
The Gories, Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin, Cheater Slicks, Zig Zags @ the Echoplex.
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, 100 Flowers, Wounded Lion, CFM @ the Echo. Echo Park, $28.50 gets you in to both upstairs and downstairs venues.
The great Los Angeles label, In The Red Records, celebrates 25 years of releasing some of the most wild and unapologetic garage/punk/noise/psych/experimental albums ever laid waste on the underground music scene. The Echo and Echoplex and all in attendance will endure three nights of fun and lunacy.
On Night 1 folks will be running up and down the stairs between the two stages not only to catch well-liked local bands such as Zig Zags, 100 Flowers (previously known as the Urinals), and Wounded Lion…but also to be treated to special appearances from late 80’s primitive Detroit garage rock trio The Gories (members later went on to play in such bands as the Dirtbombs, Demolition Doll Rods, and 68 Comeback), Kid Congo (he of the Gun Club, Cramps, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame), Cheater Slicks (whose music has been described as abstract, intrusive, and confrontational) plus Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin performing their 2009 album Reverse Shark Attack in it’s entirety.
Sean Wheeler, Jesika Von Rabit, Kirpatrick Thomas @ Harvard & Stone, Hollywood, FREE
From out of the desert comes Jesika Von Rabbit’s Birthday Ball with performances from herself, Sean Wheeler (Throw Rag) and Kirpatrick Thomas (Spindrift).
Zinngeschrei, Utena, Hollow Ran, Darkwater Rebellion @ Café Nela, Cypress Park, $5.00
Progressive instrumental power trio Zinngeschrei (pronounced Zing-Shree, I think) take over Café Nela with equally talented alternative math rock female trio Utena, experimental duo Hollow Ran, and the like-minded Darkwater Rebellion.
Friday, July 15th
In The Red Records 25th Anniversary, NIGHT 2:
The Oblivians, The Hunches, Meatbodies, Lamps @ the Echoplex.
Boss Hog, Red Aunts, Goggs, The Side Eyes @ the Echo.
Echo Park, $28.50 gets you in to both upstairs and downstairs venues.
Would you just look at that line-up in the smaller room! Jesus Christ man, a regrouped Boss Hog featuring the beautiful Christina Martinez on vocals and husband Jon Spencer on guitar haven’t played in L.A. since – it seems like forever. Musically powerful, vocally aggressive and sexy, lots of edge and attitude. This is the band I’m probably most excited to see – CANNOT WAIT! Also, reuniting out of nowhere for the evening is snotty female garage punks the Red Aunts, always a fave in the L.A. club scene in the 90’s – NOT TO BE MISSED! Goggs band members include Ty Segall and Charles Moothart of Fuzz and vocalist Chris Shaw of Ex-Cult. They just released a killer fucking punk rock record. The music is hard and unrelenting, due in large part to Shaw’s tough vocals on top of energetic blasts and distorted driving rhythms. This will be Goggs FIRST SHOW EVER!! I don’t know who The Side Eyes are but I bet they are damn good if they’re on this bill and I will surely check them out.
There will be shenanigans going on downstairs in the big room with the out of control bunch from Portland known as The Hunches. This band is wreckless and I expect their set of noisy, distorted rock and roll to be wild and unpredictable! The Oblivians are revered in garage punk/rock circles. Highly respected vocalist Greg Cartwright and crew will no doubt deliver the goods. The Lamps are abrasive and I always like them when I manage to see them. They fit well on this bill. The Meatbodies have a nice following and appeal to the kids. What a night this will be.
B-Movie Rats, Black Widows, Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders, Golden Rulers @ Café Nela, Cypress Park, $8.00
Around the turn of the century in Los Angeles it was not uncommon to see a completely satisfying high-octane evening of rock and soul from bands such as The B-Movie Rats, The BellRays, The Lazy Cowgirls, The Street Walkin’ Cheetahs – all sharing stages in dingy (and fantastic) L.A. punk clubs like Bar Deluxe and Al’s Bar. Every band playing this gig has a representative from one of those aforementioned bands and this special show will be a guaranteed good time.
The original B-Movie Rats lineup reconvenes in L.A. for one weekend only! It’s been more than a dozen years since the Rats have played anywhere. Their brand of punk rock and roll lies somewhere between Rose Tattoo and the New Bomb Turks.
This is also the official record release show for instrumental terrorist outfit The BLACK WIDOWS, who’s new CD is appropriately titled “Evilution”.
The Golden Rulers will be setting a furious tone kicking off the night and Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders top off the evening in style.
The Dickies, The Queers, Schleprock @ the Viper Room, West Hollywood, $22.00
Seeing The Dickies and The Queers in this tiny room will be uniquely goofy and great. Get there early, not many people will get in.
The Alley Cats, Saccharine Trust, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Grievous Angels @ Harold’s Place, San Pedro, $10.00
It’s amazing that so many musicians and bands from the early days of L.A. punk are still active and well and contributing. This is a great lineup/show out in San Pedro.
Shannon & The Clams, Peach Kelli Pop, Sadgirl, Sex Stains @ the Teragram Ballroom, $23.00
Pako Eskorbuto (Spain), Ruleta Rusa, Generacion Suicida, Konflicto, de Libertad @ the Regent Theatre, DTLA, $21.50
Tiger Army, Johnny Two Bags, Reckless Ones @ the Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, $30.00+ (SOLD OUT)
Babymetal @ the Wiltern Theatre, Koreatown, $40-$60 (no opening act)
Saturday, July 16th
The Humpers, B-Movie Rats, The Crazy Squeeze, Resolutions @ Alex’s Bar, Long Beach, $12.00
The Humpers pop up for their annual beer-soaked appearance at Alex’s Bar. Longtime allies The B-Movie Rats play their 2nd and final reunion gig of the weekend. Power punk/pub rockers The Crazy Squeeze make this a super solid bill. Resolutions open the show respectively on a night that promises a hard partying atmosphere. These Humpers shows at Alex’s are always booked well and usually sell out so arrive early.
Toys That Kill, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, The Thingz @ 4th Street Vine, Long Beach, FREE
The other killer show in Long Beach this evening is the record release party for Toys That Kill’s great new album “Sentimental Ward”. Bass master Mike Watt & The Missing Men and The Thingz will also perform…and it’s FREE!
War, Los Amigos Invisibles @ Pershing Square, DTLA, FREE
WAR! Cisco Kid, Low Rider, Why Can’t We Be Friends, The World Is A Ghetto, etc. Free show Downtown Los Angeles. No brainer.
Bonecrusher, Hands Like Bricks, Slurred Speech, Since We Were Kids @ the Redwood Bar, DTLA, $5-$10
Bonecrusher spearheads a night of hard-hitting street punk at the Redwood!
In The Red Records 25th Anniversary, NIGHT 3:
Goggs, Wand, Sleeping Beauties, The Double @ the Echo.
Echo Park, No single day tickets available, must have 3-day pass to get in.
Goggs return for a second time during this 3-day event! Not familiar with the other three bands so it will be an evening of discovery and possibly some surprises.
Feels @ Record Surplus, West LA, FREE
In-store for the new Feels album.
Insect Surfers, Third Grade Teacher, Sylvia Juncosa and the Stone Cold Ninjas @ Café Nela, Cypress Park, $5.00
Anarchy Juice 