Tag Archives: Live

Gallery Music Why He’s Wiz Khalifa

by Mike Bucher and Joe Gall
May 5, 2011 - 1:46 pm

In case you were wondering why he’s such a Wiz: “Wiz Khalifa- His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning “successor”, and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen.” -Wikipedia.  Apparently, as Wiz told spinner magazine, he was such a talented child, a wiz at everything so to speak, and that also played a role in his choosing the name.

You might also be wondering why his incredibly loyal fans are called the “Taylor Gang.” Well, it turns out that contrary to popular belief, it’s not because the artist and his followers rock Converse Chuck Tailors, rather, the name comes from the fact that the original Wiz crew started at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh. Oh… and “Black and Yellow” is a Pittsburgh reference (Stealers/Pirates/etc.) in case you didn’t already know.

Now that you’re caught up on all the Wiz facts, It’s time to show you the pictures from the Rapper’s Bamboozle performance.

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Gallery Music APB: Tokyo Police Club at Bamboozle

by Mike Bucher and Joe Gall
May 4, 2011 - 10:30 am

It seems that The Ontario quartet made up of Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals, bass) and Graham Wright (keys/percussion) are having quite the year.  Playing Coachella’s Main stage and gracing East Rutherford’s Bamboozle festival in support of their 2010 release Champ.  We snapped some shots of the Canadians at last weekend’s festival (below) and if you’ve yet to discover this alt-gem, give them a listen after the jump.

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Gallery Music HEALTH: Time for your Medicine

by Rich Thomas and Dustin Downing
April 28, 2011 - 9:52 am

Between Death From Above 1979, the Bloody Beetroots, Lightning Bolt and Green Velvet, you knew the forecast for Coachella Day Three was going to be mostly heavy with an 80% chance of mosh. One of the bands most responsible for that late afternoon deluge of noise was LA rockers HEALTH, who decimated the Mojave Tent with a 14+ song set that included hits like “Die Slow,” “USA Boys” and “Crimewave,” in addition to underground favorites like “Zoothorns” and a cover of Pictureplane’s “Goth Star.” If you’ve never seen HEALTH live, you’re missing out, though your hearing is probably more intact than mine. These guys thrash around on stage like deep water fish on the end of a long line of 50-pound test, and they don’t play their instruments as much as abuse them. (The photo gallery tells the story.) They’re currently writing material for a new record—the follow-up to 2009’s Get Color—so we caught up with bassist John Famiglietti after their Coachella set to find out more.

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Gallery Music Search and Destroy: Linda Perry’s Deep Dark Robot

by Nicole Pajer and Dustin Downing
April 27, 2011 - 11:35 am

After an intriguing interview with Linda Perry back in January, we’ve been looking forward to seeing what Deep Dark Robot is all about. Perry’s new collaboration with Fasto Jeston drummer Tony Tornay has peaked the curiosity of everyone, from the slew of platinum selling popstars she’s collaborated with to music industry aficionados.

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Gallery Music Rapper’s Delight: Shwayze

by Dustin Downing
April 26, 2011 - 11:04 am

I wouldn’t normally suggest jumping on stage during a Cisco Adler set to spit versus written in the yard of your Malibu mobile home park. But for Aaron Smith, “That shit just kinda went down,” and now here I chill in the greenroom of the ROXY on Sunset with Shwayze Pt.1. We await the shirtless half of the improbable Shwayze Pt.2 (Mr.Adler) to finish up his solo set so that I might snap a quick pic of this now quite NORML duo before they themselves, toke to the stage on this celebratory 4/20 eve.

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Featured Gallery Music Mystery, Motherhood and Music with Sierra Swan

by Nicole Pajer and Dustin Downing
February 15, 2011 - 9:48 am

Sierra Swan definitely doesn’t fit the mold of the typical cookie cutter singer/songwriter. She’s dark, mysterious, and has an attitude about her. Sierra is no stranger to the recording industry. In 1997, she was signed to MCA as a member of Dollshead. In 2000, she launched a solo career, which led to a stint on Atlantic Records. After catching the ear of Linda Perry, Sierra found herself landing a deal at Interscope Records. Since her debut album and time with Interscope, Sierra has gone on to release an EP titled “Coward,” as well as “Queen of the Valley” and “Girl Who Cried Wolf.” She’s done some amazing things such as collaborate with Billy Corgan and travel to Liverpool with Ringo Starr to sing and play keys on an album.

Sierra took the stage at Hotel Café on Monday January 31st and showed Los Angeles that she is back and ready to reemerge behind the spotlight. She may have recently had a baby but is that hasn’t seemed to slow her down one bit. Also on the evening’s bill was a set of cover songs by Linda Perry as well as Heather Porcaro. Sierra has been working hard on some very exciting projects. A recent endeavor was collaboration on a project with her musician father, Billy Swan, which they recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis.

There was typical preshow chaos backstage with musicians busting in left and right but Sierra and I managed to squeeze in a conversation about motherhood, songwriting, and the exciting new EP she just recorded with her father.

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Gallery Music Nikka Costa Gets Funky at The Roxy

by Nicole Pajer and Dustin Downing
January 25, 2011 - 9:03 am

Thursday night, The Roxy was packed with fans sliding as close to the curtain as possible, fighting tooth and nail for front row status. As I waited for Nikka Costa to take the stage, I flashed back to when I saw her perform in 2005 when she toured with Lenny Kravitz in support of her album “Can’tneverdidnothin.” She put on quite a show then and I expected nothing less, six years later, from the feisty singer. Nikka knows how to work over an audience. She has to; music is in her blood. She is, after all, the daughter of renowned arranger/producer Don Costa, and more importantly the goddaughter of ‘”Ol’ Blue Eyes” himself, aka Frank Sinatra.

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Gallery Music Check Yo Ponytail 2 Brings Out the Dancer in You

by Zoetica Ebb
January 19, 2011 - 9:52 am

Last week, the Echoplex was rocked by a new installment of Check Yo Ponytail 2, a cross-genre 18+ club night dedicated to all things new, edgy and danceable. On the roster: Terminal Twilight, Teengirl Fantasy, Pictureplane, and DJ sets by that Killing Spree collective you might have heard of around town. With such an eclectic lineup of everything from coldwave to neo-rave [that really was not meant to rhyme, and I apologize] we knew it was going to be an interesting night, and we were not disappointed.

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Gallery Music NOFX: Success Is A Drag

by Lisa Johnson
January 14, 2011 - 7:51 am

Legendary punks NOFX are known for pushing boundaries.

Their cutting edge documentary NOFX: Backstage Passport shocked TV viewers with their global escapades in debauchery on tour when it aired on Fuse in 2008. Earlier this year, singer Fat Mike’s alter ego Cokie The Clown got banned from Emo’s in Austin, Texas when he served what appeared to be urine-infused tequila to an audience of unsuspecting fans (it later proved to be an elaborate hoax). Now for the band’s latest exploit: NOFX dressed in full drag for their New Year’s Heave party at the Wiltern.

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Featured Gallery Music LA Celebrates Ozomatli’s Quinceañera

by Rich Thomas and Dustin Downing
December 23, 2010 - 10:54 am

On Saturday night, as Los Angeles was getting pummeled with a third straight day of record rainfall, one of the city’s most beloved groups was warming up Club Nokia with good vibes, good music and a thousand of their closest friends. Ozomatli celebrated their 15th musical year by throwing a quinceañera party that featured special appearances by the USC Trojan Marching Band and the Crenshaw High School Elite Gospel Choir, as well as past Ozo members like Cut Chemist, Chali 2na, Kid.W.I.K. and Jabu.

“For a lot of us, if you grew up in LA you’ve been to a quinceañera,” says saxophonist and vocalist Ulises Bella before the show, perhaps recalling some not-so-fond memories. “But we’re gonna make it a good one this year.”

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