Music Pick: Mortiis
Norwegian madman Mortiis spent much of the 2000s, after leaving black-metal pioneers Emperor, trying to convince the world that he was a real troll.
View ArticlePacific Opera Project Reclaims Madama Butterfly in a More Nuanced Production
One of the most problematic and least realistic operas has long been composer Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which undergoes a serious makeover in an intriguing new co-production by Pacific Opera...
View ArticleLethal Looks: Rio Warner Is L.A.'s Rainbow Bright Sparkle Queen
Growing up in L.A. and frequenting nightclubs, art shows and punk gigs, Danny Fuentes became a fan, follower and friend to purveyors of alternative fashion, which led to creating spaces for them in his...
View ArticleMusic Pick: The Hillbilly Moon Explosion
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion aren't doing anything new, but they sure do it with a lot of style and sass. The Swiss rockabilly band are fronted by Emanuela Hutter, who purrs swing, garage rock and...
View ArticleGoLA Pick: Mementos Mori
The art of puppetry is often dismissed as light entertainment only for children, but the presentation of Mementos Mori at the Broad Stage promises to be something entirely different. The aptly named...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Eric B. & Rakim
"I was a fiend before I became a teen/I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream," Rakim declared, comparing his passion for joining words together to an addiction, on the single "Microphone...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Iceage and Shame
The best moments on Iceage's 2018 album, Beyondless, evoke the promise of The Saints' Prehistoric Sounds era. Elias Bender Rønnenfelt snarls ruefully about a sirenlike muse while guest star Sky...
View ArticleMusic Pick: The Letter Openers and Honeychain
In the early 2000s, The Letter Openers were one of Los Angeles' most promising bands, slugging out hard-rocking riffs paired with smart, sarcastic lyrics and anti-pop choruses that were nonetheless...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Flipper
While the lineup has shifted radically in recent years, the MO for San Fran punks Flipper has remained the same — create off-the-wall, manic and challenging punk rock while putting on a killer live show.
View ArticleMusic Pick: The Interrupters
For a while there, it looked like ska-punk had gone stale. The likes of No Doubt, Save Ferris and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones had had their day, and anything that did emerge seemed utterly derivative...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Shana Cleveland
Shana Cleveland is best known as leader of hazy fantasists La Luz, who blend '60s garage-pop with surf-rock adornments. On her new solo recording, Night of the Worm Moon, the singer-guitarist ventures...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Masked Intruder
The fun is in the mystery with Masked Intruder. Like a punk-rock budget GWAR, the band have a backstory and they wear masks.
View ArticleMusic Pick: Michael Schenker Fest
German guitarist Michael Schenker has always been a bit of a cocky bastard, but it's arguably that over-inflated ego that makes the man who and what he is.
View ArticleMusic Pick: Bowie Jane
With a name like Bowie, one would imagine that a career in music was inevitable for Australian-born L.A. resident Bowie Jane.
View ArticleNews, Culture and Trending in L.A.: Coachella, Good Luck Bar, Tiki Ti, Record...
Coachella controversy and Soteria/Every One safety measures, Good Luck Bar closure and Tiki Ti anniversary, and Record Store Day
View ArticleMusic Pick: Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Gainsbourg exudes inherent cool. The multifaceted Gainsbourg brims with talent in the studio and on the screen.
View ArticleMusic Pick: Kaytranada
While "DJ-producer" might be the best label for Kaytranada, this man goes way beyond with his musical talents.
View ArticleMusic Pick: Mdou Moctar
Notes explode from Mdou Moctar's guitar like radiant sparkles of supernatural light. They rain in patterns and expand in all directions like brightly flickering constellations, mesmerizing the listener...
View ArticleMusic Pick: The Scientists
When The Scientists made their local debut last year — four decades after forming in Perth, Australia — demand was so great that they sold out two shows at Zebulon. Following those two electrifying...
View ArticleMusic Pick: Flock of Dimes & Madeline Kenney
"Talk is dangerous," Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, aka Flock of Dimes, confides on "The Sisters," before reprising the line a minute later as "Life is dangerous." Her mood is more gently contemplative than...
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