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Bl’ast, Nails,16 & The Shrine Perform At The Echo

By Andrew Bansal

January 10th 2014, The Echo, Los Angeles CA: Rejuvenated hardcore punk veterans from Santa Cruz, California, Bl’ast played with Neurosis a couple of weeks ago in Santa Ana and San Francisco. Those were Bl’ast’s first shows in over 15 years, with the lineup of original members Clifford Dinsmore on vocals and Mike Neider on guitars, along with the newly recruited Nick Oliveri on bass and Hoss Wright on drums. Based on the experiences of people who attended either of those shows, it’s clear that Bl’ast are back with a vengeance, living up to their name and reputation with the performances they put on in front of those crowds and holding their own amongst bands like Neurosis and Yob. But on this occasion at the Echo, it was their headline show, to be played to a sold-out venue packed with a majority of their Los Angeles fans, and with support from three amazing bands. Continue reading “Bl’ast, Nails,16 & The Shrine Perform At The Echo”

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Lita Ford Rocks The Whisky With Special Guests

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

January 9th 2014, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: Amidst the venue’s ongoing month-long 50th anniversary celebration, rock n’ roll queen Lita Ford took the stage at West Hollywood’s historic Whisky-A-Go-Go last night. Former member of the shortlived all-female hard rock band The Runaways in the late 70s, Lita Ford has enjoyed a successful solo career for the past three decades and over the years she’s had a lot to do with the Los Angeles rock music scene, so it was only appropriate for her to be an integral part of the 50th anniversary festivities of one of the city’s oldest rock clubs. Along with the prospect of performing choice selections from her discography, Lita Ford promised to bring along some very special guests for this show. The hefty advance ticket sales and the large number of people lined up to buy day-of-show tickets early in the evening subsequently lead to the completely packed venue later on, and the excitement surrounding this show was palpable. Continue reading “Lita Ford Rocks The Whisky With Special Guests”

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Los Angeles Hardcore Punk Duo It’s Casual Headline The Troubadour

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

January 6th 2014, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Consisting of the ever-dynamic Eddie Solis on guitar/vocals and Waleed Rashidi on drums, It’s Casual is a longstanding hardcore punk duo based out of Los Angeles, in existence since 2001 and over these past 12 years, Solis has strived to spread serious social messages under the guise of his hardcore punk music. It’s Casual’s most recent release ‘The New Los Angeles II’ was released in 2013 on Solis’ own label Stoked Records, and the band played their first gig of the new year, headlining a free show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on a Monday night. Continue reading “Los Angeles Hardcore Punk Duo It’s Casual Headline The Troubadour”

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Corrections House Devastate The Echoplex

Review & photos by Andrew Bansal

January 5th 2014, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: Featuring in its ranks Mike IX Williams of Eyehategod, Scott Kelly of Neurosis, Sanford Parker of Minsk and Bruce Lamont of Yakuza, Corrections House is a new collaborative project which formed in 2012 and following the ‘Hoax The System/Grin With A Purpose’ single which came out in early 2013, the quartet went on to release their debut full-length ‘Last City Zero’ via Neurot Recordings last October, an extremely intriguing set of tunes that brings forth the talents of these musicians in a different light as compared to the main bands they are respectively known for. After a run on the US East Coast and in Europe, Corrections House finally headed to the West Coast and visited the Echoplex in Los Angeles last night, for what turned out to be an incredibly powerful performance. Continue reading “Corrections House Devastate The Echoplex”

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Yeastie Boys, A Pretty Mess Headline Punk Rock Night At Loaded Hollywood

By Andrew Bansal

January 4th 2014, Loaded Rock Bar, Hollywood CA: Although punk rock is considered by many to be an entirely separate genre from heavy metal, those who know their metal would be on strangers to the fact that a lot of metal has its roots in punk, like the early New Wave Of British Heavy Metal which came into existence owing to old-school British punk, and subsequently the early thrash metal movement which was clearly punk-inspired. Even today, these sub-genres of metal carry a discernible punk vibe, and in my opinion, the two styles of music can never be separated. Hence, whenever there’s a prospect of a good punk rock show in town, I venture out to it, and last night was one such occasion at the Loaded Rock Bar in the heart of Hollywood. Presented by Lara Gladstone, this Saturday night billing featured an all-punk lineup of five local bands, and even though I was not familiar with any of these bands, I somehow had a good feeling about this show. Continue reading “Yeastie Boys, A Pretty Mess Headline Punk Rock Night At Loaded Hollywood”

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Moby Dicks Kick Off The Whisky’s 50th Anniversary Celebration With Retrospective Zeppelin Set

Review by Andrew Bansal
[photos by Brad Worsham] 

January 2nd 2014, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: The oldest rock club on the Sunset Strip and one of the oldest rock venues in America, the Whisky-A-Go-Go is currently holding a month-long celebration of its 50th anniversary, and it began last night with premier Led Zeppelin tribute band The Moby Dicks playing a headline show, on the exact 45th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s first ever Los Angeles show, which happened to be at this very same venue. The Moby Dicks lineup boasts of some hugely talented and greatly experienced musicians in its ranks, led by Brian Tichy on drums and featuring Chas West on vocals, Brent Woods on guitar, James LoMenzo on bass and Stephen LeBlanc on keyboards. This show was billed as a recreation of that eventful night of January 2nd 1969, so there was a lot of nostalgic value to this show and plenty for the hardcore Zeppelin fan to look forward to. Continue reading “Moby Dicks Kick Off The Whisky’s 50th Anniversary Celebration With Retrospective Zeppelin Set”