The Scenestar

Live: Almost Acoustic Christmas Night One

Photo of Thirty Seconds to Mars at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas by Avery Bowen

DECEMBER 9 | INGLEWOOD—Seth Bowen covered KROQ's 28th annual Almost Acoustic Christmas for The Scenestar, noting the highs (Muse!) and lows (Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme kicking a photographer).

Live: Alvvays At Roxy Theatre

Photo of Alvvays at Music Tastes Good 2017 via Losanjealous

OCTOBER 23 | WEST HOLLYWOOD—On the day that Canadian band Alvvays was performing a last-minute show at the Roxy Theatre, following a set at Long Beach's Music Tastes Good festival, Los Angeles hit record October temperatures, reaching 102 degrees. "Whew! I don't know how you do it here," said singer-guitarist Molly Rankin. "It's fun, but it's too hot."

Live: Pitchfork Music Festival 2017

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS ALVAREZ

The 2017 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in Chicago added a few wrinkles to what could be seen as a well-oiled machine. VIP tickets and amenities were offered to the public for the first time. Also, lockers and cellphone charging stations were implemented into the festival infrastructure. Such things are standard at other larger festivals, but Pitchfork has tried to keep the DIY spirit alive as much as possible (despite numerous sponsorship partners). With a deep lineup, arguably the best weather of the whole summer, and an almost sold-out weekend, it seemed that the festival was set up to go flawlessly. Barring issues regarding entry into the festival on Friday, which were alleviated the next day, it all went according to plan. But with a literal 11th hour cancellation by The Avalanches on Sunday afternoon, the festival scrambled to avoid keeping attendees at the Green Stage in total silence while awaiting headliner Solange. Chicago native Jamila Woods was moved from her Blue Stage slot and was greeted by a buoyant crowd, with whom she responded in kind with an elegant performance. Despite those hiccups, a fantastic weekend of music took place. Below are five highlights of the three-day festival.

Live: Hazel English At Bootleg Bar

ARTICLE BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS BY LESLIE KALOHI

JULY 19 | "I'm so stoked to be here," exclaimed Hazel English to the packed crowd at her sold-out Bootleg Bar show. "We love L.A. We arrived today, and it was like, 'Oh, it feels like summer.' In the Bay [Area], it's always freezing." After performing at this venue in February, and now touring in support of her double EP Just Give In + Never Going Home, the Oakland-based Australian and her band were met by a joyously enthusiastic audience tonight. When one person cheered especially loudly, Hazel smiled and replied, "Yeah, let's keep up the energy!"

Live: Zak Starkey + SSHH At The Viper Room

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY TONY MOLINA

NOVEMBER 4 | WEST HOLLYWOOD—Upon a cool night stroll down historic Sunset Boulevard, where L.A. rock history stands ground against the newly gentrified horizons, the sight of the Sunset and Clark Street intersection still soothes with a mental and spiritual comfort. As of late, Hollywood has stretched in so many directions, morphing into an unfamiliar landscape far from its sweet sunset and sun-kissed, low-profile skyline. But even in the calm night, this intersection still makes me proud of what these street blocks once were witness to: legendary rock music. Who knows what time will do to these streets as changes seem to blow in quicker than a Facebook post. But for the moment, I want to cherish what these streets have been all about: musical treasure. Not just that music is experienced here, but we're lucky that the music creators walk with us here. Not every town gets this.

Shows Of The Night: Friday, September 30th

BUY TICKETS: Blink-182 at the Forum

Adios, September! It has been a great month of music, Scenestar readers, and before we move on to "Rocktober," we will check out our Show of the Night, Blink-182! The band has several SoCal tour dates, including a headlining show at the The Forum tonight with openers All American Rejects, All Time Low, and A Day to Remember. In support of new album California, Blink-182 also has tour dates at the Forum on Saturday, October 1; the GRAMMY Museum on Tuesday, October 4; and the Santa Barbara Bowl on Wednesday, October 5.

If you can't get in to our Show of the Night, your other music options include performances by Gary Clark Jr., Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dropkick Murphys, Echo and the Bunnymen, El Ten Eleven, Glen Hansard, The Mae Shi, Martina McBride, Mr. Oizo, Shooter Jennings, Paul Simon, Regina Spektor, Tegan and Sara, Thievery Corporation, and many more. Click here for ticket links and info on all of today's shows as well as upcoming local shows on our concert calendar. For any further updates, be sure to also follow us on Twitter for any last-minute news and set times (posted daily in the comments section) if available for select shows!

Live: Pitchfork Music Festival At Union Park

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS ALVAREZ AND AMANDA BARTELS

JULY 17-19 | CHICAGO—The Pitchfork Music Festival, now in its 10th year, has come a long way from its humble beginnings as Intonation in 2005. At that time, boutique festivals were few and far between in North America, so Pitchfork easily stood apart from such behemoth events as Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo. The Pitchfork Music Festival carefully selects its talent to represent that moment in music, and this year's event was no different, with a plethora of artists (old and new) that aimed to please serious music lovers' palette. At the core was the representation from the city of Chicago with seven artists on the lineup, two of which were headlining. It was only fitting that they opened and closed the festivities.

Live: Mono At The Troubadour

ARTICLE BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MOLINA OF MONO AT THE INDEPENDENT

JUNE 27 | WEST HOLLYWOOD—Japanese instrumental rock band Mono, who is on tour in support of new albums The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness, performed an engaging set tonight at the Troubadour. A band of few words, Mono arrived on stage—without introduction or greeting—to an attentive, hushed audience. The somewhat awkward silence was broken with the opening notes of Darkness's "Recoil, Ignite," a track that begins quietly and then explodes into a complex flurry of guitars and drums almost two minutes in.