“Pepper” from Butthole Surfers

My first proper experience with Texas troublemakers Butthole Surfers was back in 1989, when the San Antonio-based experimental psychedelic noise outfit came to UCLA. They were scheduled to perform in Ackerman Ballroom, which was like an extremely dated open-floor high school auditorium ... but bigger ... and deeper. The college radio station KLA was located …

The Black Angels @ the Mayan on 10.18.17

Fuzzed & defocused in a wash of reverb, The Black Angels perform at the Mayan Theatre on 10.18.17.
Today's been kind of a downer. One of my main work clients declared bankruptcy. Consequently, a number of co-workers received their pink slips. Considering that the economy is "reopening," this doesn't bode well for future endeavors. Hence, the darkness of mood.In that spirit, I'm going to tackle a moodier, broodier slice and sliver of neo-psych …

Explosions in the Sky @ the Hollywood Palladium on 09.12.19

Explosions in the Sky celebrate their 20th Anniversary at the Hollywood Palladium on 09.12.19.
Tonight, I'm going to dig pretty far back, resolving a couple of incomplete posts that have yet to see the light of day. I'll spread them across two entries, to ease clutter. Nearly two months old, the first one focuses on the 20th anniversary of Texas post-rock instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky, who performed at …

Cigarettes After Sex @ the Wiltern on 10.03.19

Cigarettes After Sex perform at the Wiltern Theatre on 10.03.19.
Okay, here's another offering from my backlog of concerts I've been meaning to post. This early October performance comes courtesy of Texas dream-pop auteurs Cigarettes After Sex, who played to a sold out crowd at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on 10.03.19.I figured this would be a good one to write up, as their …

“Feel the Rush Tonight” with Lazerhawk & Gunship

Lazerhawk's 2017 album "Dreamrider," featuring the Gunship collaboration "Feel the Rush Tonight."
After a few days away, I'm going to step back into the blog with some '80s inspired synthwave from two of the genre's most influential names, Lazerhawk and Gunship. Now, I wouldn't blame you if you've never heard of them before. I only have a cursory knowledge myself. But this particular selection came up on …