Local girlpunk roundup featuring healthy helpings of keytar and yelling. Earplugs recommended.
Classic Southern California punk outfit The Zeros re-re-unites, this time apparently without founding member Robert Lopez, a.k.a. "El Vez" the world's preeminent Mexican Elvis impersonator. Opening acts the Jerk Officers, as the aesthetics of their name suggest, espouse a back-to-basics hardcore punk philosophy; French Girls also tread familiar territory, though perhaps not as a principled stance.
Lead singer Richard Araiza's theatrical baritone and a healthy helping of bongos define the sound of Los Angeles indie surf-punk band The Buttertones, a staple of the Echo Park hipster scene. Israel's Arcade explores a similar sound, blending post-punk instrumentals with Strokes-like indie sleaze vocals.
Alternative indie group Practically People headline this local band roundup at the Valley Bar. Bands? Four. Cost? $15! An ideal HarperQuest.
LCD Soundsystem and Justice headline the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, with supporting acts including Alvvays, Slow Pulp, Confidence Man, Summer Salt, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
Phoenix band Playboy Manbaby headline this indie punk roundup with their chaotic, absurdist garage rock, wearing satirical punk influences like The Dead Kennedys on their sleeves. Fellow ironists Dune Rats and Boy Wonder open the show.
Destroy Boys interpolate grunge, punk, and metal into a modern mélange of tough-girl rock and roll, with vocals reminiscent of bands like French Vanilla, Cherry Glazerr, and Cry Babe. Farmer's Wife similarly evokes predecessors like Nirvana and the Meat Puppets; Deux Visages is no less aggressive but occasionally reveals a softer, sweeter vocal delivery.