Liz Ohanesian

Alle Norton is Cellars; Credit: Ellierex

Cellars' Alle Norton Is Obsessed With Love and '80s Synthpop

Liz Ohanesian
Alle Norton is trying to explain her interest in 1980s pop music. She was born in 1990, so the decade isn't hers. "I don't know where that came from," she says. "Probably my dad." When Norton was young, she remembers him listening to Queen and The Bangles. That "musical energy"......
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GR2 Game Night

Liz Ohanesian
At GR2’s Game Night, you won’t be playing Monopoly. In Two Fighters, One Tablet, players go at it on an arcade-style device that’s strapped to another’s back. Paparazzi is a two-person, TMZ-fueled fantasy, where one takes on the role of a celebrity, the other a paparazzo. Paperbound is a video......
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M/A/N/Ø/S

Liz Ohanesian
Once a solo project for veteran L.A. DJ/musician Adam XVI (XVI Days, Cougar), M/A/N/Ø/S only became a duo with the addition of member Christos last year. They played their first show in early January. With the release of a six-song EP, Daboque Vos in Manu Mea, they’re ready to make......
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Rock 'n' Roll Flea Market

Liz Ohanesian
Since Spaceland Presents promoter Mitchell Frank and other music folks took over Main Street’s century-old Regent Theater, the once-neglected former movie palace has become a hot spot for hip bands and comedians. Needless to say, its latest endeavor — the monthly Rock 'n' Roll Flea Market — will be filled......
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The M Machine

Liz Ohanesian
Signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA label, The M Machine is big-room EDM for the kids who dress in neon and festival-hop through the summer. While the San Francisco–based trio’s earlier work is exactly what you would expect from the new wave of dance artists — lots of peaks and few subtleties......
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Sam Smith

Liz Ohanesian
Since his breakthrough vocal performance on Disclosure’s single “Latch,” Sam Smith has emerged as the soulful crooner whose voice can light up a dance floor as much a romantic evening. On “Money on My Mind,” the lead track from his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, Smith’s tender, soaring voice......
Danny Sanchez; Credit: Photo by Danny Liao

In L.A.'s Suburbs, a Mini-Empire of '80s Bars

Liz Ohanesian
Inside the Hully Gully in Downey on a recent Saturday night, the big 1980s pop hits don't do as well as the cult ones. There's a lot of love for Afrika Bambaataa's influential track "Planet Rock" and Gucci Crew II's Miami bass jam "Sally, That Girl." Nothing, however, picks up......
Coachella 2014; Credit: Timothy Norris

Yes, Bands Should Be Judged by Their Festival Performances

Liz Ohanesian
Tell the Internet that you think a live act is overrated, like we did last week, and you're bound to get some passionate responses. Say that your assessment is based on a Coachella performance and people will really jump to the band's defense. "Of course it's not going their best......