Hollow Ran is hi-speed cyberpunk dissonance with an unstable core reactor—a locally-sourced organic alternative for the Tera Melos-starved patrician. They're the lost ark, the result of Nick Reinhart and Damon Che performing a fusion dance, and like their now-deceased senpai 100 Onces (rip in peace), eschew the power trio and full band. They go hard. They go fast. And they will melt your face faster than a chemical burn.

If you caught their performance last Friday at the Frida Theater—where they played to a collage of anime sequences including FLCL and Cowboy Bebop—or at Top Acid's Anniversary show, you've already fallen in love and you'll agree the duo should have scored the soundtrack to Tekkonkinkreet. But if not, get acquainted with their 2015 four-way split with Jitters, Dagrons, and MILKIS before running off to see them this month.  - Ryan Mo

2/16 Costa Mesa, CA @ La Cave (presented by Wordovmouth)

2/20 Los Angeles, CA @ DIY Fest 3

2/26 Gardena, CA @ [location tba]

2/27 Fullerton, CA @ Programme HQ

I was listening to one of the staff members at White Oak Music & Arts as he told me about a ska show that broke capacity and a restroom sink.

That was mayhem compared to Wake Up, SFV, which floated upwards of 100 occupants shuffling between main stage and the lobby. On Sunday, the almost-nondescript music store, nestled with mechanic shops and powered by the will of 818, was host to a plethora of bands that not only called attention to the Valley's diversity, but more importantly its spirit. From 5 p.m. onwards, neighborhood youth shared cigarettes and sipped on tallboys as homespun vendors displayed their arts and crafts with decorum, beaming with a confidence and sincerity rarely felt in Los Angeles.

And I moved with the crowd through the different phases that claimed my musical adolescence — the genres that waxed and waned in popularity, but never lost their tenacity. From Tone in Georgia's well-groomed freakouts to The Aeons' feel-good maximalism, 100 Once's acapella cover of Evanescence and R!OT's dextrous remix of Shia LaBouef. The Unending Thread's toe-tapping emo-soul and those cathartic shivers of COEX, down to the fog-heavy end of the Fever The Ghost's glitched-out mecha fantasy. Every band brought their all, and the spirited youth gave back tenfold. 

Happy anniversary, White Oak Music & Arts. And thank you for wake-up call, Cesar Alas. - Ryan Mo

100 Onces are arguably the most hardcore duo of Southern California's mathrock scene. In their five years of existence, guitarist Barrett Tuttobene and drummer Richard Ray have raised money to book six DIY tours, and played the ArcTanGent Festival twice with the likes of Deafheaven, The Fall of Troy, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. During their recent Fall Europe tour, 100 Onces played a show in Russia where a dead body had washed up nearby. The venue subsequently burned down — dudes got their gear out and no one got hurt.

Sadly, last month the two announced that they are officially finished with the project, and will play their final show for their 818 homies at Wake Up, SFV. December 13th is your last chance to get angular with these guys. Will they strip down and crowdsurf for old times' sake? Find out next Sunday. - Ryan Mo

Get hyped, San Fernando Valley. Your city rocks. Your people rock. And to show you just how much, the lovely birds at Wake Up, San Fernando Valley collective are throwing a fest that'll put you on the map, more so than HAIM or System of a Down did.

WSFV -IV- (wait, the fourth?) celebrates homegrown talents from the deep San Fernando Valley at the longstanding White Oak. Over a dozen local bands are billed for your 818 pleasures, including Fever The Ghost, R!OT, and The Unending Thread. Art vendors, food trucks and more, ya heard?

It goes down on a spoopy December 13th. Expect this to be a packed show; wear your Sunday suits, or whatever. - Ryan Mo

If you didn't get to see Pretend's stellar performance during Young Lovers' residency at Pehrspace, know this: Nick Reinhart was grooving pretty damn hard to their music, and Pehrspace hit capacity before the encore. 

Now that you know you missed out on something big, here's a second shot to catch the enigmatic musicians: along with guitar-drum mathcore duo 100 Onces, Pretend will support touring New Jersey trio Vasudeva, whose last album Life in Cycles will definitely connect with fans of upbeat mathy post-rock like Enemies, The Bulletproof Tiger, Dios Trio. Then again, if you know of such bands, you're probably very familiar with these three and are wondering how you didn't find out about this earlier.

Presented by Sound of a Vacuum, the show is happening at North Hollywood's Bonnerhaus, doors open at 8pm. Vasudeva are moving through California for the first time, and tonight they're playing in Fresno at Frank's Place/Star Palace with The Unending Thread. You can still catch them on Saturday in Anaheim's The Eclectic Room with locals like Hollow Ran, Panoramic, and Twentytwofourteen. - Ryan Mo