Stringer’s members are no stranger to the NYC DIY music scene. The Brooklyn-based four piece features several ex-members of Heeney (Max Kagan, Mark Fletcher, and John Spencer) and J Boxer of The Gradients and Bluffing – all acts that got their fair share of coverage in this very blog. Debut EP Dead Ass, released in December 2015, combines elements of grunge and punk, conjuring up a sound reminiscent of early post-hardcore acts like Rites of Spring and Embrace. The EP’s opener “Fear of Death” (streaming below) highlights the band’s fascination with grunge, while following tune “Just Like You” is a brief track characterized by swift, pounding drums and a snotty punk vocal delivery. These two songs exemplify the range within Boxer, Fletcher, and Kagan operate when sharing songwriting and vocal duties, layering their unique personalities and voices with Spencer’s precise drumming. The band will be playing Shea Stadium on June 21st in support of Washer. – John Honan

Changes are often friends of inspiration: new experiences, new instruments, new influences, new collaborations, or even just a new creative approach, are all things that have the power to unleash renewed curiosity and creativity. The story of Kristin Kontrol‘s debut record X-Communicate can be seen (and heard) from this angle: after a great six year run with her drone pop band Dum Dum Girls, whose songs were inspired by legendary electric psych bands of the ’90s like Jesus and Mary Chain and Mazzy Star, Dee Dee (aka Kristin Welchez) decided it was time to mix things up a little, and start anew. The Kristin Kontrol debut album was devised through a new collaboration with Ice Choir programmer/producer Kurt Feldman, and veers decidedly towards the synth-pop sound of the ’80s. You can see KK live at Baby’s All Right on June 22.

Check out this Q&A with Kristin Kontrol in our Delicious Audio blog.

If the word "bueno" reminds you of something yummy you eat during that awesome South American vacation, well, that memory has nothing to do with what this post is about.  Bueno is a Staten Island band that plays a modern brand of post punk with noisy and slacking tendencies.  These influences can be heard in their most recent album cassette release, Guilt, whose songs are blunt and simply relatable – a fragment of their lyrics that stayed with us proclaims: “there used to be a Burger King there, now there’s not.”  Part of the band’s charm lies in its ability to discuss ordinary subjects in a way that is also evocative, but keeping a dead pan attitude.  Make sure to see them at Market Hotel on June 25th with The So So Glos and watch out for their soon to be announced upcoming LP. – Madeleine Grossman

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this entry do not necessarily reflect those of the Site’s or any other contributor.

Venues in Riverside crowded with musicians and music lovers alike during the annual Saturation Fest, an event showcasing the rich diversity of talented artists living in Southern California, especially from the Inland Empire. A few days before the festival, LA Weekly published an article applauding the efforts of a few individuals involved with the festival. The author-outsider looked into the Riverside community as an idyllic refuge, away from the competition and high cost of living in Los Angeles. But having lived in Riverside since my tender alterna-tween years, I see things a little differently.

It’s important to note that the Inland Empire extends far beyond Riverside, where Saturation Fest is hosted. Many folks tend to gloss over the fact that it includes less whitebread areas like Fontana, Hemet, Murrieta, Temecula, or (God forbid!) Moreno Valley, all of which continue to witness a variety of DIY events more bizarre and outlandish than your average Weiner Records lover could fathom. A close examination of the festival’s lineup reveals just how many musical factions have populated the area over the last few years—there is no single genre uniting them, just a handful of familiar area codes.

And so, despite the article’s best efforts to convey a scene of diversity and exceptionalism, there was no mention of the labels that have been operating in the area for years on end, labels like Popgun, Family Time, Not Punk, Juniper Tree Songs, or Bridgetown. No mention of the all-ages DIY venues that have come and gone, and left their marks on us—The Dial in Temecula, Black Flame in San Bernardino, and the Blood Orange in Riverside all closed their doors within six months of one another. Of course, these were definitely too underground for an LA Weekly music journalist to sniff out.

Saturation Fest’s (lack of) coverage until now is just proof of how little the outside world (read: Los Angeles) knows or cares about what happens here, unless the outside world wants to relish a bit of self-hate for the clicks and comments. If you live here and you’re looking for the true freaks, the people that really don’t give a fuck about “making it” in the world of college rock journalists and out-of-touch music editors, you don’t need to look far at all. But they do. – Graeme Crane & Ryan Mo, photo by Goyo Paguaga