If you're a fan of dub step, heavy metal or a little Puerto Rican reggaeton, tonight's musical offerings are right in your wheel house.
Rusko, Doorly, A1EX G Plus and Left/Right at The Granada Theater Speaking from his Los Angeles home, DJ/producer Rusko is a testament to modesty. "I really don't think I bring anything to the dub step scene that isn't already there," says the British nob twister also known as Christopher Mercer. "I make the music I make and it's someone else who says it has a lighter feel or mood." Despite his humility, Rusko's impact on the dub step scene and electronic music in generally cannot be understated. Also renowned for his production work with Britney Spears and Rihanna, Rusko has expanded his influence into the pop realm as well. Indeed, as he becomes more and more successful as a producer, gigs like tonight's will become less frequent. "I've made music for ten years and being a DJ was just a way of getting my music out," says Rusko. "I prefer being a producer. I was making music and then it was like, fuck, how do I get this out?" So Rusko's production successes have made attending this evening's show compulsory.
Between the Buried and Me, Job for a Cowboy, The Ocean and Interorbis at the Prophet Bar North Carolina's Between the Buried and Me is another one of those progressive metal outfits that may be too diverse for their own good. Jumping around five or six particular metal sub-genres is nothing out of the norm for this skillful quintet. For over a decade, Tommy Rogers and crew have been channeling influences as diverse as King Crimson, Counting Crows and Pink Floyd into a thoughtful and potent metal concoction that defies simple classification. Albums such as Colors and The Great Misdirect may not be the easiest listens, but they are consistently interesting. There's not much more that can be asked of most metal outfits.
Calle 13 at the House of Blues Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (aka Residente) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez (aka Visitante) and their sister Ileana (aka PG-13) have been creating Calle 13's dense and invigorating mix of reggaeton and hip-hop for nearly a decade. The band is also known for its political bent, even creating controversy by directly criticizing the Puerto Rican government. Neither the political comments nor the ensuing debate has hurt Calle 13's popularity. Of course, it helps when the music is solid Latin hip-hop with deep reggaeton grooves and inventive rapping. Music triumphs over politics nearly every time.
