Leo Santa Cruz stops Kiko Martinez in 5th round in early fight of year candidate

Leo Santa Cruz stops Kiko Martinez in 5th round in early fight of year candidate
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
February 27, 2016

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There were many in the boxing community expecting a Fight of the Year candidate to come out of Saturday night. Most didn’t expect it to come from the Showtime main event between Leo Santa Cruz and Kiko Martinez, but Santa Cruz’s fifth-round TKO victory against Martinez is an early sleeper pick two months into 2016.

Santa Cruz was expected to handle veteran Martinez with relative ease, and through the first few rounds, it looked to follow the script. Santa Cruz put Martinez down twice in the first as he bludgeoned Martinez from the outset. Martinez launched a miniature comeback that was brought to an end in the fifth round when referee Raul Caiz Sr. stopped the bout at the 2:09 mark after Martinez was battered in the corner. Santa Cruz retained the WBA featherweight belt he earned against Abner Mares last August.

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Hugo Ruiz stops Julio Ceja in first round to take 122-pound title; Ceja injures ankle

Hugo Ruiz stops Julio Ceja in first round to take 122-pound title; Ceja injures ankle
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
February 27, 2016

ANAHEIM, Calif. — If Hugo Ruiz was hoping to redeem himself from last August’s fifth-round TKO loss at the hands of Julio Ceja, he did so in emphatic fashion.

Ruiz dropped Ceja with pretty much the first right hand he landed in the fight’s opening seconds. Ceja got back up but was clearly in trouble, and appeared to injure his ankle. This allowed Ruiz to finish him with a volley of punches on the ropes. Referee Tom Taylor halted the bout 51 seconds into the first round, setting up a potential rubber match between the two.

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0 Best Coachella 2016 Niche Bookings

10 Best Coachella 2016 Niche Bookings
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 25, 2016

One of the things that makes Coachella special compared to every other festival is their ability to step outside of the box with their bookings. With more than 150 total acts on the lineup, they’re able to pull from niche genres that don’t get a lot of mainstream love without compromising the amount of name-recognition talent they can bring. Here we spotlight 10 of our favorite billings at this year’s festival.

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An Interview with Coeur de Pirate: Taking a linguistic leap of faith

An Interview with Coeur de Pirate: Taking a linguistic leap of faith
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 23, 2016

Beatrice Martin is a musician in transition.The singer-songwriter also known as Coeur de Pirate returns to Los Angeles for a headlining set at the El Rey Theatre this coming Saturday armed with some awesome electro-pop tunes.

Martin is touring in support of her 2015 full-length release Roses, an album that sees her challenge herself in more ways than one. On this record, Martin sings more English-language tunes than French ones for the first time while also taking a deep dive into the burgeoning synthpop genre with tracks like “Carry On” and “I Don’t Want to Break Your Heart” — which features rapper Allan Kingdom.

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Jessie Ware, Cashmere Cat, Ryn Weaver, Tory Lanez deliver the goods at El Rey for Friends Keep Secrets showcase

Jessie Ware, Cashmere Cat, Ryn Weaver, Tory Lanez deliver the goods at El Rey for Friends Keep Secrets showcase
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 22, 2016

Thursday night, producer Benny Blanco’s label Friends Keep Secrets held a special showcase at the El Rey Theatre. It shined a light on the present and also showed the future is very bright after featuring a slew of performances from Jessie Ware, Cashmere Cat, Ryn Weaver, Tory Lanez and other special drop-ins.

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G-Eazy brings out A-listers P. Diddy, Chris Brown for second sold-out Shrine Expo Hall show

G-Eazy brings out A-listers P. Diddy, Chris Brown for second sold-out Shrine Expo Hall show
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 12, 2016

Almost exactly a year ago, Bay Area rapper G-Eazy had two sold-out nights at The Wiltern as he toured behind his second album These Things Happen. Over the course of those two evenings, the young rapper brought out a venerable who’s who of the hip-hop community – from T.I. to Big Sean to Bay Area legend Too $hort.

A year later and G-Eazy was again headlining two sold-out nights in LA – this time at the much larger Shrine Expo Hall near USC. What was the 26-year-old from Oakland going to do to top his previous LA stint?

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CRSSD Fest adds Ryan Hemsworth, Poolside, others to stacked March bill

CRSSD Fest adds Ryan Hemsworth, Poolside, others to stacked March bill
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 8, 2016

CRSSD Fest has added a dozen acts to their spring lineup, including Canadian DJ Ryan Hemsworth and Los Angeles feel-good duo Poolside.

Cirez D, Bondax, Rezz, Lane 8, Adriatique, Damian Lazarus, Kidnap Kid, Jon Hopkins, Walker & Royce and Tom Trago join a lineup headlined by Chet Faker and ODESZA that also features Tycho, Loco Dice, Gorgon City and others. The two-day festival takes place at Waterfront Park in San Diego on March 5 and 6. Tickets are on sale for a limited time for $135 for a weekend pass, and then they will be on sale for $145 and $155.

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Riothorse Royale, Kera and the Lesbians help wrap up inaugural GirlSchool at Bootleg Theater

Riothorse Royale, Kera and the Lesbians help wrap up inaugural GirlSchool at Bootleg Theater
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 3, 2016

Anna Bulbrook needed only a few months to pull together an epic three-day fest celebrating women in rock. The lead singer of The Bulls brought the inaugural GirlSchool’s Field Day Weekend to the Bootleg Theater and Bar, featuring names like Dead Sara, Veruca Salt and Riothorse Royale on the bill.

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Must-See Coachella Undercard: DMA’s – Aussies with a Britpop punch

Must-See Coachella Undercard: DMA’s – Aussies with a Britpop punch
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 3, 2016

If you’ve been holding your breath for Oasis to make a return since breaking up almost a decade ago, you can exhale. No, the Gallagher brothers haven’t patched things up and announced they’re back together, but there’s another band ready to continue the Britpop legacy that Oasis helped build. The intriguing thing is these guys hail from Australia.

DMA’s came on the scene last year with a self-titled EP that had critics comparing them to Oasis right out of the gate. The band admits they found heavy influence from them, not just in their music but even in their stage attire — bucket hats and track suits are heavily featured.

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Nosaj Thing to play The Regent as part of Coachella sideshow series

Nosaj Thing to play The Regent as part of Coachella sideshow series
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 3, 2016

Los Angeles electronic producer Nosaj Thing will play a date at The Regent on April 21 in between appearances at this year’s Coachella.

Famous for working with top artists like Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi and Chance the Rapper, Nosaj Thing released last year’s Fated to critical acclaim. He will perform on consecutive Sundays at Coachella on April 17 and 24, his first appearance in the desert since 2011.

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Modern English to perform “Mesh and Lace” at The Echoplex

Modern English to perform “Mesh and Lace” at The Echoplex
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 2, 2016

“I’ll stop the world and melt with you / You’ve seen the difference and it’s getting better all the time,” the memorable chorus to ’80s classic “Melt With You” begins. On May 15, the band behind the hit Modern English will perform their 1981 debut album, Mesh & Lace in its entirety at The Echoplex. That album contains the song that shot the British new wave band to the top of the charts.

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Fleetwood Mac Fest adds guests to already deep lineup at Fonda Theatre

Fleetwood Mac Fest adds guests to already deep lineup at Fonda Theatre
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 2, 2016

On February 9 and 10, the music of Fleetwood Mac will be celebrated in epic fashion as part of Jameson’s Best Fest series at the Fonda Theatre.

The lineup of announced guests already included Mark Ronson, Perry Farrell, Joana Newsom, Alison Mosshart, Cold War Kids and Sarah Silverman. Now they’ve added Courtney Love, Carly Rae Jepsen (Feb. 9 only), Juliette Lewis and Weezer’s Brian Bell to the bill.

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Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins deliver ethereal nostalgia at Immanuel Presbyterian

Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins deliver ethereal nostalgia at Immanuel Presbyterian
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 1, 2016

The tinted windows of Immanuel Presbyterian’s Cathedral Sanctuary in Los Angeles, California served as the backdrop for a trio of rare performances over the weekend.

Jenny Lewis — the established indie queen of southern California — and The Watson Twins turned back the clock in celebration of their 2006 album Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis also brought along holdover help from that album M. Ward, who himself opened the show with an entertaining 40-minute set.

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HÆLOS to headline The Echo as part of Coachella sideshow series

HÆLOS to headline The Echo as part of Coachella sideshow series
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 1, 2016

London synthpop group HÆLOS returns to Los Angeles in April for a performance at The Echo, as part of Coachella’s sideshow series Localchella.

We last saw the group perform as an opener for R&B sensation Miguel at an intimate edition of Bardot’s School Night in January. There they impressed a packed house with their celestial sound and layered vocals. They will release their debut album Full Circle on March 18, via Matador Records. They are a must-see Coachella undercard act if you can catch them at the desert festival on consecutive Fridays, April 15 and 22.

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