Winona Fighter rocks. This is not our first time saying this. We've been following their trajectory since early this year, on the first part of the "Yes, Chef!" tour. Since then, we've had the chance to chat with frontwoman Coco Kinnon, and get a little crash course on Winona Fighter. But we're seasoned fight club members now, and we're ready to hit this a little harder. Supporting Waterparks on their Prowler Tour this December, Winona Fighter is bringing the energy to a who

Waterparks played an electric show at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on June 13th!

Grayscale in grayscale by Lexy Bouras Last Saturday, a warm San Diego night in North Park was shaken up by the electric liveliness of a band from Pennsylvania- a band none other than Grayscale. Personally (as I tend to put my personal spin on things here at Us For Once), I was hyped. While Grayscale has been jamming out together for the better part of a decade, I had the pleasure of being introduced to their music three short years ago, during their Nella Vita album cycle.

Photo: Lexy Bouras Last Tuesday, tucked away to the side of glimmering Hollywood Blvd, hip and tiny underground music venue (no, literally, you have to go down a flight of stairs and sacrifice cell service in this subterranean club) Madame Siam hosted Breaking Sound LA, a too-coo-for-school showcase of the hottest local rising artists. While acts like Angelo Vivo, Ada, and Grant Kemp rocked the house with their contagious energy and eclectic variety of sound, I would be lyin

Photos by Lexy Bouras Waterparks is a three piece genre-bending group from Houston, Texas. Photographed here on various dates of their FANDOM Tour, taking place in Fall 2019.

Photos by Lexy Bouras Matty Healy, frontman of platinum-selling alternative band The 1975, is photographed here playing 91X's 2019 Subaru Share The Love Benefit in San Diego.

Photos by Lexy Bouras. As It Is is a British-American rock band based in Brighton, England. Made up of Patty Walters, Benjamin Langford-Biss, Alistair Testo, Ronnie Ish, and Patrick Foley (the faithful drummer, not pictured, and we feel really bad about it), the group is photographed here playing the mainstage of Hatfield's Slam Dunk Fest 2019. For more on As It Is, and Slam Dunk, be sure to check out our Summer Issue, pages 6-7!

After an eventful 2018 (which included releasing an EP, hitting the Billboard Dance Chart, and touring the country with Echosmith), 18-year-old pop artist Jena Rose is back this with a brand new single, “Mad Man”. An indie-pop track about losing your inhibitions while in love with a devilish charmer (the type you know you’re not supposed to love, but just can’t resist), “Mad Man” starts off with synths and snaps that nicely roll into Rose’s silky voice. Layered lyrics and pr

All Time Low is one of those bands that occupies a strange and special place in my heart. Despite listening to them for years, I just recently got the opportunity to see them live for the first time at the San Diego date of the final Warped Tour. Their set was incredibly fun and definitely unforgettable ,but for me at least, one thing was missing: Stella. Was it surprising that my favorite All Time Low song, track 2 off 2009's Nothing Personal didn't make the six-song Warped

A present-day pop princess, Sage Charmaine is like a Lisa Frank character come to life. Behind the pink hair, sparkles, and sassy smile, however, there’s an artist refining her real life experiences to create polished pop tunes that are sure to hook listeners. Her debut EP, don’t leave me, brings attitude and honesty, dipping into the boundaries of various genres (like indie rock and hip hop), while still maintaining an overarching pop sound. Highlights include “Ashes”, Cha

A/N: The title is long, the title sounds misleading. It’s not. I figured I’d put this story in the “I Bought Tickets…” series despite the fact that- as you can tell by the title, I very much did not buy tickets to this show. Still, I think it fits in perfectly with the theme of the series because this story is all about how music moves people and some how some artists can take you on an undeniably unexpected adventure. I like Blink-182. I really do. I’ve always found

Riding the calm synth wave of the 2010's indie music boom, Violet Days brought their dreamy alt-pop right to The Observatory OC (in support for The Midnight) for an evening of dance-able beats and ethereal vibes. Lead singer Lina Hannson captivates the audience with her sweet demeanor and clear, powerful vocals perfectly layered over electric keyboard and drums. The group paird their trendy sound with meaningful lyrics dwelling on themes of love, loneliness, and indecision, m

Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram or flipping through the pages of a magazine when you're stopped in your tracks by a photograph? Not just any photograph, either, a perfectly timed portrait of live music. A snapshot that captures not only the artist, but the entire energy of the moment- a freeze frame of the excitement and adrenaline of being at a concert. Just me? I hope not! What used to be be a simple captivation with music photography turned into a full

Ever wanted to travel across the country to hear your favorite songs, support your favorite artists, and be right where the magic happens every night? Get ready to rock! And survive on the least possible amount of... everything. Based on our experience following two different Waterparks tours across the Southwest, here's a helpful list of some of the things you can expect while living the ups and downs of tour life- fan style. Photo by Yising Kao 1. Your sleep schedule will

TW // This music video's artistic direction features strobe lights, flashing imagery, and fake blood. Art does not always come in the form of soft beauty. Sometimes, the art that leaves the most lasting impression is the one that's slightly uncomfortable, yet incredibly powerful. Paris/LA rock group Tarah Who? taps into this exact energy with their track, "Numb Killer". After the tragic events of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, frontwoman Tarah G. Carpenter began to quest

Fresh off a stellar run on Waterparks’ Entertainment Tour, alternative poet De’Wayne Jackson is inspired, invigorated, and ready to shake up the music scene in 2019. In addition to his newest release, “LET IT BANG” ( a hip hop banger loaded with important social commentary that we reviewed in full here), De’Wayne was kind enough to kickstart his big year by chatting with Us For Once. Lexy: Hey De’Wayne! How are you? I just wanted to preface this a little bit by saying that t

A smooth intro of soft horns blend in with lightly computerized vocals to start off “Let It Bang”. However, the calm R&B vibe doesn’t last for long as De’Wayne Jackson dropkicks into the verses just seconds into his first release of 2019. Although first impressions from the title and intro can easily be misconstrued as it simply being another good (but ultimately forgettable) rap track, as the beat drops, Jackson switches gears, going into “See the killing from the timeline/I

Photos by Lexy Bouras. Waterparks is an alternative pop/rock group from Houston, Texas. Made up of Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington, and Otto Wood, pictured here on their headlining 2018 Entertainment Tour. For updates, new releases, and captions posted in all caps only, follow their Instagram and Twitter. Don't forget to keep an eye out for our exclusive January Entertainment Tour issue which includes in-depth coverage of Waterparks' whole tour!

Photos by Lexy Bouras. Super Whatevr is a suicide prevention and awareness project started by frontman Sky Mckee, pictured here as support for Waterparks on the 2018 Entertainment Tour. Learn more about this band's amazing message and music by following them on Instagram and checking out their website- be on the lookout for more exclusive coverage in January's Entertainment Tour issue!

Photos by Lexy Bouras. I Don't Know How But They Found Me, or IDKHOW for short, is a band lost in time made up of Dallon Weekes and Ryan Seaman; pictured here as support for Waterparks on the 2018 Entertainment Tour. To catch up on the duo's latest news, be sure to follow them on Instagram and Twitter, and be on the lookout for more exclusive coverage in January's Entertainment Tour issue!