Get Your Tickets to the First Indy Live Concert

CARP’S SHRED FACTOR: We all know the surf community is thriving in Carpinteria, California, but what about those other shredders? Turns out our neighbors to the south are experiencing a rock revival of sorts, and we’re already calling dibs on first-generation fan status.

According to last week’s cover story (and a good deal of freewheeling investigative journo-ing by our own Ethan Stewart), Carpinteria music makers are not only alive and well but also spawning the type of house-party-heavy scene and cross-band collaboration that only happens when a real movement is afoot. Tonight, we’re blowing the doors open on the whole scene with our first-ever Indy Live concert, featuring three of Carpinteria’s finest ensembles: Pacific Haze, Pleasure, and Afinshnsea the Moon.

For those who have yet to stumble into one of these bands’ many sanctioned and unsanctioned live shows, allow me to break it down. Pacific Haze is the youngest of the lot, spawned in the wake of former S.B. folk orchestra Sprout. In their latest incarnation, the band has shed their cutesy and Edward Sharpe–leaning tendencies for a sound that’s part Doors-indebted psychedelic noodling, part soulful, Allman Brothers–style Americana. Pleasure’s contribution is something undeniably heavier; think charging guitars, head-bang-worthy bridges, and a solid helping of thoroughly trippy — but melodic — hard rock. On the other end of the spectrum, Afinshnsea the Moon’s boisterous take on psych rock is at once soulful and toe-tapping, calling to mind a funk-tinged take on the Entrance Band’s blend of ethereal ambiance and bubbling guitar noise.

Catch all three bands rip live Thurday night at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club (1221 State St.) at 8 p.m. The show is open to all rock fans 18 and older. For tickets and info, call (805) 962-7776 or visit sohosb.com.

ARE YOU A HEATHER? Also this week, the Biko Co-op Garage plays host to a lineup I’ve long considered to be one of the must-see bills of the season. On Friday, August 15, L.A.’s Heathers bring their post-punk “guitar pop miserablism” to Isla Vista with support from Girpool, Growth, and Blossom. If the name weren’t enough to clue you in, Heathers’ bopping guitar jams feel like they were born to soundtrack a John Hughes film. Their hooky catch is a sound that’s equal parts fuzzy minimalism and soaring melodies, perfectly complemented by frontman Michael Francis’s caustically sweet poetic warblings. This is ’80s worship the way I like to hear it: skuzzy, sarcastic, and directly descended from The Birthday Party’s school of rock. The show starts at 8 p.m. and is open to all ages. Visit sbdiy.org for info.

LOUD & FAST: Looking down the road a ways, Wednesday, August 20, Matador Records’ Fucked Up plugs in at The Garage in Ventura for a night of music that is sure to be ear-bleedingly good. The critically lauded hardcore act from Toronto pens bright, crunchy guitar music that moves fast and furious, driven home by frontman Damian Abraham’s raspy, guttural scream-chants. In short, it’s exactly the kind of controlled chaos you’d want to see shake down from within the walls of your neighborhood dive bar, ice cold beer in hand. Tijuana Panthers open the 21+ show, which starts at 8 p.m. at The Garage (1091 Scandia Ave., Ventura). Call (805) 814-2234 or visit ticketweb.com for tickets and info