Union Station’s Retrocade experience falls short of high score

Share: Arcade cabinets, pinball machines, chiptune music and a crowd eager to relive the heyday of social gaming filled Union Station over the weekend, for the travel hub’s second annual pop-up arcade. The Retrocade Experience, which took place in the historic ticketing hall and advertised as the “ultimate arcade rewind,” is a novel concept that can’t live up to its hype and is average at best. Follow:

‘Ad Astra’: An out of this world experience about oneself

Share: Overshadowed by “Downton Abbey,” James Gray’s “Ad Astra” fell short at the box office with a $19.2 million debut but measures up to an unusual delight. The film will give the audience a blend of Sandra Bullock’s lonely journey in “Gravity” and Matthew McConaughey’s emotional adventure in “Interstellar.” Brad Pitt stars in this futuristic space cowboy movie that explores a distant relationship between father and son. You’ll love the visuals, praise the acting, and empathize with the plot.  Follow:

LA Chocolate Salon: Where cacao meets art

Share: “Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain,” once wrote humor columnist Dave Barry, whose work has appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. It turns out Dave Barry is wrong, if attending the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon is any indication. To truly appreciate artisan chocolate, you can’t simply stuff your face, regardless of what your instincts tell you. The event had …

Hollywood’s ‘mountain palace’ of eats, goods and a view

Share: During peak sunset hours, a shuttle drove up the hills of Hollywood, making it’s way to one of L.A.’s tucked away historical landmarks, Yamashiro, meaning “mountain palace.” What was once a private estate and garden collective of Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer is now an Asian fusion restaurant and event venue that hosts the Hollywood Night Market every Thursday evening. Follow:

Fiddlehead bellows out a heartfelt message about losing loved lives

Share: Post-hardcore quintet, Fiddlehead, guides listeners through a bumpy and emotional ride in the form of their first LP, “Springtime and Blind.” They are quite the supergroup, consisting of Patrick Flynn and Shawn Costa of Have Heart, Alex Henery of Basement, as well as members from Big Contest and Intent. This album is raw and melancholic, focusing on the loss of Flynn’s father. “Springtime and Blind” is an extremely personal work that dives deep into the impact of the death of a loved one. Flynn …

Sharptooth’s “Clever Girl” gnaws and claws at listener’s ears

Share: Sharptooth’s freshman album “Clever Girl” is a fantastic piece of aggressive feminist art that is not afraid to be direct and mean. This American co-ed hardcore quintet seeks to provide new sound in the hardcore scene through the femme lense. With front woman Lauren Kashan and half of the band identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community, this troop breaths and bleeds liberal minded ideals. This album calls for progress and will make sure its voice is heard.  Follow:

JPEGMAFIA combines horrorcore with hypnotizing melodies

Share: “All My Heroes Are Cornballs” starts off familiar to listeners of JPEGMAFIA (or Peggy, for short) — abrasive, unrelenting, and ruthless aggression. However, as the lead-off track “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” quickly transitions into a beautiful melodic synth tune, Peggy shows he won’t ride off the back of his critically acclaimed album “Veteran,” but instead tries something completely new. And it worked. Follow: