Burger Records is more than just the SoCal-based label dominated by scruffy ruffians shotgunning beers all the time. A first glance at not only their extensive roster but the typical scene flooding their festivals and gatherings would appear to make that the truest statement about the label. But it isn't. For the last four years the label has specifically curated an event catering to the promotion of bands, groups and solo artists where one or all of the members are non-male identifying. That event is called Burger-A-Go-Go, and it's awesome.

Now, using "female-fronted" or any iteration of the sort as a selling point for anything is pretty played out and low-key offensive, but in this case, it works within the context. Femmes haven't been well celebrated in the realm of music or anything else throughout history nearly enough as they should, but for the next two nights, Burger is doing a little bit to quell that in Portland.

Sentimental garage-pop act Patsy's Rats will be holding it down on the local front and sharing the stage with a grip of punk, garage and dream pop acts, like The Coathangers, Death Valley Girls, Summer Twins, and much delight from Dengue Fever, who dish out psych-pop with a Cambodian Rock flair, among others. 

Tickets for Burger-A-Go-Go will run you anywhere from $20-$35, but it's well worth it to see a bunch of acts that aren't what the music industry considers the "standard."

Echo Park quartet Feels used to be six-piece Raw Geronimo, back when vocalist Laena Geronimo was mixing volatile amounts of jungle, punk, soul, goth, surf— whatever felt right. It was cool though; their cocktail of drone, discord, dirt and harmonized vocals had a strong DIY bite that wasted house parties, East LA venues, and even 2014's Austin Psych Fest. Word caught on about Feels' ferocious sets and everyone from Buzzbands to Lo-pie had to get a taste — at 2014's Burger-a-Go-Go Fest, LA Times' Contact Reporter Randall Roberts commented that the four-piece "pushed forth heavy, hard punk with more swagger than many of the acts on the main stage." 

Name change hasn't stopped their momentum, and Feels still play songs from Raw Geronimo's "Dream Fever" LP while sprinkling in new works, like "Bitched" from their live recording at Gaucho's Electronics. Last year, the band launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fund album production and a trusty tour van, slayed at Burger's SXSW Caravan, came back for seconds at 2015's Burger-a-Go-Go Fest, and toured with Tomorrows Tulips and L.A. WITCH, playing almost 80 shows total — 23 of which were here in Los Angeles, according to Oh My Rockness! 

Feels performs their first show of the year at the Echoplex with WALTER, Adult Books, and GAL PALS. Get out of the rain and soak up the sound tomorrow night — watch for the release of their self-titled debut LP (produced by Ty Segall) on Castle Face Records. We're calling it now: 2015 was the year of the meme, and 2016 will be the year of the Feels. - Ryan Mo

We got into the Bootleg Theater for Miya Folick's EP release party thinking it'd be a pretty intimate gig. Some people trailed in as the sound guy checked levels with his iPad, but it looked sparse. No one was staking claim to the tables in front of the bar stage.

Then, five minutes before the set, a flash mob fashionably swarmed out of the theater end. It was lit.

Shannon Lay of Feels started the night with songs from her solo debut Holy Heartache while Alaska Reid (Alyeska) traded banter and set fire with her newest single "Medicine River". Miya Folick's performance, enhanced with the visuals of Vinyl Williams, drew a crowd so tight the photographers could barely move around. Lena Fayre's ethereal voice drew the night to a close with songs from her summer EP "Is There Only One?" Shoutout to Liv Marsico (Liphemra) for spinning in-between sets (we did cry), and we think we caught a glimpse of Jeremy Katz (Froth, HOTT MT)? That was tight.

Check our Instagram @TheDeliLA for more pictures from the show, and catch Miya again at The Satellite on December 17th for a benefit show with Mereki and Madi Diaz! - Ryan Mo, photo: Michelle McCausland

The nine-year-strong independent Desert Stars Festival opens its first wave of tickets with a ridiculously awesome lineup featuring Swervedriver, The Lemonheads, Lou Barlow, The Cosmonauts, and more. Founded in 2006 by Tommy Dietrick (Sky Parade/David J & The Gentleman Thieves), the first iteration of Desert Stars (then Clean Air Clean Stars) brought a strong sense of community and DIY spirit. Working with minimal finances and a conviction to showcase Los Angeles' rising talents and alternative currents, Dietrick and friends threw the first festival in 2007 with less than 500 attendees who found out just through word of mouth.

In recent years, that number has nearly doubled, and for good reason. With past artists including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ringo Deathstarr, Mark Gardener (RIDE), David J (Bauhaus), and The Black Angels, Desert Stars is the psych-rock campout experience more accessible than Burning Man and way cheaper than Coachella. This year's lineup also includes bands from LA and Bay Area that run the gamut of alt rock including Drinking Flowers, Gateway Drugs, Feels, The Spiral Electric, Pearl Charles, and more to be announced.

The Desert Stars Festival will be held on the weekend of September 25th at Pappy & Harriet's of Joshua Tree, with a Wild West vibe that favors natural landscapes over corporate sponsored tents and gaudy installations. Interested parties, bands, and vendors are encouraged to visit the Desert Stars Festival Kickstarter page where they'll find a plethora of pledge awards, including a recording session at Dave Grohl's 606 Studio. What more do you have to consider? - Ryan Mo