On August 31st, the music school, retail shop, and de facto DIY venue White Oak Music & Arts will shutdown indefinitely due to continued noise complaints from neighbors. In light of this situation, the annual locals event Wake Up, SFV has been moved, and there will be no further known shows held at the venue for the remainder month.

White Oak (WOMA for short) has been a staple venue of the San Fernando Valley since 2013, picking up the torch when another DIY venue, Cobalt Crane, closed its doors. Headed by two individuals Carlos Costa and Evan Lindley, WOMA has been the stomping grounds for many Valley-based music collectives like [Redacted], TwoHearts Shows, MVMNT Presents, Dog the Cat, Vale Records, and more. Despite being a nexus for the 818 to cultivate musical talent and communities, repeated acts of littering, loitering, and rowdiness prompted residents to take their complaints up with the local authorities and landlord, according to a detailed Instagram post found in the tagged posts for #WOMAismyHOMA.

Wake Up, SFV, an all-ages music and art showcase, enters its sixth iteration this year and includes Valley veterans like The Unending Thread, Young Lovers, and Kid Cadaver. It will be held on September 1st at The Grand Palace in Arleta, CA. - Ryan Mo

Burbank's punk trio Dustin and the Explosions play whatever they feel like. Sometimes it's abrasive, in-your-face hardcore punk, and other times it's pacific and briney surf rock. Sometimes Mike Trejo and Cindy Sukrattanawong switch instruments between songs. We haven't seen Evan Piehler step off the drums yet, but who knows? It could happen.

One thing is constant about Dustin and the Explosions: in their years of existence they've run non-stop DIY. The group has been actively setting up and playing shows with the locale, usually at The Smell: bands like Kid Cadaver, GRMLN, Post-Life, and WASI. It's no question that the band exists for their love of music, even the production and label aspect — the trio even release friends' records via their startup Bed Weather Records. And yeah, they tend to share a musical connection with Southern California's hardcore punk bands, like The Dead Kennedys, only their lyrics aren't sardonic and politically charged — they're pretty introspective and hit really close to home.

Dustin and the Explosions' newest 7" release Serpents was released last May, nearly two years since their debut album Off-White Noise, and they've just released a music video for their song "I Don't Know Any Kakarot, That's Not My Name" filmed by members of Ghost Noise. Catch them again next month for a live performance at (where else?) The Smell. Maybe you'll see Evan on guitar for a song? - Ryan Mo