Currently arm-deep into their first live tour as a group, now is as good a time as any to reflect on their humble beginnings. That is, a time that predates the release of their debut full-length Hanging Gardens. From here on out, they’ll most surely morph into something bigger than just L.A.’s best dance music pair.

Though they weren’t exactly the best of buds at first, David and Blake met in middle school while growing up in the picturesque suburb of Oak Park, California. As David notes, “Tyler and I were very different as young men.” Tyler was more of a “skate punk” and in many ways “still sort of is,” while David “was more into boring, inside kid stuff.” But because their school was small enough to bring people with similar interests together, as kids who “shared an affinity for ‘Windowlicker,’ [they] would find themselves hanging out together.”

Most people in Oak Park were invested in being the next Incubus, but preteen Classixx were more impressed by soloist guitar records, even if in retrospect “some of it is awful.” But they were also “really into [their] parents' records.”

Now living in L.A., the two are many years removed from a time when “music as a way to make a living seemed pretty far off.” At 22, “both had made a little bit of [money] from licensing various things, and could afford to live frugally, “ so “once that seed [was] planted,” they had a hard time doing anything else.

They’ve since worked with Nancy Whang, Jeppe, and Active Child, which has been markedly different than collaborating with someone you’ve known since homecoming. As Classixx puts it, “The collaborative process (of working with other people) is different. We like to make room for the people we collaborate with to do their thing. Once the vocals are recorded though, we'll give ourselves 100 percent license [to create].” That ability to work off, and improve upon, the existing creations of other artists is what catapulted them to the limelight in the first place.

And now that Classixx comfortably operates within the pull of the stage, they've been able to reflect on how pursing this journey alongside a good friend has made it all the sweeter:

“There are very dark and lonely moments touring as a solo DJ. Traveling with a lifelong friend has made this project far more manageable. There is a lot of value in being able to look at [each other] knowingly, and [be able to] say ‘holy shit’ with [just our] eyebrows.” True friendship, indeed.

Classix's Hanging Gardens is out now on Innovative Leisure.

[via Daily Candy]

For the second annual World Whisky Day, here's some of Los Angeles' best whiskey and scotch bars to show your homage to the spirit made of fermented grain mash:

Downtown
Seven Grand: Recently awarded as one of GQ's top ten whiskey bars in America, you'll be in good company this Saturday at Seven Grand. With nearly 400 whiskey options to choose from, Seven Grand is the definitive bar to get your tribute on. Head barman Dustin Newsome has lots of creative whiskey keg and barrel aged cocktails to tempt your taste buds too.

Parish LA: Being an English gastropub, they're fully stocked on whiskeys from the UK. John Coltharp's whiskey cocktails like Break the radio (12 year blended scotch, sherry, amaro, and absinthe), Harper’s Penance (rye, maraschino, apricot liqueur, Miracle Mile yuzu bitters) and the Black Bese (12 bourbon, lemon, honey, two kinds of beer).

West L.A.
Plan Check: No need to get your passport out to taste some of Japan's finest whiskeys. Plan Check has one of the most extensive Japanese whiskey collections in the U.S. Ask for Japanese whiskey flight of three which ranges from Suntory Hibiki 12 Year to Monde Shuzo Isawa 1983.

Tom Bergin’s: The iconic Irish bar, famous for the finest Irish Coffee in L.A., is where to head if you want to sample Irish whiskeys. Other whisky-based cocktails served up exclusively at Tom Bergin's are the Macushla Manhattan (Black Bush, Benedictine, Lillet and Angostura bitters), the Sheridan Special (iced Irish Coffee topped with fresh whipped cream) or the Irish Maid (Bushmills, sugar, lime juice, mint and cucumber).

Hollywood/EastSide
The Thirsty Crow: The whiskey menu at the Thirsty Crow reads more like an encyclopedia of U.S. and Scotland's finest. Bourbons are broken down into cask strength, straight, wheated, and single batch. Scotch whisky is divided up by region: Speyside, Lowlands, Highlands, The Islands, Islay and Campbeltown. Cocktail menu includes whiskey classics and new creations like the house drink: The Thirsty Crow of Old Overholt rye whiskey, lemon, maraschino and a sprinkle of magic created by Cooper Gillespie.

The Valley
Spoonful L.A.: If you like it straight, Spoonful’s whiskey and bourbon menu over 40 to choose from. You’ll find Southern made, small batch and single barrel, straight rye, Tennessean, Scottish, Irish, Canadian and even a few "white" whiskeys (moonshine). And who else is rocking the Japanese ice ball in L.A.? Not many. The space age looking Japanese ice ball maker slowly slides down a block of ice. When the process is complete, you’ve got a perfectly round circle the size of a tangerine that equates to a lovely slow sipper minus the watered down taste.

Pedalers Fork: Headed to the beach in Malibu via the Canyons this Saturday? A stop at Pedalers Fork, with the largest selection of rye whiskey in L.A. (30+), will get you in the mood to celebrate World Whiskey Day. For cocktails, designed by Liquid Assets, try these tasty rye sippers: El Camino Real (rye, vanilla liqueur, lemon, egg white and vanilla tincture), Shall We Dance (mint, rye, ginger and lime) or the Fort Knox (tart cherry liqueur, Punt e Mes, blood orange juice and scotch).

For more events around the world for World Whiskey Day 2013, head here.

Image by Shutterstock/Alexey Lysenko

Night Cruise ended in the same way that it has now become known for, with ROOM8's sax player George Holdcroft playing soulfully with Tangerine Dream's hypnotic "Love on a Real Train" from the Risky Business soundtrack while the iconic scene with Tom Cruise and Rebecca DeMornay plays over the DJ table. The monthly party certainly found new fans last night. "This is our first time here," said Zach from the band Ghosthouse. "It's so awesome they have disco dreamwave in West L.A. on a Thursday."

Check out the pics from the party below and make sure to catch the next Night Cruise at Palihouse on June 13.

The plan is for the new club to have enough flexibility to offer multiple types of experiences at the same event. For example, when things kick off on Create's opening night on May 11 with the Dutch outfit Dash Berlin, patrons will be able to choose anything from a $50 general admission ticket to a $5,000 stage table for 15 people, with plenty of options in between. Whether you're more inclined towards bar service or bottle service, though, Create has already assembled an impressive lineup for its first few shows, including everyone from Russian DJ/producer Arty to Berlin's own Thomas Gold.

Describe yourself as a kid.
Peter Bagge: I was young (laughs). Small for my age, shy, yet savvy enough to avoid getting beat up too often.

Who was your favorite TV cartoon character?
Bugs Bunny. Shorthand for Warner Brothers cartoons.

Do you remember your first deliberate attempts to draw a cartoon or comic, as opposed to just doing  a drawing?
No. I'm sure it was just me trying to mimic my older brother.

What did he draw?
Short comic strips, modeled after Sunday newspaper strips.

Did your parents encourage your creativity?
No, though they didn't discourage it. They were drunk.

Did any of your cartoons ever get you into trouble?
I did a comic making fun of our high school gym teacher/disciplinarian "dean." The school paper wanted to reprint it, but were banned for doing so, saying it was disrespectful. The student editors were up in arms over it, and tried to get me to feel the same.  My response was "It IS disrespectful. That was the point." It got banned. I really didn't give a shit.

You don't like Superhero comics? What specifically do you dislike about them?
They're mindless, boring, moralistic and self righteous. But mostly BORING.

What was your first experience of underground comics?
Tenth grade, high school, ZAP Comics. I was drawn to Crumb, and HORRIFIED by S. Clay Wilson. I embraced all of it three years later in art school.

One of your first jobs was at Punk Magazine in New York?
It didn't appear until years later through, since they went out of business shortly after they accepted my strips.

Did you consider yourself a punk at this time?
I liked the punk aesthetic. I was sick of hippies. I had short hair, but I wasn't decidedly punk.

What bands were you into?
I loved the Ramones, the B52s, Devo, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Buzzcocks, the Jam, The Clash, Elvis C., Nick Lowe, The Police, The Specials, Selector, Gang of Four, etc etc.

Why did Robert Crumbs work particularly resonate with you?
His art was and is simultaneously beautiful, naughty and hilarious. I related to his worldview and sense of humor. There was nothing about his work NOT to love.

When you took over from him in editing Weirdo, did he offer any advice?
Yes, and all good. In a nutshell: work hard, and stay true to yourself.

What's the weirdest Job you've ever been offered?
Doing a weekly Bat Boy strip for the Weekly World News.

How did you come up with the name Hate? Did you ever regret the name?
I regret it for social/political reasons. I chose it because it was short and easy to remember.

Comic artists often seem like they are angry people , and they explore that through humor... do you agree?
That's true with some cartoonists, not all. We're motivated by the same things that all artists are motivated by. Mainly that we want to express and understand our own thoughts and feelings.

You live in Seattle. How has it changed since you started drawing Hate?
It's a lot more crowded and expensive. Better restaurants, though.

What is your best anecdote from the grunge era?
In a nutshell: that all the musicians convinced themselves that they didn't want to be famous, and totally freaked out when they suddenly were.

How has your style of art and storytelling (and your approach to it) changed over the years?
I've become more concerned with telling a story, and less concerned with visual dynamics.

It says on your wikipedia that you are a libertarian. What does that mean to you?
Freedom.

When people meet you, do they expect you to be like the characters in your comics?
Occasionally, though that always seems to mean I'd be a big fat raging biker dude, and I honestly don't know why they'd expect that.

Describe an average Hate fan?
They used to be nerdy hipster guys in their 20s. Now they're benign, pudgy middle aged men. And an occasional woman.

What separates you from Buddy Bradley (the star of HATE)?
I'm a cartoonist, and I didn't marry a crazy person.

You are also a musician, how does your process of making music differ to making art.
Mostly collaborating with other musicians, though I've collaborated with other cartoonists, and I can always overdub my own "band." But the "party" aspect of music is a plus.

What are your top five favorite original Garage Rock tracks?
I like pop rock way more than garage rock. But I can't narrow down either to five songs.

I'm also interviewing Johnny Ryan, what do you think of his work?
He's fantastic. Very deep while simultaneously dumb and low brow. Very, very funny.

Turns out, Gordon's look wasn't always loud and free. In fact, her first fashion memories involved school uniforms in the UK. Find out more about how she went from classic to crimped to cool.

What was your style like as a kid?
Kimberley Gordon: I wore very matchy-matchy sets when I was in the UK. I think because my mother loved me in them, she has amazing style. When I moved to the U.S. it was a lot of Bugs Bunny T-shirts and jean shorts. I was quite a tomboy because I didn’t really care about my clothes, more about the cartoons on my clothes.

When did you become interested in clothes?
I always loved clothes. My mother couldn’t believe how girly I was — she didn’t know where it came from. The first time I can remember being really obsessed with something was my friend Tammy’s coat when I was eight. It fit like a dress, zipped up and was tight on top then A-lined out. I searched everywhere for one with my mum but to no avail. I remember I wanted it so badly I would panic when I thought about it, as you can see it’s haunted me ever since.

Were you a trendsetter in school?
(Laughs) Not so much, but I always dressed very... differently. I wore bell bottoms and vintage T-shirts in junior high — which was a little daring, but no one emulated me at all. In high school, I sewed a lot of my own T-shirts and made denim leg warmers. I was a bit of a candy raver (JNCO jeans, tiny tanks, scratch-and-sniff  T-shirts, heavy lip liner). I know people noticed my style and pointed it out a lot but mostly because they didn’t understand it. I totally feel them...

Any cringe-worthy outfits to look back on?
Oh yeah, my worst time was probably aged 19, I was the most obsessed with Britney Spears at that point and I showed belly that should never be shown. I also crimped my hair in sections and wore denim hats... Oh lord.

What is the most memorable outfit from your youth?
Probably my tiny Spice Girls T-shirt (it was kids' size) and my JNCO jeans. The boys used to stick their binders in my back pockets, that’s how big they were.

Has anything you liked to wear as a kid made a comeback recently?
That would be frightening. Maybe neon stuff? I hope Tevas come into style, they almost do and I cross my fingers every time. They are hilarious!

What's your favorite fashion piece of the moment?
I'm obsessed with my black Prada platforms, I wear them with little white socks. I cradle them like a baby.

For more images from the past and in-depth descriptions of what Gordon was wearing, click on the gallery below.

Pedalers Fork, opened by two cyclist enthusiasts, Robbie Schaeffer and Tim Rettele, is a respite of 3rd Street hipster meets West side chic vibes. Whether you're feeling up for a cup of freshly roasted java, a farm-to-table meal, a glass of French Bordeaux wine, a creative cocktail or a new Moots bike, it's a one-stop shop. It's a strange mix of elements — especially for its far-flung locale — but housed in a bicycle-adorned modern farmhouse, somehow it all works.

"We cycle up around here, specifically Stunt Road in the Santa Monica Mountains, and we wanted to create a place where we would want to stop with our friends during a ride," says Robbie Schaeffer.

The menu is geared towards a cyclist's hunger mid-ride — locally-sourced and health-conscious. Top picks include the steamed PEI mussels in coconut green curry, the vegan kale caesar salad, the gluten-free flatbread generously topped with burrata, broccoli, kale pesto and peas. Wash it down with one of the 20 plus craft beers, like LadyFace Truth or Dare or Allagash White, and you're set.

Cocktails are in the same vein as the eats — market-fresh and almost too pretty too drink. Designed by L.A.'s go-to bar consultants, Aidan Demarest and Marcos Tello of Liquid Assets, it's rye whiskey centric. Head bartender Tim Caffary says, "With over thirty on the menu, we've got the most extensive rye whiskey selection in Los Angeles."

But it's not the kind of cocktails you'd assume would be there if it's all about the brown spirits. Not one classic like a Manhattan or Sazarac. Rather, it's rye on the sly sippers.

Take the El Camino Real (on left in photo) for instance made of rye, vanilla liqueur, lemon, egg white and vanilla tincture — it's a frothy, frolic through the park on a Sunday drink. Or the Shall We Dance of mint, rye, ginger and lime — a take on the Mojito. Ok this is a scotch drink, but the Fort Knox is not your grandpa's scotch served stiff and neat. Made of tart cherry liqueur, Punt e Mes, blood orange juice and scotch, Demarest calls this the "sneaky scotch" drink as it's an easy, breezy libation, perfect to sip on Pedalers Fork's sunlit back patio.

For the brown, boozy imbibers, not to worry. Try the Second Gear drink, a spin off the Red Hook cocktail originally created by Enzo Errico of New York City's Milk & Honey, of rye, coffee infused Punt e Mes and cherries. The Rye Hummingbird Down is a potent concoction as well of Chartreuse, rye, honey and lemon.

If you're not on a bike with miles to go, a worthy indulgence is the Choc & Rye Old Fashioned of rye, espresso liqueur and chocolate bitters paired with the gluten-free chocolate flourless cake with a pistachio crust.

Whatever your reason is to head north, whether heading to Malibu over the Canyons or just to check out the new Calabasas curiosity, Pedalers Fork is a pleaser on all fronts.

Pedalers Fork 23504 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas 91302

These days Liao is a cutting edge style expert who is always on trend, whether it's elevated on chunky platforms or decked out in contrasting stripes, mesh, crop tops and bustiers. "My style would be best described as Parisian grunge Chic," she says. "I love mixing elements of feminine and edge along with some modern class." Her forward vision of fashion stands out across the web, netting her features in foreign editions of Cosmopolitan, splashed across the screen of online shopping hub Nasty Gal time and time again, Seventeen and Teen Vogue.

"I've been given the opportunity to be featured in some of my favorite publications, work in a social media position for a clothing company and meet new people along the way," Liao says of her favorite opportunities to emerge from her blog. Other highlights include attending New York Fashion Week, an experience that fits well with her blog's title. "I'm looking forward to next season! New York City has been one of my favorite places that I've been to within the states." When asked what inspired her wanderlust from which her blog takes its name, Liao notes "I moved around a lot when I was younger. I've always loved to be in new places. I love being a stranger to a new city." As for what's next on her itinerary? "I'm currently planning my summer 2014 with travels to Korea and Japan, but I also hope to be able to travel to London, Australia, Hong Kong and France in the future. Paris is a city full of romance and style, so I think it would be the perfect place to live in when I'm in my 20s."

A year ago, Liao left the foggy streets of San Francisco for the palm tree lined streets of downtown Los Angeles where she currently resides. "I moved to Los Angeles to find more opportunities for myself. I also wanted to live in a new environment," she says of the shift. Of the difference between the two locales, Liao continues that "San Francisco is more relaxed versus Los Angeles being the bustling city that it is. The weather is also very different, however both SF and L.A. have similar tastes and diversity in style." Since the move she's "been gravitating more towards modern, classic pieces with an edgy twist."

Currently enrolled as a full-time student, Liao is pursuing a degree in communications with an eye on becoming a creative director. "I would also love to be a contributing editor for a fashion magazine, style editorials and have my own clothing line." Currently she's working on the launch of an online vintage shop with an eye to open it up in the summer or fall. Of what draw her to those roles, her reason applies to attraction to fashion as a whole. "I love anything creative and hands on. I love the idea of being able to bring a vision to life. And in fashion, the room for creativity is endless and at the same time it's really just fun."

Last month HTDA completed a North American tour supporting their major-label debut, Welcome Oblivion. Now the four-piece are giving away Nosaj Thing's gorgeous remix of "Keep It Together" as a parting gift to fans. On the remix Nosaj Thing keeps the song's glitchy ambient quality in tact, stripping it down to reveal something that's even more minimal and beautiful.

Taking time to work with HTDA seems to have agreed with Reznor:  four years after NIN played their final show of its "Wave Goodbye" tour in Los Angeles on September 10, 2009, he's assembled yet another lineup of his famed band and is confirmed to appear at Lollapalooza this August as well as several European festivals, with a full U.S. arena tour planned for this fall. Until then, HTDA makes waiting for new NIN material a little bit easier.

How To Destroy Angels' Welcome Oblivion is out now on Columbia.