Star Slinger

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Matt Oliver

At the Vans Warped Tour official kick-off party and press conference at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles last week, creator Kevin Lyman marveled, "It's really cool--18 years and people still care!" Back in 1995, Lyman started the Warped Tour and showcased bands such as No Doubt and Sublime. Today, it's America's longest-running festival concert tour featuring punk, alternative, hip-hop, ska, pop, punk, electronica, alternative rock, reggae, emo, hardcore and more.  This year's installment features The Used, Falling In Reverse, Matt Toka, Dead Sara, It Boys, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Vampires Everywhere, Justina, Cherry Bomb and Forever Came Calling. The tour will also be making its way to Europe, starting in London on Nov. 10.

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John Gilhooley/OC Weekly

​This week Social Distortion shared two rarities on their Facebook page. One is a live version of "Prison Bound," from a BBC Radio 1 recording, and the other is a B-side entitled "Shame on Me." You can hear both songs on the band's Facebook or buy them when the link actually starts working. 
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Dave Gillespie

​Afie Jurvanen, who takes on the stage name Bahamas when he's playing his sparse, beautiful compositions, is poised to take on the world, one love song at a time. As we caught up with him over the phone, driving home from his mother's house in Toronto, we talked to him about his songwriting similarities with Feist, being Canadian, getting on Jack Johnson's label and loving a woman with really big teeth. 


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John Gilhooley/ OC Weekly

The Burger Records guys from the Weekly's cover three years ago

​There's a very special moment in a musical career that happens only to the luckiest and generally most righteous people--the kind of thing that confirms not only that you've arrived, but that you're headed to even better places in the future. This is called the Bill Murray moment, because it's when Bill Murray, arbiter of the everlasting spirit of rock & roll, comes to your show. And at his Saturday night SXSW show with 73 extremely amplified bands and thousands of panting denim-jacketed teenage freaks at his side, Burger's Sean Bohrman had his Bill Murray moment. More >>

​If it weren't for Lex Land, who was born and raised right here in Orange County, I wouldn't have bothered watching NBC's 'The Voice.' The sultry, dynamic singer made her presence known making an appearance on the show in late February and impressing the coaches with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" before ultimately choosing to be on Blake Shelton's team.

Lex Land was back on the program Monday once more for something called the "battle rounds" (seriously I'm no regular viewer, so if I fuck anything up, tell me!) She displayed more confidence and let everyone know that her singing is not solely defined by its compelling honey-sweet wispy vocals. Ultimately unswayed, Shelton selected singer Charlotte Sometimes to continue on.
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​Yep, that's Ikey Owens of Free Moral Agents playing the keyboards for Jack White's solo project over the weekend on Saturday Night Live. White guested on SNL to promote the release of his first solo album, Blunderbuss, and it marked his first-ever solo appearance in front of a TV audience. (Lindsay Lohan hosted.)More >>

​Local thrash heroes Hirax announced last week that they are hitting the studio in June to record the band's fourth full-length album. Joining the five-piece will be producer/engineer Bill Metoyer, whose resume includes working with Slayer, Morbid Angel and Armored Saint.


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Andrew Youssef/OC Weekly

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Well, this is it. Irvine prog-rockers Thrice are really doing it--taking a break after 13 years together. Singer/guitarist Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi, bassist Eddie Breckenridge and drummer Riley Breckenridge (our 3hree Things columnist) will go on tour on May 4 in San Diego and end up in SoCal in June.

It's great that they're touring once more, but the words "Farewell Tour" sound so ominous and...final. If the band are just on hiatus, as they announced last November, shouldn't it be called something like a "Farewell For Now Tour"? The band will also be recording live audio along to the tour for a live album slated for release in late 2012. Animals As Leaders will open for them on all the dates.

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