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What exactly is at the OC Fair on New Year's Eve? Aside from the carnival rides, fireworks, food trucks and a casino, there's actually 12 (yes, 12) tribute bands, three per decade since the 1950s. From the same people who bring you the OC Fair, the second annual New Year's Eve Block Party on Saturday, Dec. 31. You can buy tickets at ocfair.com, or you can partake in our giveaway--a lucky winner will win a pair of tickets; find out how after the jump.

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Give these men some shirts!

​DJ/producer and celebrity friend Steve Aoki is asking designers to redesign his official "beard" t-shirt on Facebook (check out the contest here). Lest we get a slew of clown faces on this baby, you should know that the winning design will be used as Aoki's official merchandise and a limited edition of the T-shirt will be sold online via the Dim Mak store and on the DEADMEAT Tour site. The Benihana heir will also wear the winning T-shirt design on the tour (which is huge, considering the photo above).

Deadmeat is Aoki's tour with Dim Mak label mate, dubstep producer Datsik. It kicks of on Jan. 19 in Phoenix and will have SoCal stops in March.

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​One of our favorite contemporary music video directors, OC native Chris Marrs Piliero, is giving away a ton of ultra cool music memorabilia from videos he directed. The contest is open on his site, marrsattacks.com until Nov. 19, and the mementos include items from the sets of of Ke$ha, the Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, Britney Spears, Yellowcard, the Used, Taking Back Sunday, the Ready Set, and A Day to Remember.

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• See also: Thrice are Family Guys
• Thrice talk about their evolution in albums
• Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge's column, 3hree Things
  

Back in September we held a contest asking Thrice fans to tell us why they considered themselves the band's biggest fans. After reading a liberal amount of submissions about the glorious experiences of fandom, we can safely deduce that Thrice fans take pride in their emotional connection to the band and take their role as Thrice supporters very seriously.

From their debut album Identity Crisis to the most recent Major/Minor, the Orange County natives have accumulated a kingdom of die-hard fans from all around the world that agree on one thing: Thrice's music changes lives. Here are a few of the most uplifting, funny, romantic and Thrice obsessed excerpts written by contestants explaining why they are the ultimate Thrice super fan. More >>

Samuel Zide

​Are you the biggest Thrice fan ever? Then you'll probably love our cover story this week, which talks about the trials and tribulations the post-hardcore band went through before making their latest set, Major/Minor, out next week on Vagrant.

Maybe you've liked them since you were 12. Maybe you have a signed copy of every single one of their albums. Maybe you proposed to your girlfriend at a Thrice show.

Whatever it is, tell us the story of why you're their biggest fan--and we'll give you tickets to each of their Southern California shows!
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​What does the term "walking the dog" mean, you ask? It originates from the North East of England, where people refers to Newcastle Brown Ale as "Dog" because people would often use the saying, "Going to walk the dog" to grab a pint at the local pub.

So next week, OC Weekly's Heard Mentality and Newcastle are hosting "Walk the Dog Day" at 2nd Floor in Huntington Beach, with drink-all-you-can beer and music by the Silent Comedy (pictured above)! It's going to be held on Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Invites are limited, but since you're a Heard Mentality reader, you get first dibs at an exclusive invite. (Find out how after the jump.)

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​ Pearl Jam is having a pretty big year. Seattle's finest conquered what many bands dream of (second to marrying models, which Eddie Vedder has also been victorious in), and that is reaching the level of rock legend status.

This year, aside from the release of the Pearl Jam documentary PJ20, directed by Cameron Crowe, which will be in theaters in the fall, marks the 20th Anniversary that Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten (holy cow, we're getting old).

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Stephen Malkmus needs your help with the new single from the Jicks' forthcoming Matador LP, Mirror Traffic. The problem: it's not radio friendly. Why? The song features the lyric "I know what the senator wants / What the senator wants is a blowjob." So Malkmus and Matador are staging a contest to come up with the best possible alternative to make the FCC happy and get the track on the air.

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​Dexter Holland's hot sauce brand Gringo Bandito teamed up with competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi for the Kobayashi Presents the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge, taking place Aug. 3 at Fred's Mexican Café in downtown Huntington Beach.

Kobayashi and other renowned eating competitors will stuff their faces with as many tacos as they can in 10 minutes. The winner will receive a $5,000 grand prize.More >>

UPDATE: Today is the last day of voting! Give our local boys some love before midnight!


​The editors at Rolling Stone picked 16 bands to compete in a contest for Best Unsigned Artist. The prize includes one of the biggest honors any musician can garner: the chance to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. Our own Fullerton-based five-piece The Steelwells have that chance. RS will eliminate the bands through rounds, so you must check back to see if they've advanced by March 16. By the way, RS: Learn to spell "Fullerton" (see after jump).More >>