Orange County Music Blog

Hey, newsflash: Americans? Completely different from the rest of the world. And even our choices of video game boxart paints a vivid picture of the uniqueness of our culture. Whether you want to chalk it up to something as simple as different cultural values or just attribute it all to ultra conservatism or a western obsession with being overly PC, compare for yourselves!


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Pink Doesn't Sell in America!: Kirby's Dream Land
(Game Boy, 1992)

Kirby debuted in Hoshi no Kirby on the Japanese Game Boy in 1992. His design was simple: he was a pink ball with arms and a goofy smile. However, Nintendo realized that this character would not sell well with the American audience, and they needed to drastically change Kirby's appearance so that Americans would even accept him. What did they do? They made him a white ball with arms and a goofy smile. Americans are comfortable and can identify with white people, right? Remember, this was the early '90s--Reese Witherspoon and Bret "the Hitman" Hart hadn't popularized the color pink yet.

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If the phrase "Instant Gratification" could be materialized into any form known to man, that form would have to be a polaroid camera. Even in the age of digital imagery, memory cards and glossy photo printers, there is still a sense of excitement about fanning the crap out of a floppy piece of chemical film to see if things turned out the way you wanted them to. Perhaps that's why this phrase is tacked on to Hibbleton Gallery's latest exhibit, a lo-fi tribute to the instant camera and it's contributions to the stuffed shoe box memories of our lives.

Out of a partnership between Hibbleton and ISM, an internationally appreciated arts non-profit company, "Instant Gratification": a polaroid party is a salute to the discontinued Polaroid 600 series camera. The exhibit features Polaroid images from 100 professtional and ametuer photographers from around the world.

The event is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday Aug. 7 at 7p.m., at date which supposedly coincides with the day the Polaroid 600 was discontinued. The show will run until Aug. 30.

Besides the opportunity to oggle the Fullerton-based gallery's small space (which will be covered almost entirely in sleeve-protected photos), you'll also be able to add you're own piece to this do-it-yourself art show. There will be a designated area with cameras lined up for guests to document their smiles, laughs, whacked out facial expressions and regrettable fashion choices, so feel free to add to the legacy of the polariod as much as you like.

You can also look forward to some vintage sounds by DJ Bobby Soul, vinyl ambassador of Fullerton's hipster watering hole, The Continental Room. And even when the night is over, you have to keep an eye out because a limited edition book of the artists work along with personal essays and writings bidding farewell to instant film will be produced and available to the public in 2010. So even if you can't buy polaroid film at you local Walgreens, at least you'll have the memories of it's last great night in Orange County. 

Navel Gazing has the scoop.

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Remember when I told you how the Beastie Boys 1992 classic Check Your Head was being re-released with all sorts of extra goodies? If not, click here.

In continuing with this fine tradition (can something be a tradition after it happens twice? I think so), the trio's 1994 follow-up, Ill Communication, is being given a make over and will be available July 14 (next Tuesday, people). But like everything in these times in which we live, the tunes are ready for your listening pleasure on the Intranets by clicking here.

Word on the street (and by street I mean their website) is this new Ill Communication features 32 remastered songs, a slew of b sides and rarities, including a bunch of songs that were available on the Root Down EP. 

For those who prefer tangible music, the record will be released on a three LP 180HQ vinyl set with a coffeetable book. But get on it quick cuz only 1,500 version of those are being made.

On a related note, the Beastie Boys new record, Hot Sauce Committee, is on shelves (are records still on shelves?) Sept. 15.

On another related note...why isn't anyone sending me these re-releases?

Yeah, you read that right, the STANK is coming. In a move that may spark many more shows like it in the future, guitar-driven alt rockers Hoobastank are coming to Costa Mesa with a toned down acoustic set at Sutra as the kick-off band to the club's summer concert series. It's an event that promises a new take on band's semi-evolving sound as well as the opportunity for a penetrating Q&A session with the band between songs. Finally, all the burning Hoobastank questions you've been holding onto for so long will be answered! 

For some, this might be chance to see your favorite band of all time and ask them about tracks off their latest album, 2009's For(N)ever. For others it might be a chance to reconnect with a band who you haven't heard anything from since you graduated high school. Either way, here's a cut-and paste job from the band's Myspace blog. talking about the show...after the JUMP.

The history of the Stooges is long and complicated. Basically, the original group (singer Iggy Pop, drummer Scott Asheton, guitarist Ron Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander) recorded two albums that you should have (The Stooges and Fun House).

 

Alexander left, then after running through a few bassists, the group disbanded. Until they reunited. For its second go-round, the Stooges re-christened themselves Iggy and the Stooges and had a new lineup that included Pop and drummer Asheton with new guitarist James Williamson and former guitarist Asheton on bass. The version recorded Raw Power, another disc you should own.

 

Anyway, the Stooges broke up in the '70s and reunited with the Asheton-at-guitar lineup earlier this decade (Alexander passed away, so Mike Watt took his place). Well, Ron Asheton died in January, so there's really only one way for the Stooges to continue, and....you guessed it...it's the Raw Power lineup (with Watt on bass).

 

Whenever and wherever they hit the stage, Iggy and the Stooges are playing the album in its entirety. No word on whether that's coming our way, but my guess is, it is.

Had he not passed away in 2001 at the age of 49, Joey Ramone would be turning 58 years young today. It's hard to believe that three of the four original Ramones are no longer with us. Yeah, there's always that "as long as the music's here, they're here, maaaann" bullshit, but I don't buy that. The tunes are in fact still here, but it's not the same cranking "Havana Affair" knowing the band that penned some of the best tunes of the 20th century barely made it to see the 21st. Needless to say, the world would be a much better place with the Ramones still doing their thing.

The funny thing is, the Ramones got way more popular after each death (Dee Dee in 2002 and Johnny in 2004). I used to get shit from people in high school when I wore my Ramones t-shirt and this was the 90s. Hell, even my punker friends thought I was lame for liking them. Now it seems like any band who wants some sort of cred wears the iconic Ramones logo shirt. I'm glad they're getting the attention, but bummed it came after they weren't around to enjoy it.

I saw the Ramones once. It was Lollapalooza 97 (the only Lollapalooza I attended) at Irvine Meadows. With a lineup that include Metallica, Devo and the Ramones, I had to be there. The day was long, but worth it for the aforementioned acts. And I shit you not: The Ramones played in the middle of the afternoon. They ran through their greatest hits in what felt like 15 minutes. Then they were done. I thought it was a joke and figured, even though it was a festival, they'd have an encore. Nope. Never had I heard a band play so fast with such an intent to get the fuck off the stage.

They played two more shows after that, then broke up. It was the CJ-era, but I saw the fucking Ramones. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

But anyway...here's to you Joey Ramone. I'm not one for the afterlife and all that jazz, but on the off chance you're reading this, happy birthday pal. We miss you down here.

The recently reunited Blink-182 is bringing its summer tour to the Corporate Sponsored Outdoor Venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows Sept. 17. The show (and subsequent tour) also includes Weezer, Fall Out Boy and the All-American Rejects.

I hated Blink-182 when I was a teenager, but I've grown to like some of their tunes as I get old and lame. The less I considered them a punk band and the more I thought of them as a pop band, the more I liked them.

But...I saw Blink-182 a few times, mostly at festivals (no, I never paid money to see them). And while kids everywhere are stoked (teens still use that word, right?), I've got some pretty bad news for them.

Blink-182 was consistently the worst live band on the planet when they existed. Drummer Travis Barker is a phenom behind the kit, but his hip-hop/dance thing he does with the high hat never fit with what the other two guys were doing. Compared to guitarist/singer Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus can sing (but not compared to many others). Unfortunately, Hoppus could never play a lick to save his life. DeLonge, on the other hand, was a solid guitarist and the worst singer to ever be in a chart-topping group.

Hearing them live was akin to hearing your parents having sex. The few times I had the misfortune of seeing Blink-182, within ten seconds I was asking myself how much studio time the band used to fix all its mistakes. My guess is, the members lay down one take of everything, because let's face it, it's not getting any better. Then ProTools worked its magic and auto-tuned all the faults.

And before this gets all sorts of anti-Blink comments, more than once I heard/read Hoppus and DeLonge mention how they couldn't play. At least they were up front about it. Plus, I really dig that "yeah my girlfriend song," whatever it's called.

Syracuse-based vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis is playing tomorrow night at Chain Reaction. The group was one of the biggest and most controversial hardcore acts of the 90s thanks to the EPs All Out War and Firestorm. The band followed those with the records Destroy the Machines and the follow-up, Gomorrah's Season Ends.

Although I was straight edge until my 21st birthday (I sold out as quick as I could), I never really got into the whole metalcore thing. I dug Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today, but the 90s stuff always sounded like tough guy shit to me. Then again, Earth Crisis shows were always packed to the rafters with kids doing those crazy dances, so what did I know?

So I wasn't a big fan. But I gotta give Earth Crisis credit for a few things. No. 1: That "Firestorm" song gets crowds moving. And No. 2: As a vegan, I can get behind any group that spreads the word of animal rights.

But no matter what, I'm not getting on stage and doing the fingerpoint. No way. No how.

EC broke up in 2001, but reunited for a few shows in 2007. Now they are back full time with a record called To the Death. I'm sure it'll be huge with the kids.

Tomorrow's bill also includes Force of Change (last show ever...until they reunite), Reign Supreme, Blood Stands Still and Unholy. Doors at 7. $15. 

Not sure how this slipped by me for so long, but apparently former Vandals members Jan Nils Ackermann, Worm, Steve "Human" Pfauter and Chalmer Lumary are playing with a drummer named James under the name Anarchy Taco.  

The group can't use the name the Vandals because it's still being used by...the Vandals. Although, if you want to hear the hits done right, Anarchy Taco has more original members than the current Vandals.

Click here to see the group do the classic "Pat Brown."

Man, I must be feeling really nostalgic today. Another artist den very close to my heart, AAA Electra 99, is brandishing it's line-up of angst-ridden, creative rockers at a show at their place tomorrow in Anaheim. Long Beach jam band Tubby Boots (no relation to the late comedian Charles "Tubby" Boots...ask your grandparents or something) is set to perform with a band called Elders from Fullerton (pictured above). 

It's a good weekend to check out some relatively obscure bands that you may hear the Weekly talking about in the future. If funk is your flavor of choice TB's loose sculpted jams sound pretty satisfying from what I've heard. Then you have twangy garage rockers Elders, who's sound is sure to satisfy your taste for the frazzled energy of college radio ready bands of late. The show kicks off at 9 p.m. It's $5 for members, $8 for non members. For those of you who don't know what that means, just bring $8. I also suggest getting there early and asking the owner/curator, Richard Johnson for a tour of the place, you won't regret it. I really need to get back to this place.

Check out more info on AAA Electra 99 on their, you guessed it, myspace page

HB's Guttermouth is playing Alex's Bar tomorrow night. If I wasn't going to San Diego for the weekend (and leaving in about two hours), I'd go in hopes of getting a healthy dose of adolescent flashbacks.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but Guttermouth was one of the first punk bands I got into. At the time, my favorites were all groups that broke up (Black Flag, Descendents, Minor Threat), but Guttermouth was still a new act at that point.

I bought Full Length and Friendly People and found out they were playing somewhere in Hollywood (I think it was a now-defunct club whose name is slipping my mind). But once the 14-year-old version of me told my conservative parents that I wanted to go see them, my dad told explained how it wasn't in the band's best interest to name themselves something like Guttermouth.

I didn't go to that show, but I eventually saw them a few times through their third disc Teri Yakimoto. But it's been years since I've seen them and it sure would be nice to take that trip down memory lane. Instead, I'll be lounging by a pool in Sandyfuckingeggo. 

The show is $10. Based on what I've heard about Guttermouth's last few shows at Alex's, it will be packed. And a fun time. 

I never made the trek to New York's CBGB, the birthplace of punk rock. But thanks to the Intranets, I can now feel like I'm in a dingy NY club when I'm really typing in a Long Beach apartment.

Click this link for a CBGB virtual tour. I suggest doing what I did: Pump the Ramones, spill some beer on your jeans, drop stinkbombs and make out with a strange girl. It's the next best thing to being there.

The Beastie Boys' 1992 classic Check Your Head has now been given the re-issue/re-master treatment. Not sure why, as this disc sounded pretty good the last time I listened to it last week, but what do I know?

 

The new version comes with a total of 36 tracks (the 20-song original album and 16 B-sides and rarities and is available as very modern high-quality DRM downloads and the very old school four LP ultra-deluxe 180HQ vinyl. The latter comes in something described as a coffee table book and is limited to 2,000 copies. There's also a two-vinyl version for non- record collector geeks and a CD ecopack. Audio commentary regarding the album is available at the group's site for those who need to know where that first sample came from.

 

The B-Boys had an interesting career before Check Your Head. The group began as a hardcore punk act and somehow morphed into frat guy hip-hop. As great as License to Ill is, in hindsight, it's a bit, how do I say...cringe worthy? Some great tracks, but the shadow cast by "Fight For Your Right," "Brass Monkey" and "Girls" unfortunately dominates less embarrasing songs such as "Time to Get Ill," "Slow and Low" and "The New Style." Their follow-up was Paul's Boutique, perhaps the most beloved and unknown record in their collection. If only one hip-hop disc was needed to a time capsule of any era, this would be it. The production (provided by the Dust Brothers) is fucking sick. And the rhymes? Dope as dope can be.

 

Check Your Head was do or die time. The B-Boys could have gone in any direction and made the right choice by showing the world that they were not just emcees, but bona fide musicians. To date, I still can't think of a hip-hop disc as diverse and Check Your Head while still sounding 100 percent authentic. I'm also amazed at how the group didn't inspire more rappers to learn how to play instruments.

 

Just last week I was listening to Check Your Head and without even noticing, my feet got moving and my ass was shaking. Although the hits ("Pass the Mic" and "So What'cha Want") are amazing, I'll never get enough of "The Maestro," "Something's Got to Give," "Professor Booty" and "Gratitude."  

 

As I mentioned in my Pearl Jam post regarding the Ten re-issue, this whole thing is getting out of hand. Yes, we'd all love to hear the B-sides and whatnot of our favorite groups. And yes, we'd also love to hear our favorite albums sound even better than they do, but there's got to be a better way for people who already own these discs to get the current version without forking over dough for a record they already bought. In my case, Check Your Head was one of the first tapes I purchased. I still have that copy, along with a CD version. If ya ask me, the B-Boys got enough of my cash for this one.

 

But if you haven't already bought Check Your Head, you're either 11 years old or you think Chuck Mangione is God.

With only minutes to go until the afternoon sun leaks through my bedroom windows, I should probably be doing something productive like getting ready for work, finishing up an article or at least mowing the lawn or something. But I'm not, it's my day off. And luckily, it couldn't have come at a better time.

A few months ago, after some light pestering on my part, my aunt agreed to loan me her 1968 Fisher turntable covered in dust. It was one of the first things she bought when she moved to her house in Alhambra where she's lived for decades.

Since bringing it home, this thing has seen some major action as I drop the needle on it at least 2-3 albums a day when I have the time. But today, it's all about Marvin Gaye. Had he been alive today, he would have turned 70 years-old this morning. Somehow I've always found his birthday easy to remember. Probably because it is the day after his tragic death on April fools day, 1984. And as a self-proclaimed Motown music hound, there are some stats any respectable fan just has to know.

One thing I know right now is that I have every Marvin record I own lined up and ready to go for my thoroughly lazy day around the house. Right now I'm pretty much just hanging out here talking to you as the cymbal crash of Flyin' High (In the Friendly Sky) creeps through the cluttered corners of my work room and Gaye's soft falsetto travels in smoke rings out the back window. This is gonna be a good day. Thanks Marvin. Happy birthday.

One of the other things I think I might do is unearth my copy of the 2006 DVD "The Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981". If you've got a chance to check out the video excerpt below, I suggest you do. It's got some really great rare performances on there.

Holy shit! Last night I saw a commerical for the deluxe edition of Pearl Jam's debut Ten. I've been on this Earth for a mere 29 years, but suddenly I feel very, very, very old.

This re-issue includes a remastered version of the record and a remix done by long-time PJ producer Brendan O'Brien, six bonus tracks and a DVD of the group's 1992 performance on "MTV Unplugged."

By the time Ten came out in 1991, I was by no means a music novice. My tape collection (yes kids, there were these things called tapes) was pretty rad thanks to a healthy dose of Alice in Chains, Metallica, Guns n Roses, MC Hammer, the Beastie Boys, the Beatles, Living Colour and Nirvana, but I never liked those bands enough to buy a t-shirt.

Ten changed that.

I begged my mom to take me to the mall (cut me some slack, this was the 8th grade) to buy the band's infamous "nine out of 10 kids prefer crayons to guys" shirt. When you're in junior high, that's not just a cool band slogan, it's a fucking political statement. I didn't know then what statement I was making, nor do I know now, but I was definitely saying something.

By the time Pearl Jam's follow-up Vs. came out, my fandom was running pretty rampant. In fact, my cassette copy is called Five Against One, the album's original title. I listened to Vs. or Five Against One a handful of times and thought it was a solid come back to Ten.

But all was not well for me and Pearl Jam. In an ironic twist of fate, the grunge hype that I was spoonfed led me to check out other bands, those who were loosely or directly associated with the grunge all-stars of the early 1990s. So in a matter of weeks, Pearl Jam was out and Mudhoney was in. From there it was Black Flag, the Germs and the Descendents and I haven't thought about Pearl Jam since (although I never lost my love of Nirvana -- for some reason, they remained cool while Pearl Jam became really lame).

But I digress. This Ten reissue seems like a pretty good deal, unless you consider every motherfucker in America already owns this album. Seriously, I'm going to stop buying records and just wait a decade later until the re-issue comes out. Then I get what I want plus a whole lot more. Or wait...since the world's gone tech crazy, why not just gives record buyers (assuming those still exist) these complete packages from day one?

I know, it's wrong of me to take out my re-issue hate on Pearl Jam. They didn't start the fire and I'm sure it will continue to go on and on and on and on.

And let me go on record as saying this: All you fellow early '90s grunge rockers out there need to understand that music trends work in 20-year cycles. This means flannel and Big Muff pedals are about to make a major comeback, which leaves us with two options: Embrace this and frolic like we are young and dumb again or recognize how old and lame we've become and do our best to not jump off the nearest tall building.

Ron Reyes -- also known as Chavo Pederast, also known as the right answer to the question "who's the best Black Flag singer?" -- has seemingly been living under a rock since bailing on the South Bay punk band more than two decades ago. Rumors swirled that Reyes moved to Vancouver, Canada, and had found God. And now, thanks to myspace.com, those rumors can be confirmed.

I don't make a habit of posting links to people's myspace pages, but this is something totally different. Reyes was -- and still is -- my favorite Black Flag singer of what was probably my favorite Black Flag era ("Jealous Again"). His vocals were potentally melodic and his performance in "The Decline of Western Civilization" used to make me jump off the couch when I was in high school.

According to his myspace page, Reyes played in a garage/glam band called Crash Bang Crush Pop after leaving Black Flag and also recorded some home demos that were never released. The player on his site has some of these songs and they're pretty good. CBCP's cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is killer, as is a homemade tape of Reyes' lovesong for his wife called "Our Love is Perfect." 

Reyes also has a youtube site with footage from Crash Bang Crush Pop that shows his rocking really long hair.

For Black Flag fans, this is a goldmine. I don't know if ol' Chavo is interested in becoming your "friend," but his page is open to the public and he's got some never-before-seen pics worth taking a gander at. 

More than three decades after recording their debut record, Detroit garage/proto-punk trio Death is finally releasing their album.

The band is/was(?) comprised of three brothers: guitarist David, bassist/singer Bobby and drummer Dannis Hackney. And yes, they are black, but by brothers I mean they share parents. The story according to their myspace page is that they got some money from Clive Davis to record 12 songs. But the music mogul wanted the threesome to change its name before issuing the album. Being the rugged rockers that they were, Death declined and took money from their advance to put out a single. Because of this, only seven songs were finished.

Not much was heard from them after that. That is, until now. Drag City put out Death's record a few weeks ago and if I was a Hackney brother, I think that would feel pretty damn good.

Check out their myspace page for three pretty killer songs in the Stooges/MC5/Thin Lizzy vein. If ya dig that, the disc is called "For the Whole World to See" and includes all seven previously mentioned tunes.

A guy can't take a shit these days without someone posting it on YouTube the next day. That being said, here are some clips from the Sublime reunion show Saturday night in Nevada with new singer Rome.

According to his MySpace page, he's from Newport Beach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkfVlCM_SA

Part two of "Cleaning out Ryan's musical closet" is a major score for Jawbreaker fans. I, myself, love this band almost as much as I love anything on this Earth, but it's time for a new home.

I have one copy of Dear You (the Geffen version, not the Blackball re-release) still in the shrink wrap. It's got a sticker on the front that says "Featuring: Save Your Generation Accident Prone" and one of those band name sticker things on the top.

Next is a promo copy of Dear You. No sleeve or cover, but the disc says "Advance CD" and there's a mini-bio and track listing on the back.

Finally, a promo copy of the "Fireman" single. No cover. Just a disc.

I about shit my pants when I found all these. I wish I could tell you where I found them, but that part of my memory is nothing but a memory. I thought about selling these at Amoeba, but I'd rather give someone the opportunity to get these before some lame-ass record store clerk gives me $.25 for all three.

And yes, by selling these, somewhere inside, the 19-year-old version of me just died.

Name a price and they are yours. And I'll let you in on a little secret: I really want to get rid of these, so the first person has a pretty good chance of getting these, regardless of how low you go.

Nine Inch Nails and the original lineup of Jane's Addiction are touring this year. What are the odds that Bush I gets back in office and the Menendez brothers get adopted by a new family just so they can kill them too?

In all seriousness, I've never quite understood the appeal of either band. I saw NIN once. It was about three years ago and my best friend from high school was playing guitar. The show was better than I thought it would be and it made me wonder why Trent Reznor relies so heavily on computers for this studio recordings when the live full band set-up was kicking some serious ass. Anytime I've ever heard a NIN song, I get this feeling that I'd like it a bunch more without the disco beat.

Reznor is saying he's putting NIN on hiatus after this tour, so if purple lipstick and dudes in black leather capes are your thing, you'd better get on this pronto.

And Jane's Addiction? Call me crazy, but I've never figured out why we are supposed to still care about these guys. Perhaps I might have something to relate to if I wasn't in the first decade of my life when these guys were first around, but Jane's Addiction has always reaked (to me) of "you had to be there" type of band. It doesn't hold up for my ears and I assume those who claim they are the best alterna-whatever band of the 80s has never heard anything on SST. When I listen to Jane's Addiction now, I hear a Sunset Strip cock rock band with fancy hairdos and grandiose chesthair machismo.

But to be fair, Dave Navarro seems to get any girl he wants and there's no way I can hate him for that.

I've been a Sirius Satellite subscriber (hello alliteration) since the night before Howard Stern broadcast his first censorship-free show. But in that time, I've come to love certain aspects of the other channels and have recommended this product to everyone from friends to my parents.

Sirius and XM, its competitor, merged a few months ago after what seemed like an endless battle to turn two into one. To be honest, I didn't follow the merger as much as I should have because ultimately, I really didn't care.

Virgin Megastores, that is. Just got back from a lunch break to find out how true today's report on the Register's retail blog is, and the answer is . . . very. The Virgin Megastore at the Block in Orange will indeed be closing. The plug gets pulled January 4. In the meantime: bargains! I grabbed a yellow flier loaded with exclamation points:

"Prices slashed up to 40% off the lowest ticketed price! Everything must go! Save now! Makes a great gift! Super selection! Tremendous savings! Twenty percent off all new releases! Nothing held back! Save now while selection is best! This location only!"

All that's missing is "Sunday, SUNDAY, SUUUUUNNNDAAAAAY!!!!"

If this closeout is anything like the slow, sad shuttering of Tower Records three years ago, the discounts will get deeper the closer 01/04/09 draws near, so the best meat on this decaying aural corpse will be gone fast.

The Orange Virgin was the second Megastore to open in OC, following the early-'90s opening of the VM at Costa Mesa's Triangle Square, which departed this mortal sonic coil several years back (but then, what at Triangle Square hasn't closed?).

As for reasons why, well . . . you know the answers already: shitty economy, downloading, $18.99 for a copy of Metallica's Death Magnetic. (Not only that, but the Orange Virgin today had an $18.99 sticker on a CD copy of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and not the 2004 remastered/reissued version with "Silver Springs" on it, either!)

If you still need your Virgin fix, though, the one at the Ontario Mills shopping center is still open . . . but I bet if you walk through the door, you can hear the sound of a clock ticking away the time it has left. May as well go straight to Amoeba, like everyone else . . .

Meanwhile, the Orange Virgin will live on forever at least in some fashion, having been immortalized in one of the final scenes in the Borat movie -- it's where Borat tried to put the sack over Pamela Anderson, and featured a foot chase out into the store's parking lot. Perhaps a plaque will be placed there someday, like the one outside Nixon's old La Habra law office. . . . 

Wonderlove, one of a bunch of great OC bands that coulda-shoulda-woulda made it huge back when I was the Weekly's Music Editor---they broke up 'round about 2003; I swear it wasn't my fault---have announced that they're getting back together for a November 14 show at Lake Forest's much-beloved Gypsy Lounge. New music is also being planned. As they've put it on their MySpace page:

"There is something special about this lineup and all of us have found ourselves desiring to work together again. We've also found ourselves appreciating what have become very deep friendships and bond that has not only survived, but flourished over the last few years."

I would've posted a photo here, but Google is for shit. Best to just hit up their MySpace.

New Kids On The Block are reuniting 20 years after the release of hit album Hangin’ Tough.

Their first show will be a live performance this Friday, April 4th on the Today Show.

All five original members (Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight and Jonathan Knight) are involved.

And yes, they will be keeping their name even though all the ‘Kids are now in their late 30s.

We’re curious to see if NKOTB has any new material or if they’ll stick to the money-makers that caused them to sell 50 million albums.

Hey, “Step By Step” was a great song. Or at least it was when I was in 2nd grade.

Brooklyn trio the Rub have done some insanely thorough curating with their series of yearly rundowns of the best (in their learned opinions) hip-hop tracks. They've strung together dozens of gems for every year from 1979 to 1999 (you can access the MP3 files here). That is some serious dedication and edification, boom-bap aficionados.

Below are a few videos from some of my faves that the Rub have included in their pantheon.

Just-Ice's “Cold Gettin' Dumb” (1986)

Gang Starr's “Who's Gonna Take the Weight” (1990)

GZA's “Shadowboxing” (1995)

Fu-Schnickens' “Ring the Alarm” (1992)

Here's the perfect gift for that dude/dudette with an Apple logo tattoo or a closet full of Atari T-shirts: Mark Richards' Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers. Check out the slide show—and take care that you don't get any on your keyboard, geek.

Tip: My Seattle techno DJ/producer homie Jerry Abstract

Majesty Crush ca. early 1990s. Photo by Jack Nelson.

Cult '90s Detroit shoegazer-rock band Majesty Crush—featuring gregarious OC Weekly freelancer Hobey Echlin on bass and Michael Segal (the OC Weekly music editor's brother [CONFLICT OF INTEREST!]) on guitar—get a belated quarter-hour of fame in respected, LA-based music mag URB. Go here for URB's say and here for my Sprawl of Sound column about the Crush, who have a really solid career-retrospective CD out now on Full Effect Records.

Graffiti is one of the four elements of hip-hop. Ya heard? That's why I'm slapping this onto Heard Mentality. Graffiti Archaeology is an engrossing site that will eat up a good chunk of your day if you're not careful. Read the mission statement below.

Graffiti Archaeology is a project devoted to the study of graffiti-covered walls as they change over time. The core of the project is a timelapse collage, made of photos of graffiti taken at the same location by many different photographers over a span of several years. The photos were taken in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and other cities, over a timespan from the late 1990's to the present.

Tip: Rachael M.