Orange County Music Blog

​

In response to its sold-out-in-minutes show June 6 at Angel Stadium, U2 have announced a second date at the same venue June 7. Normally I'm supposed to say something about bands playing, but if you don't know U2, then you're more than likely amazed at what life has become since that icicle you've been stuck in for six thousand years defrosted a few days ago.

Because you're making plans for next summer, you might also want to put a big red circle around Nov. 20, 10 a.m. to be exact, because that's when tickets go on sale at ticketmaster.com or livenation.com. Get in e-line now or you'll be lucky to get seats in Fullerton.

​
The Raveonettes are gracing us with their presence once again this year at the Detroit Bar. The Danish duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, makes music that can be described as a graceful, but highly destructive hurricane--a whirling sound with feedback and overloaded guitars... and all the while Sharin's melodic vocals cruise throughout their songs.

You could say their influences draw from the Ronettes, Buddy Holly, the Jesus & Mary Chain and the Velvets--just take a look at their band name, pulled directly from the Ronettes and Buddy Holly's "Rave On." With this tour, they are promoting their new record, "In And Out Of Control."

Adam Richman, the lovable foodie from the Travel Channel's Man V. Food, is coming to the House of Blues Dec. 15. If you don't know Richman, your first question probably is, "So?" But if you know all about how the Brooklyn native travels the country to enter eateries that serve ridiculous portions in hopes of chowing them in one sitting, you might have a few more when the host/actor gets into his Q&A section of the show. I don't plan on attending, but if you do, here are a few freebies to get him riled up.

1. Have you no shame?
2. Were you the kid in school who ate boogers?
3.What kind of health insurance plan does the Travel Channel provide?
4. Could you kick Anthony Bourdain's ass?
5. Most people on tv get laid without a problem, but does the fact that you stuff your fat face actually supercede the ease factor when you explain to females just what kind of show you're on?

Tickets go on sale Saturday.

​
De-cem-ber thir-teenth, much more bayyyyyounce, Ice Cube's coming with a half-ounce. (Or not, potentially. Just wanted to be lyrical.)

Oh boy. Look at these dudes.

​

"Post-hardcore." Post, hard, core. Three words that, at one point, wouldn't have made a lick of sense when placed together. But now, it's almost impossible to imagine them without each other. What a world.

​

There he is. Your 2009 OC Weekly "Best of OC" readers' poll "best hip-hop act" winner. Still representing the LBC after all these years.

Still so dreamy!

​
"I know it's gonna happen someday."

​

Miley Cyrus is so 2008. (And 2006, and 2007. And OK, 2009, too, but still.)

Andrew Steven

​
Playing the House of Blues in Anaheim is a big deal for a national touring act, but for a local band, the opportunity to gig at one of Orange County's premier venues--nestled in Downtown Disney, no less--has to be even more of a treat.

Esther White

​

Are you ready for the latest (er, first?) wave of early 2008 nostalgia? Vampire Weekend is back!

​

Exene Cervenka hasn't slowed down since her June announcement that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She's continued to perform, including a benefit show with fellow X co-founder John Doe at Alex's Bar in Long Beach last month, and a gig with her band the Knitters this past weekend at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.

Next up is a solo show from the LA punk rock legend at Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar on November 12. Tickets are $10, and on sale now. Her Orange County relevance doesn't end there; Cervenka and X have been long-time supporters of now Huntingon Beach-based charity Sweet Relief, check them out here.

​When it comes to Detroit Bar's ever-impressive acquisitions of national acts, local faves and surprise guests, September was far from a dry spell. But it was this kind of success that forced them to forego their free, Monday night residency shows. To be fair, it probably worked out for the best.

Thankfully, this king of shopping center music venues resumes it's status as a local hipster launch pad for shaggy, eclectic up-and-comers.

Case in point: the next four Mondays will be dominated by Long Beach psych-pop outfit the Fling. With a steady amount of touring through the summer months, this 60s inspired four piece (which includes Dustin Lovelis on vox and guitar, Graham Lovelis on bass, Justin Ivey on drums and Justin Roeland on guitar) prepares to cast their net every Monday, hoping to snag some Detroit regulars.

Obviously this isn't the first time their jangly, lo-fi rumblings and polished vocal harmonies came up on our radar (see Dave Segal's Locals Only praise wayyyy back in 2008).

​

Rob Zombie, who built his career on songs like "Living Dead Girl" and directed the last two Halloween movies, is playing the Grove of Anaheim on the day after Halloween (November 1, for the non-calendar inclined). That's a pretty big coup, akin to getting the Pogues to play on St. Patrick's Day. Well, the day after St. Patrick's Day, at least.

​

It may be late Friday afternoon, but there's still some stuff to talk about. Like a couple of big new shows coming our way.

S. Affandi, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

​

After a good amount of speculation due to a lack of official announcements and tour dates disappearing from the Internets, the Kanye West and Lady Gaga "Fame Kills" tour is on for realsies, following press releases from Live Nation this morning.

Chris Victorio

​

Heard anything about Kanye West lately? The usually reserved rapper/producer/tireless self-promoter has uncharacteristically made a tiny amount of headlines these last couple of days, but you've probably missed them. (Seriously, though, it must be weird to be called a jackass by the president, off the record to not.)

Well, now that he's gotten all of the "crushing happy moments in beloved teenage girls' lives" out of his system, he's about to start a new tour, one that's coming to the Honda Center in Anaheim on November 15. It's called the "Fame Kills" tour, and it's co-headlined (West has made clear in interviews that she's "not an opener") by Lady Gaga, who also got some attention for her appearance at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, specifically for her fake blood-stained performance. The pair are also stopping at the Staples Center in LA the next day. Tickets aren't on sale yet, but (slightly) more details are here.

​

Tonight, rock superstars the Killers play a sold-out show at UCI's Bren Events Center. Since that show did so well, why not do more big concerts there, right?

That could possibly be the philosophy behind booking this show, early/mid-decade emo poster boys Dashboard Confessional at the Bren Events Center on November 14. That's four days after the sixth full-length from Chris Carrabba's crew, After the Ending, hits stores. Good news for all those experiencing rapid hope loss. Tickets on sale this Thursday, September 17, at 1 p.m. No word on ticket prices. Click after the jump for some great early 2000s nostalgia!

Tom Beard

The Big Pink, lovin' life.

​

If you're not still reeling from the OMG TOTALLY SHOCKING AND CONTROVERSIAL MTV Video Music Awards (that Kanye West, will he ever learn?), you might be pleased to hear about some neato shows coming our way in the near future, featuring bands that may not be featured on nationally televised award shows but are pretty cool nonetheless.

Keith May

​

The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana hasn't slowed down since reopening a few months ago, adding a couple new shows of note to its schedule.

From Religulous: Bill Maher on the left, Jesus on the right.

​Comedian, talk show host and atheist evangelical Bill Maher will perform at the Grove of Anaheim on Sunday, Sept. 13. We got a chance to chat with him on the phone last week, mainly to ask him for his thoughts on all things Orange County and right-wing.

Maher hosts HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher, and produced and starred in the 2008 anti-religion documentary Religulous. If you think he's a jerk for saying Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren suffers from a "neurological disorder," consider this: He was nice enough to call the Weekly back when the phone went dead!

​

Didn't get your fill of '70s and '80s nostalgia acts at the OC Super Fair this year? Well sir or ma'am, you are in luck!

I have yet to meet anyone who actually likes Jeff Dunham. You've probably seen him on Comedy Central, he's the dude with the puppets. One of them is a jalapeño that espouses lots of Latino stereotypes; another is a dead suicide bomber, seen in the video above. Yeah.

But that hasn't stopped Dunham from becoming really, really popular. The video above has gotten over 94 million (!) views on YouTube, and he's consistently a draw on tour. The dude's got a series on Comedy Central starting on October, and he's coming our way on November 28 at the "theater" at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Tickets are on sale 10 a.m. Saturday, September 12. Prices not yet available.

​Yeah. Due to the three-day weekend and all that, there are pretty much no shows going on sale tomorrow. There's the "BET's 106 & Park Tour" with Trey Songz and Mario at the House of Blues in Anaheim (on sale 10 a.m. tomorrow, $35-$37.50). And that's...it.

There are a couple more new shows worth mentioning, even if they don't go on sale tomorrow (that's OK, right?). Avant garde, once-beareded, electro artist Peaches (pictured) will be at the Glass House in Pomona on October 26. That's on sale now and $15, which seems like kind of a steal. Glassjaw is back touring and headed to the same downtown P-town venue on November 12. That's $25, and on sale this Wednesday (September 9! already!) at noon.

​

It's Friday, and to celebrate the end of another week, Labor Day weekend, and the slow, inevitable passage of time, Detroit Bar has announced two new awesome shows!

There's Drummer, pictured, a band named so because each member has played drums with a different project in the past--like bassist Patrick Carney, the drummer for a band you're likely familiar with called the Black Keys. It's a ways away--December 4--but tickets are on sale now, regardless. $10.

Returning to the Costa Mesa venue is Little Dragon, who were there in May and spotlighted in the hallowed pages of OC Weekly by Ned Raggett. (The singer's mom and grandma both live in CM!) That's on sale today, October 30 (Halloween eve!), and $15.

Kendall Pavan

​

Yep, more solid gigs coming to Detroit Bar. It never ends!

​

On the heels of yesterday's radtacular announcement that !!! (Chk Chk Chk) are coming to Detroit Bar on September 28, the westside Costa Mesa venue hits us over the head with another awesome show. This time it's the Whigs on November 18. Yeah, that's the same Whigs that's been touring with Kings of Leon, including this past Saturday at the Forum. So that's pretty cool.

It's also the first OC date for the Whigs since they opened up for the Kooks at the House of Blues in Anaheim last October. The Whigs were also at Detroit last September, opening up for Tokyo Police Club. They've also opened up for Weezer, playing again at the Forum. That's a lot of opening gigs. This time, they're headling, so no reason not to be stoked if you're a fan of the Athens, Georgia (that city doesn't know how to produce a bad group!) band. Tickets are on sale now; $12.

​

!!! owe a good chuck of their fame to the fact that they chose three exclamation points--commonly pronounced "chk chk chk," but really, whatever matching syllables work--for their band name. It's undeniably distinctive, and evocative in a way ";;;" or "{{{" really wouldn't be.

While we're waiting for a follow-up to the dance-punk band's 2007 release Myth Takes, they're doing the touring thing, including a stop at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on September 28. Tickets are on sale now for $18, and LA's Indian Jewelry, who I recently saw play a rooftop in Echo Park (OMG so hip!), open the show. Take a look at the poster here.

Also coming to Detroit: hip-hop duo Flosstradamus on October 23. Much buzzed-about rapper Kid Sister opens; she's actually the older sister of J2K from Flosstradamus. Weird, right? Tickets are $20 and on sale now.

​If you thought Verizon Wireless Amphitheater could only be used for big-name bands like Blink 182 and No Doubt, well, you're stupid. (OK, you're not stupid. Misguided, maybe.) Exhibit A: Power 106's "Comedy Fiesta" show, happening on September 26 at the 16,00-capacity venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows.

It's an, uh, eclectic lineup of big-time comedy names. Headliners are the reunited Cheech & Chong, who are joined by the polarizing-to-say-the-least Carlos Mencia, Gabriel Iglesias (who I interviewed several years ago; he was very quiet), The Soup host/star of this fall's NBC sitcom Community Joel McHale (pictured), Dr. Ken Jeong (who played the Asian mobster in The Hangover in a disturbingly minstrel-y performance), and others.

Between this and Powerhouse, which played at the Honda Center earlier this month, Power 106 clearly hearts Orange County. Perhaps OC is where hip hop truly lives. Tickets are on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m., ranging from $20-$75.

​

Country music in Orange County? It happens! Sometimes! Evidence: Go County 105 is bringing their "Go Fest 2009" to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine on October 3. Performers are set to include Brad Paisley (pictured), Dierks Bentley, Jimmy Wayne, Sarah Buxton, Zona Jones and Peter Brandon. As far as contemporary country goes, that's a pretty swell lineup.

Tickets are $30.50-$120.50, and on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m.--though there are various ongoing presales, check those out here.

That's a Live Nation show, and speaking of LN, they're extending their summer "No Service Fee Wednesday"--which was "supposed" to end last week--with a variety of select amphitheater shows having $10 lawn seats and $15 reserved tickets (inclusive of all fees!) today only. Included shows in our area-ish after the jump. (Get excited, it includes Creed!)

​Is September 12 still summer? Sure, technically, it's before the autumnal equinox, so I guess it's fair play. That's the day the Orange County Performing Arts Center will host the Summer Nights Dance Party, featuring KCRW DJs Jason Bentley (pictured, the host of Morning Becomes Eclectic and the station's music director) and Jeremy Sole both doing live DJ sets--as well as a performance from Sole's genre-bending eight-piece band, Musaics.

It takes place from 9 to 11:30 p.m.; what KCRW is calling a "late night dance party." (Well, Bentley does have to get up pretty early most days.) And it's free! Hurray.

KCRW last represented in Orange County at June's "Stars of Santa Barbara" benefit event at South Coast Plaza, read my two-part interview with Bentley from then here and here. Sole is now doing a monthly residency at the Continental Room in Fullerton called "Branches," combining Afrobeat, funk, salsa and more. The next one's on September 15.