​I gotta be honest: I have a love/hate relationship with Thanksgiving.

On the one hand, it's my vegetarian anniversary. I gave up meat on Thanksgiving 1997, which, for all you math failures, means this year marks the 14th Thanksgiving in a row since I've eaten meat. For that, I am excited and proud. It was supposed to be nothing but a one-day protest and now here I am, a total hippie food guy who eats a primarily raw diet.

On the other, Thanksgiving generally includes in two of my least favorite things: meat eating and gluttony. I don't like meat and I really don't like the idea of people stuffing their faces just because they can. I was a fat kid, so I know all about this. Thankfully, I have changed my ways as an adult.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is usually a strange day for me. Sure, I want to be around family and friends, but not if I have to watch a dead bird get cooked and then eaten in front of me. So this year, I think I'll stay home, drop some acid (just kidding) and pretend that these 10 vegetarian musicians (in no particular order) are in my dining room eating the raisins, lemon almonds and Asian pears I bought from the farmers market.
 
More >>

Matt Skiba/Twitter

Yes, this is a picture of Matt Skiba's foot

​Did you buy tickets to the recently announced Matt Skiba solo show Dec. 1 at the Constellation Room (inside the Galaxy Theatre) in Santa Ana? (The page is gone now, obviously.) And now are you all excited to see the Alkaline Trio singer/guitarist up close and personal with nothing more than a guitar, his enchanting voice and those sweet, sweet eyes that just make you want to skip through strawberry fields and rose gardens?

If so, I've got bad news: The show has been canceled. In fact, Skiba's entire "west coast" tour (I put this in quotation marks because the tour was really four California shows) is now gone the way of the buffalo thanks to his right foot being broken.
More >>

Here's a gratuitous road trip photo, care of whatsisface...

​Summer means barbecues, beaches, sleeping in and wearing next to nothing, but the best part of the season is the annual road trip (although, seeing people wearing next to nothing is a close second) taken by many across the vast country of ours. Even the least experienced road trippers know to pack clothes and munchies, but pulling out of your driveway without the proper soundtrack can make those boring ass drives across Nebraska (think the 5, but with even less to look at) make you wonder what in the hell Kerouac saw in this shit.

Once you've got your tunes in order, it's crucial that you create a playlist that helps set a mood. Take me for example. I'm not a morning person. In fact, I almost punched one of my best friends during a brutal Texas morning for no other reason other than I was awake. To remedy this, I start with something that will wake me up without a bunch of screaming and yelling because, sure, I love Black Sabbath. Just not at nine in the morning.

On the flipside, I always make sure to save my sing-alongs for when the sun goes down. This is important because when you're out there on a two-lane road to nowhere, the only thing preventing you from becoming one of those homemade crosses on the side of the highway and seeing your destination is the ability to stay focused. Again, for me, this is all about singing.

Here's what I'd do if I was hitting the road today. I'd love to know what others have in mind because I'm always up for adding new tunes to my road trip rotation.


More >>

Jacob Kahn/OC Weekly

Alkaline Trio at Alex's Bar. Check out the rest of our photos here!

​

• Check out our slideshow here!

Alkaline Trio
Nov. 13, 2010
Alex's Bar

I can't put my finger on it. Alkaline Trio is a three-piece punk band with a straightforward sound whose songs don't bear any unusual or quirky arrangements or elaborate instrumentation. Yet last night they hit the tiny stage at Alex's like a cyclone and thoroughly killed it. More >>