John Gilhooley

Jack Grisham with TSOL at his last book release party for 'An American Demon' in Long Beach

The second novel by TSOL frontman Jack Grisham is ready for your perusal: Titled Untamed, the book consists of 10 messed-up-yet-entertaining (would you expect anything less from Grisham?) short stories complete with illustrations by psychedelic artist Scott Aicher.

Sex, suicide, murder, and sex with stuffed bunny rabbits--it's all in Untamed, which Grisham says is still based on his own life experiences.

"[The stories] are kinda based on whatever--betrayal, you know. Honesty and truth and the nature of human beings," Grisham says. "And what we can be."

To celebrate, Grisham's throwing a book release show--while his last novel came with a boat party, this time, Grisham is hosting an all-ages matinee with TSOL, the Detours, Unit F and the 405 Pile-Up on June 9 at the Observatory.

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Alex Distefano

The Casualties
The Observatory
April 3, 2013

The stench of street punk filled the air at the Observatory in Santa Ana, as NYC legends the Casualties brought their obnoxious, sped-up brand of 80s hardcore punk to a room full of rabid fans. As part of this year's 'Resistance' tour, openers included Havok, Goatwhore, and a special performance by Dr. Know.

Two songs into the set, the Casualties guitarist Jake Kolatis insisted that the Observatory remove the huge barricades in front of the crowd in an attempt to get closer to their fans. He certainly got what he wanted. More than 100 skanking stage divers joined the band onstage, eventually, Kolatis and company became part of a beer-fueled mosh pit. Even with all the chaos swirling around them, the band wanted to ensure that there was no bad blood in the crowd.

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Marina Martinez

Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L.

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Shannon Nehls / OC Weekly

Beneath The Buried

OC Music Awards Showcase: Night 3

The Slide Bar Rock-N-Roll Cafe
January 22, 2013

The OC Music Awards Showcase continued it's excursion on the quest to find OC's best live band for night three at the Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Cafe in downtown Fullerton. To test the nominated bands originality, stage presence, crowd participation and overall appeal where a few of the elite members of the OC Music Awards Academy which is comprised of music journalists, radio personalities, booking agents and industry professionals who help support our local music scene. Starting at 8 p.m., the showcase featured and interesting array of bands including Anna Vexa, Snakebit Drifters, Fiction Reform, Beneath the Buried and Death Hymn Number 9 who all brought their own eclectic crowds and energy to the Slide Bar stage.

See Also:

*OC Music Awards: Night 2 Puts Singer-Songwriters On a Frosty Pedestal
*OC Music Awards Showcase: Night 1-Detroit Bar-January 8, 2013
*Coachella "Leaks," Confirmations and Rumors

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Though Jack Grisham denies it now, many referred (and still refer) to Vicious Circle--otherwise known as "The Cult"--as a violent "punk rock gang" based out of Long Beach and Huntington Beach.

Lead singer Grisham, who would later go on to front TSOL, was just a teenager at the time, and the band was short-lived--around for eight to ten months. Grisham started the band with drummer Todd Barnes (also of TSOL), guitarist Steve Houston and bassist Laddy Terrell in 1979.

Unfortunately, the brief history of Vicious Circle isn't well-documented, limited to just a few fanzines here and there. Luckily for those interested in this slice of Orange County punk rock history, Grisham has announced a limited edition vinyl release of 100-percent previously unreleased tracks.

See Also:
*Novel by TSOL's Jack Grisham, 'An American Demon' On It's Way to Becoming a Movie

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John Gilhooley

In Spring 2011, TSOL's Jack Grisham released his first novel--and much to our (and yours. And maybe everyone else's, too) surprise, it wasn't your typical autobiography from an aging, larceny prone punk rocker turned father of two. The book was an autobiography, but with an added twist: The addition of a demon within Grisham himself, the source of sociopathic behaviors ranging from stabbings to sex with an 80-year-old woman standing in the crypt of her dead husband.

The book, titled An American Demon, was indeed Grisham's first novel--but really, it was his first anything when it came to the written word: "It was supposed to be 'Gimme stories of violence, T.S.O.L., Orange County.' That's what the publisher wanted. I actually wrote a whole book about it and threw it out," Grisham explained to OC Weekly in April of 2011. "I've never done what I've been told to do."

Just confirmed by Grisham himself, An American Demon is officially on its way into becoming  a feature-length film. The script is ready to go and there's even a director signed onto the project.
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Katrina Nattress

The Murder City Devils
The Observatory
December 22, 2012

The world didn't end last Friday, and as a result The Observatory got to party with The Murder City Devils. Though the band reunited back in 2006 after a five-year hiatus, live shows have been few and far between in recent years, and Santa Ana was lucky enough to be part of a short three-day-long California jaunt this weekend.

While others embarked on holiday destinations, a packed house welcomed the garage punk six-piece on Saturday night, ready to let lose one last time before the year's end. And though it was only the band's third performance since February of 2012, the members played as tight and precise as ever. Beginning with the raucous "Murder City Riot," off their self-titled 1997 debut, the sextet hit the ground running and quickly set the tone for the rest of the night.

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A little less than a month after being hit by a car, OC's skateboarding punk legend Duane Peters rides again. His band, Duane Peters Gunfight, recently announced that they've rescheduled their postponed show at The Slidebar Rock 'N' Roll Cafe in Fullerton to next Tues., Dec. 11. The news comes just weeks after the 51-year old Peters was forced to cancel the show after being hit by a car while riding his skateboard in Long Beach. His injuries included a ruptured lung, bruised kidney, sprained left wrist and a smashed (not broken) left foot. After the accident forced him to postpone his band's show Nov.11, he did what any good, hard-headed punk would do...he took a little while to walk it off.


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Coming up with 10 punk albums to listen to before you die is a lot harder than you'd think. For starters, it's a morbid thought, which makes you start asking yourself why in the hell you're thinking about punk albums when you're only gonna die, so who cares?

Second, the best material of many (if not most) punk bands is featured on singles, not full-length records. That's why you won't see Minor Threat on this list because even though they are punk rock royalty, their sole album (1982's Out of Step) isn't as good as their EPs. Or, on the flipside, you got a band like Red Cross, whose first EP is
unfuckwithable, but EPs aren't albums and therefore not included in this list.

That said, there are still plenty of full-length punk records that everyone should most definitely hear and more than likely own.

Here, in no particular order, are 10.

See Also:

*10 Jazz Albums to Listen to Before You Die

*Top 25 Greatest OC Bands of All Time

*Top 10 Band Wally George Band Interviews From the Hot Seat

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John Gilhooley / OC Weekly

Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, lead vocalist for The Hives

The Hives
The Observatory
September 11, 2012

See Also:

*FIDLAR On What It's Like To Party With The Hives
*The Best Of Coachella: Sunday, April 22, 2012
*Ceasefire - House of Blues Anaheim - 6/16/12

When we first learned the The Hives were stepping out of their American touring hiatus and coming to Orange County, we couldn't wait to hear their signature audience engaging, garage rock/punk band sound. Currently promoting their self-produced studio release Lex Hives, the title coming from the Roman term meaning "Law of the Hives," we were anxious to join this Hives Nation and channel our inner punk rocker, crowd surfing fan who just doesn't give a fuck!

The Observatory, known for being an intimate venue with a quality sound system and security that lets performers and audiences engage each other pretty unrestricted, was the perfect place for one of rock's best live acts to unleash all their greatness. Lead vocalist Howlin' Pelle Almqvist leaped onto speakers, jived as he thrusted his mic stand and shouted into his microphone with jokes and banter in typical Hives fashion. His brother guitarist Nicholaus Arson followed suit - literally as all band members were dressed in penguin like tuxedos with top hats and shiny shoes - with similar stage antics which lasted throughout the entire 90-minute set.

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