Ska Band The Skeletones Are Not Too Old To Out-Skank You

skeletones10301.jpg
During the 1990s, the Skeletones used to play every friggin' show from the Inland Empire to Orange County. After search the Internet, you might assume that the 10-piece ska group from Riverside still maintains a busy schedule.But look closer and you'll notice that a few newer bands have also taken the moniker since the original band's heyday. A Google search for "the Skeletones" comes up with three acts -- the Riverside band and two others from Michigan and England.

These days, the original Skeletones -- Jonas Cabrera, Paul Hampton, Mark Cummings, Chris Miles, Kip Wirtzfeld, Rick Bonin, Woody Diaz, Bob Alvarado, John Alvarado and Jared Palazzolo -- perform between 12-24 times a year, which is still a lot considering the group has been around for approximately two decades. That said, don't think frontman Jonas Cabrera has gotten too old to rock a stage because he says he will "out-skank anybody who dares to try" to beat him in a dance-off.

The Skeletones play Saturday as part of Long Beach Sound Society's fourth annual "We Are The Mods Celebration" at Madhaus. The event includes performances by Suedehead and the Savoys and features an array of DJs, food trucks and a horseshoe pit. With so much mod in one area, let's hope Cabrera has a new pair of dancing shoes cuz he's gonna need them.

More »

K-von Wants to Give You the First Good Laugh of Persian New Year

K-von1.jpg
Standup comic K-von is much more than a pretty face. Born to a Persian dad and an American mom, his humor thrives on pushing ethnic boundaries, so everyone gets their fair share of jabs, no matter who you rooted for during the Iran-Iraq War.

Keeping a versatile style has landed him gigs alongside greats such as Russell Peters and Maz Jobrani, a role on the MTV show Disaster Date, and the job of the spokesperson for ScamBook.com, plus, it has made his road schedule seemingly nonstop. He's wrapping up Nowruz (a.k.a. the Persian New Year) with back-to-back shows and a live taping this Sunday at the Irvine Improv. So grab a date to squeeze in a few laughs; don't forget that celebrating another culture's New Year is still reason enough to hook up at the end of the night.

More »

Stewart Copeland Talks About His Opera Adaptation of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Categories: Q&As

copeland.jpg
By: Greggory Moore
Before any journalist decides to write a story about Stewart Copeland, just know that the chances of you surprising him with a double entendre about the Police are very slim. In the myriad articles written about the drummer over the last three decades, he's heard 'em all, no matter what new product he's selling.

"I had a nice piece come out in the L.A. Times today," Copeland says as we begin an interview he's doing in support of The Tell-Tale Heart, his Edgar Allan Poe-based opera currently making its U.S. premiere at the Long Beach Opera this week. "You know: 'Copeland finds synchronicity in opera.' Then the print version was different than the online version, something like: 'Copeland finds message in an opera.' They just can't resist!"

We here at the Weekly tried to ignore it ourselves. But with every breath we took, the beating of that hideous Police heart! We sat down with the longtime composer to talk about his new adaptation of Poe's immortal short story, his unlikely career path into the world of operas, and yes, plenty of questions about the Police.

More »

Comedian Michael McDonald Might Not Like CNN But He Really, Really Needs Them.

mike.jpg
When I grew up in Orange County they had groves for real back then.

Michael McDonald might be best known for the 10 seasons he spent on the sketch comedy show MADtv but around these parts, we know him best for being an Orange County native who is an all-around funny ass mofo. Nowadays, McDonald spends a lot of his time by juggling writing, directing and producing, he's been popping up on shows like Web Therapy and House of Lies, and he just finished co-starring with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in a movie that will be coming out June 28th called The Heat.

The bottom line here folks? This guy has been staying plenty busy since his days playing Stuart Larkin on MADtv and with a list that could go on and on, we don't have time for all of that. We have things to talk about! Like that Michael will be at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach on Tuesday May 14th for one night only. Before the "magic" happens in Hermosa all in the name of hilarity, we commiserated with him about CNN, pope jokes, and how he almost became a young farmer with the last name McDonald. Yeah, really.

More »

Rick Springfield Shares Sobering Revelations and Crazy Fan Stories

Categories: Film, Q&As, TV, music

newrickphoto.jpg
Describe Rick Springfield in three words?: Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
Rick Springfield has been around since most of us were pissing in our Pampers. Hell, some of our readers weren't even conceived when the Sydney-born star first hit the airwaves back in the early 70s. Yet even a with career spanning over 50 years and 17 albums, he has somehow maintained an aura of humility about him, mimicking the passion and ambition of a young artist fresh out of the gate. And the guy doesn't look like he's aged a day (WTF is up with that?). The Grammy winner/author/TV actor just finished recording his new album, Songs for the End of the World.

This month, you're about to get the inside track on everything Springfield when the original documentary An Affair of the Heart; Rick Springfield hits EPIX on May 15th. You'll find out that people's passion for him transcends gender, age, and international borders. This rock-out-loud film gives us all an inside look into his personal life, his highs and lows, as well as the lives of a handful of Springfield's super fans and the connections that have developed over the years all because of his music. Truth be told, it was hard not to be too giddy ourselves when we had the chance to talk to the man himself before the premiere about his upcoming projects, his love for the fans and his method of dealing with lusty ladies and their semi- tolerant hubbies.

More »

Ralphie May is Dirty and Loud.That's Why We Like Him. So What's Your Problem?

Ralphie.jpg
Mike Carano
Why do people even bust my balls? I make people laugh.
Credit his size or his controversial humor, but there's really no room for middle ground when it comes to your feelings about comedian Ralphie May. Usually, you either love him or hate him depending on tolerance for vulgarity riddled with truth. Of course, May wouldn't have it any other way. With an edgy and topical set that's delivered with a sharp tongue and southern drawl, Ralphie's crazy schedule makes him one of the busiest road comics out there, selling out venues across the country. How he even squeezes in time to record the sex-fueled and super hilarious "Perfect 10 Podcast" with his wife (and fellow comedian) Lahna Turner--while raising two kids-- is beyond us.

A national touring schedule can take its toll on anyone, let alone a big man like May. So it's no surprise that he chose to take some time off last year to recuperate. But this year, May is ready to take his show back on the road. Known to do a longer set than most, you'll get more bang for your buck when he rolls through OC to headline the Brea Improv May 9th through 12th. We recently sat down with May to get an update on his health, an inside scoop on the podcast, and let him chime in on his love/hate relationship with the a-hole Internet trolls. (You know who you are.)


More »

Mental Physix Want to DJ Your Yoga Class

Categories: Q&As

mentalphysix.jpg
Mental Physix
Crisanto Santa Ana (left) and Dru Ali are Mental Physix

Mental Physix are a DJ duo made up of Crisanto Santa Ana and Dru Ali. Their mission? To explore the fusion of music and yoga to "create a divine union of healing, through self-realization and sound." Both Santa Ana and Ali perform at yoga studios while Vinyasa classes are going on, and the experience -- with both the yogis and the DJs feeding off each other's energies -- is intensely spiritual. Last month, Mental Physix took their Technic1200s on the road and toured yoga studios around California, Nevada, Colorado and Utah.

On Saturday, Mental Physix will be performing at the One Consciousness of Love and Light Festival (www.1ConsLoveLight.com) in Anaheim. The festival will feature meditation, dance performances, lots of yoga and healthy, organic food served throughout the day.

More »

The Aquabats! Super Show! Nominated for a Daytime Emmy; Christian Jacobs Talks About Being Family Friendly

Categories: Q&As

GroupAquabatsFistLower.jpg
The HUB
How goes our favorite skankin', live-action TV superheroes? The last time we saw the Aquabats, they were performing at the Great Park for a 2012 summer season-ender, and there were suspiciously a ton of kids in the audience. (Maybe it has something to do with the first season The Aquabats! Super Show! being really popular with grade school boys.) As MC Bat Commander Christian Jacobs said, "Our audience has expanded younger!"

This week, we found out that the The Aquabats! Super Show! was nominated for the "Outstanding Children's Series" Daytime Emmy Award, and that Season 2 of will premiere at THE HUB on June 1, 10 a.m. "We're stoked and honored," said Tyler Jacobs, the show's production designer and screenwriter. We also talked to Aquabats! frontman Christian Jacobs (also the co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba!) about the second season, growing up with Aquabats fans, and the future of Yo Gabba Gabba! The Aquabats will also be playing the Warped Tour in Pomona on June 20-21.

See Also: MC Bat Commander Reminisces About the First Season of The Aquabats! Super Show!

More »

Meet Wicked Babydoll: OC's Newest Hip-Hop Outlaw

Categories: Hip-Hop, Q&As

wickedbabydoll.jpg
Lyrik of Steel Banging Musick
Wicked Babydoll is coming into her own as a Chicana on the mic. The 23-year-old rapper originally from Los Angeles has three mixtapes to her name with the latest, Words of the Wicked (download here), showcasing her impassioned delivery and hard time rhymes. The collection, laced with dope beats, features collaborations with D-1, Threat Loca, Dice Loks and others. Now rolling with Dirty Devil Entertainment, Wicked Babydoll got her start in hip-hop as a young teenager listening to the likes of 2pac, Eazy-E and Eminem before eventually deciding rapping was something she wanted to seriously pursue. The grind hasn't been an easy one having to balance responsibilities as an artist and a young mother of two children, but she persists onward towards her hip-hop dreams with plans for a new album next year.

The Weekly caught up with Wicked Babydoll earlier this week in Anaheim, where she's now based, on location for the music video shoot of "Fuck Authority" off Words of the Wicked.

More »

Chris D'Elia Explains His Weird Nickname and His Vine Addiction

Chris D'Elia- .JPG
Cyrus Roushan
The left brow is the money maker.

It helps to have funny friends in high places. Just ask Chris D'Elia. His biggest gig to date came when pal Whitney Cummings wrote a part for him on her show "Whitney." He's also been making us laugh for a while as a voice on an Internet radio show called the "Ten Minute Podcast" with his boys (and fellow comics) Bryan Callen and Will Sasso. But aside from a few helping hands he's received, he's also become known in the comedy world in his own right for being a pretty good (yet totally goofy) guy with a sick sense of humor and an even sicker set of eyebrows. He's coming to do his first full weekend at the Irvine Improv this April 18th-21st and since Chris seems to be oh so helpful through advice and videos on-line (good and bad), we decided to pick his brain on a few topics before his Irvine run just for you.

More »

From the Vault

 

Links

©2013 OC Weekly, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Orange County

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city