Beautiful, young Melanie

The New York singer--born Melanie Anne Safka--became famous for her songs "Brand New Key," and "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma." She performed for over 500,000 concertgoers at Woodstock in her early 20s. But well after the 60s faded, she continued to write and tour, and would you believe, with the rising of hipsters, she's gained a whole new following.

Melanie will wrap up her tour with Romancing the West, an on-stage documentary about Western music, very shortly, and while the show is running in Orange County she was lovely enough to speak with the Weekly. We're not worthy!

Drop The Lime, born Luca Venezia

Just when you thought festival season was over and the surge of electronic dance music events had come to a halt, 2013 has kicked off into high gear with sick shows every week. We already know holidays are big for EDM DJs to ensure a gig, but what about during off months like in January? Well let's just say that dance music fans love to party because the amount of shows in OC from now until Winter Music Conference is only growing right here in our own backyard. We broke down a list of the five best EDM shows this month to keep you up to date on all of the bacchanals worth buying tickets for.

See Also:
Five EDM Artists We'd Like to See at Coachella This Year
NYE EDM Festivals in 2012: Which One Was the Best?
Zedd Tells Us Why He Dislikes the Phrase "EDM"

Courtesy of Robert Sorey Photography

Shane Vikus and Daniel Minaya

OC's very own Minaya & Vikus will hit another milestone in their careers today as their long awaited original track "Overdrive" hits Beatport courtesy of Boiler House Records. Already having a remix released in September on INTOTHEAM Records which reached #4 on the Progressive House Top 100 Release Chart, "Overdrive" is much bigger than their Archie's "Desire" remix. They collaborated with fellow Orange County producer Spiro to create something that is a lot more electrifying with an in-your- face punch of big room progressive house sure to rock dance floors everywhere.

"It was great getting in the studio to work with Spiro," says Daniel Minaya. "Our sounds are very similar in a way so once we all got together the ideas came about naturally. We knew exactly what kind of track we wanted and just went for it." Minaya & Vikus have been on fire this year after being hand-picked from a DJ contest to open for Swedish House Mafia's Steve Angello at the Hollywood Palladium. Since then they have headlined their own shows all over OC, LA and Las Vegas. Besides being recently signed to AOC Talent Agency, just last weekend Minaya & Vikus played another Insomniac Event featuring the legendary Pete Tong with Eats Everything and Audrey Napoleon at Exchange LA.

See Also:
*Minaya & Vikus' Blockbuster DJ Double Team
*Steve Angello's Size Matters Party - Hollywood Palladium - 5/12/12
*Eats Everything is Pudgy, But Gets a Better Onstage Workout Than the Average DJ

R3HAB---See him at Sutra tonight

See Also:
Top Five Worst Places to Get Your EDM News
Nocturnal Wonderland: Our Recap From A to Z
Identity Management Group and Insomniac Events Create an EDM Power Merger in OC

Halloween is another excuse to dress up as your favorite characters while sneaking in an extra concert, festival or club night of partying to your favorite music. It seems like venues and promoters are using holidays these days to turn it into a week-long of festivities rather than the typical long weekend a la Memorial and Labor Day. Las Vegas has been doing it in the EDM scene and now it looks like OC is following suit. Identity Management has teamed up with Insomniac Events (founders of EDC) and other local promoters to bring you seven days of spooky celebrations at Sutra in Costa Mesa.

Halloween isn't until next Wednesday, but the celebrations begin tonight with a line-up for every night of the week until All Hallows Eve that is sure to satisfy your EDM needs without even having to ponder attending Monster Massive. The posh lounge will be transformed by various haunted themes and fantasies as some of the world's best DJs provide the soundtrack. Even DJ R3hab's Facebook profile picture announces his "USA Halloween Tour" which includes stops in Vegas, Hallofreaknween Festival in Denver and Sutra tonight. R3hab is sure to kick-start the chainsaw madness of hard-hitting electro and progressive house which out-shined Afrojack on many of their tour dates this year. For house addicts tonight will be the perfect rehab as the DJ fittingly born Fadil El Ghoul kicks off the festivities with opening sounds by Adam Auburn & Darwin Paul, Darreen Correa and Audiostache.

*2J's Cocktail Lounge Goes Country on the Weekends, Apparently it Brings in the Chicks
*311 - Slightly Stoopid - Verizon Amphitheater - 8/24/12
*Summer Sensation Concert Rallys Young, Santa Ana Community Organizers

Everyone knows who Bob Marley is, right? Alright, cool. Now that we've established that, fans of reggae in Orange County will be delighted to know that Marley's backing band, The Wailers, will be performing this weekend in Long Beach as part of the second annual Shoreline Jam Reggae Festival.

John Kraus and the Goers

See Also:

*Local Record Review: 'A Better Version' by Cerebellion

*Hopscotch: Downtown Fullerton's New Beer and Whiskey Joint Also Serves Hillbilly Tunes

*C-Gak's Drumming Fuses Man with Machine

Throw a rock anywhere in Orange County and chances are you'll hit a musician. But musicians who double as captains of ocean-traveling vessels are a bit harder to find. One is John Kraus, a founding member of one of the county's best bands of the 1990s, Trip the Spring, as well as front man for Bodie and his latest incarnation, John Kraus and the Goers.

 Music came first for Kraus, who unveils his latest CD Friday, Derelict, at Big's in Fullerton. But a junior high field trip to the tall ship The Pilgrim in Dana Point stuck with him for years. In 1995, while Trip the Spring was at its peak, he began volunteering for the kid's program on the Pilgrim and basically "got bit by the tall ship bug." He has since studied to gain his master's captain license, which allows him to skipper vessels up to 100 tons.

Matthew Welch

With a career spanning 30 years, Costa not only knows what it takes to put on a great performance, but she also knows what it takes to make incredible music. Over the weekend we were lucky enough to catch up with Costa to chat about her latest EP, PRO★WHOA, and her show at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex this Saturday.