Orange County Music Blog

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The S-N-double O-P is hitting the Grove of Anaheim tomorrow as part of the "How the West Was One" tour (which also includes performances by DJ Quik and Nipsey Hussle.) You know I'd be all over this if I wasn't down with the worst flu of all time, but since I can't make it, I thought I'd pass along some info that might sway some folks still on the fence.

Advertised, tickets run between $49.50-$60. But by following this link, your tickets are $25. You can thank me by leaving a comment and telling me what I missed.

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​There are many champions of cutesy, contorted cartoon imagery. But staring into character-filled frames of Spanish artists Mar Hernandez (aka Malota), whose eye-popping Japanese-style cartoons and attention to detail earned her a National Illustration Award in her home country in 2008, finds her own niche in the sleek, modern mix of illustrations, doll-making and design. 

​Open wide. Not to scream, like this weirdo to the left, but in preparation for the consumption of a forceful spoonful of the OC/LB garage punk scene in all it's frighteningly good permutations. Tomorrow, our friendly neighborhood college radio station KUCI is luring audiences into the Yost Theater for "KUCI Fright."

​Just one day before a newly reunited Sublime is scheduled to play its first announced reunion gig at the Cypress Hill Smoke Out Festival, the estate of late singer Bradley Nowell has issued a statement explaining their position on the matter.

Basically, they ain't happy. Nowell's wife Troy, son Jakob and father Jim explain that they are very supportive of bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh performing Sublime music, but not under the Sublime name. And with Nowell gone and new singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez in the mix, you can see how calling the new act Sublime might cause a problem.  Furthermore, they plan to take legal action to "protect Brad's legacy."

In case you've been living under a rock for the past 15 years, Sublime was a Long Beach ska/punk/reggae/dub trio on the verge of becoming one of the most popular bands in recent memory until Nowell passed away on tour due to a heroin overdose. Immediately following his death, Wilson and Gaugh formed the Long Beach Dub All Stars with members of the extended Sublime family to carry on the Sublime legacy by playing the hits and writing new material. LBDAS broke up in 2002.

Keep reading for the estate's statement.

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That record right there, Greater California's All the Colors, was declared OC Weekly's "Best of OC" best album of the past 12 months--sure, Greater California are from Long Beach, but we've considered that to be part of our coverage area for so long that even residents there get a little confused at times.

Full of shimmering, mature and fully realized pop like "It's Great" and the title track, it's a must-listen for anyone that loves the best of '60s and '70s rock (like the Byrds: the Next Generation). Your next opportunity to hear some of that album's fine tunes is sooner than you might think: tomorrow, at the Long Beach Museum of Art, for their latest "After Dark" event. Root for culture! They're playing, and it's also a chance to check out three new exhibitions: Sweet Subversives: Contemporary California Drawings, Surviving Hard Times: WPA Artists and 3313º Fahrenheit. It's from 7 to 10 p.m.; $10, free for members. Check out the flier after the jump for more details and a sneak preview of a cool image from one of the exhibitions.

Mosca Photography

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Lots of good stuff comes out of Portland. You got your Voodoo Doughnut, your Sweetpea Baking Company, your Hillstomp and your bike-friendly streets (notice no mention of the Trail Blazers--Go Lakers!). Well, add another item to Portland's awesome list because the Quick & Easy Boys, a trio from Rose City is hitting the Gypsy Lounge tomorrow night for a funk/punk blast of spaced out jams, a sound self-described as "honkadelic."

The group - guitarist/singer Jimmy Russell, bassist/singer Sean Badders and drummer/singer Michael Goetz - have been on the road since late September and are nearly home, where they can look forward to 200 consecutive days of rain. But all that moistness ain't all bad because it helped the threesome record a pretty sweet debut record, Bad Decisions With Good People. If you like the Minutemen, you'll dig this. We tracked down Goetz to get the real scoop behind these PDX dudes.

Miley Cyrus is really popular. Hit songs, hit movie, hit TV shows, she even "wrote" a "book." But not everyone is quite so enthralled with the teen pop star/country singer/actress/author/maker of somewhat questionable career decisions. Like these folks, who protested outside her show in San Jose on Sunday.

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When the Jakes announced their big-time major label deal with Roadrunner (a subsidiary of Warner) last month, their official comment advised that a couple of LA shows at Spaceland and the Viper Room would likely be their last area shows before holing up in the studio, working on their full-length album (the follow-up to EP Shake My Hand, featuring catchy tunes like "Schizophrenia" and "Cough Syrup" that got them all that attention they're currently benefiting from).

Michael Hyatt

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Obama's health care speech to the joint session of Congress last night has left the issue fresh in a lot of people's minds--and someone that recently lost health care is Andrea Folmer, owner of Vintage Vulture in Orange. To help her out, Exene Cervenka of first wave punk band X has put together a benefit show tomorrow at Alex's Bar in Long Beach, with all the proceeds going to help pay Folmer's medical bills. Cervenka will be doing an acoustic set; other performers include John Doe, a fellow founding member of X and Anaheim rockabilly singer Amber Foxx.

X have long been supporters of Sweet Relief, a now Huntington Beach-based charity founded in 1993 after singer-songwriter Victoria Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. (Read our article about Sweet Relief here.) Cervenka herself was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, having announced the news in June.

Click after the jump for "Los Angeles" from 1986 documentary X: The Unheard Music. Change in an instant!

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Counting down to the end of our first full week in September, concert goers everywhere have to be feeling a little sullen over the passing of festival season. School is starting, summer fun is over, etc. Fortunately, Detroit Bar's last show of the week should extend a little sunshine to fans of Local Natives, OC's favorite hipster harmonizers from Silverlake by-way-of Mission Viejo. Though the band is usually busy playing anywhere but here these days, this five-piece tribe is always bound to make time for a home town show.

Tomorrow, they're rolling through Costa Mesa with touring companions We Barbarians and Fullerton faves My Pet Saddle to bring you a Thursday night full of songs that never seem to get old (i.e. their cover of the Talking Head's classic "Warning Sign" and of course "Airplanes" of KROQ Local's Only fame). It's also worth mentioning that LN is finally on the cusp of releasing their full length debut, Gorilla Manor. So when you see them at Detroit tomorrow, make sure to bug them about it. Seriously, how long must you keep us waiting? But nagging aside, this is probably the last opportunity all of you "true" fans will get to watch the band live before buzzing on down the coast for a brief Nor Cal/Oregon run and then of course it's back to Europe and the UK. Sigh. Tickets for tomorrow are $8. Doors open at 8 p.m.

​Stare into the eyes of the blond Matisyahu. Okay, so maybe L.A. based singer songwriter Trevor Hall isn't sporting a yamika or insane beat-boxing skills, but after listening to his yelping, island-style vocals, it's easy to make the comparison. He's even opened shows for the guy and tapped him for guest vocals on his latest, self titled album on the song "Unity".

Which brings us to the reason why you are reading about him in the first place. In yet another installment of Fingerprints' in-store performances, Hall is breezing by tomorrow at 5p.m. to play for his fans.

You might have even caught his act before if you're a fan of legit reggae acts like Burning Spear, Steel Pulse and Ziggy Marley. The best part of tomorrow's free performance is that the guest is open to anyone who wants to show up feel free to come hang out and bring the homies, and maybe a hacky sack. 

 If you interested in checking his skills for yourself, check out this sweet video of a Hall/Matisyahu collaboration after the JUMP.

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In the big book of of trite, ancient cliches, the idea that "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" might be one of the most important ones we've got. It challenges us in ways that go against the grain of society, family, friends, etc. It's the kind of sentiment that allows to admire and respect things that should seem strange, frightening or foreign to us: twin skeletons in a loving embrace, death, oil pumps, the Virgin Mary covered in bees. In centuries past, an artists' choice to use such images and present them to the public would have been pretty risky. And in a sense maybe they still are.

Starting tomorrow at  7p.m., Hibbleton Gallery opens a new exhibition titled "Digging for Fire", with a collection of works by Chris Peters  and William Zdan. According to Hibbleton's introduction of the gallery, the title of their newest installation is interpreted to mean "looking for trouble...or inspiration". And as you scan the techniques and themes of Peters and Zdan, who both trade in the art of Lowbrow surrealism, you see that much of their work forces you examine aspects of everyday life that you may indeed find troubling. 

I'd tell you all about the Long Beach Funk Fest, happening tomorrow from noon to midnight on the corner of Pine Avenue and Broadway, but the flier does such a good job that I don't have to.

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It's not much, but consider this meager post the first preemptive stitch to our coverage of the Street Scene '09 festival happening in Sand Diego this weekend, Aug. 28-29. Before you say anything, we know that San Diego is not in Orange County. Though it could be argued that some cities at the ass end of the OC seem just a far away in the middle of rush hour traffic.

But geographical questions aside, our music editor Albert Ching will be giving you some up close iPhone coverage of the whole shebang, along with help from photographer Beth Stirnaman and...myself (I'm just going for the party). But yeah, it appears that the 25th anniversary of ths SD music fest has brought out a swell of indie star power and even some mainstream radio star power (thanks, Black Eyed Peas). And for those who missed out on Coachella and can't make the drive to the Outsidelands Festival in San Fran, this is the perfect opportunity to see almost the exact same line up. Literally, check it out HERE. See any familiar names?

Well for those of you who are fortunate enough to go down south this weekend, we were wondering who you're interested in seeing the most? I know, we're soooo nosy. But seriously, is it the chance to see Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy that floats your boat (though I can't believe how low they are on the festival flier YET AGAIN). Or maybe you're looking forward to some Holy Fuck and Busta Rhymes. C'mon....tell us. We won't judge you, that much.

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In another edition of what this writer's going to call "Free Things to Do This Weekend" (it's unofficial!), So-Cal's own barbershop quartet, The Alley Cats, comes home Friday night with a free concert at Chapman University. 

Formed in 1987 at Fullerton College, the group is considered as "America's Premiere Doo-Wop Group" --you may have even seen them perform at Disneyland or in Las Vegas with Jay Leno.

There's just something about a bunch of guys in matching suits and top hats, singing in perfect harmony just that just screams old-school but amazing. So bring that picnicking gear to Attallah Plaza at Chapman University, and enjoy a Friday night reminiscing about times when a can of Coke was only a dime.

After the jump: Event info and a clip of the Alley Cats harmonizing with none other than Conan O'Brien!

​Summer seems to be the time to go to a park. Previously, we posted about classical concerts in the park. Tomorrow night, Aug. 8, is "Broadway in the Park," an annual musical production put on by the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts. This year's family friendly selection is Cole Porter's Anything Goes, a 1930's musical comedy featuring songs such as "I Get A Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top."

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If the phrase "Instant Gratification" could be materialized into any form known to man, that form would have to be a polaroid camera. Even in the age of digital imagery, memory cards and glossy photo printers, there is still a sense of excitement about fanning the crap out of a floppy piece of chemical film to see if things turned out the way you wanted them to. Perhaps that's why this phrase is tacked on to Hibbleton Gallery's latest exhibit, a lo-fi tribute to the instant camera and it's contributions to the stuffed shoe box memories of our lives.

Out of a partnership between Hibbleton and ISM, an internationally appreciated arts non-profit company, "Instant Gratification": a polaroid party is a salute to the discontinued Polaroid 600 series camera. The exhibit features Polaroid images from 100 professtional and ametuer photographers from around the world.

The event is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday Aug. 7 at 7p.m., at date which supposedly coincides with the day the Polaroid 600 was discontinued. The show will run until Aug. 30.

Besides the opportunity to oggle the Fullerton-based gallery's small space (which will be covered almost entirely in sleeve-protected photos), you'll also be able to add you're own piece to this do-it-yourself art show. There will be a designated area with cameras lined up for guests to document their smiles, laughs, whacked out facial expressions and regrettable fashion choices, so feel free to add to the legacy of the polariod as much as you like.

You can also look forward to some vintage sounds by DJ Bobby Soul, vinyl ambassador of Fullerton's hipster watering hole, The Continental Room. And even when the night is over, you have to keep an eye out because a limited edition book of the artists work along with personal essays and writings bidding farewell to instant film will be produced and available to the public in 2010. So even if you can't buy polaroid film at you local Walgreens, at least you'll have the memories of it's last great night in Orange County. 

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A couple months ago, I did a music feature on a couple of Huntington Beach DJs known for firing  up dance floors across the county under the name Colossal KNXN (pictured). Tomorrow night, they'll show you the skills that put them on the Weekly's radar when they take on a pair of L.A. song selectors in an old fashioned DJ battle at Sutra Lounge, one of their glossy backyard stomping grounds in Costa Mesa. Newport Beach DJ Kedd Cook is also representing OC alongside them in a tag tam style contest.

Their L.A. opponents include Mr. White and C-Town, two highly established turntable wizards in the world of house and electro. As part of another installment of Sutra's XOBESO Thursday night entertainment series, this battle is a straight OC vs LA throw down (I smell an a sequel to You Got Served brewing) as both teams vie for the affection of Sutra's sweaty club goers in a back and fourth test of song selection, nifty tricks and other miscellaneous forms of bad assery.

As far as the home team is concerned, both CK and KC's ability to integrate hip hop, dub, house and electro is fluid fashion is truly what makes their styles blend so well together. Though this won't be an easy contest, I'm pretty sure L.A. will be in for a rude awakening when the OC team steps to the turn tables to snatch their bragging rights. If you show up before 10:30 p.m. it's only $5 to get in, $10 after. The crowd decides the winner at the end of the competition so make sure to come out and show your love.

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Pulling off two shows in one day can be a real bitch. But I guess when you're on a label called Park the Van Records, you gotta be ready to move at any given time, which ends up being a good deal for all you Floating Action/Generationals fans out there. Tomorrow night, both bands are criss-crossing between OC and LB in support of recently released records.

If you're looking for a toned-down intimate, Free-of -charge kinda vibe, may I suggest leaving work early and getting yourself down to Fingerprints Record Store in Long Beach for yet another In-store performance. Seth Kauffman, Floating Action's (pictured) acoustic-strumming brain child, er, man, is performing songs from his latest album Floating Version, with plenty of his well-regarded island-tinged folk. Then there's Louisiana based duo Generationals, who evoke a fresh indie pop sound flushed with keyboards and tambourines, especially on their latest album Con Law. The show is supposed to start at 7p.m.

What's that, can't make the 7p.m. gig? Still want to see these bands? Well scoot on over to Detroit Bar and catch them a couple hours later at 9p.m. on their headlining tour with Golden Boots and Eagle Winged Palace. However, this one's gonna cost you $10. But hey, after scrambling across the county to play for you, they deserve a little cash for gas right?

It's not often that Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, No Doubt, U2, the Cure, the Dave Matthews Band and Bruce Springsteen perform a free concert in Long Beach. In fact, it's never happened. Unfortunately, you can add tomorrow as just another one of those days when that dream bill won't come to fruition.

But what do you do when you can't see the real deal? Tribute bands. Yes, that's right, a bunch of groups with names that have something to do with the artists they cover are playing a free show in Long Beach as part of the Summer and Music concert series. Scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (sharp people!), the lineup includes Vitalogy, Satisfaction (come on fellas, you couldn't have found a less obvious name than that?), No Duh (winner of the best cover band name), Stepping Feet, the Rising, the Cured (runner-up for best cover band name) and Hollywood U2.

The bands that sound and look like other way more popular bands are playing near the intersection of Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive, which is a pretty neat spot to waste a summer Saturday.

Orange County band Aushua are set to celebrate the release of their new EP, Limbo, with a show tomorrow night at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. The band's generously gifted us with an mp3 of one of the Limbo tunes, and it's a good one: "Tuck (How It Feels Away)," which you can both stream and download from this handy li'l player below (to download, click the down arrow. It makes sense, right?). Consider it a tantalizing prelude to the rest of the EP.

The show tomorrow ($8) also features LA's Red Cortez, and is the kick-off to their national tour supporting Nightmare of You, so it's their last local show for a bit, natch.

Some dude named Joey is celebrating his 30th birthday tomorrow at the Tropics Lounge in Fullerton with a bunch of cool old punk bands.

The bill includes The Deadbeats, an LA-based group formed in 1977 that through 2000, but then broke  up. That is, until they reunited with a slightly different lineup in 2007. Also on the bill is Circle One, an LA  hardcore band formed in 1980, Huntington Beach's Shattered Faith, another killer band from three decades ago that still kick ass.
  

Chances are if you're a Roman Alexander fan you are quite aware of their relentless show schedule. And after about a year as an introspective, eclectic folk outfit, they ywill finall celebrate one of their biggest shows to date. I'm not necessarily talking about the venue per se, even though they ARE playing at a place called, uh, "Big's". No, I'm talking about the fact that the band is releasing their debut, self-titled album. You may or may not remember a reference to said album by yours truly in a write up I did on RA&TR back in April. Well, only four short months later, the album release party is finally here, which means you should be there.

Starting at 9 p.m., Big's Bar and Grill in Fullerton is hosting the show, which includes performances by local bands Fist Full of Leaves and Glass Puppets. Another thing every RA&TR fan should know: Big's loves these guys. At their old location in Fullerton, they pretty much played there every week for months. In an axis level of freewheeling internet album slanging, the band his decided to let people who show up to the party to "pick their price" when they buy the new album (only on the day of the show). So yeah, show up for free watch a few good bands, one of which that is willing to give you the fruits of their blood, sweat and labor for dirt cheap (if you choose).

For more details on the release party, or to just get a preview of the music you will be dancing to tomorrow, check out the band HERE!

Now here's a flier with some potential. If you want people to show up to a concert hosted by the Sweet Relief musician's fund, why not go the literal route? Between the cigarette and the finger banging, we've got ourselves quite a visual metaphor here (looks like sweet relief to me). Impressive. Almost as impressive as watching bands like The Living Suns and Audacity create some sweet chaos inside the walls of what may be the smallest music venue in Orange County (if you can call it that).

In the past, watching people coming out of a show drenched in sweat and nursing close proximity-induced injuries (elbow to the eye, smashed foot) has always been part of eVocal's  charm. But tomorrow is sure to take things up a notch. In an event to raise money for Sweet Relief's mission to aid homeless and hungry musicians across the country, newly established label La Chupacabra Records is hosting the gig to raise money for the cause. Bands on tomorrow's line up are pretty much all names you've heard before: The Living Suns, Audacity, My Pet Saddle, Gestapo Khazi and Sons at Sea.

But when you look at how many great bands are playing the thought of "how the fuck are they going to cage all this craziness inside eVocal?" definitely crosses your mind at some point. Yeah, I'm right there with ya. Hopefully that curiosity is just enough to make you drive down to Costa Mesa to check it out for yourself. After all, at least some of your $5 cover is going to musicians in need, which is a worthy cause all by itself. Not to mention the fact that this is probably the best local line up you're going to see all week. The naked chick on the flier advises that you get there early.

More details about Sweet Relief HERE. 

So yeah, by now I think we've all realized that this lil' Long Beach record dispensary knows how to do things right. Over the last couple months, Finger Prints has continued its reputation for amazingly exclusive in-store appearances and acoustic shows by everyone from Iron and Wine to The Aggrolites. But since he showed up at the store to kick off a tour for his first album (Musicfor themorningafter, 2001), Pete Yorn has been one of the stores most heavily appreciated artists. Tomorrow, Yorn returns once again, hot on the heels of his new album Back and Fourth, officially released on the same day (June 23, duh). And before a national tour ensues, he's promised to curb his busy schedule to play an evening performance for his LB fans. According to the store's blog, the guest list for the show will be open to anyone who pre-ordered the new album. So if that was you, then yay! For the rest of you die hard Yorn fans, it's a mad scramble to call or go to the store and find out if you can squeeze in the room to catch the glimmering acoustics of songs like the one posted after the JUMP. Hurry up! This is gonna be a good one. 

By now, 2008 just seems like a distant memory doesn't it? Sure you may be saddled with the same debt, the same crappy economy (though I believe it's been taking pride in getting progressively worse lately), but so much else has changed. Maybe it's the feeling of a semi-fresh new year that inspired the Hermosa-based punk legends of Circle Jerks come back to take care of some unfinished business at the House of Blues.

The last show they were scheduled to play at the Anaheim HOB on Aug. 15, 2008 got was canceled. Luckily when the band rescheduled for 2009, there was at least the assurance that OC fans were not going to miss out on a chance to watch Keith Morris, Greg Hetson, Zander Schloss and Kevin Fitzgerald do their thing at the House of Mouse.

Tomorrow, June 20, that day will finally come. The band is also performing with Channel 3 and Disguster two bands from OC's own backyard.And for those who are ready to not just watch the band thrash around on six albums worth of material, including the stuff between the ellipses of multiple hiatuses, this show will provide one of the best mosh pits of the summer. The show is presented by Punk Rockers.com. If any last-minute laggers still need tickets, check HERE. 

Before they embark on the Warped Tour's maiden voyage to Pomona, there's one major house keeping issue that some bands chose to attend to before traveling all over the country playing to thousands. That usually involves cranking out a new album.

Tomorrow, three of the tour's bands are releasing new material for die hard fans and downloaders alike. Veteran punks  Anit-Flag (pictured) release their eighth full -ength album of politically-driven protest anthems titled People or the Gun on Side One Dummy Records. Sacramento screamo/post hardcore artists Dance Gavin Dance are on their 4th release, titled Happiness on Rise Records, pregnant with angst and explosive breakdowns. Though you might leave a little room to actually dance to a sliver of snappy, pop driven song structures.

Then we have the gel-swept bangs and alt-rock offerings of Orlando four-piece There for Tomorrow, who are currently touring a Japan. Running the gamut from punk to pop, this handful of Warped Tour participants is looking for plenty of support heading into the summer so I'm sure they'd appreciate if you scraped up some of your extra gas money to support the cause. You're down right? Look at that pic, how could you say no to those faces?  

It just kinda rolls of the tongue doesn't it? "Free Show Thursday." Though I'm not certain that's exactly what they're calling it, The Gypsy Lounge is showing mercy on you poor rock-n-roll souls this month by offering four bands every Thursday Night, no cover. And from the looks of the calendar, these freebies are definitely worth the mileage it takes you to get there.

Though things seem to centered around OC Music Award winners The Union Line (pictured), who play every Thursday show at 10:30 p.m., the night carries a rotating cast of OC Weekly-approved acts. Go ahead, check it out for yourself HERE. Tomorrow night also includes sets from Janu and the Whalesharks, Yellow Red Sparks and Planes Over Bridges.

Any of those names sound familiar? Well they should if you read this blog (all five of you). So c'mon, you know you're too cheap to turn down a free show, a good one at that.