September 18th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
Geez, remind me next week to sacrifice a chicken to the Concert Gods because this weeks’ on sale list is, umm, lacking. Frankly, let’s just get to it because the quicker we are done, the quicker we can all get to tracking down a live chicken over the internet (target.com maybe?).
-For you country fans out there, this weekend will prove very fruitful for you. Not only is Merle Haggard coming to Anaheim for a show at the Grove on December 4th (on sale Saturday at noon for $40-$65) but you also get the dynamic duo of Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins (soon to be star of that “An American Carol” movie that I saw a preview of last night and looks, ummm, well, the Zuckers have lost a step) playing the Citizen’s Bank Arena in Ontario on November 23rd. Raise up your hats and give a big yee-haw when tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
-A pair of female lead singers are stepping out on their own for some upcoming solo shows. Rilo Kiley songstress Jenny Lewis will play the Orpheum Theater in Downtown LA on October 30 while Dresden Dolls leader Amanda Palmer will headline the Henry Fonda Theater on December 16th. Tickets for both shows go on sale Saturday at 10am and each ticket will be in the $30ish range.
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
September 17th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
So in an attempt to both lower my blood pressure and make the world a happier, sunnier place, I’ve decided to forgo my usual “music industry is evil/ Sarah Palin/ Economy” rant and instead give you some deep breathing exercises to lead off my Music News post.
Ready?
Here we go:
Deep breath through your mouth.
Breathe in through your nose.
Hold it…
Think about fluffy bunnies and wacky platypus’
Hold it…
Breathe out.
Feel better? Good, let’s start with the music news.
METALLICA ROCKS! (THE CHARTS)
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Tags: News · bands
September 12th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
Wow, what a week: Angels clinched, Dodgers are hot, hockey season is around the corner, Fringe was better then expected and it was proven that no matter what contradictory things Sarah Palin has done or said in her past, the focus always must be on unrelated pig and lipstick comments.
Here are a few concert on sales to close out your work week and bring you into your drunken weekend.
- As mentioned in this week’s Music News article, the Decemberists have announced a headlining tour, a headlining tour which in fact hits the Wiltern on November 24th. Tickets for this show go on sale today at 10 am and cost around $28. A night of fun sing alongs and highly visual songs will ensue.
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
September 10th, 2008 Written by: Brian · 2 Comments
Due to the fact that we will all soon die because of the Hardon Collider in France, let’s all get through the music news in an efficient, orderly?manner before saying goodbye to our loved ones and pets.
Britney Sweeps the VMA’s
While it’s kinda stupid to get angry at an awards show that is not really about awards but instead just a place to be seen, I still have to ask you the following questions: Were any of you fine readers able to sit through the entire MTV Video Music Awards show Sunday night? While it was a slight improvement over last years Las Vegas abortion, this years show felt about as comfortable and exciting as a Sarah Palin book club meeting.
Britney Spears was the big winner winning Moonmen for Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Video of the Year for her, ummm, quasi- music video for “Piece of Me”. The awards weren’t really too much of a surprise, though, as the show seemed essentially a vehicle for Britney’s “Coming out party”. While the (once) troubled singer did not perform following last years debacle, she did open the show with a skit co-staring Superbad’s Jonah Hill, and a 15-second introduction that was read quickly from a teleprompter.
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Tags: Music · News
September 5th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
All right, while I’m not really a fan I’m excited that I finally get a chance to use some bold face font:
METALLICA IS COMING TO TOWN!
There, I’m sure that bold print Times New Roman font will get the fans revved. Metallica is getting ready to release their new album “Death Magnetic” on September 12th, and the band will take their rock show on the road for a full arena  tour which makes its Los Angeles area stops in mid-December. The band plays the brand new Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on December 12th and the Forum in Inglewood on December 17th and 18th. Lamb of God and The Sword will open the shows. Tickets for the Forum are $62.50-$82.50 and $57.50-$77.50 for Ontario.
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Tags: Upcoming events · shows
September 3rd, 2008 Written by: Brian · 1 Comment
Hello everyone, and welcome back for a new season of music news here on LA.CityZine.com. I wish I had some really cool guest star or medical mystery to kick of this first episode (or post, as we say in the industry), but unfortunately Ray Romano was busy and the stomach pain that our patient was experiencing ended up just being gas.
Without a special guest star, I wish I could lead off this article by telling you that some new exciting change has occurred in music, but instead Live Nation still owns everything, “Chinese Democracy” hasn’t hit music stores (or China) yet, and CD sales are still down in the dumps. In all honesty, besides a female VP and a well thought out disaster plan for New Orleans not much has changed in the past month. I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe they could have discovered a sea serpent, or warlocks or maybe even a good low fat cinnamon roll. But alas, it was just more of the same.
At least there are a few good music stories out there, so before I ramble on more about warlocks let’s get to it.
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Tags: Music
August 29th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
What follows is highlights of eleven (or twelve, seriously, who is counting anymore) interviews that I did last Sunday on the final day of the 2008 Warped Tour at the Home Depot Center. Because most of the interviews went on for 10 minutes or longer I wanted to give you, the reader, highlights of the bands experiences on tour. So read up and get a feeling of what it is like to play Warped Tour. Mmmm, I can smell it already.
Dr. Manhattan looked both mildly inebriated and very excited that they had survived the hot days of the Warped Tour. The band wins the award for the loosest twosome of the day. The first two minutes of the interview involved a back and forth on breaking through security and playing a game of soccer on the Home Depot Center field…
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Tags: Interviews · bands
August 28th, 2008 Written by: Brian · 1 Comment
Eagle Rock’s The Briggs are one of the best true punk rock bands playing music today. Like Against Me!, The Briggs have the feeling of a true working class punk band: no frills, nothing fancy, just great music, expert musicianship and a good time.
The Briggs also happen to be one of my favorite bands both to listen to and to see live in a venue. Never have I walked out of a Briggs show disappointed and never has a Briggs song come up on shuffle on my iPod that I didn’t listen to.
Too bad on a hot, sunny day backstage on the final day of the Vans Warped Tour at the Home Depot Center I wasn’t able to recognize them.
As I concluded an interview with a very nice band called The Human Abstract, my girlfriend/ photographer alerted me that a band was waiting for me behind us. As Mayday Parade was my next scheduled interview I swung around and without really focusing my eyes on the two men waiting behind me I said “Mayday Parade, right?”
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Tags: Interviews · bands
August 20th, 2008 Written by: Brian · 1 Comment
It’s amazing that even after fifteen years and hundreds of shows, the Warped Tour still stays as strong as relevant as it was ten years ago. It’s grown into a tour that not only music fans look forward to yearly, but that band’s build their tour schedule around around and try to befriend tour founder Kevin Lyman for a spot on next years jaunt.
If you talk to Warped Tour artists they usually say the same thing: it’s a brutal summer full of 100-plus degree temperatures, midnight drives, infrequent showers and breakouts of sicknesses that rival any George Romero film, yet is is an also an experience that they would not change for the world. It’s a two month tour where 6-7 days a week you get the privilege to play in front of both established and new fans, as well as a chance to interact with both fans and fellow bands one on one and form close knit bonds. Also, the comped food is pretty good.
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Tags: Reviews · shows
August 15th, 2008 Written by: Brian · No Comments
Like baseball, mom’s apple pie and wars with countries we initially can’t locate on a map, the Vans Warped Tour, who is back in 2008 for it’s fifteenth year, has become an American institution. While package tours come and go, the Warped Tour has found a niche and has become more and more successful, continuously finding new fans even as original concert goers now worry more about kids and mortgages than punk rock ideals.
While Warped Tour has always featured big acts like Blink 182, No Doubt, Pennywise, Bad Religion and NOFX, it’s multiple stage setup have also given smaller bands a chance to criss-cross the country and play to crowds bigger then what they might find on their own club dates. “My most memorable experience on Warped Tour has to be the day we played Denver,” stated Beat Union’s Luke Johnson. “Right before we went on almost 600 kids turned out to watch us play. It was crazy, we had only played Denver twice.”
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Tags: bands · shows
August 10th, 2008 Written by: Brian · 2 Comments
If you didn’t have a band like War Stories in your life you would be forced to make one up. I know that sounds like high praise for a band you’ve probably never heard of, but trust me, it is completely validated.
Music fans are usually force- fed. There are always buzz bands that we are told to love, we are told they are the next big thing. Some of them hit it big, others were relegated to long, enthusiastic reviews on the Pitchfork website. Other popular bands we hear about because they are attached to a genre of music that has become popular. Staind became big because Limp Bizkit was big. Limp Bizkit became big because Korn became big. Korn became big because etc., etc. Other artists become big because radio shoves it down your throat. Katy Perry sings a song about kissing another girl. Sounds kinky enough. You hear it on the radio, you learn the lyrics, you learn her name, it’s a hit.
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Tags: bands · shows
Bring it to the house.
Do you like riding your hog (no, no, no, not your pet pig, I mean your Harley Davidson Motorcycle)? Do you like rocking out like an animal (no, no, no, not the beloved Muppets’ character, I mean like going crazy)? Do you like fairgrounds (umm, big giant open places where they sell fried food)? Yes? Well, then do I have an event for you!
- Harley Davidson Love Ride, the company has put together some pretty big musical acts to perform the final day of their weekend party at the Fairplex in Pomona. The Foo Fighters and ZZ Top will join their collective rocking forces for a show that will highlight a weekend full of demo rides, tattoo booths and flat-track racing. Tickets are $50 and go on sale Saturday at 10am. So rev up your engines, get your ear plugs and get ready for a day of John McCain approved fun!
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Tags: Upcoming events · shows
Geez, remind me next week to sacrifice a chicken to the Concert Gods because this weeks’ on sale list is, umm, lacking. Frankly, let’s just get to it because the quicker we are done, the quicker we can all get to tracking down a live chicken over the internet (target.com maybe?).
