Thursday, May 28, 2009

PHOTOS: The Prodigy 05/27/09 - Hollywood Palladium



The Prodigy brought their high energy show to the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday. The set featured many of their popular tracks including the hypnotic "Warrior Dance", and the fiery anthem "Firestarter."

PHOTOS: The Glitch Mob 05/27/09 - Hollywood Palladium



The Glitch Mob played a decent set while opening for The Prodigy at the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday. The set started out a bit slow, but then again it is pretty hard to follow DJ Destructo. Once the Mob got the crowds momentum they really turned it on and put out a powerful set.

The lighting was very boring, and never really changed, so everything has a bland Red tone to it. I look forward to seeing them again, this time hopefully with a bit more of a light show.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

REVIEW: Taylor Swift - 5/22/09 - Staples Center

Taylor Swift brings first headlining tour to Staples Center

Since February 6, when Taylor Swift set a record by selling out the Staples Center for her first Headlining Tour within two-minutes, fans have been counting down the days until Swift would take the stage. Young adults clamored together and posted reminders on MySpace and Facebook that there were only X amount of days until Swifts performance. Friday night, their patience finally paid off as Taylor took the stage.

The evening started with a three song set by new country group Gloriana that included the filming of the video for their debut single Wild at Heart.

American Idol season 5's Kellie Pickler took the stage next. Pickler performed a seven song set that started with Best Days of Your Life from her self-titled sophomore album, and ended with a barefoot rendition of her smash hit off her Small Town Girl album Red High Heels. Pickler's genuine love for her audience was apparent throughout the show, as she took every opportunity to thank the fans for making her songs hits.

After a brief intermission, nineteen year-old Taylor Swift took the stage wearing a traditional band uniform and singing You Belong with Me from Fearless her recent No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Midway through the opening number Swift had her band costume literally ripped off her to reveal a classy black/white knee length dress and her trademark cowboy boots to wild applause and admiration from the sold out arena.

Multi-talented Swift tells a story in every song. She transforms the stage into a football field, library, talk show set, and colonial ball room. She tells her story in song and sight. Short video intermission proclaims the power of writing songs and the danger to men who make poor choices in the fidelity of their relationships.

The video production gave Swift enough time to make her way into the middle of the audience and seemingly appear out of nowhere for her hit Hey Stephen.

Midway through her set Swift was joined onstage by John Mayer. The duo sang Mayer's hit Your Body is a Wonderland and Swift's White Horse with help from the packed arena.

Swift started the show with amazing energy and kept building throughout the night, concluding her 19 song set with Should of Said No. This performance was reminiscent of Swift's performance at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards show, complete with some of the lyrics displayed in a steaming waterfall created in the center of the stage and a Stomp like cathartic drum battle to display her anger at her cheating boyfriend.

As soon as dates are released for her return visit to LA, her fans will start their excited countdowns.

Story by: Richard Hebert

Thursday, May 21, 2009

ALBUM REVIEW: Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown


21st Century Breakdown, the smashing new punk rock-opera from legendary trio Green Day debuted earlier this month at No. 1 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart. The album is the eight studio release available on Reprise Records. This release puts an end to a 5 year break between studio albums, the longest in their career.

The album features 18 tracks which, while they all are amazing as individuals really are meant to be taken as a whole. The tracks are classified into 3 separate acts.

Act 1 - Heroes and Cons, (tracks 2-7), sets the stage as the 2 characters of the album Christian and Gloria are introduced. The duo is clearly upset at the current government restrictive policies and proclaims the generational failures of our society. Track 3 Know Your Enemy asks "Do you know your enemy?" and explains that 'Silence is the enemy" and ask for a revolution.

¡Viva La Gloria! is a great love ballad that starts off very slow, and then opens up into classic Green Day hard rocking style. Christian's Inferno is a break from the normal sound of Green Day and has a very alternative rock feel to it, with Armstrong's vocals processed on several verses to sound as if they are being projected through a megaphone.

Act 1 ends with Last Night on Earth as Christian professes his undying love to Gloria.

Act 2 - Charlatans and Saints, (tracks 8-13) opens with East Jesus Nowhere, a scathing attack on religious fanaticism, which asks "I want to know who's allowed to breed." The album takes an interesting turn with Peacemaker, the backing guitars have a very middle-eastern feel, as the song claims "As GOD as my witness, the infidels are gonna pay." Murder City is classic Green Day , it takes off running right from the start and doesn't let down until the end.
Restless Heart Syndrome brings the second act to a close in a slow melodramatic song that claims "What ails you is what impails you."

Act 3 - Horseshoes and Handgrenades (tracks 14-18) defines the punk in punk-opera right from the get go with the hard hitting title song for the act. Horsehoes and Handgrenades hits you square in the face from the opening notes, followed by the lyrics "I'm not fucking around." The song is an angry anti-establishment track, claiming that "So don't you fuck me around because I'll shoot you down."

The Static Age is a fast moving not so heavy track that takes on the over-advertising in today's society. "All I want to know is a God damned thing, not what's in the medicine." 21 Guns is a startling revelation questioning America's involvements in war, asking to "Lay down your arms, give up the fight."

American Eulogy is a 2-part song consisting of Mass Hysteria and Modern Wold. Mass Hysteria is a battle cry ending with "America is falling, vigilantes warning ya, calling Christian and Gloria" while transitioning to Modern World and the battle cry "I don't want to live in the modern world." The final track See the Light brings the story to a nice close, recounting the journey of Christian and Gloria, asking "I need to know what's worth the fight."

The album as a whole is by far one of the most creative and possibly best albums Green Day has produced, and will play out amazingly live.

Green Day kicks off their US tour on June 4 to a sold out show in Hollywood, at The Music Box at the Fonda, if you don't already have your tickets for the opening show, they will return to Los Angeles on August 25th at the Forum, tickets for this show go on sale June 6.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

PHOTOS/REVIEW: Staind 05/18/09 - Club Nokia



Currently touring in support of their recent release "The Illusion of Progress" Staind rocked a full-house at Club Nokia on Monday Night. The band masterfully worked their way through a mix of crowd favorites from most of their older material, to the crowds delight.

When the band walked onto stage and hit the opening few notes of "Suffocate" from their first major release, the 1999 Double-Platinum album Dysfunction, the crowd went wild, and remained that way the entire night. The band quickly fell into "Falling" from their fifth studio album released in 2005 aptly titled "Chapter V", before returning to Dysfunction to perform "Just Go".

The band slowed the pace down for a few tracks include "So Far Away" from their 2003 release 14 Shades of Gray, "The Way I Am" from "Illusion of Progress", and their No. 1 hit "Right Here" from Chapter V.

"Pardon Me " lead into an acoustic interlude by front man Aaron Lewis before returning to the hard rocking "For You" from their No. 1 and best selling album from 2003 "Break the Cycle."

The band continued the hard theme with "Spleen" before hitting the wildly popular No. 1 hit "Believe", followed by their most recognizable track "It's Been A While". The band closed the night with the song that helped break them into the mainstream back in 1999 "Mudshovel."

PHOTOS/REVIEW: Hoobastank 05/18/09 - Club Nokia



Hoobastank returned home to Los Angeles on Monday , and opened the show for Staind at Club Nokia. On tour in support of their latest release For(n)ever they encouraged fans to go and download the album somewhere. Playing most of their fan favorites link "Crawling", "Out of Control", "So Close, So Far" and their most popular song from 2004 "The Reason".

Be sure to check out Hoobastank playing an acoustic set at the Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa on June 10.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

PHOTOS/REVIEW: Opeth 05/16/09 - Avalon Hollywood

Swedish heavy-metal band Opeth brought their musical mastery to Avalon in Hollywood last night, on their very brief North American tour.

As the house lights of Avalon dimmed, and the Opeth logo was illuminated on the backdrop of the stage, the standing-room only crowd erupted in anticipation. Opeth did not disappoint. Opening the show with "Heir Apparent" off their 2008 album Watershed, Opeth got the crowd's attention, and kept them firmly planted in the palm of their hand.

Opeth's musical style is quite different from most heavy-metal bands. The vocals of Mikael Akerfeldt bring a melodic feel to most of the tracks. The bands influences from folk music and progressive-rock are quite apparent. Many of their songs span various styles, with acoustic guitar and piano solos, all while being accented with classic metal tendancies. Their songs are very methodical and thought out productions with track times frequently exceeding 10minutes.

The exquisite planning that the band puts into their songs was also put into the set list for tonight, as they masterfully worked their way through a close to 2 hour set spanning their 9 album career, with hits like "Ghost of Perdition", "Credence" and "The Night and The Silent Water."

PHOTOS/REVIEW: Enslaved 05/16/09 - Avalon Hollywood

Norwegian death metal band Enslaved rolled into Hollywood last night in opening the show at Avalon for Opeth. Enslaved rocked through a very powerful 45 minute set of crowd favorites which definitely warmed up the Avalon crowd in anticipation of Opeth. Supporting their 2008 album "Vertebrae" the band pounded out hit after hit. The demonic vocals of Grutle Kjellson filled the hall, as Cato Bekkevold pounded out the numbers on drums, breaking several sticks in the process. Bekkevold commented after the show on how he may have broke a finger during the show.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Upcoming Shows - The Master List

Here is a list of all the upcoming shows. If you know of a show we are missing, let us know. If you are a promoter please email us your announcement releases so we can keep you updated.

Thur, May 14
Fri, May 15
Sat, May 16
  • 2nd Annual L.A. Latin Jazz Festival Caribbean Jazz Project Reunion with Dave Samuels & Paquito D'Rivera / Jose Rizo's Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars / Kenny Burrell & Hubert Laws / Charlie Sepulveda & the Turnaround / Giovanni Hidalgo (TheGreek Theatre)
  • Mogwai with Dead Meadow (The Orpheum)
  • Opeth (Avalon - Hollywood)
  • Ramon Ayala (Gibson Amphitheatre)
  • Doves (The Wiltern)
  • Indigo Girls with Matt Morris (House of Blues Anaheim)
Sun, May 17
  • Kings of Leon Plus special guests The Airborne Toxic Event, White Lies, FAR, Iration (Santa Barbara Bowl)
  • Paganfest USA (House of Blues Sunset Strip)
  • Rock to Recovery - A Benefit for Jay Thomas feat. Social Distortion (House of Blues Anaheim)
Mon, May 18
  • Staind with Hoobastank (Club Nokia)
Tue, May 19
Wed, May 20
Thur, May 21
Fri, May 22
Sat, May 23
Sun, May 24
Tue, May 26
  • The Prodigy with special guests Glitch Mob and a special pre-party with Villains (The Grove of Anaheim)
  • Lady Sovereign with Chester French and Hollywood Holt (El Rey Theatre)
Wed, May 27
Thur, May 28
Fri, May 29
Sat, May 30
Sun, May 31
Mon, Jun 1
  • 311 (Fox Theater Pomona)
Tue, Jun 2
Wed, Jun 3
  • Taking Back Sunday with special guests Anberlin & Envy on the Coast (The Grove of Anaheim)
  • Pennywise, Pepper with Big B , Authority Zero and Death By Stereo (Club Nokia)
Thu, Jun 4
Fri, Jun 5
Sat, Jun 6
Sun, Jun 7
Mon, Jun 8
Tue, Jun 9
Wed, Jun 10
Thur, Jun 11
Fri, Jun 12
Sat, Jun 13
Sun, Jun 14
Tue, Jun 16
Wed, Jun 17
Thur, Jun 18
Fri, Jun 19
Sat, Jun 20
Sun, Jun 21
Mon, Jun 22
Tue, Jun 23
  • The Veronicas with Pretty Wreckless and The Love Willows (The Music Box Theatre @ Fonda)
  • Wilco (The Wiltern)
Wed, Jun 24
Thur, Jun 25
Fri, Jun 26
Sat, Jun 27
Sun, Jun 28
  • Summer Slaughter Tour featuring Necrophagist, Ensiferum, Suffocation, Darkest Hour, Winds of Plague, Dying Fetus, Born of Osiris, Origin, After The Burial, Blackguard, and more! (The Grove of Anaheim)
  • Vans Warped Tour 2009 (Seaside Park at Ventura County Fairgrounds)
  • Cursive (El Rey Theatre)
  • Alla Pugacheva Live in Concert (Gibson Amphitheatre)
  • Phoenix (The Wiltern)
Tue, Jun 30
Sun, Jul 3
  • Pentagram (House of Blues Sunset Strip)
Sat, Jul 4
  • Hootenanny 09 with Reverend Horton Heat , Los Lobos , Horror Pops , Big Bad Voodoo Daddy , Supersuckers and more... (Oak Canyon Ranch, Irvine, CA)
Tue, Jul 7
  • The Hold Steady (El)
Thu, Jul 9
Fri, Jul 10
  • Andrew Bird plus special guests Ra Ra Riot and Heartless Bastards (TheGreek Theatre)
  • Incubus with special guest The Duke Spirit (Santa Barbara Bowl)
Sat, Jul 11
Sun, Jul 12
Mon, Jul 13
Thur, Jul 16
Fri, Jul 17
Sat, Jul 18
Sun, Jul 19
Mon, Jul 20
Tue, Jul 21
  • Counting Crows plus special guests Michael Franti & Spearhead and Augustana (The Greek Theatre)
Wed, Jul 22
Thu, Jul 23
Sun, Jul 26
Mon, Jul 27
Tue, Jul 28
Wed, Jul 29
Thu, Jul 30
Fri, Jul 31
Sat, Aug 1
Fri, Aug 2
Tue, Aug 4
  • No Doubt with Katy Perry and The Sounds (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Wed, Aug 5
  • No Doubt with special guest The Sounds (Santa Barbara Bowl)
Thu, Aug 6
  • Alan Parsons Live Project, Paramount's Laser Spectacular Featuring the Music of Pink Floyd (Club Nokia)
Fri, Aug 7
Sat, Aug 8
Sun, Aug 9
Wed, Aug 12
  • Jackson Browne (TheGreek Theatre)
Sun, Aug 16
Mon, Aug 17
Wed, Aug 19
Thur, Aug 20
  • Depeche Mode with special guest Peter Bjorn and John (Santa Barbara Bowl)
Sat, Aug 22
Sun, Aug 23
  • The Heroes of Woodstock, 40th Anniversary Tour: Jefferson Starship / Canned Heat / Big Brother & the Holding Co. / Ten Years After / Country Joe McDonald / Grateful Dead’s Tom Constanten (The Greek Theatre)
  • Diana Krall (Santa Barbara Bowl)
  • Vans Warped Tour 2009 (The Home Depot Center)
  • Aerosmith with ZZ Top (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Tue, Aug 25
  • Tom Jones (The Greek Theatre)
Wed, Aug 26
  • Chris Isaak plus special guest Susan Tedeschi (The Greek Theatre)
Fri, Aug 28
Sat, Aug 29
Mon, Aug 30
Tue, Sep 1
  • John Legend plus special guests India.Arie and Vaughn Anthony (The Greek Theatre)
Thu, Sep 3
Sat, Sep 5
  • Bob Weir & Ratdog plus special guest Jackie Greene (The Greek Theatre)
Sun, Sep 6
Tue, Sep 8
Fri, Sep 11
Sat, Sep 12
  • Flogging Molly plus special guest (TheGreek Theatre)
  • Bontaj Roulet: Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal Performing alone & Together (Santa Barbara Bowl)
  • Air Supply (The Grove of Anaheim)
Sun, Sep 13
  • Old School Jams Live! Lisa Lisa / Ready for the World / Klymaxx / Soul Sonic Force / Kurtis Blow / Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five / Peanut Butter Wolf (VJ set) / Egyptian Lover (DJ set) (The Greek Theatre)
  • Dave Matthews Band (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Thu, Sep 17
Fri, Sep 18
  • Gipsy Kings (The Greek Theatre)
Sat, Sep 19
Wed, Sep 23
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash (The Greek Theatre)
Fri, Sep 25
  • Wavefest (The Greek Theatre)
Sat, Sep 26
  • Wavefest (The Greek Theatre)
Fri, Oct 2
  • Loggins & Messina (The Greek Theatre)
Sun, Oct 4
Thu, Oct 8
Thu, Oct 15
Fri, Oct 16
Sat, Oct 17
  • Heart plus special guest The Bangles (The Greek Theatre)
Sun, Oct 25
Thur, Nov 5
Fri, Nov 6
Sat, Nov 7
Sun, Nov 8
Thu, Dec 10




Thursday, May 7, 2009

V Factory cracks the Top 40 with "Love Struck"


"Love Struck" - the debut single from red-hot up-and-coming pop vocal group V Factory - has cracked the Top 40 at Pop radio, coming in at No. 38 this week. The song was recently featured on FOX's All Access radio program in a segment called "You Gotta Hear This."

The lead single from V Factory's upcoming self-titled debut album, "Love Struck" has been climbing the radio charts, airing for the first time on Radio Disney and cruising straight to Top 40 radio stations nationwide.

After impacting more than 45 pop radio stations in a month, "Love Struck" has already sold 41K digital tracks and was downloaded 150,000 times after being featured as a free "Discover and Download" on iTunes during the week of March 24th. V Factory was recently crowned "Artist to Watch" on all Clear Channel pop station websites. The group recently shot a video for the track in Los Angeles and is currently on a radio station concert tour performing "Love Struck" LIVE.

V Factory's Asher Book, got his big break as a singer at a very young age. Asher got hired from an open casting call for a principle role in the Broadway theatrical production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. He traveled nationally with the show for more than two years. His other credits include the ABC Family original movie Pop Rocks, Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, and the feature film Come Away Home. Asher will appear as Marco in the reinvention of the 1980 Oscar-winning motion picture Fame, which hits theaters in September 2009. Jared Murillo, is known to legions of young fans for his appearances as a featured dancer in HSM, its nationwide tour, and HSM II. A trained competitive Latin Ballroom and West Coast Swing dancer, Jared is a former World and United States Champion, and was once ranked the No. 1 male ballroom dancer under 20 in the U.S. Bitten with the performing bug at age six, Wesley Quinn, embarked on 11 years of intense technical dance training, followed by voice lessons. Nick Teti, got his start doing musical theater in high school then taught himself to dance while in college. He has also performed on the Fox hit show So You Think You Can Dance with his former dance crew Quest. Inspired to pursue entertaining after seeing a production of Peter Pan at age five, Nathaniel Flatt, got his start acting in local plays and eventually found his way into musical theater. Not long after moving to L.A., he landed a major campaign with Target, as well as numerous print ads, music videos, and commercials for Sony, Heinz, and The Disney Channel.

For more on the group, please visit www.myspace.com/vfactorymusic.

Testament makes additional VIP packages available

Due to an overwhelmingly positive response, TESTAMENT has made additional VIP packages available for their upcoming North American headlining tour. The packages will be going on sale immediately, Fans are encouraged to get them soon, as VIP package sales will close 7 days prior to the show day. Extra packages have been added to ALL dates. The tour kicks off May 2 in Seattle and also features Unearth and Lazarus A.D. Links to purchase tickets and VIP packages can be found below next to the individual dates.

“One of the great things about our upcoming tour is that we'll have these special VIP packages that connect us with the fans,” said guitarist Alex Skolnick. “While we always try to say hello to as many folks as we can on tour, it can be difficult with the large crowds and general craziness at the shows. But this time, fans will have the option to come hang out with us via organized meet and greets. They can talk to us, get CDs and posters signed, take pictures etc., while those who are musicians can ask us questions and get advice for their bands. It's going to be fun performing but also getting to know so many of our fans up close and in person.”

There are two types of VIP packages available: Meet & Greet Package and Hot Sound Package. The Meet & Greet Package includes a special meet and greet opportunity, access to the sound check, a ticket to the show, autographed poster, merchandise item, collectible laminate, personalized Music Skins, and more! The Hot Sound Package includes a ticket to the show, early entry into the venue, access to the sound check, autographed poster, merchandise item, collectible laminate and more.

“It goes without saying that I’m really psyched for the upcoming US run,” added guitarist Eric Peterson. “As headliners, we’re finally able to bring fans the show they deserve, to support The Formation of Damnation. I’m also really looking forward to meeting the fans who will be meeting up with us at the shows. Being on the road makes it difficult to really connect with the people who make our tours possible, so, I’m happy that we’ll have the opportunity to interact with fans on a personal basis. Don’t forget, my signature guitar is in stores too!”

Testament brings their tour to Southern California
6/10 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues Tickets/VIP link
6/11 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues Tickets/VIP link

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Daughtry Announces New Album, Debuts Single on American Idol


Daughtry will debut “No Surprise,” the first single from the band’s second album, during the Wednesday, May 6 episode of American Idol. It is the first track from their 19 Recordings/RCA July 14 release. Daughtry is currently in the studio finishing the yet to be titled album, which follows the band’s GRAMMY-nominated, quadruple-platinum debut.

“American Idol fans have been so loyal to this band, we wanted to give them the first listen to our new single,” says singer Chris Daughtry.

Daughtry, bassist Josh Paul, drummer Joey Barnes, and guitarists Brian Craddock and Josh Steely recorded the new album’s 10-plus songs in Los Angeles. Boasting a more gritty sound, the new album features a band sharpened by two years on the road, where they’ve graduated from clubs and theaters to opening arenas for Nickelback and Bon Jovi.

The new album follows the runaway success of Daughtry’s 2006 debut, which scored three #1 songs and was the biggest-selling artist release for two years running. The accolades garnered by Daughtry include multiple wins at the American Music Awards, the World Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards.

Active in the fight against global poverty and disease, Daughtry supports the ONE Campaign. Last year, the band performed at both political conventions to raise awareness for the ONE Campaign and encourage first-time voters.

Friday, May 1, 2009

REVIEW/PHOTOS: Jason Reeves 05/01/09 - Sutra Lounge



Jason Reeves kicked off his Vespa Experiment tour tonight at the Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa. The show started at just before 8pm to a nice sized crowd of admirers relaxed in leather couches and booths to enjoy the show.

Instead of playing separate sets Jason and tour mate Brendan James took the stage together and took turns singing. They each would play off one of another and worked their way through some beautiful tracks. In between songs they recounted stories about riding the Vespa's on the freeway, and other encounters from the first day of the Vespa Experiment tour.

Jason and company will be traveling up the California coast on Vespa's and spending the night in local woods and campgrounds. Along the way they will stop and perform at many little venues to help raise awareness about global warming.

Reeves and James style are both very instrumental and acoustic, which fit nicely with the up-scale relaxed atmosphere of the Sutra Lounge. The Lounge located in the Entertainment Level of Triangle Square in Newport, was a perfect setting to kick off the tour.

You can catch the Vespa Experiment at one of the following shows

The Vespa Experiment Tour Dates:

5/2

Sat

Hermosa Beach, CA

Saint Rocke

5/3

Sun

Los Angeles, CA

The Roxy

5/5

Tue

Ventura, CA

The Lodge At Zoey’s

5/7

Thu

San Luis Obispo, CA

Downtown Brew

5/10

Sun

Monterey, CA

Monterey Live

5/12

Tue

San Francisco, CA

Café Du Nord

Thursday, April 30, 2009

REVIEW: Rain Tribute - Moptop Mania comes to Anaheim

The Rain Tribute tour made a stop in Anaheim last night at the beautiful The Grove of Anaheim.

The Beatles tribute band walked the crowd their the complete fab four discography. They opened the show with video clips from the early 60's including commercials for popular items of the era, and segments from the Ed Sullivan show. Following the video the band broke into "I want to hold your hand" followed by a wonderful rendition of "All my Loving." The band worked through a few more favorites from the era before switching gears and costumes to mimic the Shea Stadium era.

After performing 15 songs from the "A Hard Days Night" era, they transitioned the stage and complete persona changes and came out in full Sgt. Peppers regalia.

The venue was completely packed with 4 generations of music lovers. Everyone was in complete sing and dance mode, many times jumping out of their seats and twisting and shouting their way through many favorites.

This was definitely one of my favorite shows of the year, at one of my favorite venues.

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