If you have a music lover in your life and you’re eyeing some holiday finds, check out these items from the Inland Empire music scene, with love.
Alien Ant Farm is into ugly Christmas sweaters this holiday season. (Alien Ant Farm/Contributed Image)
1. Alien Ant Farm’s Ugly Sweater
With Riverside’s own Alien Ant Farm still at work on forthcoming album “Always and Forever,” the band wanted to give its fans a little something of a holiday surprise. Enter the ugly holiday sweater.
Alien Ant Farm guitarist Terry Corso said that last year he saw bands such as Slayer and Every Time I Die offer up sweaters for sale and that it seemed to make sense for Alien Ant Farm.
Running $40-$45, the black sweatshirt is a limited run with the Ant Farm logo emblazoned on it in a holiday scene. Who needs a reindeer sweater when you can have an ant with antlers?
Growing up in Southern California, Corso said he didn’t have a favorite ugly sweater of his own, but he said he was able to score a sweet SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas shirt before an ugly sweater party a few years back.
If a sweater isn’t your thing, the band is also offering up Christmas ornaments for $10. The metal die-cut ant head
You can purchase the items online at www.alienantfarm.limitedrun.com.
Assuming We Survive performs at X103.9’s Localpalooza competition at M15 in Corona on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013. The band went on to win the competition and will open the Merry Meltdown show Dec. 14 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario with Korn and Stone Temple Pilots. (Rob Inderrieden/Freelance Photographer)
2. Merry Meltdown tickets
San Bernardino’s X103.9 FM is holding its annual Merry Meltdown concert at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Dec. 14 with Korn, Stone Temple Pilots (with Chester Bennington), Sick Puppies, Big B and Assuming We Survive.
If you purchase a ticket on Friday, Nov. 29 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena box office, you get a pair of tickets to one of three special acoustic shows at M15 in Corona that you can’t even purchase tickets for.
Your choices are the Airborne Toxic Event on Thursday, Dec. 5, Switchfoot on Friday, Dec. 6 or A Day ot Remember on Sunday, Dec. 15.
The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the buy one, get two deal is only good while supplies last.
Tickets are $29.50-$59.50. Visit www.x1039.com for more information.
Suicide Silence has a “Zombie Clause” sweatshirt for sale. (Contributed Image)
3. Suicide Suilence’s Zombie Clause
Metal band Suicide Silence, which started here in the Inland Empire, has a new singer, is working on a new album and now has a new sweatshirt in time for the holidays.
The band dubs the character on the sweatshirt “Zombie Claus” and the green-skinned character with a white beard is what happens when you send the Grinch to Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare Halloween maze. I can’t quite tell if he is holding the innards of his faithful satanic reindeer or if the reindeer is like the chupacabra, sucking out the holiday cheer.
Either way, there were only 100 of the sweatshirts made and it might be the perfect gift for your cousin who makes most of his status updates quotes from late Suicide Silence singer Mitch Lucker.
If it’s sold out, you can pick up the “Krampus Christmas” T-shirt for $14.99-$19.99 instead.
Prints on Wood has a few iconic Coachella images for sale this holiday season. (Prints on Wood/Contributed Image)
4. Prints on Wood’s Coachella Festival art
If you have a friend in your life who makes the pilgrimage out to the Empire Polo Club in Indio every year, check out the offerings from Prints on Wood.
The Riverside-based company does a lot of the amazing art in the Coachella boutique every spring, but there are a couple of items available in time for the holidays, too.
The most iconic includes the Ferris Wheel and the rainbow of neon trees surrounding the polo field. The prices range from $24 for 4-inch by 6-inch piece up to $245 for a 2-foot by 3-foot poster size item.
Better yet, make a print of that picture of you and your friends raging in the Sahara Tent.
The BellRays have a Christmas album! (The BellRays/Contributed Image)
5. “Merry Xmas” from The BellRays
I am still working on my favorite music from 2013 (boy did we have an amazing amount of high-quality music this year), but in the meantime, pick up a holiday gem from an iconic Inland band.
The BellRays put out a Christmas album a few years back. The CD will set you back $15 and you’re supporting local music. It’s something to listen to if you prefer rocking out while decking your halls.
Here’s a taste of “Rocket Ship Santa.”