Author Archives: Vanessa

CORONA: Benefit concert for motorcyclist’s family at M15 Friday

Manntis will perform at a benefit show at M15 in Corona on Friday, Dec. 13. (Contributed Image)

On Friday, Dec. 13, M15 in Corona will be the site of a show to benefit the family of Inland Harley-Davidson salesman Mike Slagle, who was killed in motorcycle accident on Oct. 19.

A number of Inland artists who were friends with Slagle will be performing, including Hammers and Hearts, Hoist the Colors, Manntis and Assuming We Survive. Wet Kandy will also be doing a DJ set.

Admission is $10, but toy donations are greatly appreciated as well. Slagle was a father of three.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, M15, 9022 Pulsar Ct. Suite H, Corona, 951-200-4465, all ages.

Visit m15concerts.com for more information.

Manntis recently released a video for the song “Master of Ceremonies.” It’s very metal. And it might give you nightmares.

ONTARIO: Merry Meltdown rocks arena on Saturday, Dec. 14

Sick Puppies performs during the Merry Meltdown concert at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Dec. 2012. (2012/File Photo)

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, who won this year’s Localpalooza competition.

There are VIP meet and greets and a special pre-party with Smile Empty Soul that the radio station is doing, too.

5:30 pm. Dec. 14, Citizens Business Bank Arena, 4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, 909-244-5500, $29.50-$59.50, available through www.axs.com and at the arena’s box office.

Visit www.x1039.com for more information.

Sick Puppies have been a regular visitor to the station’s holiday shows. Here’s a clip of “All the Same” from the 2012 Merry Meltdown.

PE LIVE: Naive Thieves perform ‘You’re No Good’

Naive Thieves perform at ProAbition in Riverside. (Matthew Schoenmann/Contributed Image)

In case you missed it, Naive Thieves appeared on PE Live this week.

The Riverside-based band has been working on a new record for a while with Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter.

“It’s been a long process, but I think it’s going to be pretty awesome once people finally hear the finished product,” singer Cameron Thorne said.

One of the things that sets Naive Thieves apart is the different textures and genres the music encompasses, giving the group a unique sound.

“Honestly, we’re still trying to figure it out,” Thorne said.

Watch Naive Thieves perform “You’re No Good.” Want more? Watch all of the Naive Thieves PE Live videos at PE.com.

COACHELLA 2014: Lineup likely to include Bastille; shuttle map posted

Bastille (Jesse Jenkins/Contributed Image)

It’s December, which means we are inching ever closer to the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup announcement in January.

I know that I already predicted Lorde as my Gotye radio one-hit wonder pick for Coachella 2014, but I think we have another contestant in that race–Bastille.

Why you know them: The song “Pompeii” is EVERYWHERE. It’s getting to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it in my dentist’s office. (On a related note, when I first heard it with those opening vocals, did anybody else think that KROQ had started playing college a cappella groups?) We’re talking KidzBop remake popularity here.

Why the band will be at Coachella 2014: The band is hot right now. Coachella has a track record for getting bands when they are hot. Also, the band released its spring tour dates and there are no SoCal tour dates AND a tell-tale hole in the middle of April. Coachella 2014 is on tap for April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Since the band is in San Francisco on April 10 and then in Las Vegas on April 19, we’ll see Bastille in Indio on April 11 and April 18 if these dates hold.

Is Bastille a Coachella 2014 must-see or just one to fit in if you have the time?

In more Coachella news, if you’re thinking about doing the shuttle for Coachella 2014 to bypass the wilds of the parking lot and you want to know which line makes sense for accommodation and ticket purposes, check out this awesome Coachella 2014 shuttle stop map. Thank you to longtime Audio File reader Aracely Jarrell for letting me know about it. It combines two of my favorite things–digital maps and Coachella!

If you can’t see the map below on your device, here’s a link to the Coachella 2014 Shuttle map on Google.

What do you think of Bastille at Coachella 2014? Let me know in the comments below. You can flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions for the next edition of the fest.

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007. All of the Coachella prediction posts here are tagged with Coachellaology. For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page.

If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

PE LIVE: Watch Naive Thieves perform ‘Sold Short’

Naive Thieves perform at ProAbition in Riverside. (Matthew Schoenmann/Freelance Photographer)

Check out this week’s PE Live with Naive Thieves. We filmed it at ProAbition in Riverside last month and I’ve been waiting to share it.

I talked with singer Cameron Thorne a bit about the band’s upcoming album, which is due out early next year. The Riverside-based band worked with Casey Crescenzo, the mastermind behind The Dear Hunter, for the new release. Crescenzo also helmed the band’s fantastic 2011 EP “Le Sheik Rhat.”

Fun fact: Thorne did the artwork for The Dear Hunter’s “The Color Spectrum” EP series. He also did the artwork for Faimkills’ “Tasty Waves” EP.

Watch Naive Thieves perform “Sold Short” for PE Live. See all of the PE Live videos with Naive Thieves at the iGuide.

RIVERSIDE: Chris Ryan, Late Night Revival play open mic night

Chris Ryan (Esther Miller/Contributed Image)

Musical chameleon Chris Ryan, who has penned soulful singer/songwriter tunes, drummed for hardcore band Darasuum and is part of new hard-rock outfit called Both Wind and Sea, among other projects, has yet another way to be in the local scene.

On the first Friday of every month, Ryan hosts the acoustic open mic night at the Daily Brew in Riverside.

This Friday, Dec. 6, he will perform and also be joined by some other up-and-coming Inland Empire artists, including Horror in the Moonlight and Late Night Revival.

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The open mic signup is at 6:30 p.m. and that portion gets started at 7 p.m. Then, at 9 p.m. the other artists will perform.

7 p.m. Friday, The Daily Brew, 2955 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, free, all ages.

Visit www.facebook.com/ChrisRyanMusic1 for more on Ryan.

RIVERSIDE: The Dares play the Festival of Lights

The Dares are performing at the Festival of Lights in Riverside on Dec. 8. (Matt Schoenmann/Freelance Photographer)

Riverside’s Festival of Lights is more than just a gazillion lights and creepy animatronic figures–downtown is transformed into a winter wonderland of ice skating, vendors and live entertainment.

The Dares will perform at the Festival of Lights on Sunday, Dec. 8, near the ice-skating rink.

The spirited pop-punk band has been working on a new album, too.

8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, Main Street Pedestrian Mall, Riverside, free, all ages.

Visit www.facebook.com/thedares for more on the band.

The band filmed PE Live with us earlier this year. Watch the band perform “Wake Up.”

REDLANDS: Hangar 24 celebrates barrel-aged beer at Pugafest

Hobo Jazz will perform at Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands for Pugafest on Saturday, Dec. 7. (2013/File Photo)

Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands is celebrating the release of this year’s batch of Pugachev’s Cobra, the brewery’s Russian imperial stout, with Pugachev’s Barrel-Aged Beer Festival on Saturday, Dec. 7.

The Pugafest event will include a number of special beers for the occasion. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and $25 gets you a wristband good for eight tasting pours from a selection of 24 different barrel-aged beers and a commemorative tasting glass.

Pugachev’s Cobra is one of the brewery’s most beloved concoctions and in previous years, bottles have sold out on release day. A hand-corked bottle will set you back $20 and quantities are limited to six per person.

There is also a new brew, Pugachev Royale, which is a spin on the original, but with added cacao nibs and vanilla beans and an additional 10 months of aging in brandy barrels. There will only be 400 bottles available and there is a one-bottle purchase limit.

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The barrel-aged beer list for Pugafest includes 2011 Pugachev’s Cobra, 2012 Pugachev’s Cobra, 2012 Pugachev’s Cobra Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Pugachev’s Cobra, 2013 Pugachev’s Cobra Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Pugachev’s Cobra Wheat Whiskey Barrel, 2010 Immelmann, 2012 Immelmann Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Immelmann, 2013 Immelmann Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Immelmann Wheat Whiskey Barrel, 2012 Hammerhead, 2013 Hammerhead, 2013 Hammerhead Brandy Barrel, 2012 Warmer Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Warmer Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Gourdgeous Bourbon Barrel, 2013 Gourdgeous/Hammerhead Bourbon Barrel Blend, 2012 4th Anniversary Rye Whiskey Barrel, 2013 Tailslide, 2013 Slow Roll, 2012 Chandelle, 2011 Humpty Bump and 2013 Vinaceous Brandy Barrel.

The Hangar 24 Tasting Room will be open to the public as per usual from 11 a.m. until midnight as well.

There will be live music from the Claremont Voodoo Society from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hobo Jazz from 2 to 4 p.m. and My Own Holiday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Both Hobo Jazz and My Own Holiday have stopped by and performed for PE Live. Watch their videos below.

Watch Hobo Jazz perform “One Glance.”

Watch My own Holiday perform “Coins.”

Hangar 24 is located at 1710 Sessums Drive in Redlands. Visit www.hangar24brewery.com for more information.

UPLAND: Local venue The Wire to close at the end of December

The Wire in Upland will be closing at the end of December. (The Wire)

This past weekend, The Vault in Temecula closed its doors and now the Inland region is losing another all-ages club–The Wire in Upland will close at the end of December.

Donavon and Rachel Foy opened the venue seven years ago and it has been a haven for local independent bands as well as touring artists, with indie rock notable names such as Rocky Votolato, John Vanderslice as well as the solo projects of Vinnie Caruana, formerly of The Movielife, and Geoff Rickly, formerly of Thursday, just to name a handful.

The venue also operated a recording studio where bands such as Say True, The Ready Aim Fire!, Me and the City, The Motel Life, The Dares, New Manners and more have recorded original music.

The Foys posted a message on the venue’s Facebook Page on Monday afternoon:

It is with heavy hearts that we would like to announce that after seven years in business, and a few prior spent fighting the good fight to convince the city that we wouldn’t ruin Downtown Upland, cause spontaneous raving, or set our building on fire, we have chosen to close The Wire at the end of this month. We opened this venue with the hope of providing a place for local bands to perform and sound their best, be treated like family, and to reach out to new fans. We did it to the best of our ability and gave you all that we had – our time, money and anything else we could sell or borrow to make sure you knew you had people who cared for you, your music, and the bands you admired. But now, it’s time to move on. We hope that you’ll join us at one of the last few shows we have scheduled in December and if you would like to play one more time, please let us know. Thank you to everyone who has played a show or supported a band here. We are especially grateful for our friends and family who supported us to open the venue and to our employees who have worked here and cared for the venue as much as we have. We will miss The Wire but we will continue to support the Inland Empire scene by performing at and going to shows alongside you. We will see you soon! – Donavan and Rachel Foy

The venue does have a few more shows left on the calendar.

Saturday, Dec. 7: Hit Me, Harold
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Tommy & The High Pilots, The Letdown
Friday, Dec. 13: Night Riots, The Gallery, Say True, Me and The City and Late Night Revival.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for all of the shows and tickets are $10 in advance. The Wire is located at 247 N. 2nd Ave. in Upland. Visit www.thewire247.com for more information

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

COACHELLA 2014: Grouplove looks likely for a return trip to Indio

Grouplove performs at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (2012/File Photo)

Grouplove, which was all over the radio with the hit “Tongue Tied” a couple of years back, announced its spring 2014 tour and there is a big hole right around the time of a certain music festival in the desert.

Grouplove’s tour kicks off March 20 in Cincinnati and runs through April 30 with a show in Kansas City, Mo. However, after an April 7 date in Houston, there aren’t any more dates until Phoenix on April 23.

The 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will take place April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Grouplove recently released a second album (new material is always a plus to land a Coachella spot) and the band’s set was well-received back in 2012, and they probably did the most set decoration of any band in a tent, complete with fake plants.

Click through the gallery to see photos from Grouplove’s Coachella 2012 set.

Did you catch Grouplove at Coachella 2012? Would you want to see them again at Coachella 2014?

You can flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions for the next edition of the fest.

If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel
June 16, 2013: The Replacements