Author Archives: Vanessa

SAN BERNARDINO: Parmalee visits the Brandin’ Iron

Parmalee will perform at the Brandin’ Iron in San Bernardino on Sunday, Oct. 27. (Contributed Image)

If you’re looking for a place that will have the next big thing in country music, check out the Brandin’ Iron in San Bernardino.

The dance hall has a track record for bringing in emerging talent from the genre with Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney among the artists the spot has attracted on their rise to stardom.

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On Sunday, Oct. 27, up-and-coming recording artist Parmalee will be in town.

The band from Greenville, N.C. has been getting some airplay with the single “Carolina.”

The show is open to guests 18 and older and tickets are only $12. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8:30 p.m.

The Brandin’ Iron is located at 320 South E St. in San Bernardino and online at www.brandinironsaloon.com.

RIVERSIDE: Melissa Manchester to perform at fundraiser at The Box

Melissa Manchester will perform at The Box in Riverside on Nov. 16. (Contributed Image)

The Box at the Fox Entertainment Plaza in Riverside has booked a big name to raise funds for the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation–Melissa Manchester.

The singer, who not only had hits with songs such as “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You,” but also played Mayim Bialik’s mother on “Blossom,” will perform at the Fox Box on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The 200-seat black box theater opened earlier this year with a number of tribute acts and is also where the Riverside Youth Theatre is staging productions.

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Since it’s a fundraiser, tickets are $125 per person. To purchase tickets, send a check payable to the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation or credit card information to 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, or call the Fox Foundation at 951-826-5769.

For more information about the event, visit the Fox Theater Foundation’s Facebook page.

The Box is located at 3635 Market St. in Riverside.

Now, let’s all enjoy Manchester’s ’80s classic “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” on “Solid Gold.”

SAN MANUEL: Jane’s Addiction plays casino on Oct. 24

Jane’s Addiction will perform at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland on Thursday, Oct. 24. (Chapman Baehler/Contributed Image)

Jane’s Addiction heads east of L.A. on Thursday, Oct. 24 for a show at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.

I interviewed Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney for last week’s Guide cover about the San Manuel show, but he was so much fun to talk to, I wasn’t able to fit everything in the paper, including the link between Alanis Morissette and the band.

Chaney, who has recorded and performed live with countless big-name artists, first joined Jane’s back in 2002 when the band was recording “Strays.”

However, Chaney started playing Jane’s Addiction songs long before he was in the group.

For a time, he was the bassist for Morissette’s touring band and his friend, Taylor Hawkins, played drums before he went off and joined Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters.

“Taylor was the biggest Stephen Perkins-slash-Jane’s Addiction fan that I know,” Chaney said.

Chaney said Hawkins went every night when Jane’s played a string of dates in Los Angeles.

“For sound checks with Alanis we would jam ‘Mountain Song’; we’d play the riffs for ‘Three Days’; we’d play ‘Up the Beach,’ ” he added.

Chaney had met Perkins, Jane’s Addiction’s drummer, when he was working with Tommy Lee.

Years later, Chaney gets the call to come into the studio with Jane’s Addiction, who was recording with famed producer Bob Ezrin.

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“The guys were so accepting and open minded when I came in,” he said.

In fact, Chaney co-wrote some of the songs off “Strays,” including “Just Because,” one of the band’s biggest hits.

Thursday night’s show also includes Portugal. The Man as the opening act. You must be 21 or older to go to the show.

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland, 800-359-2464, $25 and $39 before fees, guests 21 and older only.

Visit www.sanmanuel.com for more information.

CORONA: Dio Disciples head to M15

Dio's Disciples are playing M15 in Corona on Saturday, Oct. 26 (Contributed Image)

Dio Disciples are playing M15 in Corona on Saturday, Oct. 26 (Contributed Image)

The late, great Ronnie James Dio was not only one of heavy metal’s greatest vocalists, he also played with a ton of talented people.

Some of those folks are honoring his memory and playing as Dio Disciples. The group comes to M15 in Corona on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The lineup includes singers Mark Boals and Oni Logan, guitarist Craig Goldy, bassist Bjorn Englen, keyboardist Scott Warren and drummer Simon Wright.

Rowan Robinson will be filling in for Goldy at the Corona show, though.

The group is managed by Dio’s widow, Wendy.

7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, M15, 9022 Pulsar Court, Suite H, Corona, 951-200-4465, $20, plus fees, available via Ticketmaster, all ages.

Visit www.m15concerts.com for more on the show and www.facebook.com/DioDisciples for more on the band.

SAN BERNARDINO: Noa James digs in to ‘Fat Boy Love Letter’

Noa James performs during The D.I.Y. Music and Fashion Fest at The Glass House in Pomona on Saturday, August 31, 2013. (David Bauman/Staff Photographer)

Over the last few years, Noa James has not only been one of the most talented people in the Inland Empire’s hip-hop scene, he’s been one of the key people helping it thrive. (See: It’s the Common Ground/Brick to Ya Face/D.I.Y. Music and Fashion Fest, etc.)

Incredibly prolific, James’ new EP, “Fat Boy Love Letter,” which he did with Gypsy Mamba, is his second release of the year (“The Adventures of Young Orca” came out in the spring) and it’s got a much darker feel than his previous work. You can listen to it yourself below.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, James and Gypsy Mamba will perform at It’s the Common Ground at The Vibe in Riverside with Joey Fatts and A$ton Matthew.

James took the time to answer a few questions via email about the new release.

Noa James just released his new EP, “Fat Boy Love Letter,” a collaboration with Gypsy Mamba. (Contributed Image)

Q: “Fat Boy Love Letter” is a much darker release than your previous work. What inspired it?

A: I visit my early projects like “Sound Of A Monster” & Beautiful Darkness” and I love the mood I was in while creating. I don’t miss the depression and bitterness. So I took what I like about the projects and applied with love pretty much.

Q: Did the grimy beats come first or did the darker lyrics?

A: I got the beats first; the first song I wrote for the EP was “Poultry Poetry” a.k.a. the chicken song. Then everything started to fall in place of concepts and titles.

Q: How did the collaboration of you and Gypsy Mamba come about?

A: Gypsy hit me up about getting on this project called “Fat Boy Love Letter” that was going to feature other artists. He sent me the “Poultry Poetry” instrumental I sent it back like two weeks later, I know he was waiting for other artists to send their tracks. They didn’t so he sent me all the beats now it’s our collab project. And the instrumental fit perfect with my style.

Q: What show would the EP cover most likely be a scene from–”Dexter,” “Breaking Bad” or “The Walking Dead” and why?

A: I would say “The Walking Dead” but my character is someone who decided that he wanted to be a zombie, he’s preparing himself so when he turn he’s ready. But he will always eat at a table like a gentleman and a scholar.

9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, It’s the Common Ground, The Vibe, 1801 University Ave., Riverside, $10, 18 and older only.

Take a listen to “Fat Boy Love Letter” below. Warning: It has explicit language.

RIVERSIDE: ‘World of Warcraft’-inspired band Songhammer releases album

Songhammer has released their debut album and video. (Contributed Image)

Songhammer has released its debut album and video. (Contributed Image)

Songhammer might have released the most epic album of 2013.

Want proof? The first song on the group’s debut full-length “World of Songhammer,” which came out Tuesday, Oct. 22, is called “Songhammer Always Wins.”

Throughout the album the group goes on to fight bad guys, dragons and tell stories from the perspective of angry pandas.

The band’s genesis came from Songhammer members Dustin Miller (a.k.a. CroonHammer) and Ben Stewart (a.k.a. ShredHammer) collaborating to enter the BlizzCon 2011 International Songwriting Competition, which they went on to win. BlizzCon, which is coming up in Anaheim in early November, is the convention for everything Blizzard Entertainment does, including the massively multiplayer online role playing game “World of Warcraft.”

Songhammer is more than just a band, too. It has a popular guild in the “World of Warcraft” universe, where the focus is on being positive and having fun.

The music follows the same ideals. There are metal songs, pop songs, songs that draw from the influences of Queen and Muse and Mumford and Sons and more. Miller, of Fontana, and Stewart, of Riverside, met in a music class at Riverside City College.

I’ll have more about the band’s music in an interview that will be published in the coming weeks, but I wanted to share the video for “Death Is on the Way.”

“We wanted it to sound like this old radio program,” Stewart said.

The video itself, directed by John Leonetti, is part silent film, part western and all awesome.

“It’s more like silent movie meets Buck Rogers in the 1980s,” Stewart said.

Fun fact: In the video, Death is played by Devanand Bassanoo, Stewart’s former bandmate in their metal band Conspiracy of Thought. Not only did he choreograph the big fight scene, but he’s also performing with Songhammer now.

You can check out more from Songhammer at www.songhammer.com.

SPOTLIGHT 29: Dwight Yoakam rides into town Feb. 1

Dwight Yoakam performs on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival. (Charlotte Bray/Freelance Photographer)

After dazzling country fans at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival this spring, and not just because of his bedazzled jean jacket, Dwight Yoakam will return to the Coachella Valley in February 2014.

Yoakam will perform at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella on Saturday, Feb. 1 and tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 25. They are priced at $45, $55 and $65 and will be available via www.Spotlight29.com, Star Tickets at 800-585-3737, or the Spotlight 29 Box Office and Gift Shop.

With his honky tonk sound, Yoakam was a pioneer in his early years in Los Angeles. He went from playing bills with bands like Los Angeles punkers X to finding his niche and recording with folks like Buck Owens, racking up hits like “Streets of Bakersfield,” with the aforementioned Owens, “I Sang Dixie” and “Honky Tonk Man.”

Yoakam’s 2012 effort, “3 Pears,” found the icon matched up with an interesting mix of artists, from Beck to Kid Rock.

And don’t discount his work as an actor, either. His acting was far better than Jared Leto’s weird cornrows in “Panic Room.”

RIVERSIDE: OneHundred Proof holds re-release show

OneHundred Proof is releasing its debut record with a celebratory show at the Mission Tobacco Lounge on Oct. 26. (Taadow/Contributed Image)

When OneHundred Proof released its debut album earlier this year, the 150 hard copies they had were gone within a half-hour after the release show in their hometown of Redlands.

In the months since, the hip-hop/rock/alternative band out has landed on a local label and is celebrating the re-release of the album, “Wolf Among the Sheep,” with a show at Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Earlier this year, the band signed with the music arm of Sullen Clothing and now Sullen Musik is releasing the record digitally.

The songs have been remastered, some have been cut and there’s a new track, a remixed version of the song “Stronger.”

Band members and brothers Eric and Jimi Estrada, said OneHundred Proof has a couple of other shows on the books for the rest of the year and they’re planning to go on tour in the beginning of 2014.

The band is eager to work on new material as well.

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“Great music is the best way to repay the fans,” Eric Estrada said.

Low Life Music, Assuming We Survive and The Slow Forward are also on the bill. The show also has a costume contest component.

8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, Mission Tobacco Lounge,3630 University Ave., Riverside, $6 with a costume, $8 without, 21 and older only.

Visit www.facebook.com/Official100Proof for more on the band.

Here’s the band performing “Place to Be” at the 2012 Localpalooza battle at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

HALLOWEEN 2013: Rob Zombie adds another Great American Nightmare performance

Rob Zombie has added a second performance at his Great American Nightmare experience in Pomona. (2013/File Photo)

There is much more Halloween info available at PE.com. Visit Halloween Guide 2013 for costumes, contests and more.

Apparently the masses just can’t get enough of Rob Zombie this Halloween season.

The macabre-loving rocker, filmmaker and haunted experience coordinator extraordinaire has announced that he will perform at a second date of his Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare at the Pomona Fairplex.

The Halloween attraction combines scary mazes and big-name concerts so you can rock out and get scared out of your mind in the same night.

Zombie was already booked to headline Saturday, Nov. 2, the final night of Great American Nightmare, with Eagles of Death Metal and Powerman 5000. Now he is also on the bill for Friday, Nov. 1 with Powerman 5000 and 45 Grave.

There is also an electronic dance music late-night after party on Nov. 1 with Destroid and Dirtyphonics.

The Great American Nightmare has multiple mazes, including one where the walls shock you while you are deprived of sight, and one that’s too explicit to talk about in detail in a family publication.

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Speaking of the Great American Nightmare, Andrew W.K., who I just saw at The Vault in Temecula over the weekend, is performing on Halloween night with Jello Biafra, Agent Orange and more.

Pre-sale tickets start at $30 for Thursdays and Sundays and $35 for Fridays and Saturdays, but the Rob Zombie nights start at $45. The tickets get you into the show and the mazes.

Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare is located at the Pomona Fairplex at 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. Visit www.greatamericannightmare.com for more information.

PE LIVE: The McKintree Boys get instrumental

The McKintree Boys perform at Hangar 24 during a recent taping of PE Live. (Matthew Schoenmann/Freelance Photographer)

If you need some music for your halftime celebration today, check out The McKintree Boys on PE Live.

We filmed the band, whose members live in Riverside, Redlands and San Bernardino, last Saturday out at Hangar 24 Brewery.

They kicked off the night of high-energy music with this instrumental, “Valley of Drum Oak.”

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