Author Archives: Vanessa

PE LIVE: Watch Strangebrew’s “Baby It’s Alright”

Strangebrew Band performs at Hangar 24 in Redlands. (Matt Schoenmann/Freelance Photographer)

We reached a really important milestone on PE Live this week–we now have more than 100 videos posted since relaunching the show this spring.

If you haven’t seen PE Live, what we do is have Inland Empire bands answer questions from a nosy reporter (that would be me) and we film a few of their original songs.

We started out in our studio at PE headquarters, but as we’re making changes here, we took it to the road and the folks at Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands have been so wonderful to let us film during their Wednesday night live music series.

Obviously, the real stars are the incredible musicians who have shared their music with us, not to mention all of you who have taken the time to watch it. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of PE Live so far.

I’m starting something special only for those who signed up for the free weekly PE Live newsletter–subscriber will be the first to see another performance by the artist before it goes out to the public on PE.com. The newsletter is free, prepared and sent by yours truly, and easy to sign up for at http://subscribe.pe.com/pelive.

Now, let’s get onto the music. This week’s artist is Strangebrew Band, who have some folk and pop-rock influences and beautiful harmonies.

Check out “Baby It’s Alright” from Redlands-based Strangebrew Band below.

TEMECULA: The Vault hosts Forty Winters, Monsters Scare You

Andrew W.K. will perform at The Vault in Temecula on Oct. 18. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 7. (Andrew W.K. official Facebook page)

The Vault in Temecula has some notable shows coming up, including Andrew W.K. on Oct. 18 and Voodoo Glow Skulls on Oct. 31.

This weekend, Forty Winters, A Fight For Life, After Me the Flood, Skies of Iris and The In City View perform on Friday, Oct. 4.

Then, Monsters Scare You, Lion I Am, Victory Heights and Dead Before We Fall will perform on Saturday, Oct. 5.

6:30 p.m. Friday, The Vault, 41607 Enterprise Circle North, Temecula, $10 in advance, $12 at the door, all ages.

6:30 p.m. Saturday, The Vault, $10, all ages.

Visit www.thevaultconcerts.com for more information.

POMONA: Pennywise to play intimate Glass House show

Pennywise will play Pomona in November.

Here’s a cool show to put on the calendar–Pennywise is playing the Glass House in Pomona on Nov. 22.

The influential SoCal punk band is celebrating its 25th anniversary and decided to do a small punk show.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 4 at noon and are $25 each. The show is all ages. You can pick up tickets via Ticketfly.

If you want an interesting look at Pennywise singer Jim Lindberg, check out “The Other F Word,” a documentary that follows punk rock fathers like Lindberg and Lars Frederiksen from Rancid. I recently caught it on Netflix and it was worth watching.

COACHELLA 2014: Lineup predictions include Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson

The wind kicks up Sunday evening, April 14, 2013, during Day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (2013/File Photo)

It’s that time of the year again–with the fall weather and touring schedules starting to appear for 2014, get ready for more frequent 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival predictions, or as I like to call it, Coachellaology.

Coachella returns for a third year of twin editions at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 11-13 and April 18-20, 2014 and I’m going with a possible headliner to start today’s predictions.

Paul McCartney is releasing a new album. (Mary McCartney/Contributed Image)

Paul McCartney

Yes, Paul McCartney headlined Coachella back in 2009, but he is also releasing a new album, called “New,” on Oct. 15. New material is always a plus if someone might be headed to Coachella. Another plus is that McCartney has been coming to the festival EVERY year since he performed. Goldenvoice’s Skip Paige mentioned that fun fact during his Coachella Festival-related keynote speech at the recent State of the County address in Palm Springs.

On the other hand, McCartney has become a major music festival regular and it might not be the right fit for an upcoming year when more contemporary bands like Arcade Fire and Coldplay (both of which are previous Coachella headliners) are also releasing new music.

But, he’s still a Beatle, and a Beatle with a new album at that.

Here’s McCartney doing “My Love” and talking about Linda McCartney from Coachella 2009.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can get an early listen of “New” with a special event on Sunday, Oct. 6. The first 400 cars to arrive at the Vineland Drive-In at 443 N. Vineland Ave. in City of Industry will hear the album via the theater’s FM transmitter. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and the parking lot opens at 6 p.m.

But wait, there’s more. I have another Coachella 2014 prediction for you.

Luscious Jackson has reunited and is making new music. (Doug Seymour/Contributed Image)

Luscious Jackson

Coachella loves a reunion and Coachella loves a reunion with new music even more.

Luscious Jackson was one of those great ’90s bands that captured the alternative nation. Now the New York-based band is back together and making new music. The new album “Magic Hour” (the band’s first in 14 years) will be out Nov. 5.

The band has announced two tour dates so far–Nov. 23 in Philadelphia and Dec. 7 in New York City. These will be Luscious Jackson’s first live shows in more than a decade.

Plus, the new music is really, really good. Check out “Show Us What You Got.”

Want to know what other Coachella predictions I’ve posted so far? Click through the timeline below.

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.

Want more Coachella goodness? I tag all of my Coachella prediction posts Coachellaology. TheiGuide also has a Coachella section that has interviews, articles, photos from previous years and more. Want to share your predictions? You can email me at vfranko@pe.com or comment below.

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

Previous Coachella 2014 picks and ponderings from the Audio File and readers:
June 16, 2013: The Replacements
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel

MUSIC: Suicide Silence will continue with new singer

Suicide Silence members: Mark Heylman, Dan Kenny and lead singer Mitch Lucker perform on the Extreme Stage during the Mayhem Music Festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on Saturday, July 9, 2011. (File Photo)

Suicide Silence, the Riverside-rooted heavy metal band who lost singer Mitch Lucker last year in a motorcycle accident, has announced that the band will go on with a new singer.

The band posted on its official Facebook page “Suicide Silence will continue” with a link to a clip of “You Only Live Once” with the band’s new singer.

However, the band has yet to announce who the new singer is. Metal site Lambgoat has been tipped that Eddie Hermida from All Shall Perish will be Suicide Silence’s the new vocalist.

Hermida performed with the band at the memorial show for Lucker at the Pomona Fox last December. He did “Slaves to Substance” with the band. You can see the performance below. WARNING: There’s plenty of explicit language in the video.

Suicide Silence fans, what do you think? Does the new singer have the chops that Lucker had? Do you think that the band should continue as Suicide Silence or change the name? Are you excited for new music? Let us know in the comments below.

MURRIETA: The Maxies and The Beat visit The Dial

The Maxies kick off their tour with Paul Collins’ Beat this week. (Paul Silver/Contributed Image)

The masked men of The Maxies, the pop-punk band that claims to be from Greenland that mysteriously relocated to the Inland Empire, are releasing a new split 7-inch record with Paul Collins’ The Beat. The two bands are also touring together this month.

They stop at The Void in San Diego on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and The Dial in Murrieta on Thursday, Oct. 3. On Friday, Oct. 4, The Maxies will play the Constellation Room in Santa Ana with Teenage Bottlerocket, The Queers and The Copyrights while The Beat will be at The Wheelhouse in Hemet with The Walking Toxins.

Here’s what Maxies’ leader Maximum Maxie had to say about the new split, touring and zoos via an e-mail interview.

Q: How did the split 7″ with Paul Collins and The Beat come about?

A: The Maxies being the amazing band that we are wooed Paul Collins (The Beat-The Nerves) while playing a show with them at a local concert venue VLHS. After the show Paul and I spoke and the conception of a tour and split 7” began. I mean how lucky can ones band be? The Beat now has a release with the greatest band ever from Greenland and The Maxies get to grace some vinyl with a power pop legend. It works for us both!

Q: You both have songs with the word “Baby” in the title on the release. Coincidence or is it required for all power-pop splits?

A: Funny you asked that. Paul Collins is the Godfather of power pop and you would expect that kind of title from him, but from The Maxies? Really? The title of The Maxies tune “Baby I Love You” came when we were recording right here in Riverside at Mind Control Studios. I was talking on the phone with Paul Silver the owner of Radius Record (label that is releasing the split) He had asked me the song title because he needed it for print. I told him The Maxies wanted the song to be titled “I’ll Kill Your Handsome Boyfriend” but Silver thought it would be cool to name it “Baby I Love You” to play off The Beat’s side “Baby I’m In Love With You” now it’s all power pop punk history.

Q: How much has Paul Collins been an influence on you?

A: Paul Collins is an amazing American song writer. For years I have tried to emulate his style in hopes of creating a song as good as his “Rock N Roll Girl”. A good song writer can change the world, the way you feel and take you somewhere else at times. Paul’s songs do that for me. I know his influence has made The Maxies a better band. Watch out King of Power Pop our frozen five is catching up.

The Maxies have a new 7-inch split with Paul Collins’ Beat. (Paul Silver/Contributed Image)

Q: The Maxies have been logging some time in the studio in the last few months. Are there more releases on the way?

A: Well as you know we have the split 7” vinyl being released October 2nd with The Beat. The next release will be late November on Its Alive Records out of Orange Ca. It will also be a split with Kingons (from Japan) but this one will be pressed on 10” vinyl and CD. The new Maxies full length album will follow at the beginning of next year coinciding with our tour of Japan in February 2014. All these releases will come with download cards for the record player impaired.

Q: What can those seeing the Maxies for the first time expect on the tour?

A: Wait who hasn’t seen us before? Those poor souls that haven’t are in for some fun. We will be slinging the pop punk, dancing along with you and raising our glasses to us, for being so amazing for your ears. Get ready to sing along and don’t let me catch you texting. The tongue lashing you will receive won’t be the fun kind. The Maxies are bringing sexy to punk. So please try to control yourselves. Clothing is better when its red and white or not worn at all. Above all you will have fun, its mandatory. The extra bonus is you will get to hear and see the legendary Paul Collins Beat!

Q: How many seals do you think will be clubbed this run of dates? Also, what zoos/animal parks have you been banned from, if any?

A: The sad part is probably few to none on this west coast and south west tour. There are so many laws here in the states against seal clubbing. It’s sad; these vicious little flappers are so abundant in the U.S.A. Over population can cause harm to the species as well as the environment around them. Gasses expelled from the seal and oils from the seals skin are a leading cause of global warming it’s just plain scientific fact people. We know this in Greenland and this is why we club them. Well, and the fact that they are very tasty. The Maxies are saving the world one clubbing at a time. Global Warming is real kids don’t listen to the haters. As for zoos no respectable Greenlandic person would ever step a foot in one. Those places are cruel, hateful and humiliating to animals. Plus the temptation of clubbing is far too great for The Maxies.

LOCAL MUSIC: Enter X103.9’s Localpalooza contest

Dose of Adolescence performs at X1039’s Localpalooza at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012. The group competed with nine other Southern California bands, winning a spot to play at the radio station’s Merry Meltdown concert in December. (2012/File Photo)

This one is for the local musicians and the supporters of local music out there–X103.9 FM is holding the Localpalooza contest again.

The bands face off in a battle to land a spot opening X103.9’s Merry Meltdown headlined by Stone Temple Pilots and Korn. (By the way, the announcement of the Merry Meltdown lineup, tickets and more are posted at the Audio File blog.) I was one of the judges last year and was once again amazed by the talent from the Inland Empire.

To enter Localpalooza, your band must be based in Southern California. There will be 12 finalists selected who will perform at Localpalooza on Nov. 2, at M15 in Corona, where a panel of judges will select the winner. The winner will open the Merry Meltdown on Dec. 14.

Here’s what X103.9 needs from you if you’re entering:
1. 2-song demo CD. Flash drives, full-lengths, etc. will NOT be accepted.
2. 1-page band BIO, including city of origin, recent past gigs, draw, etc.

(Don’t throw in anything else, they’re serious about it.)

You can send your materials (or drop them off) on or before Friday, Oct. 11 to X1039’s LOCALPALOOZA 242 Airport Drive #106, San Bernardino, CA, 92408.

Visit www.x1039.com for more information.

ONTARIO: X103.9’s Merry Meltdown to feature Korn, Stone Temple Pilots

Korn will perform at X103.9’s Merry Meltdown on Dec. 14. (Sebastien Paquet/Contributed Image)

The Merry Meltdown is back and San Bernardino’s X103.9 FM is bringing a huge show this year.

It will take place at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Saturday, Dec. 14 and the headliners are Korn and Stone Temple Pilots. The other performers include Sick Puppies, Big B and the winner of the X103.9 Localpalooza contest.

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Tickets go on sale Saturday, Oct. 5 at www.axs.com and at the Citizens Business Bank Arena box office. They are priced at $10.39 to $59.50, before fees. You can also win tickets by listening to the station and win your way into the VIP pre-show party. (FYI, to get the $10.39 tickets you HAVE to purchase them in person at the arena’s box office and they are only available to the first 500 people.)

Now, let’s talk about the bands–I think this is the biggest holiday show the Inland station has had yet.

If you haven’t been following the drama in the Stone Temple Pilots world, Scott Weiland is out (again) and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park is in and receiving high praise for his vocals. Bennington is no stranger to the Inland region, either. He stopped by X103.9’s San Bernardino studios earlier this year. Stone Temple Pilots, with Bennington on vocals, will release a new EP, “High Rise,” on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

You can listen to the new STP song, “Black Heart” below.

In the meantime, for the rock fans who have more of an affinity for nu-metal rather than grunge, Korn is also releasing a new album on Oct. 8, called “The Paradigm Shift.” Plus, the band has been reunited with guitarist Brian “Head” Welch. They’re also traveling back in time and making the Family Values Tour happen for one night only in Denver this weekend. Seriously, don’t we all miss 1999?

Sick Puppies are big fans of X103.9 and I think they’ve done every one of the station’s Christmas shows. Their new album, “Connect,” is their best yet. I had an interview with Shim Moore from Sick Puppies a while back when “Connect” was about to be released.

Big B will be back in the Inland area, plus the winner of the X103.9 Localpalooza competition. Last year, Dose of Adolescence won the title (after a really close competition).

If you’re a local band, you can enter for a chance to participate in the competition.

PE LIVE: Watch The Dares perform “Runaway”

The Dares (Contributed Image)

The Dares are another one of those bands you want to keep an eye on. The band started when brothers Ben and Matt Peterson were teenagers, playing pop punk inspired by Green Day and blink-182. Like those groups, The Dares have grown up and their songwriting has evolved into a more mature sound.

The Dares were the guests on PE Live this week out at Hangar 24 in Redlands. (By the way, you can subscribe to the PE Live newsletter to get videos delivered straight to your inbox.)

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Want to see PE Live in person? Come out to Hangar 24 on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to see the Chris Thayer Band, an Inland-based radio-friendly rock band that includes leader Chris Thayer, who has also appeared on PE Live with his other band, the jump blues combo Big Papa and the TCB.

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hangar 24 Brewery and Tasting Room, 1710 Sessums Drive, Redlands, free.

Visit www.hangar24brewery.com for more information and www.christhayer.com for more on the band.

MUSIC: Neon Trees rocks out in Pittsburgh

With all of the news that broke this week, plus my battle that nasty cold that’s going around, I’m playing catch-up, unlike Neon Trees, who were playing catch at PNC Park in Pittsburgh last week.

The band, whose singer, Tyler Glenn, and guitarist, Chris Allen, are from Murrieta, performed after the Pittsburgh Pirates game at the stadium, but also had a very important task beforehand.

The team asked the band if they would like to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and Allen, who played baseball when he was a student at Murrieta Valley High School, was the band member nominated.

Chris Allen of Neon Trees throws out the first pitch at PNC Park before a Pittsburgh Pirates game. (Elaine Bradley/Instagram)

“Chris threw the first pitch….and he didn’t embarrass us!!!” band member Elaine Bradley posted on her Instagram account with a photo of Allen making the throw.

Allen even had some fun with it on his own Instagram feed.

Chris Allen juices before the Pittsburgh Pirates game. (Chris Allen/Instagram)

“I heard everyone in MLB is juicing. Decided to give it a try at today’s Pirates game,” Allen posted on his Instagram feed.

Here’s a clip of the band doing “Everybody Talks” after the game.