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Music News: No Doubt plans six-night L.A. stand for fall

September 4th, 2012, 5:14 pm by

Savvy fans of Gwen Stefani and the gang who regularly check their website have already taken notice: With no fanfare to hail it, No Doubt quietly posted late on Labor Day that the band has planned a six-show stand at Gibson Amphitheatre, launching just after Thanksgiving.

It will be the group’s first series of shows in Southern California following the Sept. 25 release of Push and Shove, ND’s eagerly awaited new album, its first in more than a decade, since 2001′s Rock Steady.

The gigs occur ever other night across a two-week period: Nov. 24, 26, 28 and 30, then Dec. 2 and 4. Watch the minute-long clip above for the announcement, complete with canned cheers and laughter. (Or was there an audience watching? I can’t quite tell.)

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That timing also helps rule out at least one weekend (Dec. 1-2) that KROQ might have held its annual Almost Acoustic Christmas. Dec. 8-9 seems the likeliest candidate, unless having it begin on the first night of Hanukkah leads the radio station to pick Dec. 15-16 instead, though that would be later than usual.

Wouldn’t surprise me if No Doubt turns up at AAC as well. But about these coming Gibson shows: There’s not yet a public on-sale date, but the band is promising that the “best seats in the house” will be sold exclusively through their ND2012 Club pre-sale, which starts Thursday, Sept. 6, at 4 p.m. and ends Monday at 4 p.m.

Members may purchase tickets for one or more of the shows, as many as they wish, during that stretch for an all-inclusive rate of $115 per ticket, with a four-ticket limit per show. Both reserved seats and pit access will be available. Additionally, the pre-sale package scores you early entry into the venue and a commemorative pin and postcard set.

Some details worth noting: All ND2012 Club tickets are nontransferable and must be picked up the night of the show at the designated club entrance. You must present a valid photo ID that matches your will call name and have all guests present, as your party must immediately enter the venue upon ticket pick-up … thus fending off anyone thinking about scalping the ticket for a higher price.

Read more about the pre-sale and how to become a fan club member here.

My guess is that remaining tickets will go on sale next weekend, either Sept. 14 or 15. Stay tuned for more.

Find more music news and reviews on the Soundcheck Blog.

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Interview: AFI side project Blaqk Audio returns after five years

September 4th, 2012, 4:46 pm by

They’re best known for fronting the long-running punk rock band AFI, yet for more than a decade vocalist Davey Havok and guitarist/producer Jade Puget have also been hard at work on their side project, Blaqk Audio.

The duo began dabbling in electronic dance music (or EDM) as far back as 2001, writing dozens of songs but not officially releasing anything until their CexCells album in 2007. They played shows in support of it, though soon returned to their main group, with AFI issuing Crash Love in 2009 and embarking on another lengthy tour in support of it. With that wrapped up, Havok and Puget returned to their electronic ways, creating new material for Blaqk Audio’s sophomore release, Bright Black Heaven, dropping Sept. 11.

Several gigs have been planned to usher in the release, including Sept. 8 at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach and Sept. 14 at the Roxy in West Hollywood, both of which sold out almost immediately. As of this writing, tickets are still available for the duo’s shows at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Sept. 10, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 11, and the Blank Club in San Jose on Sept. 12.

Though the album has been ready for some time, Blaqk Audio went through some back and forth with a variety of labels before Havok and Puget signed with German indie label Superball Music and set a release date. Some of the new tracks began to trickle out as early as February 2010: “Ill-Lit Ships” was played on a few Southern California radio stations, “Bon Voyeurs” was showcased on BPM, a Sirius XM Radio program, while “The Witness” was featured in last year’s Taylor Lautner flick Abduction.

And earlier this year BA toured New Zealand and Australia, opening for Evanescence. “It was fantastic over there,” Havok says during a recent phone interview. “The reaction was really strong. It was nice to see we had a fan base out there, and I got some glow sticks thrown at me, which I always take as a compliment.”

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Music News: The Danvilles, Echo Echo and more host benefit at Constellation Room in Santa Ana

September 4th, 2012, 4:32 pm by

The Danvilles, Echo Echo (pictured, right), Jarrett Killens and Man the Station are hosting a special benefit show at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana Thursday, Sept. 6 to raise funds for the family of 30-year-old Santa Ana resident Andre William Gheysen-Jones who took his own life on Aug. 19.

The family started a FundRazr.com account to help come up with the unexpected burial and funeral costs which total about $9,000.

Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show is free, however donations of any amount will be collected and given directly to Gheysen-Jones’ family.

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Music News: 2013 OC Music Awards submissions now open

August 28th, 2012, 3:59 pm by

The submissions for the 2013 OC Music Awards showcase series, best music video, best youth and the people’s choice award are now open online at ocmusicawards.com.

Submissions for the showcase series will remain open through Monday, Oct. 1. Best Music Video and Best Youth submissions will be open through Thursday, Nov. 1. The people’s choice submissions will be taken through Friday, Feb. 15.

The 2013 awards ceremony will be held at City National Grove of Anaheim on Saturday, March 9.

More OC Music Awards coverage:

OC Music Awards Video Series: Catching up with the Dirty Heads

OC Music Awards Video Series: Reel Big Fish unleash ‘Candy Coated Fury’

OC Music Awards Video Series: Railroad to Alaska at Warped Tour 2012.

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Music News: Pacific Festival moves to Newport Dunes

August 27th, 2012, 11:13 am by

The annual Pacific Festival has moved to a new home at the Newport Dunes Resort & Marina in Newport Beach. The day-long event will kick-off at Noon on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Click here for photos from Pacific Festival 2011 at Oak Canyon Ranch.

The line-up is stellar, though no where near as strong as it was last year which saw performances by Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, Ghostland Observatory, the Growlers, Calvin Harris, Cut Copy, !!! and Black Lips (the full line-up can be found here).

This years highlights include: Mayer Hawthorne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Le Blorr, Snakebit Drifters and DJ sets by Yacht, Tropicool, Kedd Cook, Cassette and more.

Tickets are $55-$125 and available here. 18-and-up only. The Pacific Festival will donate $1 for every ticket sold to the Surfrider Foundation.

Photos by Jenavieve Belair, for OrangeCounty.com

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Music News: The Offspring sets Palladium gig with Neon Trees and Dead Sara, Joss Stone at Wiltern

August 25th, 2012, 9:38 am by

It’s almost like the Sunset Strip Music Festival in miniature.

Didn’t get to see the Offspring play the conclusion of that West Hollywood takeover last weekend? No problem: You’ll be able to see Huntington Beach’s favorite punk rockers at the other end of Sunset Boulevard on Oct. 5 when they headline the Hollywood Palladium, with Neon Trees and another SSMF alum, Dead Sara, set to open. Tickets, $37.50, go on sale Saturday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.

English soul star Joss Stone never seems to be too far from Los Angeles, but on Oct. 24 she’ll play her biggest local show in a while, at the Wiltern, behind her just- released re-re-re-introduction, The Soul Sessions Volume 2. Tickets, $30-$45, are on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Following his solo and festival appearances in spring, M. Ward is back in full-blown mode to headline Oct. 21 at the Orpheum Theatre, $30, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

More choice stuff has been added to the Observatory’s calendar, including Freelance Whales with Geographer on Oct. 14, $15; Barcelona rock band Jarabe de Palo, Oct. 2, $22; long-running punk groups Guttermouth and the Queers on Oct. 3, $15; two surefire hip-hop sell-outs, Yelawolf on Oct. 6, $20, and A$AP Rocky on Oct. 27, $28.50; and metal bands Municipal Waste and Napalm Death, Nov. 14, $16.

Most of those go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., as do two new ones in the venue’s Constellation Room: Chris August, Sept. 26, $15; and David Bazan Band playing Pedro the Lion’s third album Control, Dec. 8, $15.

Get more music news and reviews on the Soundcheck Blog.

Photo by David Hall, for the Orange County Register

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Music News: ROQ N’ Surf concert series continues at the District this weekend

August 23rd, 2012, 12:20 pm by

KROQ 106.7 FM’s ROQ N’ Surf summer concert series returns to the District at Tustin Legacy this weekend with free shows Aug. 25 and 26 from 1-4 p.m. Sinizen, Badfish and Headshine performs on Saturday and We Are/She Is, Fellow Bohemian and Italian Japanese take the stage on Sunday.

More from KROQ’s ROQ N’ Surf Summer Concert Series:

Slideshow: KROQ ROQ N’ Surf July 14-15

Slideshow: KROQ ROQ N’ Surf June 10-11

Photo of We Are/She Is courtesy of Photography Kid

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Slideshow: Rock the Bells successfully expands

August 21st, 2012, 12:20 pm by

For the first time in nine incarnations, hip-hop’s Mecca festival, Rock the Bells, expanded to two days, the first of its three regional events taking place Aug. 18-19 in Satan’s Sauna, San Bernardino’s frustratingly hot NOS Events Center. (The fest hits Mountain View this weekend and Holmdel, N.J. just before Labor Day.)

Click here for more photos from Rock the Bells.

Another big change: Alongside RTB veterans such as Nas, Common and various Wu-Tang Clan members, this year’s roster embraced a significant number of more radio-ready acts – most notably J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Tyga, 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa. All of them are more likely to turn up at a Powerhouse at Honda Center than this traditionally underground-focused bash.

Organizers claimed they wanted to construct a lineup that fulfilled an old-school-meets-new-school theme. But given that Day 1 comprised mostly mainstream players and Day 2 predominantly underground and classic artists, it’s debatable whether that goal was actually met.

Regardless, what was achieved amid that milieu was what Rock the Bells does best: draw in rare performances and reunions that continue to solidify it as the world’s highest-tier hip-hop and rap gathering.

On Saturday, the strongest of all performers – absolutely uncontested – was Eve’s return to the stage alongside fellow Ruff Ryder star DMX. Not that it wasn’t a blast witnessing the latter rapper hype fans with the ever-aggressive hit “Party Up (Up In Here),” but it was infinitely more thrilling when Eve, exuding more beauty and confidence than ever, strutted down the main stage’s center catwalk, downright killing it on her verse of “Ruff Ryders Anthem.”

Read more on Rock the Bells on the Soundcheck Blog.

Photos and article by David Hall, for the Orange County Register

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Orange Pop: Local bands rally for ‘Turkey’

August 20th, 2012, 4:07 pm by

Steve Guzman awoke and was surprised to see CHP officers, paramedics and firemen surrounding his car. He was dazed, confused, desperate to remember what had happened – how he went from cruising down the 5 freeway in Anaheim to suddenly being at a dead stop with authorities attempting to assist him.

It was Monday, May 14, about 4:30 p.m. The 27-year-old had just worked his first full day at CAPC in Whittier, a nonprofit organization that works with adults with disabilities, and he was on his way back to his Santa Ana home when the accident occurred. He lost consciousness and control of his 2005 Scion xB and drifted from the fast lane through moderate afternoon traffic and into a wall on the opposite side of the freeway. He avoided hitting anyone else but the impact totaled his vehicle.

He doesn’t remember any of that.

“They asked me my name and I couldn’t remember,” Guzman said during a recent interview, sitting comfortably on the couch in his parents’ family room almost three months after the accident. You can tell he’s still searching for answers about what happened that day, his eyes squinting slightly as he tries to recall all the details.

“I couldn’t remember who I was or what I was doing. In the ambulance they asked me what day it was and I said really fast, ‘May 14th!’ I kept saying ‘May 14! May 14!’ It was the only thing I could remember because it was my first official day at that job and I was actually going to be paid. I was so looking forward to it for such a long time, so that was the first thing to come back to me. Then they asked my name and I said: ‘Steve!’ I could remember my name.”

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Music News: Don the Beachcomber hosts 2nd Annual Tiki Highway

August 16th, 2012, 4:22 pm by

Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach is hosting the 2nd Annual Tiki Highway event on Sunday, Aug. 26 featuring car, motorcycle, bicycle and art shows, hula dancers, drink specials and live tiki carving.

Click here for photos from the first annual Tiki Highway event.

There will be live performances by the Chop Tops, the Tequila Worms, Jason Lee & the RIP Tides, the generators, Fully Fullwood, Judy Luck, Cece Larue, Murrugun the Mystic and more.

There will be a classic car coast cruise from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. which ends at Don the Beachcomber. The main event is open to all ages from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is free, but proceeds from the event will go to the National Veterans Foundation.

Click here to see a video from Tiki Highway 2011.

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