DISNEY GOES ELECTRONICA
Last week, the DisneyParks blog gave fans of Tron their first look at the concept art for a Tron-meets-rave-geeks extravaganza called—we kid you not—ElecTRONica, said to be the “greatest nighttime dance party to ever rock Disney California Adventure park.” Starting Oct. 8, ElecTRONica will be open at the Hollywood Pictures Backlot on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus all week during Thanksgiving and Christmas. What’s in it for you? Lasers and a dance club (featuring lots of Daft Punk, we hope!), face painting, a Flynn’s Video Arcade and the TRON: Evolution video game area. From a Sept. 2 Heard Mentality post.
TRUSTY IN DUSTY
Dusty Rhodes & the River Band gave what is likely one of their final performances at the OC Foodie Fest, and they brought the right amount of Skynyrd-inspired rocking to show why they’ll be sorely missed. But don’t despair too much: Out of the band’s demise comes a sweet campaign poster for front man Dustin Apodaca’s run for Anaheim City Council. It features the Matterhorn. Apodaca says local artist Brian Lara designed the Disneyland-referencing, Obama-esque artwork. Writes Apodaca in a Facebook message, “I wanted to come across as a progressive political leader and ready to fully exploit every new opportunity that may present itself with the new high-speed rail that will soon be built in the great city of Anaheim.” From an Aug. 30 post by Spencer Kornhaber.
HEARD IN OC
Steve Aoki grew up in Newport Beach in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He says growing up in a very conservative, white part of Orange County definitely “turned me into the person that I am.” Aoki took solace in Orange County’s hardcore punk scene and immersed himself in music.
Fifteen years after moving away from Orange County, Aoki is a world-renowned DJ, heads the DimMak label, books various dance-music festivals around the country and introduces cutting-edge music to locals by way of the Pacific Festival: OC, which happened recently in Costa Mesa.
The Pacific Festival: OC was conceived because, Aoki says, there wasn’t much going on by way of festival life. His goal for the Triangle Square event? “We’re introducing a lot of [up-and-coming] sound to Orange County people who are finally accepting of something like this,” he says. “I don’t know if something like this could’ve happened even a year ago.” Ironically, the group originally wanted to hold the festival at Oak Canyon Ranch by Irvine Lake, but because of the Electric Daisy Carnival fiasco, there were complications getting permits. “Orange County itself is still really conservative, so I wasn’t surprised,” Aoki says. From a Sept. 3 post.
lbose@ocweekly.com
