Guitar Center Inc.

OC Music Awards: Robert Jon & The Wreck Win It All

OC Music Awards Best Live Band Finals House of Blues Anaheim February 26, 2013 Last night, the final round of the Orange County Music Awards battle for best live band gave us one big-bad ass rock show that tested our attention to detail. Rolling out a well-crafted line-up (not a filler band in sight ... More >>

OC Music Awards: Finalists For Best Live Band Announced

After Tuesday's seventh and final preliminary showcase at the Yost Theater, the finalists for this year's Best Live Band Showcase Finals have been announced. After 35 bands competed, only five have advanced to compete next Tuesday at the House of Blues in Anaheim.

Long Time Mom and Pop Store Rockit Music Closing its Doors

After more than two decades of selling guitars, amps and drums to a fiercely loyal group of customers, Rockit Music in Brea will soon close for good. Though he declined to name a specific date, owner Ian Williams said the store will likely shutter its doors in two weeks."I think it's a fait accompli ... More >>

10 Ways to Piss Off Your Bartender

By: Rick GiordanoWhen I'm not raking in the millions writing for music blogs, I, much like many of my fellow artsy-fartsies and anti-professionals, have to earn my dough in the service industry. Working directly with customers in any job can be a trying and frustrating experience, and especially in ... More >>

This Is What the Best Rock Drummer in OC Looks Like

Aric Improta battles for supremacy at Guitar Center's National Drum Off

Is My Band Accidentally Aiding a Right-Wing Extremist?

By: Jessica Hopper [Editor's Note:Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for ... More >>

DJ Duo Sex Panther Are Thrusting Their Way to Stardom

See Also: *Boys Noize Talks New Album, Working With Snoop Dogg and Skrillex *Singularity Highlights the M in EDM *Audrey Napoleon, EDM's Electro Queen, Went From Performing in Malls to Producing Her Own Clothing Line Before embarking on their semi-erotic EDM duo Sex Panther, Ryan Fontana and Aa ... More >>

Poncho Sanchez and Marlon Brando Once Bonded Over Bongos

The godfather of the congas talks about playing with the Godfather of Hollywood

Poncho Sanchez and Marlon Brando Once Bonded Over Bongos

See Also: *Ondatropica Combines Generations in the Name of Cumbia*New Music: Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra's 'Last Odyssey' *TriTone FINALLY Gives Southern California a Latin Alternative Music FestivalFor a Grammy-winning Latin-jazz artist raised in the shadow of LA, Poncho Sanchez is hardly a H ... More >>

Dawn of the Shred Has a Special Effect on Local Sound

Gearheads flock to the Long Beach guitar shop for hard-to-find accessories

NAMM: So Much More Than Long Hairs and Van Halen Fans

Brandon Ferguson​Almost every year for the past decade it seems like I have some musician friend who struts around waving a NAMM show pass in my face like the fucking golden ticket to Wonka's Chocolate Factory. My turn to stroll amongst the aisles of new musical products finally came this weekend. ... More >>

NAMM and the Zakk Wylde Roast at the Grove of Anaheim

​Have you ever felt overwhelmed stepping into a Guitar Center? A bombardment of guitar squeals, bass thumps, and misplayed notes on keyboards usually hit you all at once overwhelming you auditory canals. Going to NAMM is the like walking into a Guitar Center cranked up to eleven. Thousands of boot ... More >>

Guitar Center Opening New Location in Orange Tomorrow

Orange County has a lot of garages but only a select few of them are used for actually storing cars. Most of them function as what Marc Maron once referred to as the "museum of forgotten hobbies." But for every dusty treadmill or beer brewing kit that lies neglected there are hundreds of determined ... More >>

All the Thrice News You Need to Know Before 'Major/Minor' Drops

​Even though we did that cover story on Thrice and are getting a ton of entries to the Thrice superfan contest, we're still excited about watching them live. Or, you know, almost live. Fans can tune in Wednesday, Sept. 21  at 2 p.m. PST to see a live performance by Thrice streaming from Red B ... More >>

Social Distortion on Guitar Center Sessions Airing Saturday; Mike Ness Tells All

​Social Distortion perform at Guitar Center Sessions which Nic Harcourt hosts. I've missed that slight British accent! Plus, Mike Ness talks about Social D's 30-plus year career, how he started liking music ("By 7th grade I was listening to Lou Reed's Transformer. (While) most kids are just figur ... More >>

'Dexter' Composer Daniel Licht on Using Human Bones as Instruments and the Season Finale

Danielle Bacher/ OC WeeklyThere is only one episode left in the fifth season of Dexter, and the suspense is killing everyone...perhaps even Dexter himself. The wickedly enjoyable Showtime series centers on the protagonist Dexter Morgan, a forensics expert by day and a serial killer by night, an ... More >>

The C-Word

[Locals Only] Cunt Sparrer is a Cock Sparrer tribute band with a cutesy twist

Over The Weekend: California Metalfest IV at the Fox Theater in Pomona

Andrew YoussefFear Factory at California Metalfest 4​The Hype: How many hours of live extreme metal can you handle in a day? Eleven hours, you say? If this strikes your fancy then you were probably at the California Metalfest 4 held this weekend at the Glass House and Fox Theater in Pomona. A mind ... More >>

DJs, Guitars and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth at First Day of NAMM

If you have ever felt overwhelmed by stepping into a music store like Sam Ash or Guitar Center, then NAMM, the massive music trade show that kicked off Thursday at the Anaheim Convention Convention Center and runs through Sunday, is not for you. Andrew YoussefYour senses are bombarded by the errant ... More >>

OC Music Awards Partners with Fender, Collaborates with Laguna Art Museum, Rocks Detroit Bar

​Here's a fun fact for you: Did you know that before Fender became the world's most recognized guitar brand, it was founded in Fullerton in 1946? Weird right? I'm guessing most locals under the age of 50 didn't know that. But it was over a century ago that Clarence Leonidas (that's Leo Fender ... More >>

Easy Writer Part 7: Safety First--Again

​Last time was mostly about helmet safety, so let's talk about the rest of the body.If you ever find yourself about to get on a bike with just a helmet, shorts and a T-shirt, or you've done it in the past, hit yourself. Hard. That's flat-out stupid. Even the little, "I'm just running up to the sto ... More >>

What You Missed: The Steve Miller Band, No Doubt and a Visual Tour of Seal Beach

Andrew YoussefHometown heroes​It was the weekend: The weekend No Doubt, on their sold-out reunion tour, came back to town to play an anticipated four nights at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. While most of the band has since relocated north to Long Beach (and Los Angeles, but let's no ... More >>

Saturday Night: Dinosaur Jr., Earthless at Detroit Bar

Andrew YoussefSatuday Night: Dinosaur Jr., Earthless at the Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa; June 20, 2009.Better than: Going to Guitar Center in search of the perfect fuzz pedal.Download: Stream the whole new album on their MySpace.Speak softly and have six Marshall amplifier cabinets behind you. My hearin ... More >>

Legends Collection

Guitar Center

Attention: Petaluma and West Palm Beach

Fathers, lock up your daughters: Alfunction's coming to town.It seems as if a little band named (hed) PE has upcoming shows and needs a bass player. Something about their regular bassist having work visa programs. I don't know... Anyway, like every smart set of musicians in Orange County, when stuck ... More >>

Listen to the Band: Dusty Angel and the Have Nots

 Don't be alarmed folks. Despite his crazed outward demeanor on stage, or in the photo to your left, Dusty Angel is really just a nice, approachable guy. In fact, if you are a musician and happen to peddle your sonic wares in the belly of Downtown Long Beach, then chances are you actually have ... More >>

NAMM Stories: Reports From the Frontlines

Photo by Andrew YoussefBY RYAN RITCHIEApparently, scoring a ticket to the NAMM show is like the hair farmer version of acceptance into Disneyland's Club 33. Just ask my friend Brian, who was turned away from the event on Saturday even though I pleaded with the press people using my otherwise indefen ... More >>

[Aural Reports] Girls Just Wanna Kill Stereotypes: Pretty in Stereo look good, sound better

Chris Cornell's worst cover ever?

Ex-Soundgarden/ex-Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell recently released a solo album, Carry On, which is an effortfully mediocre and thoroughly undistinguished collection of 40-something-former-hard-rock-guy-tentatively-enters-maturity songs. Ordinarily, I would let its arrival go without mention or s ... More >>

Aural Reports

String You Along
Spirit Stallings, custom guitar maker/repairman

Album Review

Cornelius, Sensuous (Warner, available as import only)

Tapping All Levels

Veteran hip-hopper V.I.T.A.L. Emcee steps out on his own

Wail and Blow

The Last Gangs Brenna Bishop will be bluntshe wants you to play bass in her punk band

Faceless Shreds, Secret Sorrow

Buckethead returns from the mountaintop

Freeeeeeaky!

Big Business ram metal up your alimentary

The Big Beat-Off

All Tomorrow's Parties

Pig Pickin Paradise

Dine with local Cack-a-lacks at Kill Devils

The Sound of One Hand Rocking

The best of Rush in 21:12

Where Metal Came to Die

The Failure of (Almost) All Pop

Blowtorch Your Ears Off!

Kills for Blood

High on Fire gives whales boners

The Layoff Planet

If You Could Shoot Records

KUCIs eine kleine weirdmusick

Heir Guitar

World of Strings shows pluck

Long Beach Calling

Reign In Blood

Whats it take to get heard in Newport Beach?

Rock & Roll Ass Love

Jennifer Saifer, Motorsoule Bassist, Student

Whats humming through the skulls of Orange County