Ryan Ritchie

Ska Band The Skeletones Are Not Too Old To Out-Skank You

During the 1990s, the Skeletones used to play every friggin' show from the Inland Empire to Orange County. After search the Internet, you might assume that the 10-piece ska group from Riverside still maintains a busy schedule.But look closer and you'll notice that a few newer bands have also taken t ... More >>

The Guy Who Got No Doubt Discovered Needs Your Help With His New Book

Tazy Phyllipz has literally made a career out of helping unknown bands grow their audiences. If you don't believe me, just ask No Doubt, Sublime and Maroon 5 - three groups who received airplay on Phyllipz's radio program The Ska Parade long before corporate America knew what a hollaback girl was. ... More >>

Dead Kennedys Top the Print Section, Along With Frank Turner, The Shrills and Ask Exene

[Editor's Note: Every Thursday, in addition to bombarding you with blog posts, this newspaper does something really crazy...we write a print version! Here's a taste of our top stories this week]1) Our lead story this week focuses on San Francisco's iconic punk outfit Dead Kennedys who, despite the a ... More >>

Broadway Singer Susan Egan Talks About the OC High School of the Arts and Growing Up in Seal Beach

​When I hear the term "Broadway," I think of lots of things, but mostly I think of New York City, bright lights, people wearing pea coats, taxis and how bummed I am that I never got a chance to see those failed "Spider-Man" previews. However, thanks to Saturday's Long Beach Symphony POPS! concert, ... More >>

Metalachi at DiPiazza's Last Saturday Night

​Metalachi and the Go To ElevensDiPiazza's Long BeachJan. 27, 2012It's not every Saturday night when I walk into a venue and there's a band on stage playing Spinal Tap's uber-classic "Stonehenge." But it should be because that was pretty much the most awesome way to start an evening.

Long Beach Symphony Orchestra's Enrique Arturo Diemecke Explains the Musical Joke

​Two things pop into my head when I hear the term "musical joke." One is something along the lines of Tenacious D or those classic Adam Sandler Saturday Night Live sketches. You know--stuff that's meant to be funny.The other is a lot less positive and brings to mind the word "trainwreck." We've al ... More >>

Lords of Ruin's Lauren Boquette on Opening for Korn, Writing a Book and Google-Driven Name Changes

​Full disclosure: I've known Lauren Boquette of Lords of Ruin for approximately seven years and I consider him a friend. But the first time we met, I wasn't so sure we'd have much in common. Allow me to explain.Without ever meeting him, I hopped in a van with Boquette, my friend Gabe, someone who ... More >>

The Spell at the Blue Cafe Last Saturday Night

​The Spell, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel and Ambush FreqsBlue CafeDec. 31, 2011You know you went to a good show when you're 100 percent sober on New Year's Eve, your date flakes on you a few hours before leaving, no girls even come close to kissing you at midnight and you still have a really ... More >>

An Open (Love) Letter to Nancy Sanchez

​Hi Nancy,My name is Ryan Ritchie and I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. Let me explain.A few days ago, I was browsing this here blog when I came across Gabriel San Roman's post about how you created a Kickstarter page in hopes of coming up with $15,000 for your full-length debut. One thing I a ... More >>

Drummer Floyd 'Bud' Gaugh Quits Sublime With Rome

[Mental Notes] Plus, 'Slayer Bob' lights up your holidays

Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa at the Wiltern Last Night

Ryan Ritchie​Snoop Dogg and Wiz KhalifaWiltern December 13, 2011 To use a tired party cliche, if you remember the Snoop Dogg/Wiz Khalifa show last night at the Wiltern, you weren't there.I mean, seriously, was anyone not getting high? The answer is no.Wiz performed for about a half hour ... More >>

Rapper Gillionaire: 'I tatted gwas across my chest--that's swag in reverse... so hoes can see that shit in their rear view mirrors.'

​On Oct. 18, I introduced two YouTube videos that are not only changing the face of music on the Internet as we know it, but are also re-shaping and re-defining the idea of swag. The songs ("Rifles Burs" and "Snacks") are so life altering, so hard ("Gunshots are the beat!") and so damn good that t ... More >>

Album Attack to Play Rocket from the Crypt's 'Circa:Now!'

Circa:Now! will be performed, but not by these guys​Cover songs are a dicey subject. On the one hand, you got your bands that write their own awesome shit and play other people's tunes as either a nod to great music or as a fun escape from their own material. But on the other, you got your band ... More >>

June 2011: Best Concert Shots

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly Arctic Monkeys performed at the Fox Theater Pomona on June 2, 2011. Click here to see more images! ​We've pulled together the very best concert shots from June 2011 for your viewing pleasure. After the jump: Awesome pictures from Peter Bjorn & John, Weenie Roast ... More >>

Youth of Today at the Glass House

Ryan Ritchie​ Youth of Today June 6, 2011 The Glass House There have been a few thousand beers between the time when I was a straight edge punk and now, but that didn't stop me from having a good time at last night's Youth of Today reunion show at the Glass House. Although, in all honesty, a few ... More >>

Yes, Virginia, There Are Hipsters in OC

[Mental Notes] Plus, Avalon Says No to Being Sober

Avalon Bar's Anti-Sobriety Protest Friday Night

Ryan Ritchie​Lest anyone think the cops don't know what's happening on the streets, read this: Avalon Bar's anti-sobriety protest was slated to begin at 9 p.m. Friday. And it did. By 9:05, there were four people holding signs that read stuff like "There's a party in my pants" and "I'm drunk." Ther ... More >>

Avalon Bar Hosts Anti-Sobriety Protest Tonight

Let's toast to anti-sobriety!​It's about time someone stood up to the powers that be and demanded change. And I'm not talking about that sort of change that gets thrown on campaign posters only to be forgotten once elections are finished. I'm talking real change, the sort that requires protests to ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

UCI Prof Remixes the Egyptian Revolution

[Mental Notes] Also, Parker Macy to open a record store at the Lab

Dave Wakeling From the English Beat: 'Charity Reminds You That What You Do Has Another Use Besides Paying the Bills'

​​Sometimes a party is the best remedy for a negative situation. And when you're throwing a party, you have to have music. The people behind the Love Hope Music Strength Foundation know this, which is why The English Beat (fronted by former Orange County resident Dave Wakeling) are playing Satur ... More >>

Getting a Clue About the New Fingerprints

[Mental Notes] Also, a sneak peek at the impending Café Calacas

Parker Macy Soon to Open New Record Store at the Lab

Facebook.com​Parker Macy is all over the place in the best possible way. When he's not shredding in Pistolero, he's a solo artist who plays the blues. And as if that weren't enough, he's opening a vinyl record store at the Lab on March 1.Called Creme Tangerine (it's a Beatles reference), the shop ... More >>

Jon Snodgrass From Drag the River: 'We Get Asked to Play Weddings and We're a Little More Geared Toward Playing Someone's Divorce'

​Ten years ago, Jon Snodgrass was on stage at Lake Forest venue the Gypsy Lounge. It was a Friday night on Valentine's Day and his Colorado-based alt-country band Drag the River was performing to a receptive crowd. Then he--like many who have been drinking-- had an idea that sounded amazing at the ... More >>

Ska Parade Celebrates its 20th Anniversary at Slidebar Tonight

Myspace.com​Long-running radio show the Ska Parade is in the midst of celebrating its 20th anniversary, which means the program is older than some of its listeners. It also means a birthday party is in order, so SP head honcho Tazy Phyllipz decided to celebrate by hitting the road with the Ska Par ... More >>

TONIGHT: Free Moral Agents at the Blue Cafe

Mary BellFree Moral Agents at the Prospector, Jan. 8, 2011​Free Moral Agents don't sound like anyone else, in the good kind of way. You wouldn't be wrong to say there's a distinct blend of trip-hop, funk, psychedelic, soul and rock at play in their vibe, but it's a fresh kind of take. The quintet ... More >>

Punk Rock Karaoke at Alex's Bar Last Night

Ryan Ritchie​Punk Rock Karaoke December 9, 2010 Alex's Bar Punk rock is supposed to be cool. Karaoke, while often barrels of fun, is not. So imagine the conundrum the members of Punk Rock Karaoke--drummer Derek O'Brien (Social Distortion, the Adolescents), bassist Steve Soto (the Adolescents, ... More >>

Punk Rock Christmas at Alex's Bar on Friday

​Even punks like to celebrate Christmas, which is why Orange County label TKO Records is throwing a shindig Friday at Alex's Bar in Long Beach. The lineup includes TKO-related acts such as Piss N' Blood, Smogtown, the Junk and Reducers S.F., a San Francisco band making its first Southern Californi ... More >>

Outgoing: Killers of Comedy at the Grove of Anaheim

​Shalom, everybody. The Killers of Comedy Show scheduled for Friday at the Grove of Anaheim has been canceled, somewhat mysteriously. Refunds available at the point of purchase.

Incoming: Snoop Dogg, Slightly Stoopid and Stephen Marley at Verizon in July

Conventional wisdom says that smoking pot makes you lazy, but here comes Snoop Dogg, back up in our area this coming July, just a little more than six months after his day-after-Christmas 2008 Glass House show. (That our Ryan Ritchie reviewed here.) The industrious young(ish) man will be coming to V ... More >>

[Sound Guy] The Disorienting Power of Coachella Can Make Strange Bedfellows (and Beds)

An Encounter with Punk Rock Kids at Ralph's

BY RYAN RITCHIEI'm standing in the bread aisle at the grocery store when these three punker kids coming near me. Two of them looked like they were just getting into punk. Or maybe they just weren't as interested as their friend when it came to transforming themselves into a walking, talking billboar ... More >>

Recommended: Mondays at the Avalon Bar with Stretch and Nao

BY RYAN RITCHIE Monday night's a good night for drinking 'cuz the squares are stuck at home watching Seinfeld reruns. That's why I've made Avalon in Costa Mesa (originally owned by the late Mike Conley) my new hangout spot. Well, that, and the fact that I know the bartender.Anyway, I've been pleasa ... More >>

Slideshow: The NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center

If you were not one of the very few to attend the NAMM Show this past weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center--and, well, odds are you were not--you can get a better idea of what the heck goes on over there thanks to this slideshow from Andrew Youssef. Also, don't forget about Ryan Ritchie's report ... More >>

Ongoing: NAMM Show in Anaheim!

The annual NAMM--National Association of Music Merchants--show is currently ongoing at the Anaheim Convention Center, through this Sunday.Now, before I moved here, I had no idea what a NAMM show was. Apparently it's a pretty big deal, though! If you're a music merchant, at least. Looks like lots of ... More >>

Last Night: The Heathens at the Juke Joint, Anaheim

BY RYAN RITCHIE Last night was surreal. Strange. Uncomfortable but kinda exciting. You see, I watched another man fuck my girlfriend. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.) The truth is, I went to see a band called the Heathens at the Juke Joint in Anaheim. I used to play bass in this group and had ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Stooges Guitarist Ron Asheton, R.I.P.

By RYAN RITCHIEI don't make a habit of waxing poetic about people I've never met, and I sure as hell won't pretend to know anything about Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton that doesn't involve his music. But I was still shocked when I popped on my computer this morning to discover the 60-year-old was fo ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Last Night: Snoop Dogg, Warren G, The Twins at the Glass House

BY RYAN RITCHIELast Night: Snoop Dogg at the Glass House in Pomona, Dec. 26, 2008.Wanna know if you're old? Go see Snoop Dogg and ask yourself which category of fans you fall in to. You're either in a) the group of shaggy-haired teenagers who wouldn't mind if he played "Sensual Seduction" twice, or ... More >>

This Week in the OC Weekly

In our annual music issue, "Feedback": Vickie Chang educates us about OC musician Pat Visel and his music that no one has heard.Chris Ziegler interviews Greyboy about how he looks to make a name for himself with a new Best-of compilationNed Ragget talks to KUCI DJ Sam Farzin about 'College Rock'Ryan ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Last Night: Foxboro Hot Tubs @ Alex's Bar in Long Beach

By Ryan Ritchie The last time Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool hit Long Beach, they called themselves Green Day and played at the Arena to thousands of pre-pubescent fans and those fans’ moms. Last night was a bit different. Using the moniker Foxboro Hot Tubs, the Berkeley trio p ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

What's on Sly Stone's Mind?

Some ambitious comeback plans, a call for any—any—hip-hop artists to collaborate, and not a little crazy shit. Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart is about to return to the stage after a long absence. He's performing with a makeshift version of the Family Stone (rumor has it that Sly's bro Fredd ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

What you missed over the weekend: Part VII

Remember R. Scott Moxley's challenge to a certain former sheriff? The one in which he dared Michael S. Carona to play the contents of secret tapes containing conversations between himself and former assistant sheriff Don Haidl? The same tapes Carona said would prove his innocence?! Well, Mox threw ... More >>

Sunday - 12/2

‘Imperial Rome: Discovering the Ancient Civilization’ at the Muzeo in Anaheim, The Lemonheads at the House of Blues, Winter Fantasy 2007 at the Sawdust Festival grounds

Letters

“Why can’t polygamists be more like Mike Carona? He only has one wife (and a mistress and a couple of girlfriends)”

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