In the decades since the sounds of ska infiltrated Orange County, the local music scene has definitely gone through some changes. Live music junkies have been left to fend for themselves in a sea of emo, screamo, hardcore and other intricately titled audible slop.
But last night at The Grove in Anaheim, things were sunny side up again. Ska legends, The English Beat, were good enough to drop in and give us a taste of what we've been missing. Add to that a brilliant set by progressive ska heroes
Ska is dead? Guess not! Huntington Beach's Reel Big Fish, famous for riding that third wave of ska in the late '90s (with hits like "Sell Out" and uh...well, "Sell Out" was really big!), are coming to the Grove of Anaheim on Aug 2. Opening up? Two-tone ska revival band The English Beat. Flummoxed by all this ska? Get ready for more! The Supervillains are opening. Oh yeah. Tickets are on sale Friday at noon.Even more exciting? Frank Sinatra Jr. continuing to live off the legacy of his father (you
I honestly didn't know that Reel Big Fish was still together until I moved here last year. That's not a slam against them; Turn The Radio Off was one of my favorite albums as a young lad (seriously, how great is "Beer"? Both the song and the beverage). I just hadn't really heard much (OK, anything) about them since that record's disappointing follow-up, Why Do They Rock So Hard?. Happily, the Huntington Beach ska band is still making music, and are in fact are set to release a new live DVD on Ju
Andrew YoussefDon't be fooled! This picture is from Saturday's show!Friday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater--the first of No Doubt's four sold-out hometown shows and the beginning of the end of the band's reunion tour--I sat in my seat the Irvine venue not quite knowing what to expect from these aging locals.
If there's one thing that I've learned about Orange County during my time here, it's that in the early-to-mid '90s, ska was apparently the only genre that bands were allowed to play. Sadly, the "scene" seems to be pretty quiet these days, but for tonight at least, that changes with the "ska circus" at the Grove of Anaheim.The lineup is as follows Suburban Legends (pictured), Starpool, Nuckle Brothers, Half Past Two and Task Force: Panda. The event is sponsored by OC Weekly, so I probably look
No band likes to be turned into a "virtual karaoke circus act." But that's exactly what No Doubt's manager Jim Guerinot is saying about the band's disapproval about having their likenesses placed in Band Hero, the latest abomination of button-pushing musicianship created by Activision. Yesterday, the band slapped the video game company with a lawsuit claiming that the way their images were used was done unlawfully and without permission. According to the Associated Press, No Doubt o
