It’s not often that a band can come back after 35 years and release a noteworthy album that stands strongly among the rest of its discography, but that’s just what The English Beat have done. With the arrival of Here We Go Love, the UK-bred group’s first release since 1982’s “Special Beat Service,” The English […]
The Interrupters Learn to Fight the Good Fight From Bands Like Green Day and Rancid
Fresh off the heels of tours with big-name acts like Green Day, Bad Religion and the English Beat, The Interrupters are ready to continue their takeover of the ska-punk world with their new album, Fight the Good Fight. The 12-track disc, out on June 29 via Hellcat/Epitaph Records, is the Los Angeles-bred band’s third full-length, […]
Donavon Frankenreiter Brings The Sound of the Beach to OC Parks Summer Concert Series
Donavon Frankenreiter finds importance in giving back to the places he’s called home. Last month, the Mission Viejo-bred solo singer/songwriter helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in a benefit concert for the island of Kauai, where he’s lived for the past 11 years. Headlined by popular acoustic surf rock musician Jack Johnson, the show […]
Local Musicians Come Together for Bob Fest to Support OC’s Senior Super Fan
On most nights, it’s easy to find the nearly-80-year-old man Bob Rodman with his long white goatee jamming to some local bands and snapping photos at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa. And while the man may look like a band member’s grandfather or even great-grandfather, he’s just simply a dedicated music lover at heart. Still, […]
The Best and Worst of KROQ Weenie Roast 2018
Thousands of rock fans descended upon the StubHub Center in Carson on May 12 as KROQ hosted its annual Weenie Roast concert, with noteworthy performances from bands like Blink-182, Panic! At the Disco, Rise Against, Manchester Orchestra and Mike Shinoda. Just as the day’s weather couldn’t seem to decide between hot and cold, some aspects […]
Two-Tone Scene to Heat Up in the Summer of Ska
As if Orange County didn’t get enough of ska at this past weekend’s Back to the Beach Festival, the next few months could be considered the Summer of Ska. At least, that’s what Cameron Hallenbeck and Whitney Dunkle of Pocket Entertainment are naming it. The pair — who’s been responsible for events like last year’s Ska-mic […]
The Best and Worst of Back to the Beach
Festival season finally started to heat up for ska fans last weekend as John Feldmann and Travis Barker’s Back to the Beach Festival successfully made the genre cool again. Thousands of people flocked to Huntington State Beach over the weekend to catch a stacked lineup comprised of some of the most kickass names in […]
Why Back to the Beach is Good Enough to Be the “Coachella of Ska”
If there was any year for a ska resurgence, John Feldmann and Travis Barker say now’s the time to “pick it up.” “There was a point in time where being in a ska band wasn’t the coolest thing to ever be,” remembers Feldmann, frontman of Goldfinger and music producer of bands like Blink-182, The Used, […]
OCSX Aims to Reignite Orange County’s Music Scene
John Hampton is aiming to give Orange County a little taste of South by Southwest and bring a little bit of the OC to the rest of the world. The producer, who runs the Irvine-based Hampton Productions, will present the first-ever OCSX, or OC Music Showcase, inspired by showcases he’s booked with local bands to […]
Long Beach’s Toxic Toast Announces More Shows, Despite City Opposition
A Long Beach record store is chugging on with live music despite hurdles from the city to allow the business to open a proper music venue. Toxic Toast Records will present Epic Beard Men on May 5; PEARS, Fireburn, HIGH and Vultures United on May 19; and MC Chris and Bitforce on May 26 at […]
Seal Beach Label Awfully Good Records Helps Local Bands Blow Up Again
Eric Walden started going to shows about a decade ago because the Two-For-Tuesdays concerts at the original House of Blues Anaheim were “cheaper than seeing a movie.” Getting his first taste of live music inspired Walden to take it upon himself to help such smaller, local bands flourish. The 23-year-old began his mission by writing reviews […]
Starpool Celebrate Their Skanniversary With Two Shows
Fifteen years ago, eight friends and former members of big-name ska acts like Save Ferris and No Doubt came together to help re-invigorate the Orange County ska scene and their own dedications to the scene. Today, the Anaheim-based Starpool – comprised of vocalist Alan Meade (ex-No Doubt), trumpeter Oliver Zavala (ex-Six Feet Deep, Los Superspies), […]
Warped Tour’s Final Lineup Announced
The Vans Warped Tour’s token red sign will be inflated for the last time this summer when the long-running festival takes its final bow. The 24-year-old, summer-long, Kevin Lyman-led event — which once boasted acts like No Doubt, NOFX, Eminem, Bad Religion, Sublime, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and Katy Perry — will span 28 dates, […]
311 and Sublime With Rome Headline Back to the Beach Fest
What do you get when you combine thousands of ska and reggae fans on the beach with performances from some of the top bands in the scene? Well, probably a lot of sand kicked up from all the skanking. Goldfinger’s John Feldmann and Travis Barker, of Blink-182 and Aquabats fame, as well as Synergy Global […]
Kylie Hughes’ Songs Are Video Concepts Come to Life
An LA-based singer/songwriter will make her OC debut next week. Kylie Hughes — who sings poppy, original songs a la Michelle Branch and Sheryl Crow — will perform at Casa in Costa Mesa on Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. The songstress’ musical career began when she was a teenager and picked up a guitar for […]
Steven Page Dresses Up Pop Songs With Classical Music
We may never get answers from Steven Page about the inspiration behind lyrics like “Chickity China the Chinese chicken.” However, the former frontman of The Barenaked Ladies will perhaps teach his Orange County fans about a different music genre on Feb. 11 when he performs alongside the Art of Time Ensemble at the Musco Center […]
OC’s Ska Scene Goes On Tour With This Year’s Skacademy Awards
Soon, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fresno and Berkeley will get a taste of Orange County ska — and all the goofy puns that come along with it — when Pocket Entertainment’s third annual Skacademy Awards skank into the (ghost) towns for the first time ever. And No Doubt it’s going to be pure […]
Why is the Queen Mary Suddenly So Attractive to Goldenvoice?
Could Long Beach become the home of the concert industry’s next Coachella-esque event? That’s what Goldenvoice is hoping for. Earlier this month, the concert and festival powerhouse announced a partnership with the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach. There, the group looks forward to hosting festivals in genres like Latin, urban, electronic, reggae, rock, country […]
A Ska Band’s Attempt to Make Amends Over Homophobic Comments Creates Controversy
Three years ago, fans and members of a Las Vegas ska band posted comments on social media ridiculing a Long Beach man for his beliefs and homosexuality. Now, the band says they regret their past actions and are holding a show benefiting gay pride groups, but their victim isn’t letting them go quietly. Andy George, […]
Did Lindsey Stirling Create the Next Generation’s Nutcracker?
With holiday tunes accompanied by theatricality, dancing and several costume changes, Lindsey Stirling’s Christmas performance could very well be a new Nutcracker of sorts for younger generations. The show, starring Santa Ana native Stirling and touring around the country, will hit the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Dec. 21. Stirling said Los Angeles, where she […]
Dr. Freecloud’s Record Shoppe, A Victim of Fountain Valley Gentrification, Won’t Go Quietly
Although he’s being forced to move his record store, the music isn’t being silenced for Ron Dedmon. Dr. Freecloud’s Record Shoppe, in Fountain Valley and owned by Dedmon, will have to find new digs following the recently announced rehabilitation of the Fountain Valley Square Shopping Center, which was built in the 1970s. The renovation has […]
