Though International Women's Day is still months away, the organizing collective behind Orange County's annual Grrl Fair is already busy plotting its 10th anniversary. The March DYI riot-grrrl-inspired event is soliciting submissions on its MySpace and Facebook pages for all the facets that make it a unique, women-centric celebration: female-fronted bands, artists, spoken-word poets, filmmakers, speakers and more.
The collective asserts in a recent blog post that this year's all-ages installment will be free of charge, as well as the “biggest and best Grrl Fair ever!” Last year, the event was shaping up to be just that, with an all-girl skate jam and a solid lineup of local talent ready to rally the feminist fury before a last-minute cancellation sent organizers scrambling.
Code enforcement and permits were cited by the Santa Ana Police Department as the chief reasons they would be compelled to shut down the unauthorized event at 511 Creative Space downtown. In response, clothing-and-culture store Calacas stepped in and hosted a scaled-down version of Grrl Fair as the bands played on.
This time around, the Grrl Fair collective has chosen the Mike Harrah-owned Santora Arts Building in downtown Santa Ana as the place to host its March 12 celebration. An early flier for the event lists a program of events starting at 4 p.m. and ending at midnight. From a Jan. 19 Heard Mentality blog post by Gabriel San Roman.
NEW DRUMMER FOR AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Huntington Beach-based Avenged Sevenfold suffered a loss in December 2009 when drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan passed away at age 28. Now, just a little more than a year later, the band have named Arin Ilejay (formerly of the now-defunct “metalcore” band Confide) as their newest member via a statement on their official website. Avenged Sevenfold are about to embark on a tour with Stonesour, Hollywood Undead and New Medicine, a bill that has been dubbed “Nightmare After Christmas.” From a Jan. 21 post by Vickie Chang.
NEW NAME FOR THE GROVE OF ANAHEIM
Amid much fanfare and in the presence of several dignitaries, the Grove of Anaheim was officially renamed in a ceremony on Jan. 24: It is now the City National Grove of Anaheim. (One of those dignitaries, announced in advance, was an executive VP of City National Bank, so that was kind of a tip-off.) And the new website URL? Yep, it's www.citynationalgroveofanaheim.com. Be sure to bookmark it, if only so you won't have to type it. From a Jan. 24 post by Danielle Bacher.
NEW NOMINEES FOR THE OCMAS
The nominees for the 2011 Orange County Music Awards were announced last week. Some artists are past winners, while others are fresh faces to the OC scene. For instance, the Best New Album category features offerings from A7F, Stacy Clark, Dahga Bloom, The Growlers and The New Limb. The contest added two new categories: Best Youth Artist and Best Music Video. Yet to be announced are the Outstanding Achievement Award for OC Impact and Lifetime Achievement, as well as the Best Live Band and Best Live Acoustic acts. You can vote online at www.ocmusicawards.com/peoples-choice-award for your favorite OC band to receive the People's Choice Award. From a Jan. 21 post by Danielle Bacher.
This column appeared in print as “Should Be Grreat!”
