Author: teamupstarter

SOCIAL DISTORTION TO PLAY 91X WREX THE HALLS

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Performing In Support of Hit Album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Revered Southern California rock ‘n’ roll band Social Distortion will be performing at the upcoming “WreX The Halls” concert hosted by popular San Diego radio station 91X. The legendary band will be performing December 11th on night two, alongside Blink 182, Pennywise and more. The concert will take place in San Diego.
In addition, Social Distortion has added some North American dates for January and February with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls and Sharks playing in support.
Southern California natives, Social Distortion pioneered a revamped rock ‘n’ roll sound merging outlaw country, classic punk and swaggering blues rock. The band’s latest album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes has been the highest charting of their storied career with USA Today called the revered band “as intense as ever.”
To purchase tickets for Social Distortion at WreX The Halls, just go to: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2C00475BC72F4C0F

Social Distortion Tour Dates

w. Chuck Ragan & Suedehead*
w. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls and Sharks ^

Nov. 23 – Buffalo, NY – The Town Ballroom *
Nov. 25 – Louisville, KY – Expo 5 *
Nov. 26 – Toledo, OH – The Omni *
Nov. 27 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Orbit Room *
Nov. 29 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theatre *
Dec. 02 – Denver, CO – Odgen Theatre *
Dec. 03 – Denver, CO – Odgen Theatre * SOLD OUT
Dec. 04 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre * SOLD OUT

Dec. 10 – Los Angeles, CA – KROQ ALMOST ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS @ Gibson Amphitheatre SOLD OUT
Dec. 11 – San Diego, CA – 91X WREX THE HALLS @ Valley View Casino Center
Dec. 16 – Santa Monica, CA – Gary Tovar’s GV 30 @ Santa Monica Civic Auditorium SOLD OUT

Jan. 27 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel ^
Jan. 31 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater ^
Feb. 01 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre ^
Feb. 03 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater ^
Feb. 06 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory ^
Feb. 09 – Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium ^
Feb. 10 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^
Feb. 13 – Chico, CA – Senator Theater ^
Feb. 14 – Modesto, CA – Modesto Center Plaza ^
Feb. 16 – Ventura, CA – Majestic Ventura Theatre ^

The Shell Corporation – Force Majeure

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(c) 2011 The Shell Corporation
[rating:6/10]

The Shell Corporation, to be confused with the Shell Corporation is what comes up when you google the band and see the link to the group’s website. A lot of times bands won’t have an accurate picture of what they really sound like, but this time I think they hit the proverbial nail on the head. I may not have said that after the first listen. After initially hearing Force Majeure (the group’s new album), I was really looking for a frame of reference and someone to compare them to. I had been listening to Holding Onto Sound’s The Tempest EP recently and I heard (imagined) so much of them in the Shell Corporation that I had to check to see if any members of the band happened to be in both groups (the answer is no). Like I said the comparisons were imagined and the only song that I could even hear what I thought I had was on “Ozymandias”, the second last track of the album.

While downloading the album I was reading the webpage and they mention a comparison to early Against Me! Confusion would run rampant again. I was convinced that “Broken Hearted Loser” was the second coming of “Shit Stroll.” While I can still hear where I got the comparison from it wasn’t completely accurate.

Don’t get me wrong, there are comparisons that can be made, and you can pick out possible influences in their songs (I even heard a little bit of Dead to Me’s “A Day Without War” in “Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying”). But I learned a few things from listening to Force Majeure (a good listen by the way, with something for everyone from political punk to punk ballads): think critically before you take things you read at face value, take your time before making any snap judgements, and finally The Shell Corporation, to be confused with the Shell Corporation.

T.J.

Cold Blue Rebels – Zombie Love

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[youtube w6DjHvDXNSw]

COLD BLUE REBELS US TOUR DATES (w/ The Rocketz)

10/19 – Coaster’s Bar & Grill (Ft. Walton Beach, FL)
10/20 – Durty Nelly’s – (Gainesville, FL)
10/21 – Unofficial Rev. Hort Heat After Party – Goon’s Alley (St. Petersburg, FL)
10/22 – The Monterey Club – (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
10/23 – TBA (Orlando, FL)
10/24 – TBA
10/25 – The Mill – (North Charleston, SC)
10/26 – Black Cat Lounge – (Fayetteville, NC)
10/27 – 37th & Zen – (Norfolk, VA)
10/28 – J.B. McGuinnes Pub and Grille – (Newcastle, DE)
10/29 – Kustom Kreepfest – Europa (Brooklyn, NY)
10/30 – Roxy and Dukes – (Dunellen, NJ)
10/31 – TBA
11/1 – TBA
11/2 – 3rd and Walnut Bar (Lansdale, PA)
11/3 – Boondocks Club (York Haven, PA)
11/4 – The Shrunken Head (Columbus, OH)
11/5 – Annabelle’s Bar & Lounge (Akron, OH)
11/6 – The Underground Lounge (Chicago, IL)
11/7 – TBA
11/8 – The Bomb Shelter (Milwaukee, WI)
11/9 – Southgate House (Newport, KY)
11/10 – 3rd St. Dive – (Louisville, KY)
11/11 – Lindbergs – (Springfield, MO)
11/12 – Blackthorn Pub (Joplin, MO)
11/13 – Rogue Pizza Company (Fayetteville, AR)
11/14 – Downtown Lounge (Tulsa, OK)
11/15 – TBA
11/16 – TBA (Amarillo, TX)
11/17 – The Gasworks (Albuquerque, NM)
11/18 – Cinnabar Nightclub – (Flagstaff, AZ)
11/19 – Webers – (Reseda, CA) w/ Koffin Kats & The Rocketz

Upcoming So Cal Dates:

12/2 – Webers – (Reseda, CA)
12/3 – Happy’s / Dee’s B’Day Party (Chino Hills, CA)

Tomas Kalnoky Debut Solo

TOH KAY (TOMAS KALNOKY OF STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO) ANNOUNCES DEBUT SOLO FULL LENGTH STREETLIGHT LULLABIES
TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 22, 2011 ON
PENTIMENTO MUSIC COMPANY

Toh Kay, perhaps better known to the masses as Tomas Kalnoky, frontman for Warped Tour favorites Streetlight Manifesto, will be releasing his debut solo album, titled Streetlight Lullabies on November 22, 2011 via Pentimento Music Company. The album features 10 Streetlight Manifesto songs stripped down to their acoustic bones, offering a rare glimpse into Toh Kay’s creative process. While Toh Kay began as a series of acoustic shows, it has since evolved into a fully developed musical project which strives to intimately connect listeners with the songs they treasure.

Toh Kay’s first release, You By Me: Volume 1, which came out almost exactly a year ago this November, was a split with friend and labelmate Dan Potthast and featured each covering, rearranging, and changing five of each other’s songs for the album. After select dates around the United States and the world in support of the release, Toh Kay sat down to record Streetlight Lullabies in May of 2011 at The Pentimento Recording Company, the label’s in-house studio in Southern California. The album features sparse, personal arrangements of Streetlight Manifesto favorites such as Watch it Crash, The Big Sleep and A Better Place, A Better Time.

Pre-order for Streetlight Lullabies is available through Pentimento Music at www.theriscstore.com.

Vandaveer – September/October Tour

Thursday, October 20th
Melissa Ferrick w/ Vandaveer
Brick by Brick
1130 Buenos Ave.
San Diego, CA
8:00 PM / All Ages / Tickets: $15

September / October Tour Dates:

9/15 – Arlington, VA – IOTA Club & Cafe *
9/16 – Baltimore, MD – The Metro Gallery *
9/17 – Staunton, VA – The Mockingbird Cafe *
9/18 – Takoma Park, MD – Tree House Concerts *
9/21 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head #
9/23 – Roanoke, VA – Kirk Ave. Music Hall
9/24 – Cincinnati, OH – MidPointMusicFest (MOTR Pub)
9/25 – Chicago, IL – TBA
9/27 – Toledo, OH – Ottawa Tavern *
9/28 – Columbus, OH – TBA
9/29 – Dayton, OH – Southpark Tavern *
9/30 – Canton, OH – The Auricle *
10/1 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Brillobox *
10/2 – Morgantown, WV – Mountain Stage @ WVU Creative Arts Center %
10/14 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall %
10/15 – Lexington, KY – Natasha’s
10/17 – Berkeley, CA – Freight and Salvage+
10/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe+
10/20 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick+
10/21 – Fresno, CA – Fulton 55
10/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom+
10/23 – Flagstaff, AZ – Coconino Center for the Arts+
10/25 – Albuquerque, NM – Low Spirits+
10/27 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-BQ+
10/28 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s+
10/29 – Dallas, TX – Poor David’s Pub+

* w/ Sean Rowe
# w/ Tristan Prettyman
% w/ Ben Sollee
+ w/ Melissa Ferrick

Getting to know Blue Collar Convicts

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Getting to know Blue Collar Convicts:

Where are you from and when did you get started?

Keith: Where to even start? Blue Collar Convicts got started back in 2002 (I think) up in Pepperell, MA. I’m only going by copyright paperwork and it seems we started more presently than the dates the paper work reveal anyway. Most bands get rolling with a focus on something, but in this case BCC was supposed to be a side-project and nothing more. I was playing in a band with two biological brothers that hired me to play bass for them on a studio project. Somewhere during pre-production for our sophomore effort I decided I needed a break to record some of the material I’d been writing for a few years. Gratefully the brothers were willing to learn and rehearse the stuff I’d created. We rehearsed for two months and hit the studio. The sessions were brutal at first. Too much arguing and alcohol consumption left some songs far from completion. Overall the 5-song EP that came out of it received great critical acclaim nationwide but because of the bickering I finished the album with only myself and Dave Minehan (“The Neighborhoods) turning the knobs.

The brothers wanted to go back to the other gig and finish the follow up record but I bailed because I knew in my heart that the Blue Collar Convict journey was going be special. After a year off writing and playing solo acoustic gigs I decided to get it up and rolling again. I called my longtime comrade Jonny “Smash” Doty (“The Bloodsuckers”) to come aboard and start writing new material together. Coyotero and Delorenzo (drums & bass respectively) came on to help us get rehearsals going, however they left the band due to differences and the “$2 & Change” Album was finished up with only Smash and myself. BCC was effectively dead before we could even get the album a proper release party. After about 3 years of ripping through rhythm sections we came across Steve (Drums) and Dean (Bass) and the Blue Collar Convicts lineup has been the same ever since.

Who are you and who does what in the band?

Steve: Well for starters, I’m the drummer. I also handle our entire web presence and most of the bookings for the greater Boston area. Jonny Smash is our lead guitarist/vocs and does a lot of work on our flyers and merch. He’s been in a number of bands over the years and has ridiculous skills on the strings. Keith Jerszyk is our founder and lead song writer on rhythm guitar and lead vocals and covers booking for our northern MA/southern NH constituents. Dean Rider is our voice of dissent and bassist. He’s really good at getting Keith all sorts of riled up.

How would you best describe the sound?

Keith: We have many influences and desires when it comes to music. They range from our mutual love of all things punk rock to our basic foundations of classic rock, early 50’s/60’s rock & rockabilly to your staple blues and country.

Steve: We put forth a combination of all these genres that can be best described (we think) as “Garage Punk”. It’s nitty, it’s gritty, it’s catchy, the lyrics are hard working blue-collar relatable, and it hold true to both the punk and rock ‘n roll genres.

Dream rock moment (real or not)?

Jonny: I had a dream where I went to see KISS and they were old, not in makeup, and wearing their 80’s glam garb. They were at an arena but nobody was there. I just walked up to the stage and chatted them up and they invited me up on stage. We started running through their old 70’s stuff and the crowd started showing up and we really rocked the house. Everything was fine until Paul wanted to play “Lick It Up” (which I do, regrettably, know how to play) and then I woke up!

Does the time I took mescaline and watched Headbangers Ball and Gene Simmons stuck his head out of the TV and wagged his tongue in 3D count?

Steve: I am a die-hard Fat Wreck Chords fan. In that, my biggest (real) dream is to be in a band that either gets on the label or at least gets recognition from them. I think we have the sound and the ingenuity for it, but are just lacking in the notability nationwide. Now that things are moving, hopefully that will change.

Dean: To tour oversees (or anywhere for that matter) without coming home in the hole.

Still got day jobs?

Dean: While there is definitely great potential for BCC, we do have families and jobs to tend to. Keith works his ass off (10-12 hour days 5-6 days a week) has a wife and two sons that he needs to keep a lot of time for. Jonny works full-time and has a newborn son and a beautiful wife. Steve works behind a desk full-time and has to take on side-contracts to barely squeak by. I’m a truck driver with a newborn on the way (6 months or so down the line).

Any regrets?

Steve: I think our only real regret is not getting the band together as the line-up stands sooner. BCC has ripped through rhythm sections like one may cheap whores. Bassist after bassist, drummer after drummer and only 8-9 years later did we finally settle on a lineup that is all of what Blue Collar Convicts is, wants to be and stands for. The only problem now is that many of us have full fledged families making large-based touring pretty much out of the question and an ever growing shitty economy makes it hard to pay the personal bills, let alone keeping the gas flowing for local gigs, the electricity pumping for our rehearsal studio and the extra funds to cover things such as merch or studio time for a new album.

Jonny: That I squandered most of my talent for drugs. That I sold my VoxAC10TS for rent (and drugs/smokes). That I should’ve gone to Berklee on guitar instead of taking the flute scholarship. That my date with Winona Ryder fell through..frickin’ Johnny Depp…true story…

The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

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Last July 30th, Red Hot Chili Peppers held a late afternoon jam session on a California rooftop near Venice Beach, to record the official music video for “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” the first single from their forthcoming album “I’m With You” to be released on August 30th.
Today august 17th they invited fans from internet to enjoy the video on MSN, the video has a Beatles atmosphere, when they played the last time together on the rooftop for everybody who were close by.

For the Peppers, this wasn’t a goodbye, but a hello, we’re back!!

[youtube RtBbinpK5XI ]

cheers!

Stella