House of Blues Anaheim transforms into an intimate pool of song lovers. I wade neck deep in a peanut gallery with sensitive middle-aged Weezer kids (also known as Ben Folds Five fans).
This is the show I never thought I’d see.
Northern California meets Nashville with Nataly Dawn and her band. As first timers on the road together, Nataly experiments between four-piece arrangements including “Green Eyes” by Coldplay and vocal-guitar tunes like the magnetic, “I Just Wanted You To Get Old”. The sultry one-half of Pomplamoose shows us her whiskey rock side, …
Remember that heavily tattooed lizard guy that was on Ripley’s Believe It Or Not once upon a time? Yeah–Lizardman started a band. No–we didn’t interview him. *disappointment* Instead, I had a chat with Lizard Skynard guitarist, Jagermeister lover, and former Heavils member, Mossy. We talked chortling, Prop 19, and of course, Jager. The disappointment didn’t last long.
So why do you guys hate Anderson Cooper so much?
This is his [Lizardman’s] personal vendetta against Anderson Cooper. I’ve asked him a lot of times and others have asked him as to what it …
The Constellations
Southern Gothic – CD Review
Virgin Records
6/10
When I first picked up the record and read–The Constellations, I knew it would be my next Racket victim. The band’s name sounds like a Motown group, but the eight-piece group from Atlanta does not use enough tambourines for that. There are definitely plenty of handclaps though! Scanning my eyes downward, I read the title of their debut album, Southern Gothic, and my mind instantly went to Faulker. However, what ensued was not grotesque southern literature but rather, a clusterfuck of awkward sounding party …
Porcupine Tree
Anesthetize
Kscope/Roadrunner Records
8/10
Even though you may have never heard them on terrestrial radio, Porcupine Tree has become one of progressive rock’s solid touring bands with shows dating back to 1993. Their latest live DVD, Anesthetize, was released earlier this year in May and features the five-piece band rocking out in Tilburg (for the geographically challenged, that’s in the Netherlands) from a tour in 2008. The captivating live show features their 2007 album Fear of a Blank Planet in its entirety and that’s just the first half…
The band’s performance is musically …
It’s winter. It’s cold. We get it. However, it doesn’t give anyone the excuse to confuse fab with frumpy. Some trends just need to be buried like an Egyptian. Do yourself a favor and ring in the New Year with a new sense of style and humor…because we at Racket dress to the nines all the time.
1. Costello Glasses – To the wearers of these spectacles, if your name isn’t Buddy Holly or Elvis Costello, beware. You might look like you’re pretending to be smart to no avail. Chances are: …
I Am Ghost
Live in Orange County
Epitaph Records
According to Steve Juliano, “It’s a bitch to record a live album.” Ain’t that the truth.
I sat down with Juliano and the band at the Hustler Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard to talk about their latest release, Live in Orange County. Entirely self-produced and distributed without the help of their label, Epitaph Records, the album is a raw performance of a sold out show at the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA.
With tasteful mixing and mastering of David Adam Monroe at Time Bomb Studios, editing savvy …
Not too many white dudes like fried squid because it’s too “weird”, “ethnic”, and it smells funny [Emperor's Note: Like Kateri. BURN!]. However, Casey Crescenzo of Boston rock band The Dear Hunter is one of the few that does. I sat down with Casey at the Uva Bar in Anaheim’s Downtown Disney before his show with Thrice to talk beards, Disneyland, the band’s new album Act III: Life and Death, and munched on calamari (which was quite tasty). The Dear Hunter’s pleasantly young-faced tour manager, Connor also makes a special …
Dethklok
w/Mastodon, Converge, High on Fire
November 19, 2009
Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood, CA
The best part about mosh pits has nothing to do with big hairy metal heads wiping their herpes-ridden body parts on your shoulder-and-then-some as they bum rush the stage. Mosh pits are communal joy for the annual to everyday concertgoer. We were all ticking for the Dethklok as a Metalocalypse intro video started before their set. Pipe smoke combined into a bong worthy cloud above the pit as the once-fictional band, led by Metalocalypse creator and Dethklok front man, Brendon Small took …
All the way from “Oz”, St Leonards are the newest players on the Hollywood Sunset Strip. Named after their hometown, the independently run trio from Australia is charming, sincere, and stocking up on frequent flier miles. They are currently on a West Coast US tour starting and ending in Los Angeles.The beginnings of St Leonards started off as a solo project of front man, Shane Fritsch. Secretly funky bassist, Chris Koelma, and never ceasing to rock drummer, Jeff Doukakis, soon joined the St Leonards troupe. They recorded their eponymous debut …
The Dear Hunter
W/ Thursday, Fall Of Troy, Touche Amore
Forget the music for a moment. I have never seen so many beards on stage. Then again, I’ve never seen Bon Iver live. Beneath all the hair, The Dear Hunter was undeniably rocking the Glass House for a grand total of thirty minutes. The last time I remember thirty minutes go by so fast was when I got my first decent facial seven years ago. (No, that is not what she said.) Fortunately The Dear Hunter has a handful of dates with …
Sinner Sinners
Characters, Pomona, CA
September 26, 2009
Since when did the French know how to play punk like that?
The dark punk duo of Sam and Steve Thill really did justice to the underground during their US tour this summer, making a pit stop in P-Town on a Saturday night. They were accompanied by their touring band, which included non-French drummer, Marky from the Morlocks, a bassist who they just call Ed, and this super sexy guitarist named Mike Zebra.
I decided to take Spanish in high school instead of French, so I epically …
As much we love Maynard James Keenan, move over, Tool.
Enigmatic and beautiful, English-originated band, Porcupine Tree pushes artistry in music to an even more psychedelic and progressive level. They often collaborate with graphic artist Lasse Hoile via sonic and visual stimulation experienced during their live shows. Formed and led by the self-taught producer and songwriter, Steven Wilson challenges himself and the band with each album release. Even though their style has evolved since 1987, their tenth and most recent album release, The Incident is influenced by ‘70s rock music. According …
This is not for the gear sluts. So you don’t have the budget to record at Capitol Studios…Big whoop. Elliot Smith recorded “Roman Candle” in his ex’s basement. Part of Rush’s “Power Windows” was recorded in a BARN. Check out these ten recording studio must haves for your home. They’ll look nice next to your lava lamp aquarium. (Yes, they make those.)
1) Pre Sonus ADL-600
You can splurge a bit on your preamplifiers. This hand-built two-channel preamp has been getting good reviews everywhere. I dig the sexy analog VU meter. …
Epitaph Records band, I Am Ghost, is a paradigm for up and coming rock bands. Despite their North American and European tour logs, the Long Beach based group still finds the need to play smaller, all-ages venues such as The Vault in Temecula. The venue was half empty but was still filled with the energy of an arena act. This is odd for a band that drew Goth kids from all corners of the Interstate-15 freeway.
At first I scoffed at the band’s entrance, which included dimmed lights, devilish …
Alvin Band
Mantis Preying
Intelligent Noise Records
9/10
Put a white version of Bobby McFerrin with Aphex Twin’s eccentricity in your mind, and you’ve got Alvin Band. Phoenix vocalist and drummer of Miniature Tigers, Rick Alvin Shaeir is a one-man band set to impress the home producers and barbershop lovers of the world with his first official release. Shaeier creatively infuses his own densely multi-tracked vocal harmonies with effects processed beat boxing and body part sounds throughout the nine-song release. I guess he took a hint from Daniel Bedingfield and decided to record …
.357 Lover
Diorama of the Golden Lion
Self-Released
10/10
.357 Lover’s debut LP, Diorama of the Golden Lion rises up from the saturated musical mire and into your hands on September 29th. Let’s just hope you’re smart enough to grab this instead of the new Hatebreed album.
Led by front man, Corn Mo, .357 Lover started its roots in Denton, Texas. His sound is often matched with Queen and Meatloaf, but the album is more than that. It is stylistically varied from the epic rock opera feel to country to Hebrew folk song …
