The Offspring brings real punk rock back to Paso Robles

It was such an amazing night, celebrating a sold-out show with punk legends The Offspring at Vina Robles Amphitheater (one of my favorite local venues). One thing that gets me stoked about going to concerts is knowing that, sometimes, I might not know who the opener is and I get to experience someone new. The […]

Rise Against with The Used & Senses Fail in San Diego

Walking up to Petco Park was like going back 20 years in time… everyone was garbed out in their best emo and punk rock attire, a style ubiquitous throughout the 00s. It made me want to grab a Mickey’s and bounce around town aimlessly like in my high school days. Now, there are fans of […]

Streetlight Manifesto brings serious ska to San Diego

Ska punk legends Streetlight Manifesto brought their upbeat, skank-pit inciting, horn-heavy performance to San Diego’s House of Blues on July 13th, with direct support from Elder Brother. Stoked to see these legends again live, it destroyed my soul when I realized that I had torn my knee — like, really messed it up. Didn’t matter, […]

The Interrupters step up for Flogging Molly in Pittsburgh

It’s a surprisingly beautiful day on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, PA. But the night was also a little different… aside from the usual black and gold painted on the city and its people, you could also find a collection of groups in combat boots, huge spiked mohawks and kilts lining up around Pittsburgh’s favorite […]

Foxy Shazam stimulates Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl

It was another midweek show for me, as I headed into Nashville to my favorite music venue. Upon first glances, it seemed as if it was going to be a laidback and quiet night at the Brooklyn Bowl. I arrived 30 minutes prior to showtime and the venue wasn’t even a quarter full; it was […]

BeachLife Festival 2022: Day One

BeachLife Festival is in 2022’s rearview mirror. Regardless, the buzz surrounding its success is still heard regularly. The highly-anticipated convergence of music, art and community where the Pacific Ocean meets the Redondo Beach shoreline kicked off Day One with the return of Jim Lindberg of Pennywise — a BeachLife staple performer. Day One festival-goers were […]

This Ain’t No Picnic coming to Pasadena in August 2022

In the fine words of Sheryl Crow, “this ain’t no disco” and “it ain’t no country club, either”. That’s right, because alternative rock is harder and here to stay. In this same vein, the fine festival producers over at Goldenvoice introduced This Ain’t No Picnic to high acclaim, set to grace the Pasadena Rose Bowl […]

A night of prog rock with Anthony Green in Pomona, CA

This should be a thing: it should be some type of Las Vegas residency or traveling circus that never stops. Every artist witnessed at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California on May 21st — which included Tim Kasher, Anthony Green (of Circa Survive) and Laura Jane Grace — mentioned how they wished this tour wouldn’t stop. […]

Goodbye, Cruel World 2022

As a next generation New Wave kid, when Goldenvoice announced a brand new festival for late Spring of 2020, my little black heart was overjoyed. Morrissey, Bauhaus, Echo & The Bunnymen — need I say more?! Cruel World was going to envelop my entire Spotify and Pandora streaming life, all into one day. And, then, […]

First night on tour with The Offspring in San Diego

The Offspring kicked off their tour in San Diego at Cal Coast Amphitheatre on the SDSU campus. I love seeing the opening night of a tour, especially after a pandemic; everyone is just stoked to be back onstage doing their thing again. That said, The Offspring did play Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2021, but this is […]

Two full weeks of SXSW 2022

SXSW is known for many things… whether it’s throngs of happy music lovers, rediscovering their love of seeking the best new bands, or the pack of tech guys in networking nirvana. Or, the film geeks and geek-ettes, gawking in gritty discourse over the merits (or lack thereof) of their latest screening. For me, though, SX […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 69: Nathan Ruyle

Welcome to an all-new episode of Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast! Hosts Victor Ramos and Skunk Manhattan are joined by Nathan Ruyle from his new post sound facility in Burbank, CA. Ruyle works as a sound designer, supervising sound editor, re-recording mixer and founder of the independent post-production sound company, This is Sound Design. In a career […]

Reverend Horton Heat at OC’s Garden Amp

On April 8th, Reverend Horton Heat headlined a show at the Garden Amp. They were supported by the Delta Bombers and 40 Acre Mule. 40 Acre Mule out of Texas started the night out, getting everyone moving with their mix of country, soul and rock sound. It was my first time seeing them and I was really […]