Back to the 70s with Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg in Santa Ana

Okay, okay, okay… out of all the bands that played The Observatory in Santa Ana on September 11th, 2022, only Marky Ramone’s original band, the Ramones, were from the 70s, but c’mon — D.I. was created in 1982! That’s close enough right?! Las Vegas band JERK! opened up the night and really started the show […]

Shooting the sh*t with Sublime tribute band Badfish

I was fully stoked to have a sit-down with Joel Hanks of Badfish — a bassist extraordinaire who shares his story of his band and his brothers. And, when I say ‘brothers’, I mean Scott Begin on drums, Pat Downs on lead vocals and guitar, and Danny on horns.  This is their journey to (40 […]

Flogging Molly drops ‘Anthem’ of the year

The last several years have been incredibly challenging and painful for damn near everyone around the world. COVID changed everything overnight; it stripped away so many dreams and promises, ended careers, financially harmed countless and it took away far too many loved ones. What it could not take away were those things that bind so […]

Incubus mesmerizes Mountain View, CA

On Friday August 26th, Incubus brought their summer tour to Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre, with tour support from Sublime With Rome and The Aquadolls. This was the sixth show back after four shows canceled, due to Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd throwing out his back and unable to move. Boyd shared the news to fans […]

X Ambassadors hosts benefit for abortion rights in Los Angeles

What seemed to be another regular concert at the iconic Troubadour turned out to be a marvelous night, headlined by X Ambassadors and full of surprise guests — all to support reproductive rights, thanks to the National Network of Abortion Funds foundation. X Ambassadors — along with Rosie, Jensen McRae, Lexi Jayde, corook, Grandson and […]

Triple Thread debuts with fun-filled ‘Feels Like Home’ LP

Musical genres are a thing of the past. If you don’t believe me, Triple Thread‘s first full-length album, Feels Like Home is all the proof you’ll need. The Orange County-based five-piece band successfully combined the musical stylings of popular genres, including reggae, rock, ska, pop and punk. The results of such unique combinations means there’s […]

Tropidelic comments on ‘All The Colors’ album, Everwild & more

Punchy, funky reggae rock-hip hop group Tropidelic hosted their self-created and produced festival, Everwild, this past weekend on August 12th and 13th in Legend Valley outside of Cleveland, Ohio. On the heels of Tropidelic’s seventh studio album, All The Colors, released via Ineffable Records on August 5th, the camping festival lineup included headliner Dirty Heads, […]

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 […]