THE PALADINS CONCERT REVIEW - THE OBSERVATORY - SANTA ANA, CA 6/13/2014

Formed during the rockabilly revival of the early 1980's, The Paladins have built their reputation on their incredible live shows. After taking a hiatus for a few years, the band is back together and have hit the road to do what they do best. The show at The Observatory in Orange County was one in a series of "homecoming" shows in Southern California. 

The band is centered around the blazing guitar work of Dave Gonzalez who seamlessly blends elements of blues, soul and rockabilly into his style. The backbone of the band's sound is the ferocious stand up bass playing of Thomas Yearsley and the blues grooves of drummer Brian Fahey.

We shot the video below of "Going Down to Big Mary's" which Dave Gonzalez mentioned was the band's first single. The video highlights Gonzalez's incredible guitar playing.

The band's two hour set included a nice selection of songs from all nine of the band's records. As a special treat for the packed house, rockabilly musician Kim Lenz got up on stage and performed with the band toward the end of the evening. Check out the performance with Kim Lenz below.

TIJUANA PANTHERS CONCERT REVIEW - THE FEDERAL UNDERGROUND - LONG BEACH, CA-7/10/14

We have been waiting patiently for almost a year for a Tijuana Panthers show in Long Beach. The band's last hometown appearance was at Fingerprints Records last August for a record release party for the album, Semi-Sweet. A lot has happened to the band in the past year. Back on June 10th they released the fantastic new album Wayne Interest on LA's Innovative Leisure Records. 

TIJUANA PANTHERS LIVE ON STAGE

The band has also been touring all over Europe this summer playing large music festivals with some of the biggest names in rock. When the Federal Underground show was announced we were looking forward to seeing the band play in this intimate, cozy venue. The Federal Underground, which is under The Federal Bar on Pine Ave., is one of our favorite new music venues in town. We were also looking forward to hearing the band perform their new songs live.

Once the band took the stage it was easy to see that they were in top form. They hit the ground running with the song "Four Horseman" which is the opening track from their new record. After that, they ripped right into "Cherry Street" which we were lucky enough to capture in the video below.

The band's sound is a combo of garage, surf and punk rock which translates to an incredibly powerful live show. The unique thing about the band is that all three members share lead vocal duties, each adding different vocal nuances to round-out their energetic sound. The amount of contagious energy that they create always sends their audience into a frenzy. Tonight's show was no exception. By the time they got to the song "Torpedo" the crowd was going absolutely nuts, slam dancing and crowd surfing.   

The band mixed their 21 song set list with tunes from all three of their records: Max Baker, Semi-Sweet and Wayne Interest. This was the kick-off of what would be 3 local, Long Beach shows. The latter 2 pop-up shows happened on July 26th at the Pike Bar and at Bixby Park as part of the Summer and Music Concert Series. The series of shows was a nice treat for their hometown fans that have missed them during their increasing success abroad.

TIJUANA PANTHERS FEDERAL BAR SET LIST

BURGER RECORDS REVUE AT THE OBSERVATORY- SANTA ANA, CA - 7/1/14

Over the past few years Burger Records has been putting together some really amazing shows at the the Observatory in Santa Ana. Tonight's show was called the "Burger Records Revue" and once again featured an eclectic mix of bands off the Burger roster, as well as some other great artists invited by the label. The show was an all ages event and a huge amount of people lined-up to get in before the doors even opened. Both the Observatory and Constellation rooms were scheduled with bands at alternating times which meant the entertainment was non-stop throughout the evening. The transitions from band to band were done quickly, which gave the night the feel of a Rock N' Roll road show from the 1950's.

CUTTY FLAM
The show got off to a high energy start with the San Fernando Valley rockabilly band, Cutty Flam. The band is self-proclaimed "Prom Punk" and describe themselves as the "Rock n' Roll sound track to a 1950's B-Movie starring Ritchie Valens opposite Betty Page and directed by Quentin Tarantino." The band played their half-hour set which included tracks from their recently released recording "Robot Heart." 

SUMMER TWINS

We are huge fans of this band, having just caught a show at Alex's bar in Long Beach a few weeks prior. We were really excited to see them live, again, blending flawless harmonies into their sweet, dream pop style. The Riverside based band mixed songs from their debut album, EP and threw in a few excellent new songs for good measure. We caught a cool surprise on video toward the end of the evening in the Constellation room. The Brown sisters took the stage with Vicky and the Vengents and played a cover of "Baby That's Me" from the 1960's band, The Cake.

MYSTIC BRAVES
Mystic Braves are a quintet of psychedelic retro rockers based in Echo Park, Los Angeles. They played a half-hour set of 1960's inspired sounds with big harmonies, jangly guitars and a garage rock sensibility. 

NICK WATERHOUSE
Nick Waterhouse's performance was easily one of the highlights of tonight's show. He took the stage looking a little like Buddy Holly and seamlessly mixed blue-eyed soul with 1950's guitar rock. He is an excellent musician, songwriter and vocalist on his own, but what makes his live show even more spectacular is the collection of top notch musicians that he surrounds himself with. At one point in the evening the Huntington Beach native mentioned that early in his career he would have been happy to play in front of 50 people. He went on to say that he could have never imagined playing in front of the packed house that was there to witness this show tonight. 

RONNIE SPECTOR
The act that everyone was waiting for, including the bands on this night's roster, was the incomparable and legendary Ronnie Spector of the famed 1960's, Doo-Wop trio, The Ronettes. The exhilarating 45 minute set included highlights such as Ray Charles' "What'd I Say," a dedication to Joey Ramone, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory," "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" and the crowd favorite, "Be My Little Baby." 

VICKY AND THE VENGENTS
The Colton based band, Vicky and the Vengents, have been receiving heavy airplay from legendary LA Disc Jockey Rodney Bingenheimer on his KROQ radio show. Vicky and The Vengents describe themselves as a "Psychedelic Maltshop Punk/Pop/ Rock n' Roll group" which is a perfect description of the band's sound. They are fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Vicky Tafoya and the punk rock guitar of Matt Beld. The band played a a 12 song set which included their new single "Sha Na" out now on Groovers Records. The band also played an amazing cover of "Baby That's Me" by the band The Cake. Sisters Chelsea and Justine Brown of Summer Twins joined them on stage for the song. Click on the link below to view this performance.                                                 

KING KHAN & THE SHRINES

One of the last acts to take the main stage wound the crowd up instead of down. King Khan is a James Brown style stage spectacle. Adorned with large Vegas-style head dresses and capes, the fun never ends with the party getting started on stage and infecting the crowd. The audience went into a frenzy, stage diving and crowd surfing to show their enthusiasm. King Khan one-upped the crowd stripping down to his skivvies.

THEE OH SEES

The evening closed out with a loud and furious bang when the San Francisco band Thee Oh Sees took the stage. The sonic power of the band seemed to channel an early Nirvana. The crowd was going absolutely nuts during their set and moved up and down as one huge mass that was collectively in sync with the band.

INTERVIEW: FATHERS & SUNS TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW ALBUM "&" DUE SEPTEMBER 9TH

The Long Beach quartet Fathers & Suns recently announced the release date of the follow up to their acclaimed 2012 debut album "Mama Provides." Their new album titled "&" (pronounced "Ampersand") is set to be released on September 9th. We had a great pleasure of interviewing the band about all the details of the new album as well as their new single "The End is the Beginning" which drops July 7th.  

(Live Rock Gig) Your new album is titled "&" (pronounced "Ampersand"). Can you tell us a little about where the title came from? Does it have any kind of a special meaning for you guys? 

Arturo (guitar, lead vocals): Early on, when we deciding on a band name, it boiled down to just "Fathers And Suns" or "Fathers & Suns." We all were obviously, in the end, more attracted to the ampersand as a part to our name. Now it is, in my eyes, the correct way to write our band's name. As we were halfway through recording this album without an album name, it just came to me. I thought it would help to finally make a sort of statement with "&". It is, after all, the correct way to write our band's name and we have dealt with many friends and fans still spelling it as "Fathers And Suns." I hope it simply sheds some light on this subject. Jay was the first one that I told about the album title, he really dug it, so them I started to share with Luis and Jesus. The more I learn about history and the meaning of the logogram "&" and its usage, the more it brings a special meaning to me. Did you know that in film and credits for stories, screen plays etc., it indicates a closer collaboration than "and"?

Luis (drums): I just saw the album art placeholder that Jay put up on our private Bandcamp page, where he's been uploading our current mixes, and I just fell in love with the simplicity of it - a black fancy ampersand, on a white background.

Jesus (guitar, lead vocals): To me, the significance of "&" is the constant evolution and the change that brings us together.

Jay (bass, vocals): Most obviously, the ampersand solidifies the stylization of our band's name, with the "&" rather than with "and." I think it's up to every individual to make sense of what it means to be them, as the ampersand also carries the undercurrents of our band's music, lyrics, ideas and intentions with itself. I like the idea that since the symbol represents the word "and", for this record, it also signifies inclusiveness and openness. Openness to the world, to alternative ideas, to always seeking and striving to grow and be better.

The first single from the album "The End is the Beginning" is being released on July 7th. Can you tell us a little about the song and what made you guys choose it as the lead single?

Arturo: I enjoy playing the song and always see positive reactions when we play it. It's the first song Jesus and I wrote together. It has become a favorite for many of my friends and so it just was a natural for it to be first on the list when we thought of releasing it as a single.

Jay: The song just has a very spiritual feel that makes it pretty epic. It's a highlight of the Jesus-Arturo chemistry: the unison vocals, the interlocking guitar parts. It puts you in a trance and it's such a beautiful piece of music, yet so simple. I think it's a great first representation, sonically and lyrically, of what people should expect from this album.

Luis: I think this is the first song I heard the guys perform, when I was thinking of joining the band (Program Love). I thought it was so cute, sitting at The Ultramegazone indie book store, oh so many years ago, listening to the Art and Jesus' dynamic. Yes, a simple, but effective song. And, lyrically, it beckons the "don't be scared of change" theme I felt at the time, whenever I hung out at the Chestnut House with those guys.

Jesus: As the title says, "The End is the Beginning" is just the point where the ultimate truth of the end will ultimately reveal a true beginning into something mysteriously beautiful and frightening.

You have also announced that a second single called "The Beat" will be released on August 8th, about a month before the album is released. What was the thought process behind releasing two singles before the album drops? Is it to build a steady buzz? We've noticed that many bands have been having a lot of success with this release pattern lately.

Jesus: When it comes to other bands and their methods of accumulating their successes, we're not really focused on the patterns of what makes someone else successful. We're genuinely trying to improve and commit ourselves to the love of the craft.

Jay: As Jesus said, I don't think we paid particular attention to any pattern. The play on numbers just came out of thin air. There was talk to release two singles and we voted and decided on these two. Given that we have about three months before the album release, we figured we'll release one single a month for the first two months and then the complete album.

Arturo: I guess it was about creating a buzz, I like the idea that you can send singles out into the world and give people a taste for what is cooking.

Luis: At the time we decided to release the singles, I was enthralled with the way way Lana Del Rey had been releasing her singles. So, I was pushing quite a bit. It wasn't calculated, per se. But, I did want to create the same kind of excitement I was feeling, in anticipation to her "Ultraviolence" album.

In our last interview we talked a little about the evolution of the band's sound since your first album. Now that the new album "&" is just about finished can you tell us a little more about how the sound has evolved?

Arturo: The album is not 100% finished. New guitars, amps and recording equipment has really helped our sound evolve.

Jesus: In general, most artists don't want to be condemned to their past works, but embrace the faults and successes of our previous record. So we build upon it to further develop the fundamental layers and grow from our past experiences.

Luis: Something we didn't touch on before, either, is acquiring our rehearsal space (Fat Sun Studio). When we put together the songs for the last album, we were at the Chestnut House trying to be quiet for the neighbors - bongos and acoustic guitars, mostly. Now with our own rehearsal space, we can rock out quite a bit. That's definitely had an effect on the feel of the songs. Also, the album is a bit darker, musically and lyrically. I think it's important to acknowledge that side of life; hopefully we're not dwelling.

Jay: Rather than just focusing on the sound evolution, I think it's worth mentioning that we have become an even tighter, better-communicating and more cohesive unit. To me, that's the evolution taking place. Yes, the sound is definitely evolving due to the aforementioned reasons as well, but the true evolving lies in how the individuals, their present psychological, emotional and spiritual states, and their instruments all come together to become the sound of Fathers & Suns.

We know that you have been playing several songs from the new record at your live shows. How have the fans been reacting to the new songs? Do you guys have a favorite song from the new album that you like to play?

Arturo: Reactions to our new songs have been positive, I've had several people come to me after shows and ask for song titles as they sing the melodies to them. It seems they are catching on. Nothing but positive reactions, no tomatoes on stage. I really enjoy playing "Don't Let Me Slide."

Jesus: Well, the audiences are certainly not throwing bottles or tomatoes, they enjoy the songs and remember them and sing along. My favorite song to play is "The Beat". It's still pretty fresh to the audience and I love to play it 'cause I always wanna dance to it. It livens me up and then I don't wanna stop.

Luis: When we premiered "Abstract Bear" at the inaugural night for The Getdown at the Federal Bar in Long Beach, the crowd had a genuine reaction to it. 

That song is my favorite to play, for sure. It's weird, it's quirky, it's dark. People have been requesting "Shimmering On" quite a bit, too.

On what formats will the new album be released? Where will the album be available?

Arturo: Digital and CD. There is talk of doing a vinyl too, but we have yet to see if we can cost it out according to our budget.

Jay: The album will mainly be available through our website, http://fathersandsuns.com/, and also several independent music stores, namely Fingerprints. As far as a vinyl release, we will have to decide whether the vinyl version will contain all the songs, because as is, the album will have to be pressed on two separate vinyls because of logistical issues, such as play time and a higher fidelity. That's aside from having to re-master it separately and specifically for the physical restrictions of vinyl. And since it's all a little more complicated, it'll likely take longer to see "&" on vinyl.

Luis: We're also pressing skin-implantable RFID versions, for the lull before The Kurzweilian Singularity.

What are you plans after the album is released? Any more thought given to a local record release party or a tour?

Jay: There is already something in the works for a local record release, but we cannot share any details yet. But we will make an announcement once it's finalized.

Jesus: There are no plans for a tour, however we're open to the possibility of it.

Luis: We've talked about doing a local record store "tour" and possibly doing some local book shops, in and around: Long Beach, L.A., the Inland Empire and Ventura County, perhaps.

DANCIN' IN THE STREETS: ALLAH-LAS, CALIFORNIA LIONS AND GREATER CALIFORNIA ROCK THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH - 6/28/2014

Long Beach's Summer and Music concert series got off to a sensational start tonight with the Third Annual Dancin' in the Streets event. The free SAM kick off show moved to a new larger location on the Downtown Promenade just a few steps from the building that once housed the legendary Blue Cafe. An estimated crowd of over a thousand people packed the area to see Greater California, California Lions and the LA psychedelic rockers Allah-Las. DJ Lithuanian Prince provided the soundtrack for the dance party that took place throughout the evening and continued after the bands finished their sets.

GREATER CALIFORNIA
Greater California kicked off the live performances with an impressive set that seamlessly mixed together both folk and psychedelic rock. The Long Beach band was celebrating the release of their new 7" single "Long Shadows" which is being released by local record label Porch Party Records. They chose to close their set with the new single and were joined on stage by an all star roster of local musicians including members of Bobby Blunders, The Humpers, Wild Pack of Canaries as well as three members of California Lions. It was a great start to an awesome evening of music.

Terry Prine of Greater California

CALIFORNIA LIONS
The Long Beach band took the stage and played a lively set of folk meets California dream pop. The inclusion of a horn section tonight added a soulful, high energy dance feel to several of their songs and kept the crowd dancing throughout their hour long set. The band mixed the set list with songs from their fantastic 2013 debut EP as well as songs from their soon to be released new record. Carina Downing and Daniel Perkins share lead vocal duties and they both have a quality to their voice which makes their music the perfect summer soundtrack. 

We have been big fans of California Lions since we caught them at last year's Folk Revival Festival back in November. Click here to see our complete recap with video:  
http://liverockgig.blogspot.com/2013/11/long-beach-folk-revival-festival-great.html

CARINA DOWNING OF CALIFORNIA LIONS

ALLAH-LAS
We have to admit that we were already huge fans of the Allah-Las. Once the announcement was made that they were playing this event we were counting down the days like a kid counts down to Christmas. The band is signed to Innovative Leisure Records which is also home to local retro rocker Nick Waterhouse and the Long Beach surf trio, Tijuana Panthers.

Allah-Las' sound is a mix of garage, surf and psychedelic all rolled into one. You can hear a little bit of early Stones, Beach Boys and Love in their mesmerizing, hypnotic music. Lead Singer/Guitarist Miles Michaud has always reminded us of a young, Animals-era Eric Burdon. His vocal style comes across as effortless and laid back but he can reach back with intensity just in the right spots. Lead guitarist Pedrum Siadatian, bassist Spencer Dunham and drummer Matthew Correia provide the exceptional Byrds-style harmonies which give their music a cool ethereal quality. Tonight's Long Beach show was the last stop on the band's US tour that started June 11th and featured a spot at the legendary Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee.

THE ALLAH-LAS

The band's excellent self-titled debut album was released back in September 2012. Tonight's set list was a nice mix of songs from the debut album as well as six songs from their new album Worship the Sun which is being released on September 16th. Drummer Matthew Correia took the lead vocal duties on a few songs toward the end of the band's set. Below is a video of Matt singing vocals on "De Vida Voz" which is the first track on their soon to be released new record.

We have to give credit to the organizers and sponsors of all of these great SAM events. They have given the residents of Long Beach great shows featuring amazing bands at no charge. After talking to some of the people in the crowd it was apparent that these shows are starting to become more of a regional draw by pulling in people from LA and OC. This bodes well for establishing Long Beach as a destination for music fans and in turn, driving the local economy. Don't miss Summer and Music's next event, Twisted at the Pike, which takes place July 11 featuring Fartbarf, De Lux, Free Moral Agents and Wild Park of Canaries.

ALLAH-LAS SET LIST

THE EARWIGS REUNION SHOW #1 AT TKO RECORDS - RECAP WITH PHOTOS AND VIDEO - 5/2/2014

Some people say "you should never look back" but those people have clearly never seen an Earwigs show. Sometimes it feels great to go back again. The classic 1981 Earwigs lineup have come together for two shows that they have dubbed the "Welcome Back, Farewell Tour." The first show of the two stop tour was May 2nd at TKO Records in Huntington Beach. The crowd was mix of both old and new fans and the hot, sweaty punk rock record store was the perfect venue for an Earwigs reunion show. 

Reunion Tour Poster at TKO Records

Frontman Michael Ubaldini took the stage with original members Ashton Rands (guitar) and Dave Reed (drums). Guest bassist Jerry Adamowicz was filling in for original bassist Tom Hughes who will be joining the band for the next show at Fitzgeralds on May 9th.

The Earwigs "on stage" at TKO Records

Not only are The Earwigs performing these two reunion shows but they are also finally issuing a full length CD of previously unreleased music that was recorded back in 1981. The only music that the band had ever released was a 7" inch single of "She's So Naive" with the B-Side of "Here Come The Earwigs." The original single is a collectors item which sells for over $400 on EBay. Below is a video of the band performing "Here Come The Earwigs" which is one of our favorites.

From the opening chords of the song "US Invasion" it was easy to see that the band still have incredible chemistry and they really seem to enjoy playing together. The amazing thing about their music is that it seems as timeless and fresh today as it was when it was originally recorded in 1981. It's also incredible to note that Michael Ubaldini was only 15 when he wrote this amazing collection of songs for his first band. Pairing well with the band's great chemistry was Michael's witty sense of humor which added to the fun. When he introduced the song, "Do You Wanna Be My Girlfriend?" he joked that in the end, "it actually worked" on the girl he wrote it for.

The band played the majority of the new full length CD and even managed to mix in a few Johnny Thunders covers. Ubaldini described Thunders as "a fellow Italian American" before ripping into "Chinese Rocks." After "Born To Lose" he joked that "All my heroes are dead I guess........except for Keith Richards" which led to some laughs and comments from the crowd about Richards current state of well being.

Tonight was a really great night of music. Even though the Earwigs reunion seems to be a brief one, they have left us with an incredible set of songs that captures the universal theme of what it's like to be young and carefree. Who knows what the future holds for the band. For now we've got one more show to look forward to on May 9th at Fitzgeralds;  And as we've said before...get you're ass to the show. You won't regret it.

Earwigs Set List from TKO Show

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MASKS WE MADE

We recently had the great pleasure of interviewing the Long Beach band Masks We Made. The duo features the vocals and lyrics of Andrea Sepulveda and the guitar and bass of Nando. The DIY band released a 3 song EP back in 2011 and are set to release their new EP Front Lines at the end of May. We are big fans of the band’s transcendent sound which combines alt rock and dream pop.

Masks We Made - Nando and Andrea

Can you tell us how the band came together?

Andrea: Our former drummer used to work with my brother-in-law and one day he shared that I wrote songs. He contacted me and suggested we jam sometime. Nando was there to play bass. We all clicked, we became friends and the band formed. This was in 2009.

Nando: During the winter months of January/February of 2009 my friend Silver and I would jam out and exchange random musical ideas. At one of our sessions he mentioned that his co worker’s sister in law played guitar and was writing her own music. He would be jamming with her soon and I asked him if they needed a bass player. A few weeks later we met up and had our first practice in my living room.

How did you come up with the name of the band?

Andrea: Before the band formed, I had my folk-y acoustic songs on Myspace and wanted to think of a stage name. So I spent some days thinking about it and one night during a bout of insomnia, I found myself working on an art project at 2 am making paper mache masks. I thought up the Masks We Made. I liked that it could be representative of people and identity. When the band formed, they liked the name and so it stuck.

When you play live do you add any other players or do you tend it to keep it to just the two of you?

Andrea: For a long time we had a drummer but now it's just the two of us though we were just recently discussing adding other players to help us out live. We love jamming out.

Who are the artists that influenced you to become musicians?

Andrea: I first started out learning acoustic guitar and I wanted to play and write like Johnny Cash. I was influenced by Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt. I also started attending a lot of concerts around that time and was deeply impressed with Conor Oberst and Jenny Lewis. Their songs and stage presence really made me think, 'I want to do what they do'.

Nando: One of my earliest memories of wanting to become a musician was seeing my cousin’s band play in my backyard in the early 90s. Bands like Operation Ivy, Tijuana No, Sonic Youth, Raul X and Marcus Pablo are some of the artists that influenced me.  Watching Trent Reznor break keyboards on stage and swing from cables sealed the deal.

In your band bio you describe your music as having an ethereal quality. We would agree. When we first heard your music it reminded us of many of the great shoegaze bands of the 80’s and 90’s such as Mazzy Star, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Galaxie 500. Are you fans of the shoegaze movement?

Andrea: Thanks! We have heard of these comparisons before and find it a big compliment. We are fans of those bands though there is no intention to sound shoegaze or fit into a certain genre.

Nando: Mazzy Star is just soothing. Love her. I remember back in high school my sister did a dance performance to "Fade Into You". Indeed a staple in my upbringing.  Darklands is on my morning commute playlist to work. I dig the Mary Chain.

Can you tell us about your new EP? 

Andrea: Our upcoming release is a three song EP titled Front Lines . We plan to release it at the end of May so it will be released soon! We'll have it available online through our social media sites and we hope to have some physical cds ready soon after to sell at shows.

Are you planning on having a record release party?

Nando: No plans on a record release party but we would really like that.

What do you like about being a Long Beach band?

Nando: We like being a Long Beach band because there is a vast diversity of cultures and acceptance. We really like how the community has different events for local artist support. We also like how mostly everything is walking distance. We can run our errands and not leave the city. Lastly we like being a Long Beach band because it's a musical whore.

What is the very first record that each of you bought with your own money?

Andrea: My first music purchase was TLC's Waterfalls. It was the single. I obsessed with that song and the video! The first record I bought was Romeo and Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack. I damaged the cassette from listening to it so much.

Nando: Green Day Dookie (Ha Ha)

http://themaskswemade.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/themaskswemade