Show Preview: Hootenanny 2012 – at Oak Canyon Ranch – Irvine, CA – July 7, 2012

Fans of hot rods, pin-up babes and Rock ‘n’ Roll will get an earful at this year’s Hootenanny festival on July 7 at Oak Canyon Ranch. This will mark the 18th year that The Hootenanny will unite Punks and Rock-a-Billy folk for an entire day of musical performances and plenty of eye-candy as the audience votes for the next Miss Hootenanny.

The lineup includes a number of first-timers that will take the stage including California Punk Rock legends Rancid. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, this highly anticipated performance is expected to draw a rowdy crowd. The Bouncing Souls will also be there ready to perform their well-known melodic tunes, adding a Punk element to the equation.

Other performances you won’t want to miss include Lucero, The Growlers and The Reverend Horton Heat. With a long standing tradition of Country infused Punk rock, Lucero’s instrumental mastery and grueling vocals will be in full-form on the Main Stage as they perform selections from their repertoire of songs. The band’s major influence is derived from their Southern rock roots of Memphis, Tennessee.

Outlaw Country performer Roger Alan Wade (whose cousin happens to be Johnny Knoxville of the TV show Jackass) will be performing as well. Wade’s music has been featured on Jackass and has seen relative success with the promotional assistance of his cousin. Knoxville and Wade currently host an hour-long weekly show, “Big Ass Happy Family Jubilee” on Sirius XM’s Outlaw County channel.

Jonny “2 Bags” from Social Distortion will also make an appearance with his backing band Salvation Town. This will be their first performance together and crowds can expect a rockin’ set. Jonny is currently working on his forthcoming solo album, so keep an eye out for its release.

The high profile acts on this year’s bill continues with Kevin Seconds of 7 Seconds along with Old Man Markley. Support acts include The Rocketz, Murder on the 405 and Wreckin Katz, to name a few. But kick ass music isn’t the only thing to get excited about. The Hootenanny will also be host to over 300 kustom cars – this includes customized cars from the 1930s to early 1960s.

While attire is casual, those who enjoy getting dolled up have the chance to do so. It’s not uncommon to see pompadours and lovely ladies with pin up curls. The festival doubles as a craft fair with clothing, accessory and art vendors along with barber shop booths.

If the heat gets to you there will be plenty of refreshments and ice-cold beer to quench your thirst. The parking lot serves its purpose as a hang-out area for those who prefer to gather around the tail gate before and after the event. Security is on hand to ensure safety, but as past experience suggests the staff has been friendly and helpful.

Tickets are reasonably priced for an entire day of activities along with an impressive line-up, so you better get ‘em while they last.

http://thehootenanny.com/

-Breanna Fields-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

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Hands Like Bricks – EP II

Hands Like Brick’s latest release, EP: II, is the kind of record that gets placed on the turn table when you’ve called of a group of friends and are ready to pop open a can of beer. It’s fun and energetic, touching on subjects that remain relevant to youth and their everyday lives.

“We Made This Mess” is far from apologetic, starting off with a 15-second audio clip of band members reveling over the possibility of “getting lucky” at a Punk club. With all humor set aside, the track leads into a tumultuous account that details confusion and meltdown.

Leaning heavily toward an alternative punk sound, Hands Like Bricks are blunt in delivery and for that reason will keep fans on their trail. They steer away from meaningless metaphors and instead provide circumstances relevant to the situations and events regularly faced by their local Los Angeles and online fan base.

It is often thought that album artwork alludes to the content within, but not so much in this case. The cover appears to be an inside joke (that we may just never understand) or a random fusion of photos. It depicts two dinosaurs dressed in robes, hunched over their walkers like old, decrepit creatures. While band members may get a kick out of its purpose, if in fact there is one, the translation seems lost in the mix.

EP: II consists of six tracks, all of which are an average of two minutes in length. The songs are long enough to get into, yet short enough that listeners are apt to press “repeat.” This is especially true for the fifth track “Disappear,” which conjures up a feeling of recklessness through the straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll vibe of guitars and grueling vocals.

Over time the band has seemed to evolve into a more “serious” garage act, meaning their musicality and recording quality has improved over the ten-month span between the releases of their first demo until now. That being said, they still possess the same underground element that most DIY bands strongly value.

This EP remains highly recommended material for fans of the underground punk scene.

It’s available for preview and download HERE

 

-Breanna Fields-
Big Wheel Contributor
 

 

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Interview with Jeff Roffredo of The Aggrolites

Interview by: Gio Van Dam
Big Wheel Staff Reporter


Los Angeles based and hometown heroes The Aggrolites have been a juggernaut in the musical world for sometime now, showcasing their unique style and non stop energy to fans all across the world. Recently Big Wheel had an opportunity to sit and chat with Jeff Roffredo of The Aggrolites, Taking time out of his hectic schedule to talk tour, mexican food and of course "Dirty Reggae".Sit back and enjoy.

Big Wheel: The Aggrolites being natives of Los Angeles, What are a few things you look forward to when coming back home or playing to a home town crowd ?

Like the saying goes, "there's no place like home", and being out on tour more than we are home makes coming back all that more special for us. First off, it's always great to catch up and spend time with family and friends, hitting our favorite local spots and restaurants. I think any Southern Californian, regardless of their background, will tell you that they go through Mexican food withdrawals after any length of time abroad. Also, being that LA has a great music scene, you can check out live bands as well as DJ nights where they spin classic reggae and soul. And of course, the weather. Spending so much time around the world in all seasons we see all the extremes, from desert heat to Alpine snow, and it's hard to complain when home means 75 degrees with a breeze through the palm trees.

Being a product of Los Angles and incorporating athletes such as Matt Kemp in your lyrics How excited are you for the Los angeles sports scene?

As individuals we each have our own likes and interests, including varying levels of appreciation for sports, up to straight up fanaticism! We definitely all root for our home teams. We like to catch games when we're out on the road if they are being shown, and another nice part of coming home is getting to go to some games. We have two reigning champs in the Galaxy and the Kings, and with Magic's involvement with the Dodgers I think the whole city has a renewed excitement in them, if they keep playing the way they are playing they have a good shot at the first championship in almost a quarter of a century!

Pioneering the "Dirty Reggae" Sound, what do you think about being major influences on the budding, young ska core sound we see coming out of the San Fernando Valley and East Los Angeles areas incorporating that "Dirty Reggae" energy and tribute to their roots?

The "Dirty Reggae" sound definitely pays tribute to a lot of the masters of reggae and soul. Being fans of traditional music, it's always nice to see young bands that have a real interest in it too, and showing it in their music. You can always dig deeper and deeper into the past to find all kinds of musical gems, but it's exciting to see young bands creating music in the here and now that shows a true appreciation for the old school stuff we grew up with and still love. Right now there seems to be a surge in LA of these kinds of bands, and we hope that it only continues to grow, looking forward to see what's next!

With Fathers Day just passed, How large of a musical influence were the fathers in your lives?

Many of us are from musical backgrounds, Roger's father has been a keyboardist for legendary LA band Tierra, and he continues to play live shows with various groups. Jesse's father played guitar in bands inspired by the great soul artists of the 60's and 70's, they made a father-son ukelele duet you can see online. My father played bass and guitar in bands too, and growing up he was usually singing something, making up little tunes, or messing around on the guitar or piano, which he still does at home. So, to answer the question more directly, the influence was extra large. Thanks, pops!!

The upcoming 2012 "Unity Tour" Featuring SOJA, The Aggrolites, Slightly Stoopid and 311 is one of the highest sought after tickets around with anticipation to match, What are your expectations for this tour?

We can only expect the unexpected! We did some shows in support of 311 a few years ago, and Slightly Stoopid has taken us out on tour with them a number of times now. Aside from their musicianship and the energy they produce live, they are without a doubt some of the coolest and most generous people we've met in music, hands down. So we know that the vibes will be great for the summer all around, on stage and off.

Do you have any rituals on the road? if so do you ever find them spilling over into your personal lives?

I sometimes find myself driving hundreds of miles before I even realize what I'm doing. Not really.

The Osheaga  Festival is another show with a wide and deep pool of talented artists and acts from across the spectrum of the music world. When playing to these types of mixed audiences, does anything change as far as preparation or tunes you decide to play?

Often in these festival shows we get a set length that is more limited than we would do at our own club shows, and we also understand that we will be playing for people who have never seen us, so we know that we have to try to pack in everything we can in a more limited amount of time, and  show any first timers what we're all about.

What kind of reception do The Aggrolites get on the road in other countries? Any must see venues or bars for fans traveling abroad?

We go to Europe often and we've had the opportunity to play many big festivals there, as well as Fuji Rock in Japan. We always have a great time in Europe. We've also been to Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Reunion Island (off of the east coast of Africa) , and even Canada!! Everywhere we go we have a positive experience, we hope to be able to get out and play in as many new places as we can. It's great to have the opportunity to travel, see new places, meet new people and bring them what we all love, music.

Now what all the fans and our readers our just dying to know, What Do the Aggrolites have in store for their fans?

Glad you asked. After this summer tour with 311 and Slightly Stoopid we will get back on the road, most likely some international touring.
We have been working hard on new material and are planning to get into the studio soon, so be on the lookout for some brand new music in the near future! It's been a while since we've had the opportunity to record new songs, so we are really excited. We've also been putting a lot of time into creating the new songs, so we are able to fine tune and add new ideas as we go. So stay tuned, big things coming soon!

 

 

 

 

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Gnarmageddon II Featuring: Negative Approach – Stalag 13 – Knife Fight – Coke Bust – Media Blitz and Many More – at The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA

Promising to be “bigger, better” and “gnarlier” than last year’s event, Gnarmageddon II evolved into an experience that brought significant changes to the fest, most notably by bringing the noise from Pomona to Orange County. The change of venue from Glasshouse to The Observatory also allowed the performing bands to be distributed between two stages rather than just share one stage.

Gnarmageddon II also enabled the performances of two BIG acts: Stalag 13 and Negative Approach. The two contenders were supported by Aukerman, Chest Pain, Hordes, Trench Rot, Media Blitz, In Defence, ACxDC, Soul Search, Coke Bust, Magrudergrind, Dangers, and Knife Fight.

Doors opened at 5 p.m. and people were already purchasing tickets ready to go in and stay in. The first bands to play the Constellation Room and main stage respectively were Aukerman and Chest Pain. Throughout the event, bands did not play the venue’s two stages at the same time, but rather alternately.

It was during Hordes’ set inside the Constellation room that it became apparent how many people were present for Gnarmageddon II, and how many more would eventually pack the room. During Hordes’ set the band’s vocalist performed in the pit, meanwhile fans pushed, shoved, and hardcore danced all around him.

Trench Rot performed at the main stage immediately after Hordes and held the ground down for the old school 80’s hardcore sound, executed with the modernity of new hardcore. Once their set ended, everyone migrated over to the Constellation Room to experience the ferocity of Media Blitz.

Not surprisingly, Media Blitz performed for a crowd that seemed to devour every bit of sound that the band produced during their set. Typically when a band performs newer releases rather than old songs, crowd reactions tend to be less than enthusiastic, but Media Blitz proved to be the exception to this. The band’s new songs caused explosive behavior from the crowd all the same, and during their cover of Dead Kennedy’s “California Uber Alles,” fans were constantly flying into and out of the stage.

After Media Blitz’s set, it seemed that the next band was going to have a hard time topping Media Blitz off, but In Defence managed to provide a completely different experience, most prominently through a comical aspect. In Defence’s set was not only fast paced, but full of comedy, jokes, and laughs. The band’s vocalist made dedications to “taco punks,” “pizza punks” and the most important thing in the world: boobs. The band’s vocalist also made sure to teach the audience about the philosophy of pizza, and the importance and impact pizza has had on punk rock.

ACxDC took the stage inside the Constellation Room and altered the face of crowd surfing forever… or at least for the night. Prior to the band’s performance, the band’s vocalist handed out boogie boards to the crowd, and immediately into the band’s first song crowd surfers and stage divers utilized their boogie boards on top of people’s heads.

Soul Search followed and for the first time the entire night, the main action in the pit consisted of solely hardcore dancing. The band’s music predominantly maintained the sound of new hardcore.

Coke Bust performed afterward and by this time, the venue was so abundant with people that if you failed to rush over to the Constellation Room, you had no choice but to experience the band from the hallway that led into it. The area outside the Constellation Room was packed full of people who sought to experience Coke Bust’s hardcore songs.

Magrudergrind completely changed the sound and atmosphere with their east coast presence. The band held a variety of sounds through their different songs, embodying grindcore, powerviolence, and hardcore.

Words cannot describe the force and impact of Dangers’ set. Right from the start, the band radiated an energy that unleashed a fury of cataclysmic antics, with fans climbing the heads of others to reach the band’s vocalist. The goal seemed to be to end up face to face with the vocalist and scream along to each song. The band relayed personal thoughts regarding love of dogs, anti-homophobia, and overall social criticism.

Knife Fight brought back Gnarmageddonites to the main stage and finally allowed the crowd to remain at one stage for the rest of the night. The band encompassed everything hardcore in sound, stage presence, and especially in the vocals.

When Stalag 13 finally hit the stage, the emotion of the audience rang through within opening song “No Excuse.” The venue seemed to be full beyond capacity and this also appeared reiterated by the crowd’s collective singing and support. Crowd surfing reached an all-time high as the band performed songs from their album “In Control” and paid their own tribute to hardcore by performing Minor Threat and Agression covers.

Finally, the cherry on top to a night of hardcore punk was none other than Negative Approach. Unlike Stalag 13’s audible vocals, Negative Approach’s vocals maintained cacophonous and furious vocals that manifested the anger that IS hardcore.

With the promise of “bigger, better, gnarlier,” Gnarmageddon II provided a fresh and different batch of bands from last year’s event, allowing the event to be all the more remarkable with the reunion of Oxnard’s renowned Stalag 13. Until next year, in the words of founders Jason Schwartz and Danny Lyerla, “Stay gnarly.”

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Stephanie M.-
Big Wheel Senior Staff Reporter

 

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Punk Rock Motel for an afternoon of skateboarding and Punk Rock with a grip of bands – at Pink Motel – Sun Valley, CA

Rip it up!  On the third day of summer the iconic Pink Motel in Sun Valley found itself doing just that. Hosting the first ever “Punk At The Pink Motel 2012” It brought us an assortment of everything D.I.Y. Kicking off around 1:00pm Punks and skaters gathered around an emptied pool and makeshift stage like a wonderful flash to the past, to an era somewhat forgotten but as alive and in your face as ever. Generations past, present and futuretook turns shredding the pool and slamming in the mid day pit.

Pacoima based “Rip Off’ took the stage first getting the days festivities off in the right direction, harnessing a Dr. Know, Exploited like energy Rip Off’ is definitely a band to keep an eye on.

From Lock/Jaw to The Chimpz To Fallujah-71 all taking their interpretation of Punk and running with it. Lock/Jaw got the people moving with songs like “She’s a dude” and covers of Blink 182 and Pennywise’s “Bro Hymn”.



The Chimpz introduced us to something different a hard rap/rock style blended in with great covers of “Johnny B.Good” and “Sweet Home Alabama” dubbed “Sweet San Fernando valley”. Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was the hooch but another type of show broke out amongst the fans a type of “Shit Faced Striptease” stealing some of the attention away from the acts it wasn’t long before “our performer” disappeared into the crowd.

For the purist Fallujah 71 is right up your alley. The 3 piece band take a hardcore to the point approach to writing and playing, With songs like “Don’t Wanna Be A Moron” and “Psycho Neighbor”, it was more than fitting for the days debauchery.

As the time past the temperature rose and the empty beer bottles and cans started to pile up all around us. The vendors on hand had a nice array of goods to sample and buy. For skaters finding themselves in need of another deck Unmodern Industries had a nice selection of high quality boards and parts to keep things thrashing through the night.

For those looking for a clean smoke, David and Duke over at Dukie Stixx had a wide arrangement of hand made wooden pipes cleverly crafted out of old furniture legs and whatever else these two gents could find, in true D.I.Y. spirit they turn “one mans trash into another mans treasure” to create beautiful hand made works of art.

The Peeks drew the largest pit of the day and garnering the most fan interaction throughout their set. Dewey Peeks was a key part of getting the entire event together. The young 17 year old took it upon himself to organize and follow through from booking to vendors to securing the location, he wanted to capture the old school feel and remind people all over skating and Punk rock go hand in hand.

After Saturdays showcase on and off stage we look forward to seeing more from this young man and The Peeks.

Symbol Six was up and next and did not disappoint with a clean professional Punk sound and the crazy high energy of front man Eric Leach, It was a must see set and Eric made sure of it for the first 10 minutes, before a single note was played, he implored and demanded all skaters and folks gathered around the pool to join him at the front of a stage and they obliged.

To their drunken delight , Symbol Six ended a great set and dedicated their last song to all the skaters as they dropped in and barked the Pink Motel pool.

With the night winding down it was time to sober up and what better way than with a “Taqueria El Sevaro” taco, street dog or slider. Chef Pablo Romero served up these beauties all day to my personal delight I crushed about 7 tacos and was on the hunt for more. With my taco fix curbed and the sun dissipating into night.

Johnny Madcap And The Distractions with their rock n roll/raw pop sound drew everyone front and center. Ending the night, fittingly with Billy idols "Rebel Yell". These type of D.I.Y get it done shows are sadly few and far between and after the success of Saturday's event we hope its the first of many, cheers to the organizers for all their hard work to put on such a kick ass event!

Please NOTE: All of the photos that were shot for this article were taken without blocking the audiences view of the band or interfering with the band's performance. The goal is to document history, not to become part of it.


             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Gio Van Dam-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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The Scorpions – at The Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA – June 22, 2012

For anyone that says classic rock is outdated or it will never be what is once was, consider this:  it takes only a single utterance of the name Scorpions for an entire stadium of fans to appear. 

When I reached my seat it was about 8 p.m. To my left sat an overly enthused concert-goer pounding away on his invisible drum set. I settled back into my seat to await the start of opening act Tesla, a hard-rock group that gained popularity during the ‘70s.
The speakers were blasting some pre-concert music as I got my grub on, which I owe in part to the odd selection of cuisine at the snack counters of the Staples Center.  Soft pretzels or chips and beer are the usual indulgences one can make at this sort of gathering, but for some reason they felt that a full-on pizza restaurant and Italian eatery were necessary. I wasn’t going to argue.
The isles were flooded with people scrambling to their seats as Tesla took the stage. Their entrance was far from subtle as they stormed into the spotlight and started the night off with pounding drums and an extended guitar solo. This was just one of many flashy solos integrated into their set; an obvious trade mark of these rock ‘n’ rollers.

As their set progressed it was apparent that the crowd was becoming more and more involved in the performance. Although the lead singer didn’t appear to be the showiest of sorts, dressed in bell-bottom pants and a plain top, he had the crowd singing every lyric that came from his mouth. It was evident that the audience knew who they were and were genuinely enthused when they broke into hits like “Love Song” and “What You Give.”

“It’s been 26 years that we’ve been together; almost 30, since we hung out in Hollywood,” said lead singer Jeff Keith, as he looked out into the audience in disbelief.

The stage was cleared by roadies and techs as their performance came to an end. Their crew seemed to be in no hurry at all, leaving the crowd to hang tight for at least 30 minutes before it began. Finally, the lights shut off, leaving the arena in a state of darkness with the stage lit by spotlights. The drums departed from the stage on a riser that hovered higher than their gear.
Rock and roll forever.

These were the words tattooed on the bare back of Kottak as his arms stretched toward the ceiling, drum sticks clenched in the palm of his hands. The show had just begun. A “recent” addition to the German band Scorpions, having joined the group in 1996, Kottak has had the chance to celebrate along with the rest of the band as they gathered onstage at the Staples Center for their “final sting” farewell tour. If the crowd’s response gave any indication as to what fans desire, we can only hope that “farewell” was muttered tongue-in-cheek or turns out to resemble one of the multiple farewell tours KISS has embarked on.

The Scorpions have continued to prove their worth to the masses by providing an experience that combines appealing visual and sonic elements unique to their style. The stage was laden with eye-catching moments, including old footage of the band playing at a festival to 300,000 screaming fans.

“Sting in the Tail” was the opener of the night, a song that isn’t necessarily a huge hit but played well among their repertoire songs.  They later performed “Raised on Rock,” an anthem for every ‘80s rock child in the audience off of their 2010 album Sting in the Tail.

The crowd was receptive up until the moment they burst out in a reggae rock tune.  Panels lit the stage in Rastafarian colors and fans took their seats from a standing position to wait this one out. It was a song that would reach a wider fan base, but let’s face it: these people wanted to rock out. If not the expressions of confusion on their faces, then let their rock garb be a testimony to this fact. There were no hippies or Rastafarians, as far as the eye could see.

The performance of “Blackout” was a climactic part during show when rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker (brother of UFO guitarist Michael Schenker) strutted down the cat walk. The others follow in suit, creating a surreal moment for both the musicians and fans.
Lead singer Klaus Meine acknowledged this, giving a heart-felt “thank you” to express his gratitude. After all of these years, the Scorpions can still perform as well as they did at the peak of their popularity in the 1980s. Although the band has gone through a number of line-up changes over the years, their sound has not suffered; only improved over time.

The encore consisted of three tunes including mega-hit “Rock You like a Hurricane.” It was the moment we all had been waiting for. Their performance of such an iconic tune was unforgettable and the right selection to end the night’s entertainment.
As the band gathered to the front of the stage to bow, their eager expressions said it all. You couldn’t help but get the feeling that these Scorpions would sting again.
 

 

-Breanna Fields-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

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