End o' week musings

I was sooo comfortable and warm that I didn't want to get out of bed today. I even leaned over to peek out my window at the weather- sunshine! Must get up... must not miss sunshine before it starts pouring rain again... must get moving!!

Friday I went to the opening of "Characters" at Gallery at the End of the World in Altadena. The show features fine art and other work by comic book and animation artists and is really interesting. Some of the work is perky and fun, some of it is dark and curious. The exhibit will be up through this weekend- visit http://www.galleryattheendoftheworld.com/ for more information so you don't miss out!

Also, opening at GATOW Thursday will be a group exhibit featuring plein air artist Desdy Kellogg. Watch for my story on her, her work and her historic studio to publish Saturday at http://www.sgvn.com/. There should also be a photo gallery online at the site by Ron Fu, as he took a ton of photos of her art and that awesome Craftsman studio!

The show at GATOW will run March 4-7. Gallery hours are noon-6 p.m. daily (free admission), but there's special events each day too.

Thursday will be the artists' reception 7-10 p.m. Free.

March 5 7 p.m.-1 a.m. is First Friday Art Night, a party scene with live music, performances by Nocturra and Ric and more. Admission $5, includes refreshments.

March 6 is potluck day noon-6 p.m. Bring a dish to share, hang out and enjoy the vibe. Live music this day too! Free.

March 7 is Sunday brunch noon-6 p.m. Dish to share welcomed. Set a spell, chew the fat and relax with a mimosa or bloody mary. Free.

The rest of my weekend was a mom thing. I took my mother to get her taxes done on Saturday and we went to lunch at a little Mexican place in Monrovia. The food was quite good, I'll have to get back to you on the eatery's name... Later I took her to the Salvation Army thrift store, where we had an adventure going through the racks. It's fun to see the weird things people donate (they actually wore that?!) and the cool stuff that might fit you.

My mother scored a big armload of new duds. I picked up four tops- one an awesome vintage number with lace and rhinestones- classy! It was 40% off day, so we did well at the register too. I beat mom this time, as I also had a 50% off one item coupon. I ended up getting the most expensive blouse for free and extra off the rest for a grand total of - drumroll please - $6!

After sticking our treasures in the trunk, mom asked me to take her to the 99-Cent Store. I obliged, even though I knew it meant up to two hours of more aisles....

Sunday we went to the dog agility competition at the Fairplex in Pomona. Those dogs are amazing! But I was particularly charmed by the little Papillion who ran through the course to the top of the A frame and prompted sat down. He looked over the scene, wagging his tail, as his owner begged him to come down and continue the run. Finally he complied and did a good job too!

In March Atticus and I are going to join in on an agility class at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA. I will be writing a story about our adventures for my Fun 101 column.

I'm also hoping to take up an offer to visit the train museum in Perris and drive one or more of their trains. It's a wonderful place to take your family. I haven't been there in ages, but I used to take their train outings occasionally and always enjoyed them.

The last highlight of my week was having lunch with Daryl Hernandez, who plays guitar for Demonica and leads the House of Rock program at the Fret House in Covina, and Mike Dave, bassist for Halford and Dramarama. There is hardly anything better in my world that spending a relaxing afternoon nibble with two handsome rocker dudes!

We had a great conversation - all over the board, even hockey - (Go Ducks! Mike lol!). Mike has offered to guest at Daryl's House of Rock. The program is for kids ages 9 and up to learn how to play music in a band situation. They practice and get to perform out at several gigs each session. Mike will listen to the kids play, offer tips and share stories from his musician life, play with the kids and more. Very cool!!

I'm again attempting to have a quieter weekend. I still may venture out to Nick's Taste of Texas in Covina for the House of Rock performance. Sunday I will be going to my friend Carins' house to help her do some work on her property- putting some of my sewing skills to good use I'm sure.

In rotation this week: Tom Petty, The Who, Orange Sky and assorted Hawaiian music.

Photos we got 'em: A few pet picks from the usual sites, a drawing of Frankenweenie that's just too cute and a scene from "Lilo and Stitch" which looks oddly like my dance class...

Thought o' the week: Clean up your act. It's not quite spring, but that doesn't mean you can't give everything a good dusting and I don't mean just your house, but also your life.

I like to open up all my doors and windows when I vacuum, dust, scrub and all that jazz to let in fresh air. In the same way, you can open your mind to fresh ideas while "cleaning up" and letting go of all the bad thoughts you have bouncing around in there. You can also clean up other areas of your life by making the first step to a more positive attitude, whether it's volunteering to help an organization in need or simply sharing a smile.

Get ready for spring whatever way you need most... and don't wait for the calendar, do it any time you feel the need for change. Now take a deep breath, get in motion and

Keep on rockin'

Mickie

Power skateboard racing Saturday in Encino

As the president of the National Association of Powered Skateboard Racing, James Hawkins is pleased to announce that for the second year the X-Calibur Skateboard Manufacturing Company. has been SANCTIONED to venue another year of POWERED SKATEBOARD RACING at the Encino Velodrome, in Encino California, located at Oxnard and Louise.

The Encino Velodrome web-site:
www.encinovelodrome.com

calendar has all posted times for racing schedules.

This weekend
on Saturday at 2:30pm
February 27, 2010.

Reigning champion Dustin Wagenbach states he will retain the championship Title. Mean while Zakary Mayall son of legendary blues singer John Mayall of the Eric Clapton band.

Free Admission

Free Skateboard donated by X-CALIBUR SKATEBOARDS MANUFACTURING COMPANY..

Live Nation to present Sublime with Rome and The Dirty Heads

On Sale Friday, March 5th At 4:20 PM Through www.LiveNation.com
SUBLIME WITH ROME
With Special Guest: THE DIRTY HEADS
Hollywood Palladium
April 20, 2010

Rose Bowl Loop walk with Mayor Bogaard March 3

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and members of the Recreation and Parks Commission will lead a 3.3-mile walk around the Rose Bowl Loop at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 3, as part of Up & Moving Pasadena.

The Recreation and Parks Commission advises the Pasadena City Council on matters concerning recreation, parks, the Arroyo Seco, Rose Bowl Stadium and Brookside Golf Course.

Meet at Gate A at the stadium. Free parking is available. All levels of ability will be accommodated.

Up & Moving Pasadena is a community effort to support fitness for health. Walks are scheduled the first Wednesday of every month.

Find walking tips, start a walking group and track your progress at www.upandmoving.org or call (626) 831-2980.




www.cityofpasadena.net/publicaffairs
www.pasadenapio.blogspot.com
Facebook: Pasadena PIO
Twitter: pasadenapio

Author Daniel McLaurin III to appear on Arroyo channel 32

Author Daniel McLaurin III will appear on "Smile Lady Debra Johnson" on Pasadena Charter cable television's Arroyo channel 32 4 p.m. March 12.

Here's a clip from my Paging column about McLaurin and his book:

Celebrate Black History Month with Daniel McLaurin III’s “32 Minutes of Greatness: Special Edition” (Falcon Creek Publishing, $16). The book recounts how basketball Coach Carl L. Easterling helped the Hillside High School Hornets in Durham, North Carolina consistently score 100 points or more during their games in the 1960s. The story of the team’s prowess was all but lost in sports history because of the racism and turbulence of the time. McLaurin was a starting forward for the Hornets and went on to play with the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards). He is retired and lives in Pasadena.

Tune in and be inspired! ~M

REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar to tour together

Two legendary rock voices, REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar, team up for their “LOVE ON THE RUN” co-headline summer tour. The first 20 dates of the cross-country tour have been announced today, along with the first on-sale date of Wednesday, February 24th for the Gilford, NH stop at US Cellular Pavilion. The tour will kick off at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on June 24th.

“REO and Pat Benatar toured together in 1995 and we all had a blast. I ran into Neil Giraldo in the neighborhood last year, and we talked about getting the bands together again…so here we are,” said Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon.

“Both REO and Pat Benatar share a history of hits, a family oriented approach, and a continuing desire to rock hard and have fun doing it. We embrace and take pride in our past achievements, while we are all about growing as artists and keeping our standards high. We intend to prove it every night on stage with the ‘Love On The Run’ tour.”

“I'm looking forward to touring with REO again,” said Pat Benatar. “It's been 15 years since the ‘Can't Stop Rockin'’ tour. These are a great bunch of people and it should be a blast for us as well as the audience."

“LOVE ON THE RUN” will bring the songs of these two historic rock bands to stages all across America. Their music will take fans back to their early ‘80s explosion onto the Billboard charts, where both artists enjoyed #1 and Top 10 positions for the better part of the decade; and will carry on through their career with music that continued to define their excellence in song craftsmanship and performance. Edwin McCain and Keaton Simons will each be joining these two legendary acts on various stops along the tour. Additional tour dates and on-sale dates will be announced shortly.

American Express Early On Sale opportunities will be available for most “LOVE ON THE RUN” tour dates.

REO Speedwagon has teamed up with I Love All Access on the “LOVE ON THE RUN” tour to offer the ultimate fan experience, which features a variety of VIP ticket packages, some of which include the chance to meet REO Speedwagon at their shows. For more details go to www.iloveallaccess.com.

“LOVE ON THE RUN” is dedicated to raising awareness about hunger among American school children by partnering with “Blessings in a Backpack,” a non-profit organization that provides weekend meals to school children in need.

During their recent “Can’t Stop Rockin Tour,” REO Speedwagon and Styx raised over $300k for school kids, helped to open 20 schools and helped feed nearly 4k children a weekend for a full year as a result of their partnership with Blessings in a Backpack.

Benatar and REO Speedwagon hope to add to these accomplishments and help more school children along this tour.

For more information, please go to www.blessingsinabackpack.com .

LOVE ON THE RUN Tour Dates:

Jun 24 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena On Sale 3/19
Jun 25 Rutland, VT Vermont State Fairgrounds On Sale TBD
Jun 26 Atlantic City, NJ Caesar’s Atlantic City On Sale 3/6
Jun 29 Vienna, VA The Filene Center On Sale TBD
Jul 1 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheater On Sale 3/7
Jul 2 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre On Sale TBD
Jul 3 Orlando, FL Universal Studios Florida On Sale TBD
Jul 8 Lampe, MO Black Oak Mountain Amphitheatre On Sale TBD
Jul 9 Memphis, TN Memphis Botanic Gardens On Sale TBD
Jul 10 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater On Sale TBD
Jul 11 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre On Sale TBD
Jul 15 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Council Bluffs On Sale 4/15
Jul 16 Walker, MN Moondance Jam Fairgrounds On Sale TBD
Jul 17 Red Wing, MN Treasure Island Resort & Casino On Sale TBD
Jul 18 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion On Sale TBD
Jul 21 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater On Sale TBD
Jul 23 Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center On Sale TBD
Jul 24 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre On Sale TBD
Jul 27 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery On Sale TBD
Jul 31 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre On Sale TBD
Aug 27 Gilford, NH US Cellular Pavilion On Sale 3/5

Additional dates and ticket on-sale information will be announced shortly. The following are the on-sale dates for the I Love All Access special packages: Uncasville on March 16th, Atlantic City and Gilford on March 3rd, Atlanta on March 4th, Council Bluffs on April 8th.

Kevin Cronin, lead singer and principle songwriter; bass player Bruce Hall; Neal Doughty, keyboard player and founding member; lead guitarist Dave Amato, and drummer Bryan Hitt, are REO Speedwagon. Since the release of their first record in 1971, the band has produced 17 critically acclaimed albums including the monumental 10 million seller, Hi Infidelity, had scored 13 Top 40 singles, including the Number One hits “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,” timeless classics including "Roll With The Changes", "Ridin' The Storm Out", "Take It On The Run", "Time For Me To Fly" and "Keep Pushin."

In 2009, they released Find Your Own Way Home, featuring the radio favorites “I Needed To Fall” and “Smilin’ In The End.” Most recently, they released a Christmas album Not So Silent Night with an REO production spin on the classics including “The First Noel,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million albums to date.

More than three decades ago, Pat Benatar began breaking rules and blazed a new trial for female rock stars. Pat was bold, self-assured, and independent. She was alluring but not exploitive. She was vulnerable but not weak. She was strong-minded without being hardhearted. Songs such as “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “We Live For Love,” and “Heartbreaker” became anthems for a new attitude.

At the dawn of MTV, Benatar was the image of the female rocker for an entire generation of young woman, and the young men who loved them. That generation has grown up with her and others have walked down the path she helped pave. Still going strong, Benatar has been married for 28 years to guitarist, songwriter producer, collaborator and soul mate Neil Giraldo . Pat and Neil have been touring almost non-stop for over three decades.

Benatar is acknowledged as the leading female rock vocalist of the ‘80s. During this time she was nominated nine times for Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance (female), winning an unprecedented four Grammy Awards in consecutive years from 1980 to 1983.

Benatar has also won three American Music Awards. Of the sixteen original and compilation albums released during her 30+ year career, seven were certified platinum and three were certified gold. One of the most popular performers in rock, she is also one of the most recognized and admired female artists.

For more information on REO Speedwagon, please visit the band’s official web page at
www.speedwagon.com

for more information on Pat Benatar, please visit her website at
www.patbenatar.com.

Shakira and Rafael Nadal team up for "Gypsy" video

Epic Records recording artist SHAKIRA teams up with Rafael Nadal on the set of her hot new video for the latest single “Gypsy” off of her critically acclaimed album She Wolf.

"Shooting this video with Rafa was a great experience, he is very sweet and made it easy and fun,” said Shakira. “He and I have so much in common -- starting out so young in our respective careers and traveling the world -- I felt this would translate the spirit of the lyrics in the song and I was thrilled he wanted to be a part of it."

The video for “Gypsy” and “Gitana” (the Spanish version) were shot in Barcelona, Spain by Shakira’s longtime collaborator Jaume De Laiguana. The sexy video captures a flirtatious and playful onscreen chemistry between Shakira and Rafael Nadal who plays the love interest.

The inventive mix of mandolin, banjo and sitar on “Gypsy” weaves a tale of a transient drifter.

The video will debut worldwide on February 26th on Yahoo.com and MTV worldwide.

"It has been a great experience and I had a lot of fun doing it. I had some time in between tournaments and preparation and could not miss this opportunity,” commented Rafael Nadal of his role in the video. “Shakira, as always, was spectacular. Working with a woman as charming as her, well, it makes it a lot easier to tell the truth. It was great, very easy, she’s really sweet and that always makes the hours go by faster."

Shakira boasts a string of chart-topping hits in both English and Spanish and sales of nearly 50 million records. Prior to She Wolf, Shakira’s Oral Fixation Volumes 1&2, sold in excess of 8 million albums worldwide with the single “Hips Don’t Lie” having earned over 10 million digital downloads. Fans can expect an album of new and unique repertoire in Spanish to come in 2010.

Pet bird advice from ASPCA

So You're Thinking About Getting a Bird?
http://www2.aspca.org/site/R?i=Lsk3p-CHlF5sim5pQ4Wu9g..

Birds are chatty, fun and colorful, but did you know they're also a lot of work? Our vocal friends have some special needs- read our expert advice about caring for the feathered kind.

www.aspca.org

Shimmy Showcase Sunday

February 28 – Saviya, coordinator for this showcase, welcomes Kamar, Reina, and Ana to I-Candy Coffee’s magic carpet. These four very talented dancers are a delight to watch, so be sure to come join us for a show that will definitely entertain you.


WE HAVE OPENINGS FOR DANCERS!—On March 28 PLUS another “Live Music” showcase on April 11 with Elan. Please see below for details on these showcases and contact us at Shimmyshowcase@yahoogroups.com if you would like to perform.

Everyone is invited to this cozy haven for a relaxing evening among friends. Select your favorite beverage, hot or cold, from an assortment of coffees, teas, smoothies or juice; add to that a tasty sandwich or pastry; and then seat yourself alongside our magic carpet to enjoy some really great dancing at NO cover charge! If that isn’t incentive enough, there is even a 20% off coupon below good on any I-Candy food or beverage on Shimmyshowcase nights!

The SHIMMY SHOWCASE begins at 7 p.m. at the I-CANDY COFFEE in Long Beach (1708 E. Broadway -- 562-437-3785).

Below is our upcoming schedule for the next several Sundays at the I-Candy Coffee in Long Beach. If you are a dancer interested in performing at an upcoming showcase, please check out the schedule below for open dates and then email us at
shimmyshowcase@yahoogroups.com
with the dates on which you'd like to perform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPCOMING SHOWCASE CALENDAR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 7 – Abraiha is your coordinator, and she welcomes Melaina, Samia, Tahma and Meredith with Beach Bellies to Shimmyshowcase to perform for you!

March 14 – Saviya brings you Hard Rock Chicks with Reina,, Deborah, Kalila, Gaea, and Saphira mixing some rock’in and roll’in with those shimmies! There’s no telling what this ensemble will cook up for this fun theme, so be sure to come down to I-Candy for a Shimmyshowcase that’s sure to please!

March 21 – Mark your calendars for Shimmyshowcase’s annual Anniversary Party! Xandra is assembling a super showcase with performances by current and past Shimmyshowcase coordinators including Alexiis, Saviya, Abraiha, and Kashmir, --plus a featured dance performance by Marguerite—whom many of you have seen this past year playing and singing with Elan at Shimmyshowcase. To celebrate our SEVENTH anniversary, we’ll have some munchies and of course great dancing, so be sure to join us on this special night!

March 28 – Alexiis will be hosting this Shimmy Showcase, and she seeks dancers who would like to perform. If you would like to dance at I-Candy on this fine Spring evening, please contact us at Shimmyshowcase@yahoogroups.com for a performance spot!

April 4—DARK ** Happy Easter!

April 11 - Saviya will be coordinating this special performance featuring LIVE MUSIC once again with an I-Candy favorite—the extraordinary musicians of Elan! We already have the talented Kamar lined up to perform to the music of Marguerite, Rico and possibly Maurice and invite other dancers who would like to perform in this special live music program. If you would like the opportunity to dance to these masters of middle eastern music, then please contact us at Shimmyshowcase@yahoogroups.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please allow time for parking to avoid missing any of the fun. Since street parking around I-Candy Coffee is scarce, we recommend you try the perimeter of Bixby park located two blocks west of I-Candy Coffee at Broadway and Cherry. Please try to arrive before 7:00 PM (earlier if you’re a performer!) as we try not to start the show until everyone has settled with a tasty beverage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

for additional information, please visit our website at: www.ShimmyShowcase.com

We look forward to seeing you soon at the Sunday Shimmyshowcase!

Musica Angelica performances in March

Musica Angelica presents the St. John Passion

Saturday, March 27; 8 p.m.; First United Methodist Church
500 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena

Sunday, March 28; 4 p.m.; First United Methodist Church
1008 11th Street in Santa Monica

Artists:
Martin Haselböck, conductor
Tilman Lichdi, tenor
Mary Wilson, soprano
Catherine Webster, soprano
Ian Howell, counter tenor
Pablo Corá, tenor
Michael Dean, baritone
Scott Graff, baritone

Program:
St. John Passion by J.S. Bach

Tickets: Available for $49 or $55/person

To order: Call 310.458.4504 or visit www.musicaangelica.org

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with Anne at UCLA March 10

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with Anne

Thursday March 10 8 p.m.

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, which in recent years, has recorded rapturously received versions of Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Bolero, presents an all-Ravel concert for UCLA Live. Lauded music director Myung-Whun Chung will lead a program that includes suites from Ravel’s masterpiece Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse. Swedish soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter will join the orchestra for an unforgettable Shéhérazade.

Single tickets are on sale now.

UCLA Live at Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood.

$34/45/70/85. ($18 UCLA students.)

(310) 825-2101, www.uclalive.org.

"Evita" at Cal State Long Beach March 19-27

Evita, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice

Presented by: University Players, California State University, Long Beach

Directed by: Joanne Gordon

Description: The 1978 rock opera based on the celebrated, mythological, Argentinean First Lady, Eva Perón, and her meteoric rise to power and early death.

Location: Studio Theatre, CSULB South Campus

Address: 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90840-2701

Dates: March 19- March 27, Tues through Sat

Time: 8:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. matinee Sat, March 27

Admission/Fee: $15 for general admission, $12 for seniors and students (with valid ID)

Parking: $5 at the South Turnaround, accessible via West Campus Drive

Phone/Box Office: (562) 985-5526

Website: www.csulb.edu/depts/theatre

Chris Walla's Trans Records partners with Warner Music Group, first album by The Lonely Forest

Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group is proud to announce a partnership with Trans Records, Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie's new label. Walla's first signing: The Lonely Forest.

Based in the small town of Anacortes, WA, The Lonely Forest have taken the northwest by storm behind their independently released album We Sing The Body Electric!. The band's shows in and around the Seattle and Portland areas have built a rabid fan-base culminating with sold out shows at Seattle's Showbox Theatre last year and a coveted slot at the northwest's premiere festival this May, Sasquatch. Walla initially approached the band about producing their next album, but soon decided to create the Trans imprint with ILG to release their records as well.

“I’ve been lucky enough to make records with tons of phenomenal bands, and I’ve considered [starting a label] a number of different times,” Walla tells The Stranger. “I don’t know—is it oversimplified to say it’s them and it just makes sense? This wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for the Lonely Forest. They’re a phenomenal band. I’ve been following my nose for so many years, doing the things that felt like the right thing to do. And this time the answer was yes.”

The Lonely Forest - John Van Deusen (Vox/Guitar/Piano), Braydn Krueger (Percussion), Eric Sturgeon (Bass), Tony Ruland (Guitar) - is set to record their debut album for Trans with Chris Walla at studios in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland throughout April and May with the album slated for a late summer/early fall release. The band is currently on tour with We Were Promised Jetpacks (dates below) and will be playing a number of shows at SXSW 2010.

Tour Dates:
w/We Were Promised Jetpacks:
26-Feb-10 Los Angeles, CA Troubador
27-Feb-10 San Francisco, CA Slim's
1-Mar-10 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore
2-Mar-10 Seattle, WA Neumo's
3-Mar-10 Portland, OR Doug Fir
5-Mar-10 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
6-Mar-10 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
7-Mar-10 Lawerence, KS Jackpot Saloon
8-Mar-10 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
9-Mar-10 Minneapolis, MN Varisity Theater
11-Mar-10 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
12-Mar-10 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
13-Mar-10 Columbus, OH The Summit
14-Mar-10 Indianapolis, IL Radio Radio
15-Mar-10 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House SXSW:
18-Mar 3pm Paste Galaxy Room 507 E. 6th St
18-Mar 9:30pm Billions Club De Ville
20-Mar 2pm Seattle by SX Beauty Bar
20-Mar 4:50pm Original Audio/Beyond Race Flamingo

Sasquatch Festival
29-May-10 The Gorge, WA Sasquatch Festival

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thelonelyforest

ASCPA seeks supporters for California Humane Lobby Day

Dear California Supporters,

Please join us at the State Capitol in Sacramento on Thursday, April 8, for California Humane Lobby Day.

http://www2.aspca.org/site/R?i=Gt5mgCIlM4e6hvERb-2s-w..

This is an exciting opportunity to meet directly with your elected officials about legislation that will significantly impact animals!

During Lobby Day, co-sponsored by the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States, you'll have the opportunity to be the voice for animals and provide in-person support for several animal-friendly bills now pending in the California State Legislature.

In the morning, ASPCA and HSUS lobbyists will help prepare you to meet your elected officials and their staffs with a briefing on tips for lobbying and an overview of pending animal legislation. You will also be provided with the materials you need to be an effective animal advocate. Best of all, you'll get to meet with both your state senator and assembly member- we'll set up appointments for you and others in your district after you register to attend.

CALIFORNIA HUMANE LOBBY DAY

Date:
Thursday, April 8, 2010

Time:
9:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Place:
State Capitol
Corner of 11th and L streets
Room 4202 (4th floor)
Sacramento, CA 95814

Cost:
None! Participation in Lobby Day is free, but space is limited and you must register by April 1st.

http://www2.aspca.org/site/R?i=7vD3s0DagIZrRZhbpqEFKw..

California's animals need your voice! Please register today to take part in this amazing event.

http://www2.aspca.org/site/R?i=-_uXpqg53Mzda5YkOx4MQg..

Thank you, California, for caring about animals and supporting the ASPCA.

Visit www.aspca.org

The Bamboozle is coming with All Time Low

New Jersey based Rock & Pop Festival THE BAMBOOZLE will hit the road for their 3rd nationwide tour this Summer kicking off May 21 in Columbia, MD. The tour features headliners Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind, & LMFAO, along with a stacked billed of support and is set to hit 26 major U.S. cities.

THE BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW 2010 will be an ALL-DAY Event with 2 stages of talent, a main stage with rotating artists ALL TIME LOW, BOYS LIKE GIRLS, LMFAO, THIRD EYE BLIND, GOOD CHARLOTTE, HANSON, FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS, HELLOGOODBYE, & CARTEL, and a Second Stage showcasing the talents of many up & comers. More artists to be announced soon! (All festival dates may not feature all artists, check your local listings.)

Pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 2, and run though 10 p.m. on Friday March 5, with Public on-sale beginning Saturday March 6 @ 10 a.m. Local Time. Pre-sale tickets are available here: http://www.thebamboozleroadshow.com.

Maryland’s All Time Low is currently finishing up a sold out Australian tour. The band’s two latest Hopeless Records releases, Nothing Personal and MTV Unplugged have been comfortably perched on Billboard’s top indie charts since their release. Their original song “Painting Flowers” also appears on Almost Alice, the soundtrack to the upcoming Tim Burton film, Alice In Wonderland.

www.alltimelow.com

THE BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW Routing:
May 21 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
May 22 – Charlotte, NC – Uptown Amphitheatre @ The Music Factory
May 23 – Atlanta, GA – Six Flags Over Georgia
May 25 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre
May 26 – Tampa, FL – Ford Amphitheatre
May 28 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theatre (No 2nd Stage)
May 29 – San Antonio, TX – Six Flags Fiesta Texas
May 30 – Arlington, TX – Six Flags Over Texas
June 2 – Phoenix, AZ – Cricket Amphitheatre
June 5 – Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
June 6 – Chula Vista, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre – Parking Lot
June 10 – Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze Plaza
June 11 – Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
June 12 – Chicago, IL- Soldier Field - Parking Lot
June 13 – Eureka, MO – Six Flags St. Louis
June 15 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 18 – Cleveland, OH – Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre @ Tower City
June 19 – Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion @ Riverbend Music Center
June 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Festival Pier @ Penn’s Landing
June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Amphitheatre @ Station Square
June 24 – Jackson, NJ – Six Flags Great Adventure
June 25 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Park Pavilion & Stadium
June 26 – Nassau, NY – Nassau Coliseum - Parking Lot
June 27 – Boston, MA - Comcast Center

(All dates may not feature all artists, please check local listings)
More dates will be added, so stay tuned!!
Check out the tour site:
www.thebamboozleroadshow.com

Health Freedom Expo in Long Beach March 26-28

The 6th Annual Health Freedom Expo (HFE) - Long Beach held on March 26-28, 2010 at The Long Beach Convention Center (300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802. Call Toll-Free: 888-658-EXPO) will spotlight health freedom issues and the developments that insure American citizens have access to a variety of healthcare options that create a vibrant life. The purpose of the Health Freedom Expo is to support the public’s right to know about alternative healing techniques so they can make informed choices. Their motto is “Defending your right to know and your freedom to choose.”

The Health Freedom Expo presents natural, alternative health and wellness products and information that enhance good health, effectively and inexpensively. Attendees can shop 200 natural health exhibits; meet 90 speakers presenting real health care reform information; relish delicious, nutritious, healthy foods; view dynamic, life-changing movies; meet the leaders in cutting-edge health protocols; speak to the crusaders who defend health care freedoms at the local, state, national and international levels.

HFE provides cutting edge information, quality products and empowers people to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle so they can become part of the expanding force of educated health care consumers. HFE believes that getting well is only part of a vibrant lifestyle. Staying well is everything.

For less than the cost of a doctor’s visit --- $15 per day or $35 for the three-day weekend --- this is a rare opportunity to meet and learn from the most respected leaders, health freedom advocates and natural health practitioners

This year, the HFE will feature internationally recognized speakers including Kevin Trudeau: Consumer Advocate and New York Bestselling author of "Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About." He presents "Natural Cures, Debt Cures, Weight Loss" and how to empower yourself in these three areas and make yourself independent, healthy and trim.

Six-time Emmy nominee Actor and Activist Ed Begley Jr. will discuss the importance of Living a Sustainable Life. When it comes to taking personal responsibility for the environment, few individuals can match the record of Ed Begley, Jr.

Mike Adams, son of a Pfizer contractor and a clinical trial tester for some of America's biggest pharmaceutical companies, grew up using prescription drugs, trusting doctors and believing what the FDA reported was safe and in the best interest of the country. When faced with his own health emergency, traditional medicine failed him. Using natural methods he rebuilt his health and as a consequence founded online news source NaturalNews.com, now (with a following of 800,000+ subscribers, which covers all areas of wellness from nutrition to renewable energy. This is his first appearance at the Health Freedom Expo.

Carolyn Dean, M.D, whose groundbreaking book “Death by Modern Medicine: Seeking Safe Solutions” and workshop on the same topic will offer strategies and tools to take care of your own health. Dr. Dean will also address why modern medicine has a very little place in the treatment of chronic disease.

For the first time in Long Beach, Dr. Joseph Mercola founder of the worlds’ most visited natural health website www.mercola.com and author of Take Control of Your Health shares the seven keys to optimal health.

Timeless beauty and actress Mariel Hemmingway is a woman who lives her mission. She explains how you can make positive, intentional choices to live a balance life.

She is the author of a number of books including "Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out: Every Woman's Guide to Real Beauty, Renewed Energy and a Radiant Life” and her newest book "Mariel's Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life."

Dr. Julian Whitaker is one of the leading experts in the holistic paradigm of wellness and prevention medicine. Founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute, author and radio talk show program, he presents The Right, the Wrong and the Stupid: An Honest Look at treatments for Diabetes, Heart Disease and Cancer.

Now more than ever, the American public needs to be informed about upcoming legislation that will curtail our right to make our own healthcare choices. Attorney Jonathan W. Emord, who Congressman Ron Paul calls a “hero of the health freedom revolution,” shares how governments worldwide are censoring health information to protect drug companies from competition. Emord is recognized as one of the leading free speech attorneys in the US has consulted worldwide on government censorship of health information. He’s defeated the Food and Drug Administration six times in federal court, more times than any other attorney in US history.

In addition to the many speakers, this event includes a lively exhibit hall with nearly 200 great exhibitors, products and services to help the public become informed so they can embrace vibrant health and overall wellness.

The Health Freedom Expo March 26 - 28, 2010 at The Long Beach Convention Center (300 East Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802. Call Toll-Free: 888-658-EXPO) Friday and Saturday, 11-7pm, Sunday 11-6pm. Gen. Admission: $15 per day or $35 for entire event. Visit our complete line-up and vendor overview: www.healthfreedomexpo.com or call 888-658-EXPO (3976)

*Speakers and information may be subject to change.

Room 13 exhibit at Judson Studios Gallery in L.A. March 13

SATURDAY, MARCH 13TH, 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Students of ROOM 13, an international network of student-operated art studios will show work at The Judson Studios Gallery as part of NELA Art Night. Three ROOM 13 studios, including James Foshay Learning Center in South Los Angeles, Eliot Middle School in Altadena, and Marjorie Street in South Bay, will showcase paintings, drawings, sculptures, mixed media, assemblage, mural art and animation at this collaborative art installation. The Judson Studios, an internationally known stained glass maker run by five generations of family members, was also the first home to the USC School of Fine Arts until 1920.

Room 13 originated in Caol, Scotland in 1994 and has grown into an international network of student-designed and operated creative studios. It now provides learning and business enterprise skills to students in Scotland, Britain, Nepal, India and South Africa, and is currently expanding to Mexico, Turkey, China and Austria. The director of the Tate Galleries has called Room 13 “the most important model for artistic teaching in school that we have in the UK.”

In 2008, Light Bringer Project, a nonprofit arts provider, engaged with the program’s international trustees and decided to take advantage of this opportunity for our own public school children. Partnering with Project Design Studio, the organization launched the first ROOM 13 in America at James Foshay Learning Center in South Los Angeles. They proceeded to found ROOM 13 at Eliot Middle School in Altadena. The third, and most recent model, ROOM 13 at Marjorie Street, was formed early this year in the South Bay vicinity.

Like its peers, each creative studio operates as a physical space flourishing within a public school or community setting and is solely managed by the students. ROOM 13 is dedicated to proving the worth of the individual with with the support and mentorship of school staff and community members. Facilitated by an artist-in-residence, also from the community, students work in teams, as partners or alone, determining the scope and content of their own creative projects. ROOM 13 artists also learn self-reliance by designing a business model that will sustain their own studio operation. TBWA\Chiat\Day advertising has also provided support of the ROOM 13 network through the contributed help of its creative professionals.

WHAT: ROOM 13 JOINT EXHIBITION

WHERE: THE JUDSON STUDIOS GALLERY
Judson Studio
200 So. Avenue 66
Los Angeles, CA 90042

WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 13TH , 6:00PM~9:00pm

Proceeds from the sale of artworks
will benefit ROOM 13 studios.

For more information visit: http://www.lightbringerproject.com/

Upcoming concerts around California from Live Nation

On Sale Friday, February 26th At 10 AM Through www.LiveNation.com
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
With Special Guest: THE HEAVY
The Wiltern
June 26, 2010
---------------

The Bamboozle Grows-- More Great Bands Just Announced!

Two-Day Passes & Single Day Tickets on Sale Now:
THE BAMBOOZLE
Festival Grounds at Angel Stadium

Saturday – March 27: Sunday – March 28:
AFI SOMETHING CORPORATE
ANGELS AND AIRWAVES THE MAINE
ALL THE DAY HOLIDAY ANARBOR— Just Added!
CHASE LONG BEACH BOBBY LONG
CHIODOS CALL THE COPS
CIRCA SURVIVE COLD FLAMEZ
DANCE GAVIN DANCE— Just Added! COLETTE CARR
DISCO CURTIS DIRT NASTY
ENVY ON THE COAST FAR EAST MOVEMENT
FOR TODAY FRANK AND DEROL
IMPENDING DOOM HE IS WE
JAMIE’S ELSEWHERE— Just Added! HEY MONDAY— Just Added!
JONNY CRAIG IYAZ
KILL PARADISE NEVER SHOUT NEVER— Just Added!
MOLTOV SOLUTION— Just Added! PIEBALD— Just Added!
PIERCE THE VEIL STORY OF THE YEAR
SAY ANYTHING T.MILLS
THE BOUNCING SOULS THE BANGZ
THE BRIGGS— Just Added! THE CATARACS
THE FALL OF TROY THE COLOURIST
THE READY SET
Pass The Mic Comedy Café THE SUMMER SET— Just Added!
ANTHONY JESELNIK THIS CENTURY— Just Added!
JON LAJOIE WE SHOT THE MOON— Just Added!

Pass The Mic Comedy Café
BO BURNHAM
MOSHE KASHER

Chris Adler & Josh Wilbur produce This or the Apocalypse's new album

LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler has teamed with famed producer Josh Wilbur (Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold) to produce the new album from the band THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, which is due out this Spring on Good Fight Music.

With a creative approach, broad vision, and DIY principles, THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE is a group that exhibits the patience and dedication to step outside the box and create something both heavy and unique.


With a foundation steadily built from self-released recordings and self- booked tours, THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE signed to LifeForce Records and released their first commercial debut, "Monuments", in September 07 in the US and the rest of the world the following month. The album ripped along at a driving pace, thoughtfully interchanging syncopated polyrhythmic grooves, striking melodies, and a passionate approach unheard in heavy music; blurring the lines between hardcore and metal, dodging the gimmicks of both.

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE joined the debut roster of Good Fight Music in 2010 to release their upcoming album.

Chris Adler had the following to say about the working with THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE on the production of their new record: “I've been wanting to produce a band other than my own for a while now, but never found one that inspired me quite enough to jump in. It's an exhaustive process to commit your creativity and focus to someone else. Most bands that are noticed today do one thing really well, or are known for a particular direction. Few combine as many elements as seamlessly as THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE. This record is intense to say the least. It feels like a landmark music moment. Time will tell, but I'm obviously pretty f'n psyched.”

Vocalist Ricky Armellino is equally amped about working with Chris Adler and Josh Wilbur on the new album: “Normally when you meet people in Adler's position, the last thing on their mind is finding new music or even listening to it. Chris still finds the time. He's full of music and got a ton of energy; I feel like getting him into the writing/ recording process for the new album was an incredible circumstance for us. From day one we've been shooting back and forth demos, lyric sheets, home recordings of White Lion songs and developing a lot of ideas together. Josh Wilbur's an incredible vocal producer and his recordings are organic, huge, and a cut above anything you hear in the genre, so getting him in the mix was a huge blessing for the project. These guys are family to us now and we can't wait to get this monster on the shelves.”


For all things LAMB OF GOD, please visit
www.lamb-of-god.com.

For more information on THIS OR THE OR THE APOCALYPSE and the production of their new album check out:
www.myspace.com/thisortheapocalypse

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers to tour in support of upcoming album

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS today announced their 2010 North American tour and the upcoming release of Mojo, their first studio album in eight years, set for release on Reprise Records this spring. The North American tour, produced by Live Nation, will take the band through a mix of top arenas and amphitheaters across the US and Canada beginning May 6th in Raleigh, NC. Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, March 8 at LiveNation.com

Special guest artists on the tour will include a mix of appearances by My Morning Jacket, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, and Drive-By Truckers.

All 2010 Tour tickets purchased online will include an MP3 download of every track on the Heartbreakers’ electrifying new album, Mojo. It will work like this; once fans purchase tickets online they will receive an email with codes entitling them to download two tracks from Mojo (“First Flash Of Freedom” and “Good Enough.”) Then, on the release date of the album, currently slated for this spring, ticket buyers will be sent a download of the entire album. Also included with every online ticket purchase, to be delivered at the end of the 2010 tour, will be a selection of live tracks recorded during the tour.

Mojo is a fiery statement from a band that is making some of their most exciting music over three decades into their career. “Good Enough” from the new album is now available for streaming at the revamped TOMPETTY.com. More details on the new album to follow soon.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, their first year of eligibility, and in recent years have continued to build on their already legendary success. The band’s sold-out 2008 tour was the biggest of their career and came right after the band’s acclaimed Super Bowl XLII halftime performance with a worldwide audience of nearly a billion people. The 2009 release of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ career spanning Live Anthology garnered glowing reviews including a rave four and a half stars from Rolling Stone. The 2007 release of the Peter Bogdanovich-directed documentary Runnin’ Down A Dream earned a Grammy award and established the Heartbreakers’ story as a striking embodiment of the American Dream.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS released their debut album in 1976. They have since sold more than 60 million records. Between the Heartbreakers’ recordings and his solo work, Tom Petty has received 18 Grammy nominations and been honored with lifetime achievement awards including Billboard’s Century Award, MTV’s Video Vanguard Award, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tom Petty, with the Heartbreakers at his side, has become a rock and roll icon lauded by fellow musicians and music lovers worldwide. Tom Petty’s Sirius/XM radio show, Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure, is one of the most beloved and popular shows on satellite radio. It features Tom Petty spinning favorite tunes from his extensive private music collection.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
May 06 Raleigh Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek (w/Joe Cocker)
May 07 Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Joe Cocker)
May 09 Tampa St. Pete Times Forum (w/Joe Cocker)
May 15 Dallas Superpages.com Center (w/Joe Cocker)
May 16 Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
May 18 Phoenix US Airways Arena (w/Joe Cocker)
May 22 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 02 San Diego Cricket Wireless Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 03 Irvine Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 05 Oakland Oracle Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 08 Vancouver GM Place (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 11 Seattle The Gorge (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 12 Seattle The Gorge (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 15 Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 16 Edmonton Rexall Place (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 19 Winnipeg MTS Centre (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 22 St Paul Xcel Energy Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jun 23 Omaha Qwest Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jun 25 Milwaukee Summerfest (w/ZZ Top)****
Jul 10 Indianapolis Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 13 Kansas City Sprint Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 15 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 17 Chicago United Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 20 Cleveland Blossom Music Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 22 Detroit Palace of Auburn Hills (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 24 Pittsburgh First Niagra Pavilion (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 28 New York Madison Square Garden (w/TBD)
Jul 31 Philadelphia Wachovia Center (w/TBD)
Aug 11 Atlanta Philips Arena (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 12 Nashville Sommet Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 14 Darien Lake, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 15 Bristow Jiffy Lube Live (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 17 Hartford Comcast Theater (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 19 Boston Comcast Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 21 Boston Comcast Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 24 East Rutherford IZOD Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 25 Toronto Air Canada Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 27 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)

***Summerfest show in Milwaukee, WI onsale March 6


For more information on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, their upcoming album Mojo, their upcoming tour, The Highway Companions Fan Club, and premium ticket packages, please visit www.tompetty.com and www.livenation.com.

Kollaboration at the Shrine in LA March 6

Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time: 7PM (Doors open at 6PM)
Venue: Shrine Auditorium
665 W Jefferson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007-3626

~6,300 SEATS
~ PERFORMERS COMPETING FOR CASH PRIZES~
$500 Freestyle Dance & $500 Freestyle Vocal Competition!!
LIMITED DISCOUNTED TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.kollaboration.org/Tickets/Los-Angeles/Kollaboration-10-Tickets.html

Special Guest Performers:
Rex Navarrete - Comedian
Tony Rock - Comedian
We are Heroes
Prepix - Dance group from Korea
Pigeon John - Rapper
Vudoo Soul - Singer
Just Kidding Films - Guest Appearance
Korean Union Dancerz - Hip Hop Dance Group

Competitors:
Jason Yang
Clara
Paul Jisung Kim
Sam Hart
Mike Isberto & Alfa
Will Volume
Bhangra Empire

Guest Judges:
Kev Jumba - Youtube Comedian
Joseph Kahn - Director
Rex Lee - Actor, HBO's Entourage
Lisa Ling - Journalist
Michelle Phan - Youtube Beauty Guru
Nita Song - President IW Group
Patty Yoon - CEO Garco Enterprises

When Kollaboration first started in 2000, some people said it was just a little show that would never last. Fast Fwd: 11 years later... soon to be 10 cities, 31 shows, tens of thousands of attendees, and MILLIONS of online viewers later... Kollaboration 10 has ARRIVED! Join us Saturday, March 6, 2010 @ the SHRINE Auditorium as Kollaboration Los Angeles presents the BIGGEST Asian talent show in American history to date!

NOTE:
"One of the biggest knocks on Asian Americans is that we don’t support each other in the entertainment industry. We harshly judge our own entertainers for either being too white, too black, and if you can believe it, too Asian. Kollaboration is a platform where young Asian Americans can perform in front of a live crowd. This show will open the minds of those who don’t give Asian Americans a chance when it comes to expressing themselves creatively. And hopefully, through it, we can witness a new type of Asian American artform we can claim as our own."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhmSZvViaOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8BtNgsK4T0

KOLLABORATION GLOBAL 2010!

TEN CITIES!

Mar. 6 - KOLLABORATION LOS ANGELES 10 www.kollaboration.org
Mar. 13 - TORONTO 5 www.tdotkollaboration.org
Apr. 10 - SAN FRANCISCO 1 www.kollaborationsf.org
Apr. 17 ATLANTA 3 www.kollaborationatl.org
Apr. 24 CHICAGO 6 www.chikollaboration.org
MAY 23 - NEW YORK 5 www.kollaborationhouston.org
AUG 21 - TULSA 1
SEPT. 25 - WASHINGTON DC 1
OCT 23 - SEATTLE 1

Los Angeles Visionaries Association launched

Viva LAVA! Announcing the birth of the Los Angeles Visionaries Association

WHAT: LAVA is a consortium of the some of L.A.'s most offbeat and original creative artists, featuring a shared events calendar and weekly mailings, Sunday Salon gatherings, exclusive free happenings, a provocative blog and much more to come.

WHERE: http://www.lavatransforms.org

All across this vast and confusing city, little pockets of creative energy flare up, like molten lava oozing from the earth's core. But if you blink, you'll miss them. The failure to find real connection in Los Angeles is a cliché rooted in truth. You could easily spend frustrating years searching for the real thing, those hidden gems and secret gatherings that give this city a soul. Or you can look to a new entity called LAVA (the Los Angeles Visionaries Association) for guidance.

LAVA aims to reveal the hidden heart of Los Angeles and facilitate connections between people with shared passions and sensibilities. Through participation in LAVA, a select group of artists comes together to promote cultural programming that speaks to the urban experience while promoting positive public space. LAVA's creative partners share a love for L.A. and unique ideas for how to express and explore it in their work.

Formed by social historians RICHARD SCHAVE and KIM COOPER -- proprietors of Esotouric bus adventures and until recently the Director and Curator of the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk -- LAVA brings together L.A.'s most visionary promoters, artists, writers and thinkers.

Not virtually, though LAVA'so nline calendar is packed with gems, but in frequent gatherings of living, breathing, collaborating, connecting human beings, held all around the town-- including a monthly Sunday Salon at Clifton's Cafeteria.

The first crop of Visionaries in the growing curated community includes cultural chronicler ADRIENNE CREW, Cacophony Society co-founder AL RIDENOUR, back-to-nature pioneer ALICIA BAY LAUREL, former Metropolitan Museum curator ALLON SCHOENER, designer/mom of Chicken Boy AMY INOUYE, custom tours maven ANNE BLOCK, master puppeteer BOB BAKER, producer and promoter CHRISTIAN VOLTAIRE MEOLI, performance artist CRIMEBO THE CLOWN, the NEA's outgoing Director of Literature DAVID KIPEN, documentarian and exploitation film historian ELIJAH DRENNER, pop critic and outsider artist GENE SCULATTI, no-longer-Teenage Glutster food blogger JAVIER CABRAL, horror film director JEREMY KASTEN, social historian JOAN RENNER, Musso & Frank co-owner JORDAN JONES, performance artist JULES ROCHIELLE, curator and activist JULIE RICO, "Kristin's List" cultural chronicler KRISTIN BEDFORD, esoteric scholar and lecturer MAJA D'AOUST, poet and dancer MONA JEAN CEDAR, L.A. Historic Theater Foundation rep NICK MATONAK, music producer and impresario NO'A WINTER LAZERUS, peace activist PAUL NUGENT of the Aetherius Society, social networking mistress SHAWNA DAWSON, and hat designer and multi-media artist YASMIN DIXON.

LAVA's core members are multi-generational (ranging from age 21 through 86) genre-hoppers who are already beginning to collaborate on a series of exclusive LAVA happenings, many of them free to attend. Forthcoming free LAVA exclusives include the L.A.-themed exploitation film series Tinseltown Tarnish (hosted by Elijah Drenner and Jeremy Kasten), a screening of the astrologically-themed 1938 film "When Were You Born" at the historic United Lodge of Theosophy (hosted by Maja D'Aoust) and a new series of "Flâneur & the City" downtown walking tours (led by Richard Schave). And starting in March, LAVA hosts a monthly Sunday Salon at Clifton's Cafeteria, where allcurious folks are invited to come learn about the LAVA community and enjoy short presentations from select Visionaries.

LAVA's web site debuts today with a community calendar that features an eclectic mix of events: occult lectures, Tom Waits bus tours, musical gatherings, art openings, puppet spectaculars, historic theater tours, saucy nurse performance art, comedy benefits for Haitian relief, ancient Hindu scripture classes, and a free walking tour of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Los Angeles.

Coming soon: podcasts, community forums and printable event calendars.

Then there's the community blog, a chance for LAVA's secret weapon to shine.

Click BLOG at www.lavatransforms.org and you'll find ALLON SCHOENER, the 84-year-old cultural historian, author, exhibition originator and art world "Zelig," who in January moved from Hudson, NY to Hollenbeck Palms, the historic Boyle Heights retirement home, dusted off his laptop and started planning his creative life in Los Angeles.

Allon's first blog post in a series of recollections of meetings with 20th Century tastemakers is the story of how he brought the first domestic espresso machine to Hollywood in the 1950s.

Coming soon: Allon's 100% true tales of life as Charles and Ray Eames' houseguest, socializing with Imogen Cunningham, brainstorming with George Nelson and studying art history with Soviet spy Anthony Blunt.

To learn more about LAVA, please visit
http://www.lavatransforms.org

Royal/T to offer Alice in Wonderland teas, art and more

As Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland quickly approaches its eagerly anticipated release on Friday, March 5th, we’ve noticed an ongoing trend of everything from specialty cocktails to art exhibits catering to the Alice-loving crowd.

From March 5th – March 31st, Royal/T, Culver City’s quirky 10,000-square-foot Japanese “cosplay” maid café will serve guests a special Alice in Wonderland High Tea set. The shareable "Alice High Tea" (serves 2-3 people) will be $25.00 and include Playing Cards Tea Sandwiches, ‘Eat Me’ Cupcakes, ‘Drink Me’ Special Royal/T Green Milk Tea blend, and Deep Purple Macaroons. It will be served by the “cosplay” café’s maid servers who will all be wearing playful Alice costumes.

Royal/T will also host a Alice in Wonderland kids fashion show that will be free and open to the public on Saturday, March 6th at 2pm. This event will be geared towards families with young children. A variety of fun girl’s dresses will be up for sale at Royal/T’s pop-up store, and will also be modeled during the fashion show by children aged 3-4 years old.

The event will also feature miniature ‘Eat Me’ cupcakes for sale and complimentary non-alcoholic ‘Drink Me’ beverages. The event will run through the afternoon and also include other special giveaways, and live Alice, White Rabbit, and Mad Hatter “characters” interacting with guests through the venue.

Royal/T’s newest exhibit, “The Never Ending Story: Fairytale, Fantasy and Obsession” curated by Laura Hoptman explores themes of fairytales and their contemporary expression, fantasy.

The opening party on February 4, 2010 was an Alice-inspired blowout bash featuring miniature Eat Me cupcakes (see image below), “Drink Me” Absinthe cocktails, and kitschy Alice-themed characters and costumes. The exhibit will be on display through August 2010. Always ahead of the trend, the 10,000-square-foot venue also hosted a “Mad Hatter” tea party in March 2009 complete with a life size chess set and Cheshire Cat character.

Royal/T
8910 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-2326
(310) 559-6300
www.royal-t.org

Twin Tigers to tour in support of new album

Twin Tigers' Gray Waves LP Release Shows
Feb 26 - Caledonia Lounge - Athens, GA
Feb 27 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA

Future Sounds Rumble Tour
Mar 3 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA
Mar 4 - 3 of Clubs - LA, CA
Mar 6 - Bar Pink - San Diego, CA
Mar 12 - The Thunderbird Lounge - Las Vegas, NV
(as part of the Neon Reverb Music Fest)

Twin Tigers at SXSW
Mar 17 - WOXY Radio Session @ 10am
Mar 18 - Sonic Itch Day Party - the Independent
w/ Ty Segall, Warpaint

Mar 19 - Sneak Attack Day Party - Clive Bar @ 12:35pm
Mar 19 - Official WOXY Showcase - Emos IV @ 9pm
w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars, Richard Swift, French Miami

Mar 20 - Old Flame/Obscure Magpie Day Party @ 1:30pm
w/ Born Ruffians, Black & White Years

Mar 20 - 40 Watt Party @ 5pm
w/ James Husband, Dead Confederate, Gift Horse

Gray Waves out now digitally and In Stores March 2!

http://www.myspace.com/thetwintigers
www.twitter.com/twintigers

Live Nation announces country music concerts

Live Nation, the world's premier live entertainment company, announced today their Country music summer concert schedule featuring some of the biggest names in Country music and the return of the Country Megaticket season ticket offer.

"With Megaticket fans can buy a country music season ticket enabling them to secure the same seat to every show along with great access or amenities, and an incredible line up of country music artists at the start of the summer concert season," said Brian O'Connell, President of Live Nation Nashville. "We have offered the Megaticket for nearly ten years now and it continues to be a huge success with live country music fans."

This summer's line up of country greats includes:
Brad Paisley with Darius Rucker

Brooks & Dunn with Jason Aldean (April 23 thru June 13th but not including 5/4-5/6) & Gary Allan (5/4-5/6 and after June 13th).

Rascal Flatts with Kellie Pickler and Chris Young

Sugarland with special guests

Tim McGraw with Lady Antebellum and The Lost Trailers (2/11-4/10) and Love and Theft (4/11-8/15)

Toby Keith with special guests

COUNTRY THROWDOWN 2010 features the best in new country artists with: Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band, The Lost Trailers, Heidi Newfield, Ryan Bingham, Jonathan Singleton & The Grove, Emily West. Bluebird Café Artists: Ashley Ray, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan, Dave Pahanish, Jedd Hughes, Sarah Buxton, Troy Olsen, Walker Hayes

The Country Megaticket is a multi-show season ticket offer featuring multiple country artists at Live Nation venues. Fans pick their city's venue and choose from a variety of ticket packages featuring multiple artists, seating options and amenities. T

o see a map of cities and venues with a complete list of venue packages and availability, visit Megaticket.com or LiveNation.com/megaticket.

Packages vary in each city and are available for limited time only.

For additional ticket and tour information visit LiveNation.com

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem release family-friendly album

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, an acclaimed American string band, is proud to announce the national retail release of their first family music CD. Ranky Tanky is a sunny place where kids and adults alike may groove to one effortless riff, rhythm and soaring harmony after another. Ranky Tanky features 17 songs and will be available on March 15th from independent label Mayhem Music.

Kids who listen to Ranky Tanky sing along to the catchy melodies and funky beats. Grownups recognize the sounds of Cat Stevens and Tom Petty as well as Nat King Cole, zydeco, and Texas swing. Amid all the entertainment and fun, people of all ages find plenty of ways to discover this adventurous and nuanced journey through 100 years of American music.

As Rani Arbo explains, there was only one criteria for choosing songs for Ranky Tanky: "If they're good, they're in.”

The band creates original songs for their grown-up shows, but all of the tracks on Ranky Tanky are covers, many of them dusted off from other genres, times and traditions. The title track is a hip-shaking game from the Georgia Sea Islands, and Cat Stevens' “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (currently enjoying heavy rotation on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio’s Kids Place Live) gets a full band-with-horn-section workout.

Listeners of practically any musical taste can pick their favorites, from the raucous “Tennessee Wig Walk;” to the swingy “Kemo Kymo;” the Mardi Gras parade styled “They All Ask'd For You” or the rousing rendition of the classic “Purple People Eater.”

Amid all this booty-shaking fun is a ukulele ditty from 1901, a twangy jaw harp solo, a 21st century lullaby and traditional Bahamian children's song with an ethereal kalimba accompaniment.

Your official Ranky Tanky tour guide is sweet-singing fiddler Rani Arbo (who has logged several stints as Joan Baez’ backup singer). The rest of the band provides strong lead vocals too. Bassist Andrew Kinsey keeps the groove deep in his pocket, while Anand Nayak (whose work with SteveSongs is featured daily on PBS kids) growls, howls and soars on electric and acoustic guitars. Scott Kessel's percussion rig, the “Drumship Enterprise,” anchors the proceedings.

Cobbled together from cardboard and wooden boxes, tin cans, plastic jugs, and an old naugahyde suitcase, it is - like the band - unpretentious, soulful, a little bit silly and always musical.

After ten years on the road, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem are a bona fide family themselves, with the chops to prove it. Now, after a cropof three highly-praised grownup CDs – and a bundle of their own kids – Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem are a group of musicians stretching toward a new audience.

For a band with a reputation for dispensing joy (the Boston Globe describes their shows as “playful and profound”), family music making is a natural step. They plan to continue creating solid roots music for families: uplifting, joyfully spontaneous, danceable, occasionally wistful and never sarcastic.

For more information about Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem and Ranky Tanky, visit www.raniarbo.com/rankytanky.com

RANKY TANKY
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Label: Mayhem Music
Release: March 15, 2010
SRP: $15 Distributor: Signature Sounds.
Available from CDBaby and various retailers.

Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival in Vegas March 27

The 15th annual Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival will be back in Las Vegas this year. Held Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Desert Breeze Skate Park, this year’s event will again offer fans a full day of rock and extreme sports, including a Pro BMX dirt jump competition, professional wrestling, roller derby, as well as the Vegas AmJam amateur BMX and skate competition.

For the first time ever, the festival will feature three live music stages, including the Verizon Wireless main stage, the newly formed AP (Alternative Press) Stage featuring the Alternative Press Tour, and the XPOZ Local Band Stage consisting of local area acts. Bands performing at Extreme Thing 2010 include The Used, Five Finger Death Punch, Escape The Fate, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Story of the Year, Never Shout Never, Call The Cops, Hey Monday, Every Avenue, The Summer Set and The Ready Set. More artists will be announced shortly.

Concertgoers should note, only a personal “unopened” bottle of water can be brought into the festival along with still cameras and sunscreen. There will be multiple ATM’s on site, plus an array of food for purchase, from barbecue to Thai, along with beverages. Please note: no alcohol will be sold. No animals, coolers, weapons or chairs will be permitted.

Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival sponsors include X107.5 FM, Verizon Wireless, City Life, My LV TV, CW Las Vegas, Red Bull, Qdoba Mexican Grill and The XPOZ Coalition.

Extreme Thing will take place Saturday, March 27 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Desert Breeze Skate Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road at Durango Drive. Tickets are on sale now and are $17 for GA or $35 for a combo package, which includes a GA ticket, event t-shirt and commemorative event poster in advance, or $20 at the door.

www.extremething.com

The Slackers to tour in support of upcoming album

New York's eclectic sextet The Slackers will make their triumphant return to usher in the next chapter of ska with the release of The Great Rocksteady Swindle on April 20 via Hellcat Records. The band's first single, "Anastasia," can be downloaded for free now on
Hell-Cat.com.

Featuring classic cuts like "Cheated," "How It Feels" and "Thank You," The Great Rocksteady Swindle retains the band's unforgettable musical style while also adding fresh and vibrant elements to the music on tracks like the roots-rocker "Sabina" and the gritty "Bo Evil."

What began in New York City some 19 years ago has grown into an international musical phenomenon that blends ska, rocksteady, dub, R&B, reggae, soul, garage rock and 60's pop into what leader Vic Ruggiero calls, "Jamaican Rock n Roll."

The Great Rocksteady Swindle is the Slackers 12th studio album and is a credit to the band's continued vitality and longevity in the music scene. The new album is a collaborative effort from Dave Hillyard (sax), Vic Ruggiero (keyboards, vocals), Jay "Agent Jay" Nugent (guitar), Glen Pine (tombone, vocals), Marcus Geard (bass) and Ara Babajian (drums) with all members contributing to the songwriting.

"Long Way Off," "Mr. Tragedy" and the electric "Cheated" are immediate standout cuts on an overall strong album. With its spirited mix of realism and optimism, The Great Rocksteady Swindle is exactly the type of musical antidote needed in today's angst-ridden times.

"We're trying to make music last, something that you want to listen to years from now. We've never really been part of a trend. We've always been on the edge of different trends," explains sax player Hillyard. "It's one reason why we haven't gotten hugely famous but also one of the reasons why we've stuck around so long."

Make the music last with The Slackers by picking up a copy of The Great Rocksteady Swindle and catching them on tour this March and April.

The Great Rocksteady Swindle Tracklisting:
How It Feels - 3:38
Because - 2:53
Mr. Tragedy - 3:40
Sabina - 4:18
Cheated - 4:19
Daddy - 3:10
A Long Way Off - 3:34
Bo Evil - 3:01
Tool Shed - 3:14
Ain't No Sunshine - 3:54
Don't Look Back - 4:23
Anastasia - 3:51
Thank You - 2:46
The TV Dinner Song - 3:20
The Same Everyday - 3:44

The Slackers Tour Dates:
Mar 24 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Mar 25 - Vancouver, BC - Richshaw Theater
Mar 26 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Mar 27 - Sandpoint, ID - Taps Bar Lounge
Mar 28 - Spokane, WA - The Blvd
Mar 30 - Bend, OR - Mountains Edge Bar
Mar 31 - Redmond, OR - Timber's Bar
Apr 1 - Eugene, OR - Wetland's Bar
Apr 23 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Apr 24 - San Jose, CA - Bank Club
Apr 25 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's
Apr 27 - Yuma, AZ - Dunes' Restaurant
Apr 28 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
Apr 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Apr 30 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
May 1 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse
June 4 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom (Record Release Show)
June 5 - Baltimore, MD - Otto Bar

For More Information:
www.myspace.com/theslackers
www.hell-cat.com

GBH to release 11th studio album in April

After years of speculation, groundbreaking English hardcore band GBH has announced plans to release their eleventh studio album, Perfume and Piss, via Hellcat Records on April 6. Fans can check out a new song, "Kids Get Down," on the band's MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/gbh

There isn't a self-respecting gutter punk, hardcore kid or subcultural miscreant alive who hasn't seen the GBH logo emblazoned on the back of a leather jacket, a denim vest, or a torn-up t-shirt. And now the world will be slapped upside the head with another reminder as to exactly why GBH is so important, in the form of Perfume and Piss, the legendary and iconic punk band's first album for Hellcat Records.

Barn-burning, fist-pumping, palace-gates-storming tracks like "Kids Get Down," "Cadillac One" and "This is Not the Real World" carry the torch forward with the band's trademark fury that is alternately nihilistic, optimistic, pessimistic, anarchist, violent, humorous and deadly serious all at once.

Charged GBH have been a band for over 30 years and their longevity is a testament to their purity of sound and vision. Although, as vocalist and founding member Colin Abrahall tells it, there was never anything close to a "plan."

"We didn't think it'd last a week when we first got together," he says, with a laugh. "None of us could really play our instruments or do our specific job within the band. We just kind of winged it for a while. If you were born the day we formed in 1979, you'd be a mature adult now!"

Perfume and Piss is, in the band's own words, the "best album we've done in a long, long time." The album was created in fits and starts (two weeks on, two weeks off) which allowed them to fine-tune the material and compose a more complete feeling album. "We're really pleased with it," says Colin.

"We've been on various dodgy labels in the past and ever since Hellcat first started, we've wanted to be associated with it," he remarks. "To actually sign with Hellcat is a dream come true for us."

Perfume and Piss Tracklisting:
Unique - 2:28
Kids Get Down - 2:03
Perfume And Piss- 2:46
Cadillac One - 3:17
San Jose Wind - 2:19
Dead Man Walking - 2:37
Invisible - 3:04
This Is Not The Real World - 2:49
Polytoxic - 3:00
Ballads - 3:00
Power Corrupts - 3:15
Going Sideways - 3:43
Time Flies - 4:43

For More Information:
www.myspace.com/gbh
www.hell-cat.com

Abandon All Ships signs with Velocity/Rise and on tour

Velocity Records/Rise Records are excited to announce their first signing together: Abandon All Ships.

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, the band spent the majority of 2009 heavily touring North America and unleashing their own unique brand of hardcore, euro and dance music on the masses.

Somehow between their time spent on the road and their time spent watching Jersey Shore in true guido fashion, they’ve managed to write a debut full-length album, which is tentatively set to be released at the end of summer. Stay tuned for updates.

Catch Abandon All Ships on their upcoming tour w/A Skylit Drive, I Set My Friends On Fire, and Tides Of Man:

5/28 Stockton, CA @ Plea For Peace Center

5/29 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

5/30 Tucson, AZ @ Rock

6/1 Tulsa, OK @ Marquee

6/2 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory

6/3 Tyler, TX @ Knights of Columbus

6/4 Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s

6/5 Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone

6/6 Nashville, TN @ Rockettown

6/8 Raleigh, NC @ Greene Street Club

6/9 Richmond, VA @ Canal Club

6/10 Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club

6/11 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance/The Loft

6/12 Vineland, NJ @ Hangar 84

6/13 Toledo, OH @ Headliners

6/15 Grand Rapids, MI @ Mixtape

6/16 Dekalb, IL @ House Café

6/17 Des Moines, IA @ House of Bricks

6/18 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground

http://www.abandonallships.com/

http://www.velocityrecords.com/

http://www.riserecords.com/

Sharif on tour in support of new album

Independent singer-songwriter Sharif announces the official release of his third CD, Kisses and Lies, on February 23, 2010. His first single Dark Side of the Dawn, featuring Old 97's singer Rhett Miller, will go to radio later this month with the M:M radio promotion team at the helm.

Produced by Chris Keup and Stewart Myers (Jason Mraz, OAR, and Rachael Yamagata) the CD was recorded in a barn in Louisa, Virginia, a hotel in Baltimore and Sharif's own bedroom in Los Angeles. Sharif assembled a preeminent cast of musicians to record his album including Tim Bradshaw (John Mayer, David Gray, Josh Ritter) on keyboards, Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams) on pedal steel, Mark Goldenberg (Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Brett Dennen) playing guitar, ukulele and banjo, Stewart Myers (Lifehouse, Shawn Colvin) on bass guitar and Brian Jones (Mandy Moore, Liz Phair) manning the drums.

Born to an Egyptian father and American mother, Sharif realizes that his name might lead people to believe that he would play Middle Eastern or World Music. However his native Virginia proved a worthy influence steeping Sharif in keen sense of Americana musical history.

With his feet planted firmly in the here and now, Sharif seamlessly melds his own brand of folk rock with pop and R&B, combining honest and intelligent lyrics with his easy emotionally driven voice.

He is quick to say that Kisses and Lies is a heartbreak album with a sideways smile that lets you know that he knows how obvious that may seem. Yet there's a surprising newness and truthful understanding of the human experience that comes through his songwriting.

His influences are diverse and many with the quintessential songwriters Dylan, Gram Parsons, Elliot Smith and Nick Drake at the top of his list, along with Ryan Adams, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bright Eyes. It's a lengthy list of music that he loves and he notes that all of the musicians on his album have played with his favorites as well.

Don't let his laid back demeanor and good looks fool you his talent is evident when he steals the show, just he and his guitar. With the release of Kisses and Lies on February 23, 2010, Sharif will be touring the West Coast with East Coast dates to follow.

Check out www.sharifmusic.com
for further information and catch a glimpse of Sharif's interview on NBC Los Angeles at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dWPBH28IUI.

Tour Dates:
Mar 4- Zoey's Ventura, CA
Mar 12-Wavy TV-Hampton Road Show-live performance Portsmouth, VA
Mar 12-Montgomery Grill Portsmouth, VA
Mar 19-WBJB on-air Radio performance NJ
Mar 19-Sullivan's Hall NYC
Mar 21-Galaxy Hut Arlington, VA
Mar 24-The Winchester Cleveland, OH
Mar 25- WCBE On-Air Radio Appearance @10:30 am Columbus, OH
Mar 25-The Rumba Café Columbus, OH
Apr 2- The Paisley Violin Phoenix, AZ
Apr 7-The Hotel Café Los Angeles, CA

Serj Tankian concert film on iTunes

The iTunes LP version of Serj Tankian’s eagerly awaited Elect the Dead Symphony went on sale exclusively on iTunes on February 23rd, a full two weeks before the CD/DVD package is released by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records on March 9th and made available from all retailers. The long-form concert film also goes on sale exclusively on the iTunes store today.

This iTunes LP version features 14 tracks from Elect the Dead Symphony — a very special orchestral interpretation of Tankian’s critically acclaimed solo debut Elect the Dead that saw Tankian performing at New Zealand’s majestic Auckland Town Hall with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2009. It also recreates the “LP” experience by providing exclusive photos, complete lyrics, credits, and acknowledgements, plus a behind-the-scenes interview with Tankian and others involved in the creation of the Elect the Dead Symphony CD/DVD experience.

Elect the Dead Symphony contains elements of psychedelia, classical, and the trademark surrealist images and skewed time signatures that Tankian has made his own, all of which were scored by Tankian himself and arranged for full orchestra by respected New Zealand composer John Psathas. The album has been mixed by Dutch musician Junkie XL, known for his remixes for such artists as Britney Spears, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Michael Bublé, Madonna, Scissor Sisters, Sarah McLachlan, and many more.

www.serjtankian.com

Ben McGinty of Gallery at the End of the World on "Our Town" tonight on Charter Cable's Arroyo Channel 32

Conversation with Altadena’s Art Impresario Ben McGinty, Wednesday, 9 p.m.

Michele Zack will be sitting in for Marie Stein on
Our Town,
Wednesday, 9 pm,
on Charter’s Arroyo Channel 32
(or watch streaming video on your computer at
www.PasadenaCommunityNetwork.com ).

Michele and Ben McGinty, whose “Gallery at the End of the World” is the center of Altadena’s art scene, will discuss not only the Gallery and its current and upcoming shows, but also Altadena as a vortex for art and artists across our town’s idiosyncratic past.

Join us for a discussion about what it is that makes this place such an art magnet, and a look at a few of the interesting characters who have come here to make art.

We will also share contemporary and historic images, and take your calls the 2nd half of our program, at 626/794-8585.

Support local music with Sierra Madre Sue

Guess what I did tonight??? You're lookin' at it!
*********************************************************************

"WEDNESDAY NIGHT PLATTER PARTY" @ THE BUCCANEER, 9pm. Bring your favorite vinyl records and Dan Besocke will play entire sides on his turntable, commercial free! 70 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-355-9045.

THURS. 2/25 - BARRY "BIG B" BRENNER @ FIREFLY BISTRO IN SOUTH PASADENA, 6 - 9pm. 1009 El Centro. 626-441-2443. Burgers, Brews & BLUES Every Thursday. http://www.bigbbrenner.com/

THURS. 2/25 - when MIMI MARGO-GO'S MULTI-MEDIA ROCK-ART EXTRAVAGANZA meets SNOTTY SCOTTY & THE HANKIES, anything can and will happen! @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 8 - 11pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar, no cover. You don't want to miss this!

FRI. 2/26 - The MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE MAYAN BAR (inside the Aztec Hotel) in MONROVIA, 6 - 9pm Happy Hour. 311 W. Foothill Blvd. 626-358-3231. NO COVER. Full bar, coldest beer in town! Classic Rock and beyond! Every Friday. http://www.myspace.com/themellowdeees

FRI. 2/26 - JEFF STETSON BAND @ THE NOVEL CAFE IN PASADENA, 7 - 9:30pm. 1713 E. Colorado Blvd., between Meredith & Bonnie. Beer/wine, burgers, pasta, breakfast all day! Blues. http://novelcafe.cisco-source.com/?page_id=76

FRI. 2/26 - THE SUBS @ THE DOCKSIDE GRILL IN WEST COVINA, 7:30 - 11:30pm. 3057 E. Garvey Ave. North. 626-915-3474. Acoustic Classic Rock. Danny Hesse, Felicia Cain, Robert Gonzales.

Sat. February 27th - 2 FRETS LOWER @ Strings Music. 164 n Glendora Ave, Glendora, 8 - 10am (YES - A.M.) Bluegrass.

Saturday and Sunday, February 27 and 28, from 11 AM till around 5, (with a lunch break) - It's the annual Los Angeles Pedal Steel Guitar jam session. Between 15 & 20 pedal steel guitarists, sitting in a circle, jamming to computerized rhythm tracks. (The "band" is great, the drummer never speeds up, and the guitar player never plays the wrong chord or plays too loud!) In the banquet room of the EL ARCO IRIS restaurant. 5684 York Blvd, in the Highland Park section of L.A. Free for both players and observers.

SUN. 2/28 - "OPERA TO BROADWAY" VOCAL PERFORMANCES @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar and great Italian food. Every Sunday evening. Get there early - they pack 'em in!

TUES. 3/2 - JEAN'S MUSIC @ MARY'S MARKET & CANYON CAFE IN SIERRA MADRE CANYON, 6 - 9pm. Jean Sudbury on violin (and friends?)

"TUESDAY NIGHT TRIVIA" @ CAFE 322 with QUIZMASTER MIDGE, 8pm. $2 per person to play, CASH or gift certificates to the top 3 teams. Fun and educational! 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414.

"WEDNESDAY NIGHT PLATTER PARTY" @ THE BUCCANEER, 9pm. Bring your favorite vinyl records and Dan Besocke will play entire sides on his turntable, commercial free! 70 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-355-9045.

THURS. 3/4 - NEW ASTROTURF @ CAFE 322 in SIERRA MADRE, 7 - 10:30pm. All ages welcome - bring the family for dinner. Full bar & great Italian food! 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Folk/Rock & Classic Country. Every first Thursday of the month. Special 20% off "Astro Bucks" flyer attached - print it out and bring it with you.

FRI. 3/5 - The MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE MAYAN BAR (inside the Aztec Hotel) in MONROVIA, 6 - 9pm Happy Hour. 311 W. Foothill Blvd. 626-358-3231. NO COVER. Full bar, coldest beer in town! Classic Rock and beyond! Every Friday. http://www.myspace.com/themellowdeees

Fri. 3/5: STEVE AND STEVE @ The American Legion Post 280: Barbeque dinner and music on the patio. Band starts at 7pm. $5.00 for dinner, $3.00 to see the band (People do not have to buy dinner to see the band.) 179 N. Vinedo Ave. East Pasadena. 626-792-9938.

FRI. 3/5 - THE SUBS @ THE DOCKSIDE GRILL IN WEST COVINA, 7:30 - 11:30pm. 3057 E. Garvey Ave. North. 626-915-3474. Acoustic Classic Rock. Danny Hesse, Felicia Cain, Robert Gonzales.

SAT. 3/6 - THE MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE NOVEL CAFE IN PASADENA, 6 - 9pm. 1713 E. Colorado Blvd., between Meredith & Bonnie. Burgers, salads, breakfast all day, beer & wine. Classic Rock and beyond! Cool new venue! http://novelcafe.cisco-source.com/?page_id=76

SAT. 3/6 - Open Mic Night @ the FRETHOUSE in Covina. 309 N. Citrus Ave. (626) 339-7020. Always on the first Saturday of the month, and just one dollar for performers or audience. Sign-up starts at 7:30. If there aren't enough slots for everybody they'll make a list for the next month, and call you. Each act gets two songs or ten minutes, whichever comes first. The show starts at 8:00. They'll have desserts and coffee ready. Bring your friends and family and join the show! http://www.frethouse.com/index.php

SAT. 3/6 - LISA FINNIE & FRIENDS @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 8 - 11pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar and great Italian food. No cover, all ages. Country/Western/Jazz torch singer and guitar player always backed by first class musicians.

SUN. 3/7 - "OPERA TO BROADWAY" VOCAL PERFORMANCES @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar and great Italian food. Every Sunday evening. Get there early - they pack 'em in!

"TUESDAY NIGHT TRIVIA" @ CAFE 322 with QUIZMASTER MIDGE, 8pm. $2 per person to play, CASH or gift certificates to the top 3 teams. Fun and educational! 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414.

"WEDNESDAY NIGHT PLATTER PARTY" @ THE BUCCANEER, 9pm. Bring your favorite vinyl records and Dan Besocke will play entire sides on his turntable, commercial free! 70 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-355-9045.

THURS. 3/11 - COW BOP @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 8 - 11pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar & great Italian food. Cowboy Jazz, Western Bebop. PintoPammy on vocals. http://www.cowbop.com/

FRI. 3/12 - The MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE MAYAN BAR (inside the Aztec Hotel) in MONROVIA, 6 - 9pm Happy Hour. 311 W. Foothill Blvd. 626-358-3231. NO COVER. Full bar, coldest beer in town! Classic Rock and beyond! Every Friday. http://www.myspace.com/themellowdeees

FRI. 3/12 - THE SUBS @ THE DOCKSIDE GRILL IN WEST COVINA, 7:30 - 11:30pm. 3057 E. Garvey Ave. North. 626-915-3474. Acoustic Classic Rock. Danny Hesse, Felicia Cain, Robert Gonzales.

Who: Desperation Squad (with Kevin Ausmus of Music Plus fame)When: Sat., March 13th - From 9:00pm to close.Where: Black Watch Pub, 497 N. Central Ave. Upland
plenty of free parking and No Cover Charge.

SUN. 3/14 - WISTARIA FESTIVAL IN DOWNTOWN SIERRA MADRE. Live music in several locations. HORSES ON ASTROTURF and many more. Stay tuned for line-up. Hopefully someone will send it to me!!!

SUN. 3/14 - "OPERA TO BROADWAY" VOCAL PERFORMANCES @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar and great Italian food. Every Sunday evening. Get there early - they pack 'em in!

"TUESDAY NIGHT TRIVIA" @ CAFE 322 with QUIZMASTER MIDGE, 8pm. $2 per person to play, CASH or gift certificates to the top 3 teams. Fun and educational! 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414.

Wed. 3/17: STEVE AND STEVE @ The American Legion Post 280: 4th Annual S.A.L. St. Patrick's Day Dinner... and music on the patio. Band starts at 7pm. $5.00 for dinner, $3.00 to see the band. (People do not have to buy dinner to see the band.) 179 N. Vinedo Ave. East Pasadena. 626-792-9938.

WED. 3/17 (ST. PADDY'S DAY) - THE MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) *and/or?? TOO MANY GUITARS @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7 - 10:30pm. *clarification to come....

"WEDNESDAY NIGHT PLATTER PARTY" @ THE BUCCANEER, 9pm. Bring your favorite vinyl records and Dan Besocke will play entire sides on his turntable, commercial free! 70 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-355-9045.

FRI. 3/19 - The MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE MAYAN BAR (inside the Aztec Hotel) in MONROVIA, 6 - 9pm Happy Hour. 311 W. Foothill Blvd. 626-358-3231. NO COVER. Full bar, coldest beer in town! Classic Rock and beyond! Every Friday. http://www.myspace.com/themellowdeees

FRI. 3/19 - THE SUBS @ THE DOCKSIDE GRILL IN WEST COVINA, 7:30 - 11:30pm. 3057 E. Garvey Ave. North. 626-915-3474. Acoustic Classic Rock. Danny Hesse, Felicia Cain, Robert Gonzales.

FRI. 3/19 - SEAN & MICHELLE (guitar & cello) @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7 - 9pm.... and then MERCY & THE MERKETTES DANCE PARTY , 9 - 11pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar, no cover, dance floor. Disco, Rock, Blues, Motown, etc. Always a great time!

Sat. March 20th - 2 FRETS LOWER @ Strings Music. 164 n Glendora Ave, Glendora, 8 - 10am (YES - A.M.) Bluegrass.

SAT. 3/20 - THE MELLOW D'z (DAVE OSTI AND DEANNA COGAN) @ THE NOVEL CAFE IN PASADENA, 6 - 9pm. 1713 E. Colorado Blvd., between Meredith & Bonnie. Burgers, salads, breakfast all day, beer & wine. Classic Rock and beyond! http://novelcafe.cisco-source.com/?page_id=76

SUN. 3/21 - "OPERA TO BROADWAY" VOCAL PERFORMANCES @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE, 7pm. 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 626-836-5414. Full bar and great Italian food. Every Sunday evening. Get there early - they pack 'em in!

SAT. 3/27: SNOTTY SCOTTY & THE HANKIES, TRIBAL HORSES, MERCY & THE MERKETTES @ THE OLD TOWNE PUB IN PASADENA in Memory of our good friend Mark Landis' (would have been) 50th Birthday party. Time TBD. 66 N. Fair Oaks Ave. 626-577-6583.

SUN. 3/28 - BARRY "BIG B" BRENNER @ FIREFLY BISTRO IN SOUTH PASADENA, 11am - 2pm. 1009 El Centro. 626-441-2443. Sunday BLUES Brunch! http://www.bigbbrenner.com/

Thurs. 4/1: New Astroturf @ Cafe 322...Rummy and Stu's 5th birthday party...just kidding - those are my cats!

Sat. 4/10: Horses on Astroturf @ Rt. 66 Roadhouse in Duarte...Steve Young and other April birthday celebrations ...Band starts at 9pm.

SATURDAY, 5/1 - DOO DAH PARADE and post-party @ THE AMERICAN LEGION... more details on EAST PASADENA PARADE ROUTE, etc. coming soon. Congratulations to Queen Erica Valentine!

Please remember to call and verify all info. before making plans. Everything is subject to change. This is show biz, after all...

Hope to see you out & about,
SierraMadreSue
sierramadresue@yahoo.com

FOR EVEN MORE COOL SHOWS & INFO., CHECK OUT THESE SITES:
http://cafe322.com/
http://www.frethouse.com/index.php
http://www.myspace.com/piratedive
http://www.coffeegallery.com/home.html
http://www.myspace.com/americanarootsla