OC MUSIC NEWS

CROWDED HOUSE LIVESTREAM
March 7, 2021IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM WITH CROWDED HOUSE March 8, 2021 by Nancy Evans If you live vicariously through music, 2020 was challenging, but we are slowly getting back to some sense of normalcy. For countless 80’s music fans, life can make you weep and make you run for cover. Luckily, we will always have those bands that got us through our teenage years. For me, it was a band from Australia called Crowded House. When I was in high school, I had a few loves. Of course, I loved my parents and I adored my dog. I also had a very deep affection for leg warmers and goth-like clothing. Then there were my TV shows and bands. This leads to my other three loves, well, technically two. At 16, I was your average band geek who hated their time in high school. Sound familiar? I grew to be a byproduct of John Hughes films like “Pretty in Pink” and “Sixteen Candles.” Thankfully, it was the music of that era that captured my soul and guided my future. OK, so I didn’t have a “Duckie” who adored me. I just had my puppy, and I was OK with that. Admittedly, I was a self-made outcast. I wanted it that way because I couldn’t stand those cliques. They were the worst, right? I just loved being the girl who was too cool to try to be cool. You know, the chick who knew all the best bands before they were popular. You know, the chick who knew all the cool bands before they were cool. I was like Mary Stuart Masterson in “Some Kind of Wonderful,” but without the Disney ending. That leads me to other three loves. By my senior year I was hooked to a new show, “21 Jump Street.” I was fixated on Johnny Depp, but he had some major competition. Just the sound of their voices made me smile. The two other boys were brothers, but sadly, I didn’t personally know them. Like most teenage girls though, I felt as if I did. Just the sound of their voices made me smile. They were Tim and Neil Finn and they were part of a band that captivated the hearts of many of the high school female population in the ’80s and ’90s. That band was Crowded House. By no stretch of the imagination did I limit myself to their music. I loved other greats of the time: The Who, Van Halen, AC/DC, Depeche Mode, Prince, Rick James, and didn’t we all go to “Rock n’ Roll High School” with the Ramones? In my head, I was that girl Paul Collins Beat was singing about; the one the boys just didn’t know yet, but I digress. For whatever reason, Crowded House’s self-tiled debut album really did it for me. I lost my shit the first time I heard “Something So Strong” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” It’s OK I won’t tell, you can probably relate. I’m sure at one point you had a song in your younger days that you sang in your head over and over as if it was your own marching-band cadence. As life went on, my fascination with those early crushes faded as I got into college and life dug in. But my love for Crowded House has always been the one guilty pleasure I could never really kick to the curb. Fast forward to 2021 and I still love Crowded House. Turns out my favorite band that was the origin of all my teenage angst has a new album coming out. The album is called “Dreamers Are Waiting“. Hard to believe, it’s their seventh studio album, and it will be released on June 4th. I can’t say for certain the new tunes will have the same impact on me in my adult years, but, if anyone can make me feel 16 gain, it’s Crowded House. To support the album, Crowded House has been doing a few livestream shows. The next is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th. They also have a scheduled tour in New Zealand, but beyond that, the Magic 8-Ball isn’t quite clear just yet. Trust me, if they come to your town, you should check them out because they are an amazing band. As for me, you know where you can catch me and my pooch named “Duckie” on March 24th. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LIVESTREAM EVENT TO GET PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM SID 210316 | TRACI TURNER, EDITOR...
DROPKICK MURPHYS ST. PATRICK’S DAY LIVESTREAM
March 7, 2021Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with DROPKICK MURPHYS March 8, 2021 by Josh Coutts Well look at this! Dropkick Murphys are doing a special Saint Patrick’s Day show on Wednesday, March 17th. Happy St Patrick’s Day to us! The livestream event is called “Still Locked Down” and wouldn’t you know the damn thing is LIVE and FREE! Damn! How many big bands are doing free online gigs? You’ve got to give it to this amazing band for providing tunes for all of us when live music is an absolute must nowadays. More than ever, people are missing seeing their favorite bands play live. Even though small acoustic shows and gigs are starting to pop up, there are still not a bunch of festivals or live shows yet. The band will play tunes off their new album, “Turn Up The Dial.” It drops April 30th and you can preorder it now. What a cool way to spend time with the band, so let’s all tune in and have a fun and safe Saint Patrick’s Day! Dropkick Murphys Still Locked Down happens Wednesday, March 17th (4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET), to catch the St. Patty live stream: SID 210315 | TRACI TURNER, EDITOR...
SUPERNOVA INTERNATIONAL SKA FESTIVAL
March 7, 2021SKA SKA SKA 2021 Supernova International Ska Festival March 8, 2021 by Thomas Ochoa After the 2020 Supernova Ska Festival had to be reformatted as a virtual event (2020 Supernova Ska Festival: Quarantine Edition), ska fans eagerly await the 2021 Festival. Despite being virtual, the event featured musicians from around the globe and raised more than $13,000 for Alpha Institute in Kingston, Jamaica.Originally scheduled for June, the festival curators felt pushing the event later in the year would allow for more participants to acquire the necessary vaccines and provide enough time for the COVID-19 pandemic to subdue. This also gives international artists more time to clear travel restrictions to enter the country. This year, the largest ska-orientated festival in the United States will take place at the Oozlefinch Brewery on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay on September 17th through the 19th. It will feature more artists than ever before, including Buck-O-Nine, Hepcat, The Skatalites, The Slackers, The Pietasters, The Skunks, Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, Chris Murray, and Mephiskapheles. Coolie Ranx of The Pilfers will emcee the event, while Roger Rivas, Jon Quan, Eric Abbey and Pocket Sounds will DJ for the weekend. Friday night’s line-up features The Pilfers, Half Past Two, Dr. Ring Ding, King Django, Mr. Kingpin Ska, Danny Rebel & The KGB, The Dendrites, The Players Band, with more to come. Ticketholders from 2020 or 2021 are valid for this new date and the organizers are giving everyone who did not cancel their 2020 tickets a free Friday pass. FOR MORE INFORMATION TO BUY TICKETS SID 210312 | TRACI TURNER, EDITOR SUPERNOVA INTERNATIONAL SKA FESTIVAL...

STAY FREE RECORDINGS
March 1, 2021STAY FREE RECORDINGS IS HERE An Interview with Jon Halperin and Julia Ruiz March 2, 2021 by Traci Turner There are always people in the music business that others say, “Oh you HAVE to know so-and-so!” People who always help others, live up to their word, stayed successful, and who haven’t screwed the whole thing up! We are lucky to have one of those people right here in our own back yard, he’s the incredible Jon Halperin. Halperin has been a band manager and music writer, but most of us probably know him as a talent booker – a task he has been rocking for more than 20 years. From Chain Reach to the Music Tastes Good Music Festival, The Glass House to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, he’s the man. With the live music industry shut down for almost a year now (I AM DYING!), Halperin found a way to keep bands in business and satisfy their fans in a special way. Halperin’s record label – Stay Free Recordings – has been working with independent bands to get limited edition vinyl to music collectors. In today’s environment, it would be a monumental task for anyone. Halperin and his wife/partner Julia Ruiz were nice enough to fill me in… THE HERE AND NOW “Success in the music industry isn’t something that you wait for or hope for. It is something that you create.” ― Simon S. Tam Jon Halperin | Founder Stay Free Recordings THE INTERVIEW Traci: “Thank you for taking the time to do this! It has been so interesting to see the various ways the industry has moved through the shutdown. What inspired you to create the record label?” Jon: “At the beginning of the pandemic, I bought a boom box and spent our early evenings on our back patio listening to cassettes. By summer, I bought a portable record player and listened to just 7” vinyl singles. Julia had been bugging me for months to revive my 1990’s ska label Vegas Records, which I wasn’t interested in doing. One night I had the epiphany of starting a label, but doing singles only. I wanted them to be super limited. I wanted people to think of them as pieces of art rather than just records.” Julia Ruiz: “I may have selfishly asked Jon to start the label. It happened while I was furloughed and I needed a project. I realized that I couldn’t continue doing my normal day to day job (which thankfully I still have), that I needed something exciting to keep me going.” JON HALPERIN AND JULIA RUIZ-HALPERIN | FOUNDERS, STAY FREE RECORDINGS Traci: “Understandable! As collectors of street art, going an artistic and limited way fits you! Explain how these records are special?” Jon: “For now, everything is limited to 200 sellable. Every record will have several colorways, and most will come with something “extra,” whether it is a button or a sticker, or … ???“ Traci: “Surprises are good! What types of bands and artists are you looking to work with?” Jon: “I want to work with artists that other people aren’t necessarily thinking about. If it is an artist that releases music, then do something different. Either a cover song or maybe something cool with the art.” Traci: “What is the process? I mean, does the band call you?” Jon: “For the most part, I have been reaching out to artists, but since word has gotten out, I have had some really cool artists reach out to me!” Traci: “That’s gotta be awesome to find new artists and share them! What are your next releases?” Jon: “This Friday, March 5, we have three releases“: 1. Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols, etc.) with Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon, etc.). 2. Nile Marr (son of Johnny Marr and an amazing Manchester-based indie rock artist in his own right. I’ve turned on UK radio on more than one occasion and heard him being played). 3. Charles Uzzell Edwards aka Pure Evil (He is a visual artist, known for his graffiti, his prints, his gallery in Shoreditch, London, but also happens to be an electronic artist. For this release, the backside of the jacket will be grip tape with the intention of damaging whatever it rubs against). Traci: “All three sound amazing! I know you are not profiting off these records, which is incredibly generous of you. What is the price point for these records?” Jon: “Typically anywhere from $10-$15. I want the artist to make money. I don’t care about making a dime. This is about having fun and doing cool releases.” Traci: “We’ll take it! For newer bands, how can they get going now? Without venues showing them off, what avenue should they try?” Jon: “Honestly, it’s about content. Make rad videos, write great songs. Create a Twitch channel. Make people like me come to you.” Traci: “In your opinion, when will live shows return?” Jon: “Really hoping for live music to return in the fall. It just seems like we are heading in the right direction at this point.” Traci: “Many people may not realize bands make their most money from touring and shows, so this past year has been a very big deal to bands and crews. People like you are pretty damn awesome, so thank you for looking for ways to help them out and keep the music going!” Jon: “Pshaw!” Thank you so much to Jon and Julia for being incredibly nice (and making me laugh!), and for all you are doing. It’s an incredibly important aspect of the recording industry and their efforts are crucial in today’s world of music. What they are doing is not easy, they just make it look that way. Check out Stay Free Recordings and snag your limited edition vinyl this week! TO FOLLOW STAY FREE RECORDINGS SID 210303 | JIMMY ALVAREZ, EDITOR STAY FREE RECORDINGS...

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