OC MUSIC NEWS

LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL
April 21, 2021PROMOTIONAL BANNER Let the Bad Times Roll with The Offspring April 21, 2021 by Jimmy Alvarez It’s been a decade in the making, but The Offspring just released their 10th album, “Let the Bad Times Roll.” Offspring fans get the seriousness and humor in their music, as well as the irony of this album. Formed in Garden Grove in 1984, The Offspring is best known for uber hits like “Want You Bad,” “Gone Away,” “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem,” “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid,” “Gotta Get Away,” “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” “Bad Habit,” and let’s not forget their movie soundtrack to “Sharknado!” This band has done it all. They’ve hit all the peaks and valleys throughout their distinguished career. It’s hard to believe it was over a year ago when we spoke with both Noodles and Dexter about their then-untitled project. Both guys were so excited, they couldn’t wait to have it out. They felt it was a throwback to their roots in more ways than one. That’s the thing about The Offspring; their music has always had a feel their fans could relate to. After all, their lyrics said, “If you could only read my mind, you would know that things between us ain’t right!” Those are the kind of words that people from all walks of life can relate to, and just one of the reasons they have endeared themselves to music fans of all genres worldwide. PHOTO BY GREEN-EYED BLONDE PHOTOGRAPHY With all that’s been going on in the world and in our own backyard, their music is what we need, and their music speaks truth to power. In our last chat with front-man Dexter Holland, he said that the pandemic would be one of our greatest challenges, but truthfully, it’s how we treat each other that may define the last 24-36 months. Holland seemed to have a crystal ball and he told us his predictions about the pandemic and the social distortion of the brotherhood of man that would be challenging even in 2021. “Let the Bad Times Roll” is perfectly titled for this band. They’ve always been one of those bands that tell it like it is. They’re like Bad Religion in the vein, and they will support the right causes and give the middle finger to the wrong ones. Reason # 101 their fans love them. The title track “Let the Bad Times Roll” hit the airwaves hard, and their fans loved it. Now, “This is Not Utopia,” is out and getting the same kind of positive response and good traction among the radio juggernauts and all broadcasters in between. Look, the band has had its challenges the past few years. A lawsuit and changes in bandmates didn’t derail them. Luckily for this group, they’ve toured off and on – in fact, more on than off – over their careers and that allows them to find their way back, no matter how much time they have off. The Offspring today remains an electric sonic experience with Dexter (vocals / guitar) and Noodles (guitar) joined by Todd Morse (bass) and Pete Parada (drums). The last time we spoke with Noodles, the guys were finishing up the album, and even then, a release date wasn’t set. When asked about a targeted release date, he said, “It’s just about done, but we have to give it some TLC, we want to make sure it’s great, not good, great! To do that, it needs the amount of time it needs to make that happen. We’ll know when we know about the release.” PHOTO BY GREEN-EYED BLONDE PHOTOGRAPHY Luckily for us, they took their time and did it right. Their songs have a universal soul we can all relate to. It’s an upbeat album with great hooks and it’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for. So when will we see them live again? Like the album release, only time will tell. When the guys know the time is right, they will scream about it. For now, it’s time to enjoy new music from The Offspring. To Pick-Up “Let the Bad Times Roll” LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL – TRACK LISTING 1. This Is Not Utopia 2. Let The Bad Times Roll 3. Behind Your Walls 4. Army of One 5. Breaking These Bones 6. Coming For You 7. We Never Have Sex Anymore 8. In The Hall of the Mountain King 9. The Opioid Diaries 10. Hassan Chop 11. Gone Away 12. Lullaby TO FOLLOW THE OFFSPRING OFFSPRING WEBSITE ocmn SID 210422 | TRACI TURNER, EDITOR...
THE 4/20 SPECIAL EPIC XVIII
April 20, 2021PROMOTIONAL BANNER 420 Special: “I’m a Weed Plant” Epic XVIII featuring Angelo Moore April 20, 2021 by Thomas Ocho In 1998, the ska boom was happening in the United States and SideOneDummy Records put together a compilation album named “Steady Sounds from the Underground.” The disc featured several of the premiere driving the ska revival including Less Than Jake, Dance Hall Crashers, Hepcat, and Pilfers. The compilation contained rare and unreleased gems that ska fans may not have even known existed, and one of those gems is Fishbone’s “I’m a Weed Plant.” This Fishbone track was released on the compilation, but later appeared on Fishbone’s 2000 album (“Familyhood Nextperience Presents The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx”) as “Where’d You Get Those Pants?” Why did this pseudo “weed anthem” get changed? OC Music News spoke with Angelo Moore, Fishbone Soldier #1, to discuss the origins of “I’m A Weed Plant” and get a better understanding of what happened. Q: “I’m a Weed Plant” was part of “Steady Sounds From The Underground Compilation.” Why was it only released as part of this compilation?A: I didn’t even know it was released on that compilation. I’m just finding out about that now. This song was originally meant to be part of a Fishbone record, but someone talked me out of it. I think it was our producer at the time who said we shouldn’t put it out because, ‘No one wants to listen to marijuana songs.’ This got me worried that the ‘big shot’ producer with all the money and studio time would pull the plug on the record. So, I scrapped that idea, and began rewriting the lyrics.Q:“I’m a Weed Plant” then became “Where’d You Get Them Pants?” Why?A: Yep, now which is better? Man, did I sell out? I rewrote the lyrics to make it radio appropriate. The same people who told me not to put out ‘Weed Plant’ told me that this would become a hit because it’s radio appealing, but did it become a big hit? No! Everyone has pants, but not everyone has marijuana. Q: Did you think this version of the song would ever be played again? A: I always wanted this song to reemerge, again… And it finally did. It’s like a message in a bottle; sometimes it comes back and other times it gets smashed up against the rocks. This one came back thanks to .“I’m a Weed Plant” resurfaced this year thanks to the determination of Southern California band, Epic XVIII. In early 2021, they began working on a recording to present to Moore in hopes of getting permission to cover the song. This became an entire collaboration and music video project with the longtime idol of the band. Adam Marquez, Epic XVIII vocalist and baritone saxophone player, discussed how and why he pursued remaking this song.Q: How did you hear about “I’m a Weed Plant”? A: I first heard the song while I was attending Berklee School of Music in Boston. The guitarist for my ska band at the time, Yuda, showed it to me. We ended up covering this song in Boston and on tour across the country. I didn’t even know that ‘Weed Plant’ became ‘Where’d You Get Them Pants?’ until after talking with Angelo about covering the song. Q: How is your version different than the original? A: The horn line is slightly different as the only version I heard sounded like a demo recording. I also messed up on the lyrics until after we shot the video with Angelo. You can see me singing something different in the music video. Q: What was it like working with Angelo? A: Angelo has always been one of my childhood heroes; a bari player, elite singer, and rocks a mohawk. I thought that maybe one day I would open for Fishbone, but never thought a collaboration would be possible. I was slightly star struck at first, but as we began talking, I quickly realized how down to earth and humble he is. I would happily do another collaboration with Angelo, again.Q: Why do you feel this song is appropriate now? A: Twenty years ago, pop culture was so much different than today. Back then weed was still a huge taboo in music. Now, the pop culture view on it is much more accepting. It’s a fun song that brings awareness to cannabis culture.Cannabis culture and weed use has definitely changed over the last 20+ years, and so has the legislation in many states, so it feels appropriate that this song would be released this year.Aside from working on this project, Moore is keeping himself busy even without live shows being part of his life. Since the pandemic began last year, Moore has released several shorts through his Patreon page (patreon.com/angelomoore), released a new song with The Brand New Step, performed every Saturday with The Missing Links as the house band for “The Green Jello Show,” presented a weekly segment on Facebook called “The Mirror of What,” and released a documentary titled “Forever Moore; The Angelo Project,” which is premiering at the Nova Film Festival. Moore’s work ethic is driven by his mantra, “Fake it, til you feel it.” Check out Moore live this Friday at Leimert Park as he performers for the “Virtual Live Concert Series” for Jazz Appreciation Month.Although Fishbone will no longer play “I’m a Weed Plant,” you can listen to Epic XVIII’s version on all streaming services starting today (April 20th) at 4:20 p.m. Make sure to check out the music video for “I’m a Weed Plant” and Epic XVIII’s weekly YouTube video posted every Saturday/Sunday. They plan to release a new album this year and look forward to performing on April 30th in Yuma, AZ. TO FOLLOW EPIC XVIII EPIX XVIII TO CHECK OUT THE MUSIC YOU TUBE CHANNEL EPIC XVIII SID 210420 | TRACI TURNER, EDITOR...
P.O.D. LIVE
April 20, 2021BAND PROMOTIONAL PHOTO P.O.D. GOES LIVE April 20, 2021 by Rachael Contreras The three-time Grammy Award-nominated rock band P.O.D. has been booming our ears with rock music for almost thirty years but now they are bringing us something new. A concert in the form of a live stream from the massive Petco Park in their hometown of San Diego, CA which they are calling, “Satellite Over Southtown”. EVENT PROMOTIONAL BANNER P.O.D.’s website reads, “Three-time Grammy Award-nominated rock quartet P.O.D. have announced Satellite over Southtown, a premiere streaming series celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark triple platinum album Satellite. Streaming from Petco Park in their hometown of San Diego, CA, the bands will be performing two albums in full as well as a collection of B-Sides, Rarities, and Hits over three nights – Satellite o May 13th, The fundamental Elements of Southtown on May 27th and B-Sides Rarities and Hits on June 10th.” Best known for hits like “Alive,” “Sleeping Awake,” “Youth of the Nation,” “Boom” and “Beautiful,” with a new album out called Circles, the band simply electrifies on stage. Along with their colorful name (Payable On Death – P.O.D.), the quartet features Sonny Sandoval (vocals), Wuv Bernardo (drums), Traa Daniels (bass) and Marcos Curriel (lead guitar). They are definitely a must see act! You can purchase an array of ticket options on their site that include a 3-day show pass and Question and Answer option! Let your thoughts run wild with the question possibilities for this seasoned rock band and enjoy three nights of rocking entertainment. TO BUY TICKETS TIX TIX TIX TO FOLLOW P.O.D. P.O.D. Website EVENT PROMOTIONAL BANNER SID 210419 | JIMMY ALVAREZ, EDITOR...

311 APRIL LIVE STREAM
April 14, 2021PROMOTIONAL BAND BANNER 311 Soundsystem Livestream April 14, 2021 by Traci Turner The Hive Studio livestreams continue from 311! Their ongoing series of full-album performances returns on April 16th with “Soundsystem.” This livestream is the second in their latest three album series, which they will wrap it up with “From Chaos” on May 14. April 16, 2021 After the pandemic shut down live shows, 311 created their own livestreaming platform, 311 StreamSystem. Even after concerts resume, StreamSystem will continue to debut new content and 311 ideas. The band upgraded their studio with high-quality cameras, lights, sound and visual equipment that will provide a “psychedelic, multi-camera experience in the place where all things 311 happen.” PROMOTIONAL BAND EVENT BANNER To prep for the show, 311 (aka the original lineup of Nick Hexum, S.A. Martinez, Tim Mahoney, Chad Sexton and P-Nut) will host a one-hour pre-show hangout and post-show forum. The video goes live at 5 p.m. (PT)/8 p.m. (ET) and the performance starts at 6 pm (PT)/9 pm (ET), your ticket gives you access to all this and nine additional re-streams. PROMOTIONAL BAND BAND EVENT BANNER PHOTO BY TINY TOYLAND TO GET YOUR TICKETS TIX TIX TIX 311 SID 210414 | JIMMY ALVAREZ, EDITOR...

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