Publication Date: April 1, 2026
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April 1, 2026UncategorizedAnnounce 40th Anniversary Shows
April 1st, 2026 by Traci Turner
In news that will make you clutch your chest, our beloved Pixies are turning 40! The legendary alt rockers formed in Boston in 1986, and it is time to tour the globe in celebration.
So far, the US only has a few dates, but their site states more will be added. The little trek kicks off in September and hits Greenville (SC), Wilmington (NC), East Aurora (NY – Borderland Music Festival), Asbury Park (NJ – Sea Hear Now Festival), Louisville (KY), Columbia (MO), Santa Fe (NM), and Tucson (AZ). Pixies will spend the summer in Asia and Europe, hitting all the major cities and countries.
The band released “The Night the Zombies Came” last year, their first record with bassist Emma Richardson. Richardson replaced Paz Lenchantin in 2024.
Pixies remain Black Francis on vocals and guitar, Joey Santiago on guitar, Magic Man David Lovering on drums, and the previously mentioned Richardson on bass.
Hopefully the additional dates will land them closer to SoCal so we can get our “Where Is My Mind,” “Wave of Mutilation,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Gigantic,” “Dog for Fire,” “Velouria,” “Here Comes Your Man,” and “Is She Weird” up close and in person!
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March 31, 2026UncategorizedStraight from Long Beach Exhibit
at Grammy Museum
March 30th, 2026 by Kevin Gomez
Bradley Nowell, the late-great lead singer and guitarist of Sublime once said, “It’s about coming up and staying on top.”
The seminal group from Long Beach has stayed on top for over 30 years now as the Grammy Museum celebrates Sublime with an impressive exhibit showcasing the band’s storied career.
“Straight from Long Beach” is now open to the public and will run through September 7th, 2026. A soft opening for press took place Wednesday night featuring Bradley’s son and Sublime’s new frontman, Jakob Nowell, and the band’s bassist, Eric Wilson.
The exhibit features everything from portraits of the original trio, including drummer Bud Gaugh, and the new lineup (my favorite being a side-by-side photograph of Bradley then, and Jakob, now playing guitar), handwritten lyrics, Wilson’s bass keyboard, and even a want ad from the ‘90s looking for a new keyboard player. The photos tell the journey of the band’s humble beginnings rooted in Long Beach.
As you first enter the hallway, a large poster details the events of the infamous first live show from Sublime on July 4th, 1988. The event later referenced as “The Peninsula Riot of 1988” took place right outside of Bradley’s Long Beach home on the beach. The concert ended early when police arrived; when all was said and done seven people were arrested.
Before the soft opening at the Grammy Museum Wednesday, Nowell and Wilson had a busy morning as the pair stopped by the KROQ studios to premiere their new single, “Until the Sun Explodes,” the title track from their forthcoming album on The Klein/Ally Show. Fans have been patiently awaiting the new album since the first track, “Ensenada,” dropped last year, immediately climbing to the number one spot on the charts.
The accompanying video for “Until the Sun Explodes” was also released and the album drops June 12th. “We had a lot of fun ,” Nowell told me, “putting on this backyard party with a bunch of bands from the Southern California music scene playing.” The video captures the classic Sublime party vibe.
As you can imagine a lot of nostalgia and emotion went into curating all of the memorabilia gathered for this exhibit. Nowell mentioned that some of these items, including photos and posters, hung above his childhood bedroom in San Diego growing up. Wilson half-jokingly said, “a couple of these things I thought went to the pawn shop.” I laughed, not sure if he was making a reference to the Sublime song of the same name, and chimed in, “Had to buy some of this stuff back, huh?”
I asked about the Me Gusta Festival, Sublime’s first multi-city music festival rolling through this summer in Fort Worth, Texas on May 9th, Portland, Oregon on June 27th, and Salt Lake City, Utah on July 18th. Nowell confided, “We just always wanted an excuse to hire a bunch of our favorite bands to get together and party.” He then added, “I hope it keeps growing every year.”
Nowell has his own solo project, Jakobs Castle, which will also be playing the Me Gusta Festival. I caught them a few weeks ago in Venice, along with Codefendants, who will be playing the festival, as well as support on several of Sublime’s dates this year. He told me that Sublime crossed paths with Coefendants thanks to mutual management group, Regime Music Group, with a special, “shoutout to Kevin Zinger.” He also credited their manager, Joe Escalante (bassist and founding member of The Vandals) and said he’s looking forward to playing together with Codefendants this year. “Always rad playing with them, and here’s to many, many more.”
I thanked Nowell for playing the oft-forgotten, “Fire Water Burn” by The Bloodhound Gang with Jakobs Castle the last time I saw them. “Oh, wow, you caught that, huh?” Nowell exclaimed. After the song finished he confessed that even his band was not familiar with the song. “More people got to know Bloodhound Gang. That was a formative part of my youth.”
Sublime is such an important part of the California experience. They paved the way for skunk music, a genre that combined elements of punk, ska, and reggae, later inspiring The Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, Pepper, and countless others. Their songs can still be heard three decades later on a daily rotation on KROQ 106.7 and Alt 98.7.
The Grammy exhibit celebrates not just the band but acts as a love letter to the city that inspired their story.
EVENT PHOTO GALLERY
by Joey Clark | Highway One Photography
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March 31, 2026Uncategorizedand FRIENDS
Give Long Beach Another Kind of Homecoming
March 31st, 2026 by Jimmy Alvarez
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know, that describes so many things in life and yeah, it’s the name of an album too. But it also aptly describes one of the most prolific artists to ever come out of the LBC, Snoop Dogg.
Not long ago we all got the news about the opening of the newly formed Long Beach Amphitheatre which is located on Queens Highway on Long beach, local music lovers are losing their minds that this venue will bring the biggest names in music to town.
Best known for his mega-hit “Who Am I (What’s My Name) Doggie Style,” and collabs and associations with bands like N.W.A., Snoop Dogg has managed to navigate the media landscape and become one of the most successful name brands on the planet.
Bad-ass and uber-likeable, a lethal combination that has seen Calvin Broadus, Jr. aka Snoop Dogg do it all.
So let’s raise our Gin and Juice to the promoters who put this one together; Snoop Dogg & Friends will take the stage to launch the venue on Saturday, June 6th.
The show’s Artist Presale is April 1st: The Live Nation presale begins April 2nd. General tickets go on sale April 3rd.
Seriously, get out and support a local legend, because you just never know who will show up at a Snoop Dogg show!
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March 29, 2026UncategorizedGUTTERFEST Vol. 5
Returns to Garden Amp
March 29th, 2026 by Kevin Gomez
July 11th is special because it’s “7-11 Day,” where you can get a free small Slurpee at your favorite local convince store. This year be sure to grab one on the way to the Garden Amp in Garden Grove for the 5th Annual Gutterfest. For those unfamiliar, Guttermouth will take over the entire venue as an all-day festival with bands playing the main stage and the smaller indoor stage, the Locker Room.
What started as a small gathering in Big Bear in 2021 has turned into a must-see summer event that sells out every year.
Guttermouth will kick off April playing Southern California at the Whisky a Go Go, a show in Murrieta, and supporting Agent Orange at the Observatory in Santa Ana. The band of misfits will then take over Florida in May – they should fit right in
Making their debut at Gutterfest this year is Orange County’s melodic hardcore band, Ignite. In April they will embark on a European tour, before touring Canada in May through June. They should be well-rested to rock your faces off with the high energy performances they’ve become known for.
Also making their debut this year that I’m most excited about is Los Angeles hometown heroes, The Briggs. Perhaps best known for creating the LA Kings’ victory song, “This is LA.” Frontman, Joey Briggs announced the band has some dates scheduled for this year, and this is just the first to be announced.
Fans will be eager to catch a long-awaited set from White Kaps. The band was supposed to play the 2024 Gutterfest but had to pull out just a few days before.
River Ratts and Taken Days will be kicking off the main stage Saturday afternoon. River Ratts will be playing the Punk Rock Museum’s third anniversary concert in support of Spike & the Gimme Gimmes. Taken Days will be supporting Raging Nathans and Urethane for a short stint of Vegas and California in June.
Headlining the Locker Room will be the return of Long Beach Allday, for their first performance in years. Their first performance back will be in May supporting LA’s Wasted Youth at Alex’s Bar. Also playing the Locker Room will be The Uprising. Following a successful set at Dr Strange Records’ showcase in February, they will play alongside El Nada at Bobby V’s in April.
Cheeseball has already had some high-profile gigs in 2025. They kicked off the year playing TSOL’s annual show at the Observatory and even made an appearance on the Heidi & Frank Show on KLOS 95.5 to see if their song voted to “stay” in rotation.
Opening the day’s events in the Locker Room will be Huntington Beach’s Chemical Control and No Current, out of Orange County.
Tickets for Gutterfest are on sale now.
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March 29, 2026UncategorizedAnnounces The Gathering Tour
March 29th, 2026 by Kevin Gomez
For quite a while now Weezer has really stepped up their concert going experience, even coming up with specific themes and names. In 2023 they took fans aboard the Indie Rock Road Trip along with Spoon and White Reaper. The set design was meant to look like a car’s dashboard, complete with radio and a front windshield with video made to make you feel like you were traveling across the country.
Their 2024-2025 tour saw the band blast into space, taking fans on the Voyage to the Blue Planet, celebrating 30 years of their iconic self-titled “Blue Album.”
On March 20th, the band posted a short video with a snippet of what appeared to be a new song as a young boy taped a piece of paper onto a pole. The paper featured three cryptic, hard-drawn symbols along with the Weezer logo in the middle. Before the video’s end, the date 3/26/26 appeared. I haven’t seen top cryptologists work this hard 24/7 to decipher a code since The Zodiac, but the general message was understood: new Weezer album info was dropping next Thursday.
True to their word, lead singer Rivers Cuomo and guitarist Brian Bell stopped by the Klein.Ally.Show on KROQ to drop the news of their upcoming album, to release their new single, “Shine Again” and announce a national tour called The Gathering. The boys will be bringing along some indie alt-rock heavyweights.
The Shins will be supporting Weezer on all dates. The band was launched into superstardom after their song “New Slang” became the theme song of Zach Braff’s “Garden State.” The famous scene where Natalie Portman puts her headphones on Braff’s head as the song begins to play is forever etched into a whole generation.
Also playing The Gathering will be Silversun Pickups. In February the Silver Lake band released their latest effort, the Butch Vig-produced “Tenterhooks.” They became radio darlings with their debut album in 2006 as KROQ and Indie 103 played “Lazy Eye” and “Little Lover So Polite” in heavy rotation.
Weezer has really been giving back to fans this week to garner hype for the upcoming tour. Thursday night, select lucky fans who had registered were picked to participate in a trivia night at Barney’s Beanery in Santa Monica. Guests were extremely surprised as Cuomo and Bell dropped by to host and play the new single. Friday night, additional guests were invited to come down to Hinano Cafe in Venice, where fans were treated to an acoustic rooftop performance reminiscent of The Beatles or U2.
Weezer played four of their biggest hits and their latest single, which has become a hit 10 years in the making. “Go Away” features guest vocals from Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino and was released on 2014’s “Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” but only recently went viral on TikTok. The band were reunited with Cosentino Friday evening for a performance of the song.
Weezer will bring The Gathering to Viejas Arena in San Diego on October 21st, and their final stop will be at home at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on October 24th. Tickets for the tour are on sale now.
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March 27, 2026UncategorizedAnnounces The WOW! Signal Tour
March 27th, 2026 by Traci Turner
Well, we said it would be happening and it’s official… it’s happening! After announcing their new album, The WOW! Signal – English mega-band MUSE has announced their North American Tour.
Muse is famously known for their over-the-top live performances and mega-hits “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Hysteria,” “Uprising,” “Starlight,” and “Time is Running Out,” and now they are ready to hit the road with a few friends.
Tour support for this one will feature the likes of Bloc Party and Portugal. The Man on select dates with anchor support from The Temper Trap.
The band features a trio of bandmates that have been dazzling us for years. Matt Bellamy on guitar and vocals, Chris Wolstenholme on bass and backing vocals while Dominic Howard slaps the drums. They are collectively lightning in a bottle.
As for the new album, it drops June 26th, as for the tour – it is simply called The Wow! Signal Tour. It will kick off July 2nd in Milwaukee and traverse the country before landing in SoCal where Muse will play North Island Credit Union Amp in Chula Vista on August 29th, then they will close-out the tour at the iconic Hollywood Bowl on August 31st.
Tickets go on sale on Friday April 3rd at 10 a.m. local time. This will be a seriously insane show, so go see them wherever you can!
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March 26, 2026UncategorizedLit Headlines
OC Super Show at Great Park Live
March 26th, 2026 Review by Todd Markel
This show was originally billed as a celebration of Orange County’s music culture. Then, as it tends to happen, politics showed up uninvited and started flipping tables. A few bands bowed out, some fans followed, and for a minute it felt like the whole thing might quietly disappear. But as they say, “the show must go on,” and so it did – just with a slightly trimmed lineup and a bit more “let’s see how this goes” energy.
Set against the backdrop of Great Park Live in Irvine, the event turned into an ideal mashup of great music and craft beer culture. For the first three hours, breweries were happily pouring samples, giving everyone a solid excuse to “pace themselves” while catching the early sets.
Crowd-wise, things started a little light with plenty of elbow room and short beer lines. Honestly, not a bad problem to have. By the afternoon, it filled in nicely, though never to the point of bedlam. You could actually walk up, grab a drink, and even make your way to the rail without too much effort.
Opening honors went to Scums of Suburbia out of Huntington Beach, who earned their slot the old-fashioned way – by battling other local bands for it. They played like a group with something to prove – raw, loud, and hungry – and it paid off. A strong start that woke everyone up.
Next up was Good Man Down, a band I didn’t know going in, but I immediately recognized a few faces mid-set thanks to Scott Shiflett (Face to Face) and Kevin Baldes (Lit).
Not a bad “Oh, hey, I know that guy” moment. Their set was tight and confident, leaning into a polished country-rock vibe. Highlights included “The Long Goodbye,” “Been There Done That,” and a crowd-pleasing cover of Eddie Rabbitt’s “Driving My Life Away.” They wrapped things up with “One Good Reason,” leaving a solid impression. It wouldn’t be out of place to see them at the Stagecoach Festival.
San Clemente’s Tunnel Vision kept things breezy with their reggae/ska/punk blend; very fun, and very sun-soaked, they fit right in with the day’s vibes.
Then Mest hit the stage and took a good many of the crowd straight back to the early 2000s, in the best way possible.
Plenty of energy, plenty of sing-alongs, and a noticeable batch of younger fans experiencing their first concert.
Frontman Tony Lovato even had his young daughter dancing stage-side, which was easily one of the more wholesome moments of the day. They kicked off with “Drawing Board,” ran through favorites like “Rooftops,” and closed with “Cadillac.”
One of the biggest standouts of the day was Monique Powell and Save Ferris, who basically injected a shot of pure ska energy straight into the festival. From the get-go with “Turn It Up,” through “The World Is New,” and closing with a rapid-fire finish of “Artificial Life,” “Lights Out,” and “I Know,” their set had the crowd moving nonstop. If you weren’t dancing, you were at least strongly considering it.
The nostalgia factor was cranked up a little with the celebration of 20 years since the opening of the Slidebar Rock-N-Roll kitchen in Fullerton, which just happened to be co-owned by none other than Jeremy Popoff of the band Lit.
They had a pop-up merch booth, there were photos, rock and roll memorabilia, and there were even rumors of the Slidebar’s legendary mac and cheese. Sadly, despite a determined and extensive search effort by yours truly, the mac and cheese remained elusive to me.
Seeing Lit was a major highlight of the day for me, the last time being when they closed out the old Anaheim House of Blues at Downtown Disney. They are now based out of Nashville, but their OC roots are still strong, and their set felt like a hometown victory lap.
Popoff gave a nod to the Slidebar and the people who put this festival on, before they launched into a hit-filled set. “My Kinda Life” kicked things off, “Zip-Lock” got one of the first big crowd sing-alongs, and of course, “My Own Worst Enemy” closed things out with everyone loudly proving they still know every word.
At one point, I overheard a guy nearby sum it up perfectly: “Man… that was great.” Hard to argue with that level of analysis.
Closing out the night was Story of the Year, who made a grand entrance, literally, when Dan Marsala was rolled onstage standing atop a road case like a conquering hero.
They brought the intensity, mixing newer tracks from their recent album “A.R.S.O.N.” with songs like “Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)” and “Disconnected” with their signature high-energy performance style. It seemed like many in the crowd cut-out early, possibly due to the many younger fans in the crowd, but those who stayed got a powerful, high-octane finish to the night.
All things considered, the festival delivered: great music, good beer, perfect weather, and a reminder that the OC music scene is still very much alive and kicking. Sure, it had a few hiccups, and a glaring lack of mac and cheese, but it still managed to hit all the right notes.
FESTIVAL PHOTO GALLERY
by Todd Markel Rock Images
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March 26, 2026UncategorizedINDUSTRY REPORT # 59
Catching up with The Toadies | Mark Reznicek
March 26th, 2026 by Traci Turner
There were so many amazing bands that found success in the ‘90s, but of those, only a small fraction still have songs in regular rotation on the airwaves – both terrestrial and satellite. “Possum Kingdom” from Toadies is not only still on our daily musical soundtrack, but it seems like EVERYONE knows it. From the oh-so-familiar guitar riff that kicks the song off, to the entire lyrics – beginning to end – all memorable! As a radio DJ at the time, EVERY time we played it – remember this was pre-internet days – the phones would light up and I’d get “What’s that ‘Do you wanna die?’ song!?!”
Toadies have not only given us songs for our enjoyment over the decades (see also “I Come From the Water” and “Backslider”), but they are now prepared to give us new stuff as well. Are you ready to add “The Charmer” into your playlist? The answer is: “Yes!”
The Texas alt rock band will drop the new album on May 1st and have a massive tour set to cover the US. Toadies will have rotating support from Local H, Vandoliers, and Sparta when things kick off April 16th in Texas.
As Vaden Todd Lewis (vocals and guitar), Clark Vogeler (guitar), and Doni Blair (bass) prepare to hit the road, we snuck in a chat with drummer Mark Reznicek for all the “charming” things with a side of superheroes.
Traci: Mark, I know press is not fun, so we are gonna do a five-hour deep dive on all your deepest emotions.
Mark: Uh, I’ll be right back!
Traci: (laughing) Hopefully it won’t be that painful! But going back far, what was the first song you remember falling in love with?
Mark: Hmm, it was probably “ABC” by The Jackson 5. I was probably about seven years old. One of my brothers was a teenager at the time and he had a job hanging flyers on people’s doorknobs.
He continued: One summer he enlisted my help, so we would drive around town and then go to wherever it was assigned for him to hang these flyers. While we were driving around, we’d be listening to the radio and that was a big hit at the time, and I asked him, “This is a cool song, who is this?” And he told me, “Oh, that’s The Jackson 5, and they’re all brothers.” I come from a pretty big family, so I thought that was really cool. I always had a dream of starting a band with all my brothers and sisters. Never really happened though.
Traci: Did any of them get into music?
Mark: Not professionally, but my younger sister plays saxophone. We were both in the school band at the same time for a little bit. And one of my older sisters played guitar a little bit. One of my older brothers played clarinet. Our dad was a professional musician. He was a sax and clarinet player. That’s how he met my mom, actually. So yeah, that kind of runs in the family a little bit, but after my dad, I’m the only one that really took it to the limit.
Traci: They mostly did horns and you went to drums. Why did you choose drums?
Mark: I’m not sure. I think the drummer in bands always fascinated me. I remember when I was a little kid, The Beatles were everywhere. You know, there was even a Saturday morning cartoon show, and they were always on TV and always on the radio, and Ringo was always the funniest one. I thought, “Oh, that’s cool.” Then I watched “The Monkees” when I was growing up, and I thought Micky was the funniest one. And then cartoon bands like The Archies, Jughead, or the Banana Splits, Bingo the Gorilla. The drummer always seemed like the coolest, funniest one. I think I just gravitated to that somehow.
Traci: Do you wear a smartwatch?
Mark: I don’t.
Traci: I’ve always wanted to know how many calories a drummer burns during a show.
Mark: Yeah, that would be interesting to know because I definitely get my heart rate up while we’re playing!
Traci: So many bands had hits in the ‘90s and they are no longer played anymore, but “Possum Kingdom” is so iconic of the time, and it’s still heavily played. What is that like?
Mark: It’s really cool, obviously. It really seems like in the last five or 10 years it’s kind of gained a new life. It didn’t seem like it ever really went away, but just recently, it’s appeared in different TV shows and movies and movie trailers and stuff like that. It could just be nostalgia for the ‘90s is coming around or something like that, but it’s really cool, and I never imagined – I don’t think any of us did – that we would be in a position where one of our songs is considered a classic or whatever. It’s a really cool feeling.
Traci: You guys have this tour and man… how many stops are on this tour? It looked like 50!
Mark: Yeah, at least. And there’s a bunch of dates that haven’t yet been announced for later in the year. There will be time off, but basically from the middle of April till about the middle of October, we’re pretty much out there.
Santa Ana, California
June 14th, 2026
Traci: I know you co-author comic books and you have the Dallas Comic Show in April. When you go on these tours, do you go to comic book stores on your day off? A little escape from “work?”
Mark: Yeah, it doesn’t have to be a day off! Like in the late morning, early afternoon before we get busy with sound check and all that stuff, if I’ve got time to kill, I might see if there’s a comic store in walking distance or something and just go look around and see what I can find. So yeah, it’s kind of nice to get away and take my mind off things for a couple hours. And, yeah, it’s still something I enjoy.
Traci: Do you have to take an empty suitcase with you so you can fill it?
Mark: (laughing) You know, last time I didn’t realize until we were done just how many comics and albums and books and stuff. Like, “Man, I think I overdid it on this trip,” so I might have to watch it a little bit this time!
Traci: Nah, just take an empty suitcase, it’s fine! Have you loved comics since you were a kid?
Mark: Yeah, pretty much my whole life. Like I said, I’ve got a large family; I’m the number six of seven kids, so I had five older brothers and sisters, and pretty much all of them read comics. Back in the dark ages before video games and all that stuff, comics were just more of an everyday kind of thing for kids – you’d read them and trade them with other kids down the block and stuff like that. So even before I could read, I would have my mom or one of my siblings read a comic to me; grab one of my brother’s Batman comics or Captain America or whatever, and say, “Hey, can you read this to me?”
He continued: When I got old enough to learn to read, that was my main motivation. Like, “Now I can read them myself. I don’t have to wait till somebody’s unoccupied to read a comic to me.” I just never really lost the bug for it. I just like reading comics. I like reading about the history of them and about the writers and artists and the publishing companies. I guess it’s my main hobby, and yeah, I love it.
Traci: What superpower would you have if you could choose one?
Mark: Hmm, well, flying, that’s a pretty cool power to have. Just step outside your door and take off like a bird. Yeah, so you didn’t have to go to airports – like instant teleportation. I want to be in California today and you could just snap your fingers and instantly be there and not have to deal with airports. Yeah, that would be pretty cool.
Traci: Your touring would be so much easier!
Mark: Yeah, it sure would.
Traci: “The Charmer” is out May 1st. Who does what when it comes to making a new album?
Mark: We’re all involved. For the most part, Vaden will come up with the initial idea and might even make a demo of it. But when we all get together, we kind of flesh it out, add our own parts, or add ideas for arrangements and stuff like that. But sometimes, somebody else might come up with a riff and say, “Hey, Vaden, here’s a riff I came up with,” and a lot of times he’ll take that riff and craft a whole song around it. It varies song to song how they come together. He’s the main architect, I’d say, but we all add our own little bits.
He continued: There’s one song on the new album that actually started when I sent a voice memo to Clark, just me beatboxing with my mouth, “Hey, here’s a beat with a weird time signature. Do you got any kind of riff that could go with it?” He took my beatboxing and kind of programmed a little drum part and then added a guitar riff. And then we sent that to Vaden, and he made a whole song out of it. So, that’s not a usual way of doing it, but it’s interesting that one of the songs on the album came about that way.
Traci: You guys work on an album for so long, and you love it, you create it, you birth it out, and then… when do you listen to it again?
Mark: This album obviously isn’t out yet, but it’s been done for almost two years! You know, it is weird because I have been listening to it quite a bit, and we’ve already played a number of songs from it live since a lot of the songs have been written for a few years already. And then for the upcoming tour, we’re going to add a few more from the new album. So I’ve been listening to it in order to refamiliarize myself with the songs since it’s been like two years since we recorded them. I’m not to the phase where I’m tired of listening to it; I can still listen to it and enjoy it. But, I don’t really go back and listen to our old albums hardly ever, unless we’re like, “Hey, let’s start playing this song from such and such album,” I think, “I better listen to it to remember how it goes!”
Traci: I saved my hardest question for last: On superheroes – capes or no capes?
Mark: Hmm, well, capes are inherently cool looking, like Batman. What would Batman be without a cape, right? Or Superman. But I feel like in real life they’d be really impractical. Like, they might blow in front of your face, or you might trip over it, or if you’re jumping off a building or something, you might get caught on something. Yeah, so I think they work in the context of a comic book, but I think in real life it’s probably very impractical.
Edna Mode knew what she was talking about.
Thank you to Mark for the talk and we can’t wait to experience “The Charmer” and seeing the Toadies live once again! SoCal has three dates: June 13th in Los Angeles at The Belasco; June 14th in Santa Ana at Observatory; and June 16th in San Diego at Observatory North Park. Tickets are on sale now.
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March 26, 2026UncategorizedLive at House of Blues Anaheim
March 26th, 2026 Review by Derek Tobias
The House of Blues Anaheim has always had a way of turning nostalgia into something visceral, but on March 21st, it felt less like a venue and more like a time machine. With Creeper, letlive., and Hawthorne Heights on the bill, the night was a collision of theatrical goth-punk, chaotic post-hardcore, and pure, unfiltered emo catharsis.
Creeper opened the evening with a set that felt equal parts rock show and dark theater production. Midway through their performance, the opening notes of “Headstones” washed over the crowd, and the room lit up, hundreds of phone lights flickering like candles in a gothic vigil.
It was one of those rare, organic moments where the audience becomes part of the show’s atmosphere rather than just observing it. Creeper leaned into that energy, building toward a dramatic close with “Cry to Heaven,” ending their set in a haze of melody and melancholy that lingered long after they left the stage.
If Creeper was cinematic and dark, letlive. was pure volatility. Frontman Jason Aalon Butler turned the stage into a playground of controlled chaos. Before Butler even set foot on the stage, guitarist Jeff Sahyoun dragged out a metal trashcan, using it as a makeshift percussion instrument before eventually Butler hurled it into the air, an act that felt perfectly in line with the band’s unpredictable ethos.
Before launching into “Banshee,” Butler paused to deliver a message that cut through the noise: “Respect each other, respect the venue, and respect yourself. This song goes out to Chain Reaction.” Giving a nod to the Orange County scene that helped shape bands like this, grounding the chaos in something deeply local and personal.
Butler didn’t shy away from bigger statements either, making a pointed call to get ICE out of OC, California, and the U.S., and an impassioned message around his absolute intolerance of domestic abuse. Both moments drew loud and undeniably passionate cheers from the crowd.
The set reached its breaking point with “27 Club.” As the song surged, Butler disappeared from the stage, only to reappear scaling the balcony. By the final moments, he was screaming the last lines from the back of the room, turning the entire venue into his stage. It was chaotic, confrontational, and unforgettable.
By the time Hawthorne Heights took the stage, the energy shifted from chaos to communion. From the first note, it was clear this wasn’t just a crowd, it was a choir. Every lyric, every chorus, every breakdown was sung back at the band with full voice.
At one point, the band acknowledged the obvious: this was the MySpace generation, all grown up but still holding onto the songs that shaped them. And for a night, everyone leaned fully into that nostalgia without irony.
They performed “If Only You Were Lonely” in its entirety which of course included album singles, “This Is Who We Are,” “Saying Sorry,” “Pens and Needles,” and “I Am on Your Side.”
The encore was a masterclass in emotional pacing. “Bring You Back” set the tone, followed by the one-two punch of “Dandelions” and “Niki FM,” each one met with deafening singalongs. “Like a Cardinal” added a more reflective moment before the inevitable closing anthem.
When the opening notes of “Ohio Is for Lovers” rang out, the room erupted. It wasn’t just nostalgia, it was release. Every voice in the building screamed the lyrics back like they still meant everything, because for many in that room, they still do.
Three bands, three completely different energies, but together, they created a night that felt like a full-spectrum experience of alternative music’s past and present. From candlelit goth ballads to anarchic stage dives to emo singalongs that refuse to fade, this wasn’t just a show, it was a reminder of why these scenes still matter.
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Derek Tobias | @ShadowsandStrobes
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SID 260326 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR [...]
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March 25, 2026UncategorizedReturns with Epic Lineup
March 25th, 2026 by Joey Clark
Mission Bayfest returns for its sixth year! The festival continues to evolve with each iteration; what was once a dream concocted by Dominic Coleman, Joe Rinaldi, and DJ Mikey Beats has rapidly transformed into arguably one of California’s most anticipated music festivals. Returning to Mariner’s Point Park from October 16th-18th, the 2026 version continues its tradition of combining the seaside lifestyle with an incredible lineup that consists of reggae, surf-rock, and punk rock.
The DNA that makes up Bayfest are those old school shows that took place back in the ‘90s that were the heart and foundation of the San Diego music scene. Back then the shows weren’t pristine compilations of luxury; they were stripped down, no frills celebrations of music cobbled together by DIY attitude and held together by faith and duct tape. Bayfest has upped the experience from the ‘90s, but at the heart of it all is first and foremost the music. It’s evident with their curation of artists year after year and this iteration is no exception.
The first headliner of the festival will be reggae rock artist, Rebelution hailing from Isla Vista, CA. The band has been going strong with predominately the same line up for over two decades and consistently been providing the scene with their patented flavor of reggae rock since their early days when they met at UC Santa Barbara.
Hawaiian-based Pacific Island reggae artist, Kolohe Kai will be the main attraction for Saturday evening. Singer-songwriter, Roman De Peralta started the group in high school during a Polynesian music class. He found early influences in local ukulele music, reggae and Friday’s headliner, Rebelution, and now is headlining the same festival.
Rounding out the closing acts for the three-day fest is OC’s very own punk rock legends, The Offspring. The group has been heavily touring the globe since their latest release in 2024, “Supercharged.” Bayfest will play host to their last show of the year after an extensive run of festival dates. It’s only right their 2026 touring schedule coincides with the last night of Bayfest.
Tier one tickets and VIP experiences for Mission Bayfest are available now, and trust us – this is not a festival you want to miss!
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SID 260325 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR [...]
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March 25, 2026UncategorizedAnnounce “So Glad You Made It” Tour
March 24th, 2026 by Traci Turner
I can think of no other bands to provide the perfect summer soundtrack than 311 and Dirty Heads. The alt-rock “All Mixed Up” band and reggae-rock “Life’s Been Good” favorites can bring the party atmosphere on their own, but together? Amazing!
The two bands are teaming up once again for a North American co-headline summer tour. They will hit amphitheaters and outdoor venues and bring Ocean Alley and Atmosphere along on select shows with ROME as support on all dates.
The party kicks off July 11th in Shakopee, MN and will make plenty of stops before closing out August 30th in West Palm Beach. SoCal gets August 18th in Long Beach at Long Beach Amphitheater and August 19th in Chula Vista at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Both dates feature Atmosphere and ROME.
Dirty Heads will surely debut songs from their highly anticipated “7 Seas,” which is slated for a June 12th release. So far they have shared “One of Those Days,” which vocalist/guitarist Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell said is “about getting together with close friends and enjoying the moment.”
His bandmate Jon Olazabal added that the track is “something you want to blast in your car and sing along with at the end of a long week.”
311 just wrapped their annual 311 Day celebration in Las Vegas. With a weekend of live performances and immersive fan experiences, the band also debuted the first-ever 311 Museum and “a series of fan-focused activations celebrating their decades-long career and dedicated community.”
Currently there is a Dirty Heads / 311 fan club presale and Citi presale, tomorrow starts Dirty Heads and 311 artist presales, and additional presales run throughout the week. The general on sale is Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
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SID 260324 | JIMMY ALVAREZ | EDITOR [...]
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March 24, 2026UncategorizedAnnounces Ricochet Tour with Alkaline Trio
March 23rd, 2026 by Joey Clark
Chicago-based punk rockers Rise Against are on the road with Destroy Boys at the moment, but they’re not ready to stop anytime soon!
The band announced a second run of U.S. dates that will make up their Ricochet 2026 Tour, named after their release from last summer, “Ricochet.” Joining them on this run will be fellow Chicagoan punks, Alkaline Trio.
GREAT PARK LIVE
Irvine, California
October 23rd, 2026
On top of their touring schedule Rise Against has remained engaged with their fans and the community at large. This past December the four-piece invited a selection of fans for their All Rise Together (A.R.T.) project. It was an experience in which fans created custom posters inspired by the lyrics of the song “Ricochet” that were placed behind Rise Against as they performed and recorded a live set in which those fans got to be the live audience.
The group is well-known for being active politically and has teamed up with fellow musician and activist Tom Morello on several occasions over the years. Their latest endeavors included a talk and performance entitled “The Role of Art in Resistance” last year in which both discussed the influence music has to bring about change. They also joined forces to perform at A Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota in which all proceeds went to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
In relation to Alkaline Trio joining the bill, Rise Against stated, “This isn’t just a tour, but a celebration of two bands that sprung from the same soil and the same Chicago basements and bowling alleys. We can’t wait to link back up with our Windy City brethren, Alkaline Trio. Together, we take what we both started so long ago on a tour that is long overdue.”
Alkaline Trio has been busy in and out of the studio since their 2024 record release, “Blood, Hair and Eyeballs.” In 2025 the band went to work with lead singer Matt Akiba’s former blink-182 bandmate, Travis Barker. This collaboration spawned three singles, “Oblivion,” “Bleeding Out,” and “Surprise Surprise.” Following the singles releases, the group toured with blink during their Mission Impossible Tour.
You will not want to miss out on this incredible Chicago-styled punk rock team up! For SoCal fans Rise Against and Alkaline Trio will be stopping off in Irvine at Great Park Live on October 23rd for the final night of this tour. Tickets to the tour are available now.
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SID 260323 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR [...]
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