Backyard BBQ at Memphis

 

Confession: I'm a major foodie. I love food- whether it's a cobb salad or pad see ew. I love the colors, the textures, the smells, and -of COURSE- the tastes. You have to admit that in Orange County we're blessed with a striking variety of tastes; you can find authentic Mexcian, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese (pho, anyone?), Chinese foods- indeed, any type of food, it seems, is within a short drive.

I actually would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you, dear readers, for not posting more about OC fooding opportunities on The OC Gazette blog. 

To rectify the situation immediately, I present to you a chance for a finger lickin' tastygood time: This Sunday, September 19th, Memphis at the Santora will be hosting a Backyard Barbecue- for only 10 bucks, you get a plate of BBQ goodness, and for $3 or $4 more, you can add a beer or sweet tea cocktail(!), respectively. To top of the scene, not one, not two, not even three but FOUR DJs will be present to spin some tunes. Does it get any better than this? No, tell me: does it get better? If it does, tell me how and I'll blog about it pronto because, so far this, is as good as it gets- and it is so good. !!

Here are the details, for those of you who skip straight to "the facts" in our blog posts (shame on you! You miss all our witty anecdotes and the occasional pop culture reference):

Location: Memphis at the Santora
Address: 201 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Date: Sunday, September 19
Time: 3-8pm
Details: $10 BBQ Plates, $3 Beers, $4 Sweet Tea Cocktails and groovy tunes by Bobby Soul, Danny Love, Cocoe and Hyder.

You might want to bring a bib and a Wet One! Happy fooding! 

-Blythe

on my iTunes: "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

5 Local Bands at the House of Blues Anaheim

Even if you missed this month's F**k Yeah Festival in L.A., it's not too late to say it (!!): Coming to our very own House of Blues Anaheim next week is a killer lineup of local bands. On Friday, September 24th, Secret Chief Management presents a super 5-band lineup:

This is the first Secret Chief show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, and it's sure to be a good one! The schedule and lineup is as follows:

8 pm: Railroad To Alaska
8:45pm: The Vespertines
9:30pm: Dynamite Walls
10:15pm: Stereofix
11:15pm: Italian Japanese (from LA/OC/SD and getting some spins on KROQ)

And now, a word on some of the five bands.

Starting with Railroad to Alaska, OC Weekly writer Danielle Bacher called them "rowdy and unpredictable. After listening to LuckyBearClawDoom, the band's expertly crafted EP released in February [2010], it's easy to understand why singer/ guitarist Justin Suitor might feel so much pent up anger. It's difficult balancing the music's rigid structure intersecting grunge, hard rock, metal and progressive energy."

 [Railroad to Alaska art]

Next up is The Vespertines, a Long Beach band that, according to their Twitter, "wants to brighten your day." And, with comparisons to early No Doubt tracks being made, they're sure to do just that. At times funky, at times jazzy, and always fun, they're sure to put on a good show.

 [The Vespertines]

Dynamite Walls is another band to watch- they recently signed to Universal Republic Records. A quick excerpt from PureVolume describes the San Diegan quintet:

"Led by frontman Tom Pritchard, Dynamite Wall's sound reflects the diversity of the band. Beatles, U2, Coldplay, DCFC; the comparisons have been made. Sometimes building upward, sometimes reaching inward, Tom's soaring melodies accompanied by Alex Blundell's tasty leads evoke the reflective contemplation sought by poets. Allan Bates and Paul Kimmel complete the band and needless to say Dynamite Walls is on the verge."

[Dynamite Walls]

Also playing is Stereofix, winner of the 2010 OCMA's Best Alternative Band Award. These guys have been compared to rock n' roll's finest (U2, The Killers, Coldplay), and the praise is certainly deserved. They've opened for Everclear, had their catchy tunes used in MTV reality shows, and this is just the beginning for these guys.  OC Weekly's Nate Jackson said it best, “Casting nets of effects-laden guitar, modern-rock gloss and radio-ready appeal, Fountain Valley quartet Stereofix seem poised for major-label courtship.” 

[Stereofix]

Last but certainly not the least, Italian Japanese. According to ReverbNation, "their sound- although compared to the likes of The Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, Phoenix, Interpol, MGMT, etc- has a uniqueness that makes them identifiable among the masses of similar genre. Italian Japanese's debut release titled The Lush, Romantic Weirdness...is a variety of melodic, dance-style (yet stirringly soulful) tunes, contagious, and bound to captivate the new listener."

[Italian Japanese]

There you have it, folks! Like I said: a killer lineup! So do it to it and get your hineys to the HOB next Friday at 8pm!

For ticket info, visit the House of Blues online. Tickets start at only $12.50!

Mars & Stars Event this Saturday!

Ok guys. This is a cool one! For those of you who love space, robots, jets, technology, and science (hello, everyone): This Saturday, September 18th, NASA- ever heard of those guys?- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and OC Astronomers will continue a new series of educational public programs showcasing various missions to Mars. Different OC Parks have hosted these events throughout the summer and this is the last one, so you don't want to miss it!

Irvine Regional Park provides the setting for the final event of the series. At 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 18th, JPL will present the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2011. This is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Woah. Big time goose bumps. The RED PLANET? Yes! A presentation on the exciting new mission technology will be delivered and a 1/5 scale model of the space craft will be displayed (!!). The OC Zoo and Irvine Park Railroad will even be remaining open until dusk for extended family activities.

The event is FREE and will include presentations by JPL scientists, children’s crafts, and stargazing presented by OC Astronomers. Just for the night, parking at the park is free after 5pm! So arrive after 5pm and your whole night is free!

Visit Mars and Stars for the perfect family adventure through the galaxy at OC Parks.

September 18th, 6 p.m.
Mars Science Laboratory Mission
Location: Irvine Regional Park, 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869
Website: http://www.ocparks.com/irvinepark/
Cost: FREE, with free parking after 5pm
RSVP Suggested: (714) 973-6835

-Blythe

on my blip: Andrew Bird's "Oh No"

Strange Fruit Productions

I am blessed to be surrounded by some seriously talented friends. One such friend is Tony Tancredi, drummer for OC band The Union Line (who are heading out on tour with the Local Natives in a matter of days) and one half of the dynamic duo that makeup Strange Fruit Productions. Tony's partner in crime at Strange Fruit Productions is all-around music enthusiast Kyle Koller. It's only natural that from talented people spring ingenious ideas, and ingenious is just what Strange Fruit Productions is. 


What is Strange Fruit Music you ask? A new website whose objective is to make sweet, sweet music that the world can get it's grubby hands on for free. I told you it was ingenious. Strange Fruit is based out of Tony's garage (a serious understatement as the garage is a refurnished swingin' bachelor pad with red velvet sofas and a serious recording set up that would make all you music nerds out there completely geek out), and is basically just a bunch of musicians hanging out and jamming together. Bands and artists will come together and record live versions of songs or covers that are then posted on the site for people to download for free. The site has already featured popular local acts such as J. Thoven (formerly of Janu and The Whalesharks), Jameson, and Dahga Bloom - and they don't plan on stopping there. Strange Fruit is going to take the nation by storm. Tony and Kyle intend to host traveling acts as well. I interviewed the tenacious team behind Strange Fruit about their new and exciting endeavor and here's what they had to say:

Can you give us the trailer for what Strange Fruit is?
Strange Fruit Music is a website for people to discover new talented bands and artists. A place where you can watch live performances, download songs, read the blog and its all free.

How did it come about?
We live in a house filled with musicians, it's safe to say we're surrounded by it 24/7. We wanted to do something cool and give people like us a place to find new music.

What exactly does the name “Strange Fruit” mean?
It's a Billie Holiday song. We were trying to come up with a name for our new baby when the song came on and someone said, "You should call it Strange Fruit Music," and it just stuck. The song has a pretty dark meaning; we just really liked the name.

If Strange Fruit were in fact a fruit, which one would it be and why?
Probably an orange, its good for you and easy to get!

Tony, you’re the drummer for The Union Line and yet you’re helping promote all these other bands and helping to get them heard. Isn’t it rare for musicians to be so friendly with each other? Aren’t you all rivals for the next available record deal?
I just want to share good music with other people who love good music. I think bands who "get along" with other bands do well.

You’ve got an insane amount of gear in your garage studio that serves as Strange Fruit HQ. Do you have a gold plated Guitar Center Credit Card? 
Actually, all that gear you see in the videos is just stuff we've accumulated over the years. Except our piano, we got that off Craig's List for free! Not to mention that Kyle works at Jim's Music so anything else we need is pretty easy to get.

Where would you like to see Strange Fruit go? Got a 5 year plan?
We're trying to build up a local following right now but we definitely want to continue to grow with the times. I could see us eventually getting involved in other forms of media, outside of the internet, to promote good music.

What’s been your favorite Strange Fruit session so far?
Honestly, every session has been really fun and the music has all been great. We did a session with a band called Dahga Bloom from Fullerton; they filled the studio with plants and other random things from outside the house. It was cool to see them change the vibe of the room to fit their music. Check them out!

Do you want to keep this mainly a local thing, or would you like to see bands from other places and bigger national acts come through and jam with you guys?
We've already had a few out of state bands come through. We just posted our session with The Devil Whale (Salt Lake City) and we just recorded a band called Archeology (Portland). But yes, it would be great to get more national acts in the studio.

Who do you want to try to get into the studio next?
We'd like to get more touring bands in the studio. It's fun hanging out with people from other parts of the country.

Best new local band out there?
There are so many great local bands right now and we've had the opportunity to record many of them already. Lesands (San Diego) caught our ear immediately. They were one of the first bands we recorded and we were really impressed with how good they were for being such a new group.

Official drink of recording sessions?
The bands get to the house around 11 am so... there's usually a lot of coffee.

Your life’s theme song?
The intro to Darkwing Duck.

Top 3 favorite records of all time?
There's tons of music out there. We listen to a lot...

Paul McCartney or John Lennon?
Heads or tails.

Lakers or Clippers?
Lakers. But that's mostly 'cause we like watching the riots on the news after they win a championship.

Meaning of Life?
www.strangefruitmusic.com

Why should people check out Strange Fruit Music?
Why wouldn't you want to watch free videos of great bands you'll grow to love? Oh and FREE DOWNLOADS! ;)



Strange Fruit's uber cool studio space:

[Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Tony manning the soundboards. Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Photo copyright Blythe Hill]

[Tony Tancredi (left) and Kyle Koller (right) with Pavla Dlab and Jameson in the studio. Photo copyright Chris Camargo.]

Head over to Strange Fruit and peruse the plethora of amazing free downloads- You won't regret it! You can email the guys over at Strange Fruit at strangefruitmusic@hotmail.com with any questions or friendly comments. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the free music and upcoming sessions.


- Amy
On my iTunes: The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman"

Submit a Caption!

Have you noticed our "The Bloggers" sidebar on this page? Well, yesterday Amy and I discussed ideas to reinvent it. I have a new haircut, after all, and Amy...well, there are a lot of pretty pictures of Amy, and they all deserve a fair shot, right?

The problem is, when it came to looking for potential pictures, we were a bit shorthanded on "serious" ones. The ones our mums and grandmums would be proud of. There was, however, a surplus of goofy pictures that our families would be less than thrilled about. I'll show you just what I mean.

This is what we came up with:

Less than flattering, right? While we're the fun-loving type that don't take ourselves too seriously, we also realize that this sort of silliness is just what make our readers question our credibility (and indeed, our sanity). So, instead of posting this as our new "The Bloggers" banner, we decided to post it here and encourage you guys to comment with your caption ideas! Simply post a comment with your caption idea, with the "box number" in front of it. Here's a "map" to show you the box numbers:

Example:

Box 2: "Hello, fabric gods? I'm listening!"

Don't be shy - Have at it! To add some pizazz to the whole thing, when you leave your comment, we'll automatically enter your name in next Monday's Moocher Monday giveaway (prize to be announced...but it's gonna be a good one)! Just leave an email address where we can contact you if you're the winner. Huzzah!


-Blythe
on my blip: The Union Line's "Pearls"