High Voltage Magazine

More J-Rock hits the States!

posted by ジョイ // Joy | Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | 7:45 AM
Hold on to your socks, jrock fans- there's another tour kicking off this week in LA, courtesy of Hyde (L'Arc~en~Ciel) and K.A.Z. (Oblivion Dust).

In 2008, the duo teamed up to create VAMPS after several years of working together on Hyde's solo material. Both seasoned veterans from their respective bands, they released one single, "Love Addict" and quickly organized a tour spanning Japan's famous ZEPP venues throughout the country. Even with multiple shows at each location, most if not all sold out. A 10-stop US Tour followed after the release of their self-titled album in 2009.

Their latest offering, BEAST was unleashed in Japan and online earlier this year (07/28), with versions in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Europe following days after. After yet another a 40+ show Japan tour, they're gearing up to rock the world with stops in the US, China, Europe, & South America.

US Tour Dates:
10/01 - Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
10/05 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Cafe
10/09 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom

Tickets available via Livenation.

MySpace | Official Site

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Street Drum Corps' takeover Knott's Scary Farm

posted by ジョイ // Joy | Saturday, September 25, 2010 | 1:39 AM

Looks like Halloween Haunts just got a whole lot louder. Get ready for a bangin' time as Street Drum Corps' BANG! takes over the Camp Snoopy Necropolis Theater at Knott's Scary Farm in Buena Park, CA. "BLOOD DRUMS" promises to be an exciting, high energy blend of percussion, music, rhythm, and lights. The new SDC album Big Noise will also be available for sale at the show before it hits stores next year.

The show runs on select days from September 24 - October 31 at 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 10:30 PM, and midnight. SDC BANG! will also be at Great America Haunt in Santa Clarita, CA as "Prime Evil Percussion" from October 1 -31. Check the links below for details.

MySpace | Official Site

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X Japan embarks on US tour!

posted by ジョイ // Joy | Thursday, September 23, 2010 | 7:50 AM
On Saturday, September 25, Japanese rock legends X Japan embark on their first ever US/Canada tour. Pioneers of the modern Japanese rock scene, X Japan influenced some of the biggest names in the Japanese music world today such as Luna Sea, Glay, and Dir en grey. From 1982-1997, X Japan changed the face of music in their home country. Their mix of speed metal anthems and rich, evocative ballads fueled their rapid rise to the top of the industry, selling over 30 million albums and videos. They filled the 50,000-seat Tokyo Dome an unheard of 18 times, and remain to this day deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of Japanese culture. With a new album set to be released this year, X Japan is poised to once again claim their dominance in the land of the rising sun, and maybe this time - the world.

Tour Dates:

09/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern Theater
09/28 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
10/01 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
10/03 - Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/06 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera
10/07 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/10 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom


MySpace | Official Site

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An Evening with Daughtry.

posted by ジョイ // Joy | Wednesday, September 15, 2010 | 5:48 PM

An Evening With Daughtry
@ The GRAMMY Museum
Los Angeles, CA
September 14, 2010

By: Joy R. (@shadeofcat)

The GRAMMY Museum has been presenting the "An Evening With..." series; a public program that give audiences unique access to their favorite musical artists. Previous artist on the series have included: Ringo Starr, Dionne Warwick, Herbie Hancock, Smokey Robinson, John Mellencamp, and more.

Last night's show was "An Evening With Daughtry."

In front of about 200 at the Clive Davis Theater, GRAMMY Museum Executive Director, Robert Santelli conducted an in-depth recorded interview with the band and their producer Howard Benson about the band’s creation, direction, and vision. Chris Daughtry (lead vocal, guitar) and Brian Craddock (rhythm guitar, vocals) kept the audience laughing with anecdotes about their mutual acquaintances in high school to Brian's audition and eventual acceptance in the band. The other two had stories of their own, Josh Paul (bass, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies) who starred in a Don Henley video when he was 7 and Josh Steely (lead guitar, vocals) who everyone in the band thought was the janitor at the studio they were in until he blew them away with his superior guitar skills.

After the interview, they took questions from the audience until the band took a "bathroom break" and returned for an intimate almost acoustic performance. Chris continued to talk about the individual songs as he introduced them, treating fans to an even more in-depth look at how each track was conceived and brought to life. Chris, Steely, Brian, and JP kept the audience thoroughly entertained even then, sharing how they came up with ideas, tried to compose rhyming lyrics, and accidentally found riffs due to guitars being improperly tuned. They ended with an absolutely beautiful rendition of their latest single, “September,” the song that inspired the title of their 2nd album, Leave This Town. The event was a truly memorable experience for all.

Setlist:
No Surprise
Life After You
Home
September

Upcoming programs at The GRAMMY Museum include evenings with: Buddy Guy, Seal (with David Foster), Alan Parsons, and Roseanne Cash.

Be on the lookout for Daughtry’s new album which the band is scheduled to start work on early next year.

MySpace | Official Site

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Lifehouse @ LA Country Fairgrounds

posted by ジョイ // Joy | Friday, September 10, 2010 | 8:22 AM
Lifehouse
LA County Fairgrounds
Pomona, CA
September 6, 2010

By: Joy R.

Upon entering the venue, the first thing that struck me was how incredibly unsuited the Fairgrounds were for a concert. The stage sat in the middle of a race track and was situated in such a way that those who were not seated in the two sections directly in front had limited if any view. At least the bands seemed aware of the issue as they stayed fairly close to the front during their sets. The hanging monitors helped as well but it would have been nice to see the drummers every once in a while.

The show opened with Alana Grace. Despite the feedback that shrilled every time she approached either of the speakers on the side of the stage, she delivered a fun set. Hamming it up with her guitarists and dancing around the stage. Her music is more on the pop side of rock but it was her voice that really did me in; strong and clear with just the right mix of huskiness. Another thing that struck me was that while she has relatively good stage presence, she wasn’t able to fully command the crowd. She’s young though, give her a few years and I’m sure she’ll become a force to be reckoned with.

The two standout tracks for me were her breakout song, “Black Roses Red” from the soundtrack to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and a cover of “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes.

After an unavoidably long set from Carolina Liar and an even longer set-up, Lifehouse finally hit the stage. Although their set could have been longer, they still threw in a pretty good range of material. They started strong with the very catchy and singable “All In” but the momentum dropped during “Nerve Damage” and didn’t start back up until bassist Bryce Soderberg (former AM Radio member) took up lead vocals for "Wrecking Ball." This song is always a highlight for me, aside from the fact that Bryce can really sing and hit those higher notes, there's something very honest in his delivery that just works. Singer Jason Wade re-joined about halfway through with his guitar and the two shared a hug at the end. One thing I have to say about Jason is that he truly seems to care about the band and their fans. He not only engaged the audience but singled out specific people here and there with comments and questions.

Predictably, the entire house was on its feet for “Hanging by a Moment” and more or less stayed up through “Falling In.” The sweetest moment was unsurprisingly during “You and Me.” Whether standing or sitting, everyone knew the lyrics and Jason had the audience singing the chorus for what seemed like forever - I don’t think anyone minded. They closed the first set with “First Time,” another fan favorite and fun romp. Wasn’t sure if they’d return for an encore but after a few minutes, Jason came out with an acoustic for “Broken.” The rest of the band joined in as well ending the night on a calmer note.

Setlist:
All In
Halfway Gone
Nerve Damage
Smoke and Mirrors
Whatever It Takes
Wrecking Ball
Blind
Hanging by a Moment
Somebody Else’s Song
Falling In
Take Me Away
You and Me
First Time
Encore: Broken

Lifehouse is off to Europe next but will be back in the US for a headlining tour in October. Check their website for details.

MySpace | Official Site

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