Marilyn Manson at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Marilyn Manson at the Grove of Anaheim over at Pure Volume.

Adam Ant at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Adam Ant at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Zakk Wylde Roast at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of the Zakk Wylde Roast at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

A brief review of NAMM and the Roast are also over at OC Weekly.

Wu Tang Clan at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Wu Tang Clan at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Bush at the City National Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Bush at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Devo at the City National Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Devo at the City National Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

My review is also at OC Weekly.

Queensryche at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Queensryche at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Psychedelic Furs at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of the Psychedelic Furs and She Wants Revenge at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Bullet For My Valentine at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my review of Bullet For My Valentine at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Orange County Music Awards at the Grove of Anaheim

The rain didn't dampen the attendance at the Orange County Music Awards ceremony at the Grove of Anaheim. Artists, writers, editors, promoters from all across Orange County gathered under one roof to celebrate the county's thriving and diverse music scene.

Host of the evening was KROQ's Psycho Mike


Best Album and Rock Nominee: Melanoid


Best Electronic winner: Electric Valentine


Best Latin nominees: Soul Hustlers


Best Jazz winner: Translucent Ham Sandwich


Best Folk winner: Yellow Red Sparks


Best Live Acoustic showcase winner: Billy Kernkamp


Best Hip Hop winner: BLOK


Best Blues winner: Roman Alexander and the Robbery


Best Country/Americana: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band


Lifetime Achievement in music industry as critic and historian: Jim Washburn


Best Song and Best New Artist: The Steelwells


Best Indie winner: The New Limb


Best Alternative winner: Stereofix


Best Club DJ winner: Chris Alfaro of Free The Robots


Best Pop winner: Stacy Clark


Best World winner: The Dirty Heads


Lit performing a tribute to drummer Allen Shellenberger




Orange County impact award winner: Sugar Ray


Best Album winner: Thrice


A fine evening was had by all. See you next year.

Rob Zombie at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my review of Rob Zombie at the Grove of Anaheim on OC Weekly. My photo slideshow is also on OC Weekly.

The Prodigy at the Grove of Anaheim

As much as I hate to say it, Twitter does come in handy once in awhile. I received an update from the Grove of Anaheim and my jaw dropped when they said extra lights and speakers were being unloaded into the Grove for The Prodigy.


In case you don't know, The Grove of Anaheim has an excellent soundsystem and some of the best stage lights in Orange County. The Prodigy was going to bring in more of each? What was I getting myself into? These tidbits culled with the fact that The Prodigy haven't come stateside in many years had me anxiously waiting for one of England's finest electronic based acts.


In case you have lost track, The Prodigy do have a new album. Invaders Must Die is their triumphant return to their ferocious synthesizer driven songs. I knew I was in trouble from the photography standpoint when I saw a racks of strobe lights lined up behind the drum kit and gigantic space station of keyboards set up for Liam Howlett. I did manage to snap a picture of a modified vintage arcade game that seems to have been converted into a synthesizer. Can anyone identify the video game?


"World's On Fire" was a huge punch in the face as Maxim Reality (Vocals) and Keith Flint (Vocals) bounded back and forth as if they were boxers in a fighting match. I had my earplugs in and my ribcage was rattling from the sound vibrations of being in the photo pit. The crowd behind me went absolutely insane. It was an instant time warp to the times when the rave scene was exploding.


The haunting electronic jabs of "Breathe" raised the pressure of the room beyond its sound limits as the crowd continued to lose their minds. It was insanely intense to be that close and attempting to photograph the madness unfolding on stage. It is interesting to note that Ross Halfin emerged from the shadows and started photographing the show right beside me.


Mangled synthesizer oscillators continued to scream bloody murder all night as The Prodigy still managed to seem futuristic even though they have been in the game for almost twenty years. "Firestarter" burned bright and hot with Maxim spewing the venomous raps alongside Keith's confrontational singing. There was an unhinged look in Keith's eyes as if he was going to loose it at any second. It was exhilarating to watch such classic songs performed so intensely.


It seemed like they had only be on stage for a few minutes when they left for an a short break before returning for an encore. "Invaders Must Die" blew my mind with it adrenaline pumping arpeggiated synthesizer intro. The audience continued to feverishly dance and flail their arms in the air.

I was impressed how well the Prodigy stacked their setlist alternating new and old songs. I can't help but recall the controversial video for "Smack My Bitch Up" when they tore into the song. "Take Me To The Hospital" had everyone calling for a stretcher or their doctor with its surgical beats. Overall, this show will be in contention as one of the top shows of 2009.

Check out Ben Wener's review from the OC Register who seemed to agreed it was an intense show.

The Faint and Ladytron at the Grove of Anaheim

The idea of pairing up The Faint and Ladytron for a co-headliner tour was genius. It also happened to be a feast of synthesizers as I spotted various Korg, Nord, Novation, Moog and Roland keyboards gracing the stage. It was only fair that I hit at least two of the three Southern California appearances.

Crocodiles





Deemed as a band to watch by Stereogum, I was interested in finding out what Crocodiles had to offer. If you couldn't tell by the pictures, a handful of red lights barely illuminated the dual sunshade wearing twosome.

In keeping with their lo-fi visual aesthetic, Crocodiles made a lot of noise for a duo by triggering a drum machine and Charles Rowland (Guitars) proceeded to unleash a wave of fuzzy feedback that washed over the quizzical synthesizer loving audience. Was it a good fit to put them on the bill? Maybe not. I heard the catcalls from the audience when I was in the photo pit during their first 3 songs.

In defense of Crocodiles though, I think they were going for the confrontational performance to evoke a response from their audience. Brandon Welchez (Vocals) even quipped near the end of their performance that, "they would be backstage if you want to beat us up". I didn't mind the avalanche of fuzz, but I think they will go over much better when they play the Troubadour with Holy F**k on June 6th.


Ladytron






Ladytron continues to tour in support of their highly infectious album Velocifero. I last caught up with Ladytron in June of 2008 when they played the Henry Fonda Theater with Datarock. I never get tired of seeing Ladytron live as they bring back lots of good memories when I saw them open up a bunch of shows in England for Nine Inch Nails.

When I spotted a Moog Voyager in front of Reuben Wu (Synthesizers), I was a little surprised since he was primarily using a Korg MS2000 and Korg MS-20. Would this change the sound of Ladytron? The answer is yes. The synth bass lines were heavier and darker giving the edgy songs an extra kick. Helen Marnie (Vocals/Synthesizers) and Mira Aroyo (Vocals/Synthesizers) both sounded flawless as they opened with "Black Cat" and "Runaway".

"I'm Not Scared" was extremely heavy on the Moog keyboards with its heavy bass intro. Ladytron made the most of their set time by packing in as many songs as possible without any banter besides the occasional thanks. "Tomorrow" immediately struck me as my favorite song from Velocifero and it sounded even better live. It seemed like they had only been playing for seconds when they ended their set with "Destroy Everything You Touch". I was glad I was going to catch them the next night at the Henry Fonda.

The Faint





It was one of the top synthesizer shows of the year when I saw The Faint at the Henry Fonda Theater back in August of 2008. The Faint turned in another performance that made me think they blow minds on a nightly basis. As good as the recorded material sounds, The Faint need to be seen live in order to immerse yourself in the sea of synthesized beats.

The combination of the blinding strobes with the fuzzed guitars and vocoded vocals elevate the songs to new levels. It also doesn't hurt when a sea of a hundred people simultaneously gyrate in time with the music. I did spot a few cool pedals on stage during the Faint which didn't surprise me. I long have extolled the virtues of Death By Audio pedals and wasn't surprised when I saw a Death By Audio Supersonic Fuzz Gun pedal.

"Mirror Error" punted off their electric set that didn't relent during their whole performance. The ominous build up of "Agenda Suicide" later exploded into the crowd chanting the chorus "Like A Cast Shadow". It was impressive to see the Grove of Anaheim completely sold-out and singing along. It was triumphant showing from the usually apathetic Orange County audience.

I will elaborate more on their other songs played in my Henry Fonda review but they closed the set with a triple headed hydra of "The Geeks Were Right", "Glass Danse" and "I Disappear". The Faint would be hard pressed to change up this closing trio as it obliterated the crowd and left them wanting more. I was immediately lamenting the fact I couldn't make it on Monday to catch all three shows.