July 01, 2009

Death By Stereo -- FREE INSTORE

Death By Stereo Free In-store Performance
Tuesday, July 7th - 7:00pm

In what is likely to be seen as an epic meeting in the middle arrangement, Death By Stereo have agreed to strip things down and we've agreed that we need a little more rock and roll in our lives, so while it won't be ferocious by any means, this in-store will definitely bump the energy up a couple of notches.

After 3 albums for Epitaph, Death By Stereo has just signed to Serj Tankian's (System Of A Down) Serjical Strike label. Death is My Only Friend is being called "A unique, genre-bending amalgam of hardcore, metal, and punk." Death By Stereo has shared stages with Slipknot, AFI, Serj Tankian, Avenged Sevenfold, and Rage Against the Machine, among others. Oh my.

We are opening the guest list to everyone who pre-orders Death is My Only Friend beginning Wednesday, July 1, at 6:00pm.

Check out a couple of tracks at their myspace and give us a ring and get your pre-order in before this hits the band's websites, because this bad boy is gonna fill up fast. (Be sure to call or come into the store when you pre-order.) If you're on the fence and feeling lucky, we'll open the list next Monday, first come first served.

Summer And Music

Summer And Music - Soul Motion and beyond...

Thanks to all of you who joined us for Soul Motion last Sunday. There is nothing as great as putting a lot of effort and worry into an event and having everything go about a perfectly as possible. The music was amazing beginning with the Mod/pop stylings of The New Fidelity, followed by the funky as hell good times of the Boogaloo Assassins, the ridiculously creative (and creatively ridiculous) Money Mark, who thought to mash up the Charlie's Angel theme song and the bass line from Billie Jean, among his other incredible concoctions, and a closing set from the incomparable ALO, who brought an abundance of good vibes to close out the evening. It was stellar and even more so because of those of you who came out and made it all worth doing. If you were there, please help us spread the word and if you missed it, please try to make it out to one of these very special events.

Next up, we'll be continuing to bring the great free music to Rainbow Harbor on Friday evenings, the East Village on Saturday mid-mornings, and Pine Street on Sundays; including a Battle of the Tribute Bands, a return of 00 Soul and Boogalo Assassins , a Gospel Brunch, Pawnshop Kings, a major Funk Festival, and quiet a bit more. Check out our schedule (so far) at summerandmusic.com.

June 23, 2009

Summer And Music - SOUL MOTION

S.A.M. - Soul Motion Scooter Fest & Street Party
This Sunday, June 28th, 4-10pm
(Pine Ave, between B'way and 1st St.)

We've partnered with our pals from Schooled in Song and the folks at the DLBA & the LB RDA to bring a bucket-load of great music to Downtown. We've knocked a couple of weekends worth off the shelf already, but it's only starting to heat up. Next weekend finds Pine Street closed, the stage rolled out, and vintage soul, rock, and jam music filling the streets. We've also invited out enough vintage scooters to finally realize my dream of combining Guys and Dolls and Quadrophenia. It's gonna be fun and it's gonna be free. Bring your friends, bring a picnic, and soak it up. FREE scooter parking and bike valet (so get out of the car and be a star - you know, in Guydrophenia).

Here's a little peep at the line-up:

DJ Dennis Owens    4pm - 10pm
You know him best as the spinner of the good times at his club, The Good Foot. Funk & Soul all evening between sets.

The New Fidelity    5pm - 6pm
Neo-Mod music mashed up with pop power, and all of it calling Long Beach home.

The Boogaloo Assassins    6pm - 7pm
A heady stew of Latin, Salsa, Funk, & so many good vibes that you'll join the throngs trying to shuffle and stomp them out (I'm not sure if our permit covers dancing, so we're gonna stick with all that moving up front being a public service).

Money Mark    7pm - 8pm
You've seen him doing handstands on stage while playing the keys for the World Famous Beastie Boys, but have you caught his soulful turn as a front man? It's a little less flash-pot and a lot more slow burn. Money Mark knows no boundaries, effortlessly fusing hip hop, world beat, funk, and classic soul.

ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra)    8pm - 9:30pm
You may have caught ALO touring as support for Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson (where ALO front man Zach Gill spends time behind the keys), but it's as a band that ALO's blend of soulful jams and sharp songwriting really start the party. This will be the perfect close to a night in the streets.

You can now follow the latest news from the Summer and Music festival through Facebook.

Click here for more info on the Summer And Music fest.

Pete Yorn -- FREE INSTORE

Pete Yorn Free In-store Performance
Tuesday, June 23rd - 7:00pm

Well, here we are the day of and we've still got a few spots left for tonight's show, so if you'd like to join us please give us a call as soon as possible and we'll do what we can to get you into the show. While there is room we are still accepting pre-orders for Pete's new album Back and Fourth via phone (or if you want a copy now and you can stop in, that would work too). If you purchase today you will receive, in addition to your CD: an indie store only 5 song bonus acoustic disc, a poster from the event, and priority entry to the show and the signing afterward. Having heard the new album, I can say it will rank as one of his best, and having seen all of Pete's previous in-stores, tonight will rank among our best, so whether you're buying or not be sure call quickly so you can join us.

Since we've last heard from Pete, he's been incredibly busy. The word is he's finished three new albums, including one with Frank Black and another with Scarlet Johansson, but the first up is his next solo album, titled Back and Fourth, and he's very generously agreed to stop in and kick things off for this new record with a street date Fingerprints in-store. Pete has been a favorite around here since his first album (and his in-store to kick it off) and we've stayed friends ever since. When folks scan our walls one of the most common questions is when will we have Pete back? Well, it's time - and we couldn't be happier.

Check out Pete's Myspace page and then get on the phone and get yourself sorted out for this event.