New Jersey based Rock & Pop Festival THE BAMBOOZLE will hit the road for their 3rd nationwide tour this Summer kicking off May 21 in Columbia, MD. The tour features headliners Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind, and LMFAO, along with a stacked billed of support and is set to hit 26 major U.S.cities.

THE BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW 2010 will be an ALL-DAY Event with 2 stages of talent, a main stage with rotating artists ALL TIME LOW, BOYS LIKE GIRLS, LMFAO, THIRD EYE BLIND, GOOD CHARLOTTE, HANSON, FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS, HELLOGOODBYE, and CARTEL, and a Second Stage showcasing the talents of many up & comers. More artists to be announced soon! (All festival dates may not feature all artists, check your local listings.)

Pre-salewill begin at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 2, and run though 10 p.m. on Friday March 5, with Public on-sale beginning Saturday March 6 @ 10 a.m. Local Time. Pre-sale tickets are available here: http://www.thebamboozleroadshow.com.

Maryland’s All Time Low is currentlyfinishing up a sold out Australian tour. The band’s two latest Hopeless Records releases, Nothing Personaland MTV Unpluggedhave been comfortably perched on Billboard’s top indie charts since their release. Their original song “Painting Flowers” also appears on Almost Alice, the soundtrack to the upcoming Tim Burton film, Alice In Wonderland.

www.alltimelow.com

THE BAMBOOZLE ROADSHOW Routing:

May 21 – Columbia, MD– Merriweather Post Pavilion

May 22 – Charlotte, NC– Uptown Amphitheatre @ The Music Factory

May 23 – Atlanta, GA– Six Flags Over Georgia

May 25 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre

May 26 – Tampa, FL– Ford Amphitheatre

May 28 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theatre (No 2ndStage)

May 29 – San Antonio, TX– Six Flags Fiesta Texas

May 30 – Arlington, TX– Six Flags Over Texas

June 2 – Phoenix, AZ– Cricket Amphitheatre

June 5 – Concord, CA- Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

June 6 – Chula Vista, CA– Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre – Parking Lot

June 10 – Minneapolis, MN- CaboozePlaza

June 11 – Milwaukee, WI- Eagles Ballroom

June 12 – Chicago, IL- Soldier Field - Parking Lot

June 13 – Eureka, MO – Six Flags St.Louis

June 15 – Clarkston, MI– DTE Energy Music Theatre

June 18 – Cleveland, OH – Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre @ Tower City

June 19 – Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion @ RiverbendMusicCenter

June 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Festival Pier @ Penn’s Landing

June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA– Amphitheatre @ Station Square

June 24 – Jackson, NJ– Six Flags Great Adventure

June 25 – Hershey, PA– HersheyParkPavilion & Stadium

June 26 – Nassau, NY– NassauColiseum - Parking Lot

June 27 – Boston, MA- ComcastCenter


(All dates may not feature all artists, please check local listings)

More dates will be added, so stay tuned!!

Check out the tour site:

On Friday night at the Troubadour, not half a block from the Beverly Hills city limits, three hip-hop artists; P.O.S., Dessa, and Grieves; put on a veritable hip-hop clinic that showed the mainstream that the real spectacle is not under the big top, but in the sideshows during their L.A. stop on the "Every Never is Now" Tour.

Coming to see these three rappers is unlike any other hip-hop experience. You won't find talk of hoes, dubs, or M.O.E.T. None of them will tell you about how gangsta they are, how much their rides cost, or how they might do a snitch. This is music that goes further and deeper than that; music that draws from life experiences and beckons an echo from those with whom it rings true. If your music is the theme music to your life then these people are truly the story tellers that can put life to a beat. You will hear tragedy, challenging situations, and not settling in life. There will be socially conscious songs, political statements of an intellectual nature, and a mastery of rhyme and conceptual lyrical imagery like wet paint on a canvas, dripping with color.

P.O.S., Dessa, and Grieves are the micro brews of the music industry; those that hand-craft beats with everything from violin cuts to trumpet solos while carefully constructing jaw-dropping lyrics from a vocabulary that would make for a formidable "Scrabble" opponent. Artists, in the truest sense of the word, are those that make music they love, and don’t really care if others do. They give no thought to the mass appeal because they are making it not for the masses, but a select few that may have a thirst for their witch’s brew.


Dessa opened the show under deep blue light with a voice like velvet wisps of cigarette smoke drifting in an a windowless room singing "Kites." Her music makes me think of a poet with a musical obsession more than a rapper. Her lyrics are wry and clever, always interspersed with a melodious voice that riffs tongue and cheek as much as it throws a mean right hook. She is the result of a philosophy degree and too much whiskey, I saw this written one time, and you are truly aware of this when you hear her music; clearly a rapper with late fees on her library card. With an acute awareness of the human condition, what sets her apart is her slam poetry breakdowns she does. When you hear "Hallelujah" performed at a hip-hop show with acapella verses and an unique and absorbingly sung chorus, you know you are in for an amazing show. She threw down the gauntlet with a sui generis set unlike any hip-hop you will find out there; honestly, how many rappers do you know with a published book of poetry for sale at the show?

Grieves came next with Budo, his DJ, and this kid is something to see. Looking no older than 16 and weighing maybe 120 lbs. soaking wet, this man of diminutive stature casts a rap shadow that has grown in leaps and bounds from his days in his hometown of Seattle, WA. Grieves is oh so musically inclined with the beats he makes. Just like Dessa and P.O.S., there is more than just drums and reverb in his tracks. You will find trumpets, piano, and guitar riffs, performed live by the multi-tasking Budo, that scream Eddie Van Halen influences. Grieves' lyrics are funny at times with admissions of his odd look and his lack of knowledge as to the definition of "hyfie." He also speaks of troubles with women, human interaction, and tough times. Admittedly a family guy, he really loves his friends and family, and raps about life and loss while not getting depressing, it always seems to be up-tempo enough to not bring the listener down. The crowd loved his set and despite not striking a large frame, he loves being behind the mic and it shows in the comfort and ownership he shows when he performs.


P.O.S. came next, the headliner of the night. P.O.S. is something to be heard. An amazing fusion of pseudo-punk rock and socially conscious, lyrical hip-hop, his music matches his stage performance; it's a hip-hop bar-fight with your brain from start to finish. In three albums and many years with Doomtree before signing with Rhymesayers, P.O.S. has cultivated a powerful and focused voice inspiring people as much as attempting to unsettle our complacency. He doesn't call himself a political rapper, but it is definitely a definable portion of his work. A not so subtle call to the disenchanted and disenfranchised permeates his lyrics between personally significant events and intimate messages of the heart. Beats dripping with rock guitar, drums, and a cacophony of other perfectly appropriate sounds make him feel at home on the edge of the stage screaming at the top of his lungs lyrics that the crowd reciprocates just as ferociously. He will cover everything from challenges with following your dream and being happy in your life, to social issues we all face privately in a slow-motion agony. P.O.S. is truly aware of his surroundings and what he feels, using the stage and the mic as an outlet to entertain and educate as much as provoke and disrupt.


His stage show almost ruins his albums for me for a week or so after. There is no justice coming out of my speakers for the energy he has when he is on a stage. One of the most accessible artists I've ever met, he’ll be out chatting and taking photos with fans before the doors even open. He walks among the fans at ease while Dessa and Grieves perform. Same with Grieves and Dessa; stand at the bar long enough and you might find Dessa sidling up next to you after her set to order a drink, Grieves you will find without fail at his merch table unless he is on stage, and is more than happy to talk with you. P.O.S. is just that kind of guy, he likes to chat and shoot the breeze with his fans, and admittedly likes touring with artists that are the same way.

I've been to a lot of concerts, big and small, and I have never been to a show like a P.O.S. show. Without fail he will get down in to the crowd. At the Warped Tour he spent more time at eye level with his fans than on the stage. Besides just the fact that he brings it every time out, I don’t find a mosh pit at many hip-hop shows, but P.O.S. requested it for "Terrorish" so that he could mosh with his fans. As with every show he goes elbow to elbow on the floor rapping with, and not just for, his fans. Even on his more difficult songs, the man could just sit back and listen to the words he wrote screamed back to him from 150+ in a seething mass of fandom. He recognizes that he has die hard fans and gets down with them when ever possible because he honestly loves his work, and is humble in his opportunity to do it.

Amazing beats and intellectual lyricism the likes of Dessa, Grieves, and P.O.S. make for maybe a tough pill to swallow for those without the taste for it. P.O.S. is fully aware that there might not be room in the 'mainstream' music scene for him but is hopeful. Today, the music seems to be more about style over substance. Artists today have everything from their own vodkas to clothing lines. It is all about cultivating a brand and becoming more than just a musician, which is all P.O.S. wants to be right now. In his words, it's not that mainstream music is dumb, but it is easy, and he recognizes that his music is not easy or just a catchy beat for the money maker shakers out there. It is not something that he thinks about really, but he won't ever 'make it rain', 'drop it like it’s hot', or 'ride dirty'; this is not the kind of music he likes, and he makes music he likes, it's just dumb luck that other people like it,too.

"If there's a place in mainstream for Lady Gaga looking crazy, there's a place for me looking normal sounding crazy. I just think about making songs I appreciate, and hopefully other people will too." -P.O.S.

Before their Eyes will accompany Blessthefall and Miss May I on the just-announced, The Bangover Tour, starting March 26th in Edmonton, Alberta. The trek will hit both Canada and the US and will give fans a chance to hear tunes off the band’s forthcoming Rise Records release Untouchable, in stores March 9th.

The band will also be supporting Saosin and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster on the Coaxal Flutter 2010 Tour starting February 23rd in Indianapolis, IN.

Tall, blonde with a charismatic smile and friendly demeanor, Berry Bly looks like the typical, unassuming beach boy. Originally from Virginia, Bly came to California after graduating Virginia Commonwealth University in 1991. He is now a long time Manhattan Beach native and popular South Bay club promoter.

His story is a typical one; small town boy arrives in big city, searching to find his place in this world. Bly found his niche after living in LA for only 4 weeks. In between handing out flyers to pretty girls in daytime promotions, he managed Rock and Roll Nights and Bikini Contests for the South Bay’s then hottest nightspot, The Red Onion.

Now, after 2 decades in the South Bay and in the entertainment industry, his reputation as the hottest club promoter here precedes him, and his email list of 35,000 brings in masses. Not just any people, but a glamorous, sophisticated Hollywood crowd. He was the innovator to bring the idea of bottle service to the South Bay, which at one time was only reserved for the Hollywood set. His history with the beach cities spans up and down the coast. His first job was at The Red Onion, and since then has promoted South Bay clubs such as Sapphire, Trio, 12th and Highland, Chakra, Harbor Dive, Harry O’s, H2O and more recently Zen and Upper Manhattan. He has helped struggling clubs and restaurants turn into the place to be. His end-of-summer Labor Day White Parties as well as his weekend birthday trips are social events in everyone’s calendar.

Bly recently launched his new company, HotSpotsWeekly.com. The website is a detailed online entertainment source that focuses on celebrities, nightlife, restaurants and in the South Bay. The website is soon expanding to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westside and Downtown LA in October.

Kimberly Fisher is a freelance writer based in Manhattan Beach, CA and Las Vegas, NV. She specializes in travel and lifestyle. Born with restless feet, she enjoys traveling and is always on the lookout for a new experience. So far she has traveled to over 37 countries and almost every US state. Her work has appeared in various English print and online media. Please direct inquiries to: k@kimberlyfisher.com

South Bay punk pioneers Pennywise have announced that Zoli Teglas of Orange County’s Ignite, is the band’s new and permanent lead singer.

After months of searching, the members of Pennywise announced that Ignite vocalist Zoli Teglas is now officially the new front man. Teglas, a longtime friend and tour mate, recently played a handful of So Cal shows with Pennywise, including the 2009 Smokeout Festival and a sold out Holiday Benefit concert for Amnesty International at Long Beach Arena.

Teglas will join Pennywise on its upcoming European tour which kicks off this April. That tour will be preceded by a few warm up West Coast dates that start on March 17 in San Diego, CA. Pennywise is currently at work on a new record, its first featuring the new lineup.

After the sudden departure of former singer Jim Lindberg, a member of Pennywise for 19 years, guitarist Fletcher Dragge called Teglas a “natural choice” to take over vocal duties for the band.
Bassist Randy Bradbury explains, “What started out as a temporary position was just too good to put an end to. Zoli brings to the table a tremendous vocal ability, creativity, and a die hard work ethic. There is a bond that makes this change feel like it was simply meant to be, and considering the recent unfortunate events, having Zoli join the band is a well needed shot of positive energy.”
Teglas was excited to take the stage with his friends, noting, "I'm stoked to be singing with Pennywise. I'm a huge fan of the band and am super grateful to share the stage with my long time friends Fletcher, Byron and Randy."

Calling it quits was never in the cards for the remaining members of Pennywise. “We love this, we love going on the road,” Dragge explained to AP back in August ’09. “There's nothing more important to me than being on stage in front of our fans and having them sing our lyrics back at us and feel the energy. This has become so much bigger than just us as a band. It's become a family and a brotherhood of people that I feel depend on us. I'm still here to continue to deliver the message as are Byron and Randy. Our motto is to follow your dreams and pursue them. Don't waste time because if you're wasting time on something you're not into, then you're not living. We're going to go out there and have fun doing what we love until it stops being fun.
Pennywise is one of the most significant bands to emerge from Southern California’s second wave of punk rock. Formed in 1988 in Hermosa Beach, California, Pennywise has released nine full-length studio albums; one live album; two extended plays; and one DVD. Their most recent studio effort, Reason to Believe, was released to over 500,000 fans for free through a limited offering from MySpace Records. The critically acclaimed album was also sold physically and digitally the world over. “The Western World,” the first single from this watershed album, quickly became the most successful single of the band’s storied career.
Founded when punk rock couldn’t be less popular and hair bands were in style, Pennywise quickly developed a style entirely its own--a tsunami of California hardcore, melodic surf punk and optimistic anthems that went against the seek-and-destroy ethos of its era.

“We’ve done things our own way,” Dragge points out, “and we’ve never taken no for answer. We’ve been a punk band for 20 years, and we’ve traveled the world and we’ve had a lot of people tell us what we could and couldn’t do. ‘Tell me what we can’t do, and I’ll try twice as hard to do it.’ That’s the one thing this band has taught me: ‘If you want it bad enough, you can have it.”

Anti-Valentine's Day Facebook fan pages

• Attend a party for singles and Valentine's Day haters.

• Put together an Anti-Valentine's Day pub crawl.

DROPKICK MURPHYS are set to play the final day of this year’s Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN on Sunday, June 13. The band joins a diverse lineup for the three-day festival that ranges from Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Weezer, and Kris Kristofferson to GWAR. As previously announced, DROPKICK MURPHYS will also be joining the final seven dates of the 2010 Vans Warped Tour, from August 7-15.

As part of our DJ Interview series, we sat down with Gavin O'Connor aka DJGoc. He discussed his start as a DJ, the many places he's been as well as his hopes for the future.

Name:
Gavin O'Connor aka DJGOC

Website:
http://djgoc.com/

Where you have been (places you have DJed):
90 Grad (Berlin, Germany)
Club MAO (Shanghai, China)
Black Box (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Club Hollywood (Milan, Italy)
Cuixmala (Careyes, Mexico)
Mokai (Miami, Florida)
Sky Hotel (Aspen, Colorado)
...and pretty much every hot club from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Where you are going (future bookings):
Brazil, Canada, and Bejing are in the horizon.

How did you get started:
After I was finished with high school, I scored a gig working for Irving Azoff at Giant Records.
I learned a lot from that job. At least that's when the education began. Because I'm just gettin' started!

What is the most outlandish thing you have seen at a club:
I was DJ'ing a "Children of the Night" fundraiser for Danni.com (formerly a soft-core big boob website).

Hosting the party with Danni were all the girls from her site, about 80 showed up.

Before I go further I need you to think back to the last time you saw, in person, a girl with
boobs that are actually the size of 2 basketballs. There were 80 of them!!

For the cause, needless to say, the funds were definitely raised... so you know the Champagne was poppin'!

Halfway through the party, I look over my shoulder and see my boy Redfoo, before LMFAO,
with his red afro smashed between four of the biggest boobs on earth.

Absolutely outlandish! This memory will never leave my brain.

What you would never spin:
A Top 40 request.

Dumb questions people ask:
When I was a child my teacher's taught me that there's "no such thing as a dumb question."

Then I became a DJ.

To my surprise I've been asked, more than a handful of times, to play
a song by 50 Cent....while I'm playing a song by 50 Cent.

This also happened a few times with requests for Britney Spears, Madonna, and Usher back when "Yeah" was hot.

DJ'ing has taught me that dumb people proved my teacher's were wrong!

LESSON FAIL.

Your favorite DJ:
Too many to name.
Two to recognize are Roc Raida and A.M.

Best job so far:
DJ'ing a wedding reception at night on a private beach with wild animals and
Tahitian fire dancers in Careyes, Mexico.

Where you will be in 10 years:
Broadcasting live & direct from my home studio. ...and everyone's invited to tune in!

3 Words that describe you:
Yabba Dabba Doo

What people would never know about you:
I'm dead sexy.

If you weren't a DJ, you would be:
An Actor or an Underwear Model.

What you do for fun:
For fun? I play "Marco, Polo" in alligator infested water.

Kimberly Fisher is a freelance writer based in Manhattan Beach, CA and Las Vegas, NV. She specializes in travel, lifestyle and trends. Born with restless feet, she enjoys traveling and is always on the lookout for a new experience. So far she has traveled to over 37 countries and almost every US state. Her work has appeared in various English print and online media. Please direct inquiries to: k@kimberlyfisher.com

There have been a number of brotherly bands in the music business: Van Halen, The Kinks, Jackson 5, Radiohead, DeBarge, Oasis, Hanson and The Jonas Brothers, but none of these guys bring horror-themed rock to the stage like CALABRESE.

Comprised of a death rock sound, CALABRESE has been described as melodic, hook-laden, catchy, fun, horror-theme rock with a punk attitude. Even Blasko of The Death Rides and Rob Zombie agrees that CALABRESE is "one of the top Horror Rock bands."

The band has unleashed two full-length albums , 13 Halloweens, (2005) and The Traveling Vampire Show", (2007) with They Call Us Death: Calabrese III due this coming March.

The Calabrese brothers caught up with me after one of their performances. 

1. First off, Happy New Year and give me a brief history of how CALABRESE got started.

Band: Happy New Year!
Jimmy: The world didn’t end so that’s good.
Jimmy: Dave alright go for it!
Dave: I never answer anything, my mother Judith Calabrese gave birth to us so the Devil…uh I can’t do this.
Dave: The band started in 2000-2001, 98? Laughs, what’s a brief history how do we sum it up?
Bobby: We were all into music and were all in various bands so then me and Jimmy decided that all the bands we were in weren’t quite what we had wanted so we made our own band like The Misfits and White Zombie, Ramones, punk rock stuff, so then we recruited Dave and beat him to learn how to play the drums so now he is emotionally scum, so that’s why he hurts his drums, jumping and acting crazy in front of the audience and that’s how it started and that was it.

2. How about your upcoming third release, They Call Us Death: Calabrese III, what can fans expect from this release in comparison to your other releases.

Bobby: The new record is a lot darker, at least I think so, and it’s a little technically advanced but we don’t want to look like we’re trying too hard. We listened to a lot of music that we like, and blended a lot of heavier sources and darker lyrics.
Dave: Everybody should pre-order it because it’s delicious.

3. Your lyrics are horror based obviously, but you tend to revolve your sources around Vampires, why the fascination with Vampires?

Dave: One word…Twilight.
Bobby: He saw the wrong movie.
Bobby: Type O Negative did that Brooklyn Vampire thing, so we can’t really base us off the Mummy or Frankenstein so we picked Vampires.
Jimmy: Before the whole Vampire thing exploded we blended our style into it.
Dave: The Lost Boys and all the classic Vampire films we had watched growing up got us into the whole Vampire craze.

4. Do you consider yourselves Vampires?

Dave: Yes.
Bobby: We might be it’s for you to decide. I suggest you pick up the new CD and decide for yourself.

5. When will They Call Us Death: Calabrese III officially be released to the ghoulish hands of the world?

Jimmy: I believe we deiced the street date would be March 20th towards the end of the month if you pre-order it you get it earlier along with getting some post cards and other merch signed by us.

6. Do you know what the first single and video will be?

Jimmy: Good question I think it’ll be one of the two songs we have on our MySpace page, which is either Black Anathema or Violent Hellfire, and we’re probably will be working with Brian Pulido (Spookshow Records) again. We have a possibility working with some animators here in California so we’re working on that.

7. Are you guys familiar with this other horror punk act, Church for Sinners? Would you ever consider touring with them or this other act known as the Dead Vampires?

Dave: We did a few shows with them at the Knitting Factory. We’re not too familiar with the Dead Vampires though we do know AFI.

8. What does 2010 have in store for Calabrese?

Bobby: The new CD release, new comic book, music video, everything we are finally living our dreams come true starring me, these guys aren’t in it. Laughs go out on tour, in the New York and Boston areas and the rest of the world.

9. How did you get to perform in The Graves film?

Jimmy: I got a connection with Brain Pulido we met him and he’s also a creator and writer making a variety of comic book characters and at the time we were making “Voices of the Dead” and he then offered us apart in his new movie and had a rocking time in our brief four minutes of screen-time.

10. Do you guys use any stage props or effects during your performances?

Jimmy: For the Halloween shows we use blood, we also use strobe lights among other effects.

11. Which horror icon does your band represent and why?

Jimmy: I don’t know hopefully we can sum it all up taking all the best horror icons out there.

12. Have you ever had a fan approach you with a wooden stake ready to strike?

Band: Laughs
Dave: I don’t think they’ll be a band then.
Jimmy: Nobody has yet come with us with a stake, except perhaps a steak and potatoes.

13. Do you have anything else to say to the Vampires that may be reading this?

Dave: Come out come out where ever you are.
Bobby: If there are any Japanese Vampires that promote shows in Japan we want to go to your country.
Jimmy: That’s about it, thanks for keeping Vampires alive.