Category: Live music

Burger Boogaloo postponed until next summer.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Burger Boogaloo is officially delayed until July 10th & 11th of 2021. The festival’s lineup will remain the same, including Bikini Kill, Circle Jerks, Plastic Bertrand, and more. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates.
 
Burger Boogaloo began as a string of small shows put on by local musicians with a shared passion for community and a desire to celebrate punk rock’s unsung heroes. Over the past decade, that community has exponentially grown while the goal has remained the same. We are fortunate to have such a committed group of fans and are deeply grateful for their continued support. As we await the return of live music during these trying times, we hope that the passion and sense of belonging that Burger Boogaloo attendees have fostered can continue to flourish through peaceful support for the Black Lives Matter movement and other communities whose struggles deserve to be heard.
 
While we’re disappointed that the festival has been delayed for a second time, we look forward to celebrating the return of live music with a Burger Boogaloo unlike any other. Until then, please keep safe and keep listening.
 
Any ticketing questions or concerns can be sent to burgerboogaloo@gmail.com.
 
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
 
BURGER BOOGALOO 2020 LINEUP
 
HOSTED BY JOHN WATERS
 
BIKINI KILL (1st Bay Area show in 25 years)
CIRCLE JERKS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years)
PLASTIC BERTRAND (1st Bay Area show ever)
CARBONAS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years)
BLEACHED
SHANNON SHAW
ALICE BAG (of the Bags)  
FLIPPER
THE FEVERS
PANSY DIVISION
THE YOUNGER LOVERS
MIDNITE SNAXXX
HAMMERED SATIN
THE RUBINOOS
 
 
TICKET PRICES
Day 1 – $99
Day 2 – $69
Weekend Pass – $129
VIP day 1 – $149
VIP day 2 – $109
VIP weekend Pass – $199

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t postpone subscribing.]

[Thanks to Jim at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Levitation France announces dates and first wave of line-up.

Music festivals are still scheduled in countries that have figured out how to handle a pandemic, and one of them is Levitation France October 09-10, 2020. Levitation Austin has been postponed until 2021, but the French festival in the groovy town of Angers is already touting its first lineup announcements.

Fontaines D.C. and Squid are current alternative rock darlings, and Zombie Zombie are personal favorites that I would love to see at Le Quai. I’ve heard good stuff from Black Country, New Road, and Slift seems to be everywhere on YouTube right now.

I don’t know if travelers from the U.S. will be allowed in France by October, but I might have to change my vacation plans if they are.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to the Reverb Appreciation Society.]

Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Chunky Shrapnel

The cover of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s “first” live album (not counting the three live recordings they released earlier this year to benefit Australian wildlife charities), Chunky Shrapnel, features an image of a seven-headed hydra (the same number of guys in the band) surrounded by speakers hooked up to analog equipment to produce weird digital images signifying their already tremendous output of albums and songs, such as Infest the Rats’ Nest (bottom middle), “People Vultures” (bottom right), and even the cyborg Han-Tyumi from Murder of the Universe (second down from the top on the right).

It’s a neat image because it not only tells you what’s in store for you on this great live album, but also a nod to the blending of music and modern technology. The band released a Chunky Shrapnel concert film in a limited stream earlier this year. A full-blown theatrical / wide streaming release is in the works, but this album is a great taste of what to expect from it – and any live KGATLW show (which never disappoint).

The album is sprinkled with studio instrumentals (“Evil Star,” “Quarantine,” “Anamesis”) and the rest is stuffed with live tracks recorded in Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Utrecht, London, Brussels, Milan, Berlin, and Barcelona) over the course of their 2019 world tour. The first live track is a wonderful, jazzy version of “The River.” It’s a neat choice to open your live album with a mellow track (that blooms into an epic jam around the three-minute mark) to get the listener grooving. “Wah Wah” gets the Madrid crowd chanting and jumping. “Road Train” is a nice, crazy follow-up, and the trippy “Murder of the Universe” lets them jam at will as Han-Tyumi’s vocals echo around them from some unseen machine.

The version of “Planet B” unleashed on the London crowd is downright dangerous, somehow sounding twice heavier and faster than the album version (which is already damn heavy and fast). “Parking” is a fuzzy two-minute drum solo that leads into the blazing “Venusian 2” and “Hell” that threaten to incinerate and / or flatten the Milan venue.

The bluesy, swaggering “Let Me Mend the Past” gets the Madrid crowd whooping and hollering. “Inner Cell” brings back a bit of menace. “Loyalty” and “Horology” both flow well together and ease us back down before nineteen minutes of “A Brief History of the Planet Earth” pieced together from four different shows. The song ebbs and flows, being manic one moment and euphoric the next. It’s full of noodling jams and more fuzz than a koala bear. There’s even a moment when they pass a beer through the crowd to their sound man accompanied by frenzied riffs.

It’s another great, stunning album from KGATLW – who by now are obviously unstoppable.

Keep your mind open.

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Psycho Las Vegas to return August 19 – 22, 2021 with nearly the same lineup as the cancelled 2020 festival.

The Psycho Las Vegas music festival announced its return in 2021 at the Mandalay Bay Casino Hotel August 19th (if you count the Psycho Swim daytime events, and why wouldn’t you?) through August 22nd.

Most of the original lineup has been announced as returning in 2021. Unfortunately, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Ty Segall aren’t listed as being part of the 2021 festival, but losing just two big bands out of a big lineup like that is a pretty good deal. Tickets for the 2020 scenario will be honored in 2021, and you can probably still buy tickets for the 2021 festival since many people who’d planned to attend this year won’t be able to make it next year.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Live in Brussels ’19

One of three live albums released by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard for Australian wildlife charities, Live in Brussels ’19 is a wild, heavy set drawing on a lot of material from Murder of the Universe, Nonagon Infinity, Infest the Rats’ Nest (their newest album at the time of this tour – October 2019), and Fishing for Fishies.

Opener “Evil Star” is a fuzzy instrumental appetizer to the meaty, heavy “Venusian 2.” The crowd is in full battle mode when they arrive at the sludgy “Superbug.” Lead singer Stu Mackenzie‘s vocals sound shouted to the moon and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lucas Harwood‘s bass rooting the tune in a solid stoner metal groove. “The Lord of Lightning” begins as a neat psychedelic jam that gets the crowd clapping and grows into the powerful story of a wizard fighting a monster.

“Altered Beast IV” has some of Michael Cavanaugh and Eric Moore‘s best double drumming. The crowd goes wild for “People Vultures” – and rightly so, since it seems to be played at double the normal speed of the album cut. The groove of “This Thing” is undeniable, and Ambrose Kenny-Smith‘s harmonica work on it is always top-notch.

“Sense” slows things down to a happy vibe. “The Wheel” might be the trippiest song on the album. Kenny-Smith’s vocals are warped, and Mackenzie, Cook Craig, and Joey Walker‘s guitars move around each other like cats high on catnip. “The Bird Song” is always a delight – live or otherwise. The band always sounds happy while playing it, and you can’t help but partake in their joy.

“Down the Sink” has a fun new wave vibe to it. “Work This Time” floats the audience about five feet off the hall floor with its hazy, meditative feel. Plus, the guitar solo on it is great. The band then gets the crowd roaring again with “Robot Stop.” The opening chords alone make the audience frantic before it explodes into chill-inducing mania. “Big Fig Wasp” continues the chaos with its microtonal riffs. “Gamma Knife” comes at you like a whole swarm of the aforementioned wasps.

The closer, “Float Along – Fill Your Lungs,” is jaw-dropping. It’s a stunning piece of psychedelia that floats along for over twelve minutes and probably left the Belgian audience euphoric.

It’s another great slice of the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard pie and does what any good live album should do – make you want to see them live as soon as possible.

Keep your mind open.

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Riot Fest postpones until next year, but announces first wave of lineup to whet your appetite.

Chicago’s Riot Fest was the last 2020 festival standing in Chicago that hadn’t been postponed or cancelled, so it wasn’t a shock to learn it had been postponed until September 16 – 19, 2021.

What was a surprise was how they announced the first wave of the 2021 lineup. I don’t know how many of these bands were already scheduled for the 2020 festival, but they landed some heavy hitters either way – My Chemical Romance, Smashing Pumpkins, Run the Jewels, and Pixies are all sure to draw big crowds. Gogol Bordello are known for their wild shows, and punk legends Circle Jerks are a nice snag, as are Toots and the Maytals, Jawbox, Best Coast, and L7. My favorite part of the current lineup, however, might be Living Colour. I had no idea they were touring. Furthermore, Riot Fest teases two more waves of lineup announcements – possibly of thirty-six more bands. There’s also this…

They’ve announced that there will be surprise sets on September 16th, some by bands they describe as “bucket list” bands. In my limited music festival experience, preview nights are not to be missed. Some of the best sets I’ve seen at Levitation Music Festival have been on Thursday nights.

Get your tickets early if you can. Everyone is going to be so hungry for live music in 2021 that there will be few shows and festivals that won’t be sell-outs.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Live in Paris ’19

Recorded at L’Olympia in Paris, France October 14, 2019, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard‘s Live in Paris ’19 is one of three live albums they released for animal welfare charities during the massive wildfires sweeping Australia (many of which, by the way, are still burning). All proceeds from these albums go to these charities, and all three were released well before KGATLW‘s “official” live album – Chunky Shrapnel (review coming soon).

You can tell right away that the Parisian crowd is ready to go nuts from the opening notes. The show starts with the instrumental “Evil Star” before breaking into a sprint with “Venusian 2” and “Perihelion” from Infest the Rats’ Nest. “Perihelion” hits the hardest of the two. “Crumbling Castle” is the second longest track on the album (at nearly nine minutes), and the crowd never stops cheering for it the entire time. It tears into “The Fourth Colour” so fast it almost makes your head spin.

“Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” and “The Castle in the Air” are a great pairing to slow things down just a touch before the rocking “Muddy Water.” “People Vultures” is a crowd favorite (as is anything from Nonagon Infinity, really) and sounds like it’s almost at double the normal speed. The swing of “Mr. Beat” is always fun to hear live. Hearing the crowd sing along to Stu Mackenzie‘s opening flute on “Hot Water” is delightful.

They’re grooving ands swinging on “This Thing.” “Billabong Valley” is always a crowd favorite as Ambrose Kenny-Smith takes over on lead vocals to sing a tale of a gunman. “Nuclear Fusion” is a personal favorite because of the cool Middle Eastern microtonal groove of the whole thing. “Anoxia,” the always rocking “All Is Known,” and the always hip-moving “Boogieman Sam” follow, and the show wraps up with a dive back into thrash metal with another personal favorite – “Mars for the Rich” and then over twelve minutes of the wild, swirling, mind-melting “Am I in Heaven?” – which contains bits of “Altered Beast” and “Cyboogie” as well.

You might think that after this whirlwind of an album is finished – just like any show by these wacky fellas.

Keep your mind open.

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Clutch to perform virtual concert for charity with three opening acts on May 27th.

Clutch will perform a streamed concert titled “Live From The Doom Saloon Volume 1” on May 27th. They will be supported remotely by Crowbar, Blacktop Mojo, and Saul. This unique online concert format has been produced in conjunction with Sound Talent Group (STG), and LiveFrom Events and will use cutting-edge streaming technology to close the distance between the bands and the fans for an amazing virtual concert experience. 

Tickets are on sale now at this location: www.livefrom.events/DoomSaloon 

The show will be available for On Demand Viewing starting at 4PM EST on Thursday May 28th and will be available for 48 hours into Saturday, May 30th. The ticket price will remain the same for those viewers that were not able to join the live broadcast. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Angel Flight and Musicares.

Through a network of more than 1,800 volunteer pilots, Angel FlightWest provides free air transportation for people who need to travel long distances to access medical care and other essential services across the 12 Western states.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, AFW pilots have flown 150 missions to deliver more than six tons of PPE and other crucial supplies to the Navajo and Hopi Nations and other rural clinics, while also arranging commercial flights for medical personnel who are traveling to serve on the front lines, with tickets donated by Alaska Airlines. 

For more information, visit https://www.angelflightwest.org/ 

Doors – @ 3:50PM EST Saul – 4PM EST (9PM UK time) Blacktop Mojo – 4:30PM EST (9:30PM UK time)Crowbar – 5:05PM EST (10:05PM UK time)Clutch – 5:50PM (10:50PM UK time)

For more information, check out the band’s website: www.pro-rock.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/clutchband

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clutchofficial

Twitter: www.twitter.com/clutchofficial

Official: www.pro-rock.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/officialclutch

Keep your mind open.

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Burger Boogaloo moves to Halloween weekend and keeps the same killer lineup.

“A virus may scare the punk rock world out of Oakland in July but we’ll scare it right back on Halloween weekend! Trick or treat, we can’t be beat! Burger Boogaloo 2020: a Monster Mash to top them all!” – John Waters

Given the unprecedented circumstances facing our city, state, and country, Burger Boogaloo is officially moving to Halloween weekend: Saturday, October 31st & Sunday, November 1st in Oakland’s Mosswood Park. The festival’s lineup will remain the same and even include additional artists: Shannon Shaw, Hammered Satin, and The Rubinoos. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates.

The safety of our attendees, performing artists, and staff is of the utmost priority. That sentiment extends beyond the Boogaloo’s festival grounds, which is why we want to stress the importance of staying home, refraining from unnecessary socializing, and maintaining thorough cleanliness during these trying times. 

Outside of Halloween being the most fitting holiday for Burger Boogaloo to fall on, we chose these new dates because they were the best option for accommodating our performing artists, many of whom have had to cancel or reschedule upcoming tours. For the same reasons, we ask that you continue to support the artists you cherish and the members of your community who have been hit hardest by current events whenever possible. This includes abiding by social distancing practices that can help keep others healthy in the present while ensuring that a safer future comes sooner than later. 

We look forward to the day that live music returns and to a Burger Boogaloo Halloween celebration that will be unlike any other. Until then, keep safe and keep listening. 

Any additional ticketing questions or concerns can be sent to burgerboogaloo@gmail.com.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

BURGER BOOGALOO 2020 LINEUP

HOSTED BY JOHN WATERS

BIKINI KILL (1st Bay Area show in 25 years)
CIRCLE JERKS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years) 
PLASTIC BERTRAND (1st Bay Area show ever)
CARBONAS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years)
BLEACHED
SHANNON SHAW
ALICE BAG (of the Bags)   
FLIPPER
THE FEVERS
PANSY DIVISION
THE YOUNGER LOVERS
PANTY RAID
MIDNITE SNAXXX
HAMMERED SATIN
THE RUBINOOS

TICKET PRICES
Day 1 – $99
Day 2 – $69
Weekend Pass – $129
VIP day 1 – $149
VIP day 2 – $109
VIP weekend Pass – $199

Keep your mind open.

[Boogie on over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR!]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to release documentary film and double LP, “Chunky Shrapnel,” April 17th.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have announced Chunky Shrapnel; a feature length music documentary film and accompanying Double LP to be released in April 2020.  

The album will be released digitally on April 24th with vinyl pre-orders available on April 10th. The film will premiere online April 17th.

WATCH TRAILER & BUY FILM TICKETS HERE

“Chunky Shrapnel was made for the cinema but as both concerts and films are currently outlawed, it feels poetic to release a concert-film digitally right now. Get the loudest speakers you’ve got, turn ‘em up and watch Chunky on the biggest telly you can find. Get heaps of snacks and convert your lounge room into a cinema.” Stu Mackenzie 

A musical road movie dipped in turpentine, Chunky Shrapnel is a point of view/on stage experience from the perspective of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Once a song begins, just like the band, you’re stuck in the adrenaline fueled quick sand that there is no escape from. The film’s contention is clear from the outset, it’s going to be a “journey” not a “lecture”, an incurved experience rather than a linear one. 

The band, nor the film-makers were interested in making a self congratulatory “behind the scenes expose” film. It was a direct decision to keep the inner workings of the band’s personality at arms length, it is the music they were interested in exploring. The approach was taken that the film’s protagonist should be the “on stage” performances, that was the focus. With this, they abandoned multiple cameras and cross cutting during performances, turning the camera into a vehicle for the audience to experience the show through, rather than placing them in a crowd or side of stage. At 96 minutes, Chunky Shrapnel more than earns its length. At times gently holding your hand and at other times smashing a bottle over your head and dumping your body in a heaving crowd. There is an inevitability to the film, a driving, ever accelerating spiral that climaxes in a 15 minute medley that spans four countries.

Chunky Shrapnel is directed by John Angus Stewart and scored by Stu Mackenzie.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Flightless Records for this press release.]