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Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, with members Brian Aubert (lead vocals, guitar), Nikki Monninger (bass, vocals), Christopher Guanlao (drums) and Joe Lester (keyboards).

On March 2, 2010, they brought their show to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA to support Muse on their Resistance tour.

The crowd was large and there to see Muse. The Silversun Pickups had their work cut out for themselves. Their raw energy and fanatical guitar playing exceeded expectations. The song Panic Switch was a highlight of the show. Brian Aubert has both a unique singing style and guitar playing style. The frenzied guitar playing whipped the crowd into action. Their biggest hit, Lazy Eye, finished the set with a crowd that was singing along to every word.

Silversun Pickups Setlist
Silversun Pickups Videos
Silversun Pickups Pictures

View Video Footage of Hippies 4 Haiti

The music at the Hippies 4 Haiti Benefit Concert was unbelievable. The sounds were sweet and danceable throughout the entire event. Painted Blue played footstomping bluegrass. The band WynRise won over the crowd with their rockin’ original songs. DotMan played a remarkable on-the-fly harmonica solo. Wineskin had a driving force and searing guitar. (As in, he played his guitar searingly — in a burning, blistering, hot manner.) When Pete Kranz took the stage, the place turned into a kinky reggae party. It was that way all day… one good band after another.

Not only was the music superb but so was the food and the people. It almost felt like a giant family reunion.

Annie Who, the event organizer said, “We did it!! Hippies 4 Haiti was a wonderful success thanks to all of you!

We raised $2420!

Thank you to sound and lighting guy Ron Kohl and his crew!. They worked until 2:30 this morning hauling equipment down those mean back stairs.

Thank you to Andrew for those laser lights!

Thank you to all the bands that donated their time and talent! Wow!! You guys really rocked that room!

Thank you to Grateful Billy Robel and John who cooked up all the delicious food!

Thank you to Mike Riccardi for donating his totally cool venue!

Thank you to the entire Who Crew that collected all the donations and then worked the door like a hippie goon squad!!

Thank you to everyone who brought food and things for ARRR!!

$2420!!!! Hahahaha!! All that is going to Meds and Food for Kids!!

I’m grateful to every one of you for your generosity and energy!!

We are one!!!”

Thirty Seconds To Mars (30STM) brings their This Is War tour to the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, April 24, 2010.

“We’re picking 4 fans to help film our sets each night! Send proof of your show ticket: intothewildfilming[at]gmail.com to enter. AGE 18+ ONLY”

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS
ANNOUNCE U.S. DATES OF INTO THE WILD TOUR
IN SUPPORT OF THEIR NEW ALBUM ‘THIS IS WAR’

Mute Math and Neon Trees Will Open On U.S. Leg
Kicks Off April 9th At The Pearl Theater In Las Vegas
And Ends May 15th At The Greek Theater In Los Angeles

Apr. 9, 2010 – Las Vegas, NV
The Pearl Theatre (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 10, 2010 – Mesa, AZ
Mesa Amphitheatre (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 11, 2010 – Tucson, AZ
Pima County Fair (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 13, 2010 – Tulsa, OK
Brady Theatre (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 15, 2010 – Milwaukee, WI
Eagles Ballroom (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 16, 2010 – Chicago, IL
Aragon Ballroom (Tickets on Sale 3/6)

Apr. 17, 2010 – Detroit, MI
The Fillmore (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 18, 2010 – Toronto, ON
The Sound Academy (Tickets on Sale 2/26)

Apr. 20, 2010 – Boston, MA
House of Blues (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 21, 2010 – New York, NY
Roseland (Tickets on Sale 3/6)

Apr. 23, 2010 – Washington DC
TBA (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 24, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA
Electric Factory (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 25, 2010 – Charlotte, NC
Uptown Amphitheatre (Tickets on Sale 3/12)

Apr. 27, 2010 – Miami, FL
The Fillmore (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 28, 2010 – Orlando, FL
House of Blues (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

Apr. 29, 2010 – Atlanta, GA
Tabernacle (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

May 1, 2010 – Frisco, TX
Pizza Hut Park (Tickets on Sale 3/12)

May 4, 2010 – St. Louis, MO
The Pageant (Tickets on Sale 2/26)

May 6, 2010 – Omaha, NE
Sokol Auditorium (Tickets on Sale 3/6)

May 7, 2010 – Denver, CO
Fillmore Auditorium (Tickets on Sale 2/27)

May 8, 2010 – Salt Lake City, UT
The Rail Event Center (Tickets on Sale 3/6)

May 10, 2010 – Seattle, WA
Showbox SODO (Tickets on Sale 3/6)

May 11, 2010 – Portland, OR
Roseland Theatre (Tickets on Sale 3/5)

May 13, 2010 – Oakland, CA
Fox Theater (Tickets on Sale 2/28)

May 14, 2010 – Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Bowl (Tickets on Sale TBD)

May 15, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA
Greek Theater (Tickets on Sale TBD)

Chevelle, Red and Thousand Foot Krutch have been added to the Breaking Benjamin tour.

Blacksburg, VA — I guess you could say I was surprised by Maroon 5’s performance last night (11/10/09). At the same time, it was more or less what I expected. Never before have my feelings towards a band changed so many times in one concert. I went to the show with an open mind, ready to get past the female obsessive boy-band stereotype… if they could prove themselves. This was especially true because my father had seen them at Live 8 a few years ago and said they were actually pretty good.

Their first songs were pure bad-assness. The lead singer, Adam Levine, had tattoos on his arms and was making sexually crude jokes most of the time. They topped off the middle of their set with a two minute long epic drum solo. While the drummer, Ryan Dusick, wailed away the band took a knee and watched as he left the audience in awe. I’ve seen my fair share of awesome drum solos done by great drummers (ex: Travis Barker and Mike Portnoy) and this was on par with their work. While he didn’t lift off the stage in a godlike manor, or have a multi-kit drum set, he did an impressive job.

Unfortunately, the solo left Dursick tired. So, while he was backstage recuperating, the band did some of their songs acoustically. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of acoustical guitar songs. Regardless, this is the scheduled intermission in their set, a point made obvious when they started to cover Alisha Keys’ Beautiful. My ears bled for the duration of the song and left me distracted for the remainder of the acoustical songs.

Fortunately, they were able to redeem themselves. Following the acoustical portion of the show, Levine brought up a female audience member to give her his stool (stage prop). When she sat down on the stool, he proceeded to offer her a lap dance. The crowd was roaring with laughter. After singing to her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek which drew an, “Aww,” from the audience.

There were probably two or three girls for every boy which actually surprised me. I thought there would be way less guys at the show. That didn’t stop the girls from creating an ear shattering wail when they were begging for an encore. My ears received more damage in those three minutes between the original set and the encore than they have from all the concerts I’ve ever been to. Considering how often I’ve been standing in front of the speakers at those concerts, that is an impressive feet. I actually had to cover my ears it was so intolerable.

Of course, the band came back out. What I found unusual was that they only performed one song. Granted it was a long and impressive song. The outro sequence was intense and left a great last impression on me.
For a guy looking for rocking songs I’d have to recommend another band, as a general statement. My recommendation would be to download select songs (particularly not the Alisha Keys cover.) The live versions of the song have more solos and are all around more focused on the rock aspect of music where the album version’s will focus more on the romantic hip-hop aspect.

Maroon 5 Setlist And Pictures

Kewick Theater, Glenside, PA — Playing For Change performed a concert to an enthusiastic crowd at the Keswick Theater. The concept was created by producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson, a Philadelphia native, whose parents were in attendance.

“Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”

The project was started in 2004. In 2005, they approached a New Orleans musician, Grandpa Eliott, to record his version of “Stand By Me”. Then, other musicians from around the world were asked to add tracks to the recording. It became an Internet and YouTube hit. Of course, this was the song most of the audience was waiting for, and it did not disappoint. The entire crowd was dancing in the aisles. However, the song that was even more moving was the cover of the Four Non Blondes, “What’s Up”.

“And I try, oh my God do I try
I try all the time
in this institution
And I pray, oh my God do I pray
I pray every single day
for a revolution”

Playing For Change Videos

Exciting news – The new album, “Tonight Let’s Pretend” is ready to be released unto the world! Mark your calendars:

Friday, October 23
Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Avenue
Philadelphia
8 pm doors / music at 8:30

More details to come, but may include such things as gourds, brews, peacocks, leaves, horns, hot ciders, fingerpaints, sunglasses, goats, digeridoos, strobe lights and much much more.

In other news:
Please request “I Can See Forever Up Here” on WXPN in Philadelphia!

DISCLAIMER
“This is not our official “press release”, but it is kind of funny, so let’s run with it for now.”

Morrisville, Pa — As the name suggests, The Stir Fry Music Revival served up a heaping portion of good times and music with “a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” Whether it was some bluegrass and funky folk or rock mixed with reggae and roots, the bands were cooking.

A festival can offer a unique opportunity. For a regular show, the band comes in, does their thing, packs and goes home; however, a festival allows bands to interact with each other. There were many of these amazing interchanges at Stir Fry. One of them occurred as soon as the first band finished their set. DotMan was on the main stage MC-ing between bands. Tin Bird Choir was setting up for their set on the second stage. DotMan started singing what appeared to be an impromptu song, “The Stir Fry Blues”. The lead singer from Tin Bird Choir turned her soundcheck into a harmonizing session with DotMan. Not only were two great musicians having a cosmic collision, it was also made available for an audience to experience.

Another example of what can be found in a Stir Fry mix is “Josh The Bassist”.
Q: How often does a musician get to play three sets with three different bands for the same audience?
A; Only at an event like Stir Fry.
For the Friday evening crowd, Josh played bass with Tin Bird Choir, Manatawny Creek Ramblers and Frog Holler. When he was finished, I caught up with him to shake his hand, “That must be tough. Most people can not make it through one show. You did it with not just one or two, but you did it with three different bands. And, with Manatawny Creek Ramblers, you played a stand-up bass!” Josh replied, “Thank you. I suppose that is unusual to be able to play that long with diverse bands. And, yes, you are right. The hardest part was carrying the stand-up bass through the parking lot.”

There are so many simultaneous things going on at a festival. It is difficult to take them all in, yet that special Stir Fry ingredient could be found throughout. If you were performing and looked out, you could see your idols in the audience. J.R., keyboardist for Wide Eyed Mother Brothers was performing when he spotted someone in the audience. He stopped and pointed out to the crowd, “Do you see this guy? This guy right here? He taught me everything I know about playing keyboards.”

These kinds of cosmic collisions happened all weekend long. You might have witnessed Si Senorita in the audience being “wowed” by DotMan’s harmonica playing, spotted Steal The Breeze in the audience dancing to Si Senorita or heard the Dirty White Boys playing unplugged in the campground at Bob’s Country Bunker. It did not matter exactly where at the festival you were. You were bound to enjoy an experience like these. All that mattered — you were there.

It is too bad every day can not be stir-fried, at least we can look forward to next year.

Photos, Videos, Reviews and Interviews

by Mudman

Blacksburg, VA — Sometimes, a band totally flops.  The artists are not into the concert, and consequently, neither are the fans.  These shows can be painful to sit through no matter how much you love the band.  On the other hand, sometimes you see a band that is totally into the show. Their passion fuels the audience.  Then, the audience’s enthusiasm enrages the bands desire. Suddenly, you have the type of concert that you will remember forever:

August 28th, 2009, Soja performs for Virginia Polytechnic Institutes’s Gobblerfest.  It was one of the more epic shows that I have ever seen, and one of the only where I lost my hearing from the audience’s cheers rather than the blaring speakers (which in this case were cranked up to 11).  Soja is a reggae/rock band which has recently started to get some attention.  This was my first time hearing their music. The first thing I did following the concert was run out to but two CD’s.  There is something about the way these seven people carried themselves that just created an out-of-this-world stage presence (trumpet, sax, bass, drums, bongos, guitar, lead singer). By far, the highlight of the concert was “Can’t Tell Me”.  Listening to the lead singer lilt, “You can’t tell me who I am. Cause I’m working on that to,” made my night. They have a very unique sound comparable, only slightly, to the Expendables. I give them an 8 out of 10… they blew me away for an up-and-coming band.

Philadelphia, PA — Collective Soul brought their tour to the Theater Of The Living Arts (TLA) in Center City Philly. For those who have not been, South Street is a world unto its own. Make sure you visit in this lifetime and if you can see a concert it’s an extra bonus.

There are not that many bands that I want to see, yet have not seen. Collective Soul was one of those bands. I am not sure why it never worked out. After I fell in love with “Shine”, they were a band I longed to see on stage. Then, the years past, and I figured it was too late. Even if they came around, they would probably be past their prime?

As destiny would have it, I saw they were playing at a local venue. The beauty of it was they were playing at a small theater. Maybe their decline in popularity would work to my benefit? Wait! Not so fast. I refresh the webpage on my web browser, and it says the show is sold out. What? So, I call the box office. Yes. They tell me the show is sold out. Dag-nab-it! I can not accept this situation and drive down to see with my own two eyes. Indeed, it is sold out. There are a couple guys from 93.3 WMMR there doing a promo. Why not ask them if they can get me a ticket? No dice. How about a scalper? No tickets to be found. While I am standing by the line to get in, a fellow comes over and asks if it is the line for Collective Soul. After verifying that it was, I ask if he might have an extra ticket. YeeHa! He does… but, at what price? Ahhhh… he tells me a reasonable price. He had been stuck with an extra ticket by a friend who backed out. Perfect!

I explained that I was a writer and had wanted to review the show. He was an avid fan and told me how good of a show they put on. I explained how sometimes I interview bands, sometimes I review bands, and sometimes I do not write anything. He said, “because there is nothing to write.” Exactly. Nevertheless, he peeked my interest in how the show would rate. The adrenaline was pumped, now. First, I thought I was going home in disappointment. Next, I was thrilled at getting a pass through the door. Plus, I met a father and son that were just as excited to see the show.

It was with much pleasure that the “warm-up” band turned me on with an instant music fix. Black Stone Cherry rocked the house. Black Stone Cherry rocked my world. (See the
Black Stone Cherry Review and Photo Gallery)

Luckily, the next band, Safety Suit, was not that hot. If they were, I do not know how Collective Soul could have followed them.

When Collective Soul took the stage, the crowd was primed and pumped. It seemed fitting that they started off with “Welcome All Again”. They played a couple more new songs in the middle of the set. Before “You”, Ed Roland related that it was the first song they ever wrote as a band. There was quite a bit of interaction and audience participation throughout the show. Introducing “Gel”, Ed shared that he and his brother/guitarist Dean were the sons of a preacher. “Gel” is about what they grew up with on Sunday mornings:

Color me any color.
Speak to me in tongues and share.
Tell me how you’d love to hate me.
Tell me how you’d love to care.
Well I just want to shake us up.

Let’s mingle
And make it well.
Come together now.
Yeah let’s gel.

All in all, the lights, the sound, the audience, the songs and the band added up to a spectacular performance. On the way out the door, the fellow who had sold me the ticket caught up to me and said, “Write something good.” I replied, “Oh, yeah. I will.” For this was one show worth writing about. Make sure they are not always one of those bands you wished you had seen!

THE BAND
Ed Roland – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Dean Roland – rhythm guitar, vocals
Will Turpin – bass guitar, vocals
Joel Kosche – lead guitar
Cheney Brannon – drums, percussion

THE SETLIST
Welcome All Again
Heavy
Listen
Tremble
Why Part 2
Needs
Dig
You
December
Shine
Hollywood
World I Know
Anymore Friends
Gel
Better Now

ENCORE
Staring Down
River Flows
Run

Collective Soul Concert Photo Gallery