April 2018 | Music Junkie Press

Blake Morgan’s tour with Tracy Bonham ends in Hollywood, but the beat goes on. By Patrick O’Heffernan

April 19, 2018

Patrick O’Heffernan I could not think of a better pairing than Blake Morgan and Tracy Bonham. That was evident last week at their final tour stop at Hollywood’s Hotel Café. The music was sublime, the stories were funny and the chemistry was perfect. It easy to see why the tour was sold out – twice. So many Angelinos wanted tickets to see this New York combo that the original Second Stage on the Hotel Café was sold out so they were moved to a larger Main Stage venue which was then sold out. The minute Morgan hit the chords for “I Can Hear You Say” the audience knew it was on its way to musical heaven. When Bonham joined Morgan on stage for “A Helping Hand” they knew they had arrived in musical heaven. And it kept getting better as Blake moved from guitar to piano, giving the audience such favorites as “Haunt Me” and ‘My Love Is Waiting”. The diminutive Bonham took the stage as Morgan stepped down and wielded the violin, [Read More]

BottleRock Napa Valley Announces Lineups for the JaMPad Stage and VIP Village Acoustic Stage Sets powered by Cisco

April 17, 2018

One of the highlights of every BottleRock Festival is the artists who are performing on the JaMpad Stage and the VIP Village Acoustic Stage. Check out the news about who you can catch this year! NAPA, CA, April 17, 2018 — BottleRock Napa Valley 2018, presented by JaM Cellars, has announced the lineups for the JamPad Stage and VIP Village Acoustic Stage powered by Cisco, which include acoustic performances by The Head and the Heart, Bleachers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Tank and The Bangas, E-40, Shakey Graves, Alice Merton, Allen Stone and dozens more. “One of the coolest things about our festival are these up-close and personal performances on these smaller stages” stated Dave Graham, of Latitude 38 Entertainment. “Our festival performers like these opportunities to really connect with fans. You can see the excitement on both side of the stage during these intimate acoustic shows.” The complete JaMPad Stage and VIP Acoustic Stage lineups: Friday, May 25 JamPad Stage (located in General Admission): Welshly Arms, Jukebox the Ghost, Alex Lahey, The Struts VIP Village Acoustic Stage [Read More]

Get Funky with the new video from Bad Boy Eddy!

April 15, 2018

It’s time to get funky and let loose with a new video from Bay Area’s nonstop rockers Bad Boy Eddy. They have just released a fun whimsical new video for their song, “Funky Monkey”. The track highlights a different side of Bad Boy Eddy as it unleashes a hip funk vibe that will have you groovin and moving. Check out the video here: The video was made by Rockin Ryan. Watch the new video! You can catch Bad Boy Eddy later this month as they will be playing the 4th Annual 7 Miles of Rough Road Music Festival on April 28th . Details below: They will be returning to Vinnie’s Bar in Concord on June 9th. Also make sure to mark to not miss them at this year’s Cruefest in Hollywood at The Whisky a Go Go on July 28th! One thing is certain when Bad Boy Eddy plays, the party is on. Their live performance is impressive, as they get the crowd on their feet and Rockin’ til they drop. Make sure to follow [Read More]

Jesus Jones release new video for new single, “Where Are All the Dreams?” off their upcoming album, Passages

April 15, 2018

One of my favorite bands from the 90’s Jesus Jones are gearing up for the release of their new album Passages. This album will be the first new material in sixteen years and we just can’t wait for it! The album is set for release this Friday, April 20th and you can head over to http://smarturl.it/JesusJonesPassages and order it. Jesus Jones have just released a new video for the second single, “Where Are All the Dreams?” and it is a personal favorite. The video features footage taken from: US tour, Autumn 1990: San Francisco, LA, Salt Lake, Phoenix, and more. I can remember that tour like it was yesterday since as I mentioned, they are one of my favorite bands. They played at the DNA Lounge and we had waited in a long line for a signing at the record store ahead of the show. I had my favorite pair of ripped up jeans and had the guys all sign it. I had held on to that pair of jeans for over 25 years and [Read More]

Trivium, Munich, Tonhalle – April 11, 2018 – with special guests Venom Prison and Power Trip

April 15, 2018

Florida-based band Trivium introduced a new video for the song ‘Endless Night’. It’s taken from their current record ‘The Sin And The Sentence’. Check it out: The night started out slowly with the first band Venom Prison. Many people hadn’t shown up yet, which is always a hard way to start out a concert. With the second band Power Trip the audience became livelier. When Trivium entered the stage, the place was packed. Not officially sold out, but pretty close to. They played a tight show of about 90 minutes, which is pretty rare these days, esp. in the hardcore/metalcore genre. Many of the new songs from ‘The Sin And The Sentence’ were on the set-list, but also tracks from their former records. Given that the crowd sang along to every song with the same intensity, it’s safe to say, that they love the new stuff as much as the older songs. The longer bands are in the business, the harder it probably gets to satisfy the fans. There are so many bands [Read More]

Lord Of The Lost announce the release of ‘Thornstar’. Contributed by Alex Bock

April 15, 2018

Dark rockers Lord Of The Lost announced the release date of their 6th studio record called ‘Thornstar’. It’ll be released August 3rd via Napalm Records. Here’s what you can expect according to the bands’ Facebook post: Not only do LORD OF THE LOST reinvent themselves with every album, while still staying a 100% true to themselves, but the 6th studio album of the Hamburg-based band lends itself to an unpredictable and thus far unseen diversity, as well as a sonic and emotional depth that hasn’t been heard before, which is heavy and accessible nonetheless. Track list: 1. On This Rock I Will Build My Church 2. Loreley 3. Black Halo 4. In Our Hands 5. Morgana 6. Haythor 7. Naxxar 8. Cut Me Out 9. The Mortarian 10. Under The Sun 11. In Darkness, In Light 12. Forevermore 13. Ruins Pre-orders can already be placed at https://shop.napalmrecords.com/lordofthelost With the new record, also comes a European tour. This time there’ll also be headline dates in Spain, France and the UK. Make sure to catch them on [Read More]

CONCERT REVIEW: Umphrey’s McGee blows @ LA’s Wiltern – Written by Jessica Klausing

April 10, 2018

Umphrey’s McGee entranced the Los Angeles’ Wiltern theater for two, high energy-packed sets. Amidst the hypnotic psychedelic light show and LED visuals, Umphrey’s McGee seamlessly weaves progressive rock, jazz, disco, funk, metal, and electronic genres into a cohesive dance mix. Each band member has a keen musical ear and an uncanny talent to communicate with each other on stage. If you’re not familiar with these technically adept musicians then you might be a bit overwhelmed. At any given minute, the band may take a blues ballad and feverishly drive into a tripped out psychedelic groove. Their classic hits are consistently being re-worked into a whole new sound. The die-hard UM fans or “Umphreaks” will proudly express how each show is a completely different mind-blowing experience. Umphrey’s is known for their extended complex instrumental jams and abruptly switching songs mid way only to be re-visited later on in the set. The opener, Organ Freeman heated up the night with some organ centered instrumental jams. Rob Humphreys (drums), Trevor Steer (organ, key bass), and [Read More]