April 2018 | Music Junkie Press

Concerts

Avatar with special guests Old Kerry McKee and Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow in Munich at Technikum, April 1st, 2018

April 10, 2018

In January 2018 Swedish metal-band Avatar released their latest record ‘Avatar Country’. They started their world tour in the US in early 2018 and started off in Europe in March. April 1st they made it back to Munich. Like so many dates on their current tour, the Munich show was sold out. It was the bands’ biggest headline-show in Germany. For fans of theatrics and freakshows, that show was to place to be on Easter Sunday. First act to hit the stage was Old Kerry McKee, probably the quietest act of the night, since he’s a one-man-act. Nevertheless his set was quite entertaining. Second on stage was Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow, a travelling freak-show from Florida. Something you won’t see everyday at a metal-show. Freak-shows actually are hard to find around here. Check out the pics to get an idea of their performance. Avatar had the audiences’ attention from the first minute on. Johannes Eckerström has this ability to lead the people through the show, introducing almost every song with a short story. Avatar have a [Read More]

Monster Energy Aftershock Festival Returns With Massive Music Lineup Of Rock And Metal Acts October 13 & 14

April 9, 2018

Saturday, October 13 & Sunday, October 14 At Sacramento’s Discovery Park System Of A Down, Deftones, Alice In Chains, Incubus, Godsmack, Shinedown, 311, Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, At The Drive-In, Seether, Jonathan Davis Lead The Lineup For California’s Biggest Rock Festival The much-anticipated music lineup for Monster Energy Aftershock has been announced, as California’s biggest rock festival returns to Discovery Park near downtown Sacramento, CA, Saturday, October 13 and Sunday, October 14. System Of A Down, Deftones, Alice In Chains, Incubus, Godsmack, Shinedown, 311, Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, At The Drive-In, Seether and Jonathan Davis lead the lineup for the 7th annual Monster Energy Aftershock. Festival producers Danny Wimmer Presents hinted at the lineup in February with a teaser video that had many correctly guessing that System Of A Down would be one of the headliners. The band makes their Monster Energy Aftershock debut in 2018, marking their first-announced appearance in the States in three years, as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark self-titled first album. Also leading the talent lineup is Sacramento’s own Deftones, who make their debut as a headlining act at Monster Energy Aftershock after previously playing the festival in 2012 [Read More]

Night Ranger returns for hometown San Francisco show and delivers crowd pleasing set!

April 8, 2018

Fans braved the torrential rains of a Friday night in San Francisco to step back in time and witness an incredible performance by Night Ranger at the legendary Fillmore. The fans welcomed home Night Ranger with a packed venue and they were ready to rock. The stage was set and as the lights dimmed, the fans went wild as they took the stage. From that moment on, it was non-stop rockin for the crowd. Night Ranger played all the fan favorites, a couple Damn Yankees hits, as well as my favorite new song, Somehow, Someway off their latest album, Don’t Let Up which was released March 2017. It was a well rounded set that had everyone singing along and enjoying being “in the moment” at a concert. Check out some photos of their set by our Rockin Ryan: Night Ranger continues out on their tour next Friday with a show at the Capitol Theater in Clearwater, Florida. You can check out a list of all their upcoming tour dates as well as pick up VIP [Read More]

The Golden Shore by We Are The West. Musical endorphins and a sonic refuge. By Patrick O’Heffernan

April 7, 2018

Patrick O’Heffernan (Los Angeles) You can’t classify We Are The West, nor would you want to. The trio of Bret Hool (vocals, guitar), John Kibler (bass/vocals) and Elizabeth Goodfellow (percussion/vocals) started with the guys as a duo in a shipping container on a sheep farm in Holland. They came to California via Brooklyn, recruited one LA’s city’s most innovative drummers, and developed a style and a body of work that defies definition but stimulates musical endorphins like no other. We Are The West specializes in creating and playing at out-of-the-box (or sometimes very much in the box) venues that have really stunning acoustical properties like the Santa Monica underground parking garage that hosts their monthly concerts. They use these environments and their top-level music writing and playing skills to creates dreamy, stormy, urgent, galactic sonic environments using drums, chimes, guitar, bass, woodwinds, strings, pump organ, the audiences’ cellphones, accordion, and vocal harmonies unmatched in pop/jazz/rock/opera. Followers of their live shows, especially their Saturday-before-the-full-moon parking garage concerts, are legion but the fan base for [Read More]

Kat McDowell’s new album Ten just makes people happy.

April 6, 2018

Patrick O’Heffernan (Los Angeles) Kat McDowell’s music just makes people happy and her new album Ten absolutely does that – it makes you feel good all day, all over. As the title suggest, there are 10 songs on Ten – which also refers to “hanging ten” on a surfboard, which Kat does – each one offering a different approach to happiness but always with Kat’s trademark pop sound of ukulele, guitar, rhythmic melodies and upbeat tempo in the service of personal stories of love and joy (mostly). Produced by Adam Berg, “Ten”, Kat’s fifth full-length album, is enriched by contributions from lyricist Richard Rudolph and Servt Fridan. She kicks off the album in a collaborative tune with Monkey Majik in a bouncy paean to moving ahead with love. Then she lets loose with her signature ukulele pop in “Language of My Heart”. There is no stopping the head bobbing and even dancing to this one. The tempo picks up even more and moves into more serious pop rock with “Photographs” and then brings us [Read More]

Interview: Cesar “Vampiro” Lopez and Hector Geronimo on their new band Monoplasma. By Patrick O’Heffernan

April 6, 2018

The band Monoplasma is a fusion between three-time Grammy Award winner guitarist Cesar “EI Vampiro” Lopez, and chart-topping Spanish singer/songwriter Hector Geronimo. Vampiro played with iconic the Latin bands Maná, Jaguares, Azul Violeta. Geronimo served as the front man of the enormously popular alternative Spanish rock trio, Moebio. Together, they have created a unique, modern, indie rock sound that — while mostly in Spanish — is drawing diverse audiences in the US and Mexico. They have just released their album, “1”, produced by the Grammy Award winner Alfonso Rodenas and recorded by Grammy Award winner Rafa Sardina. I caught up with El Vampiro and Hector Geronimo at the offices of Criteria Entertainment in Hollywood the day before they took off for their latest tour. The following is an edited version of an hour-long (and really fun!) conversation. Patrick. You have released the song “Te Llevo” as a single with a new video and you are also celebrating your earlier song “No Me Intimidas” both of which have been featured on Spotify. When you [Read More]

VIDEO: Check out the new video from Sir Rosevelt for their song “Something Bout You”

April 6, 2018

Southern pop powerhouse trio Sir Rosevelt featuring Zac Brown, Niko Moon and Ben Simonetti have just released a music video for their song Something Bout You. The feel good track is highlighted with a video that captures stunning footage from all over the globe as you travel with YouTube Vlogger Indy Blue. Check out the video here: “Something ‘Bout You” has been on the rise ever since, with the single amassing millions of streams globally and averaging a million streams per week. The song is also receiving airplay from Country Radio, including The Bobby Jones Show, SiriusXM The Highway, WKLB, WBWL and more. Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. Information & Links: Website: http://sirrosevelt.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/SirROSEVELT Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sirrosevelt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sirrosevelt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirrosevelt