Ida Maria closed down 2011 with a special KCRW showcase at The Roxy Theatre. The Songstress also pause for a moment to answer 5 burning questions.
The pop punk princess has already conquered much of Europe with her delightfully catchy and remarkably well crafted ear candy and is now catching some well deserved buzz here in the U.S. Get to know the spunky songstress that’s the talk of the tastemakers after the jump.
Kill The Complex might not be able to escape the wrath of being associated with Jersey Shore but it seems to be working for them. After having three different songs appear on the show over the last few years, fans of the Guido-centric train wreck are starting to recognize the band’s music, and not just in the US. In a recent interview with ChinaShop, Ted Barakat, Mike Elling, and Dann Saxton explain how their recent TV placements have earned them followers in countries as far away as Australia and how they are “so big in Israel and Denmark that it would blow your mind.” The guys also talk about transitioning from punk to more of a rock sound, their forthcoming acoustic album, and music being cheaper therapy than a shrink.
Expanding from a historical space to a present-day phenomenon, Los Angeles’ The Roxy Theatre has become the key communicator among a collective of bands, fans and neighbors along the famed Sunset Strip. With the intensity it’s taken to maintain this leading status, The Roxy is branching out with The Roxy Lounge in Scottsdale, Arizona (@theroxyLOT). Partners and brothers, Nic Adler and Cisco Adler will be opening The Roxy Lounge with Lucid Entertainment in mid-September of 2011.
Michael Vampire is a living vampire. He’s pretty sure that since joining Vampires Everywhere!, his gothic band mates (Aaron Graves, Phillip Kross, Alexandre Rogue, David Darko) have become inspired to trade in their beach days for the underground lifestyle as well. In an interview with ChinaShop, Michael reveals his trials and tribulations of modern day blood drinking and explains how to be a “safe vampire.” In addition to picking Michael’s brain on the ways of vampirism, aggressive rock music, and strategies for avoiding the sun, we snapped a few pictures of a vampire couch cushion fight (which we may or may not have instigated). It’s not often that you have a room full of vampires at your disposal so when you do, an epic photo shoot is necessary!
What happens when you rant about federal banks and we happen to have a stack of fake $100 bills nearby? We give them to you to hold, and decide that it would be a fabulous touch to light them on fire. All in the name of a good photo, of course!
Tribal Seeds wandered into their interview with us sweaty, thirsty, and fresh from their outdoor set at the Sunset Strip Music Festival. Thank goodness we were there to provide them with refreshments and take the edge off. And thank goodness we took the edge off because that really facilitated us being able to engage them in some goofy antics.
Based out of San Diego, Tribal Seeds have become the band to watch in the reggae rock scene. The six member group, which features sibling duo Steven Rene and Tony-Ray Jacobo, has created a buzz with their spiritually driven and refreshing roots, rock, and reggae vibe. The guys sat down with ChinaShop to discuss the inspiration behind their controversial lyrics and explain how they were destined to be a reggae band.
Most of the bands at this year’s Sunset Strip Music Festival were of a Los Angeles origin, but Whiskey Six made the trek out from Phoenix. The band, which consists of Chriskey Strickler on lead vocals/guitar, Dave Lansing on guitar, Raf Garcia on bass, and Matt Indes on drums, is known for avoiding corporate rock and taking a raw and gritty approach to the music scene; they combine a dose of hard rock and metal while sneaking in elements of the blues.
Whiskey Six was all over The Sunset Strip this past weekend and hard to miss – Chriskey with his signature southern locks, Dan in a skull and crossbones cowboy hat, Raf sporting a Batman t-shirt, and Matt towering in height over many a festival goer. After chatting with the guys, sharing beers, and shooting some fun photos along Sunset Blvd, we decided they were the perfect candidates to involve in a social experiment.
There was no doubt an endless array of talent at this year’s Sunset Strip Music Festival, however, the line up erred on the uneven side. There were extremely established bands like Motley Crue, Bush, Public Enemy, and Buckcherry, and a plethora of up and coming rock bands – not much in between. In order to bridge the gap of the generations, we brought Whiskey Six backstage to pick the brains of Josh Todd, Keith Nelson, and Jimmy Ashhurst from Buckcherry.
Each Whiskey Six-er came armed with a question and a cowboy hat. Introductions were made and the games began. The conversation included everything from Kobe Bryant to driving around in a smelly van but all questions were answered, new friends were made (aww) and everyone left happy.
Upon walking backstage at The Roxy on Friday night, Buckcherry front man Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson paid their respects to the recently remodeled – thanks to the powers of ChinaShop – dressing room. The guys took a seat on the blue leather couch while Keith joked about liking what we did with the place. “When Josh walked in here he was like, ‘Last time I walked in this was a shithole. It looks good now!” said Keith.
Buckcherry, who is currently in the middle of the Rock Allegiance Tour along with Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, POD, RED, Crossfade, and Drive A, rolled into town to perform a Friday night show at The Roxy for this year’s Sunset Strip Music Fest. Prior to their energetic set, Josh balanced my recording iPhone on his foot while he and Keith discussed porn stars, tattoos, and releasing an album in 2012 pending we don’t all perish with the termination of the Mayan calendar.
If you are a fan of British arena rocker’s like U2 and Muse, and you don’t hate on those ol’ chaps in Elbow, then you just might like to sit back and flick a lighter on your commute to the emotive anthems penned by Los Angeles based Golden State.
Although they are not signed to a major label these ballad rockers have already had a good bit of music on critically raved TV shows, some feature films and a few commercials.
We had a chance to scream at each other for a few in the crowded ChinaShopMag green room backstage at the ROXY prior to their latest show.
ChinaShop partnered with Pop My Culture’s Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland to create a new series of webisodes called Culture Pops. Join them in Hollywood at the legendary Roxy Theater. They get the inside scoop on the world of rock directly from Nic Adler, Owner of the Roxy. They also pop over to Montreal to see what TV’s Deanna Russo has to say. Watch it! It’s funny!
She Wants Revenge played a sold out show at The Roxy on Monday night to celebrate the release of their new album, “Valleyheart.” The band’s family, friends, and avid supporters, such as Danny Masterson (That 70’s Show), swarmed the front of the stage, while the ticketless perched outside the venue offering those that passed by up to $100 for their tickets. After an opening set by the energetic Nico Vega, She Wants Revenge took the stage and celebrated the May 23rd release of “Valleyheart” in their hometown.
Prior to the show, ChinaShop headed to the preparty at Talesai to chat with Adam Bravin and Justin Warfield, who popped in sporadically at the end of the conversation as he was trying to preserve his voice for the evening ahead of him. The band discussed touring with Depeche Mode, the process behind creating “Valleyheart,” and why they consider their latest release to be their greatest musical accomplishment to date.