The Pretty Reckless at Warped Tour in San Antonio

The more people I tell about me going to Warped Tour again, the more I get asked who I am going to see that I haven't seen before or I get asked who is worth seeing. While I am not going to leak who I'm interviewing or writing about specifically, I can say I am deathly curious about Gossip Girl actress, Taylor Momsen, and her new band. They are called The Pretty Reckless and don't fit the typical Alt Press-Warped Tour stereotype. I can see why her label wanted them to do Warped being that the majority of the attendees are younger and probably watch Gossip Girl. Their EP is also sold in Hot Topic, another big plus for playing Warped. Still, putting aside the whole actress gone rocker tie, I am objective when listening to all music regardless of who makes it. I can say that honestly expected WAAAYYY worse. In fact, it is not that bad. It will be interesting to see the over all response and what the blogosphere says post Warped. Check them out for yourself in this video for their single "Make Me Wanna Die":

New Interview with Hacienda on Austin Vida

Hacienda live at Pachanga Fest (photo by Mari Hernandez)

My boys from Boerne, Texas (right outside of San Antonio) came through Austin to perform at this year's Pachanga Festival on May 22nd. I sat down with them again to talk about their new life, new album and San Antonio. Their new album, Big Red & Barbacoa, is the bees knees. It is actually stamped on red vinyl for those of you who are also vinyl junkies. Check out the interview on Austin Vida here:

"For Hacienda, Big Red & barbacoa everyday"

New interview with Robert Livar from Bombasta on Austin Vida

Robert Livar of Bombasta (photo by Isabel Salazar)

One of my favorite San Antonio bands, Bombasta, is playing Pachanga Fest on Saturday. They aren't going to be one of the bigger bands being talked about, but they totally should be. They are puro San Antonio, and in my interview with lead singer Robert Livar, you'll see what I mean. Their sound is a fusion of Tejano, R&B, soul and cumbia. Check out my interview with Livar on Austin Vida to learn more. It's more of a preview for fans and readers who already know about them. I'll get more in depth with them later. 

Bombasta, San Antonio's 'barrio big band'

Mini-cam Fun: Ollin and Bombasta in San Antonio

So this past weekend was my birthday weekend. As usual, I spent part of it in San Antonio and part of it here in Austin. I have friends and family in San Antonio I like to hang with. It is my second home. I admit that is has been too long since I last went down there for a show. Shame on me, as I know better than anyone that San Antonio has some serious musical talent.

I've written or blogged about Pinata Protest and Girl In A Coma, but that is just the tip of the ice berg in terms of San Antonio based bands I like. On Friday night I checked out another one of my favorite San Antonio bands, Bombasta, at The Limelight. They brought their from friends from Ollin (pronounced like O-leen) from East L.A. to play this show and some other Fiesta Week gigs.

New interview with Nancy Silva Project

I just published my new interview with San Antonio band, Nancy Silva Project. They just got signed recently and are one of my "bands to watch for" for 2010. They do make it to Austin on occasion and are worth checking out live. They look very dark and goth, maybe even metal-ish, but they are melodic modern rock that's ready for mainstream rock radio. Check out my interview with band on Austin Vida here:

Meet San Antonio's Nancy Silva Project

Talking About Austin with Girl in a Coma drummer, Phanie Diaz

Girl in a Coma (photo by Adam Stockstill)

I caught up with Girl in a Coma drummer, Phanie Diaz, for a brief chat. I wanted to pick her brain about what Girl in a Coma does when in Austin and why they love it here so much. Austin certainly loves them and so do I. I will be sure and post more show info coming tomorrow.

Click here to read the Phanie Diaz chat on Austin Vida and see an exclusive live video performance.

New Video Interview with Monte Negro on Austin Vida

Earlier this month one of my favorite Latin Alternative groups, Monte Negro, played their Texas leg of their current tour. Monte Negro is touring to support their latest EP, Fugitives of Pleasure & Pasajeros. Some of my Austin Vida crew and I caught them in San Antonio this time instead of Austin because of our different schedules. It was a great show as always and they got to play to an audience who seemed unfamiliar with them. It was like a Los Lonely Boys crowd at a Monte Negro show if you know what I mean. Still, plenty of people bought their CD(s) and shirts. That was good to see them get that support.

Also while we were there, we interviewed Monte Negro for an Austin Vida video feature. You can see the full interview with live footage from the show on the homepage of Austin Vida. We talk to the guys about the new album and about where they see themselves in the future.

Here's a live clip from that show to check out from our Austin Vida YouTube Channel. Here Monte Negro performs their new single of their Pasajeros EP, "Loco Por Tu Amor".



Click here to watch the Monte Negro interview on Austin Vida

The Band of Warped Tour Generations:Less Than Jake

I have been a fan of Less Than Jake ever since I saw them at the first Warped Tour I ever attended as a teen....way back when. I caught them last year at their in store at Encore and at La Zona Rosa. This year I had to drive down the road to San Antonio, my second home, to see them on Warped Tour. It is good to see so many kids (teens and tweens) still geeking out over Less Than Jake. They always put on a great live show and their whole vibe is about having fun. Speaking of fun, you see me pictured with Buddy and JR above? They insisted I make a mean face in the picture while they flexed their "He-man" muscles. Of all the interviews I conducted this year, Less Than Jake was the most hilarious. Buddy had just woke up and was super caffeinated during the interview. I got more Less Than Jake stuff coming soon right here in my blog. It will be in reference to a video to took with my digital camera last year that I got lots of questions and comments on. For now, do check out the Double Stereo interview.
Click here to read the full interview with Less Than Jake on Double Stereo.

Me and Buddy Nielsen from Senses Fail

Here is a picture of me with Buddy Nielsen, lead singer of Senses Fail. This was taken at the San Antonio Warped Tour stop on July 2nd. I like Senses Fail, but I didn't do the interview for Double Stereo. My good friend and writer extraordinaire, Ajay Miranda, made his first Double Stereo contribution with his interview with Buddy. I commissioned Ajay to help with Warped Tour being that we had so many opportunities for interviews. Plus it was his first time going to Warped Tour, so I was happy to share that with him. I wish I was press at my first Warped Tour. Anyway, we got more Warped Stuff coming your way on Double Stereo. I'll be introducing you to some great new, young bands as well as publish my conversation with a Warped Tour legend.

Check out this video for "Family Tradition" off Senses Fail's latest album, Life is Not a Waiting Room:

Senses Fail - New Music - More Music Videos

New Interview with Underoath's Chris Dudley on Double Stereo

Warped Tour veterans and Christian metal core extraordinaires, Underoath, are a big deal these days on The Warped Tour. It wasn’t always that way for them believe it or not. In the early part of the decade The Warped Tour started to shift gears a little bit from its largely punk rock beginnings. Not all fans, or bands for that matter, were enthusiastic about the heavier changes. Not only that, some were even more appalled that Warped Tour was featuring “Christian” bands like Underoath. Well several Warped Tours, Taste of Chaos Tours and even a Grammy nomination under their belt, it is hard to believe that they were once unknowns struggling to make it.

It has now been six years since Underoath played their first small stage on Warped Tour. I caught up with Chris Dudley (keys) at the San Antonio Warped Tour stop to chat about Warped Tour, Christian Metal and of course why we don’t see them in Austin too often. If you’re like me and live in Austin, that’s just not acceptable. Chris even gave us a little insight to what’s to come from Underoath after Warped Tour is over.

Click here to read the full interview on Double Stereo

Warepd Tour 2009 Teaser Pics

Yes, I went to the first official Warped Tour BBQ of 2009. I had always wanted to go to the BBQs. You hear all sorts of stories from the bands who have been over the years. It was very chill and still hot despite being night time. The food was excellent and I eneded up drinking something called "The Force". I didn't ask what was in it, but it was tasty. It was also cool because I didn't have to stop on the way home to Austin to get something from a drive through. Thanks for grillin' it up Kevin!
Me with Meg & Dia in the press area. I didn't interview them unfortunately. There was just no time to get everyone I would have liked. Plus, I already overloaded myself with other fantastic interviews which I will be publishing soon. Still, I couldn't resist the opportunity for a photo. I talked to them while they were waiting around that same press area. It didn't seem like they were handling the heat well, but they were very personable. The other dude in the photo is Nick Price, their drummer.
TAT's lead singer, Tatiana DeMaria here with a fan she pulled up on stage to sing along with her. The poor kid didn't know he was coming up on stage. I give him credit though. He handled it well and gladly sang the chorus. Now he can say he sang with TAT on stage at Warped Tour. What a cool memory to have for this kid.
Here is the Bad Religion merch booth where I wanted to blow all my cash that day. They had the best t-shirts of all the bands, hands down. Some of the others were just too over the top and overly colorful for the sake of standing out. Not my style.

The vans Warped Tour trailer. I just took this photo so people could get the phone number to text. I haven't tried it personally. Anyone see what it does when you text it? Probably promo stuff I'd assume. Who knows?

I'm Going To Warped Tour!!

Yup, I'm living out one of my childhood dreams this year. As usual I am heading down to San Antonio for Warped Tour, only this year as official Wapred Tour approved press. I have been going to Warped Tour since I was in high school only a few moons ago, but never as press. Now although I don't enjoy this new era of Warped Tour as much as I did in the late 90s, there is always some great new younger acts to be discovered. This year, I'm stoked that I will get to see bad Religion live again. I think it was the 90s when I last saw them live. I am also looking forward to hip hop act Shad and reconnecting with Fueled By Ramen artist, Versaemerge.

In the meantime, I will be posting Warped Tour themed reviews and interviews on Double Stereo in anticipation of the San Antonio tour stop. After my day in the hot sun at Warped, I will keep you all posted as to what to expect from my day at Warped Tour. For now, I share with you a video for my favorite Bad Religion song of all time, "Sorrow".

Album Review: Trio B.C. by Girl In A Coma

Austin regular and San Antonio natives, Girl In A Coma, have just come out with their most “Moz” like album I have heard from any modern rock group. Trio B.C., the band’s latest release on Blackheart Records, is already one of the best releases of the summer and is sure to make the top album lists of 2009 come year’s end.

Click here to read the full review on Austin Vida

New Pinata Protest Interview on Austin Vida

This month's cover feature on Austin Vida is none other than San Antonio's own, Pinata Protest. I have known these dudes for while now and I see them making some real headway in the Austin Scene. They have an original style that marries Flaco Jimenz and The Sex Pistols. I know that sounds strange in print, but check them out and listen for yourself. They way I always describe them to friends is by using a Dropkick Murphys comparison. What the Dropkick Murphys do for the Irish and punk rock, Pinata Protest does for the Mexicans and punk rock. As the first person to bring Pinata Protest to Austin, I couldn't be happier to share this interview wth you all.

Click here to read the Pinata Protest Interview

Free show with Girl in a Coma, Pinata Protest & Este Vato

This week the best show in town is clearly this one here. It's at one of my favorite venues and it is FREE! You need to make sure you RSVP and come early. The real treat is going to be Pinata Protest, as they haven't played too many shows in Austin. That will change this year, but it all starts for them Wednesday. My friends Este Vato are new to the scene, but will definietly keep your attention. My friends and I caught them at Trophy's recently and liked what we heard. I don't have to tell you about headliner Girl in a Coma. I will say that if you haven't seen them before, then this is your best opportunity to check them out. They're amazing. By the way.... it's free. Did I mention it's free?

Click here to RSVP

Hacienda to Perform at Fashion Freakout

Photo By Sandy Carson

San Antonio's own Hacienda will be performing on February 6th at The Mohawk in Austin for the second annual Fashion Freakout. This rock and roll fashion show...
Click here for full details

New Chris Perez Project

My Second Free Week Pick: The Applicators

I just read on myspace today that my favorite Austin female punk rock group, The Applicators, are reunited for Free Week. They will be playing at Red 7 on January 10th with another local favorite of mine, The Lower Class Brats. You can check your listings, but I assure you that there is no better Free Week show that night. The last time I saw The Applicators play was at last year's Free Week inside Emo's. They played right before Cruiserweight that night. I still listen to their album, My Weapon, from time to time. I figured that was all I had left of my sweet Applicators as they supposedly played their last show during last year's Free Week. I remember reading something about one of them going to school or something. If you are in the San Antonio area, you can check them out at Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar on January 9th. I am not sure they will play again, so take advantage folks.

I Love Girl in a Coma

Friday night I saw for the second time live, San Antonio’s own Girl in a Coma. I don’t think I can express in words how much I love Girl in a Coma. I only discovered them last November at a show they played here in Austin at Stubb’s indoor with The Cliks.

At that time, I had never heard of Girl in a Coma. I remember the day of the show was my last day of finals for the fall semester and I just wanted to go downtown. None of my friends were free that night so I went down Red River by myself. I went to Stubbs to eat barbeque and found out a “girl” band from San Antonio was playing there that night for ten bucks. That sounded good to me so I went downstairs to see the show. Both bands, The Cliks and Girl in a Coma, won me over that night.

Girl in a Coma is signed to rock goddess Joan Jett’s label, Black Heart Records. They are a three piece band of Latina women from San Antonio that sing in English. They named themselves after a Morrissey song “Girlfriend in a Coma”, but oddly enough they do not sound anything like Morrissey (Side note: Mexicans from San Antonio are obsessed with Morrissey). Their sound is a blend of punk, garage rock, and melodic rock.

What really captivates me about Girl in a Coma is their combination of energy, well written music, and Nina Diaz’s (lead vocals/guitar) voice. She does scare me a little when she sings. She makes such mean facial expressions but her voice still melts me none the less. Nina’s voice is the best blend of strong and feminine that I have ever heard in a female lead rock band. I know it is bold to say that, but listen for yourself. You should find it to be true. It also doesn’t hurt that Nina Diaz is gorgeous.

Last night I got to experience Girl in a Coma’s greatness again as they played at Emo’s inside. This is after months of listening to their album “Both Before I’m Gone”, which is a phenomenal album. Despite feeling under the weather, I drug myself out to Emo’s. There was no way I was going to miss their show. Somehow I started to feel better once their set started. Maybe it was all mental, I don’t know.

It seemed that all of Girl in a Coma’s San Antonio fans made the drive up for their show. It was no surprise to me because Girl in a Coma has a loyal and devout fan base in their hometown. Their fan base is mostly young women as I saw last night, but by no means are they a “chick band”. They rock too hard and the few guys in the house were digging their set. Even the staff at Emo’s took notice as I caught them bobbing their heads a little and listening.

The crowd last night also got treated to a few new songs from Girl in a Coma. My first impression was that when they wrote those new songs, they were listening to blues and maybe some stuff from The Doors. It was a different sound for them but still very good. I look forward to anything new from Girl in a Coma, but am curious about those particular songs. According to their set list Jenn gave me, I believe they were called “Empty Promises” and “Vino”. Look out for those on this tour.

Their set did not disappoint. Rather than elaborate on that, I wanted to share with you all some thoughts I had last night. There were three differences I noticed since I last saw them in November. Lead singer Nina Diaz shrunk. By that I mean she lost a lot of weight. She also played a set with her hair down and in a presentable shirt, which looked really good on her. In November, she was heavier, had her hair slicked back in a pony tail and was in a wife beater tank with Dickies slacks. Now honestly I could care less what a band looks like, but I think these changes should help the band go forward and get an even bigger fan base. They already have an amazing sound and are genuinely cool people. I expect nothing but big things for Girl in a Coma from here on.

If Girl in a Coma is unfamiliar to you, get acquainted first with this seemingly controversial video for one of my favorite songs, titled “Road To Home”:

Standout tracks: Say, Clumsy Sky, Their Cell