I can’t believe I shook my head so much during this show. Maybe I’m just getting old but a lot of things seemed terribly unnecessary. Despite all the foolishness (heckling, crowd surfing during slow songs, jumping on a singer’s back), all of the bands put on great performances and I was blown away by all of them.

Sainthood Reps came on and you could really hear the influence of Brand New in their music. The energy this band brought on to the humble Chain Reaction stage was amazing. With an already packed room, these guys had plenty of audience to work with and it definitely seemed like they gained new fans.

I’ve never seen All Get Out nor heard anything about their live performances. I’ve heard their music before but I didn’t know what to expect with them on stage. I was completely surprised by how great they were live. The emotion in their songs carried over extremely well and definitely surpassed the energy of their recordings. Their reserved actions when dealing with a complete dick-head of a heckler was also met with an uproar of support from the audience.

Balance and Composure never disappoint. They’re one of those bands that I know will put on a consistently great performance. Even with the amount of people on stage that weren’t part of the band (or the touring crew), B&C still made every effort to perform to the top of their abilities. You could see the frustration in their faces as kids toppled onto equipment, but they rolled with it and kept the energy flowing.

La Dispute’s set was absolutely insane. The audience response in the room was incredible and each word amplified from the stage was met with an equally loud sing-along from the audience. Bodies were floating above the crowd constantly, trying to get closer to the microphone. People flew off stage or just screamed along before sinking back into the audience. No matter how chaotic things seemed to get, the overall performance was an excellent experience for all of your senses.

SOMA was jam-packed by the time my friends and I got in the doors (we came through a bit late). Given the size of SOMA’s side stage, things got really crazy early in the night. Tonight was much different than the last time I came down to watch Polar Bear Club, with kids being much more vocal and energetic. The majority of the bands were wearing Aloha Shirts that they picked up from a nearby thrift store, so that definitely added to the fun atmosphere of the show. All in all it seemed like the bands and fans all had a great time. Photos after the jump.

The Story So Far

A Loss for Words

Transit

Polar Bear Club

The Wonder Years

A big thank you to Chris from Polar Bear Club for hooking me up for the third night in a row. I’ll see you and the boys at Warped Tour! A very special thanks to Felicia and Carly for driving to/from the show and to Matt, Jess, and Jeff for all of the fun tonight.

Another sold out night, another amazing show. A Loss for Words came in to fill the void from Into It. Over It.’s departure from the tour and definitely brought some fresh energy to an already great tour lineup.

The second leg of the tour saw The Story So Far move into the opening slot. What a way to open a show! Their popularity obviously brought a crowd out early, and fans definitely weren’t shy. Usually I have a chance to warm up with the crowd, but I almost got landed on so many times while trying to shoot the band (and that’s only the first three songs of the night!). The audience was moving early and it was a good indication of things to come for the night.

A Loss for Words were the new guys on the tour, but their confidence on stage could have fooled anyone into thinking they shared the road just as long as the other bands. They seemed to take The Story So Far’s energy and run with it throughout their set. Vocalist Matt Arsenault spent a great deal of time offstage and singing in the crowd — Not a surprise for a band coming from around the Boston area. They kept the audience’s spirits high throughout their set.

Transit jumped on stage next. Again, they seemed to stick more to newer material. While a little mellower than the other bands on tour, this didn’t stop their stage presence from getting fans to move and sing along. Older songs got a slightly more enthusiastic reaction, but overall you can tell that Transit’s fans are digging all their material no matter what it is. A real crowd pleaser was when Arsenault from A Loss for Words came out to join Transit for the last song, allowing vocalist Joe Boynton to jump out into the crowd where fans were anxious to lend their voices to the performance.

Polar Bear Club took advantage of the Glasshouse’s large stage by really moving around. I really can’t wrap my head around how entertaining Jimmy Stadt is to watch on stage, the guy just never stops! With catchy sing-alongs and hard-hitting rhythms, the audience was jumping and crowd surfing through the entire set (even I put my body in the air for “Most Miserable Life”). This band is amazing, so get their music in your ear holes!

The Glasshouse was packed in for the Wonder Years’ set. I’ve seen the Wonder Years a handful of times now and each time the crowd just goes off. Fans were eager to sing along, to hear their favorite song, or just to simply get their body moving. The band’s excitement to be on that stage was obviously fueled by what was going on in the audience, so needless to say it was one a very entertaining set.

A million thanks again to Polar Bear Club for setting up my credentials for the night!

Glamour Kills did a really good job of putting together a tour with some of the most popular bands in the independent music scene. With sold out shows for the Los Angeles area, you know the bands were going to bring it all and the fans would definitely do the same.

Opening the show on his last night on tour was Evan Weiss and his solo project Into It. Over It.. I’ve been wanting to see IIOI for a while but for some reason just couldn’t get the timing right when he was in town. Weiss certainly disappoint anyone inside of the Troubadour, myself included. One guy and an acoustic guitar may seem out of place compared to the rest of the lineup, but Weiss’ personal lyrics and quite impressive guitar skills put him right on par with the full bands following him. One of the best things about his performance is that he took the time to tell the stories behind the music, making his set all that more personal.

Kids find a common ground with the Story So Far’s lyrics, and that has definitely fueled this band’s recent popularity. Having seen packed shows with TSSF at the helm, it was no surprise that the sold out crowd at the Troubadour quickly presented its true colors. Fans sung along at the top of their lungs while brave souls decided to test the Troubadour’s no stage-dive policy. The adrenaline pumping, angry-finger-point-inducing sounds were definitely off and running and set the tone for the rest of the night as the Troubadour began to completely fill up.

The last time I saw Transit, they put on a great show despite being a bit out of their element. At the Troubadour everything came full circle as their stage presence was met with an audience that showed their appreciation. Walking into the venue I overheard a couple of conversations citing Transit as one of the bands the participants were most excited to see, and Transit, with their engaging stage show and catchy melodies, clearly proved why.

I could literally write “POLAR BEAR CLUB,” go straight to the photos, and that would be enough for me. PBC is one of my absolute favorites and I feel like anything I write just never does their live show justice. It always amazes me how night-in and night-out these guys get on stage and just completely own it. Led by the unpredictable movements of vocalist Jimmy Stadt, Polar Bear Club’s energy is always at full throttle and every audience I’ve been a part of just eats it up. If you don’t find yourself screaming along to these guys while they’re on stage then you’re missing out on something really special in music.

The Wonder Years have been maintaining their internet buzz and the Troubadour was packed wall-to-wall with fans. TWY launched into their set with such high-energy that the audience could hardly contain themselves, spilling onto the stage and increasing the stage-dive count for the night. Not to be outdone, the band took to the air multiple times while still managing to shred out the fast-paced pop-punk that’s been the basis for their popularity. The Wonder Years is a band whose catchy lyrics also hold a personal place for many fans, so it should be expected that the amount of people singing along or even trying to get on the mic was high. Evan Weiss, however, was the guest vocal that really made the crowd excited and definitely closed his last night with the tour on a high note.

Kevin: thanks for trying to help before the show, I appreciate it! Jimmy and Chris: thanks so much for jumping through the crazy venue hoops to get me the photo pass! Friends, there were so many of you it was like a party that I wish didn’t have to end!

I haven’t been back to the Yost since I watched Thrice perform at the venue’s first sellout crowd after reopening. My experience was actually pretty good back then and I was expecting the same. Somewhere along the lines, however, things must have changed in the way the venue operates. The bands tried to keep a positive attitude about it and give a good show, but by the end of the night you can tell everyone just wanted to get the hell out.

Mixtapes came out and put on a fun, poppy performance. With members bouncing around on stage and goofing around with each other, Mixtapes put on a very fun set that put a smile on everyone’s face. They’re not afraid to interact with the audience either as they made it a point to openly talk to fans between songs.

Fireworks is one of those bands I’ve seen plenty of times, and they’re always consistently great on stage. Fireworks got the crowd moving around with kids jumping on each others’ shoulders to get to the mic. It was here that I noticed security for the venue start to keep a closer eye on the audience. I overheard a couple members of security discussing whether or not to break up what was going on on the floor (circle pit, kids jumping for the mic, nothing warranting a discussion). Even with this going on in the background, Fireworks put on a fun set that everyone enjoyed.

Cartel seemed out of place on this tour lineup, but they definitely brought out their big guns. You could instantly point out fans who came just for Cartel as they crowded the stage. Everyone was welcomed with big, booming vocals and catchy guitar licks. I’ve honestly never paid much attention to Cartel, but watching them live definitely made me want to check them out more once I got home.

Set Your Goals came out with an upfront warning: Apparently there was a discussion backstage about security and that they were looking to put in a no tolerance policy on anything to get people kicked out of the venue. It always seems like a tough call to let things carry on for someone who doesn’t understand the music scene Set Your Goals is involved with. Of course, for insurance reasons, the venues must protect themselves as well. With that said, Set Your Goals came out and did their normal routine of fast sing-alongs mixing up a good amount of old and new material. Security in the crowd got a little rough with kids but eventually were pulled off of the floor during the second half of the set. The crowd really got moving once it was brought up that security was gone, but this was all normal stuff for a Set Your Goals show. Kids were just having fun and I wish the venue had more of an open mind about these things.

After the show, it seemed like the venue management couldn’t get people out fast enough. Even with kids trying to buy merch, security was making a heavy push to kick everyone (including the bands) out of the building. Afterward, it seems Twitter lit up with bands saying they didn’t look to return to the Yost unless changes were made. The Yost is an amazing venue but it was marred that night with the way fans and bands alike were being treated.

A million thanks to Felicia for setting me up tonight! Great hangs with great people, just wish it wasn’t such a hostile environment.

Music and tattoos have always seemed to go hand-in-hand, so it’s no surprise that the annual Musink festival brought out passionate fans of both art forms to the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Makes sense, right? Get a tat, enjoy some tunes (or pick and choose, either way you win).

Musink was more than just a convention for tattoo artists or a venue for bands. For one weekend, the OC Fairgrounds became a beacon bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate art and have a great time with friends. Whether it was skating, tattoos, drinking, music, artwork, or any of the other reasons that brought you in, a common ground was struck with people attending the festival. The buzzing sound inside of the Ink room definitely got people excited as you could walk around and view samples from tattoo artists from all around the globe that came down to be a part of the festival. I think one of the best things about this festival is that it allows potential customers to see an artist work from start to finish and get to talk to them about any ideas they have floating around in their head. It also allowed artists to showcase their unique styles, and there was plenty to go around.

But you can’t have Musink without the music portion of the festival. This year’s lineup brought some definite favorites as the music hall was filled up each night to the sound of adoring fans. Saturday saw fun opening acts like Kill the Complex and COR warm up the crowd. Headlining acts Bayside, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory took the wheel and steered the music hall into a pop punk frenzy. Fans and bands alike looked genuinely happy to be at the festival and I think the pictures prove it.

Kill the Complex

COR

Bayside

Yellowcard

New Found Glory

Sunday brought support from south bay (what up!) local act The Darlings as they put it down on stage before Hell or Highwater, Against Me!, and Alkaline Trio jumped on stage. The end of the three-day festival put extra expectations for the bands to close out strong, and they all did just that. A full-on eruption of sing-alongs during Against Me! and Alkaline Trio really brought the house down. It was great to see so many of the tattoo artists hanging with their gear inside of the music hall and enjoying the tunes. The energy inside was a great cap to a fun-filled weekend.

The Darlings

Hell or Highwater

Against Me!

Alkaline Trio

Thanks to Austin and Lindsay for setting me up to cover this weekend. Big shout out to Kevin, David, Eugene, Mondo, Matt, and Joey for hanging out throughout the weekend.

It’s no doubt that 2011 was a big year for the pop punk revival, and on the front lines is Man Overboard. After the success of New Found Glory’s “Pop Punk’s Not Dead” tour, Man Overboard returned to southern California and were greeted with a sold out show at Chain Reaction. The amount of support was awesome to see and the bands looked like they truly enjoyed the night.

After waiting in the longest will-call line, I got inside just in time to see Daytrader step on stage. I’ve been waiting to watch this band for a while and this tour allowed them to leave the east coast and grace us with their music. It was easy to see that Daytrader was a new band for a majority of the people in the audience, but that didn’t stop the band from rocking out on stage. Eventually their fans came out of their shells (or maybe just finally got inside the venue) and the sing-alongs and crowd surges started up for the night — I’m sure that ended Daytrader’s set on a high note.

Handguns was up next and the crowd was already buzzing before they even got on stage. From the strike of the first note, the room was in full chaos mode. Bodies were flying everywhere! I’m actually surprised no one got their head cracked open by a guitar neck while running on stage. To add fuel to the fire, Handguns announced a stage-dive contest where the winner would get a free shirt. The winner? A couple that held hands and launched themselves into the hands of fans. With short, fast songs, Handguns was able to fit in a pretty hefty setlist including fan-requests. Although some technical difficulties came up during their set, the band didn’t seem phased and kept the energy high all throughout their time on stage. This was an exhibit of a band having fun on-stage with each other. It was really great to see a group that’s gone through a lot of things in the past playing with such big smiles on their faces.

Seahaven. It’s safe to say their performance and its reception rivaled that of the headliners. Bands always show a high-level of comfort when performing in front of friends and family — a musical home-court advantage that Seahaven fully ran with. With a mixed setlist pulling from new and old releases, fans were sure to get at least one song they wanted to hear. The audience was fully engaged, especially when the majority of the band left Kyle alone on stage to sing “Honeybee”. After regrouping and finishing out the set, Seahaven was bombarded with screams and chants for one more song… but we’ll all have to wait until next time for that.

After a bass-pounding intro courtesy of DMX, Man Overboard took the stage and jumped right into a setlist full of fan-chosen songs. Personally, I heard almost everything I wanted to and sang my little heart out. The amount of movement was, as expected, insane for these guys. I couldn’t even count how many times microphones were knocked down as people barreled onto the stage from the audience. Fans were definitely getting their money’s worth, and Man Overboard was getting the full effect of a sold-out Chain Reaction. This was probably one of the best performances I’ve seen from Man Overboard, and I’m sure it’s going to continue throughout their tour.

It’s been a while since I’ve shot a festival, so this weekend is going to be pretty exciting. Musink is going to be hitting Southern California hard for three days and a lot of people are buzzing about the musical lineup as well as the festival atmosphere. I’ll be there covering the action on Saturday and Sunday. Read on so you know what to expect!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Austin@SecretServicePR.com

MUSINK 2012 SET TO ROCK ORANGE COUNTY ON MARCH 2-4 AT OC FAIR & EVENT CENTER

February 15, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Southern California’s premiere tattoo and music festival, MusInk 2012, will celebrate its 5^th year in Orange County on March 2-4 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA, with performances by Tiger Army, New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio, Against Me!, Yellowcard and Bayside among others and appearances by legendary tattoo artists Jack Rudy, Bob Roberts and Mark Mahoney to name a few. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com (http://bit.ly/yoyOO7).

Thousands of ink clad music fans from around the world will descend upon Orange County, California, a mecca for tattoo and music subcultures, on March 2-4 for one of the region’s most anticipated events. Celebrating its 5^th year, MusInk will return bigger and better than ever with performances from some of punk rock’s elite bands and over 300 tattoo artists.

“Our 5th year anniversary shaped up to be a truly great event,” says promoter/founder Bill Hardie.  “We are extremely happy with the quality of tattoo artists and bands that are participating this year.  We are looking forward to introducing music fans to our incredibly gifted tattoo artist and tattoo enthusiasts to our amazing talented bands.  Tattoos, music, skateboarding, model contest, cocktails…that’s a good day for anyone!”

No stranger to MusInk, Southern California’s beloved dark rock trio Tiger Army will headline the opening night of the festival, kicking it off with a thunderous roar.

“Tiger Army played the first MusInk in 2008 and there was an amazing energy from the crowd, I expect nothing less this time,” says frontman Nick 13.  “Orange County is a perennial favorite for us to play with some of our most devoted fans anywhere, but that also means we have to give as much as humanly possible to try and top ourselves — I want that person with a Tiger Army tattoo who’s seen us a dozen times to walk out feeling that they’ve just seen us play our best show yet.”

With over 11,000 people in attendance at last year’s festival, which featured performances by Suicidal Tendencies, Biohazard and Thrice, MusInk has established itself as one of the region’s hottest events and 2012 is shaping up to the its best year yet. Don’t miss out!

MUSINK 2012 LINEUP:

March 2, 2012 (12:00PM-11:00PM)

Tiger Army
Guana Batz
Howlers

March 3, 2012 (2:00PM-11:00PM)

New Found Glory
Yellowcard
Bayside
Cor
Kill The Complex

March 4, 2012 (2:00PM-11:00PM)

Alkaline Trio
Against Me!
Hell or Highwater
Darlings

Featured Tattoo Artists: Jack Rudy, Bob Roberts, Mark Mahoney, Freddy Negrete, Richard Stell, Charlie Roberts, Grant Cobb, Robert Atkinson, Robert Hernandez (Artwork by), BJ Betts, Juan Puente, Small Paul, Rick Walters, Permanent Mark, Shawn Barber, LTW Tattoo (Spain), Vic Back, Megan Hoogland, Nikko, Sid Stankovits, Yushi (Japan), Norm, Kari Barba, Jeremiah Barba, Davide (Italy), Adrian Willard (UK), Tommy Montoya (from NY INK on TLC), James Vaughn (from Ink Masters on SPIKE), Myles Karr, Josh Egnew, Black Eyes Tattoo (Japan), Baba, Gold Rush Tattoo, Dalmiro Dalmont, (Sweden) O’Reilly’s Tattoo, Kyle Crowell, Chente, Eddie Tana and Many More…

###

For More Information:
http://www.musink.org/

Press Contact:
Austin Griswold
Secret Service Publicity
Austin@secretservicepr.com

With a small venue like the Echo, you kind of build up an idea of how a show is going to go down before you even step inside. A no stage dive/crowd surf policy, however, was in effect and broke the idea up a bit for me. Still, with three crowd-pleasing bands putting on great performances, you shouldn’t be surprised that people had a pretty good time… and still found a way to jump off stage.

Opening this early show was Joyce Manor. These guys have been on a steady stream of popularity and it’s easy to see why. Most people weren’t too shy to sing along at first, but as their set progressed the entire crowd showed that they were warmed up by dancing along to the catchy songs coming from the stage. The audience wasn’t nearly as wild as I’ve seen at past Joyce Manor shows, but that doesn’t mean people weren’t enjoying the set. Joyce Manor played some new songs from their upcoming release which sounds like another winner.

Rotting Out stepped up next. They were the first ones I thought of when I read all the “No Stage Diving… No Crowd Surfing” signs posted around the venue. Rotting Out vocalist, Wally, took notice as well mentioning “There are all these signs, but I’m pretty illiterate.” The crowd took the open invitation to get crazy and ran with it. It started off innocently enough with mere shoulder hops to get close to the mic. Then someone decided to test security and the floodgates opened: crowd surfing, stage diving, and people grabbing a free mic. It all happened, even if only for a few moments as security quickly jumped up and reestablished a presence. I have to hand it to the Echo staff for only giving out warnings and letting the kids enjoy the show. Rotting Out’s fast and aggressive music, coupled with a high-energy live performance shows why their name is a fixture in the Los Angeles hardcore scene.

H2O literally doesn’t need an introduction. They humbly walked on stage and went right to work. The audience, fully warmed up and ready to go, jumped right into things as well. Voices exploded behind me as a surge toward the stage let me know that the pit was, again, open for business. The audience yelled along to every song H2O could throw out. The personal connection between band and fans was further expanded with Toby Morse explaining songs or just talking to people in the audience. A small, intimate venue like the Echo really allowed for this kind of experience to happen. Some people still dared to stage dive while others decided to jump on stage and take control of a mic. Morse decided to flip the tables for their cover of Warzone’s “Don’t Forget the Struggle, Don’t Forget the Streets” by jumping out into the audience and singing shoulder-to-shoulder with fans. High fives to the crowd were given before H2O walked off stage and ended an incredibly fun (and early) night of music.

Thanks to Stephanie from Bridge 9 for setting me up for the show!

Once this tour was announced, I immediately joked about how the Cobalt Cafe wouldn’t be able to handle it. Actually being there induced an “Is this real life?” mentality. I knew the bands on this tour were going to try and end 2011 with a bang and the fans would follow their lead. The Cobalt was packed with people from wall-to-wall but everyone was getting exactly what they payed for.

I came in right before the Sheds took their local stage. They’ve played so many shows at the Cobalt that it’s almost weird to watch a show there without at least seeing them in the audience. The room was already full of people, more than I’ve ever seen at this venue before, but the large crowd didn’t seem to affect The Sheds’ nerves at all. They just released an EP and featured some new songs in their setlist. Their performance was pretty on-par with what I’ve come to expect from the Sheds, so basically you’re looking at a band that doesn’t sit still and does their best to get the crowd involved. They blasted through their set with a ton of energy and really put on a show that the audience, whether it was the first or 30th time seeing them, really enjoyed.

This Time Next Year was up next. I’m not sure how it happened but it looked like even more people filed into the Cobalt. It didn’t take long past the start of their set for people to start toppling onto the stage. Hot off the success of the Pop Punk’s Not Dead Tour, This Time Next Year enjoyed the sound of kids completely giving their all, singing along to old and new tunes. If that wasn’t enough, people were flying every which way on and off the stage. It was definitely a spectacle for everyone.

The Story So Far saw a fast amount of growth in their fanbase this year. With catchy choruses and thoughtfully personal lyrics, it’s no wonder why their recent full length has done so well to connect with fans. There were so many people that actually watching The Story So Far perform was more work than a lot of people were used to. Still, once you found a little bit of comfort in the crowd you couldn’t help but throw an angry finger in the air and yell out every word to the songs being played. The Story So Far seemed slightly toned down in their stage presence from the last time I saw them (maybe it was the amount of people ending up on the stage or memories of the hospital trip from their last visit to the Cobalt), but they still had a lot of energy and the audience was more than happy with the performance.

Closing out the show was a very relaxed Set Your Goals. It was really cool to see them perform in such a small venue. Sure, there were the Chain Reaction shows, but if you’ve ever been to the Cobalt Cafe you understand the difference in vibe. The band was just so much more accessible that you could really see the connection between band and fans. Their setlist consisted mainly of older fan favorites which, of course, induced a frenzy of sing-alongs throughout the night. In the holiday spirit, Set Your Goals held a raffle for stockings filled with band goodies. Another was also given out for the night’s “best mosher” as judged by friends sitting just behind the band. This being their first time performing at the Cobalt Cafe, you can tell the band was completely enjoying the atmosphere, taking advantage of the ability to sing face-to-face with fans and even stage dive a few times. The night ended with the first four songs off of Mutiny! being performed while silly string flew through the air.

Thanks to everyone that’s been visiting my site! 2011 was a really fun year for shows and music and I’m hoping 2012 follows suit. Thank you guys for helping plug my site on tumblr, facebook, or any other place you see fit, I really appreciate it. Happy Holidays!