It’s obviously not why Lit got into the rock business, but the Fullerton band has been paid handsomely over the years for arena-filling shows, impressive album sales and that financial candy known as song royalties.
So, it’s refreshing to see Lit will play a free show for Orange County fans (and anyone else who can make it to Dana Point) at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, The SlideBar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen, which is co-owned by Lit’s lead guitarist and co-founding member Jeremy Popoff, is the site of a two-day music festival next month that is also entirely free to enter. More on that in a bit.
Lit’s evening performance Thursday, Aug. 29, at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point closes out the 2019 OC Parks Summer Concert Series. Attendees can look forward to not only hearing the old post-grungy hits–such as “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Miserable” and “Lipstick and Bruises”–but songs from their most recent album, 2017’s country-infused These Are the Days.
They will be played by original members Popoff, his brother A. Jay Popoff (on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and possibly some percussion) and Kevin Blades (bass). Sadly, original drummer Allen Shellenberger passed away in 2009 and after a few other players were behind the kit, Evan Kilbourne has been banging the skins since 2017.
Besides live music from one of Orange County’s most successful bands ever, fans can sample from food trucks and, if you’re 21+, a beer garden. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, Wiretap Records presents the inaugural Attention! Fest at SlideBar Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7. Participating acts include Spanish Love Songs, Dead Bars, Decent Criminal, The Last Gang, Problem Daughter, Odd Robot, Pity Party, World’s Greatest Dad, The Lucky Eejits, Get Married, Bristol To Memory and Sad Girlz Club. Wolves&Wolves&Wolves&Wolves are set to perform an acoustic set, and Wiretap says more bands are being added.
While tickets are free to the 21+ festival, you must RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/attention-fest-tickets-66349726819.
SlideBar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen is at 122 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. Call (714) 871-7469 or visit slidebarfullerton.com for more venue information.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.