SOCO ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR
Guitarist Josh Partington may have gotten a law degree, and vocalist/pianist Andrew McMahon may have formed Jack’s Mannequin since the quintessential OC alt-rock band Something Corporate toured the country, but that doesn’t mean fans miss them any less. After playing some festival dates and releasing Played In Space: The Best of Something Corporate in April, the band have finally come to their senses and announced they are going back on the road to play a bunch of shows. The recently reunited group hit the road for an 18-city tour beginning Aug. 2 in Minneapolis; they stop at the Grove of Anaheim on Aug. 27 before playing LA’s Club Nokia Aug. 28. From a May 17 Heard Mentality blog post.
OBEY VS. THE FEDS
Ready to fight the power? It’s a throwdown between Obey Records and the Feds, as local DJs will be spinning for a cause Thursday, May 21 at the Crosby in Santa Ana. The record label is throwing a benefit show for Justin McNulty, a.k.a. Kutmah, one of LA’s most well-respected DJs.
McNulty, a British citizen who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, was recently detained by immigration agents and placed in a federal holding facility in New Mexico; he is now facing deportation to the U.K. Among the artists scheduled to perform at the event are RasG, Teebs, Roam and Coleman. The event is free, and all merchandise and bar proceeds will go to his defense fund. In support of Kutmah, you can also donate at the website www.freekutmah.com. From a May 14 post by Danielle Bacher.
LACKLUSTER LILITH FAIR
For the first time in 11 years, the estrogen overdose known as Lilith Fair will be back in Orange County. But don’t count on Sheryl Crow, Rihanna, Carly Simon, Colbie Caillat, Go-Go’s and Mary J. Blige to perform at the July 10 show at Verizon Wireless. No Cat Power or Norah Jones in the lineup either. Not even ex-Costa Mesa resident Zee Avi will be around. There will be some meritorious acts, though: Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile, Miranda Lambert, Jenni Rivera, Ximena Sariñana and The Weepies will be there. From a May 14 post by Danielle Bacher.
RECORD-BREAKING 2010 COACHELLA ATTENDANCE
About 225,000 people attended the Coachella Arts & Music Festival over the course of its three days last month, Billboard reports. That represented a huge jump from the festival’s previous record of 186,636 attendees in 2007. It looks like ever-inflating crowd capacities at festivals is becoming a trend. According to the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot, Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival (Aug. 6 through 8) is bumping up its tickets by 20,000 for each of its three days. Previous years saw the shindig on the Lake Michigan shore sell out all 225,000 of its tickets—equivalent to Coachella’s total attendance this year. Now, though, they’ll be able to boost that number by 60,000. If you’re psyching yourself to go, don’t forget your earplugs—and your innate sense of personal space. From a May 14 blog by Spencer Kornhaber.
NO DOUBT RECORDING NEW MATERIAL
Fact: Orange County’s biggest success story are back in the studio, recording a batch of brand-new material. Maybe fact, according to the Interwebz: Gwen Stefani is pregnant with her third child. From a May 13 post by Vickie Chang.
