MAYDAY PARADE play HOB/Anaheim Nov. 12 and SOMA Nov. 13

While it’s been a decade since the formation of Mayday Parade, lead vocalist Derek Sanders still struggles with one important question before every show.

Shoes or no shoes?

As the front man of the veteran pop-rock band from Tallahassee, Florida, Sanders would play every show barefoot if his body allowed for it.

“I hate bringing shoes on tour but I also feel goofy wearing flip flops on stage so I try to go barefoot as much as I can. Recently, I started getting pretty bad shin splints from playing long shows and jumping around. It really depends on how my legs are doing,” said Sanders, who turned 29 earlier this year. “I’m getting a little old I guess.”

The band, comprised of Sanders (lead vocalist), Alex Garcia (lead guitar), Jeremy Lenzo (bass), Brooks Betts (rhythm guitar) and Jake Bundrick (drums), is currently in the midst of headlining the annual Alternative Press Tour with Real Friends, This Wild Life and As It Is.

A staple of Warped Tour, Mayday Parade has garnered a reputation as one of the most prolific touring bands across all genres. After a brutal tour schedule in 2010, Songkick named them as the hardest-working band of that year, with 194 shows and more than 74,000 miles logged. Megastars like Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga ranked No.7 and No. 8 that year.

“I used to be a lot more nervous before each show, especially about what I was going to do on stage,” Sanders said. “I was always second guessing myself. We’re at the point where playing these shows has become second nature. It’s so ingrained in us that it allows a lot more freedom to just have fun and not think so much.”

Since their debut EP in 2006, Mayday Parade have released five studio albums, including their most recent effort Black Lines. A noticeable departure from previous albums, Black Lines features a more aggressive, raw sound than the trademark sing-along anthems and moody ballads that propelled Mayday Parade to massive success. Eager to break away from the formula they were following for years, the band decided to bring in well-known producer Mike Sapone, whose previous work includes Taking Back Sunday and Brand New.

“He was on the same page as us with regard to what we wanted to do on this album,” Sanders said. “It’s always a risky thing to go with someone you haven’t worked with before but I wouldn’t have changed it for anything. I thought it turned out incredible.”

While Sanders admitted the group grew bored with the blueprint they were following inside the studio, onstage the excitement remains the same.

“Luckily for us the one thing that never gets old or tedious is touring,” Sanders said. “I genuinely have so much fun every night on stage. It’s my favorite part of doing what we do. Even some of the older songs we’ve played over a thousand times are ones I love playing. We’re still able to have a good time with it all and hopefully that translates with the audience.”

Mayday Parade will play at House of Blues in Anaheim Nov. 12 and SOMA in San Diego Nov. 13.

PURSON play Beach Goth 4, The Mayan Theater Oct. 26 and The Observatory North Park Nov. 2

Purson will make the most out of their second visit to SoCal by playing three shows within a week, stopping first to perform at this year’s Beach Goth Festival at The Observatory in Santa Ana Oct. 24-25, followed by an opening set for Ghost at The Mayan Theater in LA Oct. 26 and The Observatory North Park Nov. 2.

The band, comprised of Rosalie Cunningham (vocals / guitar), George Hudson (lead guitar), Samuel Shove (keyboards), Justin Smith (bass) and Raphael Mura (drums), combine elements of 60’s psychedelic music, progressive rock and heavy metal to create a distinctive throwback sound.

The UK natives were recently presented with the Vanguard Award, given to a musical act deemed worthy of wider recognition, at this year’s Progressive Music Awards in London.

Their debut album The Circle And The Blue Door was praised by critics and caught the eye of legendary rock band KISS, who invited the band to play on their KISS Kruise last year.

A few days after the cruise came to an end, Purson performed their first show on American soil at The Viper Room in West Hollywood.

“We didn’t know what to expect but the place was packed and the vibe was very exciting,” Cunningham said. “U.S audiences don’t hold back. If they dig it they let you know and that is always a wonderful feeling. And then there was the added kudos of playing such a prestigious venue.”

The band’s gig as the opening act for Ghost will be their first time traveling and playing extensively across the U.S.

Audiences unaware of Purson will have an opportunity to witness firsthand the fearless stage presence and stunning voice of Cunningham.

Although the frontwoman has been praised by both critics and fans alike for her powerful vocals, Cunningham admits she never received a single lesson of formal vocal training.

“I have been singing for as long as I can remember and that is training in itself,” Cunningham said. “You learn what works and what doesn’t. Before the last couple of years, I didn’t like to consider myself a singer but rather a songwriter, musician, or anything else really.”

In addition to writing and singing the band’s songs, Cunningham has also served as the producer on both The Circle And The Blue Door and their second album Desire’s Magic Theatre, scheduled for release later this year.

“This album was even more self-produced than the last,” Cunningham said. “I have a complicated relationship with control that can be either productive, or destructive, but always in extremes.We often find that when we work with people outside of the band, it never turns out right. It’s a very specific, yet very eclectic vision that is hard to explain. Self-production is therefore essential.”

The added pressure of producing a strong follow-up and avoiding a sophomore slump was a non-factor during the creative process of the second album.

“To be honest, the thought only crossed my mind very recently when contemplating how it will be received,” Cunningham admitted. “Throughout the writing, recording and mixing process, I was making it for myself, selfish as that may seem. It represents a time in my life. People might like it or they might not. I don’t want to be influenced by those thoughts.”

With a follow-up album awaiting release, a growing fanbase and an opportunity to play at a series of dream venues along the way, Cunningham acknowledged the excitement the final few months of the year would bring.

“The Aztec Theatre in San Antonio is really beautiful and we just so happen to be playing it on the upcoming tour,” Cunningham said. “In fact, there are more than a few theaters to satisfy our penchant for vaudevillian charm on this tour. We owe Ghost’s booking agent a beer.”

THE NEW REGIME play Echoplex Oct. 18

Having played drums with bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Angels & Airwaves and Paramore, Ilan Rubin is used to being in the background.
However, on his current tour with Gang of Four, Rubin is front and center as the lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player of his side project The New Regime.

A concoction of grunge, alternative and classic rock, Rubin has released two albums and two EP’s as The New Regime. His first album Coup was released in 2008 and featured Rubin on drums, vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar and bass. In addition to writing all ten songs, Rubin also self-recorded the album and released it via digital download.

His latest EP, Exhibit B, released earlier this year, was written and recorded while touring with Nine Inch Nails in 2013-14. The EP was described by one critic as showing “Shades of Rubin’s influences such as The Beatles, Queen, Led Zeppelin as well as shades of his work with Nine Inch Nails” resulting in what could be best described as a modernistic retro vibe.

From a very early age Rubin displayed an interest in music. Shortly after discovering his father’s 1968 Silver Sparkle Ludwig drum kit in the family garage, Rubin started playing drums at the tender age of eight. Within a year, he was jamming with the pop-punk band F.o.N. When the band performed at Woodstock 1999, Rubin earned the Guinness World Record distinction of being the youngest musician to ever play on a Woodstock stage.

Following a brief stint with Wels band Lostprophets and the release of his first EP as The New Regime, Rubin joined Nine Inch Nails as the band’s drummer. He also became the drummer of Tom Delonge’s Angels & Airwaves in 2011.

Rubin’s busy tour schedule hasn’t changed in recent months either. After serving as the opening act for Failure as part of their summer tour, Rubin wasted no time in agreeing to open for Gang of Four, an English punk rock band formed nearly 40 years ago.

Although Rubin plays every instrument on his studio albums, he typically brings along a few friends to handle bass and drum duties. Many of his songs consist of guitar solos, which range in style from blues to classic rock. Rubin has been known to extend these solos during his live performances and often jam for several minutes at a time.

The New Regime will open for Gang of Four at Echoplex in Los Angeles on Oct. 18.

GARBAGE play Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay Oct. 6 and Greek Theatre Oct. 8 photo courtesy of Garbage

Garbage will kick off their 20 Years Queer Tour on Oct. 6 with a performance at Humphrey’s Concerts By the Bay, followed by a show at the Greek Theatre in Oct. 8.

The band, comprised of Shirley Manson (vocals), Steve Marker (guitar), Duke Erikson (bass) and Butch Vig (drums), will play their breakthrough, self-titled debut album, in its entirety for the first time during the tour.

The critically acclaimed album featured an odd mix of simultaneous drum parts, unusual sound effects, a considerable number of guitar overdubs and a heavy dose of sampled loops from artists such as The Clash and Clyde Stubblefield. Despite being the band’s first release, the album produced multiple hits such as “Only Happy When It Rains”, “Stupid Girl”, and “Queer” and “Vow.”

Although Garbage has completed five world tours across 35 different countries, the upcoming stretch of shows remain no less enticing than the veteran band’s first gig more than 20 years ago.

“We’ve never really gotten complacent,” Marker said. “It’s always exciting. Every show is different because of the audience.

“We always appreciate how lucky we are that people come and see us. I think it would suck if we felt like ‘oh god we have to play ‘Stupid Girl’ again.’ Even though we have played it over a thousand times, I’ve never felt like that once.”

In addition to preparing for their sixth world tour, Garbage is also in the process of putting the finishing touches on their untitled sixth album, which was recorded in various studios across LA. According to Marker, the band followed a similar recording process to their previous album, Not Your Kind of People.

“When we made our first few albums, we would go to Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, which we owned at the time. We would go in there for a year and hardly ever come out except to go to the bar,” Marker joked. “For the new album, we would work for a week or two and then I would come back home. We’re not really on the kind of label that is paying unlimited money for us to be in a big major studio for six months at a time, so we have to adapt.”

The new album, expected to be released in the spring, will be the band’s second record after a lengthy hiatus that began at the end of their Bleed Like Me Tour in 2005.

“I think it has turned out to be a blessing. For me, it led me to realize just how important the band was to my life and how much I miss not doing it,” Marker admitted. “When we did come back to it a few years ago, playing shows was just a blast because everybody realized ‘this is a lot more fun than sitting at home.’

“That’s not to say that it hasn’t been difficult. Sometimes it’s too much and you just want to get away. But I don’t think we would still be doing it this long if it was just like a business relationship.”

While the band has no trouble garnering enthusiasm for the string of 27 shows that await them, the sight of a cheering crowd remains a bit intimidating, even for the seasoned members of Garbage.

“For me it’s still totally alien to go in front of that many people. You always get nervous. You have to be on your toes to make it work and it’s a bit scary,” Marker said. “But that’s exhilarating. We love the excitement of it and I guess that’s kind of why we keep doing this. It keeps you alive.”

MEW play The North Park Theatre Sep. 17,The Observatory Sep. 18 , Fonda Sep. 25

Following their first two opening shows in Southern California, Mew return for a concert at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Sep. 25.

The Danish rockers released their sixth studio album “+-” in April, nearly six years removed from their previous album.

“+-” features a concoction of distorted guitar riffs, up-tempo beats and dreamy melodies as well as lead singer Jonas Bjerre’s distinct high-pitched vocals. The album also includes the return of bassist Johan Wohlert, who left the band in 2006.

Originally formed in Copenhagen in 1994, Mew released their first album, “A Triumph for Man,” three years later.

“We didn’t know how to play other people’s songs so we kind of had to make up our own. To be honest, in the beginning it was all about having fun together,” Bjerre said. “We were all friends from art school and we had done a little bit of creative stuff before with some weird, pretentious art films and stuff like that.”

Bjerre said the band did something they had never done before with “+-,” record an album and tour simultaneously.

“I kind of regret not doing it before because it was such an eye opening experience,” he said. “I think there is this instant objectivity when you’re playing your songs to a crowd because you just know which parts you’re proud of and ones you’re a little in doubt of. You can just sense it. It is kind of like hearing it through the ears of the audience. So I think those songs that we did play live before finalizing them benefitted a lot from that.”

Popular singer-songwriter Kimbra provided vocals on “The Night Believer” and backing vocals on several other songs on the album. According to Bjerre, the collaboration came about after the New Zealand-born singer reached out to the band via a mutual acquaintance.

“She worked with Rich Costey, who mixed this last album with us and produced two of our previous albums,” Bjerre said. “He kind of asked me for her if I wanted to do one of her songs and I said yes.”

Bjerre, who had only been vaguely familiar with Kimbra’s work prior to the collaboration, said he then offered her the chance to contribute on “+-.”

“She ended up doing a bunch of backing vocals and a kind of duet,” Bjerre said. “I still actually haven’t met her in person.”

The three-week string of concerts across the United States and Canada will be the band’s first headlining tour in North America since the release of their last album in 2009.

While Mew occasionally experiments and improvises with melodies during their live performances, Bjerre said he’d rather stick to how the songs play out in his head.

“I don’t really like it when you go see a band and they change a melody of a song you enjoy because it feels alien,” he said. “We do little breakdowns here and there and we make some songs a bit longer sometimes, but I never feel like we go through the motions. I never stand there and think of shopping lists which I know some people do. It’s not easy enough for me to do. It has to be an outward communication with the audience. The more we enjoy playing, the more the audience enjoys the concert and I really believe that energy translates.”

BOWLING FOR SOUP play The Roxy Sep. 19 and HOB/Anaheim Sep. 20 Photo: Wil Bolton

Bowling for Soup will conclude its 21st anniversary tour at House of Blues in Anaheim Sep. 20 following a show at The Roxy Sep. 19.

The band, which consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals), Erik Chandler (bass), Chris Burney (lead guitar) and Gary Wiseman (drums), are best known for hits like the Grammy Award-nominated “Girl All the Bad Guys Want”, “Almost”, “Punk Rock 101” and “1985.”

Named after a Steve Martin comedy bit, Bowling for Soup was officially formed in Wichita Falls, Texas during the summer of 1994. For several years, the group played the local scene under their previous band name, Rubberneck.

“We were just kids and really didn’t have our flow or our trust in one another,” Reddick said. “Now we’re up there entertaining each other and musician-wise we’re all pretty good now.”

While much has changed within the music industry over the past two decades, the band has managed to adjust quite well.

In February 2013, the Texas natives announced a PledgeMusic campaign to fund a new album, allowing their fans to be heavily involved with the music making process as well as voting on the album title, Lunch, Drunk, Love.

“It’s the new model, the fan is the label now,” Reddick said. “Frankly, fans’ attention spans are increasingly short, too because there is just so much out there. It’s a matter of just maintaining that constant interaction and that’s one of the evolutions in our band.

“You used to just release an album every two years and get in the van and go play a bunch of shows and then come home write a record and release it and repeat. There’s a lot more than just touring which you have to do to keep people engaged and interested. But I like it, it keeps the band active and the fans interested.”

Earlier this year, the band released Songs People Actually Liked – Volume 1 – The First 10 Years (1994-2003), a fan-funded compilation of the group’s best-known songs. The collection of re-recorded songs was released in response to a Best Of album released by their former label without the band’s knowledge.

“It was heartbreaking,” Reddick admitted. “We found out through a fan who happened upon it. Essentially this album was shit out with terrible artwork and they picked songs that weren’t even singles and some of them were B-Sides. It’s just a piece of crap. To be honest, I wasn’t mad or frustrated, I was just sad. I just felt like the band deserved more than what was given.”
According to Reddick, the decision to re-record every song on the album was an easy one.

“The main reason was to make it a concise and listenable album,” Reddick said. “Some of the songs were recorded more than 20 years ago and technology wasn’t there as far as what was available to us on our budget. And, quite frankly we weren’t the greatest musicians.

“I think there’s definitely some bands that have tried to do this before and have had some pretty bad backlash. Fortunately for us, that didn’t happen. The album was really well received by critics and fans everywhere — I didn’t read a bad review.”
On stage, Bowling for Soup remain a dual threat act, half comedy, half pop-punk.

“It’s essentially a comedy show and a music concert all put together. It’s very spontaneous and nothing is rehearsed. You’re never going to see the same show twice,” Reddick said. “It’s really interactive so the audience is very much a part of the show. Whether you’re a huge fan or you’re just coming to hear ‘1985’, everybody leaves with a smile on their face.”

P.O.D. play M15 Sep. 25; photo-Chapman Baehler

P.O.D. followup their recent SoCal August shows with one at M15 on Sep. 25 , before joining the Insane Clown Posse tour in October.

While P.O.D. have been labeled a Christian band by many publications, its members, Sonny Sandoval (vocals), Marcos Curiel (lead guitar), Traa Daniels (bass) and Wuv Bernardo (drums), claim they never set out to be the poster-children for Christian rock.

“We’ve always been open about our faith and who we are, but we’re not here representing any religion,” Curiel said. “We don’t have an agenda to try and go save the world. We’re here to shed a little light in the darkness amongst all the negative stuff going on in the world.”

The positive vibes have been felt not only within the U.S. but in countries across the world including England, Germany, Brazil and Russia.

“The U.S. is just a little piece of the pie. From the very beginning we always made a point to be a worldwide entity,” Curiel said. “We told ourselves, ‘Let’s travel around the world and play our tunes for everybody’. We’ve always stuck to that game plan and it’s paid off.”

The band’s latest album The Awakening, revolves around a central character who has his own “awakening”, allowing him to discover the value of love and forgiveness. An ongoing dialogue precedes each track, providing context for the character’s journey.

Although the group had toyed with a concept album before, it wasn’t until the urging of producer Howard Benson that the band became committed to the idea.

“We wanted it to possibly be something that we did in the future but our producer was like, ‘No, let’s do it now and get it on this record.’ He started wrapping our heads around the whole concept and we began writing songs for it while trying to keep that P.O.D. sound,” Curiel added. “It’s something people aren’t going to expect from this type of band and that’s why we did it. It was a challenge for us so we figured, why not?”

The band found themselves facing a particularly arduous challenge after the release of their last album Murdered Love. On the final track of the record, the F-word was used multiple times resulting in significant backlash from the group’s Christian fans.

“The whole thing was definitely frustrating to deal with,” Curiel explained. “Sonny didn’t say it out of malicious intent. He was making a statement.”

Regardless of any outside controversy, once the band takes the stage, fans can be sure to expect the trademark P.O.D. sound that has earned them multiple Grammy Award nominations — heavy grooves, catchy hooks and head-bobbing melodies.
“That’s what you’re going to get with a ton of passion,” Curiel said. “That’s just what we do.”

P.O.D. play M15 Sep. 25, returning in October as part of Insane Clown Posse tour.

THE WHITE PANDA play KAABOO Del Mar Festival Sep. 18

Mashup kings DJ Griffi and Procrast of The White Panda will bring their high-energy live act to the inaugural KAABOO Fest at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds on Sep. 18.

Over the past six years, The White Panda have achieved massive online fame, releasing 32 No. 1 singles on Hype Machine and collecting more than 50 million SoundCloud streams. Within two years of their formation, the duo became one of SoundCloud’s top five most streamed artists.

The group brings a wealth of festival experience to KAABOO having performed at other festivals like Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bamboozle and Electric Zoo. The duo has also shared the stage with an endless number of prominent artists like Steve Aoki, Mac Miller, Tiesto and Flo Rida.

Concert Guide Live talked to The White Panda about their decision to offer their music for free online, the importance of standing out in a sea of active DJs and the most surreal moment they’ve had on tour.

CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: All of your music is available for no cost on your website. In a day and age where millionaire artists are complaining about losing money to free downloads, why have you decided to allow your music to be accessed for free?
THE WHITE PANDA: Three reasons. One: we appreciate everyone that listens and supports us. We don’t want to put a price tag on that. Two: what better way to get your music widely distributed than to offer it for free? At no cost to download, there’s very little reason to not try out White Panda and see if you like us. Three: much of our music contains samples. Sampling is a grey area in copyright law and asking for money in exchange for sample-based content without paying the rights-holders would be a dangerous game.

CGL: Have you ever received any type of feedback from the artists you’ve remixed?
WP: All the time. It’s usually just a thumbs up or a retweet or something of that nature, but it’s always good to hear from the artists. They’re the people we’re ultimately trying to do justice, so if they’re happy, we’re happy.

CGL: How do you differentiate your music from the endless number of DJs releasing music online?
WP: The quality of the production. There are a million people releasing electronic music online these days, but a lot of it just flat-out isn’t any good. Keeping your production tight and being able to write strong catchy melodies is what gets your tracks noticed.

CGL: I think there is a common misconception that mash-up music involves little-to-no musical talent. What would your response be to those people with this idea in their head?
WP: I understand why people think that, but what it really requires is a different talent than original production. Now that we’ve dabbled in both of those arenas, it’s even more clear to us. It takes a really developed ear to be able to assess exactly which tracks will work well together. It’s not as simple as just matching BPM and Key Signature. And on top of that, you need to release mixes that millions of people will like in order to be successful in this business. Having enough knowledge of the current musical environment, and sufficiently good taste to be able to achieve that is also no easy task.

CGL: In 10 words or less, give us a description of what a White Panda live show experience is like?
WP: Exhilarating, loud, sweaty, bright, colorful, harmonious, unifying, love, energy and pandas.

CGL: What has been the most surreal moment for you guys while on tour?
WP: Tough to say. We’ve been to a lot of places and seen a lot of crazy things. Probably when we took the stage at Lollapalooza in 2012. We had an early set time and weren’t expecting very many people to even be at the festival at that point, let alone show up for our show. But somehow we amassed a crowd of about 15,000, the largest we’d ever played at that time, and seeing them rock out to our music in front of our home city’s skyline was pretty unbeatable.