Every time I hear about Homeland Security secretary and former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano I wish it was actually Johnette Napolitano in our midst. Sadly, the former Concrete Blonde frontwoman is not as ubiquitous. Outside of the band’s top 20 hit, “Joey,” and some intermittent solo work from Napolitano, what does anyone really know about this distinctly 90s band? While “Joey” stayed on modern rock radio throughout the decade, it hit the Top 20 in 1990, the year its album, Bloodletting. was released. Thus, this year marks its 20th birthday. Naming the tour “The Vampires Rise” seems less of a reference to the album’s opener – “Bloodletting (The Vampires Song)” – and more of a capitalization on vampirmania, but on the chance that they still have some studied grunge-era west coast rebellion left in ‘em, this wouldn’t be a bad tour to see. The album gets a reissue this summer as well. Dates below. […keep reading…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Another year, another epic weekend in the desert. Long before the third weekend of April it was clear that this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival was going to be a bit different from years past. With pleasant temperatures in the 80s, and some snow still on the distant mountaintops the scene couldn’t have been more ideal. We caught up with LA DJ Paparazzi after his Sunday afternoon set in the Sahara tent, but more on that later. Before anyone arrived in Indio, word went up on the official festival site that tickets were all sold out. The decision to sell only three day wrist bands certainly met some opposition from fans, but despite this restriction, the festival, indeed, sold out for the first time since 2007. That point was re-emphasized throughout the entire weekend with signs all throughout Indio and incessant tweets, not to mention Craigslist ads from people selling or looking to buy tickets. 
Here’s a reason to love Erykah Badu (as if you needed one): she does whatever she wants. This time, that means playing a “secret” show in New York this Saturday night inside Good Units at Hudson Hotel, with Spankrock, The Tony Castles, and MNDR. Is this the kind of record release party most Grammy winners put on for their 5th album? Probably not, but eBadu doesn’t pay attention to all that. This is an exclusive party with limited tickets available. Seeing Erykah perform new material will be a thrill, but seeing her in an intimate venue like this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can get in on it by buying tickets 
