Stryper Headlines Marquee Theater In Tempe AZ
Review & photos by Chad Alexander, July 29th 2014, The Marquee, Tempe AZ: Orange County glam/Christian metal veterans Stryper played an incredible gig at the Marquee Theater in Tempe AZ last Tuesday night. Just as the several times I've seen them since 1985, they didn't disappoint. Touring on their latest full-length release "No More Hell To Pay" which was produced by Michael Sweet and released via Frontiers Records in 2013, Stryper played a set wherein the new material was well represented, along with older selections and some choice cover tunes. Read more

Super Duper Alice Cooper: A True Masterpiece
By Andrew Bansal: Headed by Sam Dunn and Scott McFadyen, Banger Films Inc. is a Canadian production entity founded merely 10 years ago but has already won plenty of accolades for their manner of depicting the hard rock and heavy metal world through documentaries such as 'Metal: A Headbangers Journey', 'Global Metal', 'Iron Maiden: Flight 666', 'Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage' and the 'Metal Evolution' TV series. Their latest endeavor 'Super Duper Alice Cooper' is their take on Alice Cooper's rock 'n roll journey, had a limited theatrical run in April this year, was released on DVD/Blu-Ray via Eagle Rock Entertainment in June, and is a markedly huge departure from anything Banger Films has done before. Read more

Municipal Waste & The Shrine Destroy Echoplex
By Andrew Bansal, July 25th 2014, The Echoplex, Los Angeles CA: Richmond, Virginia crossover thrash legends Municipal Waste have been inconspicuous over the past couple of years as they've laid low, allowing members to partake in other bands and projects. But they flew out to Los Angeles for a one-off gig at the Echoplex, put together by Pabst Blue Ribbon and DoLA. The show was limited to people aged 21 and over, but thanks to the beer company's sponsorship, the ticket price was brought down to a mere $6 with RSVP. Read more

Wolfmother & Electric Citizen Play At House Of Blues Sunset Strip
Review & photos by Andrew Bansal, July 24th 2014, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: Australian rockers Wolfmother embarked on a short US West Coast run with support act Electric Citizen and played the first show of this tour at a packed House Of Blues Sunset Strip in West Hollywood last night in front of a large gathering of excited fans. The band's third LP 'New Crown' took a long time coming after the 2009 effort 'Cosmic Egg' and was finally released in March this year. Wolfmother are currently out presenting some of this new material live, along with a selection of the best from the first two records. Read more

Black Belt Karate Begins First Annual 'Poker Run' At King King Hollywood
By Andrew Bansal, July 23rd 2014, King King, Hollywood CA: Los Angeles hard rock quartet Black Belt Karate recently announced a 'poker run' of five shows spread through the LA area across a span of four weeks, and played the first of these shows at King King in Hollywood last Wednesday. They've printed custom poker cards to mark the event and are handing out cards at the merch booth at each of these shows, with prizes on offer for the best hand collected through the shows. King King made for good vibes the last time I was here, and it promised to be another fun evening out for locals. Read more

Whiskey Blu: Hollywood’s Newest Rock Venue
By Andrew Bansal: Located in the busiest part of Hollywood on the intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Las Palmas Ave, Whiskey Blu is the newest rock bar/lounge in town, and following a couple of soft openings in its first few weeks, it held its grand opening last Friday July 18th, with all-female hair metal/boogie rock quartet Glam Skanks as the featured performer. Read more