The Red Monkey

The boys performed 2 AM first which I like but I don’t feel is a song that would pull in new fans. The follow up was Closer to The Sun which is much more “mainstream” able and maybe pull in some timid listeners. I am not calling for a sell out but it nice to sell records and singles and for an audience for Jimmy Kimmel I would have picked other songs. But I digress, it was great to see them on national TV and their tour starts tonight in Reno, NV at the Knitting Factory.

According to Slightly Stoopid’s Management, Silverback, the crew was detained at the American/ Canadian border on their way to their Fargo show in North Dakota.

The tour bus was pulled over and guided by drug sniffing dogs Border Patrol agents ordered everyone off of the tour bus and proceeded to search the bus where they found some marijuana and magic shrooms and lots of paraphernalia. If you are surprised by this then you have not been paying attention to their lyrics.

At this point the officer then asked what was in the trailer. The crew came clean and admitted they had several hand blown pipes that had not been used. All the items were confiscated and Kyle McDonald and Miles Doughtry were free to go with a rather large fine instead of facing felony charges.

Follow this link for the original article from Silverback Management.

The return of Cali Nation to the stage continued Thursday night at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. The band was on hiatus for over a year and have returned better than every with Andrew Knack still fronting the band, Mony on bass and James Moore on drums. This was the second show for the new incarnation of the band and they sounded tighter and more together.

I came in late so I did not get to hear Chris Willcox perform. ZuhG I caught and what was great about these guys outta Sacramento is that they bring a cello into the mix which really added a dynamism to their music not see too often in this genre. Pion 2 Zion headlined and these guys were great. I really wish I was there for the full show but I was outside holding down a toolbox while an alternator was changed by streetlight. They are outta Santa Rosa so its a pretty good haul from Monterey to check them out but it would be worth the drive.

Hit up TheRedMonkey.com Youtube channel for exclusive video from the show or click on the picture in the post to go to the gallery to check out the pics.

May 5, 2008 Lit released a statement on Myspace canceling their tour of the US and UK due to a severe medical problem for drummer Allen Schellenberger is currently fighting. Its sad news and we all hope that he pulls through this.

“Dear Friends,

We are sad to have to be writing you all this letter. Our brother, Allen Shellenberger, is currently in the hospital undergoing testing and treatment for a brain tumor that was just discovered. We are still not sure what his prognosis is and we are all standing by and waiting for test results to come in. Please say a prayer and keep him in your thoughts.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to make the shows this week in the UK and Europe. We were all so excited to come. At this point we have to just stay put and be by Allen while he goes through this difficult time. We will make it up to you as soon as we can. We know some fans who made travel plans from other countries to see us and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Our West Coast dates right now are on hold until we know what is going on.

We will post another update soon. Allen sends his thanks for the well wishes and he’s sorry we had to cancel these shows.
We’ll be showing Allen the Lit Myspace page with your comments of support.

Thanks for your understanding.

Lit”

<----Click on the Pic to go to see the rest of the pics from the show!

Ok so here they are, the pictures from the Reel Big Fish Show in Santa Cruz, CA at the Catalyst. The opening band, Half Past Two, was great. Their 5 ft tall lead singer had a great attitude and the band had a ton of energy and personality. They had a very ska sound with a lot less of the rock thrown in.

Chase Long Beach came up next, I have been Myspace friends with these kids for a couple of years but had yet seen them in concert and in fact had listened very little to their music at all. They put on a really great show, they were much more rock than ska for this group.

Reel Big Fish, I had not seen them perform live since the warped tour almost a decade ago. I am a huge fan of these guys so I think I should apologize for not seeing them sooner. They played all of the “classic” Reel Big Fish songs including Sell Out and Beer which they teased the audience with. They also played a few of the songs off of their new disc Monkeys for Nothing and Chimps for Free which is a really strong album for this post Jive! group. I recently picked up the album and its on the Zune in hot rotation right now.

From opening of the show to the end the audience was engaged by the band who paused for Scott to tell a lovely story about womanly love just before they broke out with “She Has A Girlfriend Now” with the formerly Monique sang vocals belted out by Scott in a lovely falsetto voice (smell the sarcasm). It was hilarious, and entertaining and that is what makes RBF so great. There is so much energy that comes through in their music and they have a ton of energy on stage and got a packed house pumped and moshing and dancing. Go see RBF but do not buy the Best of album, get the live album instead.

The openers were Salinas California’s very own Wasted Noise. They put on a good show. At times they sounded like they needed some refinement but they brought a big crowd with them and riled them up pretty well. With some work on getting things nailed together a little better they will be a great band, they are a great band but they will be more so.

This was the first time I got to see The B Foundation live and I am glad I drug my arse out on a Thursday night for this show. They performed with a ton of energy, maybe it was the 7 shots they consumed during the show as the fans kept sending them up. A real tight California Surf Rock/ Reggae/ Roots Rock mixed together. I left without buying a CD, don’t make that mistake. I was tired and delirious when I walked out of there at 1:15 while the guys from The B Foundation drank more with the fans. I will now have to order one before they hit the road in Japan, that’s right folks these guys are going to Japan next month. Good luck in the land of the rising sun.

None of the estimated $400 million that the RIAA received in settlements with Napster, KaZaA, and Bolt over allegations of copyright infringement has gone to the artists whose copyrights were allegedly infringed. Now the artists are considering suing the RIAA.

read more | digg story

Reel Big Fish coming to the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Friday 3-21-08. Come one and come all.