So I was going to Wendy’s to get my Frosty on when I stumbled on this hot rod meetup. I do not know who put this on but I know I have seen them there before so next week I am going to try to run over there and check them out again and get a little background information. So without further ado here are the pics I took with my HTC Touch of this great hot rod meetup.

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.

“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”

Cali Nation makes it comeback at Doc Ricketts in Monterey, CA. Fronted by Andrew Nack, the only original band member accompanied by a familiar face in the bassist who also performs with Wasted Noise and a new drummer as well. Calination performed some of their new songs which were great and closed the show with Salinas which the fans were demanding to hear all night. Its been almost two years since I last saw Calination perform and I was not disappointed this time around with the new lineup. I hope this time they can push on and keep the momentum going. This band has great promise and I hope they have the will, I know that Andrew does, to make it.

Click on the picture to go to the gallery from the show and go to the video section to see some video from the show.

<----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.