It’s that time of the year again!

The best in Independent Hip Hop join forces with Murs and Guerilla Union to bring you the 2012 Paid Dues Hip Hop Festival. Murs made the announcement via Ustream TV over a month ago and suggested that this year would be the year of the “Crew”. Not only is it a great concept but he delivered an amazing lineup! This year’s Paid Dues festival will feature a classic area of performances starring The Wu Tang Clan, Hip Hop’s newest crew – Odd Future featuring Frank Ocean and the always entertaining Tyler The Creator. Also headlining is Murs’ own crew, Living Legends as well as Harlem New York’s finest “Dip Set“ featuring Jim Jones, Camron and Juelz Santana. Recently added to the lineup are DJ Quick, Kendrick Lamar, Hieroglyphics, Psycho Realm and Dilated Peoples. This is truly a Hip Hop festival that you do not want to miss! The show takes place on Saturday, April 7th at The Nos Events Center in San Bernardino, CA. For more information, log on to paidduesfestival.com.

Goldfinger were a staple of my youth and I still love them today. They’re playing a show tomorrow at Chain Reaction in Anaheim to benefit PETA and Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles. It’s going to be an awesome time, make sure to come out and support. Lead singer, John Feldmann was cool enough to answer some questions…Check them out below.

1. Tell us about the upcoming benefit at Chain Reaction.

King Blues, who are supporting us, it’s their first US show ever. They’re a big UK band, and the singer of that band was homeless for about four years, between ages 13-17 of his life. It’s a really big deal for us to help out anyway we can. PETA has always been a huge thing for me, I’ve been involved with the animal rights movement for the last fifteen years of my life.

2. What has been going on with Goldfinger?

We toured South America a couple months ago, it was awesome…A couple thousand kids a night and just crazy, crazy shows, insane crowds.

3. I heard you have a new album on the way…What can we expect and when?

We’re probably going to be making a record around summer of this year.

4. What bands have you been listening to lately?

Lately I’ve been listening to what my daughter has been listening to, all she’ll let me listen to is Adele. That’s it, so I listen to Adele over and over…and my wife has been playing Christina Perri all the time. If I work twelve to sixteen hours a day, all I’m really listening to are the bands I work with, which lately have been, King Blues, Attack Attack!, Twenty One Pilots, The Used, so thats what I’ve been listening to; what I’ve been working on.

5. What bands should we check out?

Definitely King Blues. Definitely Twenty One Pilots.

6. Favorite places to eat in L.A.?

I love the Veggie Grill, Madeline Bistro, Native Foods, and E Baldi.

7. I’d like to make a few special requests for the Chain Reaction show: Carlita, Too Late, The End of the Day, Not Amused…..Any chance?

I don’t know if any of those requests will happen, I think we’ve played “Carlita” once, yeah “Carlita” we played once at the Whiskey, with Angelo Moore from Fishbone. “Too Late” we played once in Nagoya, Japan. “The End of the Day” we played once, and that was a long time ago…I think at a show with Face To Face. “Not Amused” we’ve never played.

8. Shout-outs, Words of Wisdom?

Follow your dreams and stay true to yourself. Shout-out’s to all of our fans, thanks for being with us for so long.

Fishbone’s Norwood Fisher presents “All for the Angels Skankdown Music Festival” at Skatelab Skatepark in Simi Valley featuring Fishbone, Aggression, Knock Out, JFA, Pour Habit, The Untouchables, Graveyard Bandits, The Divine Crime, Ease Up, Kat, Hurly Burly, Braw and more on Saturday, January 28, 2012. The event will benefit AngelCare 4 Children’s efforts to restore life in Haiti. A full day and evening of punk, rock, ska, reggae and soul all for an important cause.

Doors open at 1:00 PM and show time is from 2pm-11pm. Tickets are $30 or $50 for 2 tickets, and can be purchased by visiting Event Brite or by calling (888) 264-5227. Skatelab is located at 4226 Valley Fair Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063.

If fans of heavy music can’t get excited about the 2012 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, somebody better check for a heartbeat.

This year’s tour, which kicks off at San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino on June 30th, will be headlined by Slipknot. But, as they say on late night TV commercials, that’s not all. Thrash metal veterans Slayer will also be there on the main stage. There is also what the promoters are calling a “major special guest” third headliner, which won’t be announced until March 5th. A rotation of other acts is slated to appear on the main stage, which will vary from city to city, including The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying and Asking Alexandra. A second festival stage will be headlined by Anthrax. With its ‘best of the old and best of the new’ mixture, the 2012 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is sure to be the metal music event of the year.

ANDREW W.K. will be playing their ever so awesome “I Get Wet” album in it’s entirety for the bands ten year anniversary tour. The show hits the Avalon in Hollywood on March 8th. Party Til You PUKE!!

While there is no debate on who is the greatest in the boxing ring (Muhammad Ali, turned 70 two days ago) the verdict is still out on which band is the greatest rock band in history.

If you know anything about music, you most likely narrowed your options to two. If you narrowed your options to Limp Bizkit and The Insane Clown Posse, you truly do not know anything about music. The two bands in debate are The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The British Invasion brought us the two most popular rock groups of all time, as well as the liveliest debate in rock history…which band is the greatest? To settle the debate once and for all, Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash, will pay tribute to the British rock legends and duke it out for the greatest rock band in history. Each band will sing their greatest hits shootout style, until the kings of rock are finally crowned. One would never think a classic ongoing British battle would finally be settled once and for all in Redondo Beach, California.

Friday, January 20th
$15
Brixton South Bay
100 W. Torrance Blvd.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310-406-1931
http://www.brixtonsouthbay.com/

If you don’t recognize the artist by name, you may recognize their song “Bruises”, which was used in a iPod Nano commercial that spammed our televisions back in 2008. Don’t let the gentleness of “Bruises” fool you, because Chairlift is an extremely sophisticated and stylized duo. Check out this fairly new music video for their great new song “Amanaemonesia”, which will be on their upcoming album entitled Something. If you have a pulse and an I.D. that says you’re 21 or older, RSVP here to ensure your place inside.

1. For those who haven’t seen Lagwagon, what can they expect from a Lagwagon show?

Well, for one, we are getting old now. Hahaha. Yeah, that’s true but, that’s not actually new. What I meant to say is, I think it’s different and cool for old fans especially because we are honoring our latest box-set release by playing only songs from it i.e, the first 5 records. It’s the most intensive set that we’ve done in a while.

2. Lagwagon have been around for a very long time, twenty four years now….Did you ever think it would last this long?

No. I am always surprised when we regroup.

3. Favorite song to play live? Why?

Right now, the song “Lazy” from our second record “Trashed”. It’s just a simple, ultra energetic song and fun to sing. I always feel better after singing it, like I’ve vented.

4. Favorite places to eat in Los Angeles?

To name a few off the top of my head…
M Cafe’ (Lunch) on Melrose (at La Brea). Great little place, Macrobiotic stuff. Just good, clean food.
King’s Road (Breakfast/Lunch) on Beverly: Killer Coffee. Like the garden burger scramble.
Aroma Cafe’ and Tea: Studio City (Breakfast/Lunch)

5. What have you been listening to lately?

Still stuck on Arcade Fire’s “Suburbs”
Also, “Safeways, Here We Come” by Chixdiggit. That’s a fun record.
Oh, and 80′s Thrash Metal. Love that stuff.

6. What’s next for the band after the string of shows with NOFX?

In late February through March we are doing a repeat tour routing, a Western U.S. tour. Headlining this time, which means long sets. We are only playing 40 minutes a night on this tour. We will be doing an 1.5 hours plus on the next run.

7. Shout-out’s? Words words of wisdom?

I was going to say “Courtesy + Empathy=Evolution” but that’s a bit heavy. How about, “Fish Is Not A Vegetable but I am”

1. How did you get started with art?

Art was the thing I was always best in in school growing up. I went to college on a photography scholarship but ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts since I hated proper photography. In an advanced lighting class I decided that I’d rather not even learn how to professionally light a tube of toothpaste for a print ad because if I did I might end up doing that as a career. So, I switched majors to something much less useful professionally but much more fulfilling personally. I was always doing lowbrow stuff, flyers for shows stuff like that, but it was years before it became a paying gig.

2. You’ve designed tons of album covers and shirts for so many kick-ass bands(Green Day, Alkaline Trio, Rancid, Against Me!, AFI, The Falcon, etc)…What’s that whole experience like?

It’s awesome. If someone would have told me I would do t shirts for Green Day or Rancid when I was 15 I’d have flipped. I was into those bands as a kid, the first time I saw Green Day was in my friend’s backyard and they were wearing dresses. The first time I saw Rancid was in a tiny coffee shop and they were just a 3 piece. It’s weird how things turn out, the business relationships I ended up having with them grew out of friendships, they personally asked me to do some stuff for them after learning I had done so much of the merch design for Alkaline Trio.

3. What inspires you?

In my design work I try to capture the spirit of the music and let that be the inspiration. In my personal work it’s an outlet for whatevers going on inside for me at the time, so my life is basically what inspires that.

4. Can you tell us about your upcoming show?

The show “Supernatural? Perhaps.” Is a show with my pal Steak Mtn (aka Chris Norris) who also comes from a design heavy background. He’s done work for some of the same bands as I have (Against Me!, Fake Problems, Green Day) and we also share an obsession for all things dark, goth and blood covered. This is third show we’ve collaborated on but the first time it’s just he and I so we’ve both been crazy busy working on a lot of new pieces specifically for this show. The show is 2 parts, the big gallery room will have our fine art, I did collages w/some painting/drawing and he did some drawings and big hand drawn/digitally structured drawings for prints. The back room will house a collection of all the design work we’ve both been doing over the past 14ish years, including originals, sketches etc. The show opens this Saturday the 9th at POVevolving Gallery in Chinatown, LA and will be up a month.

5. What bands should we listen to?

I’ve just been listening to this on repeat for the past month or so…

http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=aZp8u6zpGX0

6. Favorite places to eat in LA?

Flore, M, Real Food Daily, Mexico City, Local, Trees Cafe in Griffith Park, Elf.

7. What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’m putting out a book with all of the designs I’ve done for Alkaline Trio over the past 15 years. The book release will be in Chicago this fall in an exhibit of a series of prints of my most beloved designs.

8. Where can we find more info on what you’re up to?

My website! www.heathergabel.com

9. Any advice for aspiring artists?

Hmmm. I think anyone who really wants to make art, music, etc is going to do it regardless of what anyone tells them so, no, I’ve got very little insight on that topic. Or maybe that’s the advice, just to do what you want because you want to.

10. Shout-out’s? Words of wisdom?

Ha! Nope.