Announcing the 8th Annual Surf Guitar 101 Convention!

We are pleased to announce that the 8th Annual Surf Guitar 101 Convention will be taking place on Saturday, August 8th, 9am to 8pm, at the Garden Grove Elks Lodge in Garden Grove, California! Please note the venue change this year!

Once again we have assembled an amazing lineup and have continued our tradition of hosting international bands. This year we have the incredible King of Fuzz Guitar, Davie Allan, celebrating the 50th year of his musical career! We have two bands from Spain: The Longboards and Els A-phonics (who knocked them dead at the Surfer Joe Festival in June). Also on the bill are California legends The Eliminators, the young and brash traditionalists The Volcanics, and the new hotrod surf band Boss Fink (featuring members of The Ghastly Ones and the Huntington Cads). Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia we have the progressive instrumental band Moonbase. From a time and place unknown we have the sci-fi stylings of The TomorrowMen. And it wouldn’t be a true surf guitar convention without the legendary Paul “Mr. Moto” Johnson of the groundbreaking 60’s band The Belairs. Finally we have an all-star tribute to Jim Messina and The Jesters featuring John Blair (Jon & The Nightriders) and Ivan Pongracic (The Space Cossacks, The Madeira).

Also new this year will be a live broadcast and stream courtesy of KFJC and Cousin Mary! KFJC will be broadcasting on 89.7 FM in the Los Altos Hills area as well as streaming audio and video on the ‘net at kfjc.org!

Be sure to get there early for the SG101 members jam (see the links below to sign up).

Once again here is the lineup followed by the venue details:

Davie Allan and the Arrows (50th Anniversary show) (USA)
The Eliminators (USA/So. Cal.)
Els A-phonics (Spain)
The Longboards (Spain)
The Volcanics (USA/So. Cal.)
The TomorrowMen (USA/Nor. Cal.)
Boss Fink (USA/So. Cal.)
MoonBase (USA/Atlanta, Ga.)
Paul Johnson and Friends
Jim Messina and the Jesters Tribute
SG101 Member’s Jam

Garden Grove Elks Lodge #1952
11551 Trask Avenue
Garden Grove, Ca. 92843
(714) 534-0226

Doors open at 9am, music begins at 10am and runs to 8pm. Cost is $30 at the door. The Elks Lodge is an all-ages, family friendly venue that will have food and beverage available all day!

In addition to the music we’ll have vendors selling surf music and surf related items. Check out these raffle items thanks to our generous sponsors:

An Eastwood Guitar
A Fender Strat courtesy of Paul “ColtsSurf” Wayne
A Nocturne guitar effects pedal
Items from Caveman Music, Dionysus Records, Double Crown Records
A DVD and T-Shirt from Reverb Junkies
CDs, shirts, and merchandise from the various bands
D’Addario Accessory Bundle
Surfy Bear FET Reverb Kit
Much, much more!

For more information please see the Facebook Event Page

Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce presents a JTiki Party taking place on July 31, 2015 at the Joshua Tree Chamber headquarters from 5pm-8:30pm, featuring food, drinks, a “best Hawaiian shirt” contest and Dionysus Records / LuxuriaMusic’s DJ Lee Joseph. $10 suggested donation.

Dionysus Records proudly announces the official release of Hi-Desert artists Jesika von Rabbit and Voodoo Organist new Dionysus LPs on color vinyl with free digital download codes!

Jesika von Rabbit “Journey Mitchell” – first pressing of 500 on clear vinyl with digital download code – available here or get it from Amazon or your favorite record store!

Voodoo Organist “Organ Voodoo” first pressing of 500 on red vinyl with digital download code – available here or get it from Amazon or your favorite record store!

This past year has been a wild ride for Philly rockers Thorazine, who re-emerged onto the hardcore scene after a decade-long hiatus. Like any rebirth, there was lots of kicking and screaming—the best kind. A new rehearsal space introduced the band to a great space where they could road test new material and put a bright shine on their classics. And new bassist Dan Hoover (or just “h00v3r) continued to bring his inventive high-energy style to the band. Rogan and guitarist Elliot Taylor’s two sons were often on hand for weekend rehearsals—because why have the coolest parents ever if you can’t be part of the legend!

Lead vocalist Jo-Ann Rogan and Drummer Dallas Cantland were honored to be contributors to Loud! Fast! Philly! (an aural history of the Philadelphia Hardcore Scene). Rogan’s interview for that piece got the band some extra traction with an appearance in MAXIMUMROCKNROLL, where Thorazine was showcased for the first time since the ‘90s. In May 2015, The Runout featured a great interview with Rogan titled “The Rebirth of Thorazine,” where she talks about the band’s re-emergence, the challenges of being a mom in a touring punk band, and the band’s upcoming West Coat Tour (more on those show dates below!).
Thorazine brought their energy back to the studio to record 4 new songs (Boys, Never Gonna Be Alright, Stumble and Fall, and The End). Never Gonna Be Alright appears on Punk Aid 4: Autism Speaking—an international punk compilation on Evacuate Records—with proceeds going to the Autism Science Foundation, promoting continued research into the causes and treatment of autism. The compilation, featuring top punk acts from across the globe, will be released in late 2015.

A sampling of the band’s tracks from the 90s to the present—Stumble and Fall, Unabomber Love, Ignorant, Trophy Girl, and On the Outside—can be heard and downloaded online at Reverbnation. Stumble and Fall, along with Thorazine’s entire back catalog, is available on iTunes. Stay plugged in—a new Thorazine video is planned for late 2015!
Gigging around Philly, Thorazine has appeared at The Fire, North Star Bar, and at Tobacco Avenue in Lancaster, PA. The band kept busy this spring with New York appearances at The Grand Victory in Brooklyn and at Bowery Electric in Manhattan, and kicked off Summer 2015 at the Punk Island festival on June 21^st in Staten Island, all of which were huge successes!
Thorazine gets back in the van this summer for an exciting 10-day tour of the West Coast from L.A. to Canada! If you’re near any of these venues, be sure to check them out!
AUGUST 2015 WEST COAST TOUR

Aug 1 – Tour Kick Off in Philly at The Fire

Aug 14 @ Café Nela in Los Angeles, CA
Aug 15 @ The Stork Club in Oakland, CA

Aug 16 @ The Caravan Lounge in San Jose, CA
Aug 18 @ Club 66 in Ashland, OR

Aug 19 @ Ash Street Saloon in Portland OR
Aug 20 @ El Corazon in Seattle, WA

Aug 21 @ Funky Winkerbeans in Vancouver, BC
Aug 22 @ [venue TBA] in Whistler, BC

FOLLOW THORAZINE!

You can keep up with the band’s latest dates, releases, and highlights online at http://thorazine.org, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thorazinephilly and by following them on Twitter @thorazinephilly

 Jesika von Rabbit and Voodoo Organist celebrate the release of their new Dionysus albums  at Pappy & Harriet’s and BAR in July

Thursday, July 9, 9 PM at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown:
53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown, CA 92268, (760) 365-5956 www.pappyandharriets.com
Tickets at this link
Saturday, July 11,  10 PM at BAR in Palm Springs:
340 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (760) 537-7337 www.barwastaken.com

Dionysus Records announces the release of two hi-desert area artists on vinyl: Jesika von Rabbit ”Journey Mitchell” (Dionysus Records ID1233164) and Voodoo Organist “Organ Voodoo” (Dionysus Records ID1233160). Both artists will celebrate the release of their albums at the renown Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown on Thursday, July 9, and at BAR in downtown Palm Springs on Saturday, July 11. Albums and other merchandise will be available at both shows.

Winner of Best Front Woman at the 2015 Coachella Valley Weekly (CV Weekly) Music Awards, Jesika von Rabbit along with Todd Rutherford formed cult favorite Gram Rabbit releasing several well-received albums, netting a long list of television and film licensees, and playing successful string of shows including a main stage appearance at Coachella. Taking a break from Gram Rabbit and armed with a stockpile of songs celebrating her love of electronics, von Rabbit has created and released her first solo album;, a playful, poppy, and psychedelic ‘adult theme park-pop’ experience titled ”Journey Mitchell”.

“… Part pop princess parody, part desert gypsy, Jesika takes us on a strange trip. Journey Mitchell, is laden with new wave influenced synths, keyboard melodics and infectious dance beats… Jesika von Rabbit wants to penetrate and disturb you. The undercurrent of Gothic industrial baselines, ghostly echoes and Jesika’s hallowing voice, leaves resin in your system that will bewitch you long after the music fades.”- Coachella Magazine

“Organ Voodoo” is the exotic, hypnotic, erotic, and rhapsodic ninth album by Scott Wexton a/k/a Voodoo Organist in which he leaves behind the rough-edged blues, rock, punk, goth and vaudevillian industrial sounds of previous releases and sails into the seductive Space Age sounds of exotica. The album is influenced by his love of exotica, lounge, and space-age pop music and was inspired by artists such as Sir Julian, Enoch Light, and Martin Denny (who he shares a birthday with).

In the mid ’90s Wexton left his Detroit home for the Music City—Nashville, TN—to work with Amphetamine Reptile noise legends Today Is the Day. He eventually moved to California and ended up in the Mojave Desert. He began performing as the Voodoo Organist in 2001, has self-released several albums, and played over 800 shows nationwide to the delight of fans and press.

The first run of von Rabbit’s LP is pressed on clear vinyl and includes a vinyl only bonus track. The first run of Voodoo Organist’s LP is pressed on red vinyl. Both contain a free digital download. Dionysus Records is distributed by ILD www.ildistro.com.