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Show your love for live music this Valentine's Day.
Fans have been looking forward to this event for months, and now it’s almost here. The Second Annual Valentine’s Ball takes place this weekend with a concert on Saturday February 13 featuring the legendary Frantic Flintstones (UK), The Swampy’s (Belgium), Mad Marge and the Stonecutters (Victorville), Stellar Corpses (Santa Cruz), and Dr. Bizarro’s Victims (San Fernando Valley).
There will also be a meet and greet with Frantic Flintstones and some of the other bands at Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz on Thursday February 11th at 10 PM, and an in-store at Red Zone in the Panorama City Mall on Friday February 12th at 6 PM (see the bottom of this article for details on all these related events).
Much of the anticipation is due to the headliner: Frantic Flintstones is one of those legendary UK 1980s psychobilly bands that appeals to fans who have been into this music for decades as well as people who are newer to the scene and just discovering the innovators of the genre. Members throughout the years have also played with The Meteors, Morrissey, and Guana Batz, among other famous rockabilly/psychobilly bands. Check out their MySpace page for an entertaining history of all the line-up changes – and drugs/booze – this band has gone through. Don’t miss this chance to see Frantic Flintstones, since you never know when they’ll make it back to LA again.
Click here to see which songs you recognize on their MySpace page.
Another big draw is long-awaited reunion of Mad Marge & the Stonecutters, a band that formed in 2004 but took some time off from touring recently. Fans were treated to an early reunion in early January at the House of Blues show featuring Nekromantix, but for many fans Saturday night will be the first time they see the band back together. Mad Marge & the Stonecutters are fiercely independent with a ‘defy the status quo’ attitude that allows them to deliver loud, fast, in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll with a driving upright bass and ferocious female vocals. You don’t want to miss their highly-anticipated return. Besides, don’t you want to know what type of music comes out of Victorville?
Click here for their MySpace page and find out why they support the "We Won't Pay to Play" organization.
The Swampy’s are another 1980s European psychobilly trio who has opened for The Meteors, Krewmen, and Batmobile, among other legendary acts. Twenty years later, they’re back with a new line-up and ready to hit the touring circuit again. Hopefully, after the show I’ll know how they got that name and why that apostrophe is there.
Click here for more info on The Swampy’s.
Make sure you show up early, because Stellar Corpses really gives you a show to remember. Musically, they offer an unclassifiable mix of punk, horror, psychobilly, roots rockabilly, surf, goth, death rock, and metal. Anthemic tunes like “Leave a Stellar Corpse” will have you pumping your fist in the air, singing along, and throwing yourself into that pit, acting out the chorus’ mantra of “live fast, die young, and leave a stellar corpse.” The subjects of their lyrics are like a lesson in pop culture trivia, with references to the Heaven’s Gate suicide, cult horror flicks like “Cemetery Man,” and a psychobilly remake of Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight” (which turns into “Stalking After Midnight”).
Click here to read a review of a recent show at the Gilman, or here to listen to their tunes on MySpace.
I encourage you to actually get to the show on time in order to support the only truly local band on the set, Dr. Bizarro’s Victims, from San Fernando Valley. Are you suffering from Halloween withdrawal? I think this will probably be the band for you, with their taste for things weird, kooky, and eccentric.
Head over to see their MySpace page for a sense of just how weird.
This event is organized by Black Cat Entertainment, the same promoter that presents The Hollywood Showdown each year (for ten years now). I got a chance to talk to Black Cat’s owner, Rich, and it’s clear that he loves providing fun and entertaining events for fans of psychobilly, rockabilly, punk and 80s music. Click here to check out part 2 of this preview for selections from my interview with Rich.
COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS:
- 2nd Annual Valentine’s Ball
Saturday, February 13, 2010
6:00 PM to 2:00 AM
The Fox Theater
301 S. Garey Blvd., Pomona, CA 91766
All Ages
Cost: $25 at the door, or buy your tickets presale for a discount (click here to get into on the PayPal site or click here to see the flyer for ticket sale locations at stores across Southern California)
Preliminary schedule (subject to change):
Dr. Bizarro’s Victims (San Fernando Valley) – 6:30 PM
Stellar Corpses (Santa Cruz) – 7:30 PM
Mad Marge & The Stonecutters (Victorville) – 9:30 PM
The Swampy’s (Belguim) – 10:45
Coffin Case Fashion Show – 11:30 PM
Frantic Flintstones (UK) – 12:15 PM
All-star rockin’DJ’s spinning the best rockabilly, psychobilly, 80’s flashbacks before, in-between and after the bands: Rockin’Vic (RumbleBar, RABvs80s), Satoki (Batcave), DJ Eser (Rockit, Got80s, Klub Metro), Rockin’ Psycho (Special Events), Devil-One (Psychotonic), DJ Von Badsville (Spikes)
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PRE-BALL EVENTS:
- “Pre-Valentine’s Ball Party” at Psychotonic!
Meet and Greet the Frantic Flintstones and other Valentine’s Ball bands
Presented by Black Cat Entertainment
Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Bigfoot Lodge
3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90039
21 and over
Free
- In-store Appearance of bands playing the Valentine's Ball
Friday, February 12, 2010 at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Red Zone in Panorama City Mall
8401 Van Nuys Blvd., Panorama City, CA 91402
If you go to this event, please come back and leave a comment or email me about your experience!
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