From Sweden with tough love … Opeth performs tonight at Fox Theater in Pomona

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Opeth

With: Katatonia

Where: Fox Theater, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona

When: Doors open 7 tonight; show starts at 8:15 p.m.

Cost: $36.65

Information: www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000; www.foxpomona.com

POMONA – Swedish progressive metal band Opeth will bring its wide-ranging sound that includes jazz, blues and folk elements to the Fox Theater tonight.

The group’s 2008 album “Watershed” was voted the No. 1 album of the year in Metal Edge magazine and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard charts.

Their latest album “Heritage” was released in September and reached No. 19 on the Billboard charts.

In an interview on the band’s website, lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt described the process of putting out an album.

“It’s a slightly old school idea but when we put out a record there are no `key songs,”‘ Akerfeldt said. “It’s the album that matters. We’ll never have a `hit single.’ By no means would I want one song to be more important than another. We always put out an album and I personally enjoy listening to entire records. That is the kind of art that I like. I like bands with strong albums as opposed to just a couple of strong songs.”

Swedish band Katatonia also takes the stage tonight. The group’s last album was 2009’s “Night is the New Day.”


Veteran hitmakers Hiroshima visit Playhouse tonight


Hiroshima, who have sold more than three million albums worldwide with their smooth jazz fusion sound, will headline the Lewis Family Playhouse tonight.

Hiroshima is known for hits like 1979’s “Roomful of Mirrors,” off their self-titled debut album, and 1985’s “One Wish” off the gold-selling album “Another Place.”

Meanwhile, their 1987 album “Go” earned the group a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album and topped the contemporary jazz chart for three months.

In an interview, Dan Kuramoto, Hiroshima’s leader and producer, described how the band achieves its sound.

“We’ve always stood apart from other instrumental groups of our time by taking the graceful classical sound of the koto and experimenting with

Hiroshima

Where: Lewis Family Playhouse at Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga

When: 8 tonight

Cost: $28 to $35

Information:www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com/index.php or 909-477-2752 or 877-858-8422

varying American musical idioms around that,” Kuramoto said. “We create musically a cross-commentary about a multitude of cultures that comes from our backgrounds as Asian Americans growing up in a racially diverse America.”

Attention heavy metal fans: Judas Priest to rock San Manuel Saturday

 56149-judaspriest-thumb-300x212-56148.jpgJudas Priest Epitaph Tour
With: Black Label Society and Thin Lizzy
Where: San Manuel Amphitheater, 2575 Glen Helen Parkway, Devore
When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $16.50 to $122.65
Information: www.livenation.com or 800-745-3000
By Wes Woods II 
Staff Writer 
The Judas Priest Epitaph Tour with guests Black Label Society and Thin Lizzy makes a stop at the San Manuel Amphitheater on Saturday.
The Birmingham, England heavy metal band Judas Priest is known for classic metal songs like 1982’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin,'” off the album “Screaming for Vengeance,” as well as 1980’s “Breaking the Law” and “Living after Midnight” off the album “British Steel.” 
Judas Priest will perform without founding guitarist K.K. Downing, who retired in April, but British guitarist Richie Faulkner will play in his place.
In a 2008 interview, Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton talked about the band’s just-released album “Nostradamus.”
“The ‘Nostradamus’ album – above all others – is perhaps the one I’m most proud of,” Tipton said. “Whilst in essence and character still very much Judas Priest, it has afforded the opportunity to explore areas of classical and operatic dimensions that the band normally wouldn’t.” 
Opening for Judas Priest on Saturday are the Zakk Wylde-fronted heavy metal band Black Label Society and Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy.

Stagecoach lineup features Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (full news release)

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Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton will headline this year’s three-day Stagecoach country music festival in Indio. 

The dates are April 21, April 28 and April 29 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio. 
The full news release is below:

“STAGECOACH: CALIFORNIA‘S COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR THREE DAYS OF MUSIC; FRIDAY, APRIL 27TH, SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH AND SUNDAY, APRIL 29TH

 

BRAD PAISLEY, JASON ALDEAN , MIRANDA LAMBERT AND BLAKE SHELTON TO HEADLINE


Los Angeles, CA-OCTOBER 20, 2011-The STAGECOACH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL returns for the 6th year with the addition of a third day of musicThe festival proudly welcomes Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.  Stagecoach 2012 also features Alabama, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Chris Isaak, The Band Perry, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, The Mavericks reunion and more.

 

The STAGECOACH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL POWERED BY TOYOTA takes place at the Empire Polo Club in IndioCalifornia on Friday, April 27th, Saturday, April 28th and Sunday, April 29th.  

 

Tickets go on sale Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM PDT atSTAGECOACHFESTIVAL.COM.  Three-day weekend passes start at $149 for a limited time and layaway options are available. The festival also offers reserved seating, camping and RV packages.  For a complete breakdown of available ticketing and onsite camping/RV options, please visit www.stagecoachfestival.com.  Children 10 and under will be admitted for free.

 

The STAGECOACH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012 line up is as follows (as of 10/20/2011): 

Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Alabama, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, The Mavericks, Sara Evans, The Band Perry, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Chris Isaak, Justin Moore, The Jayhawks, Eli Young Band, The JaneDear Girls, The Del McCoury Band, Brett Eldredge, Aaron Lewis, Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, Uncle Monk, JD Crowe & The New South, Sara Watkins, Sunny Sweeney, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, The Unforgiven, Greensky Bluegrass, Split Lip Rayfield, Elizabeth Cook, JD Souther, Old Man Markley.

 

STAGECOACH is produced by Goldenvoice and The Messina Group”

Kyuss Lives! Saturday at Fox Theater in Pomona

Kyuss Lives! with The Sword, Chuck Dukowski Sextet, Monstro
Where: Fox Theater, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona
When: Doors open 7 p.m. Saturday; show starts at 8 p.m. 
Cost: $28.50 or $30 plus fees
Information: www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000; Glass House Record Store, 248 W. Second St., Pomona or 909-865-3802.
By Wes Woods II
Staff Writer
POMONA – Stoner rock/metal band Kyuss Lives! will be a reunion of sorts when they perform Saturday at the Fox Theater in Pomona.
The band, which used to be known as the Palm Desert based Kyuss, started in 1989 when group members Brant Bjork, Josh Homme and John Garcia were in high school.
While Homme, famously with Queens of the Stone Age, is not touring original Kyuss guitarist and former Queens member Nick Oliveri is. 
During the group’s run, Garcia was the vocalist and the group made five albums with their most well known record “……And The Circus Leaves Town” gaining MTV airplay after being released in October 1995.
The band broke up three months after their last album.
During the June 2010 Hellfest France music festival, Garcia was touring under the name “Garcia plays Kyuss” and Oliveri and Bjork joined him onstage which led to the current reunion.
In a June video interview with FaceCulture at www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=SHwNhrBr5mo, Oliveri said he was looking forward to the reunion.
“It started out as lets do 20 shows together,” Oliveri said in the five-part video series. He was asked what Homme had thought about the reunion. 
“We still stay in contact but I know he is very busy.” 
Oliveri said ultimately Kyuss was everyone’s band.
“It’s not ours. It belongs to the people coming to these shows. If they want us to come out and play, and want us to do it, we’ll still do it.”

The Rapture and Poolside perform tonight at the Glass House

The Rapture and Poolside
Where: Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona
When: 7 p.m. 
Cost: $20
Information: www.ticketfly.com or 877- 435-9849; Glass House Record Store, 248 W. Second St., Pomona or 909-865-3802.
By Wes Woods II
Staff Writer
POMONA – The Rapture’s brand of New York disco punk will be featured tonight at the Glass House.
The group features Gabriel Andruzzi, Luke Jenner and Vito Roccoforte.
Their latest album is “In The Grace Of Your Love,” which was released on DFA Records, the home of their first album “Echoes.”
DFA founders James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Tim Goldsworthy produced the group’s first album.
In 2006, the Village Voice asked Jenner about how indie-rock seems to be about MP3 blogs and bands who have a three-month career. 
“I think that just comes from the nature of when you download music for free or not for free, you don’t have a hard copy of it, and you might just erase it off your computer,” Jenner said. “I got really into Uriah Heep a while ago, and I don’t have any of their songs on my computer anymore; I can’t find them. You’re just digesting things so fast. When you have to go to a record store and buy a record, you’re invested in a way different way. You might not listen to it for a year and then listen to it every day for a month.”
Poolwave’s Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise used to be in the hardwave group the Calculators with The Rapture’s Jenner and Roccoforte. 
Meanwhile, Nikolic plays bass in the group Ima Robot.
Poolwave is working on the debut album but are known for the single “Do You Believe?”