Brian Lacy

LIVE REVIEW: THE PRETTY RECKLESS AT THE WILTERN

For quite a while now, The Pretty Reckless have been a really great rock band. One of those bands that has not gotten the due they deserve. Now five albums deep and showing all the signs of a well oiled rock band, they arrived in Los Angeles on sizzling Friday July 31, 2006 to a sold out Wiltern Theater.

At 9:00 the lights went down and a roaring crowd got louder and louder as Logan Nickolic (guitar), Jaime Perkins (drums), Mark Damon (bass) and the absolutely underrated Ben Phillips (lead guitar) took the stage. Then one of the loudest indoor audience pops I’ve heard in a long time exploded as singer Taylor Momsen hit the stage. Without a second more to wait, The Pretty Reckless stormed into a stirring performance of “Death By Rock And Roll.” The next batch of songs went back to their first two albums and upped the stakes of the evening. Just as you thought it was going to hit a more mellow tone in the set, the fantastic and heavy “For I Am Death” made the walls of the Wiltern seem like they were shaking. The onslaught of great rock continued with bangers “When I Wake Up” and Love Me” both and the former from the new album, Dear God.

Then came the moment when the show went for a more solemn tone as “Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)” was played. It’s one of those songs that when you know what it’s about, really hits different. Then the vibe picked up with the title track off the record as well as two more songs from the new album. Then came a trifecta of absolute unbridled rock with “Make Me Wanna Die,” Heaven Knows,” and “Going To Hell.” Each of these songs had the crowd eating out of the bands hands. The fun jamming during the songs really helped to showcase the band as great players and how damn good they are. The way the crowd sang back at the right moments was astounding. For the encore the very melodic rocking song “About You” was played with special guest guitarist Pat Smear.

The Pretty Reckless are truly a great band that deserve more recognition for being a great rock band. They have a no frills approach to their music and songs that makes the music speak for itself. Taylor Momsen has a terrific rock n roll voice and can wail like the best of them! The band definitely needs more recognition as well. One of the tightest bands I’ve heard and seen. Each plays with a vigor that emits heavy rock. Ben Phillips especially needs to be on the lists for rock guitar players!! The Pretty Reckless are here and are guaranteed to put on one hell of a great rock show!

Overall Rating: 9/10

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

The Pretty Reckless Setlist:

01) Death By Rock And Roll
02) Since You’re Gone
03) Follow Me Down
04) Miss Nothing
05) For I Am Death
06) When I Wake Up
07) Love Me
08) Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)
09) Dear God
10) Dark Days
11) Spell On You
12) Make Me Wanna Die
13) Heaven Knows
14) Going To Hell
ENCORE:
15) About You (with Pat Smear on Guitar)

The Pretty Reckless Photo Gallery:

LIVE REVIEW: BUSH AT VENTURA COUNTY FAIR

When the chance to see a band you’ve been into for well over thirty years in your “backyard,” you make that happen! On Wednesday night July 29, 2026 around 7:30pm at the Ventura County Fair, Bush took the stage set against the ocean and coastal backdrop of Ventura, California.

Opening the set was the always fun and classic “Machinehead.” Personally I’ve always thought this song has a great impact and energy to be a choice opening song. Then came “Bullet Holes” one of their newer songs from excellent album, The Kingdom. This is another great riff song and you might have heard it in John Wick 3! Next up was from their most recent album, the quite good, I Beat Loneliness, the anthemic “We’re All The Same On The Inside.” It was funny to watch crowd go absolutely silent because they weren’t familiar with these songs. Pretty much anything after Razorblade Suitcase was the cut off point for probably 99% of the crowd. Yes, myself and friend/podcast co-host Justin were the 1% that DID know these songs. Then back to a song some knew in “The Chemicals Between Us.” If you haven’t listened to the underrated The Science Of Things album, you should change that. The Land Of Milk And Honey” was next off their new album. This one was quite the live song that really upped the level than the studio version. From there a large crowd pop hit as the heavy distorted intro riff of “Everything Zen” launched like a rocket. Followed by two more newer really solidly good tracks from The Art Of Survival. “Identity” and “May Your Love Be Pure. A fun sing-along with the crowd came with “Glycerince.” I know that songs is super played out but, when you see it played live and the crowd sings it really loud back, that truly shows how timeless it is.

The next five songs were all from their latest three albums The Kingdom, The Art Of Survival and I Beat Loneliness. “Heavy Is The Ocean” is a fantastic song. While it is a track one (from The Art Of Survival), putting it in the latter part of the set was a real treat. “More Than Machines,” “Human Sand” and “Flowers On A Grave” rocked with the latter song leading Gavin from the stage all the way to the bleachers to sing with the crowd. Closing out the main set was “I Beat Loneliness” and if you haven’t heard this song, thats another one to rectify. What a song and what a way to end that part of the set. After a short breather, Gavin returned to the stage alone to begin a solo version of the classic “Swallowed” from my all time favorite Bush album, Razorblade Suitcase. The new arrangement adds to the already “heavy” nature of the song. To end the night out were classic crowd favorites “Little Things” and Comedown.” The latter of which has become quite the end of the show song with extended bridges and outros that show off how terrific the band of Chris Traynor, Corey Britz and Nik Hughes are.

Bush is still one hell of a live band. They are still putting out quality albums and songs that deserve your attention. I’m not kidding. Go check out the three newest albums, and you can thank me later. Even now as I write this, It’s still a bit of a trip to have seen Bush at the Ventura Fair. Gavin Rossdale sounds amazing. His voice like him hasn’t aged! The amount of energy he’s had from the beginning to now is passionate. One of the things about Bush now that I really like is that they don’t rest on the nostalgia of the band. As you can see there are only a handful of classic songs played and the majority was all new. And when you have albums and songs like they have put out the past few years, it’s best to keep it that way. I look forward to what comes next from Gavin, Chris, Corey and Nik.

Overall Rating: A

Overall Rating For The Crowd: C_ People need to actually care about the band you are seeing live!

Review/Photos By: Brian Lacy

BUSH SETLIST:

01) Machinehead
02) Bullet Holes
03) We’re All The Same On The Inside
04) The Chemicals Between Us
05) The Land Of Milk And Honey
06) Everything Zen
07) Identity
08) May Your Love Be Pure
09) Glycerine
10) Heavy Is The Ocean
11) More Than Machines
12) Human Sand
13) Flowers On A Grave
14) I Beat Loneliness
ENCORE:
15) Swallowed
16) Little Things
17) Comedown

BUSH PHOTO GALLERY:

SHOW PREVIEW: THE COBALT PRESENTS- 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PT. 1

For the past five years, it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of the new Cobalt Cafe. What started off as a one off to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Cobalt in 2021, has turned into five fantastic years of The Cobalt Presents. While the old Cobalt is closed, “Cobalt” Dave and I found a new way to make it feel like you are there still. These three anniversary shows take place at two of the venues we’ve been able to make into a new Cobalt, (so to speak) when we are there, Corbin Bowl in Tarzana and Hotel Ziggy in Hollywood.

Part 1 of The Cobalt Presents Five Year Anniversary shows takes place on Saturday July 11 at Corbin Bowl/Bar10 At Corbin. We have a lineup of 6 great bands that are from way back and new bands that have become mainstays in this new era.

Opening the show is Scrawny Ratz. These youngsters bring a renewed sense of fun and energy to their music. Mixing metal, punk and a bit of extreme music, Scrawny Ratz are the perfect band to open this show.

Next up is Diverted Dissonance. This is a special band for the evening as it’s a mashup of two bands, The Infinity Project and Tantalus. This is going to be a very rocking and melodic set. The Infinity Project has really come into their own as an original band.

Madam Bombs are one of the most fun young bands out there. Their progression over the last few years is astounding. This three piece rock band that mixes punk, garage rock, and tinges of metal and alternative. The influences and inspiration for these ladies is endless and it shines through their songs. If you don’t see em, you’re missing out!

Lava Diva are early 90’s alt rock and were part of the OG scene back in the day. Not only that, they are Cobalt alum. Four years ago at our First Anniversary show, we got Lava Diva to reunite and it’s been awesome since. Be sure to check out their collaboration with Madam Bombs called “Daybreak.”

The mighty MAL! These long time alt rock vets are one of the hardest working bands out there. A live show and performance that feels like it’s a time warp from the psychedelic era and the peak of 90’s rock. A three piece band that packs quite the punch.

Closing out the night is Macro. If you’re into prog rock mixed with a bit of jazz and jam rock, this is the band for you. After so many badass rock bands, having Macro send it out is quite perfect!

So don’t miss out!! Tickets at $10! That’s right TEN BUCKS (CA$H AT THE DOOR)!!

SHOW IS ALL AGES!!!

DOORS AT 7:00PM!

AUDIOECLECTICA RESEQUENCES: METALLICA- LOAD & RELOAD

NEW TOPIC ALERT!!!!

Audioeclectica and Sinister Reviews bring you a very exciting new topic all about, Resequncing The Album. We’ve all listened to albums that feel like songs are out of place or should be higher/lower in the track listing, even the way some songs start and end and what they go into. 

So with that in mind, Audioeclectica has joined up with Sinister Reviews to not just resequence but also combine Metallica’s albums Load and Reload. Both of us have spent a lot of time listening to these two underrated albums to bring you a definitive listening experience. This new version of the album is truly fantastic. It’s one of those that makes you realize if you’re hated on these two, you surely were missing out on great songs and music. 30 years for Load and 29 for Reload, have made them age like fine wine or scotch. The epic is even more epic now, and even the couple songs that people were not into, you’ll hear them differently now.

Without waiting anymore, enjoy the Audioeclectica Resequence of Load and Reload by Metallica. We like to call it…

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THE AUDIOECLECTICA PODCAST: EPISODE 21- SIDE PROJECTS

Here we are at episode 21 now for The Audioeclectica Podcast! What a fun episode this one is. Episode 21 is all about side projects. I love a good side project as it gets to explore other ideas and concepts that might not otherwise be a part of the main band. On this episode we talk about a multitude of projects like The Black Queen, Down, Puscifer, Chino from Deftones many projects, Mike Patton’s many projects, Mad Season, The Smile from Radiohead’s Thom and Jonny, and so many more! So find yourself your favorite place to stream and listen away! Let us know what your favorite side project is!

The Audioeclectica Podcast- Episode 21: Side Projects:

Other Streaming Options:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/luckystarradio/audioeclectica-21-side-projects

Credits:

Host: Brian Lacy (Audioeclectica)
Co-Host: Justin Sinclair (Sinister Reviews)

Recorded and Produced By: Brian Lacy

Recorded At: The Playroom Studios
Co-Produced and Edited By: Diggy Kat

Intro Music: Brian Lacy (And The Streets Were Silent)


Background Music: Vufcup

Distributed By: Lucky Star Radio

THE AUDIOECLECTICA PODCAST: EPISODE 20- COMEBACK ALBUMS

It’s been a minute since there was a new Audioeclectica Podcast episode! And here we are now, a year into the all new Audioeclectica Podcast. Can’t believe it’s been a year already. This episode is our “Don’t Call It A Comeback Episode- Comeback Albums”

On this episode myself (Brian) and my co-host Justin, get into the nitty gritty of bands and their comeback albums. We discuss albums by Alice In Chains, Failure, Neurosis, Poison The Well, The Smashing Pumpkins, At The Gates, Faith No More, Soundgarden and so many more.

Grab your favorite spot and sit back for an hour while we get into all the fun!

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ALBUM REVIEW: FAILURE- LOCATION LOST

The idea of making an “album” these days seems to escape most bands. While so many are so focused on the quick song or short attention span fans, Failure have returned with their seventh album, Location Lost, and remind everyone why making an album is so important. 

Location Lost is an album that shows Failure at a vulnerable and fragile state that draws from personal, societal trauma and issues. When you put this album on and the crisp sound comes bellowing out of your speakers, it’s a passionate and deep presence felt. There truly is magic between the music created by Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott. Each brings in a unique batch of influences and styles thus creating a tour de force of music and art. 

Across nine songs and forty minutes, Failure does what they do best, rock! The album opens with “Crash Test Delayed” a delicate space rock song that incorporates the bands early post punk/new wave influences. For a moment you can feel like it’s 1986 but, then realize it’s 2026. “The Rising Skyline” is a beautiful mellow-dramatic piece. The collaboration with Hayley Williams is the perfect choice. Her vocals on the second verse and then intertwined with Ken and Greg’s voices, is stunning! “Solid State” picks up the energy and glistens like a twinkling star. “The Air’s On Fire” is a gem. It’s one of those songs that makes you turn up the volume. You know where too. “Halo And Grain” strikes you with a grabbing bass line that lets you glide into quite the melodic treat. “Someday Soon” is another in the post punk/new wave song, with a sweet twist of melody and delicate pulsating rhythm. The title track “Location Lost” is another treat. It has an almost Magnified era vibe to it as well. “A Way Down” is going to be a classic in the bands catalog. There’s such a fun to this song that it really makes you want to play this one while “taking a ride, with your best friend.” Closing this album is “Moonlight Understands.” The unfolding subtleness allows you to drift along into a fuzzy state that leaves you contemplative.

For those that are new to Failure, this album might not grab you at first. Stay with it though as everything you enjoy about Failure is here in this album. As I mentioned earlier, their post punk/new wave influences shine throughout. Even the production of the album pulls from some of those early albums. If you have a really great set of headphones, put them on while listening. You’ll get a whole other listen out of it. It has been talked about that this could be the final album for the band. If so, it’s a real delight to hear the honesty and passion of Ken, Greg and Kellii. I sincerely hope there is more to come from Failure. For now though, Location Lost has now been found with Failure. 

Overall Rating: A

By: Brian Lacy

FAILURE- LOCATION LOST:

AUDIOECLECTICA INTERVIEWS: RYAN STUBER (TREDICI, ex SHUVEL)

This is quite a fun and exciting interview to present to you all. It’s with great excitement that Audioeclectica shares this very in depth interview with Ryan Stuber from the band Tredici. You might also know Ryan from the band Shuvel, and if you’ve been to the Roxy Theatre in the last fifteen plus years, you saw Ryan there as he was the manager! We go into all the details of Shuvel, their time on Ozzfest 2000, tour stories, time working at the Roxy, musical projects through the years leading up to his new band, Tredici. So, get to your favorite place to listen, grab your favorite beverage and listen to this great interview with Audioeclectica and Ryan.

AUDIOECLECTICA INTERVIEWS: RYAN STUBER (Tredici, ex Shuvel):

OTHER LISTENING OPTIONS:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/luckystarradio/audioeclectica-18-shuvel-tredici-ryan-stuber

CREDITS:
Host: Brian Lacy (Audioeclectica)
Co-Host- Justin Sinclair (Sinister Reviews)

Interviewee: Ryan Stuber of Tredici

Background Music: Vufcup

Distributed By: Lucky Star Radio

TREDICI’S LATEST SINGLE- BUTTERFLIES:

AUDIOECLECTICA INTERVIEWS: JOHN BUSH

I’m very excited to bring you this interview. A few weeks back myself (Brian) along with my podcast co-host and friend Justin, had the opportunity to interview John Bush of Armored Saint/Category 7/ex Anthrax. We talk about growing up in Los Angeles at a very interesting time, Armored Saint, joining Anthrax and working with them, and of course, the John Bush plays Anthrax shows! Thank you John for taking the time! What a great show it was too! Our recap of The Whisky A Go Go show is here too! If you get the chance when it comes through, go see John Bush play his era of Anthrax songs. Seriously, it’s so damn good!!! Now, enjoy the interview below!!

Audioeclectica Interviews: John Bush:

STREAM THE INTERVIEW WITH OTHER OPTIONS BELOW:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/luckystarradio/audioeclectica-17-john-bush

SHOPPING WITH AUDIOECLECTICA: CD TRADER- TARZANA, CA

Who doesn’t love a good shopping excursion?! Especially when the store more often than not has what you want, need, and probably shouldn’t buy. Any excuse for me to go to stores like that is a no brainer. On this shopping with Audioeclectica trip, we venture to Tarzana, CA in the San Fernando Valley to, CD Trader.

CD Trader has been in business for over 30 years and is one of the largest record stores in the greater Los Angeles area. They have quite the large selection of CD’s, vinyl, cassettes, DVD/Blu-Ray, and then some that will keep you busy as you search the aisles and shelves. Seriously, you could spend a lot of time in this store. The vinyl section is filled with quality new and used releases. Each section is organized by genre and stored well. The vinyl area has vinyl on the top and bottom to search and there are a lot to go through. The 7” section is a fun one to search through as here you’ll find some interesting gems. The walls surrounding the store are filled with choice picks from first pressings to autographed copies and some that will make you want to say “it’s only money.” The DVD/Blu-Ray section takes up a good half the store on against the surrounding walls. If you are a physical media person like myself, you’ll definitely want to stock up on movies here. This section is always full of great films and movies be it a silly one for $3 or the newest release for a good price. There is always something to find in this section even if you weren’t originally looking for it. And who can forget their CD section. Lots of choices and good prices for the used ones. The prices throughout the store are good and fair. Their long running stamp card program will get you a few dollars discount once filled. That’s always a handy thing to have! Parking is great too. There are plenty of spots up front and behind the building. CD Trader is a big and bright store that you can see what you are looking at. And on those hot summer valley days, the A/C works well! Another fun thing about this store is their community bulletin board. You’ll find out about a lot of great local events on here including Cobalt Presents shows!

I can spend a lot of time at CD Trader digging around for things on my list and the random things that aren’t. There is a lot good about this store but, that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. The vinyl section, as good as it is, can be a bit tough to search through at times. There are a lot of albums on the bottom shelves and while they are in alphabetical order, they aren’t very well sorted and organized by band. Also, if it’s busy in the store and section, it feels like you are being stepped on when searching the bottom rows. I do have a few ideas on how to make this work better along with an organizing it a certain way (I’m more than happy to share with the owner/manager). Sometimes when you’re shopping, the in store music choices that are played are pretty strange thus making for a bit of a weird trip to the shop. And this part doesn’t apply to all that work here but, there are a couple people that work at CD Trader that have an “elitist” vibe. It’s mainly only when you are checking out and the guy or guys give your purchase “that look” or a little off handed comment.

All in all though, CD Trader is a great store with good prices, a solidly good selection and best of all, it’s local and independent! The next time you are in the valley, stop by CD Trader and tell them Brian from Audioeclectica sent you!

By: Brian Lacy

CD Trader Info:

18926 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356

http://www.cdtradertarzana.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cdtrader/?hl=en