derekx

Hard Summer was scheduled to be one of the biggest dance parties this year. Underworld, Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, and several others rounded out the line up. Little did anyone know, we were in for one disaster of a night.

The night started out in a cluster fuck. Thousands of confused fans circled The Forum in Inglewood, CA looking for entrances and will call pick up. With will-call being the only free option provided by Groovetickets and Ticketmaster, it showed to be a problem in itself, with hundreds of people lined up just to pick up their tickets. These problems were a mere glimpse of what was to come. 

The sets got off to a good start with Busy P spinning on the main stage as the crowd flowed in. Having Hard Summer at The Forum was a huge mistake. The set up inside the venue was a complete failure. There were 2 aisles dedicated for floor entry and another 2 for floor exit. As Crystal Castles started their lackluster set with overuse of feedback and Alice Glass’ obnoxious shriek the floor had reached capacity, leaving angered fans stuck in the aisles. This didn’t stop fans from finding a way down to the floor. With about a 15 foot drop between the seats and the floor, people started jumping over the railing. Security scrambled to clear the aisles and to stop the fans from jumping down. 

After Crystal Castles set, an unknown man on stage urged the crowd to settle down and find there way to a seat so that the music could continue. An hour had passed and the people in the sound booth began to pack up their equipment. This was a sure sign that this was being shut down. Riot police strapped with tear gas and batons filled the front of the floor and began to push the crowd back towards the exits. Hard Summer was officially over.

Gary Richards, the promoter of Hard, issued this statement via Twitter earlier today, “Full refund will be made available for those who purchased tickets to HARD SUMMER more info coming ASAP.”

 

It's August! Oh you took so long to come. This is going to be one of the most epic months of my life.

This is why,

Shooting Hard Summer this Saturday. I GET TO SEE UNDERWORLD! :D

Going to Six Flags in a week or two with my friends.

Seeing Depeche Mode 2 nights in a row at the Hollywood Bowl. Can you say awesome seats?!

Possibly and I'm still hoping I'll be shooting The Flaming Lips and Ghostland Observatory.

Warped Tour in Carson maybe?

 

So stoked! :D

What is everyone up to this month?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you mixed together all of your favorite hip hop and rock tracks, and everything else in-between? Your answer is, Girl Talk. How can you witness this? Find out ...

Hard Summer is back for the second year in a row with a star studded line up guaranteed to be the best dance party on the west coast. Featuring techno legends, Underworld, funky dance group Chromeo, those 2 Italians that have you dancing Day 'n' Nite, Crookers, the group that mixed 8-bit and electro, Crystal Castles, the duo that just makes you want to warp, The Bloody Beetroots and many many more. Details for you ...

I tried to remember every band I've seen and how many times I saw them. Yes, this took forever. I'm pretty sure I'm missing a ton.

1. AFI (7 times)
2. Tiger Army (7 times)
3. Bauhaus
4. The Cure (5 times)
5. 65 Days of Static (2 times)
6. Morrissey (4 times)
7. 12 Step Rebels (2 times)
8. The Faint (3 times)
9. Social Distortion
10. Death By Stereo
11. Avenged Sevenfold
12. A Static Lullaby
13. Coheed and Cambria
14. Take the Crown 
15. Dear and Departed
16. Saosin (2 times)
17. Tenacious D
18. F-Minus
19. Roger Miret and the Disasters
20. US Roughnecks
21. Odd Project
22. Thrice (3 times)
23. 30 Seconds to Mars
24. Cobra Starship (2 times)
25. Gym Class Heroes
26. The Fall of Troy (2 times)
27. Pistolita
28. Hellogoodbye
29. Jacks Mannequin
30. Murs
31. Horse the band
32. Sugarcult
33. Yellowcard
34. The Bled (2 times)
35. Van Stone
36. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
37. My American Heart
38. Escape the Fate (3 times)
39. Drop Dead, Gorgeous
40. Chris Conley
41. Big Japan
42. Cute is What We Aim For
43. The Street Dogs
44. Psyclon Nine
45. The Hangmen
46. xDEATHSTARx
47. Korn
48. Limp Bizkit (2 times)
49. Papa Roach
50. Black Sabbath
51. Moby
52. Incubus
53. Lit
54. Third Eye Blind
55. No Doubt
56. Cypress Hill
57. D12
58. Eminem
59. Stone Temple Pilots
60. Moving Units (2 times)
61. Darkest Hour (2 times)
62. Bleeding Through
63. Dead to Fall
64. The Acacia Strain
65. A Life Once Lost
66. Fight Paris
67. Zao
68. Brand New
69. Kristeen Young (2 times)
70. Himsa
71. The Offspring
72. Gone Without Trace
73. Tiesto
74. Red hot chili peppers
75. The Arcade Fire
76. Justice (5 times)
77. Peter Bjorn and John
78. !!!
79. Girl Talk
80. Hot Chip (3 times)
81. Fields
82. The Cribs
83. The Fratellis
84. Ozomatli
85. Busy P (5 times)
86. DJ Mehdi (2 times)
87. mewithoutYou (2 times)
88. Manchester Orchestra
89. Piebald
90. The Snake, The Cross, The Crown
91. SebastiAn (3 times)
92. Kavinsky (3 times)
93. Ratatat
94. Daft Punk
95. Kanye West (2 times)
96. DJ Howie Pyro
97. Blaqk Audio
98. Chromeo
99. Steve Aoki (3 times)
100. Spank Rock
101. DJ AM
102. Young Americans
103. Skeet Skeet
104. Mickey Avalon
105. Flosstradamus
106. Kid Sister
107. Amanda Blank
108. Crystal Castles (2 times)
109. Santo Gold
110. Dirty Nasty
111. Andre Legacy
112. The Funeral Party
113. Har Mar Superstar
114. Blake Miller
115. Royal Rumble
116. So Me
117. Mink
118. Bloc Party (2 times)
119. Satelite Party
120. Kinky
121. The Aggrolites
122. Turbonegro
123. Comedians of Comedy
124. Scissors for Lefty
125. The Deadly Syndrome
126. The Noisettes
127. The Pity Party
128. Bruce Perdew
129. Franki Chan
130. Nico Vega (2 times)
131. The Deadly Syndrome (2 times)
132. Passage
133. Minus The Bear (4 times)
134. Helio Sequence
135. Grand Archives
136. Thursday (3 times)
137. Portugal, The Man
138. Circle Takes the Square
139. Fancy
140. Diplo
141. From First to Last
142. Saves the Day
143. 7 Seconds
144. MxPx
145. Goldfinger
146. The Start
147. Hawthorne Heights
148. Chiodos
149. Hot Water Music
150. My Chemical Romance
151. The Bravery
152. Billy Talent (2 times)
153. Anti-Flag
154. Dear Life
155. Protest the Hero
156. Foxy Shazam
157. Lupe Fiasco
158. Rihanna
159. N.E.R.D.
160. Prince (2 times)
161. Holy Fuck
162. Cut Copy (3 times)
163. Midnight Juggernauts
164. Booka Shade
165. Stars
166. Death Cab for Cutie
167. Love and Rockets
168. Metric
169. Goldfrapp 
170. Boys Noize
171. Erol Alkan
172. Curses!
173. Orgasmic (2 times)
174. Surkin (4 times)
175. Para One (3 times)
176. Uffie
177. Simian Mobile Disco (2 times)
178. The Verve
179. Aphex Twin
180. Kraftwerk
181. Portishead
182. Perry Farrell
183. Gogol Bordello (3 times)
184. Modeselektor
185. Tegan and Sara
186. An Horse
187. IO Echo
188. Does it Offend You, Yeah?
189. The Mae Shi
190. The Bloody Beetroots (2 times)
191. DJ Kid Lightning
192. AC Means
193. Grand Ole Party
194. The Mars Volta
195. We Are Wolves
196. Datarock
197. Noah and the Whale
198. Paparazzi
199. Don Moy
200. The Presets
201. Heartbreak
202. Deadmau5 (2 times)
203. Soulwax
204. 2manydjs
205. Destructo
206. Daedelus
207. MSTRKRFT (2 times)
208. Congorock
209. Felix Cartel
210. The Number 12 Looks Like You
211. Black Houses
212. Warship
213. Attack! Attack!
214. Black Tide
215. Burn Halo
216. Four Year Strong (2 times)
217. Cancer Bats (2 times)
218. Pierce the Veil (2 times)
219. Bring Me the Horizon (2 times)
220. Annuals
221. Helms Alee
222. Switch
223. Gui Boratto
224. Felix Da Housecat
225. Ghostland Observatory
226. The Crystal Method
227. The Black Keys
228. A Place to Bury Strangers
229. Paul McCartney
230. Patton and Rahzel
231. Drop the Lime
232. Zane Lowe
233. Crookers
234. The Chemical Brothers
235. Shepard Fairey
236. M.A.N.D.Y.
237. No Age
238. Plump Djs
239. Throbbing Gristle
240. Etienne De Crecy
241. Lykke Li
242. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
243. My Bloody Valentine
244. Devendra Banhart
245. Peanut Butter Wolf
246. The Aquabats
247. Suicide Silence
248. Metro Station
249. Fall Out Boy
250. Deftones
251. Have Heart
252. Trash Talk
253. Leathermouth
254. The Used
255. Senses Fail
256. Silverstein
257. The Get Up Kids
258. Sonny
259. DJ Prime
260. DJ Dubta
261. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
262. Depeche Mode
263. Blink 182
264. Peaches
265. Evil Beaver
266. Shunda K
267. Drums of Death
268. The Dear Hunter
269. Bear Colony
270. Combichrist
271. Dismantled
272. Julien K
273. Aesthetic Perfection
274. Cursive
275. A Day to Remember
276. NOFX
277. Bad Religion
278. Innerpartysystem
279. A Rocket to the Moon
280. FEAR
281. Guttermouth
282. Jeffree Star
283. Box Elders
284. Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band
285. Duane Peters Gunfight
286. Less than Jake
287. Alien Ant Farm
288. Underoath
289. The Maine
290. Lights

Hmm...

Well I'm finally out of school. I did good! :D

These past few months have been hectic with school, relationships, shows, drama, family, work, and more drama. YAY! NOT!

The year is almost half over. So far it's had its ups and downs. So many awesome shows and hopefully many more to come. Hopefully, most of them I'll be shooting. I'm actually kind of proud of myself right now. I've definitely seen an improvement in my photography. I'm getting better, yay! Well at least I think I am...Anyways, August needs to come sooner. HARD Summer and Depeche Mode! It's going to be insane.

 

Reading the One Love for Chi site made me pretty depressed. I really hope Chi pulls through, the Deftones are just insane and need him. I need him, the fans need him, his family needs him, the world needs Chi!

 

I need new shoes. Anyone know of any awesome shoes that I don't know about? Preferably something in black and white.

 

Listening to the Fever Ray album. Get it! Karin Dreijer Andersson is amazing.

 

Friday

2:25 - 3:15 Noah and the Whale 

3:30 - 4:30 Steve Aoki

 

4:30 - 5:30 Felix Da Housecat

 

5:30 - 6:20 The Ting Tings

 

6:35 - 7:25 Franz Ferdinand

 

7:30 - 8:30 Leonard Cohen

7:50 - 8:40 Ghostland Observatory

 

8:30 - 9:30 Morrissey

 

9:45 - 10:35 A Place to Bury Strangers

 

10:00 - ??? Paul McCartney

11:25 - ??? The Crystal Method

 

 

 

Saturday

1:00 - 1:30 P.O.S.

 

2:00 - 3:00 Drop the Lime

 

3:00 - 4:05 Para One

 

4:05 - 5:10 Surkin

 

6:00 - 7:00 The Bloody Beetroots

 

6:25 - 7:15 TV on the Radio

 

8:30 - 9:30 Crookers

8:45 - 9:35 Junior Boys

 

9:30 - 11:00 The Chemical Brothers

 

11:05 - ??? MSTRKRFT

 

 

Sunday

12:00 - 1:00 Marshall Barnes

 

3:15 - 4:15 Busy P

 

4:05 - 4:55 Lykke Li

 

5:00 - 5:50 Peter Bjorn and John

 

6:15 - 7:15 Plump Djs

 

7:50 - 9:00 My Bloody Valentine

9:00 - 10:00 The Orb

9:25 - ??? The Cure

10:15 - ??? Throbbing Gristle

10:50 - ??? Etienne De Crecy

 

 

Damn the Saturday night conflict! :(

I'm going to Bamboozle Left!!!
I won the official photographer contest! So stoked to see Deftones! :D Bamboozle had a contest to be their official photographer. All you had to do was send in some sample shots and your info. Well, i did, not really expecting to win, but of course, hoping. Last night I got an email saying I won! The prize is 5 tickets for both days and a media pass! :D So stoked! Now I can continue my streak. I've been all three years to Bamboozle Left.

I'm seeing Prince at Club Nokia next Saturday! Got a GA Floor ticket! :D
So excited!

Why must love be so complicated!? Things break, but I keep trying to put the pieces back together. Why? Is it right that I keep trying? I really don't know, but I can't give up.

Anyways, I'm stuck in Anthropology class. I vow to never take any anthro class again.

Finals next week... :/
Just worried about 1 class, the others I'm good.

Depeche Mode has be completely broke. Might not be able to make it to Coachella. I'm trying to find a way to make some money so I can go. Who wants to get me a 3 day pass!? :[

Yay, my car is fixed! I just have to wash it now. haha

Can't wait for my 1 week off for spring break. Photos galore!

I'm dying to shoot another show.

It's hot as fuck! WTF happened to winter?

That's enough for now. :]

I got my Depeche Mode tickets!!!

I have been waiting my whole life to see them and it is now official, I will be seeing them for the first time in August! I got tickets for both days at the Hollywood Bowl. Sunday I got Pool E Row 4 and Monday Garden Row 675.

$400 for both. I am beyond broke now. I can't afford Coachella :[
Hopefully, hours pick up at work, which I'm sure they wont, or I win the lottery or something! I HAVE to go to Coachella.

It hurts, but I am so excited!

Somet​imes I look in the mirro​r and reall​y can'​t belie​ve the place​ I am at in my life.​ It seems​ like it was only yeste​rday when I had no real respo​nsibi​litie​s excep​t for the 5 day a week routi​ng of havin​g to get up in the morni​ng and go to schoo​l for the day.

In those​ days I dream​t of now. Somet​imes I felt like I'd never​ see mysel​f makin​g it past high schoo​l.​ I thoug​ht I was going​ to die befor​e I saw these​ days.​ Well I am here,​ I arriv​ed.​ It reall​y could​n'​t have turne​d out bette​r.​ I've seen and exper​ience​d some of the most amazi​ng thing​s.​ While​ most young​ adult​s are getti​ng their​ kicks​ out of their​ routi​ne weeke​nd of getti​ng drunk​ until​ all they see is the back of their​ heads​,​ I am out seein​g thing​s I want to see.

Holy shit,​ I saw Daft Punk.​ That is somet​hing that is still​ hard to belie​ve,​ but it is a memor​y that I will forev​er cheri​sh.​

I shoot​ shows​ now! How fucki​ng cool is that?​!​ It's good to stop every​ once in while​ and look in the mirro​r.​ Refle​ct on your past and the prese​nt.​ Think​ of what you accom​plish​ed.​

I never​ in a milli​on years​ would​ have predi​cted that I would​ have done this much for mysel​f.​ I am not even close​ to being​ done,​ my life is just begin​ning.​

Set goals​.​
Have dream​s.​
Follo​w throu​gh.​

I reall​y don'​t know why I'm posti​ng this.​ Take whate​ver you want out of it.

After a very long week of delays the line up is finally up!

Once again I am stuck at a crossroads in life. I go left there I start a new life and must endure loneliness for quite some time. I go right there's the possibilty of happiness, but also the possibility of pain. Love is complicated and it sucks!

I got my new lens and flash a few weeks ago, but haven't really had much time to really test them out. :[

So far, school sucks. Work is still lame and I'm barely getting any hours. I'm thankful that I do have a job though.

Taste of Chaos is coming up! I AM BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE THURSDAY AGAIN!!!! :DDD

The Coachella lineup is taking forever to be announced.

I've been in workout mode for the past few days. Being skinny has its advantages, I am getting cut ;] haha

Anyways, that's it for now :]

Rewind and rewind and rewind! Those words repeated in my head over and over as The Fall of Troy took the stage at The Glasshouse in Pomona. The trio were back after a highly praised performance in May in support of their new EP, Phantom on the Horizon. It was surprisingly cold and foggy winter night in the Inland Empire and the band was ready to bring the heat.



The room goes black, the crowd is on their toes, vocalist and guitarist, Thomas takes the stage and is greeted with an uproar. The band immediately kicks into, I Just Got This Symphony Goin’. The hands of Thomas seem like blurs as he rapidly taps up and down the fretboard of the guitar. The symphony could not have been played any better. It was a flawless spectacle that left me in aw.

Phantom on the Horizon is a new EP, which features studio versions of the bands previously recorded Ghosthip songs. The band played all 5 chapters, lasting over half an hour. The songs were not played perfectly, but they were still great nonetheless considering Thomas plays with such technicality all while screaming his heart out. Chapter I: Introverting Dimensions, also known as Ghosthip I, was an amazing sight to see and hear. The almost eleven minute epic was easily one of the highlights of the night.



“One more song!”, the crowd screamed. Pomona was not ready to call it a night and neither was The Fall of Troy. The band teased the crowd by saying they were going to play some Mastodon, which led to a fury of boo’s. Thomas then requested the crowd boo them off stage after the final song. The band surprised everyone by playing a new untitled song that has never been performed live. It sounded great and leaving me excited for their new material. Next up was their hit, FCPREMIX. The band had everyone moving and singing along in a thunderous way. The band ended off their set with Sledgehammer. A hard pounding track off their third album, Manipulator.



The band left the stage as the crowd picked up their faces off the floor as they just had their faces melted. The band was nothing short of amazing. The new EP couldn’t have been translated live any better. These guys deserve much more respect for their unbelievable talent. Now I ask of you, support The Fall of Troy and do your ears a favor and give these guys a listen.

Before I get to something that's been on my mind here is some background. I've been a Myspace user for almost 5 years now and Buzznet user for almost 3. For the past 5 years I've noticed a trend that puzzles me to this day. The trend, fake profiles! Why do people find it necessary to pretend to be someone else? This is a huge problem. Do you not feel deceived to find out that the person you're talking to isn't really the person in the picture? It's pretty scary when I think about who might be on the other end. Maybe it's a kid with low self esteem or maybe it's some sick pedophile. Either way, it's creepy.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Why do you think people do it?

Minus the Bear were back in Pomona in support of their new Acoustics EP. If you've listened to these guys you know that these guys are definitely a treat. I had seen them at The Glasshouse last year and had an idea of what I was in for. Helms Alee and Annuals were there in support. I recently got into Annuals and was stoked for their set.

If you've been watching the news lately, you know California is on fire. Traffic was HELL! It took me about an hour to get to the venue which is usually about a half hour drive. I called the venue beforehand to make sure the show wasn't sold out. I was told it was close, so we were definitely freaking out on the freeway.

We get to the venue just before 6 and we were lucky enough to get tickets. A couple of hours later we are finally inside. Helms Alee was up first. I don't know who they are or where they are from, but my god it was a disaster. This band was so out of place! I felt like I was watching some lame alternative rock band like Seether. We left after a couple of songs to get some food. A couple of tacos later we're back and Annuals is half way through Brother. I was a little upset to miss my the beginning of my favorite song of theirs, but at least I got to see part of it. Their music was so relaxing yet upbeat at all the right moments. I wanted to run away to a mystical forest and get lost in nature with her. I felt like nothing else mattered but the music. Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with their song titles, but the second to last song was epic! There was this insane drum solo at the end of the song that blew everyones mind.

The crowd is roaring, the lights go out, and the sound of chimes fill the air. Right away I know Minus the Bear were going to open with, Lotus. The almost 9 minute song, had the crowd ecstatic and in the palms of the band. The white lights shined and white stuffed white tigers were scattered all around the stage, behind the drummer, a large stuffed white tiger head hung. Being my favorite animal, I had a good chuckle at the sight. The setlist consisted mainly of Planet of Ice material, while playing only a few songs from previous albums. The uniqueness of this show was that in honor of their new EP, they played a few songs acoustically. Pachuca Sunrise, We Are Not A Football Team, and their new song Guns & Ammo. Pachuca felt a bit under par and I would have preferred an electric version instead. The rest of the set was spot on. White Mystery is a very dark sensual song and one of my favorite songs off Planet of Ice. I was disappointed with the live performance song at previous shows, but they came to Pomona last night and stepped up their game. The song sounded flawless if not better than on the album. The band closed of their set with Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse to a screaming crowd. I was left with a gleaming smile on my face.

This was by far the best performance I've seen the band do. Despite the weak opener, this show was an awesome time. Annuals was amazing and Minus the Bear was outstanding. Please check these bands out, trust me, it will be worth it.

Be on the look out for my videos from the show!

Well I'm sitting in my psychology 318 class waiting for it to start. I'm so tired! I forgot to close my window last night and the wind kept waking me up. I am so hungry! The Cinnamon Toast Crunch in my kitchen is calling my name. So I decided to go see Minus the Bear tomorrow. It will be my fourth time seeing, third time this year. There recent setlists look so awesome! I'm also excited to see Annuals. If you haven't heard these bands give them a listen. Oh how I wish I could play guitar like Dave Knudson. I think he looks like two face in the Dark Knight, pre-burn. haha I'm so excited to cover my next show! The Fall of Troy on December 4th! I'm saving up to get my new lens. Hopefully, I'll have it soon. I really want to bring new music to the Buzznet community. I'm going to try and post more music and videos. I've already uploaded a ton of music in the new music section. Be on the look out for that. Guess that's enough for now.

The first annual Hard Haunted Mansion took LA by storm Halloween night. This night was not about ghouls, ghosts, and monsters, it was about killer moves on the dance floor. The lineup was a dream come true. It consisted of some of the biggest names in the Electro scene from around the world ready to bring the beats to the thousands costumed at The Shrine Expo Hall. Justice, Soulwax, Simian Mobile Disco, Deadmau5, Boys Noize, and Crystal Castles topped the lineup, with 27 acts in total. More details...