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The term “buzz band” is entirely interchangeable these days with another term: “blog buzz band.”
Electronica pop band Passion Pit is definitely both those things: Winning a coveted positive review from ultimate hipster music manual Pitchfork and yeah, of course the next logical step: Winning the favor of hipsters everywhere.
But really? People just want to have a good time. And the music of Passion Pit is definitely about having a good time. Riddled with synthesizers, falsetto vocals coming from singer Michael Angelakos, children’s choir and even a chipmunk-voiced chorus (really), Passion Pit’s tracks are hooky as hell and always, always have a beat to dance to.
Passion Pit: Sat., Dec. 12, 8 p.m., $25. Fox Theater Pomona, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, 877.283.6976. All ages.
The ultimate raconteur, romantic, egoist and all-around dramatist, Morrissey has crooned his way into the hearts of the young and old alike for more than 20 years now.
Known mainly for his singer/songwriter role in legendary Brit alt-rock band the Smiths, Morrissey mixes catchy pop melodies with rock sensibilities and droll lyrics. One of his best known solo tracks? Titled “The Last of the Famous International Playboys.” Another’s titled “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get.”
Boasting a pompadour during his youth so large he could have even given Conan O’Brien a run for his money, the phenomenon that is Morrissey has definitely surpassed even his own music. He likes to flail about on stage. He’s a diva. He likes to take his shirt off on stage. He’s actually kind of a remorseless asshole. Yet he somehow remains entirely lovable.
Though many say Morrissey’s solo work isn’t as noteworthy as the moments he shared with the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, there’s one thing you can definitely rely on here: He’s been performing the same, endearing schtick for two decades now—not that we’re complaining.
Morrissey: Mon., December 7, 8 p.m., $69-$99. Fox Theater Pomona, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, 877.283.6976, . All ages.
Hey, whatever happened to Dashboard Confessional?
With a brief streak of mega fame in the early 2000s, Dashboard Confessional and its saccharine tracks dripping of hopeless romance (anyone remember “This Bitter Pill,” off The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most? The one where lead singer Chris Carrabba can be heard crying at the end?) seems to have dropped off the radar these past few years. Though Dashboard rode that second wave of so-called “emo” music hard, with Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst jumping ship exactly at the right time, they faded into sonic oblivion some time soon after 2003—but that was after first hitting it huge with the MTV crowd.
But in February, Carrabba released a special acoustic version of a brand new song, “Even Now,” piquing some interest from people still listening. Though the new material off sixth studio album released just this month, the aptly titled After the Ending, has slightly less teenage angst and more commercial potential, who knows whether or not Dashboard can survive this reemergence. Here’s a hint though: No more live crying.
Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory at the Glass House, 200 W. 2nd St., Pomona, 909.865.3802, theglasshouse.us. All ages.
NOFX has made a living out of being silly since 1983. Take for instance, their songs, “The Idiots Are Taking Over” and “Straight Outta Massachusetts.” But then there’s also “Hot Dog in a Hallway,” “I’m Going to Hell For This One,” “Best God in Show” and their adorable punk rock en Français cover of Joe Dassin’s ultra schmaltzy “Champs Élysees.”
Then you have to take into account that all these songs are coming off albums with titles like S&M Airlines, Punk in Drublic (our favorite, actually), Heavy Petting Zoo, So Long and Thanks For All the Shoes and The War on Errorism. Though there’s a light-hearted slant to everything they do, don’t take NOFX too lightly at the same time: The band has sold—independently!—over six million records around the world.
With members based in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Long Beach, NOFX is also known for their staunch liberal beliefs (firmly implanted in ninth studio album, The War on Errorism) in addition to their infectious pop punk sounds every kid growing up in the ‘90s fell for at some point or another.
Besides: Just think of this as a valid excuse to make the journey down to Pomona’s gorgeous, gorgeous Fox Theater, a newly renovated, carefully restored, west coast art deco masterpiece.
NOFX: Fri., December 4, 9 p.m., $27. Fox Theater Pomona, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, 877.283.6976, . All ages.
Okay, here’s a secret: So maybe some of us here at Greer’s OC used to be big Rooney fans that followed them all over the place at live shows. But that’s just a maybe.
Years later, even we can admit that we’re not embarrassed at all. Sure the five-piece indie pop rock band from Los Angeles was featured repeatedly in an episode of The O.C. And sure Rooney’s fan base mostly consists of screaming teenage girls in Converse sneakers. Okay, and Rooney has also opened for the Jonas Brothers. But the band’s music is a fantastic, poppy mix of everyone from the Beatles and the Cars to Weezer.
Named after the nefarious principal Ed Rooney from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Rooney followed up their 2003 self-titled debut with Calling the World. Both records are catchy, fun, bouncy—one of the few bands around not afraid to have fun with pop music. Let’s try to remember some of the most classic bands of all time dabbled mostly in pop rock themselves—think the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Weezer and more.
Favorite Rooney tracks to give a listen to include the Pet Sonds/surf rock vibes of “Blue Sides,” the heavily-featured-in-The-O.C. “I’m Shakin’,” and the ultra catchy “If It Were Up to Me.”
Bonus fact: Robert Schwartzman, lead singer of Rooney, is little brother to actor Jason Schwartzman and son of Talia Shire, who played Connie Corleone in The Godfather and Adrian in Rocky—which means yes, Carmine is indeed a Coppola. Fancy.
Rooney: Sat., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., $16. Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, 909.865.3802. All ages.
