Record Store Day 2012

If you are a fan of free shows by some of your favorite bands, exclusive new music releases, and local independent record stores, Record Store Day 2012 is an all day event you can't miss.

Taking place on April 21, Long Beach residents can get the full Record Store Day experience at Fingerprints Music, in downtown Long Beach. For this day, they are opening at the early hour of 6 a.m., so be sure to set those alarms to get a jump on those exclusive releases and to get a front-row spot for performances.

Along with the exclusive albums and singles being released on Record Store Day, record stores across the country are welcoming artists and bands to play exclusive, free shows for their customers.

Fingerprints music is bringing three performances throughout the day, to their Long Beach record store. First up, Al Jardine of The Beach Boys is stopping by in the early afternoon, to perform an exclusive set. The next day he will be setting off on The Beach Boy's new concert tour.  At 5 p.m., M. Ward will take the stage, celebrating the release of his newest full length solo album, called A Wasteland Companion, which comes out April 10. Not only known for his solo work, Ward is the "Him" in the popular band, She & Him, with actress Zooey Deschanel. Last, but not least, the band World Party are finishing up the day with their performance at 7:30 p.m.

For guaranteed admission to these awesome shows, be sure to RSVP now either in person or by calling Fingerprints for information. Get out there and support your local indie record store!

The Contest Roundup and Tricks of the Trade

Concert tickets are increasingly getting out of hand, with ever increasing prices, not to mention insane fees from ticketing sites. How to get around this you say? Don't buy tickets anymore, when you can win them for free.

St. Vincent by Lillian Fahey
(Won tickets through Ohmyrockness newsletter)

Winning concert tickets as the main form of getting into shows might not be the most practical way to see bands, but if you are lucky and smart about it, you can take advantage of these free tickets.

The trick to winning tickets is looking everywhere for contests, especially sites that aren't the most popular. Facebook can be a mecca for easy contests, where all it takes is a like or a comment at the right time to get into a show for free. Follow your favorite bands, along with record companies, music magazines like Under The Radar and Prefix Magazine, record stores, and radio stations for opportunities to win those free tickets.

Now, conveniently gathered in one place, are today's best contests. Good luck!

Grimy Goods

Win Coachella Tickets

Amoeba Records

Sleigh Bells Tickets

The Polyphonic Spree

And if you have no luck winning tickets, you say? Turn to the fantastic website, Oh My Rockness, and their ever expanding list of free shows in Los Angeles, because free is always better.

Get In The Summer Mood At Desert Daze

Coachella may be the music festival on everyone's lips at the moment, but it has some serious competition from the Moon Block Party curated Desert Daze Festival.

Promising 11 straight days of music, Desert Daze offers almost double the days of performers that the Coachella music festival has over it's two weekends. This festival comes to Palm Springs from April 12 to the 22nd, and is to take over the venue Dillon's Road House during this time.

In a delightful change of events from most music festivals with their ever raising ticket prices, the Desert Daze Festival is completely free for admission, only asking for a voluntary donation of $5, which is still minuscule compared to spending over $300 for Coachella.

Coming to the desert are an amazing line up of bands, that can't be missed playing these rare, free shows. Headliners included Bleached, Dengue Fever, The Henry Clay People, Dante Vs. Zombies and Mini Mansions. In addition to these bands, over a hundred additional acts round out the festival.

Adding another level of excitement to the festival, a secret spa motel has been chosen as the designated Desert Daze place to be, promising live music poolside, close proximity to the festival and food-trucks everyday before and after the festival. To gain access to this motel, festival goers should book their rooms soon, before it sells out.

This music festival is all ages during the day, from 4pm til 10pm, at which time it becomes 21+, until closing at 2 am.

For more information about the Desert Daze Festival, check out their website for the most up to date details. See you at the desert!

KXSC FEST: A Free Music Festival With STRFKR and Much More!

STRFKR, the outrageously named indie, electronica band, has made their way to Los Angeles for KXSC Fest, a free music festival on the campus of USC. Along with STRFKR, other indie bands that are performing include Nosaj Thing, White Fence and TRMRS. Also along for the ride are more bands, DJs, and art installations.

From Portland, Oregon, STRFKR are an intensely catchy band, with songs that have been included on TV commercials. Having seen them perform once before at a sold-out show at The Glass House in Pomona, I can vouch for their brilliant stage presence and irresistible energy that had the crowd dancing the whole time. This is a band you do not want to miss, especially when they are playing for free.

KXSC Fest is put on by the USC student run radio station, KXSC Radio. The music and art festival takes place at Founders Park on the USC campus, and is open to fans of all ages. The festival starts at 5 PM on Saturday the 24th, and goes until midnight that night.

Free concerts are all good and dandy, but in my opinion, free music festivals can be considered the epitome of free music enjoyment. With the ability to bring together bands, artists and DJs to a singular location, music festivals are one of the best places to experience music.

Reggie Watts to Play Free Show at The Bardot

Reggie Watts, musician and comedian, is to headline a free, but guaranteed entertaining night at the intimate Hollywood venue,  The Bardot.

Every monday night, The Bardot is the place to be for free shows with line-ups worth going to. These monday night shows are called, School Night!, as appropriate for their placement in the week. This is no place for school children though. Catering to the 18 plus, but mostly 21 plus crowd, The Bardot fills up quickly with hip crowd that are there to appreciate the good music up close.

The Bardot in Hollywood is one of the most best music venues for free quality free shows, and it's upcoming Monday show is no exception. Past performers have included Ben Folds, Midnight Magic, Gotye, and many more talented and upcoming bands.

Watts has seen growing popularity as a solo performer doing music and comedy. He opened every performance for Conan O'Brien's comedy tour, that was called the "Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" tour. His unique style of mixing singing, rapping and comedy into his shows is amazing and worth checking out for sure.

Reggie Watts Performing on Conan

The guest-list to this show is open to anyone 18 and over who RSVPs on the School Night website before Monday night.