TA Live! Ticket Alternative Blog

Leila's Three Picks of the Week - Halloween Edition!

Here's what I'd be checking out this weekend for Halloween if I were you. We're gonna pop up some videos this time around so you get a chance to hear the band's I'm gushing about right off the bat.

Atlanta's own Constellations just got signed to Virgin Records and are surely headed on to much greatness with their hip, indie-funk sound. They'll be playing the bawdy event "The Most Legendary Halloween Party You Will Ever Attend" this Saturday in Atlanta so catch them then if you can - tickets are available here.

Modern Skirts

Modern Skirts | MySpace Video

The Modern Skirts have been making all kinds of good music up in Athens, from glorious indie pop to tribal drumming madness. They play Smith's Olde Bar - tickets are here.

Travelers of their own funky galaxy, Noot D' Noot play The EARL with rock 'n' rollers Gentleman Jesse and His Men. Get your tickets here.

DC9 Switches to Ticket Alternative, Announce First Show Lights December 11

Ticket Alternative has signed a new venue in Washington, D.C. DC9 is our latest D.C. signing, and now have announced their first event being sold through us, Lights, who will be performing on December 11 with We Were Pirates. Tickets go on sale October 30 at Ticket Alternative.

Snow Patrol - Just Say Yes (video)

Ahead of the release of their first 'Best Of' CD, Snow Patrol have released the video for their latest single Just Say Yes. The CD Up To Now is released on November 10th

More info available at www.SnowPatrol.com

CD Review: The King Khan and BBQ Show -- Invisible Girl; Playing Rock and Roll Hotel November 2

The King Khan and BBQ Show

Invisible Girl

In the Red Records

By Bryan Aiken

Once and current bandmates Arish Khan and Mark Sultan have made a rich and respected history of historically-accurate rock ‘n’ roll thuggery. Since their graduation from the '90s punk outfit The Spaceshits, the Canadian duo have reformed and refashioned into pompous frontman and “Supreme Genius” King Khan, and be-turbaned drummer-guitarist-vocalist BBQ, respectively. The names may have changed, but little else has budged; the Show’s third album, Invisible Girl, is the classic, unshaven garage-gospel you could have seen staggering up a mile away.

INTIX Quarterly article in Venues Today Magazine

(taken from Venues Today October 2009 edition)

On The Offensive
Ticketing companies get aggressive for regional business.
By Dave Brooks

History has a funny way of repeating itself. In 2002 when Daren Libonati and his group at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, launched their own in-house ticketing system, many wondered if the Paciolan-powered platform could hold its own against uber-robust Ticketmaster.

Fast forward to 2009, and Libonati is again asking if the provider is up for the job. Despite nearly seven years of impeccable functionality in a building that consistently ranks among the top 10-grossing facilities worldwide, changes in the marketplace have put another question mark around the Irvine, Calif.-based company.

Ticket Alternative in this month's Venues Today Magazine

 Ticket Alternative got a couple of mentions in this month's Venues Today Magazine.

First, the magazine profiled Ticket Alternative President Iain Bluett. Here's a transcript of the piece.

Hometown: Barnstaple in Devon, England
Pet Peeves: Not delivering something on time.
Hobbies: I love music and playing keyboards. I've recently started taking lessons flying airplanes.
Favorite sports team: Manchester United
What would you be doing if you weren't in the industry?: I would probably be managing bands. I used to work with this band called The Hiss
Favorite part of your job: Going to concerts. I go to as many as I can.
Hardest part about your job: Working five days a week and not four.
Most memorable event ever attended: Oasis playing the Tabernacle in Atlanta. I went back to London in July and saw them play with 90,000 at Wembley Stadium.
Who would play at your dream concert: Piedmont Park show featuring a Stone Roses reunion with Oasis and Fat Boy Slim.
One thing people would be surprised to learn. I'm a really good cook. I love to cook Indian food.
Best advice ever received: If the job is worth doing, it's worth doing well.

Also profiled this month were Dee Dee Hill of Smith's Tix/DataTix and Jan Addison of the Orange County Convention Center.

Black Cat Announces New Year's Eve Ball with Peaches O'Dell & Her Orchestra

 
With Halloween just around the corner, somehow it's already time to start making plans for the biggest night of the year - New Year's Eve! Washington D.C.'s Black Cat is bringing the delightful Peaches O'Dell & Her Orchestra to perform on the mainstage and keep the place dancing with a mix of swing, rhumbas and classic hits from the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Plus there will be plenty of dance music being pumped through by DJs on the Backstage. This is sure to be a packed out event, so get your tickets now at Ticket Alternative.

Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls), Sam Bush, Shawn Mullins, John Oates and More for The 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, FL on January 15-17

 
Suddenly the new year isn't so far off! We're already getting some great events for January, including The 30A Songwriters Festival in Walton County, Fla. on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The festival brings together songwriters of all sorts and levels from across the country, some with worldwide fame and some just breaking through, giving music fans a great chance to catch some legends while discovering a new favorite. And the venue can't be beat - the gorgeous Emerald Coast, with its white beaches!

Tickets for the event are available now at Ticket Alternative.

The Revival Tour, Featuring Chuck Regan of Hot Water Music and Jim Ward of Sparta, Comes to Juanita's in Little Rock, AR Sunday November 15

  
Presented by Chuck Ragan's own Ten Four Records, The Revival Tour for this fall will feature a huge lineup of acts collaborating acoustically, including Ragan himself, Jim Ward, Frank Turner and Chad Price. The lineup changes for every show, so be sure to check their site for details. You can buy tickets now for the Juanita's show at Ticket Alternative.

Hinder, Skindred and More Just Announced for The Rock in Maplewood, MN

 
We have some new shows announced for one of our newest venues, The Rock in Maplewood, Minn.

New country star David Nail is coming November 12. Tickets are available here. 

Oklahoma rockers Hinder play on November 18. Get your tickets here. 

"Ragga metal" band Skindred will be playing on December 10. Tickets are on sale here.

Finally, Arch Enemy bring their pure metal to The Rock on January 30. Get your tickets at Ticket Alternative.

The Dexateens Play The Nick in Birmingham, AL Saturday, October 24

We've reviewed the marvelous Dexateens on this blog before, when they were touring through Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. We called their album, Singlewide, "exactly the album alt-country needs: equal parts joyful and reflective in the way that only country music can be, and cool enough to be enjoyed by the indie crowd."

So hopefully, if you are in the band's homestate of Alabama this weekend, you can check them out at The Nick in Birmingham on Saturday. Tickets are still available at Ticket Alternative.

CANCELED: Kate Voegele @ Juanita's on October 21

We have just gotten word that Kate Voegele has had to cancel her Little Rock show at Juanita's tonight. No work yet on the reason or whether or not she'll be able to reschedule but we'll keep you posted. Tickets are being refunded now.

CD Reveiw: Robert Francis -- Before Nightfall; Free iTunes Download

Robert Francis
Before Nightfall
Atlantic Records

By Al Kaufman

Robert Francis is 22 years old. That's important to know up front, because he sings like a man who has been through three wars, two depressions, and 174 heartbreaks. He is an old soul.

He is an old soul in a young body. So it should come as no surprise when his gravelly baritone sings lines such as "We took my parents' car," or "You shoot up then you go to class," which give away his tender years. But it does. He has a rich, full voice that gushes with so much emotion that he is able to sing cliched lines (and there are a lot of cliched lines here) like "Darkness be my friend tonight" without sounding hokey.

Get Out of the Garage Music Contest

Converse and Journeys have a pretty cool contest going on right now that could see your band playing a 'festival in Austin' come March. Last year's winners, Flying Machines, signed to EMI Records. This March, they’ll play for thousands of fans at a music festival in Austin.

Enter your band before November 22nd at www.getoutofthegaragemusiccontest.com

Rock Band Comes to the iPhone

Looking for a little music this Monday? Well here it is! Rock Band is now available for the iPhone or iPod Touch for $9.99 from the app store. The initial download comes with 20 songs and additional songs/bundles are available to purchase. The game uses the same format. Just use your thumbs to strum the notes and shake the iPhone for extra points.

Official site: www.rockband.com/games/iphone

Download from iTunes


There are 4 ways to play, with a variety of levels. Multiplayer via Wi-Fi is also available.

Song List

    * 30 Seconds to Mars - “Attack”
    * AFI - “Girls Not Grey”
    * All American Rejects - “Move Along”
    * Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”
    * Blink 182 - “All the Small Things”
    * Blondie - “Hanging on the Telephone”
    * Foo Fighters - “Learn to Fly”
    * Foo Fighters - “Everlong”
    * George Thorogood and the Destroyers - “Bad to the Bone”
    * Jethro Tull - “Hymn 43”

    * Joan Jett - “Bad Reputation”
    * Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Simple Man”
    * Motörhead - “Ace of Spades”
    * Rise Against - “Give It All”
    * Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye”
    * Steve Miller Band - “Take the Money and Run”
    * The Pixies - “Debaser”
    * The Presidents of the United States of America - “Ladybug”
    * The Go Go’s - “We Got The Beat”
    * Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”