Month: December 2023

The Mostly Music 2023 Playlist, Pt. 3 (Updated 12/31/23)

December 31, 2023 — Leave a comment

And so we’ve come to the end of 2023 and the final update to my playlist. Don’t forget: my top tracks of the year will be posted soon!

You can visit all three parts of The Mostly Music 2023 Playlist – one. two. three.

Below are the songs I’ve added since 12/17. There haven’t been many, but I still wanted to bring them to your attention!

2023 Albums/EPs You May Have Missed

December 30, 2023 — Leave a comment

Here’s a list of albums/EPs released by indie artists in 2023 that may have flown under your radar! It’s far from comprehensive, but this is a good start for anyone seeking new underground music.

Sammy Hagar: The Best of All Worlds Tour 2024

December 28, 2023 — Leave a comment

In early November, Sammy Hagar announced “The Best of All Worlds” Tour, featuring himself, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Joe Satriani. The tour arrives on the heels of the release of The Collection II, the box set of newly remastered versions of four consecutive #1 albums from Van Halen (5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance.

Hagar, Anthony, Bonham, and Satriani will be playing hits from Van Halen’s vast arsenal. They have also invited Australian musician Rai Thistlethwayte along on keyboards and backing vocals. Loverboy will be their opening act.

Tickets are available at redrocker.com!

  • 7/13 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
  • 7/14 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
  • 7/16 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
  • 7/19 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
  • 7/20 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
  • 7/22 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
  • 7/24 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
  • 7/26 – Mansfield, MA – XFinity Center
  • 7/27 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
  • 7/29 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
  • 7/31 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
  • 8/2 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
  • 8/3 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
  • 8/9 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
  • 8/11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
  • 8/13 – Airway Heights, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest
  • 8/14 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
  • 8/16 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
  • 8/17 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord
  • 8/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
  • 8/20 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
  • 8/22 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
  • 8/23 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
  • 8/25 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
  • 8/27 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
  • 8/28 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
  • 8/30 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
  • 8/31 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Beartooth Shares 2024 Winter Dates

December 27, 2023 — Leave a comment

Beartooth is touring North America early in the new year with special guests The Plot in You, Invent Animate, and Sleep Theory. Tickets available at beartoothband.com.

  • 1/12 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
  • 1/13 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
  • 1/14 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
  • 1/16 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
  • 1/17 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
  • 1/19 – Toronto, ON – History
  • 1/20 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
  • 1/21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston
  • 1/23 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
  • 1/24 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre
  • 1/26 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
  • 1/27 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
  • 1/28 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
  • 1/30 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
  • 1/31 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
  • 2/2 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
  • 2/3 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues Orlando
  • 2/11 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
  • 2/13 – Huntsville, AL – Mars Music Hall
  • 2/14 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues New Orleans
  • 2/15 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
  • 2/17 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port
  • 2/18 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
  • 2/20 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
  • 2/21 – San Diego, CA – SOMA San Diego
  • 2/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
  • 2/24 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento
  • 2/25 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
  • 2/27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
  • 2/28 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Concert House
  • 3/1 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
  • 3/2 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
  • 3/3 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
  • 3/5 – Fargo, ND – Sanctuary Events Center
  • 3/6 – Maplewood, MN – Myth Live
  • 3/8 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
  • 3/9 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
  • 3/10 – Sauget, IL – Pop’s Nightclub & Concert Venue
  • 3/12 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
  • 3/13 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
  • 3/14 – Fort Wayne, IN – Clyde Theatre

** From 2/7 through 2/10, Beartooth will be on Shiprocked Cruise 2024!

Veil of Maya Announces Winter 2024 Dates

December 25, 2023 — 1 Comment

Metalcore band Veil of Maya is heading out on The [M]other Tour in early 2024 with special guests AngelMaker, Reflections, and Alluvial! Left to Suffer or Until I Wake will also be appearing on select dates. You can get tickets/VIP now at veilofmayaband.com.

  • 1/19 – Green Bay, WI – EPIC Event Center*
  • 1/20 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre*
  • 1/21 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi*
  • 1/23 – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag*
  • 1/24 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note*
  • 1/26 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre*
  • 1/27 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep*
  • 1/29 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre*
  • 1/30 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater*
  • 2/1 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar*
  • 2/2 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room & Garage*
  • 2/3 – Jefferson, LA – Southport Hall*
  • 2/4 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)+
  • 2/6 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground+
  • 2/8 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage+
  • 2/9 – Hartford, CT – The Webster+
  • 2/10 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center+
  • 2/13 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
  • 2/14 – New Kensington, PA – Preserving Underground
  • 2/15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s+
  • 2/16 – Joliet, IL – The Forge

* Left to Suffer appearing

+ Until I Wake appearing

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (12/23/23)

December 23, 2023 — Leave a comment

This will be my last update of 2023! I reached my goal of 60. I actually surpassed it and finished the year with 63 books read.

Here are the books I read in December with my personal ratings and a little review. If you would like to see my full year-in-review (without having to find the blog posts), you can visit my Instagram account.

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

Rating: 4/5

The story itself was really good. It definitely held my interest. The writing style, however, took some getting used to. (Yes, I am aware when it was written and that Stoker was Irish. Lol.) If this is a classic that you have also not read thus far, I would highly recommend it.

The Witch of Halloween House (Jeff DeGordick)

Rating: 2/5

I was not a fan of The Witch of Halloween House. It was very simply written and rather predictable, and I didn’t care for how DeGordick wrapped it up. This is apparently part of a series, but I doubt I will be pursuing its successors.

You Love Me (Caroline Kepnes)

Rating: 2/5

Okay. I have overlooked a few things I do not care for in this series (like Kepnes’ insistence on waxing poetic about her liberal beliefs via Joe), but this novel… This was the worst of the series so far. I will not include spoilers; however, I will say that too much time is dedicated to the building of Joe’s relationship with Mary Kay for the book to end the way it does. Unfortunately, I am not a quitter, and I’ve made it this far, so I am going to read For You and Only You.

Camp Slaughter (Sergio Gomez)

Rating: 3/5

If you want a slasher without any deeper plot and with some graphic descriptions that might make you gag, Camp Slaughter is the book for you. It’s like a cross between Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sergio’s writing style was not my favorite, but I do think I’ll try out the sequel, Halloween Slaughter.

Witching on a Star (Amanda M. Lee)

Rating: 3/5

So far, Witching on a Star has been my least favorite of Amanda M. Lee’s “Wicked Witches of the Midwest” series. I do enjoy the cozy mystery genre, but Lee is teetering on a little too much seriousness. I will continue this series; if the books continue in this vein, though, I will likely stop reading them.

Redemption (David Baldacci)

Rating: 4/5

This was my first Baldacci. I received it when I did one of those “blind date with a book” things on Etsy. As someone who is not a huge fan of books that center around cops, FBI agents, etc. as the main focus, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Redemption. To my surprise, I enjoyed this one! Detective Amos Decker was quite likable, as was his former partner, Mary Lancaster, and the man Decker saved from death row, Melvin Mars. Redemption was the fifth book in Baldacci’s “Memory Man” series. I may have to go back and read its predecessors.

Twelve Slays of Christmas (Jacqueline Frost)

Rating: 4/5

Have I mentioned my love of cozy mysteries? I saw Twelve Slays of Christmas recommended on Instagram and decided to try it. After all, ’tis the season! This is definitely a book you choose when you’re going to be wrapped in a blanket, sipping tea or cocoa, and indulging in a merry murder mystery! I’m about to dive deep into this series, even if Christmas is almost over.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow (Christina Henry)

Rating: 4/5

Horseman was an interesting re-imagining of the well-known legend of Sleepy Hollow. Learn the “real” story of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane, the man who won Katrina’s heart and their granddaughter who bucks social norms and sets her own path. This was a fun read, a well-written page turner. I already have my next Christina Henry novel picked out: Alice.

**

If you read anything in 2023 that you particularly enjoyed, drop a comment and tell me about it!

Crosses: Familiar World Tour 2024

December 22, 2023 — Leave a comment

Crosses, the darkwave/dream pop/gothic electro-industrial side project of Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, is kicking off their Familiar World tour in February 2024. I checked their official site, Facebook, and Ticketmaster but found no supporting acts listed.

Tickets and VIP packages are available at crossesmusic.com.

  • 2/7 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
  • 2/9 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
  • 2/10 – Kansas City, MO – Midland Theatre
  • 2/12 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall (New date!)
  • 2/13 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
  • 2/14 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
  • 2/16 – Toronto, ON – History
  • 2/17 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield
  • 2/19 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston
  • 2/20 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
  • 2/21 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
  • 2/23 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
  • 2/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
  • 2/25 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
  • 2/27 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
  • 2/28 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
  • 3/1 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
  • 3/2 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater (New date!)
  • 3/5 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
  • 3/6 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
  • 3/7 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
  • 3/9 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
  • 3/10 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
  • 3/11 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre