RX BANDITS

Zechs Marquise are touring with Thursday, Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, and Native as well as headlining some dates in November / December. Unfortunately their own Matt Wilkson will have to miss the December shows. So our own  Steve Choi will be taking his place playing guitar on all the December dates below 12/1 - 12/10.

ZECHS MARQUISE LIVE
11/15  Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s - Upstairs
11/16  New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf Den
11/18  Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
11/19  Greenville, NC @ Tipsy Teapot
11/20  Washington, DC @ DC9
11/21  Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11/22  Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s Pub
11/23  New York, NY @ Irving Plaza $
11/25  Toronto, ON @ The Opera House $
11/26  Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar $
11/27  Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater $
11/28  Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop $
11/30  Atlanta, GA @ The Loft $
12/01  Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theater $
12/02  Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge $
12/03  Pontiac, MI @ iLounge (at Clutch Cargos) $
12/04  Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall $
12/06  St Louis, MO @ The Firebird
12/07  Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
12/08  Dallas, TX @ Bryan Street Tavern
12/09  Austin, TX @ Antone’s Night Club
12/10  San Antonio, TX @ Studio 13

$ w/ Thursday, Maylene & The Sons of Disaster, Native
Bold dates w/ Steve Choi on Guitar for Matt Wilkson

(Source: artistdata.sonicbids.com)

Orange County genre transcending band RX Bandits delivered an ear assaulting, heart tugging and cardio heavy last ever performance in San Francisco. This show was truly special, and everyone in attendance knew it as they belted out lyrics memorized long ago and collided with one another in the pit. This band has grown from a third wave ska band into a group with eclectic progressive rock, punk and world music influences, and they’ve amassed a giant following of loyal fans over 15 years of excessive touring. The intense energy of their live show has a magnetic pull that keeps bringing people back to experience their music again and again, and this was the last chance to be a part of a RX Bandits show.

El Paso prog rock outfit Zechs Marquise opened up the night with a set of heavy jams. Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, keyboardist for the Mars Volta, plays drums in this band alongside his bass playing younger brother, Marfred. Experimental rock juice must run through this family’s blood, as they grinded out song after song of complex drum parts, distorted muddy bass lines, metric guitar riffs, and melodic keyboard accents. All of these sounds intertwined with each other seamlessly, even while conforming to ever-changing time signatures. Zechs Marquise was a good choice to open the show, and the audience seemed to be in a trance while they nodded their heads to the multi-faceted sounds that came from the stage.

This trance was shattered by the time RX Bandits were about to take the stage. Chants of “RXB” melted away into cheers as frontman Matt Embree and the rest of the band took the stage and swung right into an adrenaline boosting set of songs pulled from their last three albums in mostly chronological order. “VCG III” and “Consequential Apathy” were played off of their 2001 release Progress, and they continued with a sampling of tracks off of the subsequent 2003 album, The Resignation.

The energy on the dance floor had been very high all night, but it got kicked up another notch during crowd favorites “Dinna-dawg” and “Decrescendo”. Fans yelled out lyrics in unison with Embree, and the dance floor grew more physical with the addition of many colorful mosh pit residents, including big shirtless sweaty guys, a couple who somehow could continuously make out while violently swinging each other around, and more surprisingly, a group of people that would daringly ballroom dance with each other through this precarious area when the floor opened up. I’ve always noticed that crowds at RXB shows are full of really friendly and happy people, and they create a very welcoming form of chaos.

Read More

RX Bandits have been a long time staple in my musical progression through the ages. I can’t say this about many bands, but they’re one of very few; an elite list of bands that have survived the 2000s on to the 2010s. I first came to love this band during the Progress days of 2001, and have continued to follow and appreciate their progression through the years, the albums, the record label woes and the lineup changes.

When word of the ‘farewell’ tour came around, I was a bit bummed to say the least. One of the most consistent and impressive rock bands calling their live aspect quits isn’t exactly the best foundation for a tour, but alas – there was no way I’d miss this tour.

Read More

RX Bandits will be heading all Summer on tour bringing along some great friends and great bands. Maps & Atlases, Zechs Marquise and on a few dates Fang Island , Happy Body Slow Brain and The Hot Toddies. Make sure to get tickets in advance if you can. SHOW DETAILS

RX BANDITS SUMMER 2011 
Jun 26 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee * @
Jun 28 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater * ^ @
Jun 29 - Austin, TX @ Emo’s * ^ @
Jun 30 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit * ^ @ 
July 01 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s * ^ @
July 03 - New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf * ^
July 05 - Orlando, FL @ The Social * ^
July 06 - Orland, FL @ The Social * ^ 
July 07 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room * ^
July 08 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade * ^
July 09 - Washington DC @ 9:30 Club * ^ 
July 10-  Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts TLA * ^ 
July 12 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza * ^ SOLD OUT 
July 13 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza * ^ 
July 14 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East * ^
July 15- Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East  !! ^
July 16 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall  !! ^
July 17 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Cafe Campus * ^
July 18 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Mod Club * ^ 
July 20 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick * ^
July 21- Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge ^  w/ Cast Spells
July 22 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall * ^
July 23 - Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck * ^ 
July 24 - Denver, CO @ The Summit * ^ 
July 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex * ^
July 27 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon * ^
July 28 - Portland, OR @ The Hawthorne * ^
July 30 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst * ^
July 31 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades * ^ 
Aug 03 - Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arts Theater ^#
Aug 04 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Mayan ^ #
Aug 06 - Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse  ^ #
Aug 07 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom ^ #

* w/ Maps & Atlases
^ w/ Zechs Marquise 
@ w/ Happy Body Slow Brain
!! w/ Fang Island
# w/ The Hot Toddies