KROQ Microbrew Party! With Lose Control, Shiny Toy Guns, and Balloon Hats!

by Kari Tervo

"Is everyone drinking?" asked the man in the aisle, with some real level of concern. "No!" shouted some people behind me, and the man passed around some bottles of Bud Lite. Satisfied with the community service he'd performed, he took a seat while we waited to leave.

I was aboard a chartered bus (not a party bus so much as a bus going to a party) on its way to the KROQ Microbrew Party at Santa Anita Park, featuring Lose Control and Shiny Toy Guns. I had never been to a racetrack before, nor had I ever been on a bus filled with so many attractive people. I wondered if I mistakenly got on a bus filled with the cast of the next beautiful-people-oriented reality show, and self-consciously smoothed my hair.

The bottle brush blooms brushed the bus windows as we pulled away from the Hermosa Beach pier, bottles of beer brushed thirsty lips, and we were off to KROQ-n-roll the Santa Anita horse track!

LOSE CONTROL TO ROCK-AND-ROLL!

We arrived on the infield just as ("the world famous") KROQ's Stryker was calling Lose Control to the stage. The band started rocking, and I tried to place its sound. Was that. . .Soundgarden crossed with Nirvana, mixed with a little Black Crowes? I had no idea, but it was guitar-driven and it sounded amazing. You should have heard lead guitarist AJ Bartholomew shredding it during "Mr. King Of It All." It was all the more impressive because he was playing with a fresh Nirvana-logo palm tattoo. He got it at Silver Platters record store in Seattle, which was giving the tattoos away for free in honor of the 20th anniversary of In Utero.

AJ and Nirvana tattoo. He was the first to get inked at the promo!

CLICK RAWR TO ROCK-N-SCROLL AFTER THE JUMP! 

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Garon's Top Ten Albums of 2012!

As heard on, Pop Culture Beast presents SHOW!  For full commentary head over to iTunes and subscribe to the SHOW!

10.

-TIE-

Try as I might, I could not choose between these two albums.  They're both great, unique, and addicting albums.

Fun. - Some Nights

Delta Rae - Carry The Fire

9.

Passion Pit - Gossamer

So good.

8.

Taylor Swift - Red

Another great album from Taylor Swift, not quite as strong as Speak Now but still more wonderful music from her.

7.

Ellie Goulding - Halcyon

She went from someone I'd never heard of to taking over my ipod.

6.

Freelance Whales - Diluvia

SUCH a great album.  Do yourself a favor and get their stuff.  You'll love it.  And I apologize for calling them Freestyle Whales on the podcast.

5.

Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind.

If he isn't one of the best singer/songwriters out there right now then I don't know what I am talking about.

4.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist

I bought this album to show support for a hip-hop artist brave enough to put out a song like Same Love and then come out and defend the teacher who was suspended for playing it in class.  I didn't expect to have one of the best albums of the year on my hands, and one of my favorite hip hop albums ever.

3.

Shiny Toy Guns - III

Another album that came out of nowhere.  A welcome return and a brilliant comeback release.

2.

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

This guy is on pretty much every top ten list and deserves it.  This might be the most important hip/hop release in years not just from his personal life but because it's just that damn good.

1.

Flobots - The Circle in the Square

I've been listening to and talking about this album since it's release months ago.  The first time I heard it turned into fifth time I heard it because I could not turn it off.  Lyrically brilliant, musically stellar, important, entertaining, smart, unique.  Top of their game.  Do yourself a favor and buy this.

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