Puerto Vallarta: Plenty of Peace and Quiet

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Drug dealers and kidnappings and attacks, oh my!

In late February, the U.S. Department of State released a travel advisory for travel in Mexico. Though the advisory specifically discussed large cities along the border, the American media’s reporting tactics have targeted the entire nation.

Surely there are dangerous areas in Mexico, but when I visited the west coast city of Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding towns, I felt safer than I’ve felt in many American cities.

A charming city located on the Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta hasn’t gone unnoticed by world travelers. It’s slowly expanded and acclimated to the approximate three million visitors received every year.

Resorts have sprung up and unfortunate tourist traps for docked cruise passengers do exist, but at the core of it all lies a hidden, authentic Mexican experience with a contemporary twist.

Classic Old Town

Playwright Tennessee Williams wrote The Night of the Iguana, a tale that takes place in an idyllic Mexican town, in Acapulco. When the time came to shoot the movie version, filmmakers returned to Acapulco and found its original character had been drastically altered by tourism.

Instead, Director John Huston and company moved to the untouched seaside town of Puerto Vallarta. Star Richard Burton’s torrid romance with actress Elizabeth Taylor at their home, Casa Kimberly, became stuff of legend. And then the sleepy town of Puerto Vallarta had its awakening.

The steep cobblestone streets of Puerto Vallarta’s downtown neighborhood, known as El Centro, are now covered in quaint homes and boutique hotels.

At the bottom of the hilly landscape is an artsy boardwalk known as the Malecón. Though it is bustling with tourists and catcalling vendors, the Malecón is filled with fantastical sculptures created by noted artists from the state of Jalisco, making it a must-see location.

In a city where tourism employs roughly 50 percent of all residents, El Centro and the Malecón radiate a special aura. They are a mix of a classic old town and a newly thriving community that has enough spunk to attract more than foreign tourists. After all, 49 percent of all travelers who visited Puerto Vallarta in 2008 came from other parts of Mexico.

Viva Tequila

I landed in Puerto Vallarta with a slight cold. Thankfully, there was plenty of tequila around to clear my senses.

Americans have gotten a rough deal when it comes to tequila. The drink comes solely from the agave plant, if you get the good stuff. Unfortunately, any company with at least 51 percent agave in their bottles can market it as a product made of 100 percent agave. Jose Cuervo Gold, a bestseller in the United States, is one of the most frequently discussed offenders.

According to tequila expert Audrey at the Casamagna Mariott Resort, tequila is consumed like a fine wine. Take sips, swish it around in your mouth, and appreciate the mellowing of the tequila as you make the progression from Blanco, the youngest form of tequila, to Extra Añejo, the oldest form.

Near the village of Mismaloya, the local family-owned Don Crispin Tequila Distillery doesn’t care how quickly you drink your tequila as long as you keep it pure.

“You take your tequila and put it in cocktails with ice and salt and sugar, and then you wonder why you get a hangover,” Adrian, our distillery guide, said with a smirk.

The distillery offers complimentary shots of their regular Don Crispin tequila as well as their Doña Beatriz flavored tequila, named after the first generation in the business, and bottles run at a fairly inexpensive rate. Unfortunately, their tequila is only available in Jalisco.

Ritual Healing

The family that owns the Don Cripsin Tequila Distillery also has another venture not far up the road called El Eden. Its claim to fame is that this home of canopy zip line tours and a scenic restaurant served as the set for the 1987 film Predator, but the most intriguing part of El Eden is perhaps the least advertised.

In a hidden nook at the edge of the attraction sits the Temazcal at the Spa Mayahuel.

The Temazcal is an ancient ritual that uses nature’s elements to make participants feel balanced and optimistic. There are many forms of the Temazcal, but Spa Mayahuel follows the Aztec ritual indigenous to Mexico. The traditional Temazcal lasts about four hours, but we opted for an abbreviated one-hour version.

We were greeted by a perky Shaman who introduced himself with a toothy grin and the phrase “No worry! I learn English in Alcatraz!”

We gave our herbal offerings to Abeulo Fuego (Grandfather Fire), became one with the Earth by covering our bodies in red clay and lying out in the Sun, and washed off in cool water before heading into the actual Temazcal.

The small, rounded sweat lodge represents the mother’s womb, where we sang with joy and inhaled the sweet scent of eucalyptus. The steps taken are believed to bring peace to the individuals involved and ultimately make them better people.

A Mountain Sanctuary

An hour and a half away from Puerto Vallarta is the old mining town of San Sebastián. High in the Sierra Madre Mountains, San Sebastián provides a perfect getaway for adventurers who want to get away from it all.

San Sebastián has not yet become a regular tourist attraction, to say the very least. The access road was only completed about three years ago and visitors could only reach the area by small aircraft before this time. With no electricity and only a few restaurants that have sprung up over recent years, the town offers perfection through peace and quiet.

A small line of shops along the square represent the town’s center. The most luxurious building in town is the church. Some residents speak English, but most don’t.

The most charming lodging in the area is at Hacienda Jalisco, about five minutes outside town. Once a mining facility, the small guesthouse has served as an oasis for travelers desiring an authentic experience.

With the exception of an area that once caught fire, the hacienda is rooted in its traditional decoration, unpolished wooden floors and all.

“They aren’t all over the place, so we’ve learned to adapt to the termites,” said Joe, the owner. Don’t let the termites and chilly nights make you weary — Hacienda Jalisco has enough to compensate for them.

Historical mining equipment and artifacts, and loan documents tracing back to the first family to own the property are available for all to see. Almost all the food served on site is grown organically in their gardens.

Guests gather around nightly bonfires. And yes, there’s the Richard Burton Suite where the actor once stayed with Elizabeth Taylor.

Food as Art

For several years, Nacho Cadena was the owner and head chef at La Petite France, the premiere French restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. Just as he was ready to step down, his son, Alfonso Cadena, was ready to step up.

The result was La Leche, a highly stylized restaurant which has quickly become a favorite since its opening about six months ago. Inside La Leche, the whole world is white. The only exception is the large black chalkboard wheeled to each table that serves as a menu — since the restaurant changes its menu every night based on the fresh local foods available to them. It’s more than a meal. It’s an experience.

For dessert, I encourage you to wander over to Dulces Tipicos Mexicanos con Orgullo Azteca, a shop in the heart of El Centro. Owner Gerard Munoz creates delectable treats native to the state of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is located. From candied pecans to chocolate delights, you’ll be happy with what you see.

Where to Stay:

Puerto Vallarta maintains a high number of swanky resorts, but there are also plenty of boutique hotels worth a look.

Hacienda San Angel
Miramar 336, Col. Centro
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48300
www.haciendasanangel.com

Hacienda Jalisco
San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco
www.haciendajalisco.com

Casa Tukari
Av. Espana 316, Col. Versalles
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48310

Where to Eat:

La Leche
Boulevard Fransico Medina Ascensio Km. 2.5
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
www. lalecherestaurant.com
La Palapa
Pulpito 103, Col. Emiliano Zapata
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
www.lapalapapv.com

The River Café
Isla Río Cuale local-4, Col. Centro
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48300
www.rivercafe.com.mx

Where to Shop:

Don Crispin Tequila
Oceano Indico #380
Palmarde Armara
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Dulces Tipicos Mexicanos con Orgullo Azteca
Av. Juarez 1449, Esq. Mina, Col. Centro
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Further Information

Puerto Vallarta Tourism
www.visitpuertovallarta.com

Lowell, Massachusetts: History and Culture in the City of Kerouac

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While the 1995 documentary “High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell” was a critically acclaimed victory for HBO, it was a curse upon the fourth largest city in Massachusetts.

Lowell earned an ugly reputation in the early 1990s due to drug and gang issues, but since then a dramatic downtown revival has made the city a center of history and culture, from the historic mills and Jack Kerouac to art and the annual folk festival.

A Glance into History

Between roughly 1840 and 1870, Lowell’s textile mills made the city a veritable hot spot for young immigrants who traveled to America in search of work. The young generation of mostly Irish settlers struggled to make a living in what was then known as the town of East Chelmsford, living on mere pennies a day.

For $6 per adult and $4 per child, the Boott Cotton Mills Museum in downtown Lowell allows visitors experience the immigrants’ work and trials on location. The pulse-pounding noise of the fully functional weaving room is enough to make your heart reach out to the women who worked there for roughly 12 hours a day, but the museum is more than that.

Photography and video documentaries show children with dirty faces and hard-working young women surrounded by the city‘s original backdrop of cobblestone streets and brick buildings.

Through a prop-filled, interactive boarding house, the museum tells a story of the immigrant’s path and the human condition that many native citizens take for granted.

If you’ve got a flair for textiles, downtown Lowell is also home to the American Textile History Museum and the New England Quilt Museum, both of which offer a look into the evolution of the art. Each museum also offers specialized classes that vary in price, usually ranging between $30 and $100.

Alternative Tours

If lingering in a museum doesn’t tickle your fancy, The Lowell National Historical Park will guide you through the city by foot, trolley and boat, all in one two-hour sightseeing tour. It begins at the Lowell Visitors Center in the Market Mills and travels down to a preserved trolley stop, which takes you through the heart of the bustling city.

The trolley trip ends at the Pawtucket canal, where visitors hop aboard a boat and make their way to the Merrimack River. There’s a lesson in history, architecture, and waterpower around every corner for just $10 per adult and $8 per child. Shorter 90-minute and 75-minute canal tours are also available at a cost of $8 per adult and $6 per child.

The city also offers free Trolley Tours through the landmarks of the unique neighborhoods surrounding the mills, but every tour has various days and hours at which they run depending on the time of year, so plan accordingly.

For instance, the 90-minute Pawtucket to the River canal tour is only available daily from July to September. Reservations are required for all tours booked through the Lowell National Historical Park, but there’s also opportunity to save some money with park packages and group rates.

Waxing Poetic

Though he wrote his most famous work on the road and is hailed by hip, lyrical poets around the world, Jack Kerouac is Lowell’s native son. Born in Centralville and raised in the Pawtucketville neighborhood, the houses and streets of Kerouac’s childhood were prominent in works such as Doctor Sax and Maggie Cassidy.

Moody Street became a place of legend for Kerouac enthusiasts, but the street was torn up, rebuilt, and rechristened University Avenue, leaving few traces of the poet besides a small recognition outside his first home at 9 Lupine Road in the Centralville neighborhood.

Lowell honored the memory of the King of Beat in 1988 with Kerouac Park on Bridge Street. Excerpts from some of Kerouac’s greatest works are featured on the granite structures, wedged between the serene, old-fashioned mills and busy, modern shops.

Just minutes away from Lowell High School, the park is considered the premiere location for students to play hackeysack and relax on the grass.

The park maintains a faithful audience once a year for the “Lowell Celebrates Kerouac” festival. Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, an organization that does just as its name suggests, along with local cafes, museums, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell hold poetry slams, documentary screenings, exhibitions and discussions based on the great poetic inspiration.

The crowds also flock to Edson Cemetery, where Kerouac was laid to rest after his death in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Kerouac was also a patron of The Worthen House at 141 Worthen Street in downtown Lowell. Allan Ginsburg, Jimmy Breslin, and Edgar Allan Poe, who reportedly wrote The Raven on the building’s second floor, shared this distinction.

Nowadays, The Worthen House is a popular tavern known for ex-patron’s memorabilia, open mic nights, and a rare pulley-based fan system. It creates an atmosphere of creative history unlike any other in the city. It’s also a great place to get a beer.

A Cultural Infusion

On the last full weekend in July each year, Lowell shuts down the streets of downtown to celebrate the city’s rich cultural diversity with guests from around the world. It’s a smorgasbord of ethnic food, music, dance, art and activities that keeps massive crowds buzzing through the area.

Immigrants have been populating the city in waves since the early 1800s — first it was the Irish, followed by French-Canadian, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Cambodian, Latino, and Brazilian settlers.

All of these ethnic groups represented at the Lowell Folk Festival along with several others, showing their cultural pride at vending stands and through the streets.

Annual staples of the festival include six outdoor stages, local independent vendors, artists, and an entire street dedicated to children’s activities. Best of all, the entire event is free with the exception of food, drink, and souvenirs.

The Lowell Folk Festival boasts the title of the nation’s largest free folk festival, but it isn’t “folk” in the traditional sense. The entertainment ranges from jazz and country to mariachi and ska. The sights and sounds are uncommon and appealing, but there’s not too much to evoke the image of folk. More than anything, it’s a cultural education wrapped in warm July days and cool summer nights.

Urban Artistry

Some of the finest art displayed during the Lowell Folk Festival and throughout the year comes from The Revolving Museum at 22 Shattuck Street. Inside and out, the museum is home to colorful, outlandish collections reminiscent of a 1960s acid trip, overwhelming the senses with the art’s in-your-face expression. Among small shops and an urban renewal project, The Revolving Museum is the artistic pride of downtown.

Art is also available in motion at the Merrimack Repertory Theater and Lowell Memorial Auditorium on East Merrimack Street, next-door neighbor venues that are home to off-Broadway productions, intimate concerts, comedy acts, and the Golden Gloves boxing tournament. At any given point of the year, the stages provide something for everyone to enjoy.

For More Information

Lowell National Historical Park

American Textile History Museum

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!

Lowell Folk Festival

The Revolving Museum

Learning About Fine Food and Wine in California’s Napa Valley

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California’s Napa Valley is famous around the world for its fine wines, and the area is also known as a center for the culinary arts. Visitors to the valley can learn all about the cultivation and preparation of fine food and wine at a local campus of the nation’s most prestigious culinary institute.

The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in St. Helena, California, is shifting the role of the wine country spectator into the role of the creator and entrepreneur of fine foods and wines through a series of short classes offered to non-enrolled guests.

Each class is taught in state-of-the-art facilities created especially for food preparation and wine tasting, among other things.

Saturdays at the CIA

For weekend passer-bys, the CIA Greystone offers two-hour cooking or wine classes with a distinct edge every Saturday. Each 12-person class features a unique theme, with cooking options from Flavors of the New Spanish Table to Street Foods of the Middle East in cooking classes and eight different classes based solely upon specific types of wine.

The classes give food and wine lovers the opportunity to explore and understand their culinary options in a way that they never could in the finest of restaurants. Since multiple classes are offered in both the mornings and evenings, it’s possible for a traveler to complete a course in food and a course in wine before dinner.

Sophisticate Your Palate

If a traveler is more interested in an in-depth look into fine foods, they have the option of taking part in the Sophisticated Palate program. Spanning from one to two days depending on the course subject, the classes consist of lectures, hands-on cooking, and field trips to scenic private estates such as olive groves, vineyards, and wineries.

“For instance, I went on a tour in which the class went to an olive grove on a woman’s private estate and the professor lectured about why a good olive oil costs so much and why you’re not supposed to sauté your vegetables with it,” said Tyffani Peters of CIA Media Relations.

These courses can get pricey, but you’ll be fully equipped with a professional white chef’s coat and a complete set of knives which you can keep to use at home.

Wine, Wine and More Wine

Chances are travelers aren’t coming to America’s wine country just for a sample of the food. With this in mind, the CIA’s west coast base created the Wine Immersion program.

The two- to five-day courses are meant for adults seeking to further their knowledge and perhaps their career through studying the dynamics of wine from its history to the business behind the drink.

Ultimately, the courses can be helpful preparation for individuals looking to take the Certified Wine Professional exam. There are two separate wine immersion programs from which individuals can pick and choose classes.

Career Discovery

Career changes are never easy. So what would you do if you were offered a trial run of the career of your dreams?

Greystone’s Career Discovery program is designed specifically for people looking into a longer stay at the Culinary Institute of America to develop culinary career skills. Besides cooking delectable foods, students will be schooled in the basics of the hospitality industry and receive helpful tips from the professionals.

Programs focused on fine foods are more expensive than those based in the study of wine and food service, but all of the eight-hour, four- to five-day courses promise a quality look into a possible career.

Spectator Sport

For visitors who would rather enjoy culinary delights than create them, the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant offers prefixed menus to guests, featuring a series of appetizers, known as “temptations,” for the whole table to share and a main meal, all of which vary from day to day. Experienced students as well as master chiefs create the food.

The Wine Spectator is also the exclusive home of a sparkling wine called Querenica Brut Rose, making the restaurant a necessary stop for true wine enthusiasts.

If you’re curious what goes on behind the scenes at such restaurants, the CIA offers two or three cooking demonstrations every Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The $15 tickets for such events can be reserved online, by phone, or at The Spice Island Marketplace ticket box on the day of the event.

There are also occasional demonstrations from special guest chefs, but these tend to be more expensive than the consistent, school-run presentations.

You can find out ore about the Culinary Institute of America Greystone campus at www.ciachef.edu/california/

Tuition for the Culinary Institute of America (per course)
Saturdays at the CIA: $75
Sophisticated Palate: $495 – 1,995
Wine Immersion: $250 – $1,200
Career Discovery: $895 – $1,050

The Andes Trail Expedition: Biking to the End of the World

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If ordinary bicycle tours aren’t enough to satisfy the intrepid traveler in you, it’s time to take a journey through the challenging but spectacular scenery of the Andes Trail in South America.

In 2008, twenty steadfast biking enthusiasts traveled 11,000 kilometers (or 6,875 miles) from Mitad-del-Mundo monument at the equator just outside Quito, Ecuador to Ushuaia, Argentina, known as “the end of the world.”

The expedition was put together by Bike Dreams, a long-distance cycling company based in the Netherlands.

The cyclists endured 107 different stages through high altitudes and rocky terrain from August to December for 2008, the time of year during which the weather was expected to be the least erratic.

On an average day, they biked four to six hours, though some particularly agonizing stretches of the trail took up to eleven hours to pedal through.

Bike Dreams’ Wilbert Bonné chronicled the journey in Cycle Diaries from The Andes Trail, a title that is based upon Che Guevara’s Motorcycle Diaries.

High Altitude Intensity

Before the journey’s halfway point, the cyclists spent the majority of their nights in hotels along the trail. In the deserted, high altitude section of trail in Peru, that option disappeared.

The travelers set up one of a series of campsites in the Peruvian mountains of the Andes, where the temperature swelters by day and falls below freezing by nightfall.

It is here that the cyclists reach the highest altitude of the entire trip. Slowly moving along the trail at heights varying from 4,600 to 4,900 meters, they gasp for air as if they were “breathing through a straw.”

Cycling past Mount Yerapaja, the second largest mountain in Peru, the group witnessed scenery not usually associated with South America: ice fields and glaciers appeared as frequently as lakes and herds of llamas in the region.

An abundance of vegetation, including approximately six-foot cacti and 10-foot sunflowers, lined the trail.

Forty kilometers on the small, gravely dirt trail took approximately three hours to cycle, slightly longer than the average trail. By the end of the day’s itinerary, which was created specifically to avoid the several popular animal crossings in the area, the bikers reached a small village.

“We wave to little kids and greet colorful dressed Indians with ‘Hola’. They welcome us – or not – with ‘Gringo, gringo’ which means something like ‘foreigner’ or ‘stranger’. Some kids start to cry and run to their parents when they see white people moving forward on blinking aluminum creations.”

The Cycle Diaries describe the quaint surroundings and stunning visuals along the way. “We pass narrow gorges, follow fast-floating rivers and the scenery is once more fabulous; it’s like the décor of a western movie. The setting sun between the mountains makes the panoramas even more striking.”

The Saltiest Place on Earth

Though many unfamiliar travelers would assume mountains to be the prominent geographical feature of the Andes Trail, Bolivia offered the cyclists another surprising landscape created by Mother Nature.

After looping around a volcano, the expedition team was soon speeding over Salar de Uyuni – the world’s largest salt flats. At 12,000 square kilometers, Salar de Uyuni is a roughly quarter of the size of Bike Dreams’ founding nation, the Netherlands.

Salar de Uyuni provided each cyclist with a wide-open space to pedal to his or her heart’s desire.

It was an unusual scene along a path none of the travelers have ever gone down before — an endless sea of sand, cut in hexagonal shapes as their trail.

With no animals, civilization, or even breezes along the plains, the only sound during the several-hour trip was the crackling of salt underneath the bicycle tires.

The only patch of land that the cyclists came across between their start point and end destination was Isle de los Pescadores, a tiny island mainly covered in cacti that grow up to six feet high, whose name ironically translates to “Isle of the Fisherman.”

The mountains in the distance slowly inched closer until the biking group reached Hotel Playa Blanca in the town of Uyuni. The hotel is a tribute to its special location with salt walls, salt furniture, and a salt museum.

Torture from the Patagonian Weather Gods

“This isn’t wind. In Patagonia, they have wind.”

That was the rumor the Andes Trail cyclists were told throughout the first half of their travels. When they finally reached Patagonia, they realized that sentiment was the awful truth.

The bicyclists faced a devastating obstacle in the mountains of Argentina, where they had no choice but to walk their bikes against vicious winds after realizing that pedaling was just not possible. They staggered along the rocky trail under the sheer force of the wind tunnel, sand and gravel blowing up into their faces.

“The scenery is amazingly beautiful with its fresh green grass, monkey puzzle trees, rocks and melt water creeks, but the wind conditions make our ‘cycling’ day harsh.

“Nobody gives a damn about the scenery. The wind takes all our attention. The squalls rage with high speeds around our faces and ears.

No time for a normal conversation, even screaming doesn’t make sense… The wind blows through a funnel from the snow-covered Andes Mountains into the wide Patagonian Plains.

I know nothing about Beaufort or wind forces, but I can tell you: hurricane levels and beyond… far, far beyond. It’s unbelievable. The situation becomes ominous, even dangerous.”

On a particularly challenging curve, everyone ended up in ditches on the side of the road. The bicycles fly up into the air as if they were lightweight sheets of paper with cyclists serving as their only anchor.

After the first cyclists make it to a pit stop, they send out their rescue team to collect the others who are still crawling in the ditches, moving at a pace of roughly 3 to 4 kilometers per hour.

Though they faced a major delay, they had passed by the treacherous wind tunnels caused by the mountainous landscapes and thus their travel troubles. Despite their exhaustion, the group soldiered on so they could stay on schedule.

The End of the World

After four months of cycling along a diverse and difficult route, the cyclists on the first Andes Trail race and expedition reached Ushuaia, Argentina, known as “The End of the World,” as planned on December 14, 2008.

Sean Solon of Ireland, triumphed over 106 of the 107 stages consecutively and thus won the racing challenge. He and the two other cyclists to first cross the finish line greeted the rest of the group wearing traditional South American ponchos.

The celebration began after the entire team made their way across the finish line with a nude dive into the freezing waters of the Antarctic, the last event in a series of astonishing adventures.

If you’re looking for a high intensity cycling adventure, Bike Dreams is organizing a second Andes Trail expedition that will run from August 6 to December 12 of 2010.

AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour

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Australian rock legends AC/DC have always been known for on-stage showmanship and the Black Ice World Tour is currently no exception. Despite the eight-year hiatus between Black Ice and the band’s last album, Stiff Upper Lip, AC/DC puts on a heavy duty show that never stops rocking.

Before the band even takes the stage, the hellion spirit is in the air thanks to a devious opening video featuring the Rock N’ Roll Train, which is hijacked by two AC/DC babes out to seduce the train engineer: Satan. Surrounded by a few spectacular set pieces, explosions, and intricate lighting, the brothers Young and their band mates begin their musical assault. Parents should take heed—not every set piece is appropriate for the younger crowd.

Classics such as “Back in Black”, “Thunderstruck”, “Hells Bells”, “T.N.T”, and “Highway to Hell” poured through the speakers along with several new tracks off of Black Ice. The audience seemed to respond well to the new songs, which have an original sound without losing AC/DC’s signature style.

Though members of the band were all high-energy in their own right, the stage belonged to lead vocalist Brian Johnson, and lead guitarist Angus Young. With very few exceptions, Johnson’s vocals were so spot on that they sounded as if they were straight off the recorded track.

Young got particularly cheeky and shed his traditional on-stage school uniform to “The Jack”, which was entertainment mixed with a dash of unease. However, he makes up for it later in the show with a mind-blowing solo that lasted roughly 10 minutes, shredding the audience members’ ears into blissful oblivion.

Despite teetering on the age of retirement, AC/DC still knows how to rock with a hundred times more on-stage presence than all of the newer, young rock bands out there combined. That’s why AC/DC is still selling out arena tours 35 years after their first gig. This is a show not to be missed!

Black Ice World Tour Set List:

1. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train”
2. “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be”
3. “Back In Black”
4. “Big Jack”
5. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
6. “Thunderstruck”
7. “Black Ice”
8. “The Jack”
9. “Hells Bells”
10. “Shoot To Thrill”
11. “War Machine”
12. “Anything Goes”
13. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
14. “T.N.T.”
15. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
16. “Let There Be Rock”
17. “Highway to Hell”
18. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

For a list of all upcoming shows (those that aren’t already sold out anyway) check out their site — buy your tickets quick!

Long Live Tantric

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In 2006, platinum-selling hard rock band Tantric split from their record company, Maverick Records, after agonizing complications in the record-making process. By 2007, all but one member had left the group.

In many cases, the lone member of a band will officially quit and disband the group, but Hugo Ferreira had a different idea. Instead of looking for new projects all together, he gathered Kevin Miller, Joe Pessia, Eric Leonhardt, and Marcus Ratzenboeck to create Tantric’s third album, The End Begins.

The album is deeply personal for Ferreira, who fought tirelessly to keep the band alive. “This record is all about the strife and challenges of getting back on my feet after the second Tantric record, After We Go, not only on a professional sense but a personal one as well. It deals with personal and emotional growth, and learning from the blows the industry and life gives you.”

As expected, The End Begins has a different vibe than 2004’s After We Go. No worries, though! According to Ferreira, Tantric is the same band at its heart and they won’t disappoint their longtime fans.

“Fans of the first two Tantric albums will be fans of The End Begins, but I feel it also represents an evolution of Tantric that will capture new listeners,” he said. “It’s a more personal album, and the new line up and the introduction of Marcus on violin gives this record a sound that is at familiar but also fresh, both for us and the rock scene.”

Besides the fresh sound, Ferreira also thinks that this album’s message is spot on. “The End Begins is the soundtrack of your life. The lyrics not only speak about the last few years of good and bad times, but also of universal themes of persistence, never giving up, staying focused on your target and keeping the fight even when you’re the underdog because everyone has been at those crossroads. This is my story, and hopefully it will resonate with listeners.”

Narrowing the story down just right isn’t as simple as it looks, either! “We write a ton of songs and some are immediately obvious as album worthy and some are decided on with input from the band and label. If it was up to me, I’d probably put all of them on the record!”

After all of the struggles with the big music industry Tantric has dealt with, the band finally understands the nature of it all. “Anybody who is in the music industry or trying to break into it faces huge adversity. This is a very difficult business to be in, and talent alone is never a guarantee of success. You face huge and constant competition, so you must be tenacious and savvy in navigating the many obstacles and challenges that face you constantly.”

But as a band that’s been around for nearly a decade, they’ve had to adjust to some new aspects of the music industry as well.

“The main difference nowadays is in how people are buying music. Seven years ago when Tantric first started, the majority of our sales were physical, but the introduction of music sharing affected artists negatively because the industry was still catching up with illegal downloads,” said Ferreira. “I think now the industry is only one small step behind it and beginning to get a hold on it. Also, people are becoming more educated and aware of how illegal downloads affect their favorite artists, therefore they’re being more responsible and respectful, and music theft is slowly declining.”

There’s also the new wave of music being used as a catalyst for other forms of media, such as reality television. “As long as it’s still about the music first, then we’re all open to change and evolution in the media. If it’s a reality show that inspires someone to pursue their passion, then bring it on. It does create a new outlet for exposure for upcoming artists, since there is no Star Search or Dick Clark’s American Band Stand anymore. If this is the new media, so be it.”

Recently, the band finished the Not So Silent tour along with Fosterchild and Vayden. The tour was meant to showcase the artists on Silent Majority Group Records. Thankfully, there weren’t anymore near-death experiences for Ferreira at these concerts like he had once before.

“I did a stage dive and was surfing the crowd and felt someone trying to rip off my Tantric necklace. It was on a rope chain, and she was pulling so hard there was blood around my neck from it, and I seriously thought I was going to choke,” he recalled. “Ultimately, I was saved by a security guard who saw the whole thing and promptly kicked her out.”

Touring is a great way for the band to come together on a personal level. “We spend a lot of hours on the bus, so we need to entertain ourselves however we can. Some members who will remain nameless, are total Sci Fi and pop culture dorks, for example, which leads to some stupidly funny conversations as we kick obscure references back and forth, and eventually inside jokes, gags and expressions are formed. When you spend a lot of time together you begin to absorb each other’s quirks and personalities, and mix them with your own.”

Even downtime for the band isn’t entirely spent away from their music. “Our time off is all about decompressing from the pressure and chaos of being on the road. But you are either a musician or not, so even when you’re chillin’ it’s inevitable that you’ll start writing or coming up with a little riff, developing it and cataloging it.”

With a new view about the music industry and a new sound to revitalize the band, Tantric has experienced quite a bit of growth. Ferreira also has a few words of advice for everyone trying to make a name themselves through music. “For starters, listen to the lyrics on the record, because outside of friends and family, no one is in your corner when you start. You must truly deeply love your music and be persistent, surround yourself with people on the same path, with the same energy. The camaraderie and the chemistry in the band is only second to the music and will get you through the tough times.”

Suburban Legends slay the competition

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One look at the album cover for Suburban Legend’s fifth release Lets Be Friends, And Slay the Dragon Together! gives you a pretty good idea of just what this band is like. It features all six members of the band in cheeky poses, wearing the snarkiest costumes a group of grown men could possibly find.

The cover certainly matches the “raw, untamed, seductive energy” that the band strives toward with each album and show.

“If you took High School Musical and added Nicole Richie with a kilo of cocaine, that’s what it’s like to come across us. We are definitely not afraid of pop music and a good hook,” said vocalist Vince Walker. Of course, he’s also quick to add that he doesn’t condone the use of cocaine or Nicole Richie.

Suburban Legends first formed in 1998, and with a few line-up changes aside, it has run smoothly since; now consisting of Vince Walker (Vocals), Brian Klemm (Guitar), Brian Robertson (Trombone), Derek Lee Rock (Drums), Mike Hachey (Bass), and Luis Beza (Trumpet.)

In the early years, they virtually made a career out of playing Downtown Disney at Disneyland. However, the guys knew that they were really preparing for large-scale success.

“We knew it from the very beginning. I think every band goes into it at first for the glory. If they say they don’t, they’re lying. It’s just everyone’s glory is different. It feels like everyone is going to love you all the time, or, sort of like going to a never-ending pizza buffet and you can eat all you want and never get full. We were thinking it was going to happen tomorrow,” Walker said. “As of this moment, we’re still looking to make it big in the music industry. I don’t think you’ve made it big until you’re on the same couch as Oprah, not the one across from her.”

On their way to making it big, the band has developed a slick sense of humor. As they’ve displayed time and time again, they’re not afraid to have fun and even poke fun at themselves.

For instance, when asked what he does when he’s not playing music, Walker said he enjoys “the buffet, beer, and hanging with friends and girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch.”

Despite their cool demeanor, Suburban Legends have struggled through difficult times and had their doubts like any other band. “There have been some moments where you’re just not sure what the hell you’re doing, but that comes with anything you put your all into. I think the fact that we’ve always been blessed with amazing fans, we’re all really good friends and we believe in what we do, it keeps us going and lets us do what we do best.”

Walker describes Suburban Legends’ preparation shows as something of epic proportions, sort of.

“Before the show there are some warm ups. Maybe some stretching. We enjoy a little light entertainment an hour before shows, like cobra snake charmers and such. Then right before hitting the stage we pump it up to ‘Backstreet!’ or ‘Spaggett!’ Depends on how we feel.”

Our translation: They don’t do much. They just rock out.

With a funky disco-pop sound, Suburban Legends has influences all over the music spectrum. “Stevie Wonder, Reel Big Fish, N’Sync, WuTang, Megadeath, Bill Monroe, ABBA, just to name a few. You name it, I might like it. Suburban Legends are big fans of music,” said Walker. “Honestly, if you listen to our new album, you may get a taste of our influences. It’s sort of a Costello, Dylan thing, then put healthy helping of Timberland in there and you’ve got our influences today.”

As of recently, Vince Walker’s been spending his time listening to hip hop and classic rock. The band has a lot of influences, but that doesn’t mean they’ll collaborate with just anyone. The wish list goes like this: “Justin but not Madonna, Tim McGraw but not Nelly, Daft Punk and Kanye, Hannah Montana and maybe the Jonas Brothers.”

Walker knows what artist’s mind he’d like to delve into via an interview session too. “Amy Winehouse. I want it to be a closed interview too,” he said. “That would make our trumpet player Luis so jealous!”

As Suburban Legends plays its way toward success in the tumultuous music industry, they’re able to give advice to other musicians in their own sharp, cheesy way.

“You got to have tough skin and an even tougher stomach,” said Walker, “because the way the music industry is now, record deals are done at Cici’s Pizza (eat all you can).”