Social Distortionhas been omnipresent on the road since releasing their first album in six years, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, earlier this year. They’ve extended their tour once, been announced as festivals headliners, and even scored an opening position for Foo Fighters. And yet they just keep on going. . .

The Cali punk-rockers have just added a few more end-of-the-year dates with recent touring companion Chuck Ragan. Social D will also be playing a few spots with – get this – indie folk favorites The Avett Brothers in October. Essentially, the rest of their year plays out like this: festivals in September, Avett Brothers, three Floridian stops with Chuck Ragan and Off With Their Heads, Foo Fighters, and back to Chuck Ragan with Suedehead through December 2nd.

Yep, it’s a hell of an interesting mix of performers, so check out their complete tour schedule below to see who gets what when.

Social Distortion 2011 Tour Dates:
09/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Sonic Boom
09/18 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/06 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
10/22 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre * # !
10/28 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena *
10/29 – New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Music Experience
11/01 – Jacksonville, FL @ Plush ^ &
11/04 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore ^ &
11/05 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues ^ &
11/07 – Duluth, GA @ Arena at Gwinnett Center $
11/08 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena $
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center $
11/11 – Washington, D.C. @ Verizon Center $
11/13 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden $
11/14 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center $
11/16 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden $
11/22 – Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom ^ #
11/25 – Louisville, KY @ Expo 5 ^ #
11/26 – Toledo, OH @ The Omni ^ #
11/27 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room ^ #
11/29 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theatre ^ #
12/04 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ^ #

* = w/ The Avett Brothers
# = w/ Suedehead
! = w/ Face to Face
^ = w/ Chuck Ragan
& = w/ Off With Their Heads
$ = w/ Foo Fighters

Face to Face is everything a great punk band should be, and their split in 2004 can be viewed in a couple of ways. On one hand, it was the tragic divorce of a band that had produced quality albums time after time. On the other hand, the breakup allowed the California punkers to get their heads straight and realize that Face to Face is where they ought to be. Although the lineup has switched gears over time, Trever Keith, Chad Yaro, and Scott Shiflett have found their way home.

The first track, “Should Anything Go Wrong”, feels like a migraine in all the right ways. It’s gritty, heavy, and fast, hearkening back to older work and proving that this band has not lost their edge in the least. “It’s All About You” is the catchiest of the bunch here. The sarcastic lyrics lampoon those who don’t really try in life yet attempt to reap the benefits of success. In hindsight, it’s sort of telling of today’s current youth – the entitled, so to speak.

On the whole, Laugh Now, Laugh Later brings new life to this band, and there are very few, if any, faults to be found. Sometimes it takes time away to gather new perspective, and it seems this break was meant for a greater good. They mix harder tracks (“Bombs Away”) with pop punk (“Pushover”), and they do it seamlessly. It has enough to please the hardcore fans and also enough to bring in the first-timers. You can call it a comeback, if you please.

The Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Mission of Burma, Ratatat, The Pharcyde, and Destroyer head the recently unveiled 2009 bill. Other acts of note include Danzig, Yeasayer, Fucked Up, The Cool Kids, Wu Tang’s GZA performing Liquid Swords, The King Khan & BBQ Show, Lucero, Why?, and No Age.

As it stands, the Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 currently looks something like this:

7 Seconds, Alaska in Winter, All Leather, Astronautalis, Atlas Sound, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, Betaplayer, The Black and White Years, Brendon Walsh, Brian Posehn, Broadcast, Buraka Son Sistema, Car Stereo (Wars), Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Chelsea Peretti, MC Chris, Coalesce, Coliseum, The Cool Kids, Crystal Antlers, Crystal Castles, D.R.I., Danzig, Dead Confederate, Death, Destroyer, The DJ Melee, Face to Face, Flipper, Foot Patrol, Fuck Buttons, Fucked Up, Gorilla Biscuits, Growing, GZA performing Liquid Swords, Hannibal Burress, Harlem, HEALTH, James Husband (Of Montreal), The Jesus Lizard,  Josh Fadem, Kid Sister, King Khan & BBQ Show, The Laughing, LAX, Les Savy Fav, Low Line Caller, Lucero, Melt Banana, Metallagher, Mika Miko, Mission of Burma, Moonlight Towers, Neon Indian, The New Movement, Nick Thune, No Age, DJ Numark, Of Montreal, Off With Their Heads, Pack of Wolves, Peligrosa DJs, The Pharcyde, Rat King, Ratatat, Red Sparowes, Reign Supreme, Riverboat Gamblers, The Roller, Royal Bangs, Russian Circles, Shearwater, Shonen Knife, Ssion, The Strange Boys, Street Dogs, Sugar & Gold, This Will Destroy You, Times New Viking, Todd Barry, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, VEGA, White Kids You Know, Why?, Yeasayer, Young Widows, Youth Brigade

Early bird weekend ($67.50) and VIP ($135) are now available via funfunfunfest.com.

As 2009 approaches, we are only days away from when Hanukkah Harry, Kwanzabot, and Paul Giamatti’s character from that shitty Vince Vaughn movie come and bestow gifts upon us. This means one thing, year end recaps and best of lists. Oh, this is definitely my favorite time of the year.

Personally speaking, 2008 blew for music. If it wasn’t for the last bastion of respectable music coverage, we would have probably all killed ourselves. We all owe TRL a big debt of gratitude. Unfortunately, that seems to have gone awash, as well.

Don’t believe me? Let’s turn around and trace our steps some. If you search on Wikipedia for “2008 in music,” the first entry Face to Face’s reunion announcement. That’s how special 2008 was for music, right? Wrong. Face to Face fans with an internet connection aside, actual shit happened this year. We learned that System of a Down isn’t going to reform and the Grammys continue to happen, both sad things. Furthermore, Erykah Badu made a comeback, Def Leppard and The Eagles went on tour and Scott Weiland left Velvet Revolver. A tree fell in the woods; no one heard it or cared. However, on April 5th, the newly reunited Face to Face performed in Irvine, CA. God Bless America!

Let’s continue, though…

Did you know Mariah Carey is officially only two #1 singles behind The Beatles for all time? This is cataclysmic news because I realized that my grandchildren will have framed posters of the album cover Butterfly. And you know what, I’m fucking happy about it. Who in the world didn’t enjoy the video for “Honey”? I will go on record and say Butterfly is our generation’s Sgt. Pepper. (Editor’s Note: Please folks, flame away!) This seminal album, or masterpiece as it will be known for years to come, set the stage for the Shakespearean drama that is Mariah Carey. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, she fought for her independence, grew as a musician, had a meltdown, left in exile, etc, etc.

On the flipside however, in 2008, Carey fought and clawed her way to the top, battling the likes of T-Pain and Leona Lewis to take the number one spot like all great champions before her did. Just like Air Jordan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Jackie Brown, and Ted Dibiase before her, Mariah Carey is a people’s champ. She has furthered music to almost unfathomable levels and she will overtake The Beatles’ record for most #1 singles within a decade. Welcome to the future everyone.

So, what else happened?

Oh, that Scott Weiland character didn’t leave the former Guns empty handed, as he left and rejoined the Stone Temple Pilots. You probably didn’t know that Donna Summer had a number one song again, but you might have bought Madonna’s leventh, yes eleventh, album. (She also turned 50!) A second tree fell in the woods. Donna Summer and Scott Weiland smoked it, no one cared.

This is when things get “crazy”…

The shitty mayor of Los Angeles got a whole heck of a lot better when he proclaimed April 15th as Mariah Carey Day. From April 25th to April 27th, the Empire State Building was lit up in lavender, pink, and white in celebration of Mariah Carey’s achievements in the field of music. A world rejoiced as the two leading epicenters for music in modern day America saw eye to eye, or face to face, in their appreciation of the musical titan, “Mariah.”

Meanwhile, The Offspring eleased an album, David Cook won season 7 of American Idol, and Westlife (who?) celebrated ten years of music making. A third tree fell in the woods, it killed 3 and injured 4, and again… no one cared.

Naturally, as all this happened here, Zeus and Apollo laughed from above in Olympus at the amazing creation they bestowed on us mere mortals. Built not from flesh and blood, Mariah Carey symbolizes a new future in music where singers are sent to us from the heavens.

Carrying on, George Michael played his first US Tour in 17 years, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was actually developed and released, and a shitload of festivals happened. Oh, and Souljaboy continued to take the world by storm. By this time, the many proverbial trees have fallen down… thanks to global warming.

So, where we at? Oh, the end of the summer: LOLLAPALOOZA 2008! Need I mention that Consequence of Sound covered that shit like they own it? BOO-YAH.

Then came the seasonal changes: Katy Perry continued to do whatever the hell she does, a new Queen album came out (or is coming out), that plane crash involving Travis Barker and DJ AM happened and the two lived to tell the tale, Paul McCartney returned to Israel since being banned, Britney got another number one, Rihanna got a few ones too, and finally, Face to Face continued to search for their first one.

Of course, 2008 wouldn’t 2008 without Axl f’n Rose. How could we forget? Chinese Democracy was unleashed upon the ill prepared world! Rumor has it that only Mariah Carey is known to be able to handle the sheer awesomeness and virtuosity that the album contains. Too bad that negates 99.99% percent of the world. Speaking of the world, a lot of awesome people connected to music left it, but that’s what always happens: people die. Some can argue and say that Mariah Carey should have considered resurrecting them with her powers, but let’s get realistic people.

2009 Prediction: Face to Face will produce Mariah Carey’s next album, I Will Never Go Away As Long As People Can Handle My Voice As They Pleasure Themselves to My Videos.

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