On Thursday, May 31st Neon Trees will be performing live from the KROQ Studios for several lucky fans. The entire performance and Q&A will be webcast live and hosted by KROQ’s Nicole Alvarez. We want to pack the house full of die-hard Neon Trees fans, so make sure to enter below for your shot at scoring access!

ENTER TO WIN HERE

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We Ask Neon Trees: Are Fortune Cookies The New Horoscopes?

This performance will be webcast one-time only, so make sure you’re tuned in to catch all the action. The webcast starts at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET.

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WATCH THE WEBCAST HERE

SpotDash is an addictive mobile mix of city guide, quiz game and scavenger hunt. Stop by Pharoah’s Lost Kingdom, check out the world’s largest paper cup, take a photo by the windmills and more! It’ll make that drive to the desert a lot easier to handle!

Spotdash is available for free download in the iPhone App Store or Android Market.

Get started by downloading the FREE SpotDash™ mobile app to your mobile device. Once you have downloaded SpotDash™, register on the SpotDash™ login page and begin you first adventure! It’s that easy! The more adventures that you play and complete, the more chances that you have to win a new iPad 2. Each month we will select 5 winners (one from each city), so you’ll have a new chance to play each and every month. So play again and again! Download SpotDash or ENTER HERE.

First I rode with 3-time KRC Cup Champion, 3-time IMSA GT3 Cup Champion, Driving Instructor and Race Car Developer Bob Faieta, who took me for a lap in a Porsche 911 GT3. I had no clue what to expect. I am no stranger to adrenaline rushes, in fact, I am constantly seeking new ones. I have ran with the bulls in Spain, jumped out of airplanes numerous times, etc…

Going for a lap on that track is now easily in the top 3 coolest things I have ever, and probably will ever, do. It is a rush that I highly recommend you experience.

The car I will be racing. #LongBeachGrandPrix instagr.am/p/I9xXTsFSLB/—
Nicole Alvarez (@Nicole1067) April 03, 2012

After Bob took me for a lap in his Porsche, I moved on to drifting. I rode with Tyler McQuarrie who has set new course records for drifting here, there, and everywhere. This guy had a kamikaze look in his eyes and the second they buckled me in, my heart went bonkers.

Tyler is the kind of driver who completely and totally feeds off of adrenaline and he satisfies his hunger by pushing boundaries and taking it to the limit. He’s a bit nuts. Perfect for me.

We took off and within mil-seconds I was screaming bloody murder wondering, in a cloud of smoke created from burning rubber, why the wall in front of me is coming at me in what seems to be warp speed. I thought to myself, “how the hell did I get myself into this?” I was terrified and exhilarated all at once. What.A.Ride.

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It also confirmed what I already suspected, I am on the verge of being clinically insane, BUT! in a fun way.

I had the time of my life and I hope to be able to do it again someday. The overall experience was super cool and everything from the sound of those cars to the smell of those burning tires are things I won’t soon forget and can’t wait to get back to.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is happening April 13-15 in Downtown Long Beach. Get tickets and more info at GPLB.com. You can also check out the Formula Drift action this Friday and Saturday, get tickets and more info here.

Please, humor me and caption this photo. What is Marilyn Manson thinking?

Leave your caption in the comments section below.

If you could care less about The Hunger Games, but are still planning on going to the movies to see something else, beware! It will truly be a test of your patience to maneuver your way around the hard-core. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some Mortal Kombat sh*t went down at the snack bar.

The Hunger Games are here and hell hath no fury like a Hunger Games fanatic trying to get to their movie. You have been warned.

I personally am on board with The Hunger Games craze. The series is fantastic. Unfortunately, some people are going to hate on it because it comes on the heels of the Twilight frenzy. So, some are going to assume that they are alike in nature. That is a damn shame.

The Hunger Games is NOT Twilight.

Now, I am not going to be a hypocrite. I read the Twilight series too. At the time I read the books, it was pre-frenzy. I loved the stories, however, the Twilight movies are God awful. The actors all seem like they need to take a massive poop.

Everytime #thehungergames is compared to #twilight I die a little inside and then I feel bad for liking #hungergames. I dislike fan crazes.—
Shawna Parker (@MrsIronman19) March 22, 2012

In order to help The Hunger Games survive the Twilight comparisons, here are some things you need to know about The Hunger Games:

The Hunger Games is NOT Twilight. That is first and foremost.

Twilight is mainly about a vampiric family that pretty much sh*ts glitter in the sunlight. They sparkle.

You lose most of the male audience at the word “sparkle”.

It is the story of an angsty girl named Bella who falls in love with an impossibly beautiful vampire and eventually is torn between him and a talking wolf. Besides that main love triangle, other shenanigans include: vampire blue balls, vampires vs. wolves, imprinting, a pissed off redhead, and overprotective father, a clueless mother, and battling the vampire mafia. In a nutshell.

No one sparkles in The Hunger Games.
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The Hunger Games is not pretty, in fact, it is set in a cold, vicious dystopia. It is an ugly world and the main theme is survival; survival of the fittest.

If per chance, a sparkling vampire were to be placed in The Hunger Games, a poison tipped arrow would mostly likely be shoved up the hole where the sun don’t shine. Vampires with pretty faces would get sodomized.

The Hunger Games is very male friendly.
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There is little estrogen infused in this story. In fact, it is violent as all hell.

The main character Katniss, is hot, kicks major ass, and is naked in some parts of the story.

Plus, some dude gets ripped to shreds by some horrifying beast of an animal.

Ok, wait! To be fair, there is a few scenes that will pull on your heart-strings a bit and no, Gladiator it is not, but I believe that guys would enjoy this movie, if only for some of the  sadistic qualities of the actual Hunger Games.

There are no talking wolves.
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Animals do not speak in The Hunger Games, they are merely hunted and eaten in the name of survival.

Part of what made Twilight laughable to some was the fact that the werewolves spoke English to each other. Out loud.

Ummmmmmmmm, so that happens.

Katniss would kick Bella’s ass.
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As far as a role model goes, The Hunger Games’ Katniss is much more of a strong character for people to respect and admire. Chicks can definitely learn a thing or two from Katniss.  Bella is a whiny, needy, awkward pain in the ass.

The Hunger Games scenario is a lot more realistic than Twilight.
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Part of the reason I liked reading The Hunger Games was because the nature of the story played up to my worst fears as far as our civilization is concerned. Hell, the way our current world is headed, we too could face something very similar to the plot of The Hunger Games. That, to me, is what made the book a compelling read. It made me very feel very uneasy and ill-equipped.

I put myself in each of the character’s shoes and wondered how I would and could survive. It was challenging and at times, it even gave me anxiety.

We are less likely to encounter a flying, sparkling vampire in today’s modern world. However, you never know.

The actors in The Hunger Games are 10 times better.
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With the exception of just a few actors in the Twilight movies, overall, the acting was terrible, cringe-worthy terrible. I doubt anyone would fight me on this.

Some of the actors in The Hunger Games are the best in the business: Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks…even Jennifer Lawrence who is relatively new to the scene could act rings around most of young Hollywood.

By the way, Woody Harrelson plays a cranky drunk with a lot of spunk. I am very excited to watch him in this perfectly cast role.

I do not hate the Twilight series, I just would like people who have not read The Hunger Games to know that they are NOTHING alike.

Bottom line is this, The Hunger Games is NOT Twilight.
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Do not even try to compare the two. Perhaps the only thing they have in common is the fact that they are both a phenomenon. Don’t punish The Hunger Games for that.

If you don’t want to read the books, then don’t, but don’t totally crap on going to see the movie or the story. I guarantee you that it will at least provide food for thought.

…and no one sparkles.

However, my favorite holiday lands nowhere near Halloween or Christmas! I believe St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect holiday and therefore deserves a ridiculous amount of attention and glory. In fact, I am toasting to St. Patrick as I write this.

Let’s hear it for my favorite holiday, St. Patty’s Day!

It too is rooted in tradition and ceremony and I have loved it since I was in the womb. No, I was not of legal drinking age in the womb, but I came out of there knowing perfectly well that one day I would be.

It’s pretty simple: Wear green, drink, listen to Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphy’s, drink some more, pinch the hell out of anyone not wearing green, and then drink again. Oh Danny Boy! How could I not love a holiday whose stateside mascot is a leprechaun? Honorable mention to the random drunk dancing that people break out on St. Patty’s Day, is it dancing or the a bastard child of an epileptic seizure and clog hopping? Either or, stellar moves.

If you ask me, people do not put enough effort into this holiday. That is a damn shame, which brings me to the quandary I am currently in.

I have options as far as where to spend St. Patrick’s Day this year, really good options. So I need YOU to help me decide or better yet, just tell me where I am spending St. Patrick’s Day and I will do the rest.

Here are my options:

Frank Turner and Dropkick Murphy’s in Boston

Honestly, this is the one I am leaning towards. Frank Turner is one of my favorite artists in the entire world and he is opening up for The Dropkick Murphy’s ON St. Patrick’s Day IN Boston. Talk about debauchery. It would be rambunctious, festive, and the smell of Jack Daniels and Jameson will most likely be saturated in the air everywhere. Not to mention that I would most likely leave that pit bruised, bloody, and adrenalized to the umpteenth power. Yes please.

I would be going with 3 of the boys that did the running of the bulls in Pamplona with me and we have already proven that together, we are quite fearless.

I also would imagine that when the Dropkick Murphy’s play “Shipping Off to Boston“, sh*ts gonna get craaaaazay. I really like that thought.

Chicago

I have always wanted to see The Chicago River dyed green, always. It’s on my U.S. bucket list, but besides that, Chicago is just a really fun place to visit and as far as they are concerned, on that day, they are Irish. Parades, concerts…it’s like an Irish bacchanalia:  A riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel.

Sure, why not.

Vegas baby, Vegas!

When in doubt, just go to Vegas, for everything. I’m sure St. Patrick’s Day is not wasted on Vegas. This is what some may call a “sure thing”.

“On-stages” basically consist of us getting on stage and introducing the band their performance. Easy enough right? Nay I say! Sometimes, it is the most daunting, horrifying, and awkward experience any of us have ever faced. Am I exaggerating?

Not one bit.

You try it.

Don’t get me wrong, some of them can be exhilarating, exciting, and beyond surreal, in a good way. However, much like Vegas, when a crowd turns on you, cash in your chips and dig yourself deep into a hole because the outside world becomes a very cruel place.

Thrice (Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images)

THRICE

Alright, so I dig Thrice, a lot, therefore, I did not expect the on-stage for Thrice to be one of the most horrifying things I have ever experienced.

For starters, I had just gotten to KROQ, the year was 2003. It was Halloween night and they were playing a sold out show at The Palladium. I was dressed as Satan’s agent, as in Satan’s Ari Gold. I was wearing a bustier tight enough that I was choking on both my breasts, heels that rivaled the tallest high rise in Downtown, LA, and a top hat.

Besides the constricting outfit, one of my bosses may or may not have gotten me sauced prior to my having to stand on stage and introduce Thrice. Did I mention it was pouring that night as well, so I was soaking wet, new to KROQ, and kind of dressed like a whore? Yea.

Anyhow, I was super nervous because I was brand new to KROQ and I had never done an on-stage, sooooooooooooooo, I may have been a little tipsy, (surprise, surprise).

It was time. I went up and I said KROQ FIRST. Apparently that is a big no no. I got heckled, booed, yelled out, cursed at….It was a bloody nightmare. Finally, as things are being thrown at me from all over the venue, one wise guy in the front row threw a bottle cap at me and I was able to catch it with my cleavage.

It goes without saying, but after that tremendously clutch catch with my chesticles, I officially won the crowd over.

Still, the experience was traumatizing.

Metallica

Metallica is hands down one of my favorite bands in the entire world. The time came for me to interview James Hetfield at KROQ’s Weenie Roast. The year was 2008. I was on my very best behavior all day, saying no to anything liquid that was offered to me in a cup. I wasn’t even going to take a sip of water in fear of being roofied or worse yet, Vodka disguised as water.

Finally, my interview with James Hetfield went off without a hitch. All that was left for me to do was intro Metallica on stage. Simple enough right? WRONG. I did not plan on Pennywise sabotaging my on-stage.

Alright, I take that back. Pennywise did not “sabotage” my on-stage, BUT, I interviewed them AFTER James Hetfield and that’s when things got a bit wonky.

Mr. Fletcher Dragge and the rest of the members of Pennywise literally shoved Patron down my shirt. It was either that or they would not get interviewed. So, clearly I had to do as the band said. Right?

Fast forward to my on-stage. I was HAMMERED, (surprise, surprise), standing on a speaker being propped up by a stagehand and seeing double of everything and everyone. Despite how hard it was to stand on the two feet God gave me, it was one of the greatest moments of my life. Thank you Fletcher!

Morrissey

Morrissey was very daunting. It was at The Wiltern circa 2000 and who knows what year and it was very, very, very heavy in that room. Note: I happen to love Morrissey, but I am by no means, as depressed as it is sometimes required to be at a Morrissey show. I am all sunshine and bubbles, and in that room, that day, it was all black clouds and thunderstorms.

The Morrissey crowd was passionate and die hard as most Morrissey fans are, but they just wanted to be in the company of their hero, their dark lord of their woe, their sire of masochism, their Morrissey.

The last thing that the afflicted masses wanted to see or hear was some DJ from KROQ asking them to “make some noise”.

The Morrissey on-stage humbled the happy in me.

Death Cab For Cutie

Anyone that knows me can tell you that Death Cab for Cutie is not my favorite band. Now, before you start a big fight and start leaving mean comments and empty threats, please note that I acknowledge their talent as a band. They have written some of the most beautiful lyrics I have ever heard. I still am not a fan and that’s ok. To each his own.

The Death Cab for Cutie on stage bitch slapped me in the gut. The year was 2005; the place was KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas.

Basically it went like this: I didn’t want to introduce Death Cab. It didn’t feel right. Then, my friend and punk rock friend to us all, Tim Armstrong, offered to introduce the band with me in order for me to feel more comfortable. He rules. Then, Tim and I decided to bring a huge Death Cab fan with us so that she, ultimately, could introduce her favorite band.

It seemed like the perfect plan. Until…

I did my thing, Tim did his thing, and the girl that loves Death Cab was left to do her thing. She did. She gushed and shook as she spoke and that moment should have been one of the best moments of her life.

Ben Gibbard was a less than thrilled about the whole fan introduction thing. Let’s put it this way, the poor girl ended up in tears. Enough said.

The Smokeout Festival

Incubus, Cypress Hill…. Basically bands that I love. It was my pleasure to do the on-stage for Smokeout. Or so I thought.

Basically, YOU try and hype up a crowd of the highest people ever assembled on Planet Earth. Everyone was stoned. My on-stage sounded like melting lava to them.

So there you go, for as fun as this job is and for as memorable as some of the moments are, this too can suck.

However, I have a few KROQ songs that I have loved my entire life and these are the songs that I pledge an eternity of devotion to for no other reason than I absolutely love the way they make me feel.

The Cure “Just Like Heaven”

The song is just one huge breath of fresh ocean air to me.

Rancid ”Salvation”

It’s all about Tim Armstrong’s Jacket.

Unwritten Law ”Save Me”

I love it cause I can sing it like I wrote it.

…And these are a few of my favorite KROQ songs.

As far as my all-time favorite KROQ video, well that one is easy. It’s a trilogy. This epic and tragic tale as told through the eyes of Guns N’ Roses:

1. “Don’t Cry”

2. “November Rain”

3. “Estranged”

Luckily, I have a pretty good system for making sure I don’t miss anything. KROQ, Local’s Only, Spotify, blogs…you know, the essentials.

So, I started a playlist for January 2012. Some old, some new, some in between. However, while I was crafting this playlist, I realized I wanted to collaborate with my friends and KROQ listeners and see if together, we can blow the roof off of other playlists.

I think we can.

So, here are some of my songs, and I would love it if you can throw in some of yours and that way, together, we rock out all the while spreading the joy of music all over this biatch.

Let’s go!

Like I said, these are just songs that I have been listening to lately. Some of them just floated my way at the right time and some of them have been around for a hot minute, yet something about them works for me in this very moment. Some, are merely on a test run.

Please add like 2 or 3 of your own that my ears can chew on for a bit.

CLICK ON THE SONG TITLE TO LISTEN.

• Timo Maas – “To Get Down“
• Grouplove – “Tongue Tied”
• The Black keys – “Gold On the Ceiling”
• Geographer – “Kites”
• Guster – “Do You Love Me”
• Forest Fire - ”Fortune Teller“
• Bernhoft – “Good Intentions“
• Gotye – “Somebody That I Used To Know“
• Wax Tailor – “Sometimes“
• Radiohead – “The Daily Mail“
• Puscifer – “Conditions of My Parole“
• Clock Opera – “Once and for All“
• Skrillex - “Bangarang“
• These United States – “Burn This Bridge”
• The Naked and Famous – “The Sun“

What I need is more rock. Like the kind with balls. The kind that offends mothers and get’s your blood boiling.

I am very excited to see what you all post!

Thanks guys!

Videos to accompany my playlist

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