“ This is kind of unexpected. It's kind of a lovely, proper gig vibe in here. Very cool.
” “It’s very different from the Great Wall of China. It’s not very big, but it’s very impressive,” quipped Tom Chaplin, frontman of British alt-rock band, Keane, when asked to compare the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ with the Great Wall of China by host Ted Stryker.”This is kind of unexpected. It’s kind of a lovely, proper gig vibe in here. Very cool.”

The band, who played gigs in China last year, kicked off their tour in United Kingdom town of Bexhill to promote their first album in four years, Strangeland, which is out on May 8th. They stopped by the Red Bull Sound Space this past Tuesday for an incredible, intimate performance.

[Gallery] Keane Performing Live At The…

Next up on their tour will be SXSW, Moscow, a summer spent traversing the UK, and “not quite confirmed yet” dates for a “June/July” tour in the United States.

Joining Chaplin were bandmates Tim Rice-Oxley on piano, Richard Hughes on drums, and Jesse Quin playing bass guitar.  Most of Keane left the cheeky retorts to the ever-youthful Chaplin, although Rice-Oxley did give the audience a taste of his dry humor when asked what the band had been up to the last four years.

“We made a record in there somewhere,” Rice-Oxley said to Stryker.“There must have been some downtime in there.”

Chaplin interjected that they were both “procreating” and creating. “We wanted to write the very best album we could come up with,” he said sincerely.

Keane at the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ!

[Gallery] Keane Performing Live At The…

Photos of Keane performing at the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ.

Photos by Steve Bitanga / www.stevebitanga.com

After just finishing up a performance with English band Keane, the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ will play host to Of Monsters And Men next week!

The show, which will take place Wednesday, March 21st at 11:00am PT, will be webcast live right here on KROQ.com and hosted by Stryker! The band will be promoting their new forthcoming album My Head Is An Animal, which is due out April 3rd. We’re also gonna be hooking up several KROQ fans with exclusive access to the show to see Of Monsters And Men up close and personal!

Enter to win tickets here!

Photo: Kevin Estrada

“ I was talking to my Dad...I was a little stressed...And he has this funny saying, 'You're like a little bit of butter on too much bread.'
” “And, hopefully, there’s a big, fat horny stewardess and we can join the Mile High Club while listening to the song in the bathroom on my phone.”

Perhaps the running thought through many a travel-worn mind, Dirty Heads vocalist, Jared “Dirty J” Watson is stuck in a New York airport (which he comments is infested with pigeons) waiting for his flight back home.

He’ll be mid-flight when Dirty Heads’ song, “Spread Too Thin,” premieres at the very àpropos time of 4:20 this afternoon on KROQ’s 4:20 with Stryker.

When we comment that Watson will be flying high during the première, he quips, “There’s internet on the plane. We’ve already thought of this.”

Listen to the new Dirty Heads track here!

Courtesy Epitaph Records

“ I'm a fan, first and foremost, and I'm the guitar player second. I know, from a fan standpoint, I can't stop listening to this record.
” “Even if they don’t like the album, they’re not going to be able to say it’s a bad album. There’s no way. I know because I’m a Pennywise fan. I’m a fan, first and foremost, and I’m the guitar player second. I know, from a fan standpoint, I can’t stop listening to this record,” said Fletcher Dragge, guitarist for the iconic Californian punk rock band.

“All or Nothing,” the title track single from their upcoming album out on May 1st, ”encompasses the theme of the album and what we were going through as a band,” explained Dragge. “Anybody that’s listening, that’s in that situation in life that knows they need to keep on swinging, will be able to relate to the song.” The song debuted this afternoon on KROQ’s 4:20 with Stryker.

According to Dragge, “All Or Nothing” is how they see the state of their career. Releasing their tenth album four years after 2008′s Reason To Believe, Pennywise are either “going full” or they’re done–especially with the drama surrounding the departure of their ex-lead singer, Jim Lindberg and his replacement with Ignite’s Zoli Teglas. 

Dragge didn’t just have a lot to say about the tempestuous writing situation on the new album or the meaning of the song “All Or Nothing.” The Pennywise guitar player set the record straight on how Lindberg’s “guise” of leaving the band for family reasons left “none of them feeling good.” 

Dragge just feels this means Pennywise has more to prove. “We’ve got to deliver big for our fans. We’ve got to let them know that we’re still here. We didn’t give up,” he asserted passionately later. “The bottom line is: we didn’t quit Pennywise. We didn’t quit our fans. Jim did.”

Listen to All Or Nothing, read Fletcher’s candid interview.

British Alt-Rock band Keane is the next act to hit the Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ, which has boasted bands the likes of Coldplay, The Fray, Falling In Reverse and Angels & Airwaves. The event, taking place March 13th at 3:30PM PDT, will feature a live webcast of the band’s performance and a Q&A hosted by KROQ’s very own Stryker.

We’re also giving fans a shot at scoring tickets to this private performance! You and a guest will get to enjoy Keane with about 150 other people. Not too shabby huh?

The band will be promoting their new forthcoming album Strangeland, which is set to release May 8th. It’s been 4 years since the band’s last album, Perfect Symmetry, so fans have eagerly been awaiting new music from them.

Enter to win tickets to the performance here.

Dim Mak Record's Dan Sena

KROQ’s throwing a  private party at My House in Hollywood this Saturday night and you’re invited to peek in!

My House has been Hollywood’s hotspot for a few years now….and a state-of-the-art club in Hollywood where the DJ elite including guys like DJ AM used to spin often.

So KROQ turned to Dim Mak Records to jump on board with us….and offered up a few of their DJ’s to play live sets for this packed house.

Watch this Saturday night’s live webcast as KROQ’s Stryker hosts an evening of some of the newest and best electronic dance music. You’ll see sets from Clockwork, Dan Sena, DJ Metric and KROQ’s own DJ Jeremiah Red.
Watch the DJ sets live here.

[Gallery] Australian Open Of Surfing,…All last week, Stryker, Adrian from KROQ Promotions and myself were down in Sydney, Australia for the Australian Open of Surfing. While we were there, the AWESOME folks at Destination New South Wales put together a pretty incredible itinerary for us while we were there, allowing us to experience first-hand some of the best things Sydney has to offer.

We explored around the Opera House, took high-speed boat rides, backstage tours of zoos, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, caught yellowtail kingfish, took surf lessons from pro surfer Mark Occhipulo and the Manly Surf School, checked out the Open and The Living End, and capped it off with Breakfast with Koala bears. All in all, it was an awesome trip and the people (especially the women) of Sydney were nothing short of amazing to a couple of American “knuckleheads” unleashed in their city.

@sydney_sider I'll remember the weather, the waves, The Living End and great vibes on the beach—
Stryker (@TedStryker) February 20, 2012

Watch video of our trip here.

[Gallery] Australian Open Of Surfing,…

Photos from Stryker’s trip to Australia for the Australian Open of Surfing – surfing lessons at Manly Surf School with pro surfers Rob Machado and Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, skateboarding bowl, The Living End interview and performance, Breakfast with Koalas and the finals of the Australian Open of Surfing.

Photos by Cody Black and Adrian Garcia. Surfing photos by Matt Withaar from the Manly Surf School.

[Gallery] Hot Australian Girls Holding…

The title says it all…

[Gallery] Stryker Climbs The Sydney…

Photos of Stryker doing the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb while we’re in Sydney for the Australian Open of Surfing. Thanks to our guides Dean and Alec for such an incredible experience!

All week long I’ll be blogging about our stay in Sydney for the Australian Open Of Surfing, which continues through this Sunday in Manly Beach.

[Gallery] Stryker Climbs The Sydney…Stryker and I were given the chance to see Sydney from one of the most unique standpoints around – from the top of the infamous Sydney Harbour Bridge!

We were paired up with two incredibly knowledgeable guys from Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb who spoke to us about the history of the bridge, it’s impact on Sydney, and what it was like as a worker in the 20′s building this massive piece of engineering.

Just had an unreal experience of climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge. 440 feet. 52tons of steel. Built in the 20's..16 men died building it.—
Stryker (@TedStryker) February 16, 2012

Check out video of Stryker’s climb to the top.

All week long I’ll be blogging about our stay in Sydney for the Australian Open Of Surfing, which continues through this Sunday in Manly Beach.

[Gallery] Stryker’s Visit To…After a long night of drinking, we all woke up the next morning and enjoyed some breakfast at the Manly Wine Bar, one of Manly Beach’s hippest bars/restaurant. After filling our stomachs with some delicious food, we got our stuff together and headed downstairs to catch a cab. Our agenda for the day: head to the famous Taronga Zoo for a special encounter with some of nature’s coolest animals, including platypuses, kangaroos, emus, KOALA BEARS and more.

Trying to bring my sexy, hot and cute new friend back to Los Angeles from Sydney, Australia (650am Thurs.) twitpic.com/8kdpul—
Stryker (@TedStryker) February 15, 2012

Read more and watch a video of our trip to the Taronga Zoo.