Saturday Recap: Apes of Wrath, Swim Party, Roxy Jones @ Tower Bar

I don't really think there is anyone quite as skilled at procrastination as I am. I have work to do, so what do I do? Have a late lunch at Ponce's. Still have work to do, so what do I do? A nap sounds pretty good. I was going to try to make myself stay home to do what I needed to do, but instead, convinced myself that going to the show was actaully work, too, because I was still on the hunt for material for my next CityBeat column. I can really justify anything...

When I arrived to the Tower, Apes of Wrath were already playing and had a large crowd up front, so I just kinda hung back and didn't really plan on taking pics, but toward the end of their set I was able to snap a few. I've seen the band a few times before and have an unmixed demo from them, but I was really surprised that even though they were playing really loud, the vocals were crystal clear. Did Mick upgrade the sound at the bar? I was also glad to get up close because the drummer was really entertaining to watch.




Swim Party played second and I don't think there's any band that I've written about on my site more than Swim Party, so I'll spare the lovefest and just post the pics. And to Alex, I'm really sorry, but I just had to post a pic of the sneakers...Maybe Santa will notice you need some new ones. Or maybe he'll just hook you up with more duct tape. Either way, think of it as me trying to help you...





Last up for the night was Roxy Jones. I like their kinda unpolished sound and they're another of the San Diego bands that is better every time I see them. Plus, their latest CD is really good. Keep an eye out for my CityBeat column this week for some more info on Peter.




Again, I headed back to the Ken after the show where Todd and I played "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" on Tarryn's phone. Sadly, the answer to that question is no. I'm happy to report that the Christmas decorations have been up at the Ken for about a week now, and it's always been my favorite time of year to live near this bar. I also wanted to introduce everyone to Kittyhead.



Kittyhead is a cat that hangs around the neighborhood. She sometimes lays in the street, resulting in several people calling the number on her tag only to be told "Leave her alone. She's an outdoor cat." Well, this just isn't the kind of neighborhood where we leave animals alone, so Kittyhead spends her nights in the Ken Club, sometimes on the bar, sometimes sleeping in one of the booths in the back, sometimes hiding out in the band room. She's sweet but cautious, and she will bite if she wants you to leave her alone. Anyway, she follows me home, but with Pascha and my own three cats, I just can't take her in, even just at night, but I do put some food out for her every once in a while. This is probably a bad idea, however, because last night, it wasn't Kittyhead eating the food, but a baby skunk hopping away from me on the sidewalk. Lesson learned there...Anyway, if you're in Kensington, say hi to Kittyhead and give her some love, just please don't take her out of the hood. After all, she does have an owner, even if he is an asshole.