Holiday Hootenanny: Be My Guest?

I plan on going to FM 94/9's Holiday Hootenanny tomorrow. I have VIP passes that include food and drink gratis. You fly, I buy, as they say. You pick me up before the show and drop me off at home after the show and you can be my guest. Making out before, during, or after the show is optional. If you're interested, hit me with an email. Most compelling e-mail will be chosen.

Quite An Opinionated Baby

Now we just need to teach her to do hook'em horns and we're set.

Things To Do In San Diego: December 14-16, 2007

Friday, December 14, 2007:

• Red Pony Clock, The Donkeys, Fishboy, Eux Autres @ Ken Club
• The Vision of A Dying World (CD Release), The Sess, Red Feathers @ Tower Bar
• Pussy Galore Presents The Modlins (CD Release), Joanie + Secretaries @ Whistle Stop
• Club Fashion Whore 2 year Anniversary feat. Quest-ce Que C'est @ Brass Rail
• Beta Lion, Squiddo, Roxy Jones, The Red Lights @ O'Connell's
• Tom Brousseau @ North Park Vaudeville & Candy Shoppe
• Throw Rag, The Hitchhikers, The Screamin' Yeehaws @ Casbah
• Unwritten Law, Daredevil Jane @ House of Blues
• Lisa Sanders, Patty Blee, Coyote Problem @ Lestat's
• Nico Vega, Semi Precious Weapons @ Beauty Bar
• Media Lab, Dante’s Boneyard, Onesidezero, An E For Effort @ Brick By Brick
• Tartufi (SF), Enter Telescope, The Sundelles @ Scolari's
• No People (Japan), Belly Button (Japan),Pterodacdudes, Punkin Piea(TX)@ Zombie Lounge
• The Acacia Strain, Despised Icon, Full Brown Chaps, Tony Danza Tapdance, Extravaganza, End of Eden @ Soma
• Kim Wilson, Michelle Lundeen & Blues Streak @ Winston's
• Janiva Magness @ Anthology
• Makai @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Gene Perry & Afro Rhumba @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)

Saturday, December 15, 2007:

• Tecolote Guitar Works Grand Opening @ 1231 Morena Blvd. 4-7pm. Live music, refreshments, and art.
• FM 94/9 Holiday Hootenanny feat. Queens of the Stone Age, Pinback, Louis XIV, The Kooks, Mute Math, Rogue Wave @ Rimac Arena
• School Of Rock Best of The 90s, Mike Keneally @ Epicentre 1 pm
• Tell Mama, Team Abraham @ Tower Bar
• Toys For Tots Benefit @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Tom Brosseau, Angela Correa @ North Park Vaudeville & Candy Shoppe
• Vanja James, Demasiado, Quinn Allen @ Lestat's
• Hostile Combover, Cabron, Tijuana Knife Fight @ Alibi
• Deadbolt, The Nightmares @ Ken Club
• Afraid Not Scared @ Hot Java Cafe
• Allegiance, Bitter End, Internal Affairs, Violation, Down Again, and Feed @ Che Cafe
• Disposible Thumbs (IL)@ Scolari's
• Imperial Teen, Midnight Movies @ Casbah
• SMOGTOWN, BROKEN BOTTLES, Vultures United(LA), The Underclassmen @ Zombie Lounge
• Team Sleep, Monster In The Machine, Strata, First Wave Hello @ Soma
• The Sickstring Outlaws @ Gallagher's (OB)
• Delta Nove, Ishmael the Peacemaker @ Winston's
• Tapwater, Brain Buckit @ O'Connell's
• The Young Dubliners Christmas Show, The Drowning Men @ Belly Up
• Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur @ Acoustic Music San Diego
• My American Heart, A Change of Pace, Everybody Else and The White Tie Affair @ Epicentre
• Dave Mason @ Anthology (early show)
• Ronnie Baker Brooks @ Anthology (late show)
• Jamie Crawford @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge

Sunday, December 16, 2007:

• Spitting On Cops,The Neverland Ranch Hands,Vietnam HC, Cabron, Fkenal @ Voz Alta, 2pm, $2 & one can of dog food
• School Of Rock Best of The 90s, Mike Keneally @ Epicentre 4pm
• Firethorn, Someday Assassin, Heard (LA)@ Zombie Lounge
• Jamie Lival (Scottish Fiddle Champion) Ashley Brader (Mandolin Virtuoso)@ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• The Donnis Trio, Cydney Robinson @ Lestat's
• OB-o-ke @ Winston's
• The Mar Dels Christmas Show@ Belly Up
• Mikan Zlatkovich tribute to Joe Zawinul @ Anthology
• Angels & Airwaves, The Playing Favorites @ Loser Kids Grand Opening

Logo Design Contest

I know you're all a talented bunch out there. And I know some of you have too much time on your hands.

I'm looking for an official SD:DialedIn logo. It's something I would use on my site, as well as cards, banner ads, and other collateral. You'd get a big fat mention on my site with links to your other work, myspace, profiles, whatever...But since I do this whole thing unpaid, I'm testing to see if any generous souls out there would design somethin' for me pro-bono. If not, I'm gonna have to pull out the college texts to see if I still remember how to use Illustrator. We just don't want that now, do we?

Anyway, I'll make it a contest. I'll take the best logo designer out to dinner at Ponce's, then get you drunk at the Ken Club. It will be awesome. I'm not too worried about dimensions, we can fine tune that part later. I'd like to have something in the next couple weeks. Thanks in advance...

Free Angels and Airwaves Show

LK grand opening private performance this Sunday!

This Sunday December 9th Loserkids is celebrating the grand opening of their first retail store in SD with performances by Angels And Airwaves and The Playing Favorites, featuring Joey from Lagwagon and Marco from Sugarcult .

Tickets will be given away at 11AM Saturday December 8th at the store. We will be giving them away on a first come first served basis.
You must be present to get your wristband, only one per person will be given out.

Sunday the shop will close around 3:00PM to prepare for the party, then at 3:30 the doors will open for the show.

We are having Macbeth Footwear, W.R.O.N.G. Inc. and Wahoo's Fish Tacos at the party with giveaways, prizes and food for your belly!!!

So get there early Saturday, or maybe even sleep outside Friday night ;) and come celebrate with Loserkids!!!

The shop is located at:
711 Center Drive
Suite 103 (right next to Guitar Center)
San Marcos CA 90269
760 747 5677


www.loserkids.com
www.angelsandairwaves.com
www.theplayingfavorites.com
www.macbethfootwear.com
www.wahoos.com
www.wronginc.com

Somebody Pinch Me

As a superfan of music, I will never take for granted getting to see a show. Whether it's an up and coming band or legendary icons, I feel like it's all part of my music education and I never want to stop learning. That said, when I get the opportunity to meet a band, it's something that I treasure even more. This is not to say that I'm so cool, but really that I feel so lucky. In the last two nights, not only did I meet The Melvins and Big Business, but I got to hang out with Buzz in the back office where we talked about music and band's merchandise and touring and the music business and all kinds of random shit. After that, I went to Modus where we hung out with the M-Theory kids, and met the peeps in Film School. If 31 year old me told 16 year old me that I would be doing such cool shit and meeting such cool people and legendary icons, 16 year old me would've said "yeah, right".

The Melvins


3/5 of Film School with Brooke (FM 94/9)

Things To Do In San Diego: December 13, 2007

Thursday, December 13, 2007:

• CityBeat Redlist Party @ Sidebar, 7pm
• FM 94/9 presents Film School @ San Diego Museum Of Art "Sights + Sounds" Series $12, 7pm
• Waffo Grand Opening (see post below)
• The Frantic Romantic, Long Live Logos,The Predicates @ San Diego Sports Club
• "Solid Gold Oldies" feat. The Muslims, Fantastic Magic @ Tower Bar
• Ben Lee with Cary Brothers, Kate Voegele @ House of Blues
• Sights + Sounds Afterparty feat DJ Set by Greg (frontman of Film School) @ Modus (free, Saaga Vodka drink specials)
• Reeve Oliver, Spell Toronto @ Lestat's
• Squiddo, Wild Weekend @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Melvins performing the Houdini album in its entirety @ Casbah
• Amongst the Lost, Livid & guests TBA@ Brick By Brick
• The Wastrels, Destroy Everything(Chicago) @ Zombie Lounge
• Authority Zero, Black President, Pour Habit, Critical Me @ Soma
• Earl Zero, Roots Covenant, & Dash Eye @ Cane's
• Tribal Seeds, Noiz @ Winston's
• The Knitters, Dead Rock West, The Cheap Leis @ Belly Up
• Blue Rockit @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Jingle Bell Jazz feat Mesa College Big Band, Gilbert Castellanos @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)

Thursdays: The Best Night of the Week

I love Thursdays! They're always the best night of the week. There are some great choices tonight. I'm gonna do my best to make the rounds and party-hop:

FM 94/9 Presents Sights + Sounds (Museum Of Art)

Join FM 94/9 and SDMA on Thursday, December 13th at 7pm for SDMA's new exhibition Animated Painting. The night's entertainment includes a live performance from Film School, gallery tours, and an opportunity to experience art and music in a whole new way.

Cash bars will be serving Sapporo and a featured Saaga Vodka drink throughout the evening. There will also be complimentary handmade organic appetizers and light food courtesy of Modus Supper Club. Halloran will be hosting the night and spinning tunes in the Rotunda while DJ Jon De Rosa (of Aarktica) keeps the auditorium hoping with post-punk and indie rock. Tickets are $10 members/$12 nonmembers for this event. Click here to preview the online trailer or click play below.

After Sights + Sounds, please join FM 94/9 at Modus Supper Club for an "after party" featuring a special DJ set from Greg of Film School and Saaga Vodka specials.


CityBeat Red List Holiday Party @ Sidebar

Ring in the Holiday's CityBeat style at the first-ever CityBeat Red List Holiday Party from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at Sidebar, 536 Market St., Downtown.

CityBeat is hosting a holiday soiree that is guaranteed to have a line outside the door. The first 100 guests can enter to win a free snowboarding package to Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, a Mt. Woodson Golf package giveaway and other stellar prizes, including gift bags loaded with tons of goodies and last minute gift ideas! Check out the hottest threads in a creative new spin on fashion shows in a funky fashion installation during the second hour. Check out the fresh winter/spring lines of Pure Clothing Boutique, SUGAR, Nightlife Fashions, and clothing designer, Cornfed by Barrie. Groove to the beats of Djs Matty A and Ikah Love while cooling down on refreshing holiday cocktails, and if you think you can manage even more holiday cheer, stick around for the Ruby Thursdays After Party! RSVP Required

Waffo Grand Opening (I think it's supposed to say 9pm-2am)

Then of course, there are great shows at the Tower Bar, Bar Pink Elephant, the Sports Club, Lestat's and even the House of Blues, but Toshi from Big Business loved me last night, so I might head back to the Casbah tonight to actually watch the show. It's all up in the air for me, but if you're at home tonight, then all I can say that I'm sorry for you. Tonight is one of those nights where there's certainly something for everyone.

Grand Opening Thursday: Waffo?

To add to the myriad parties Thursday night, here's another one. I have no further details, but "open bar" means open bar!

WAFFO!

Grand Opening party tomorrow.
633 9th ave.
OPEN BAR
9-2 am
DJs
Gabe Vega Saul Q Dr Sergio Superfox
Diamond Dogs

Melvins Fans: Rabid buyers of merch

Man, I can't sell this stuff fast enough! If you're planning on coming to the show tomorrow, you might be shit outta luck. What's really selling are these hand silkscreened posters. I'll post the pics tomorrow..hand numbered and signed by HomesickInk.

The Melvins are awesome. They just played an early 4 song set for the early arrivals, then joked that the show was over. The panic with this crowd...can't really take a joke. Pretty freakin cool though...

Hensley's Flying Elephant Host Toys For Tots Benefit 12/15/07

Desert Diamons were added to the bill. I ain't gonna list this all out in the things to do, but I wanted to make sure it was posted.

Professional Merch Girl

I'll be selling merch at the Melvins tonight, so come say hi. And remember that the Casbah's ATM machine is usually broken, so come with cash. I'd guess $20-$25 for t-shirts.
Come say hi!

Things To Do In San Diego: December 12, 2007

Wednesday, December 12, 2007:

• Melvins, Big Business @ Casbah
• Manuok, Two Sheds @ Beauty Bar
• Holiday Party & Toy Drive feat. Anna Troy, Sara Petite, Tornado Magnets, Blizzard, Cantua @ O'Connell's
• Cowboy Mouth, Joe Firstman@ Belly Up
• Tori Amos @ Copley Symphony Hall
• The Daylights, The Smart Brothers, Molly Jensen @ U-31
• Sean McConnell, Amy Kuney @ Lestat's
• Deny the Silents, Heathen Culture & guests TBA@ Brick By Brick
• Headpeace(LA), Summerset, Breathing by Wires, Cheeky Djs Wendy and Greaser @ Zombie Lounge
• Mike Pinto & The Mashers feat Chuck Treece of Bad Brains @ Winston's
• Bill Morganfield Blues @ Anthology
• David Jacob Strain@ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Sean Healy Presents Andrew Lovely, Clay Colton, Leperkhaz, Hector's Revenge @ Cane's

Shooting In Normal Heights

I've kept my comments about the Sunday morning homicide in Normal Heights restricted to my MySpace page, but I thought I should post it here, since there will be a vigil tomorrow night.

There was a bulletin going round, that I'm not gonna repost here, but it basically said there was a shooting (half a mile from my house). Here's the U-T article. The bulletin went on to mention the recent crime in the Normal Heights/University Heights/North Park areas and then the poster went on to say, "It makes me mad that we are not informed as a community by the police, but what do you expect."

I saw this bulletin and felt the need add my two cents. I don't know who the original author was(I saw the repost from Lancer's), but obviously everyone is against crime in their own neighborhood. But just an FYI, there HAVE been community meetings hosted by our City Councilperson Toni Atkins in conjunction with the SDPD, where neighborhood watch groups were organized. I attended a couple of those meetings and was very disappointed that I was one of a handful of people under 40 at any of them.

Maybe when you were a 15 year old skateboarder, it was cool to be dismissive with "Cops suck" or "Fuck the police", but we're adults now. Also, the job of disseminating information about crime is not the responsibility of police but of media. If you actually read the newspaper, all of the mentioned crimes (in the original myspace bulletin) were covered. Neighborhood crime statistics are available on the SDPD website.

We have power at the ballot box, we have power within our communities to actually show up and be present for events and meetings, and we have power to be good neighbors and watch out for our fellow citizens. Cliche as it is, if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Complaining about the cops does nothing for anybody.
*****

Here's the information about the vigil:

Candlight Vigil
Join us Wednesday December 12th
7pm at the Corner of Adams Avenue and Wilson
Normal Heights

To call attention to Sunday's murder of a 99 cent store clerk and a rash of violent crimes in recent months. We want to come together as a community to stop and acknowledge the recent incidents of violence.

Help us make Normal Heights a place where we can feel safe on our streets and help discuss what we can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

But please come out Wednesday Night to support stopping crime in Normal Heights and along Adams Avenue home to The Air Conditioned, Lestats, Ould Sod, The Lou Jones, Rosie O'Grady's, Dimilles, and a number of other great establishments!!!!

*****
I wanted to add that after a shooting that took place this summer, there were a series of community meetings. I attended one of them and posted the information that was given about "what we can do" within the community. The information is still useful, though there have unfortunately been more shootings since then.

Community Meeting Notes

Foo Fighters Tickets: Show 3/3/08, On-sale this week

Foo Fighters - just got word that opening support will be Against Me
San Diego State University - Cox Arena , San Diego, CA
Mon, Mar 3, 2008 07:30 PM
Presale: Thursday, December 13th at 10am and ends Friday, December 14th at 10pm.
Public Onsale: Saturday, December 15th 10am

Foo Fighters Tix

I'm not gonna tell you the password outright, but here's three clues.
1. It's a four letter word (not case sensitive).
2. It was the title of Great Northern's first radio single.
3. It is "where the heart is".

CityBeat

My new CityBeat column can be found here. I need your info for next week, and the week after that, and the week after that...don't be shy.

Liar's Club Moves To Alpine

If you receive the almost weekly Bargoers email list, you might've read the following announcement:

From Palm Trees to Pine Trees: Liar’s Club west heads east

Big talk around bargoers, hop heads, and ale freaks has been the recent closing of Liar’s Club on Mission Blvd. Yes it was sudden, and a surprise, but the even bigger surprise is how soon the new GIANT Liar’s Club will open in Alpine. Alpine is closer than you think. Plus you’ll finish the drive and be eating a burger sooner than it took you to find a park at the old place. Menu’s, taps, and the infamous crossed fingers neon have made the move already. The bad plumbing, and painfully cramped kitchen will stay behind. Louis from Liar’s now partners up with longtime local music booster Al Guerra, so expect a bar as popular with SD music fans as it is with ale addicts. Hope for an opening in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned to Bargoer. Address is 2806 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA 91901.

I was going to wait to write about this because there will certainly be an official opening fiesta and whatnot, but since the "soft opening" will be happening soon (possibly as early as this weekend- they're just waiting for the final go ahead from the Health Dept.) and with word on the street that Ken Leighton is once again turning this into a Blurt item, I thought I'd share what I know about the situation before it becomes Blurt-ified and sounds like there was some sort of crazy drama.


The new Alpine location has been in the works for sometime. Al Guerra lives out in that area and wanted to open a place that could serve as a music venue for the east county peeps who, for a long time, didn't really have any options other than scattered house parties. Eventually the restaurant and bar hopes to host up to 5 shows a month.


In the meantime, there were some minor issues out at the Mission Beach location. Louis never intended to close the MB location, at least not for some time. According to Al, there were some tax issues, namely late sales taxes, so the ABC got involved and took the liquor license as collateral until the back taxes were paid.


That didn't take long to resolve, however, but in the meantime, with the Liar's Club boarded up, the landlord told Louis that he sold the land to developers, so he would be buying him out of his lease. The same developers bought at least 3 other lots, and plan to raze existing properties to build condos.


I really plan on looking into this a whole lot more, because it was just last week that I was posting about residents who are trying to gather support in an effort to recall Kevin Faulconer, who will certainly be on the side of the developer, and most certainly will be fighting to give them an exemption to the current beach height limits in that zoning area.


Probably not so coincidentally, it also comes down just as the noise ordinance that was enacted in the SDSU area has been expanded to the Pacific Beach and Mission Beach areas, that gives police the right to give $1000 citations to hosts and homeowners hosting parties deemed "too noisy". Smells like gentrification to me...get those college kids out and make way for the rich people who are getting crowded out of La Jolla and Del Mar, no?


Anyway, no doubt you'll be hearing all the facts from Mr. Leighton, right? You know the deal, Blurt publishes at noon on Wednesday. And Street is already looking into it, too...

Cold War Kids Offer Free Unreleased EP

A Message From Cold War Kids:

FREE Unreleased "Mulberry Street" EP

Cold War Kids recorded three 6 song EPs before releasing "Robbers & Cowards." The first of the three EPs is called "Mulberry Street." It was recorded in a day in M. Wignall's garage/studio for some design job favors from Maust and sixty bucks. In between takes, Wignall would play an album over the speakers, like Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" or Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush," and go on long rants, pointing out sounds and talking about how good these musicians were and how we would be lucky if in ten years we could play a song anywhere near this good. We thought "Who cares! We just want to record our songs for us!" Then he showed us how to record vocals while he went to mow the lawn.

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 12, RCRDLBL.com will be offering up for completely free and legal download two tracks from the previously-unreleased EP every day this week thru Friday. Download the songs from RCRD LBL here.

We hope you enjoy it.
-Nathan Willett

Things To Do In San Diego: December 11, 2007

Tuesday, December 11, 2007:

• Office, Tiger City, Via Audio @ Casbah
• G. Love & Special Sauce with Tristan Prettyman @ 4th & B
• Goon Moon featuring Chris Goss and Jeordie White aka Twiggy Ramirez @ House of Blues
• Blue Spring @ Winston's
• The Mess, Eve White Eve Black, Death On Mars @ O'Connell's
• Brian Culbertson's Soulful Christmas Featuring Gerald Albright, Howard Hewett, Nick Colionne & Victoria White @ Anthology
• Nathan James, Ben Hernandez @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge

Weekend Music Recap: Desert Diamonds, Low Red Land, The Long And Short Of It, The Heartaches, Modest Mouse

I just really don't think I'm gonna get to posting about this weekend unless I do it now. 'Tis a busy week ahead indeed, but I wanted to mention a couple things.

Friday night, I missed the opening bands, but I finally got the chance to see Desert Diamonds at the Ken Club. I was camera free, but I really enjoyed their set. The singer is commanding onstage and actually kinda reminded me of JD Fortune, the new singer of INXS. He probably won't like the comparison, but after having seen INXS live this summer, I mean it in the most complimentary way and I look forward to seeing the band play again soon.

Saturday night I missed Death On Mars, but got to see Low Red Land from SF. They played loud and fast, but their vocals were really clear (at least with my plugs in) and their music was passionate. I liked the duel vocals and reminded me of the hardcore 'emo' stuff I was into in high school before 'emo' was hijacked by a bunch of pussy MTV boy bands with guitars. For $10, they sold me all of their CDs, including a live CD, a full length, a couple eps, and a sneak peek of tracks from their next full length. I also watched the first few songs of The Long and Short of It, but I had to leave in the middle because I was meeting friends back in the hood.

Low Red Land

The Long And Short Of It

At the Ken Club I saw the Heartaches who always just bring it. The night drew a large crowd and made for a fun night at the bar, and afterward when a couple friends came over to help me decorate my tree. (Which, by the way- we had to cut some branches off the bottom so the tree would stand straight in the stand since they didn't trim it at the Q, and we were able to do it with the infamous Ginzu knife. They always said it could slice tomatoes and cut through cans, but they should add sawing a Christmas tree to their advertising.)

The Heartaches

Anyway, Sunday I really wanted to head to the Zombie, but had some writing to catch up on, which also meant I didn't get to hang out with my family. My cousin was down from LA, but without internet at their house, I might've missed my deadline. I need to plan my time better sometimes.

Finally, tonight I went to Modest Mouse at SOMA. Unfortunately I missed Matt Costa but heard he was great. I got there about 20 minutes before MM hit the stage and just couldn't get anywhere near where I wanted to be. Finally I went in through the front side door and was able to hang in the corner, about a third back from the stage. They sounded great, mostly playing tracks from the last two albums. I was actually impressed because I forgot my earplugs and the sound was so clear and not at all overwhelming. The band didn't talk much, except when Brock ranted that their last three shows being radio shows. He talked shit about radio stations, saying they play in circles and are a bunch of bullshit. Yet he played those shows and also played the 94/9 Hootenanny last year. Maybe he was just being cool to rally the crowd behind him, but honestly, to me, it's called biting the hand. If they wanted to stay indie and obscure, they could easily refuse the big tours. I just think it's a little hypocritical.

Anyway, I watched for exactly 50 minutes then went to use the restroom and the guard wouldn't let me back in the front area, saying they were at capacity, so I had to enter through the back. Being 5'3" and knowing I had a bunch to do around the homefront, I just decided to leave, that was enough of their show for me. I wish I'd had more energy, and I wish I maybe had a little buzz, because I would've liked to see the whole thing, but I'm trying hard to find a better healthier balance with my demanding day job, my CityBeat side job, and this little hobby of a blog that I maintain. Also, sitting next to my dog and my tree in my pj's while I blog and watch the finale of The Hills...sometimes that is really just what I need.

Are We Already Planning For New Years Eve??

Catdirt posted a blog about SignOnSanDiego's NYE listings and I have to say I agree with him, but I'm pretty anti-New Years generally. I prefer a small dinner and celebratory glass of champagne with family and friends, but I also have the good fortune of living a block from the Ken Club. So this is not to say I won't be overindulgent, just that I won't be dropping some absurd amount of money around strangers. Instead, I'll be drinking my NFL vodka tonics in the bar that I love the most. In the past, the Creepy Creeps and Deadbolt have been known to be the regular NYE bands at the Ken, but this year, I'm especially excited. Also, it will be a good chance for people to see all the improvements Bodie has been making to the club. I don't know if it will all be done, but you can at least check out the new booths and bar on the band side. Hopefully the new sound system will be ready to go.

New Year's Eve at the Ken Club featuring (subject to change):

Transfer


Get Back Loretta


Vitro

Microphone Mike


Bring your sleeping bags if you need to crash on my living room floor. It's gonna be a great night.

SDMF Music Industry 101: "The Media in the Digital Age of Music"

My Saturday afternoon was spent sitting in the freezing clam-shell ballroom of the Lafayette Hotel getting some music biz edumacation. The panelists were Anya Marina, Mike Halloran, Marc Balanky, and Scott Riggs. Though it was only my second time attending one of the seminars, they always prove to be interesting. I think Balanky is the only one who doesn’t have a background in terrestrial radio, but the digital vs. radio debate is pretty entertaining. There was a whole lot of talk about the RIAA and their new rate schedule for internet broadcasters and really, the seminar just pointed out how unfair those rate schedules are for small time businesses. Halloran likes to talk, and likes to hear himself talk, as anybody who listens to him on the radio would know, but he has the lifetime of experience that backs his shit up. At least he’s not just pulling stuff out of his ass.

There were plenty of musicians there asking questions. Mostly “how do I make money in music.” It seems a lot of them are looking for one sure fire way to get their art to the world. I was kinda sitting there a little frustrated because it was at times a whine fest…How come people don’t come to my shows? How come I can’t sell CDs? How come 94/9 doesn’t play more local music? So instead of piping in at the seminar, I thought I’d save some of my opinions for here, where I can rant freely.

First, if you want to be a musician as a career, one should expect to always be a “starving artist”. If all you want to do is write songs and gig and make CDs, great for you, but just because in your own head you have a gift, the rest of the world may not think so, and getting bitter because your sense of entitlement tells you you’re better than XYZ performer who is making big bucks is only going to stunt your own development and possible success. There are thousands of musicians who are good, or even great, who never get a break. Conversely, there are a lot of really shitty bands who make a boatload of cash who are completely unworthy. Such is the way of the world.

There was a lot of talk about getting music to music supervisors and radio stations and getting tossed in a pile without airplay. All I could think about was this same thing on a small scale. My personal MySpace account is set to private. Everyday, I still get about 10 or 15 new “friend requests” from bands. I don’t accept most bands as my “friends”, and I was thinking about the criteria I use in my own head, and thought I’d share it here, because while I have my own quirks, I don’t think it’s too far from how radio programmers or music supervisors listen to music. Maybe you have similar criteria when checking out new music.

First I’ll say, because of what I do here and for CityBeat, I accept all San Diego bands as friends, and when approving their friend requests also subscribe to their blogs. I don’t accept all LA bands, but the majority of socal bands are important enough for me to keep on my radar as well. But then there’s the randoms, and here’s how I decide who “makes the cut” as it were.

There’s no order or specific method, but these are some things I look at:

• Band/Artist Name- If you’re not original enough to come up with a band name that is unique, I might just decline you. If I like your music, I want to be able to search about you on the net beyond your MySpace page and if your name is Mike Smith I’m not gonna be able to do that. I’m personally against names with certain words- “kings” or “royal” always sound pretentious to me, but that’s not gonna immediately turn me off- but I do consider it. I was surprised how much I loved Vampire Weekend because I think the name is pretty stupid.

• Music Type- So when you set up your MySpace profile, you thought it was cute to call your style “crunk” or “new age” even though you’re pretty standard indie, folk, pop, or rock. It’s annoying. I wanna kick my friend’s asses everytime I see one of their profiles that is mislabeled. People just might be looking for your band, or looking for music by genre. Confusing them only hurts you. If you don't take your own profile seriously, why should anybody else?

• Band Description- I want a brief one paragraph thing about you. Where you’re from, perhaps why you play music, if you’ve toured or plan on touring, maybe links to press about your band. I don’t need to read 1600 words on every stumble you’ve had in your life and how it shaped you. And I swear to god, if you describe yourself or your music as eclectic, I’m almost certainly pushing that reject button. First, you’re probably not as eclectic as you think and I can find 300 bands or musicians that sound exactly like you. Second, there are enough adjectives that might describe you more adequately, and if you can’t think of one, why am I to believe your lyrics are gonna be any deeper?

• Music- You should have at least 4 songs on your MySpace player, and if you’re unsigned, they should be downloadable. Period. Also, if your page has 16 youtube videos and flash slideshows and takes longer to load than the average page, you’re getting denied. I listen to every band that requests me. If I’m not at least somewhat intrigued in about 37 seconds by the first song that starts playing, you’re getting denied.

I don’t consider myself a music snob at all, but I think adding a MySpace friend is work. By accepting you or your band, now I’ll be subjected to your bulletins, and the more bulletins I have to read, the more frequently I have to read because they only go back 25 pages. On my Dialed In profile, that doesn’t really matter, because I have a small amount of friends who aren’t really posting too many bulletins. But even with just over 1000 friends, I could spend hours reading bulletins. Make me want to listen to your music, to read your site, to make me Google about you to find out more. If you can’t get me to do that, fat chance I’m gonna come to your show, buy your music, tell my friends about you.

Anyway, I really like the Music Foundation seminars. They're really great for getting people who are willing to share what they know with musicians and others, like me, who just wanna understand the music biz a little more. It's great for bands to network and meet one another and for me it always turns me on to musicians I might not otherwise see.

One thing I wanted to highlight was Anya's advice about sending music to Music Supervisors, because it also applies when you send a CD in to media, radio stations, and even bloggers.

1. Most people don't want MP3s. You're usually better sending a CD in most cases.
2. CDs should always be in a standard size jewel case, with the name of the band and the title of the CD on the spine.
3. All song titles should be listed on both the CD and on the insert in the jewel box, in case the two get separated.
4. Contact information (full name, band members, a person to contact with a phone number and e-mail)

Pretty basic information, actually. Should be common sense but that ain't so common, as they say. Finally, one last thing I wanted to say is that people who complain that nobody comes to their shows don't deserve to have people coming to see them if they aren't, in turn, going out and supporting other musicians. Sometimes people ask me if I'll slip a CD to Tim Pyles for consideration for The Local 94/9. I refuse. Tim is at the Casbah every week promoting local bands. If you can't come down and meet him in person and hand him your CD, well, you're gonna end up in Pyles pile.

Checking In

I just posted the latest "Things To Do" list for the week. As always, if I missed something, please let me know.

I also submitted my CityBeat column for the week, but if you have any last minute information for my column, for this week or future issues, please e-mail me.

I'm behind in posts, so here's what you can look forward to this week when I can get to all of it:

• A recap on the latest Music Industry 101 seminar at the Lafayette Hotel
• Pictures from shows: Low Red Land & The Long & Short Of It at Scolari's, The Heartaches at The Ken Club
• A recap of Monday's Modest Mouse show

Things To Do In San Diego: December 10, 2007

Monday, December 10, 2007:

• Modest Mouse, Matt Costa @ Soma
• Jesca Hoop, Lissie @ House of Blues Delta Room (postponed. tix will be honored when show is rescheduled in January)
• Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, Molly Thomas @ Tower Bar
• Christmas Party feat Thunderheist @ Beauty Bar (Free, Hosted Vodka)
• Anti-Monday League: Prefuse 73 + Art of Pain DJ's@ Casbah
• Fuel, Trapt @ Viejas Dreamcatcher Lounge
• Primer 55, Love Said No (ft. members of Stereomud, Stuck Mojo & Soulfly), Sledd, Severed Roots @ Brick By Brick
• Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
• Wine Tasting Fundraiser for Sankofa Center @ Wild Note Cafe (next to Belly Up)
• @ Anthology
• Michele Lundene @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge

December Nights 2007 (The Night formerly known as Christmas On The Prado)

Friday was a family night for me. And for once, I think we finally got a routine down that makes sense. In the past, we spent too much time on the east side of the park, so when we'd finally get to the Prado, the museums and food would be closing down. This year, we parked in Hillcrest instead of at City College, and walked in via the Laurel bridge. We watched some dancers and saw some lights, but headed straight to the food booths. The organizers must've read my blog post from last year, because this year, while it seemed like maybe there were less vendors in the Taste of San Diego area, there was more space. The booths weren't facing one another, so there weren't crazy long lines interweaving for the samplings. We also planned well, because at 7, the Cirque du Soleil performance started, so the food area almost entirely cleared out. We had some tasty stuff from Pampas (an Argentinian restaurant), Heaven Scent Desserts, El Indio, Commonwealth Cafe (awesome wings!), Pick Up Stix, and a couple others.

After finishing up, we meandered down the prado to make sure we went into the Natural History Museum. The Dead Sea Scrolls area was closed off, but we had a nice time in the museum. We spent a while there because Johanna needed to be fed and changed, but while we were inside, the rain had come and gone outside, so we were lucky to have missed it.




Johanna was in a good mood the whole night as I carried her around in the Baby Bjorn. We ended up at the "tree" in the Organ Pavillion, but we went onstage, and its not even a real tree! Which I suppose for being "green" isn't so bad, but if you go onstage, it's actually just steel frames and scaffolding with a bunch of greenery tucked into it. Still, that's all ok with me because it was a nice night with my family.

Also, not to get ahead of myself, but a couple friends came over at the Ken Club Saturday night and helped decorate my new tree. My home is now all Christmased out. And I couldn't be happier about that.

Thursday Night: Scissors For Lefty & Juliette and The Licks

I just want to be really clear about something. Thursday night was a great night, but there are four words that I never thought I would post here. I. Drank. Too. Much. My office hosted a party starting at 4 and there was a lot of booze to go around. We did the whole gift exchange thing before I left. Then round two of my night took place at The Undercarriage.







This was the second time The Undercarriage brought in a band. We asked Scissors For Lefty to come to the spa because they're on the same label as Great Northern- Eenie Meanie Records- and because I had a been in touch with the band a little after their Beauty Bar show earlier in the year. What Malinda and Kristin are doing is a really cool thing for bands, especially in this case, after they played the night before in Sacramento. Originally Suffrajett were going to come in, too, but they were all sick and ended up staying in Sacramento. The guys in Scissors for Lefty were all a bit under the weather, too, so Brian, the singer, slept in the van, while the others came in for mini massages.

From the Undercarriage, it was on to the show at the Casbah. If Scissors for Lefty were actually sick, you wouldn't have known it from their performance. I liked the band when I saw them back in Feb, but after this performance, I crazily loved them. They're full on pros, with full command of the stage. Brian also has that dreamy charisma thing going on. When he jumped into the crowd I thought the whole group of girls he was singing to were gonna lose their shit.














By the time their set was finished, I was pretty lit, which resulted in going snap-happy with the camera. Halloran even took a bunch of pics with my camera, but after looking at all the pics, all I can say is that I'm glad they were on my camera and will never see the light of day. Sorry. But I did get to take some pics of Juliette, who seriously brings it when she performs. I was in awe. Anyway, I'll let those pics do the rest of the talking.










The night was brilliant but I was glad that I'd taken Friday off from work, for sure. My overindulgence made me feel really lame the next day, but I got over it. Even the best of us slip every once in a while, I guess.