san diego: dialed in

Saturday, August 2, 2008 (All North By North Park showcases and listings here):

• North By North Park (see link above) Panels from 11a-5p, showcases start at 7:30)
• Billy Brazier Memorial Service @ Lestat's
• Community Pillow Fight! 2pm Balboa Park
• Pre- NXNP party feat. Tapedeck Mountain, Jamuel Saxon, Illuminauts @ Pop! Boutique, 2927 Lincoln (at 30th), Free food
• NXNP Showcase feat The Crocodiles, The Sess, Vision of A Dying World, Fantastic Magic @ The Ken Club
• NXNP showcase feat Pant Hoots, Apes of Wrath, The Glossines, Thin Man, Wild Weekend @ Bar Pink Elephant
• NXNP Showcase feat. Swandive, Buddy Akai, Silent Comedy, Get Back Loretta, Scarlet Symphony @ U-31
• NXNP Music Showcase feat. Steve Harris, Billy Midnight, Gregory Page, Greg Laswell, Steve Poltz @ Lestat's
• NXNP Showcase feat The Viewmasters, Bunky, OAKS, Batwings, Hotel St. George, Sayvinyl@ Chasers
• Danger Danger feat El Ten Eleven, DJ Corey Biggs @ Beauty Bar
• CD Release Show- Buckfast Superbee, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects @ Casbah
• Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine @ House of Blues
• Eddie Izzard @ Spreckels
• The English Beat, The Amalgamated @ Belly Up
• OPM, Irieside, Straight Trippin @ 710 Beach Club
• Mark Wood, Hectic Watermelon, Agent 22, Maldonado @ Brick By Brick
• Plane Without A Pilot(cd release), Just Like Jenna, New Age Heroes, The Motives, Polaris @ soma
• Alfred Howard & The K23 Orchestra @ Winston's
• Belinda Gail, Curly Musgrave @ Acoustic Music San Diego (4650 Mansfield)
• Dead Man's Party (Oingo Boingo Tribute) & Mursic @ Canes
• Missing Persons feat. Dale Bozio @ Anthology (Early Show, 7:30 pm, Late Show, 9:30 pm)
• First Friday Gomango Kids Concert @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (2pm)
• Y3K @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (6-8p)
• Detroit Underground @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (9:30 p)
• Monica Mancini: Mancini At The Movies @ Summer Pops at the Embarcadero

Sunday, August 3, 2008:

• North Park Craft Mafia @ Ken Club (1pm)
• Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Horse Feathers, Calico Horse @Casbah
• The Applebrown Jazz Ensemble @ Lestat's
• The Subways @ Epicentre
• Tribe of Kings/ Reggae Vibes @ U-31
• Salsa Sunday feat. Orquesta Primo @ Belly Up
• Cavalera Conspiracy, Dillinger Escape Plan, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead, Incite @ House of Blues
• Delta Heat @ Winston's (5-8p)
• Jose Sinatra's OB-o-ke @ Winston's
• Straggler & Guests @ Brick By Brick
• 94.9 Presents - Reggae Sundays - DJ Tommy, Split Finger @ Canes 2-6p Free.
• Poly Underground Presents - Ooklah the Moc, Lambs Bread, Bredren @ Canes
• George Thorogood, Buddy Guy @ Viejas Concerts in the Park
• Carrie Rodriguez with Kaiser Cartel @ Anthology (Early Show, 7:30 pm)
• Jason Weber @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (Early show, 10a-2p)
• Patrick Yandall @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (late show, 8 pm)
• Pat Benetar, Neil Gerardo @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
• Target Free Family Concert presented by San Diego Symphony @ Balboa Park's Spreckels Organ Pavilion (5:30 pm)
  

Labels: things to do

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FM 94/9 Insiders are pretty accustomed to getting e-mails to enter a drawing to win entrance to private studio sessions with major artists when they come to town, and they've done a lot of good national acts as well as some killer sessions with local bands for The Local Pyle. Natalie entered to win tickets for The Hold Steady and actually won, so in response to her tweet, I got to be her plus one.

Strate Sound is a beautiful recording studio located in east county. I'll say, for the record, that as a San Diego native, I'd never been to the area, so it was kind of, um, eye-opening? It could've been Lancaster or Baker or Modesto. I arrived a little after 12 and helped myself to a Budweiser in the cooler, which I later found out belonged to some dudes...so sorry. I thought it was a free for all. Anyway, we hung outside while the band was being interviewed, enjoying awesome philly cheesesteaks from Gaglione Brothers until around 1, when we entered the facility. Nat and I took spots on the floor up front.




They dimmed the lights so my photos suck, but here they are anyway. Check Natalie's site for better ones later.





I was a little surprised the station wasn't videotaping the session, so I took it upon myself to record a song. After talking with everyone, it seems they would've been cool if I'd recorded the whole thing, but I didn't want to make a scene, so this is the best I got.



You can listen to the entire session, including the interview, this afternoon on FM 94/9 around 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. Click HERE. Huge thanks to the station. It was pure coincidence that I had taken to day off from work and man, am I glad I did. I cannot wait to see the show tonight at the Casbah.

Labels: FM 94/9, strate sound, the hold steady, tim pyles

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Hooray! I have the day off! So yes, I was up all night trying to catch up on blog posts, video and picture uploads, and reading e-mail press releases. I'll try to get to posting more later today, but I guess I should finally get to some cleaning, and try to get at least some form of a nap before seeing the Hold Steady in a private lunchtime show.

Friday, August 1, 2008:

• The Hold Steady, The Loved Ones @ Casbah
• 4 o'Clock Friday feat. Pinback @ Del Mar Race Track
• Grand Ole Party, Atoms, and Crocodiles @ Che Cafe
• The Frantic Romantic, long live logos @ The Ken Club
• Paramore, Jacks Mannequin, Phantom Planet, Paper Route @ AEG Concerts on The Green
• Sex & Robots Party w/ Ai, Loud Noises DJs, Free URBAN DECAY cosmetics for first 25 girls @ Beauty Bar
• Dan Padilla, Bitchin Summer (Portland), Hialeah, Breaker Breaker One Niner @ Radio Room
• Feel The Noise/NXNP pre party feat. Dynamite Walls, DJ’s Gabe Vega & Saul Q @ U-31
• Eddie Izzard @ Spreckels
• Pocket @ Bar Pink Elephant
• Sycuan Presents The Cured, Cash'd Out @ House of Blues
• Braaaains!, Wealthy Whore Entertainment, Vaginals, What’s Up? @ Chasers
• Secret Apollo (CD release), Alpha Channel @ Whistle Stop
• Cotton Fever, Rob Deez @ Lestat's
• Rub-A-Dub-Fridays Hosted By Dub Traffik Control, Skanic @ Belly Up
• Mower, 12 Cent, Critical Me @ 710 Beach Club
• Dwale, Discord, Call of Thousands, Black Ambulance, Despite the Wolves, Silence Betrayed @ Brick By Brick
• Cubensis @ Winston's
• Johnny Polanco @ Anthology (Early Show, 7:30 pm)
• Haute Chile@ Anthology (Late Show, 9:30 pm)
• Crush @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Dolly Parton @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
• Monica Mancini: Mancini At The Movies @ Summer Pops at the Embarcadero

Labels: things to do

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On Sunday, my parents picked me up and we met up with the girls, who were shopping on Garnet. We swapped out, they picked up Claudia and her friend, and the rest of us walked back to my sister's where we pretty much sat around catching up with family time. After most of the afternoon there, I was dropped off at the Casbah around 6:30, well in time to hang out, catch up with Pyles and Porter, grab some of the food from Lucha Libre, and see all the bands. Well, let's be honest, I didn't see all the bands, but I'll explain that in a minute.

I watched all of The Moviegoers set. I've been a huge fan of their EP for a few months now and was happy to see the positive response from people I talked to about the band and their first San Diego show. Since everyone was asking if they're local or not, I'll clarify and say they all met in college on the east coast and used to play parties and whatnot but were mostly a studio project. After everyone graduated, they moved around and all ended up on the west coast. You can read the full story on their MySpace page. they played around and decided to record songs. Most of the band is now San Diego based, except for the bassist, Jordan, who lives in LA. I thought they really impressed, especially for their first show here, and hope they plant their roots here for good because they definitely have something to contribute to the local music scene. (By the way, they're playing NXNP on Saturday with a showcase at The Whistle Stop)





The Moviegoers


I don't know what got in to me, but I started on beers that night, I guess vodka didn't seem right with the sun still out, but then I decided to move on to Jameson shots. Weird. Anyway, of course between bands I hung out with friends and watched Tim broadcasting live (and giving me huge shout-outs).

Everyone has told me about Fever Sleeves for some time, and I know I've seen them before but I decided to make sure I checked them out. For about 2 minutes. The thing was, I think I'd really like their music. But I have no idea for sure because they were so. freaking. loud. Seriously, I had ear plugs in, and couldn't hear shit except for a mish mash of over amplified instruments completely drowning out vocals. Now I remember why I've not reviewed them before. But hey, they sounded good from outside.



I got all chatty and was hanging out on the patio for most of their set, which carried into Syndicate's set so I ended up missing them save for hearing a bit of their dancey music from the patio.

Japanese Sunday closed up the night and so I was back in for most of their set, though the lights had been turned down so my pics didn't come out. I did take video, however, and I really dig this band a lot.

Japanese Sunday


Big thanks to Dagart for the safe ride home. Rosey + Jameson + Makers = pure silliness. Lesson learned.

Labels: casbah, fever sleeves, FM 94/9, japanese sunday, the moviegoers, tim pyles

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After pulling that all-nighter on Friday of last week, I was looking for a good way to spend the day chilling out. My cousin Connie had come down from LA, and our friend Nichole came down from Ontario, so my mom picked me up I always make them drive :) and we went to PB to hang out with my sister, Johanna, Claudia, and Claudia's friend from her old school. The girls were hanging out at
the house after spending time at the beach, so it was a pretty mellow afternoon as they all cycled through the shower. Eventually everyone was ready and we had a late lunch/early dinner at Santana's, then went to spend the evening at Old Town. They started a concert series there, so as we arrived we caught a couple songs from Get Back Loretta, then walked around, being tourists in our home town.

It was actually really fun. At one point, Claudia and my mom went into the Whaley House, something Claudia was always afraid to do, but while they were inside, we hung outside people-watching, and by people watching, of course I mean talking shit about everyone passing by. I know its mean, but don't act like you don't "people watch" too. There were tons of people there with their Comic-Con swag, and we laughed at how many people were waiting for Old Town Mex, and how many times the poor girl was calling a party of 4 or 6 that had obviously given up and gone somewhere else. We must've heard 10 "final calls for..." announcements.

We walked around, checked out the cemetary (which is in DIRE need of some TLC because it looks inauthentic and overgrown with weeds), and went to Old Town Root Beer Company for some root-beer floats. I didn't even know that place existed.



This was my first time really hanging out in Old Town since all the hoopla about Bazaar Del Mundo and that east coast company coming in to take over concessions and renovations, and I have to say, as much as I was against the whole deal, I didn't really detect major changes except for more shopping areas and a couple places being renovated, like the hotel which for years was the Casa de Bandini restaurant.

It was a good day with my family, but by the time I got home around 10pm, I was useless and decided to stay in and rest up, as we had all made plans to get back together on Sunday.

Labels: family, personal

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I'm not even gonna lie- Friday was a day of really poor planning. About a month ago, Kristian asked me to go to Hercules and Love Affair with him. I've always trusted his music recommendations and a night at the Casbah is usually a no-brainer, but when I agreed, and subsequently worked out tickets for the show, I realized that I would be missing the Swim Party CD release party with Writer at the Whistle Stop.

After the day at work and taking a nap, I made my way to the Whistle Stop, knowing I would miss the show, but at least I could say hi and make appropriate apologies. It was so cool there- so many bands were present making for that family feeling that I love, which of course only made me sad that I was going to have to leave. When Kristian told me they were heading down around 10, I was pretty annoyed, because I knew the band wouldn't be starting until close to midnight and I could've at least caught some of the show at the Whistle. Not to mention he had agreed to drive and suddenly that plan changed and I had to drive myself. Yes, Kristian, I'm calling you out.

Anyway, I got to see three songs from Writer and missed the rest. I was sure someone would record the show, especially with Natalie playing with the band, Alex dedicating a song to me, and the big Writer/Modlins/Swim Party finale, but alas, not one camera, and no, Pete's :30 seconds of filming does not count.

To make matters worse, we got to the Casbah far too early. There was line at the door, and the band wasn't close to setting up. I tried to get over it and turned my mood around. Nobody likes a whiner. Anyway, after hanging out with friends, I was feeling better. Then shit kinda hit the fan.

Apparently Hercules and Love Affair had soundchecked earlier in the day. Sometime between the soundcheck and time to set up, one of their keyboards was damaged. There was an early show at the Casbah and nobody knows what happened, but it almost caused the band to cancel. It is some special vintage keyboard and the band was flipping out. The clock ticked as Tim tried to find anyone in SD with the same keyboard to no avail; in the meantime they called in Derek, some guy who works on vintage musical instruments. I will find out his full name and contact info because apparently the dude is a genius. A cancellation would've meant refunding a sold out show to everyone there, still paying the band, and paying for the keyboard. Not good.

Miraculously, nearing 12:30, word spread that the keyboard was fixed and the crisis was averted. I made my way into the venue to set up for some photos, and this sweetheart guy posed as my boyfriend, letting me worm in front of him. Hercules and Love Affair is a big gay dance party band, reminding me of my mom's brief but memorable disco period when I was a kid. The crowd loved it and danced their asses off. Me? Well, not so much. It was fun, no doubt, and the band certainly was unlike anything I've ever seen, but Swim Party and Writer will always be more my speed than a dance band and I really regret missing that show. I love my Kristian, but this one was a miss for me personally, though I definitely get why other people dig them.





Hercules and Love Affair Set List




My night wasn't bad, I did have fun with my friends at the Casbah for sure, and as I posted earlier in the week, I ended up at a couple friends houses and pulled an all nighter, so it wasn't bad by any means. And I know I'll get plenty of Writer and Swim Party shows to make up for the one missed show. But damn, people, doesn't anyone else take video of shows?

Labels: casbah, hercules and love affair, its too sunny out here, kristian, swim party, whistle stop, writer

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After seeing Drew Andrews with Rocky on Wednesday, I was looking forward to catching him again on Thursday with a full band and a more local crowd. I didn't think the show would start quite so early, however, so I missed the two openers, but arrived in time to catch Manuok.

Last time I saw them, I was selling merch at the Belly Up, so I didn't really get to take in the show so this time I was happy to be able to enjoy the whole set. I've been really enjoying shows there with the new lights and Sarah always takes care of me. Manuok are an incredible band. Check my YouTube videos for video of the night, but if you get the chance to see Scott and crew live, make sure to do so. There's just incredible depth of talent with every person in the band and the vocals will break your heart.


Drew Andrews is one of the nicest guys in San Diego music, so its no surprise that a lot of his friends came out to see the show. He was in a good mood, I think having the full band, while they're all tight musicians, meant a looser feeling show, perhaps less pressure and no bar chatter to compete with. Whatever it was, Drew played a long set and didn't shy from talking about his record being put out by Minty Fresh this fall, which I'm certainly looking forward to hearing. I posted video of a couple songs before, so check them out if you haven't already.



Being that Beauty Bar shows end early, we hung out for a little bit once the set finished, but then I headed to U-31 with Jake to catch a little bit of Shark Attack, but mostly we just hung out with Erika until closing time and put the seal on another fun night in San Diego.

Labels: drew andrews, manuok, minty fresh, shark attack, U-31

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It's not a secret that Rocky Votolato is my favorite musician, so it shouldn't be surprising that I'd been anticipating this local show for a while. When Drew Andrews was added to the bill, it only made me that much more excited for the night to arrive. I tried to make sure I was there early, but Drew had already started when I arrived. There was a decent sized crowd at the Casbah and it filled up as the night progressed; not quite a sell out by the end of the night, but close. I anticipated the show would be crowded with the Comic-con people decending on the city, but I forgot how disrespectful crowds can be for solo artists. When Drew was singing, it was ok, and his voice filled the room, even over the chatter, but during his instrumental moments is when you could really hear the crowd. He took it in stride and still delivered a great set.



Owen was up next and again had the chatter to deal with. As he was talking at the beginning of the show, there was that annoying sound a cell phone makes when interfering with speakers. He joked about it. Then it happened again and I realized it was my phone. Fucking embarassing. Damn you, Twitter! So anyway, I turned off the phone and all was good, and I was glad it happened before he actually played a song. His performance was great, and he was engaging with his chatter on stage, talking about his wife, his day at the Wild Animal Park, and trying to get feedback from the crowd.



Finally Rocky was up for the night and the chatter of the crowd finally subsided and the room was quiet, riding on his every word. His old label, Second Nature Recordings, has recently reissued some of his older albums and released Suicide Medicine on vinyl for the first time ever, so he while he played stuff from Brag and Cuss and Makers (White Daisy Passing, Makers, Tinfoil Hats, Portland is Leaving), he also went into the archives, playing several songs from Suicide Medicine (Suicide Medicine, Mixtapes/Cellmates among others) and from Burning My Travels Clean. He also played a new song ("Sparkles", see video below) and an old Waxwing song.

A poignant moment in the night was when he explained the story behind "Automatic Rifle", about a young Palestinian suicide bomber who in an effort to avenge the murder of a relative, strapped a bomb to her chest and ended up with one casualty, am Israeli girl who had been raised most of her life in San Francisco, and described how the two girls looked like they could've been sisters. It was pretty heavy listening to the song, as I always thought it was hypothetical and didn't realize it was based on a specific reality.

There were a couple girls up front who were talking, singing, and telling him how much they loved him, and at one point he discreetly leaned into them, presumably to ask them to chill out, but it resulted in them being louder. Kind of a bummer, but he was classy and just played on, even obliging them with their requests. I could listen to Rocky perform all night, and my iTunes playlist definitely sees a lot of usage.




Rocky Votolato, "Sparklers"


As always, it was great to see Rocky and April, his wife, again, and I'll just be counting down until the next time they make it down.

Labels: barsuk, casbah, drew andrews, minty fresh, owen, rocky votolato, second nature

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Tuesday night I was stoked that Lucero was back in town because it had been a long time since the last time I saw them play. I was a little surprised that by the time I got there, just a little after 10, that the show was completely sold out. I always forget that there's this unique punk/rockabilly crowd that always shows up when Lucero or Drag The River or similar bands come around, call it an 'outlaw country' crowd, I guess.

When I got there, I was able to catch the last two songs from Glossary and they sounded incredible. O was up front and after the set noted that the band's performance was the best he's seen by any band in years. "You can tell they just get it," he said. This made me sorry I'd missed most of their set.



Jessica Lea Mayfield was the second act to take the stage. Backed by a full band, it was hard not to compare her to Lucinda Williams. Country rock with a punk edge for sure. Her band was great, her brother noting how bummed she was that she was under 21 and had to hang outside during the other bands. She did a couple solo songs, too, which sounded great save for the bar chatter. The whiskey was flowing heavily in the bar that night.



Finally Lucero took the stage and it was packed to the gills. I was briefly able to get close to the stage but after a few songs it was just a little overwhelming so I moved toward the back, but no matter where you were, the band just rocked. The gravelly vocals are so intense, it's easy to get lost in the music, and that's exactly what I chose to do.





After the show, I hung on the patio for a while, chatting with friends and some of the guys in the bands who were so pleasant and really a pleasure to talk to.



The night definitely geared me up for the Rocky show the next night. Click 'keep on reading' for more pics.



Jessica Lea Mayfield




Lucero

Labels: casbah, glossary, jessica lea mayfield, lucero

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There is this San Diego band called Firethorn. And if you've ever been at the Casbah and seen a tall white dude with a huge afro, then you have seen Sean from Firethorn. They rock pretty damn hard, and their lead singer Chris usually ends up on the floor a couple times at each show. And they are awesome guys. And they have a bubble machine. So when Sean told mentioned they were doing a CD release show in LA in a place called Mr. T's Bowl (which is a converted bowling alley!), I begged him to let me tag along. And rather than just be a groupie/free-loader/"who invited this guy?" I decided to film it. Well, here is the music video I put together, which showcases one of their songs "Down On Your Knees" and please remember I am an amateur video guy (aka one generic Samsung handheld and the stock Microsoft Editing Program).


Hope you enjoy. -Dagart



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I have already posted video from the show Summer Darlin and Chikita Violenta show at the Beauty Bar a couple weeks back. If you missed them, check out my YouTube page, but I never really got around to writing about this show. I had already planned on checking out the show, but was further nudged when I found out Writer would be playing with Summer Darlin the following night in LA. The implicit endorsement of a band by Writer wins me over every time; I love them and trust their judgment. The band did not disappoint. In fact, right from the get go, Dagart and I looked at each other in amazement; this band kicked ass. The male vocals were gorgeous and the girl reminded me of Emily from Bunky, with a sweet voice that added to the balance of their indie rock sound. You can check out their MySpace page here.


After their set, we checked out their merch and they were selling music on flash drives, which was pretty cool because it is preloaded with two EPs and they promised that if you buy one and bring it to future shows, they'll add their new music indefinitely at future shows when its available. Smart plan.

Chikita Violenta is a band from Mexico City and this was their first stop of their tour. Other than a past appearance at South By Southwest, this was their first time playing a US tour and the buzz they've received is well deserved. They seemed so happy to be there and it was infectious, and it helped that they sounded great, too. I've been seeing so many different bands lately and while I'm open to various styles of music, it's nice for me to just see melodic indie rock because that's really where my heart is. Check out their MySpace page and keep your fingers crossed that they grace us with another tour soon. They are not to be missed.


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Labels: Beauty Bar, chikita violenta, summer darlin

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