There's this band that I've been digging since their record came out this spring, and they're playing Bar Pink this Friday night. Since it's a free show, giving away tickets doesn't make sense, but you should check them out anyway.
Here's the bio:
NYC via Athens, GA alt-country punks The Weightare currently on a cross-country fall tour in support of their proper debut, Are Men (The Colonel/Tee Pee).
The Weight was founded by singer/composer Joseph Plunket, a veteran of the Atlanta, GA, punk rock scene who began writing material that reflected his love of country music and his respect for songwriters such as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. In 2004, the album Ten Mile Grace found the band conjuring up the sad but passionate sound of classic honky tonk, leavened with some Dixie-fried rock & roll and the introspective intelligence of vintage folk-rock. Shortly after, The Weight relocated to Brooklyn and started touring regularly, most recently partnering with The Colonel for the release of their proper debut, Are Men.
Official Street Scene After Party - No Age, Crocodiles, Wavves, PENS, Grafitti Island @ Casbah
The Tailchasers @ Belly Up (4pm matinee)
Danger Kitty, Final Warning @ Belly Up
Finding Fiction, Boom Snap, Castledoor, Lyon Crowns, The Office Twins DJs w/ Jorge Luna percussions @ Beauty Bar
Mia Valentine, Lake Mary (Chaz Prymek), James Miska @ Habitat House (1008 21st Street, Free, 21+, BYOB)
F.U.Z.Z. (CD release party), Genius of Soul @ Ruby Room
The Stitches, Walter Lure & The Waldos, The Widows @ Ken Club
Sunday Times, Big Whup @ Soda Bar
Disco Villains, Loud Noises, Cats from Japan (Live), Andrew Decade @ U-31
DJs Danarchy & Old Man Johnson @ Bar Pink
Students of The Drum n Bass @ Radio Room
Nick Z, Tori Roze and the Hot Mess, FearMia @ Tin Can Ale House
The Gregory Page Show @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia (7:30pm)
Lisa Olsen, Rob Deez, Kerri Dopart @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia (9pm)
Get Back Loretta, The Outline, Boomsnake, Superhumanoids @ Che Cafe
Spero Lumina, Londons Falling, Die Sabotage, Dead Record, Medicine For Madison @ O'Connell's
San Diego Rocks @ House of Blues
Bleeding Through, Carnifex, Miss May I, Motionless In White, Adestria, I Am The Heart Attack @ Epicentre
So We Say It All @ Lestat's
Lexington Field (formerly Fiffin Market), The Bleeding Irish, The California @ Brick By Brick
The Carlos Blues Experience @ Winston's (5-9p)
Survivor, Psydecar, Destructo Bunny, Red Llama Dog @ Winston's (No Cover)
PB Idol Finals with Rock Out Karaoke, UFC 102 @ 710 Beach Club
Caboose Dance Party @ Whistle Stop
Dead Man's Party (Oingo Boingo Tribute), The Cured (Tribute to The Cure), Long Duc Dongs @ Canes
Sea Of Treachery, Casino Madrid, Forever Days Forgotten, An End Of Days, Lamore, Thy Kingdom Come @ Soma
Chaunauk, Intronaut, Cattle Decapitation, Operation Downfall and Slaughterbox @ The Jumping Turtle
Fire Corner: Reggae From The Ghetto @ Kadan
Despite The Wolves, Aizen, In Silence, Aghori @ Dreamstreet
Les Dudek @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
Joe Wood & The Lonely Ones @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
Puro Madrazo @ 4th & B
Strunz & Farah @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm, Late Show 9:30 pm)
Audrina, Society Setback, Paint, Vast Zephyr, No More Heroes @ Channel Twelve 25
Underground Lounge @ Surf n Saddle
Ricardo Arjona @ San Diego Sports Arena
DJ Demon @ True North
Melissa Manchester @ Summer Pops At The Embarcadero
Sunday, August 30, 2009:
Marcy Playground, Bending Planets, Backup Johnny, JD Combs and The Soul Stealers @ Brick By Brick
The Local 94/9 Presents The Gift/Curse, Mutantspaceboy, John Meeks @ Casbah (Free, Free Food from Lucha Libre, Live broadcast of The Local 94/9, Doors 7pm, Show 8pm )
Billy Corgan, Spirits In The Sky @ Che Cafe
Laura Roppe, Alyssa Jacey and Danielle Tucker @ Belly Up (4pm matinee)
Salsa Sunday @ Belly Up (8pm)
North Park Craft Mafia 2 year Anniversary @ Ruby Room (2-8p)
Ronnie No Good, Unruly Bangs, Good Morning Valentine @ Soda Bar
100% Reggae Vibes Tribe of Kings Present DJ’s Jestor, Peril Dash Eye, Unite and Rashi @ U-31
The Box Elders, The Anasazis @ Bar Pink
Open Mic Night @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia
Jasmine Commerce, Katy Wong, Kenny Eng @ Lestat's
That 70's Rock Show @ Winston's (5-8p)
Jose Sinatra's OB-o-ke @ Winston's
Dueling Pianos @ 710 Beach Club
Too Many Creeps feat. Mario O and friends @ Whistle Stop
Reggae Sunday Feat. Pau Hana @ Canes (4-6p, free)
Disconnected feat. DJ Barnesy & Mike Reed @ Kadan
2000 Tons of TNT, Subliminal Trip @ Dreamstreet
"James Brown N BBQ" Cold Sweat Sextet featuring Chuck McPherson drums, Daniel Jackson saxophone, Mikan Zlatkovich keyboards, Greg McKinney bass, & more.@ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, 6pm)
Jesse Davis @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (11a-1:30 p)
Street Scene 2009 kicked off this weekend, feeling a lot more like Coachella Day 3. San Diego's summer heat decided to turn up and man, it was brutal. Looks like there won't be much of a reprieve today, either, with noon time temps already in the mid to high 80's. Still, it's all about the music, and despite some sound issues on just about every stage and walking around all night feeling like a sweaty monkey, I definitely got my fill of some stellar performances. Packed with my usual festival goods (hat, sunscreen, anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, water bottle, camera, etc.), I joined thousands on the streets of San Diego.
Mastodon, face-melting...
I got to Street Scene before the gates opened, stopping by Lolita's to grab a California burrito and ready to hit the pavement. The festival grounds were buzzing as all the vendors waited for the onslaught of concert goers to enter. It was a little anti-climactic, however, because it seemed a lot of people waited for sundown before braving the festival. That said, there were still plenty of people there enjoying the early sets.
Local boys Dirty Sweet kicked off the day with a rousing set of music. I was happy to hear some of the tracks from their new record, which I don't think is released as yet, but it's REALLY good, so keep an eye out for it.
From Dirty Sweet I wandered over to enjoy the stylings of Extra Golden who were so good. "We're from America and Kenya." Throw some rock along with some African beats and I was a happy girl. The singer had these really cute dance moves while the band jammed out.
From Extra Golden, it was on to the Zarabanda stage which was pushed back another half block and felt much less claustrophobic than last year. There was even a beer garden on the side of the stage. Good move, Street Scene! Dungen was getting started. I'd heard great things about Dungen, but the guitarist (left) was cranky as hell about his sound. Here's the thing about festivals...I would guess that less than 10% of the crowd for any one band are hard-core fans. The rest are passive listeners just going to check you out. Complaining repeatedly over sound issues, specifically ones that probably aren't going to be resolved throughout your entire set (or the whole day for that matter), is a waste of time. I know it's your job and you are a professional musician, so it drives you crazy, but roll with it. I stayed for precisely 2 songs, and went on to find some non-cranky musicians that despite the heat and the sound problems, were genuinely happy to be there.
I wandered back to one of the main stages...Fulana or Fulano...whatever...to see Devendra Banhart. He was looking less wooly than I've seen him before and revealed that he is one sexy dude. He played his entire set seated because he broke a rib at their show in Anaheim the previous night. And was he complaining? No. Though he did comment on the heat. "Next year, can we get some fucking astroturf up in here?" I'd have to agree. Coachella is hot as hell, but at least there's grass, tents, water misting stations. Our usually temperate climate is always unpredictable in August and September. Planning for heat would've made the day slightly less uncomfortable. From Devendra I walked to the Casbah stage for Wavves. Full of crazy overexagerrated reverb and one song sounded like the next. They had a handful of enthusiastic fans up front but I didn't stick around long, knowing I'll likely end up at the Casbah after party tonight.
From there it was on to Band of Horses. If you don't know my history with Band of Horses, you can read all about it here and here. That thing I said about wasting my time on cranky bands...well, let's just say I never thought I'd see BoH again. But of course, among my friends, there was just something really satisfying about being in that photo pit. At one point, security tried to kick everyone out saying there were no photos allowed, which made me just think, "of course!"...but that issue resolved and we got to stay. And that was it. Ben came out in the ultimate white trash t-shirt, played his music, I took a couple photos, making sure I was the closest photographer in his line of sight, and then I left.
This brings up another thing. While waiting for Band of Horses, some chick with a camera was bitching about the photo pit being so crowded. She dissed bloggers and said they're "not media" and went on to say, "there wouldn't be a problem in the pit if they didn't give every fucking blogger who applied a goddamn photo badge." Naturally I wanted to claw her eyes out. On the other hand, the photo pits were insanely full, and I know of at least a couple low traffic or inactive sites that were granted multiple passes for their "crew", or photographers who get photo passes for their girlfriends to just hang out. I appreciate that I have a pass, but should they perhaps be a little more restrictive? Probably. But then I probably wouldn't have a pass.
That said, this year I'm taking it easy in the pits...acknowledging that I am not a photographer but merely need a few snapshots of each act, most of the time leaving before the first song is even done. I'm over taking 1000 pictures and sorting through them all, so sorry my shots are fuzzed out. You want real photos, go check out Natalie from It's Too Sunny Out Here or Andrew at Amateur Chemist, who I'm sure are both editing photos as I write this.
From Band of Horses, I moved on to the Green stage to catch Holy Fuck. I am bummed I missed them last time around at the Casbah because of Independence Jam, in fact, I was supposed to do merch but had Abraham cover for me instead, but I did see them at 4th & B, I think they opened for M.I.A., and I forgot how exhilarating their live act can be. Lots of pedals and knobs and their signature moviola and I stayed in the pit a little longer just for their energy. Makes me kinda wish they were playing tonight's after party.
From there, it was back to Zarabanda, where Mastodon was performing their face melting music. I got there a little late so only got in a quick few shots, but their crowd was going nuts and with good reason- they definitely know how to bring it.
I left Mastodon to catch Matt & Kim and like others, I was surprised how huge their crowd was. They stood out to me as the band most happy to be there, talking to the crowd and telling stories and being truly engaging. At one point, Kim told the crowd, "I can see every one of your faces and I'm sorry if I stare awkwardly at you, but I am just so glad you're all here." It was one of the few times I actually paid attention to the crowd and saw people throughout the crowd singing along.
After some Matt & Kim, it was on to Bright Eyes. Sporting a Jimi Hendrix tie dye and surprisingly no hat, the band played an engaging set for fans while I dodged the elbow of some rookie asshole who kept getting in front of everyone else's shots. Photographers aren't exactly known for being courteous. But more on that later. I stayed for a song or two, then wandered off to finish my California burrito and listen to the tunes from a distance.
I moved on to Deerhunter at the Casbah stage and after some excrutiating feedback, they got to playing and though I'd seen the band before, I realized I'm just not that into them. I don't know if it's because half their songs are spent creating loops or what, but they really just don't do it for me, but I finished that burrito listening to them all the while.
From there, I went to see Cake for about 3 seconds before remembering that I really cannot stand that band. And talk about whiners, the dude talked shit about the sound, the lights, and the set props the entire time. Waaah...Why this city keeps bringing this shit band back is beyond me.
It was back to the Green Stage for me, to catch Nortec Collective's Bostitch + Fussible, who were joined onstage by an accordion, trumpet and tuba. I used to live upstairs from a family of 8, all living in a two bedroom apartment, so every dinner seemed like a party. They would blare norteno and mariachi music and while I like the music, when you can only feel the tuba through the floor, it can get a little grating. In this case, I was hoping that the tuba was bleeding over to the mainstage just to give Cake one more thing to whine about. I missed the group when they opened Indie Jam last year, so it was my first live experience. The photo pit had perhaps 10 photographers and about 75 friends and family just there to dance, and in this case, that was fine by me. I don't know which is which, but the guy on the right looked like Gabe Vega. Secret life, Gabe??
I stayed for a while, then wandered back over to Modest Mouse. The crowd was the largest I'd seen for any one band and I tried to maneuver to the photo pit, but they weren't letting anyone else in because it was too crowded, being told I could go in when people came out. So I waited, and was pushed, mauled, and squashed, and when about 8 people did leave the pit, a group of entitled photographers pushed past me. Why do you have a 5 foot tall 19 year old girl doing security at one of the biggest performances of the night? She had no control whatsoever and I was quickly getting claustrophobic, so I pushed my way out. I heard Modest Mouse from the distance but really can't tell you anything about their performance. With that outta the way, I went to Girl Talk back on the Zarabanda stage. I took some photos of the many dancing bodies on stage, but it was crazy and chaotic and the pictures are shit. So there. I will say this about Girl Talk. Yes, it is a total dance party. Yes, people go totally nuts. Yes, there is an incredible art to mixing and sampling all that music. But for people who say it was the best performance of the night, I say this. Girl Talk basically mixes the top hits of all time into something new. It's like an A.D.D. DJ set of all the best music of all time. You have a crowd of party people and throw on Michael Jackson, shit is gonna get crazy. But is it fair to compare a DJ to bands performing live, original music? I don't think so. Then again, that's just me, apparently, because it seems that set was all anybody was talking about.
As for me, I was ready to wind down my night. The temperature was finally tolerable (at 10:30 pm) and I was ready to let the sweet tunes of Calexico carry me off into the night. I enjoyed the set, especially when they brought out a full horn section and a Mexican singer. It reminded me of the love songs my grandma always had playing on her AM radio when we'd go to her house for tamales. The music feels like it belongs in the warm night air and hangs over like a blanket. Natalie and I sat off to the side, recapping our night, watching the crowd do any variation of dancing to Calexico including the white boy bro jump, the Burning Man hippie dances, and one girl doing her best pole dance on her boyfriend's groin. And with that we ended our night.
And now, we shall do it all over again. See you at Street Scene!!
So Street Scene 2009 is finally here (almost). You bought your pre-sale tickets. You waited to see if someone good was playing before you bought your tickets. You waited to see if you could win tickets. You found out ticket prices dropped. Whatever your scenario, the weekend (and this stupid heat wave) is here and it's time to get excited. Call me lame, but most of the bands I'm excited for I've already seen, some numerous times, but my plan is to not have a plan, which should allow me to run around and catch some of the bands I've never seen before. That said, there are plenty of guides out there that you should check out before you hit the pavement this weekend.
I woke up last night dreaming that my tickets weren't available and I was running all over town trying to get the right people so I could get in. Not fun, but hopefully not true, either.
Anyway, it's gonna be a scorcher, even still, I stand by my anti-flip flop stance for festivals. Make sure you read all the lists of allowed items vs restricted items so you don't get stuck with an extra trip back to your car.
Oh, and for everyone on Twitter: I'm @sddialedin, but you should follow @Street-Scene, @Chickrawker, @TooSunnyOutHere, @CasbahSanDiego, @PylesTE, @FM949, and a slew of others for updates. Also, don't forget to mark your Street Scene tweets #SS09.
If you were one of the 200 or so people at the Casbah to see White Rabbits a couple months ago, you know that this is a special band. This record, It's Frightening, was FM 94/9's recommended and it was produced by Britt Daniels of Spoon. If you still haven't picked it up, today is your chance for just $1.99 as Amazon's Deal of The Day. Click the banner to buy.
My inboxes get really ridiculous at times. I don't want to whine, but let's just say that last night a lot of emails were finally read and filtered and I finally went to sleep at 6 a.m. I love knowing about new music, but if a band isn't touring in San Diego, I rarely share the press releases because I figure my readers are savvy enough that you already read all about it on Pitchfork, Stereogum, Gorilla vs Bear, The Music Slut, or a host of other sites that aggregate all that stuff.
All that to say that the only reason I'm sharing this music is because it is probably the most earnest "press-release" I've ever read. Bands ask me all the time what PR firm they should use, or to send them examples of good vs bad press releases, and they always ask what stands out to a blogger in a press release. This hits all those marks. Without saying anything else, here's the e-mail in it's entirety:
Hello out There,
My name is Alec Ounsworth. I have completed a project called FLASHY PYTHON: SKIN AND BONES. You can listen to the album (and buy it if you feel so inclined) here.
As you may or may not know, and I suppose the reason I'm writing you directly, another project that I have been working on for several years now is called CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH. This is not that and that is this nor is it the other (the other often tragically confused with him or her) . . .
FLASHY PYTHON was conjured up and brought forth absolutely independently. It was completed recently and released even more recently to no acclaim nor discredit as no "news sources" were informed of its completion.
The idea is to present the project purely (while we still can) and let the individual make up his or her own mind which, as it seems to me, is perhaps the primary benefit in the otherwise alienating age of modern technology and communication.
I also have another album coming out on October 20th on Anti Records called Mo Beauty. You can hear a track from it over at stereogum. That is not this either.
Thanks for reading this email.
Sincerely, Alec Ounsworth
Short. Sweet. Perfect. And it made me (a) go to the website (b) listen to the songs (c) embed the player for you to hear.
I love my friend Adam Gimbel, but the boy doesn't seem to understand 'short but sweet'. He's always hosting karaoke, benefits, stuff for kids, stuff for families, and on and on, and of course the famous trivia nights. That said, he's got a couple cancer benefits this week, so all the details are after the jump if you click 'keep on reading'.
Thursday Aug 27 Licensed To Ilya (Geezer & Ilya doing Beastie Boys) cancer fundraiser @ The Ruby Room Friday Aug 28 Feel The Noise w/ DJ Gabe Vega, Saul Q and Licensed To Ilya (Geezer & Ilya doing Beastie Boys) @ U-31
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 18, 2009
BEASTIE BOYS REPLACED BY OLDE MEN With Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's recent cancer treatment causing the band to cancel several festival dates, organizers tapped some of the biggest names in show business to replace them. Several of the acts offered well-wishes and even paid tribute by performing the band's music. In San Diego, another great Jew named Adam, musician Adam Gimbel, approached local ambient sensations Ilya with an idea they'd talked about over fifty years before: to play a set of Beastie Boys songs as Licensed To Ilya. So much time had passed since the idea was originally hatched, that Gimbel had actually become a senior citizen and started a Weezer coverband called Geezer.
"My grandchildren looked so heartbroken," Gimbel recalls. "I thought 'Feh, what are ya gonna do?' but when I thought about their long struggle to earn the right to party, I felt that they deserved that party and I knew just how to give it to them."
With only fourteen days to throw together a show worthy of cheering up thousands of disappointed San Diego ticketholders, Gimbel assembled his fellow Geezers (rechristened Nas D, MZA and the King Old Rock) and the musicians from Ilya to form a supergroup to tackle a set of Beastie Boys material. Intense rhyme sessions have been taking place for the past few days at the band's practice space in the rec room of their local senior center. However, the National Large Print Teleprompter Company of America has agreed to donate the use of several of their products, in the event of a senior moment.
The late hour prevented the act from securing a venue for their own cancer benefit, so they will be collecting cancer research donations for the Susan G Komen For The Cure at their two appearances during the week when Beastie Boys were set to perform. First, at Super Thursdays on Thursday August 27th at the Ruby Room in Hillcrest and then at midnight after Street Scene at U31's Feel The Noise in North Park. So, in typically ironic fashion, a band that regularly performs with a box of Depends onstage will now be playing the same night as Street Scene headliners the Black Eyed Peas, whose lead singer admitted years after their last San Diego appearance that she had, indeed, urinated in her pants. Helloooooooooo, nasty.
Rumors of L2i actually replacing Beastie Boys at Street Scene on Saturday have been greatly exaggerated but there have been reports of men in police sunglasses and moustaches throwing each other megaphones in an effort to find a suitable location for a third performance somewhere in the downtown area. Local shuffleboard tournament organizers have refused to comment.
Thursday August 27 LICENSED TO ILYA at Ruby Room's Super Thursdays 1271 University Ave San Diego, California 92103
Friday August 28 MIDNIGHT SET LICENSED TO ILYA at U31’s Feel The Noise 3112 University Ave San Diego, California 92105
Earlier this week I posted about Marcy Playground and Backup Johnny at Brick By Brick. The show is on Sunday (the post has been corrected), so Street Scene doesn't interfere with your ability to check out the show. You can still by tickets from the banner above and be entered to win the swag price pack. See you all at Street Scene. (Also, 2-day ticket prices have dropped, so if you were on the fence, they're now under $100 for both days)
Thursday August 27, 2009:
Street Scene Tweet-Up @ Casbah (6-8p, invite only)
The Warlocks, The Morning After Girls, Gliss @ Casbah
SDMA Showcase: Leyva, The Fascination, Republic of Letters, Astra Kelly, Vision of A Dying World, Echo Revolution, special guests @ 4th & B
Licensed To Ilya (Geezer & Ilya doing Beastie Boys) cancer fundraiser@ The Ruby Room
Grown Folk Shit with The Grown Folk House band @ El Dorado
Secret Fun Club, Rats Eyes, FKENAL @ Tin Can Ale House
Midnite, Southtown Generals, Tribe of Kings @ Wavehouse
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic @ Canes
Sycuan presents Ryan Cabrera with Derek Evans, Clayton Senne @ House of Blues
Lhabia, The Starline Theorie w/ DJ Robin Roth @ Beauty Bar
JJ Grey & Mofro, The White Buffalo @ Belly Up
DMP Entertainment Presents World Music Night @ House of Blues
Mannequin Men, Davila 666, Slab City @ Bar Pink
Expressway To Yr Skull @ Soda Bar
Club Purple with Microphone Mike @ Radio Room
Neo Groove Trio @ Anthology
Jess Klein, Jordan Reimer, Matt the Electrician @ Lestat's
80’s and 90’s Hip Hop with DJ Artistic & Cros 1 @ U-31
The Flock of 80's @ Henry's Pub
NSD presents w/ bands TBA @ Brick By Brick
Band Showcase Competition @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
Fire Corner @ Club Kadan
Missy Andersen @ Patrick's II
Big Fat Soul, Dead Record @ Second Wind Santee
Adriana Smith, Ghost in the Graveyard @ Second Wind Navajo
The Bridge @ Winston's
Comedy Sow: Mark Christopher Lawrence, Kevin Shea, Mal Hall @ The Bitter End
The Riders @ 1st Street Bar ( Encinitas)
Rock Out Karaoke @ 710 Beach Club
Capt. Kirk & The Beam Me Fahr Up Scottys @ Calypso Cafe
Dropjoy, Heavy Glow, Yak Attack @ Boar Cross'n (Carlsbad)
Eamon Carroll @ The Field
Karaoke @ O'Connell's
The Rhythm Method @ Coyote Bar & Grill
Rob Hastings @ Bare Back Grill
Didgeridon't, Listen on Mute, Vanja James @ Dream Street Live
Sandy, Burnett, John Guilano & Marly Waak @ Cafe LaMaze
Skelpin @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Bar & Grill
The Mar Dels @ The Ocean House (Carlsbad)
Frankie Dee @ The Kraken
Night Vision with Gabe Vega, Adam Salter @ Voyeur
SO3, Shrewd Lucy @ Tiki House
Jefferson Jay @ Portugalia
Pali-Roots @ Gallagher's Pub
Winter Colour, Tan Sister Radio, Long Live Logos, Color of Glass, Mouth Full of Snow @ Queen Bee's
Science Fiction, Amber Ojeda @ Onyx
Witches Tit @ Royal Dive
Michael Tiernan @ Indulge
San Diego Symphony presents: The Music of The Doors: A Rock Symphony @ Embarcadeo Marine Park South
Goodnight Gilbert, special guests @ The Jumping Turtle
I admit that I was hooked on Ingrid Michaelson because of that silly Old Navy commercial. I'm glad to say her records and live performances have kept me as a fan and now you can stream her full album, Everybody, before the official release next week. Ingrid will be back at the House of Blues on October 3 and tickets are available now.
You'd think that after spending an entire day listening to Bad Veins and Division Day CDs, I would have more to say than just, "I Love These Bands" but I really don't. I mean, I listen to Bad Veins and there's a little bit of me that thinks of Will Sheff of Okkervil River and then the very next song makes me wonder how I ever made that connection in the first place. Then I listen to Division Day and think, "this is how Great Northern would sound if the vocals were all male," and all these things are good and dandy but don't do any justice to describing the amazing music and how great I expect their show at the Casbah to be on 9/1...next Tuesday...
And it's not enough to say they're both Dangerbird bands, though for me that carries enough weight with artists like Silversun Pickups and Eulogies coming from the same L.A. indie label. All I can say is that I hope San Diego represents at this show because it is gonna be great. Poor Division Day got to play NPMT, and from what I heard, playing Bar Pink in the last slot was a blessing and a curse because while the room was full, at that time of night nobody gave them proper respect...so here's our chance to redeem ourselves and show up and support the amazing bands.
Bad Veins is a Cincinnati based duo and cute as hell. Not that it matters, but sometimes it helps.
Here's a video from Division Day:
Because I love Dangerbird so much and harass the shit out of them, they've agreed to give away a pair of tickets to the show. E-mail me with "Dangerbird" as the subject, include your phone number, and I'll pick a winner over the weekend. I wish I was joking that I spent the entire day switching these two albums back and forth in my CD player (I still prefer a stereo over iPod for listening to albums) but it's true...which I think means I listened to each about 5 times. Do not miss this show.
The Dirtbombs, The Sermon, The Death Eaters @ Casbah
Built To Spill, The Prids, Doug Martsch DJ set after show@ Belly Up
The Farmers, Bad Science Fiction, Circa Now, Wendy Bailey, Skelpin, After School Special, A Scribe Amidst The Lions, Los Hollywood, Dave Humphries@ 4th & B
Cowboy Jack @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub & Grill
Matt Lingo Art opening featuring DJ Mr. Biggs @ Ruby Room
Black Barbie, Into the Presence, A Hott Mess @ Brick By Brick
Live Wednesday’s Presents: Veronica May, The To Do List, Ashley Matte, Kevin Sandbloom @ U-31
Commune Wednesday @ Soda Bar
Silverleaf, Doves & Desperados, DJ Stellar Magnet! @ Beauty Bar
The Dirtbombs, The Sermon, The Death Eaters @ Casbah
Built To Spill, The Prids, Doug Martsch DJ set after show@ Belly Up
The Farmers, Bad Science Fiction, Circa Now, Wendy Bailey, Skelpin, After School Special, A Scribe Amidst The Lions, Los Hollywood, Dave Humphries@ 4th & B
Cowboy Jack @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub & Grill
Matt Lingo Art opening featuring DJ Mr. Biggs @ Ruby Room
Black Barbie, Into the Presence, A Hott Mess @ Brick By Brick
Live Wednesday’s Presents: Veronica May, The To Do List, Ashley Matte, Kevin Sandbloom @ U-31
Commune Wednesday @ Soda Bar
Silverleaf, Doves & Desperados, DJ Stellar Magnet! @ Beauty Bar
I'm gonna try to get the weekend listings up earlier this week, but no guarantees. Click 'keep on reading' for Wed-Th listings. If you're not heading to Street Scene on Saturday, check out the contest I have with Marcy Playground and opener Backup Johnny. I've also got a pair of tickets to give away for The Casbah on Monday to check out Dangerbird records artist Bad Veins who will be your next favorite band. I'll post that contest later, but keep an eye out.
Tuesday August 25, 2009:
Six Organs of Admittance, Master Musicians of Bukake @ Casbah
Chris Isaak with special guest Kristina Train @ Humphreys
QQC, The Prids, Bestial Mouths @ Radio Room
Reggae Tuesday with Prezident Brown, Dub traffik Control DJs @ Belly Up
Miss Erika Davies, The Pant Hoots @ Tin Can Ale House
Spray Blues @ Soda Bar
Tiki Tuesday featuring Craig Prior @ Bar Pink
Anthology House Band @ Anthology
Pivate Domain @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
The Very, Kennedy’s Curse @ Beauty Bar
Too Cool For Karaoke: Gothic Volunteer Alliance Benefit @ Ruby Room
The Stilettos @ Henry's Pub
Nathan James @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub & Grill
So the other night Kris and I tried a restaurant that we have been meaning to go to for some time called Pomegranate. Pomegranate is a Russian-Georgian Restaurant located in North Park on the corner of Louisiana and El Cajon (2302 el Cajon Blvd). Its actually quite shocking that we hadn’t been before as we are both of Ukrainian decent, and there are time when we could literally kill for some good vareniki (pierogi). Well ok, not literally kill, that would be insane, I mean figuratively kill, but you get the point. So wide eyed and bushy tailed we went, and let me tell you this place does not disappoint! See the review and some pics after the jump!
First off we were treated to some reallllly lovely bread. There was a white Portuguese roll type of bread which was very good, but the real stunner was the Latvian black bread we got, dynamite! We later learned that it is in fact imported. Amazing, it must seriously be orgasmic fresh. We also ordered up some Russian beers which Kris though were quite good, but I though were a bit on the sweet side. That’s not to say I didn’t like them at all, just that next time I’ll probably go with the Czeck beer.
For our appetizers and main course we went for potato and onion Vareniki and some Borscht. Let me tell you, these were some amazing vareniki, onions were carmalized to perfection, and the dough was perfect. Flavorful and filling just like grandma makes! As for the borsch, unbelievable! It was far more hearty than we are used to, and to be honest I prefer a little less stuff (read veggies) in the soup, but that aside it was quite good, very tasty, and we will be enjoying it again for sure!
As far as the experience and service went we couldn’t have been happier. Our waitress Margarita was very sweet and the service was top notch. She was also very helpful as far as suggestions went, and was really familiar with the menu, which is a real plus as it may not be that familiar to everybody. As for the atmosphere it was great. It really felt very comfortable in there. Wooden tables, notes on the wall, and a piano that really brought the room together. We also met the owner John who was great. He was very kind and even regaled us with some great stories. Would we return here again, you betcha! This is a place that we will be frequenting very often.
All in all it was a great meal, a great experience, and a great night!
This Sunday night, Marcy Playground will be taking the stage at Brick by Brick, joined by Bakersfield band Backup Johnny. The band is offering some special goodies for SD:Dialed In readers and I wanted to pass the info along.
Grand Prize: T-Shirt, signed Dive album, and a bunch of stickers. (Winner gets to choose from these 3 designs)
If you buy a ticket from the banner ad on this site, you will receive an email from the band. When you get that email, mention that you read about the contest here and you'll be entered. The band will announce a winner via email, MySpace, and on SD:Dialed In. The winner will be a random draw out of a hat.
The winners can pick up all of their free stuff at the show.
Additionally, the band is looking for people to give us honest reviews of the Dive album, positive or negative. If you're interested in reviewing the album, send me an email with your mailing address and I'll pass along the information.
I know there's a ton going on this weekend with Street Scene and all, but by Sunday you should go get your Sex and Candy on at the Brick and check out some catchy pop tunes with Marcy Playground & Backup Johnny.
Warped Tour was back in town yesterday. The festival has been around for 15 years now and it continues to be edgy and demonstrate that Kevin Lyman is a very smart man. While concerts get cancelled for lack of ticket sales, Warped Tour defies the economic downturn and man, do the kids come out. I wasn't planning on seeing any specific bands, for me it's always interesting to just wander around checking out random bands.
The day started when Xavie picked me up around noon. We went back to his house where we met his friend Andrew for some tailgate activity. We headed to the amphitheatre and hit a little bit of traffic but nothing too crazy. After getting in, we went straight to the VIP area where my friend let us in to enjoy the $5 beers (they were $12 in the concert area). They also had free snacks, so we loaded up on hot pretzels and popcorn before we realized that we spent a lot of time before actually seeing bands, so I eventually hit the pavement.
I ran into Tim Pyles and we wandered over to see Fishbone. They are always amazing live- tons of energy and legends at what they do.
I had a great time wandering the festival and didn't really stay at any one stage for too long, but I caught NOFX, The Gallows, and a few other bands before the day turned to night. I caught a ride home from George from Uncle Joe's. It was a long day and I'm not sure where I found the energy to head to Beauty Bar after, but that was a great show, too. Anyway, click 'keep on reading' to see the photos, and huge thanks to Xavie, Andrew, George, Tim, and especially O for an amazing day.