A couple months ago, I wrote about seeing Gomez at House of Blues San Diego. The show was part of (RED)nights, a partnership with Project (RED), whose mission is to educate and bring awareness about AIDS in Africa, and LiveNation.
Ultimately, it is the goal of (RED)NIGHTS to build a community—of artists, concertgoers and music fans everywhere—that is passionate about helping to fight AIDS in Africa. A portion of the proceeds of each (RED)NIGHTS concert goes directly to the Global Fund.
San Diego is the proud host of another (RED)Night this Saturday night at the House of Blues with Ingrid Michaelson. Her tour has been selling out across the country but we have tickets for one lucky winner and their guest.
SD Dialed IN & (RED)TM are giving away a pair of VIP tickets to Ingrid Michaelson's (RED)NIGHTS show at House of Blues on October 3rd. As a VIP, you'll get to meet Ingrid and score some (RED)NIGHTS goods.
To win, all you have to do is e-mail us at sddialedin@gmail.com for your chance to win. One lucky winner will be selected this Friday morning. For full sweepstakes rules and information, click here. Here are some photos of the last time I caught Ingrid at HoB. She's a stellar performer and her set will not disappoint. Just don't try and steal her sweater.
For more information about Project (RED), click here and sign up for the mailing list for updates, artist bios, and to share photos and videos with the (RED) community.
This week is insane. I've got a million posts to do including info for Tour De Fat, a VIP ticket giveaway for Ingrid Michaelson (includes backstage meet and greet!) and tons of photos and videos from the past couple weeks, however, my brother is in town with my sister-in-law and nephew before his Iraq deployment AND we're on baby watch as my sister is due this weekend with my second niece. I'll try to keep y'all updated, but forgive me if postings are lacking. Thursday listings if you 'keep on reading'. I'll do my best to get to weekend listings in a timely manner.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009:
Asobi Sesku, Loney Dear, Anna Ternheim @ Casbah
Black Cherry Group Presents: Josh Damigo, The New Archaic, 1989, Defamation League, DJ Skullcrusher @ U-31
Black Barbie, Attack, Wallpaper, DJ Mr. Biggs! @ Beauty Bar
Heavy Glow, The Janks, Vinyl Film @ Soda Bar
Club Up and Up: Red Octopus, Black Hondo, DJ James Barak @ Belly Up
The Cheap Leis @ Riviera Supper Club
The Silent Comedy @ Henry's Pub
Sycuan Presents Shinedown, Sick Puppies, Cavo @ House of Blues
Lessons From Zeke @ Ruby Room
Iron Cross, Clocked In, Impulse & Penalty Box, DJ Barnesey @ Radio Room
Gregory Page, Lisa Sanders, Berkely Hart @ Anthology
Red Hot Wednesday with Robin feat. The Husky Boy All-Stars @ Bar Pink
The Sound Doctors @ Humphrey's Backstge Live
Krosswindz @ Lestat's
Brondi, Terrence Brian Band, Kissing Cousins, Long Live Logos @ The Bitter End
Drum and Bass @ Club Kadan
Joe Wood & The Lonely Ones @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub & Grill
Bill Magee @ Patrick's II
Imbalanced, Moment of Silence, Cribwall Prison @ Dreamstreet Live
Morning on Fire, Nods to Nothing, True Romance @ Second Wind Santee
Fuzz Huzz @ Second Wind Navajo
Pep Love, Nima Fadavi, Vokab Company @ Winston's
Jeremy Dawson @ Calypso Cafe
Private Domain @ Dick's Last Resort
Eamon Carroll @ The Field
Ed Rapacci Duo @ Red Fox Steakhouse
Raiz Muzik @ The Office
Radiostar @ 710 Beach Club
Tokyo Swat, Jesus In Furs @ O'Connell's
Burnett's Bliss, MR.JB @ Cafe La Maze
King Fish Turner Band, DJ Neko @ Coyote Bar
Haun Solo Project @ Portugalia
Big Rye & The Mercenaries @ Davina's Cabo Grill
Taylor Harvey @ McP's Irish Pub
Prophet C, Hi Roots @ Gallagher's Pub
Adrian Demain @ Riviera Supper Club
Astra Kelly, The Flowerthief, Lindsay White @ Dublin Square
Jessie Taylor @ Bare Back Grill
Thursday October 1, 2009:
Daedelus, Jogger, DJ Artistic @ Casbah
The Paragraphs, Primitive Noyes, Duchess @ Radio Room
Sycuan Presents Robert Earl Keen, Alex Woodard @ House of Blues
Di Nigunim, La Ballena de Jonas, DJs Eddie Kon & Gage @ Kava Lounge
Jolie Holland, Michael Hurley @ Acoustic Music San Diego
The Pheromones @ Longboard's PB
100.7 JACK FM Presents Live Band Karaoke featuring Steel Rod @ Belly Up
World Party @ Anthology
Expressway To Yr Skull @ Soda Bar
Rockin Johnny White Presents: Scarlet Ivy, Bedpost Buzzards, Even Flow @ Canes
80’s and 90’s Hip Hop with DJ Artistic & Cros 1 @ U-31
The Flock of 80's @ Henry's Pub
Oh No Not Stereo, guests TBA @ Brick By Brick
Lauren DeRose, The Infants @ Tin Can Ale House
Brawley @ Bar Pink
The Trolley Station, Memo Rx, DJ Wally Mayhem @ The Flame
A couple weeks ago Cory Chisel and Joshua James performed a matinee show at Casbah before the Blackout Party's CD release party. It was a marathon of a week for me and nothing seems to have slowed down since then, but it was easily one of my personal favorite shows lately. Everyone connects to bands in their own way, I guess, and while I see a ton of music that moves me, that excites me, and that inspires me, these two guys and their respective bands had me absolutely captivated. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only person who felt that way, too, because I've never heard the crowd get so dead silent during the couple ballads that were played.
I already posted "Daniel" by Joshua James, but wanted to get the rest of the videos up. As I mentioned before, Joshua's record came out on 9.22 and Corey Chisel's physical release date is today. I feel bad that I spent most of my battery on Cory only to realize I'd forgotten my spare (which I later found in the bottom of my purse) to record all of Joshua's set, so I had to pick and choose which I recorded, but hopefully you get the picture.
Tonight The Dodos take the Casbah stage for a show I've been anticipating for some time (and not just because it's my birthday). I know Portugal. The Man is at Belly Up and that will certainly be a great show, too, but you know where I'll be.
Thanks to everyone who made this such a special birthday weekend, especially Jeff who was so kind in providing the Karl Strauss keg for everyone's enjoyment at my party on Friday. I'm really looking forward to this week musically, but also personally because we're on maternity watch as my second niece is due this week. On top of that, I get some family time with my brother who will be visiting with my sister in law and my nephew before he is redeployed to Iraq. I couldn't really ask for more of a birthday present than being with family. It truly was a special weekend, so thanks to everyone who was a part of it. xoxo
Monday September 28, 2009:
Anti Monday League Presents The Dodos, The Ruby Suns @ Casbah
Portugal. The Man Drug Rug, Robert Francis @ Belly Up
Crosby, Stills & Nash @ Humphreys Concerts By The Bay (sold out)
The Styletones @ Bar Pink
Lady Dottie and The Diamonds @ U-31
Adam G's Musical Pursuit @ Whistle Stop
TBA @ Soda Bar
Karaoke @ Radio Room
Robin Henkel, Anna Troy, Wes Davis @ Athenaeum La Jolla
Alison Leudecke @ Lyceum Theatre
Club MAW @ Henry's Pub
4 Way Street @ Humphrey's Backstge Live
Open Mic @ Lestat's
Pyrate Punx @ Club Kadan
Doug Allen @ The Kraken
Ronnie Lane's Twisters @ Patrick's II
Electric Waste Band, Drunk Poets Society @ Winston's
Shawline Expression @ Red Fox Steakhouse
Zack Carpenter Band @ The Royal Dive
Pro-Invitation Blues Jam Hosted By Mystery Train @ O'Connell's
The Local 94/9 Presents A FREE SHOW w/ The Strikers, Northern Towns, The Old In Out and Authentic Sellout - LIVE broadcast of The Local 94/9, Free food from Lucha Libre Taco Shop @ Casbah
The Mice,The Bassline Bums(TX), The Tag Alongs(TX), The Mocking Byrds @ Radio Room
Rob Machado Green Flash Benefit Concert with Dynamite Walls, Buckfast Superbee and Zach Ashton @ Belly Up
DJ Sweet Baby Phil, A Fight for Fame! Goe hard or goe home records Veras Veil City Limits @ Beauty Bar
The New Assembly @ Ruby Room
Luminance @ UCSD Music Hall
Covela, Noman @ Soda Bar
Wonder Mortan Organ Concert @ Balboa Theatre
Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Of Mice And Men, Tids Of Man, Of Machines @ Soma
100% Reggae Vibes Tribe of Kings Present DJ’s Jestor, Peril Dash Eye, Unite and Rashi @ U-31
Miss Derringer @ Bar Pink
Happy Ron's Open Mic @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia
Another Zeke Productions Presents…Norman (MI), Logans Theory @ O'Connell's
Adams Avenue Street Fair @ Lestat's
Smooth Bill @ Winston's (5-8pm)
Jose Sinatra's OB-o-ke @ Winston's
Too Many Creeps feat. Mario Orduno & friends @ Whistle Stop
The tour kicked-off Mon Sep 14 @ the Casbah to an an intimate crowd... I guess we were no match for the Chargers season opener. From there it was onto The Silverlake Lounge with our good buddies The French Semester, Rademacher and Downtown/Union. I'd heard mixed reviews of playing LA and the Silverlake, but all those were overshadowed by the cool people coming up to us afterwards, buying merch and the commraderie that we have with The Frenchies; and Charles(drums) and Gil(bass) stayed up with us night owls till the wee hours joking and playing. I wish I had taken pix of Charles' artist loft because it is simply the coolest place on earth... And Rodney's friend Chino from the Deftones came out... that was cool. No pix for this one because Kim's disposable camera was a dud :(
This weekend is the Carlsbad Music Festival featuring alternative classical musicians. Events are below, full information if you 'keep on reading'.
C A R L S B A D M U S I C F E S T I V A L A T - A - G L A N C E
Friday, September 25 (8 pm)
California E.A.R. Unit
John Luther Adams: The Light Within* (world premiere of new arrangement) Daniel Wohl: +ou- | Ryan Brown: Our Friend Adam Matt McBane: Anchor | Keeril Makan: After Forgetting* (world premiere) Yannis Kyrakides: Mnemonist S (with video)
*Commissioned by California E.A.R. Unit
Saturday, September 26 (2 pm)
Free lecture-demonstration with Fred Frith Presented by the Museum of Making Music
Saturday, September 26 (8 pm)
Calder Quartet
Daniel Wohl: Glitch* (world premiere, 2009 Composers Competition Winner) Charles Punchatz, Ted Hearne, and Jason Treuting: new works* (world premieres) Leos Janacek: String Quartet No. 2
*Commissioned by Carlsbad Music Festival
Sunday, September 27 (2 pm)
Fred Frith plus Calder Quartet and California E.A.R. Unit Works by Fred Frith (not in sequence):
Solo pieces (Frith), Lelekovice (Calder Quartet), Water Stories (E.A.R. Unit), Cold (Calder Quartet + E.A.R. Unit), Friendly Gestures (Frith, Calder Quartet, E.A.R. Unit, + CMF Composers-in-Residence)
The sixth annual Carlsbad Music Festival will be held September 25 – 27 (Friday through Sunday), comprising three concerts of the newest classical music, plus a free performance-demonstration. All events take place in Schulman Auditorium at the Dove Library in Carlsbad, California. This year, the renowned California E.A.R. Unit and composer/guitar hero Fred Frith join the festival lineup for the first time. Returning artists include the Calder Quartet, the festival’s Founding Ensemble-in-Residence, and composer/violinist Matt McBane, CMF’s Founder and Director. Tickets may be purchased at www.carlsbadmusicfestival.org; details are listed below.
CMF is Southern California’s alternative classical music festival, bringing an ever-changing roster of world-class musicians to the community to perform exciting new scores. This year’s programs include five world premieres, including four works commissioned by the festival. Friday’s opening concert by the California E.A.R. Unit includes the world premiere of Keeril Makan’s After Forgetting and the debut of a new arrangement of Alaskan composer John Luther Adams’s The Light Within. The program also features Matt McBane’s new work for the ensemble, Anchor.
As always, CMF spotlights emerging composers, many discovered by McBane and the Calder Quartet through CMF’s annual Composers Competition. This year’s winner, commissioned by CMF to write a major work for the Calder, is the 28-year-old, Paris-born/New York-based composer Daniel Wohl. Wohl’s 20-minute score Glitch will be premiered by the group on Saturday (Sept. 26), alongside new pieces by fellow composers-in-residence Charles Punchatz, Ted Hearne, and Jason Treuting.
Sunday’s concert brings all of the festival’s artists together for an unprecedented collaboration. In the triple role of composer, instrumentalist, and improviser, Fred Frith has recombined several of his multi-movement works into an uninterrupted span of music – alternately performing solo, with the Calder Quartet and E.A.R. Unit separately, and with all of the combined forces together (further assisted by the festival’s composers-in-residence).
Frith will also give a free performance-demonstration on Saturday (2 pm) at Schulman Auditorium, sharing his innovative techniques for playing the electric guitar, sometimes using household objects. This event is sponsored by Carlsbad’s Museum of Making Music.
Throughout the weekend, audiences will have frequent opportunities to meet the artists. Each Carlsbad concert will be preceded by a pre-concert talk (starting one hour prior), and followed by a catered reception with the artists, free to all audience members.
The Festival is co-presented by the City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office, with significant support from the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation’s Robert H. Gartner Cultural Endowment Fund.
Lately it seems as though the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach is throwing caution to the wind by booking all these great acts for the Fall months. Whether it be the Meat Puppets with Dead Confederate, Entourage friendly Honey Bears, the bloggy Grizzly Bear, a whose who of local acts, or a certain band from Massachusetts that has gained the cred of Pitchfork, CMJ, and the Boston Globe (to just name a few). Drug Rug plays at the Belly Up Tavern on September 28th. Keep on reading for the scoop on the band.
Drug Rug is a two piece blend of Indie, Folk, and a nice balance of hi-fi lo-fi fun music. Thomas Allen and Sarah Cronin met in 2006 while working at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, Ma. After trading secret demos of their own songs, Tommy persuaded Sarah to combine forces. Drug Rug's S/T debut record, melted hearts and ears, and earned them rave reviews and comparisons to some of rock's greatest duos. They will continue to do so with their brand new record, "Paint The Fence Invisible."
Recorded in the Catskill Mountains of New York, "Paint The Fence Invisible" took a couple of weeks to record. They took residence in an old haunted house and laid down 11 brand new tracks including my favorite song on the record, "Never Tell." Using conventional methods like reel to reel you really hear the effort and time put into the record. The album they came out of the mountains with is a different and memorable record by a rock-duo who make their own rules. With comparisons to everyone from Sonny & Cher to Bikini Kill, the band is definitely set on making a name for themselves, but on their own their terms.
Drug Rug themselves say they believe in the imminent end of the world and will destroy each other with love before the apocalypse. I am starting to wonder where does that leave us? Well right now I have a ticket to their show, and a copy of their brand new CD, Paint the Fence Invisible, so I can't complain too much.
CMJ : "The sweetheart duo of Sarah Cronin and Thomas Allen continues to produce the sunny '60s harmonies that have endeared them to so many, but seem to follow historic timelines by infusing ever-increasing amounts of country-styled folk with their Hammond B-3 organ."
Boston Globe : "...leaves little ambiguity about its mission: making music at once delightful and daring, canny and ebullient, and always brimming with the buzz of life."
The Needle Drops/NPR : “It goes without saying where the music was recorded and what it was recorded on, but the rough sound give them an inescapable Moldy Peaches quality.”
The band plays with headliner Portugal. The Man and opener Robert Francis on September 28th at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. Doors are at 8:00 PM and tickets are $12.00 / $14.00 day of show. Get their early and get some grub and make sure you catch all three acts. This is the 9th stop of the current tour of 27 cities and sure to be a good one with the Belly Up providing the digs. Here are the rest of the dates for the tour and the bands Myspace link where you should go listen/buy/love the bands schtuff.
With Portugal. The Man
9/25 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA 9/26 - Glass House - Pomona, CA 9/28 - Belly Up - San Diego, CA 9/29 - The Clubhouse - Tucson, AZ 10/1 - Santa Fe Brewing Company - Santa Fe, NM 10/2 - B-Side Lounge - Boulder, CO 10/3 - B-Side Lounge - Boulder, CO 10/6 - Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS 10/7 - Picador - Iowa City, IA 10/8 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI 10/9 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI 10/10 - Schubas - Chicago, IL 10/11 - Schubas - Chicago, IL 10/13 - Magic Bag - Detroit, MI 10/14 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ONT 10/16 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ 10/18 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA 10/20 - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT 10/21 - Pearl Street - Northampton, MA 10/22 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA 10/23 - Bowery Ballroom (CMJ SHOW) - New York, NY
www.myspace.com/drugrugdude
I also want to let you guys and gals know that I will be reviewing the Portugal. The Man portion of the show. Check out their brand new video for the first single off the their new record (The Satanic Satanist) called "Do You" here:
I know I'm really behind, but the weekend listings won't be done till later. Much later. Been busy party planning and stuff. Anyway, still good stuff going on tonight. And you already know where you'll be tomorrow night anyway, RIGHT??
Thursday September 24, 2009:
Emily Wells, Portable Payback @ The Loft
Team Brady Breast Cancer Benefit with Kelli Ruddick, Gregory Page, Berkley/Hart, Teeny Tiny Pit Orchestra, FooU @ Casbah
The Royal Campaign, Skyline Union, The Predicates, @ Tin Can Ale House
The New Archaic @ Lou's Records 5 pm
An Evening with Iris Dement @ Belly Up
Pitbull Rebelution Tour Presented By Oakley with David Rush and Dago Braves @ House of Blues
Pete Hopkins @ SDSU @ noon
The Gregory Page Shoe @ Java Joe's @ Cafe Libertalia
Grown Folk House Band @ El Dorado
Stanley Jordan Trio @ Anthology
Expressway To Yr Skull @ Soda Bar
Andrew Decade @ Beauty Bar
Club Purple @ Radio Room
More Super Art Event @ Ruby Room
Britney Spears @ San Diego Sports Arena
Joe Marillo @ Dizzy's
Platinum Rockstars, Tribute to Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Journey, Foreigner @ Canes
Citizen Cope @ Wavehouse
Tao Rodriguez-Seeger @ Lestats
80’s and 90’s Hip Hop with DJ Artistic & Cros 1 @ U-31
The Flock of 80's @ Henry's Pub
NSD presents Livan & others TBA @ Brick By Brick
Schmaltz, Rats Eyes @ Bar Pink
Reverse Cowboys @ Ken Club
The Napoleon Complex @ The Flame
Albert Cummings All Star Blues Band @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
Fire Corner @ Club Kadan
Buick Wilson @ Patrick's II
SM58's @ Second Wind Santee
Non Stop Productions @ Second Wind Navajo
Stone Senses @ Winston's
Qwel Maker, Rock Bottom, DJ Kechup, Nomis, Artoo @ Boar Cross'n (Carlsbad)
Eamon Carroll @ The Field
The Canton Mudders, Honest Iago, Misc Ailments, The Ghost Orchid, Lisa The Lush @ Dream Street Live
Irish Night @ Hensley's Flying Elephant Bar & Grill
Vega, Salter, Diaz @ Voyeur
The Cathryn Beeks Ordeal, SO3 @ Tiki House
High Tide @ Calypso Cafe
Lou Evans @ Portugalia
The Fabulous Mar Dels @ Georges on Fifth
Don Julio @ Queen Bee's
D/Wolves, Jacks Last Bullet, I Am Empire, Freezing Vinyl, Birds of Paradise, Chrysalis @ Epicentre
Hot Rod Lincoln @ Valley View Casino
Bredren @ The Stage Saloon
The Pheromones @ Longboard's PB
Karaoke @ O'Connell's
Sandy, Burnett, John Guilano, Marty Waak @ Cafe La Maze
Charlie Imes @ Hennessey's PB
Chasing Claymores, Get Down @ The Royal Dive
Jason Weiss @ Bluegrass Jam @ Todays Pizza (Encinitas)
Chula Vista Souldier Club, Omar Lopez @ Onyx Room
Ukelele Society of America @ Ocean House (Carlsbad)
Michael Tiernan @ Indulge
The Fooks @ Hooley's Irish Pub
The Bigfellas @ 1st Street Bar (Encinitas)
Rhythm Turner @ Universal Hillcrest
Rob Thomas @ Bare Back Grill
Harmony Road @ McP's Irish Pub (Coronado)
Nekter, DJ Carlos Culture @ Gallagher's
Broni @ Bondi
Ration The Truth, Process For Enigma, Aphotic Murder @ The Jumping Turtle
Soooo, you should know by now that I'm having a party at my house tomorrow night. If you wanna come and don't have the address, shoot me an email. It will be early so my neighbors don't flip (BYOB and all that shit), but after we will take the party to The Ken Club for the Whiskey Rebellion benefit for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. The Long And Short of It, The Postals, Mad Mummies and Rich White Males will all be performing. The show is $5 and raffle tickets will be available 5 for $5. 100% of the cover and raffle tickets go to the Society. There's also a tax id code if your business would like to donate items for the raffle.
The Adams Avenue Street Fair is back this weekend! I look forward to this event all year long (and not just because it always falls on or around my birthday). This year brings another stellar lineup of bands including The Zeros, Pollyn (from LA), Republic of Letters, Swim Party, Crash Encore, Rio Peligroso, Gregory Page, Robin Henkel, Josh Damigo, The Styletones, Breakestra, Maren Parusel and dozens more spread on 5 stages over two days. The FREE festival runs on Saturday from Noon-10pm and on Sunday from Noon-6pm.
I usually take my dog to the event but with this weather, remember that a dog's pads can burn very easily on the black asphalt. This year Pascha will be left at home. Also, there's so much killer street food and all, but there's always this booth just a bit west of DiMille's that has Samosas. They are the BEST. You can thank me later. See you all there!!
I have been uninsured since October 13, 2008. It is quite possible that I will be uninsured for a long time coming, which is all fine and dandy unless my appendix decides to burst or I contract swine flu or anything of real consequence were to happen to me. I've been paying close attention to the health care debate, I met with Howard Dean to hear him speak about the public option, and I think Matt Taibbi did an amazing job breaking it down in Rolling Stone. But now, time for some comic relief from a scary and serious situation.
ESPN Radio 800am is proud to announce that we will be upgrading our signal to the FM dial 98.9, making us the only FM Sports Radio station in San Diego with all the best Nationally syndicated programming in the marketplace! (click keep on reading for press release)
San Diego’s MEC Network, Inc. has announced that a simulcast of the nationally syndicated ESPN Radio sports talk programming and play-by-play will replace the BLAZIN’ “Hip Hop and More” music format on their XMOR-FM 98.9 frequency effective 12:01am on Monday, October 5th.
In addition to the ESPN Radio regular sports talk programming line up that includes “Mike and Mike in the Morning”, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and the “Scott Van Pelt Show”, ESPN Radio San Diego - FM 98.9 and AM 800 will continue to broadcast ESPN’s Major League Baseball Game of the Week, MLB Playoffs, MLB World Series, NBA Game of the Week, NBA Playoffs, NBA Finals, ESPN College Football, The Bowl Championship Series, and various bowl games including the Poinsettia Bowl, and the Holiday Bowl on both stations. ESPN Radio San Diego – FM 98.9 and AM 800 Programming and Operations Director Milton Hines says, “MEC Network is excited to put the ESPN brand on FM radio in the San Diego Market just in time for the start of the Major League Baseball Playoffs and World Series! With ESPN’s superior sports talk jocks along with the best play-by-play lineup in San Diego, now in crystal-clear FM, we look forward to ESPN Radio San Diego – FM 98.9 and AM 800 becoming the number one sports talk radio station in San Diego sooner rather than later!”
ESPN Radio San Diego - FM 98.9 and AM 800 will also broadcast NFL games from the Compass Media Network, American League baseball games from the defending AL West Champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Pac Ten Champion USC Trojans Football and UCLA Bruins Basketball.
ESPN Radio sports talk programming and play-by-play will now be available in San Diego on MEC Network’s XMOR-FM 98.9 and XSPN-AM 800 starting at 12:01am on Monday, October 5th.
A couple years ago I started getting random CDs in the mail. This was all new to me; I was going to shows and buying music, listening to new music wherever I could hear it, and all of the sudden people started sending me stuff. As a total geek, it was then that I realized how glad I am to live in these times of the internets and music and file sharing and social media and the shock that some dork like me could type away on a keyboard and someone wanted me to hear their music. Back then, one of the first CDs I recall receiving was called Music For Tourists by someone named Chris Garneau. It came with a few other CDs and frankly I don't remember what else was in that package nor do I even know who sent it, but I got it and played it and loved it. Unfortunately I don't think of myself as much of a critic-- that was never a goal of this site-- so other than a couple comments in passing, I didn't post about the CD.
Fast forward to now, and Chris Garneau is FINALLY going to play in San Diego. He's gonna be at Soda Bar tonight with Mananaland (Matt Curreri's new project) and Ryan Blue. He's touring on his sophomore LP, El Radio, and brings back his sparse and gorgeous vocals. I highly recommend checking out this show.
This video is from his set at Spaceland on Sunday night.
I still have the latter half of last week to catch up on. Friday's early show at the Casbah was easily my favorite of the week, if only because I'd been looking forward to it for so long. I will get around to posting all the details on the show and what exactly made it so special, but since Joshua James' new record is officially available in stores today, here's a glimpse of the performance.
If you want to hear the record, you can listen it to it in full all week at Spinner. While you're there, check out new releases from Sea Wolf, Le Loup (playing with Nurses at Casbah on October 30), Sissy Wish (playing Beauty Bar on October 13), and many more. I'll post the rest of the Joshua James and Cory Chisel videos this week.
I did that full recap but forgot to post the final song of the Ume set, so here ya go. If you're on twitter, you can follow the band's adventures @UmeMusic.
The full info on the Jason Mraz free show in San Diego has been released.
NEW THIS WEEK :: FREE GETS YOU IN, $1 GETS YOU A SEAT :: LIVE ON EARTH CD/DVD ARTWORK REVEALED! :: NEW TWITPICS SUBMITTED BY FANS LIKE YOU!
Hey everyone, as promised here are the details regarding Jason's San Diego concert! The show takes place October 11th at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, starting at 6pm with Brett Dennen as special guest and Bushwalla hosting.
"This free show is our way of saying 'thank you' to all our friends in San Diego and Southern California for their incredible support over the past 10 years. We will present the opportunity for San Diego to have a great night of music and sing-alongs with us, and to invite our friends and families and community to join us in supporting some great work being done by charities like Surfrider Foundation, VH1 Save the Music and San Diego Youth Services." -jason
For full info, click 'keep on reading'
Reserved seats will be available for $1, while lawn seats will be FREE, with NO additional service charges. The reserved seats will be sold utilizing Ticketmaster's new paperless ticketing method to discourage resale of tickets. The paperless ticketing requires that the credit card used in the transaction also be presented at the gates for admission to the show. There is a limit of 4 tickets per person. Tickets (both free and for purchase) will be available this Saturday, September 26, at 10am PST through LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com, and will be available online only.
There will be a limited number of VIP seats at the front of the reserved section to defray the costs of the show and to maximize proceeds to the charity recipients. The VIP seats will be $75 plus service charges and offer best locations only.
In addition, 30 of the best pairs of tickets in the seated pit will be auctioned, and these 30 packages (only) will include a special after show meet and greet with Jason. All auction proceeds will go towards The Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans.
Likewise, in the spirit of being green, carpools of three or more people will park for free. Cars containing less than three people will be charged a parking fee.
On-site at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater on the night of the show, Jason will be inviting all the fans in attendance to learn about ways that they can contribute to the work of the non-profit groups, including by way of donations.
"This has become a 'pay what you like' show in reality. We'll give the show up to the fans for free, and ask them to drop in at the charity tables and give the non-profits the money that they think the show is worth. With no obligation to do so, of course, just a suggestion."
Other benefiting charities will include the following: San Diego Youth Services- an organization that has worked to stabilize the lives of over 500,000 homeless, runaway, and abused and at-risk youth in the San Diego area. VH1 Save The Music- a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in American public schools.
"Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been extremely helpful and creative in finding ways to help us implement our plan of a free show. We really could not have offered this opportunity to our fans without their incredible enthusiasm and assistance. Both companies have donated their time and their fees to bring this event together, and I am truly grateful for their support." - jason
A special team will be monitoring customary resale outlets and any tickets for this show found to be offered for resale will be voided an re-offered for public sale at their original prices to protect YOU the real fans!!
Another great week to look forward to. I'm also having a birthday party on Friday. I've tried to reach out to friends via e-mail and facebook, but I know I missed a lot of people, so hit me up if you don't know where I live.
Monday September 21, 2009 :
Anti Monday League Presents The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Depreciation Guild, Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Casbah
Flogging Molly, Hepcat & Fitz and the Tantrums @ House of Blues
The Styletones @ Bar Pink
Magnetix, Happy Birthday Secret Weapon @ Soda Bar
Australian Pink Floyd @ Humphreys
Ghostlimb, Robotosaurus @ Music Trader (3112 Midway Drive)
It was another fantastic week in music here in San Diego and I was all over the place, catching 12 different shows in 6 nights. Since my car is dead, this was not an easy feat and I couldn't have done it without the generosity of friends, so thanks to Jeff, Kevin, Jake and Josh for carting me around. I've got photos and videos to share from most of them, so click keep on reading for the whole lowdown
The Long And Short of It, Casbah, 9.19.09
In this recap: 1. Anti-Monday League @ Casbah with Team Abraham, Rademacher, The Moviegoers 2. KPRI Presents Laura Birch @ Hornblower 3. Chairlift @ The Loft, UCSD 4. Monotonix, Christmas Island @ Casbah 5. Josh Damigo @ SDSU Starbucks 6. Throw Me The Statue, The Brunettes, Nurses @ The Loft, UCSD 7. Meat Puppets, Dead Confederate, Ume @ Belly Up
Monday kicked off with a fun evening at Ono Sushi (@OnoSushi). They had a twitter contest and so it was free sushi and drink specials where we took over the back party room to watch the Chargers vs Raiders on Monday Night Football. I loved the sushi, but I have to tell you that their ribs are to die for. I could've eaten those all night long. The awesome thing about twitter is that you can show up for an event alone, as I did, and find you're among friends you already know. It was nice hanging with Chris Cantore, Gary Clapp, Taxi Rob and a bunch of others. Admittedly I'm not the kind of person that screams at a football game and the room was getting crazy, but I had to make my departure at half-time so I could head down to Casbah.
It was a stellar show at Casbah with The Moviegoers kicking off the night. (Mas rock en espanol, por favor!) L.A.'s Rademacher followed up. Seriously, these guys are so good. The night closed with Abraham and his constantly evolving band before they headed out on a 12 day tour. I opted against photos because the lighting was horrific and I just wanted a night among friends. After the show, Rademacher crashed at my house and we enjoyed some late night banter and the requisite Mexican food from Rolberto's. Keep your eye out for these guys as we're forcing them to make San Diego their home away from home.
Tuesday night started off with another KPRI Hornblower cruise, this time featuring Diane Birch. I already posted the videos and wrote about it here, but at least five people told me that they "never hear about" these free cruises. Listen to KPRI FM (102.1) and register for their e-mails and next summer you, too can enjoy all the stellar music onboard these FREE harbor cruises.
From the dock, we raced up to UCSD to catch Chairlift. We missed the opening acts but got to take in Chairlift's full set, which sadly was only 8 songs. First, I should say that if you still haven't been to the Loft, you should really check it out. There's a parking structure nearby, so parking is not an issue, and the venue has some of the best sound and lighting equipment around. Shows are generally free for students with a nominal cover for the public with some exceptions, but they already have some great shows lined up this year. You can see the entire schedule here. Some upcoming shows include Emily Wells, Starfucker, Metronomy, Dean & Britta, The White Buffalo, Why? and more. Additionally, The Loft is in the process of getting a beer & wine license while staying an all ages venue.
The band played a great set, albeit short. It was a bit challenged because there's a temporary wall up where they're building the food/drink service counter, so the sound guy couldn't actually see the stage. The lights were kept dim which bummed me out a little because they have such killer LEDs. Still, I enjoyed the set. When Chairlift went into Bruises, however, DJ Skullkrusher started queueing up his laptop and actually played about 10 seconds of music during the band's performance. Yikes. Their setlist was 8 songs long with an additional 2 songs in their setlist, but the second they walked offstage, the DJ music queued up and they never came back for the encore.
After The Loft, I was dropped off at Casbah for Monotonix and Christmas Island. It was my first time ever seeing CI and though I only got a couple songs in, be prepared for them to be the next breakout in the wake of the success of their buds Crocodiles and Wavves. Their record is available in pre-order on Insound by clicking below.
And then there's Monotonix. I was a virgin of the madness. The Israeli band is legendary for their stage show (apparently), but I went in having no idea what to expect. I peeped their merch booth. They had shirts that said "Where Were You When It Happened?," and it makes sense, because this is 100% spectacle. Awesome spectacle at that, but pure craziness.
The band set up, not onstage, but in front of the stage. To be honest, I don't know how much of the show is scripted and/or prerecorded, I'm guessing most of it, but it didn't take away from a jaw dropping show.
The front of stage setup didn't last long. As one song finished, the crowd picked up the drums and passed them overhead, along with the band, who in one night moved to the narrow counter next to the sound mixing board, the smoking patio, the front bar, and back to the middle of the room, at one point demanding that the whole room sit on the floor, soaked with beer and splashed drinks, and they complied. I hid outside for fear of being called out.
The show also included the singer mooning Seth Combs and shooting snot rockets at Andrea, licking a couple girls faces, pulling girls to dance on the bar, and shoving their sweaty bodies on anyone and everyone. I didn't get too close.
Wednesday shows started early as I made my way to SDSU to catch Josh Damigo at the Starbucks in the Aztec Center. It is one heck of a busy Starbucks and I was surprised how incredible the sound was in the room. Josh woke up that day with Strep Throat, but after a doctor's visit, tons of antibiotics, and a shot of cortisone, his voice was strong as ever. I think I have a new favorite song, too, "You Happened To Me" so I'm gonna pressure him to record it.
I was going to make that my big show of the day, but ended up going to The Loft again. We got there early and the bands were late but it ended up being a stellar show. Unlike the previous night, they moved the soundboard out from the back, and they made better use of the lights.
The show started with Nurses who are originally from Boise, but lived in Temecula briefly before living out of their van for 6 months in Chicago before finally settling in the music mecca of Portland where they said they've never been happier. They told us that the first place they lived and recorded in Portland was an attic that cost only $300 to rent! No wonder everyone flocks to Portland! I've missed the band the last couple times they played in San Diego and I was really, really impressed with the way they sounded. I liked them before but this was a bit more, I dunno, grown up? It felt more intricate and cohesive than I'd remembered the band and I really liked it.
The Brunettes were up next and were just lovely. Perhaps I was won over instantly by the Kiwi accents, or the sweet vocals that sounded like if Emily from Bunky joined up with Britt from Flight of The Conchords, but I thought they were fantastic and they were very proud.
Throw Me The Statue was up last and I was instantly a fan, though their set felt very short. On top of it, midway through the first song, the band requested the lights be dimmed to all blues. So unfortunately I wasn't able to capture video of their set, but I highly recommend checking out their record. Vocally they reminded me of Ra Ra Riot which means I was all oozy and melty inside and the band were total pros onstage. It appeared as if everyone else there was equally as enthralled by the number of students flocked around the merch table after the show.
Thursday night was up to the Belly Up for Ume, Dead Confederate and Meat Puppets. We got to Solana Beach relatively early, in time to wander around Leaping Lotus. It was Cedros Nights, so all the businesses were open. Matt Commerce was playing in the store and sounded good, so I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for him. I also wish I hadn't eaten because there was a food vendor selling some amazing looking soul food.
It was nice not to feel rushed at a show, and there was time before to catch up with DC's manager and say hi to the band before Ume started. Ume is a three piece from Austin that Carlos from the Moviegoers as "a sexy Sonic Youth". They rocked hard and though at first, Jeff, Greg, and I were the only ones standing anywhere close to the stage, the floor filled up by the end of their set.
Dead Confederate had been tweeting how the day before they were holed up in a hotel in Arizona feeling sick, so it was nice that despite them still being under the weather, they still gave their all to the show. Since I have quite a collection of photos of the band already (one of these days I'll post my Indie Jam photos), I mostly refrained but I wanted a couple because I was stoked to see Brantley sporting his Obscure Magpie t-shirt.
They played a long full set and it was cool to see as many people there specifically for DC as Meat Puppets. I recorded The Rat once again, specifically because I wanted to compare it to my video from Casbah, but here it is again, whatever you can see of it.
The last time Meat Puppets played in town, I did their merch and didn't really get to see them, so this was a nice treat. The band started off the set with a lot of their newer, slower, more country influenced music then eventually went into their older catalogue with the rocking shit. The songs were all good, but where the band really excels is when they just jam out. I have to also say, it was a bit funny to see Curt Kirkwood's guitar adorned with little old timey stickers of kitty-kats and piggies. It was a stellar show and they played a crazy long set upwards of 20 songs.
We got out of the show too late to try and catch anything else for the night, so instead I went to the Ken Club to break in the new ping-pong table. I'm gonna try and see if Brett will let me borrow it for my birthday party this week. So awesome. Otherwise, if anyone wants to play, name a time and I'll be there.
Anyhow, it is really late and this is ridiculously long already, so I'll save the rest of the week for Part II.
8. Joshua James, Cory Chisel @ Casbah 9. Old Man Hands @ Tin Can Ale House 10. Blackout Party, The Drowning Men @ Casbah 11. Mat Kearney, Brett Dennen, Eric Hutchinson, Maia Sharp @ KPRI Summer Splashdown, Hornblower Inspiration 12. The Long And Short of It, Boyscout, Modern Rifles @ Casbah
KPRI Summer Splashdown feat. Brett Dennen, Mat Kearney, Maia Sharp, Eric Hutchison @ Hornblower Excursions
The Long And Short Of It, Boyscout, Modern Rifles, Gravitorium @ Casbah
Sight & Sound feat The Vision of a Dying World, The Hot Moon, video projection, hula hoop dancers, live artists, and deejays @ Architecture (3956 30th Street)
Dan Padilla, Screamin Yeehaws, Satan Dance Party @ Ken Club
Lanterns, The Feelings Mutual, The Bloodflowers @ Tin Can Ale House
Firehouse Swing Dance @ Belly Up (4pm)
Common Sense, RiceRokit @ Belly Up
Westfire, El Ten Eleven, Tandemoro @ Beauty Bar
Masquerade Ball @ Ruby Room
Immovable Objects, Inflight Nymphs, The Secret Seven @ Soda Bar
Electro/House with Destructo, Dan Sena, Stir Crazy, Color Vision @ U-31
Neon Beat with DJ Junior and Mr. Atari @ Bar Pink
Pitbull @ Harrah's Rincon Casino- ECLIPSE Pool Experience
Students of the Drum (Drum n Bass night)@ Radio Room
Beach Music Mafia Presents... Bad Science Fiction, Wendy Bailey, Rodeo Drive @ O'Connell's
Festival De La Hispanidad @ Harrah's Rincon Casino Open Sky Theatre
Paulina Rubio @ House of Blues
Lamore, Ration The Truth, With Liberty, Scarejohn, Ah! Monsters @ Epicentre
Allison Lonsdale @ Lestat's (6-8p)
The Gregory Page Show @ Lestat's
Hell on Heels w/guests TBA (Burlesque) @ Brick By Brick
The Radiators @ Winston's
Three Wise, Bunny Mystic & Band, The Akademix, UFC 103@ 710 Beach Club
80s vs 90s feat Gabe Vega & Saul Q @ Whistle Stop
Guttermouth, Authentic SellOutMower (CD Release Party), Electric Dynamite @ Canes
Hello Marquee - CD Release! The Day Sets Fire, Let Live, A Shattered Hope, He Is The Painter, Elizet @ Soma
Fell Voices, Author & Punisher, Lake of Blood @ Che Cafe
Drownswerve, Synesthetic, Presidente, The Antidivision @ Dreamstreet
Gregory Isaacs, Tribe of Kings Soundsystem @ Wave House
Daniel Jackson, Marshall Hawkins, & Gilbert Castellanos @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
Indie By Design @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (7pm)
Wanda Sykes, Keith Robinson @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
Rio Peligroso @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
She Productions w/ DJ Kiss @ Kadan
San Diego Classic After Party @ 4th & B
War @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm, Late Show 9:30 pm)
Rockola presents The Beatles' A Hard Days Night Album @ Birch North Park Theatre
Frankmusik (DJ Set), Deth Hertz @ Voyeur
Buried Under Carrots, Kenny Eng & Friends @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia
Sunday, September 20, 2009 (Happy Birthday, Momma!):
The Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays, Amusement Parks on Fire @ House of Blues
Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River, Armchair Martian), Chad Rex @ Casbah
The Most Serene Republic, Da Bears @ Bar Pink
Dat Phan & Friends Comedy Show, acoustic pre-show with Josh Damigo @ Mad House (10066 Pacific Hts. Rd, Mira Mesa)
The B-52's, The 88 @ Belly Up (Sold Out)
DJ Sweet Baby Phil and A Fight for Fame! Fiery I, The Very, Incomplete Neighbor @ Beauty Bar
Hit Em Where it Hurts (Chico, CA) + more tba @ Ruby Room
Shaun T. Morgan, Eric Brendo @ Soda Bar
100% Reggae Vibes Tribe of Kings Present DJ’s Jestor, Peril Dash Eye, Unite and Rashi @ U-31
Apollo and Lacuna, Ladies & Gentlemen, Nathan Slawson and the Sea @ Radio Room (Early Show, 5pm)
Red November, Amongst the Lost, Translation: Audio @ Radio Room (Late Show, 8pm)
Happy Ron's Open Mic with featured artist Laura Kuebel @ Java Joe's at Cafe Libertalia
Disconnected w/ djs barnesey & mike reed @ Kadan
Another Zeke Productions Presents... The Otisturbine, The Ratbirds @ O'Connell's
Colour, Molly Jenson, Travis Oberg @ Lestat's
ListenLocalSD.com presents: Acoustic Alliance feat. Brad Roth, Deblois, Tori Roze and Podunk Nowhere; Zank, Lindsay White, Jacqueline Grace and Lisa Pollack; Jessica Lerner, Snooze Button, Dave Keefer and Megan Combs; Schmooze @ Brick By Brick
Jose Sinatra's OB-o-ke @ Winston's
Dueling Pianos @ 710 Beach Club
Too Many Creeps feat. Mario O and friends @ Whistle Stop
Erin McCarley, Landon Pigg @ Soma
2up (Japan), The Dabbers, Vaginals, Rat's Eyes @ Che Cafe
Earlier this week I posted about the horrific tour bus accident suffered by local screamo band, A City Serene. Since then, some more information has been released. Here are some links I thought should be posted.
Tomorrow there will be a garage sale to benefit the band and families who will be spending an unknown amount of time in hospitals and hotels. Posted by Twitter user @AlannaLessThan3
Please donate items to sell, clean out your closets- Start dropping stuff off @ anytime... For drop-off/pick-up address and contact, click here.
There is a benefit show at Soma on October 3.
Most important, stay updated via the band's MySpace page, where you can also donate money. 100% goes to the band and their families.
There are so many amazing shows happening tonight. Each one is worthy, but let me highlight a few for you.
First, there's an early show at the Casbah. The show features Joshua James and Cory Chisel. I've gushed about Joshua before, but I feel like I have to do so again because I still can't get over the last record, let alone the tracks I've heard from the new album, Build Me This. I've been holding out by listening to tracks on Joshua's MySpace page and website and I have cash in hand so I can buy the record. It's not technically out until 9/22, but I'm hoping Joshua brings a few copies for us. I took some horribly terrible video of him the first time I saw him, which you can search on my youtube page. Instead, I'll post a song that gives me chills everytime I hear it.
Cory Chisel is opening, though technically it's a co-headlining tour and Cory is headlining on the east coast dates. Here's a real video from Cory. The forthcoming album is beautiful. It's called Death Won't Send A Letter and it will be released 9/29.
However, if the singer-songwriter thing isn't your thing, there's also a killer cover band playing at Brick By Brick. Chelsea Girls is an all girl cover band feat. Samantha Maloney from Hole/Motley Crue, Corey Parks from Nashville Pussy, Allison Robertson from The Donnas, and Tuesdae. If you're interested in tickets, shoot me an e-mail. I might have a pair or two to spare. Make sure you include the subject "Chelsea Girls" and your phone number so I can handle it in the morning.
But it doesn't stop there. Brian Karscig's latest project, The Nervous Wreckords, are opening for The Killers at Viejas Arena (formerly known as Cox Arena) at SDSU, Bunky is playing over at Soda Bar, Old Man Hands (who doesn't play nearly enough) is playing with Drew Andrews up at Tin Can Ale House, and on and on.
Personally, I'll be at the show I've been waiting for nearly 9 months for, immediately after Joshua and Cory finish. The Blackout Party are finally having their CD release show! You can read about it in CityBeat here. Throw in The Drowning Men and Desert Diamonds to open, and that is a helluva local lineup.
And more of my shoddy video:
This is not to say that all the other options for the night aren't worthy...just get out and support any of the number of bands playing tonight. My buds Holy Rolling Empire are playing at X1FM.com. Scarlet Symphony is at Bar Pink, Dynamite Walls is at The Ruby Room, Josh Damigo is playing at the Museum of Making Music, and on and on. If ever I could be in more places than one, tonight would be the night.
I was just talking about how I took down Evan (@EvanAndrew) in ping-pong last week, then Devlin from The Ken Club (@KenClubTuesday) posted that the Ken Club now has a ping-pong table and it reminded me that I never posted about the ping-pong tournament happening this weekend at The Pearl Hotel (@ThePearlHotel) in Pt. Loma. So the deal is that there's gonna be a big bash to benefit our friends over at Sezio.org (@sezio). The party is free, but it's $10 to enter the tournament. There will be singles and doubles brackets, and the tournament is single elimination.. so go get your practice on at the Ken Club or Triple Crown and let's do this. Oh, and don't forget to wear your tennis whites! Notice that little Trumer Pils sponsorship? Yeah, that means drink specials!! (How do I get Trumer to sponsor my birthday party? Anyone?)
Last night, KPRI presented yet another free show on San Diego Hornblower Excursions, this time featuring New Yorker Diane Birch. At all of 21, the girl has got some pipes and though I hadn't heard any of her music going in (though apparently she was on GMA or one of those morning shows last week) I was definitely impressed. She performed with a full band and even got the crowd to their feet when she played a cover of Tom Petty. She also did that awful Haddaway song from Night At The Roxbury, "What Is Love?", and turned it into a surprisingly beautiful ballad. That takes some serious talent, and Diane has it in droves. She also told a funny story about growing up in a religious household with a preacher for a father, and being a moody goth teenager that hung out at clubs all night thinking she was slick by telling them she was babysitting. She'd roll home at 5 or 6 in the morning with her ghoulish makeup to find them waiting. She has a song called "Don't Wait Up", that was probably my favorite song of the night, that you should really check out.
I was a little disappointed that the usual 5 or 6 people weren't recording any of the show, and I was in a bad spot to do so, but eventually I moved around to the side of the stage when it got too cold for people and they retreated to the second level of the boat, so apologies that I was recording directly into the stage lighting, but it was the best I could do. These are the final four songs from the night.
KPRI has one more free cruise coming up at the end of the month, so make sure you're registered as a Freeq for their e-mail list. You can find the other videos if you 'keep on reading'.
I've accumulated a couple more week's worth of photos, so I guess it's time to catch up again. I've posted about the Music Awards, The Rumble, and a couple other things in between, but I'm gonna rewind a little bit, back to the night of the SDRL open house. Because what I forgot to mention was that after that show, I went to Bar Pink to see The Drowning Men. It has been a while since those boys have been written up on sd:di, and I'm not sure why...seems like I've just always got something going on whenever they play, but they're really talented and I'm always struck by their stage presence when I see them. How is it that I don't know these guys? So weird.
The Drowning Men
For the rest of my diary, click 'keep on reading'.
The next day brought about a matinee show at the Casbah, featuring The Thermals & Tape Deck Mountain. This was an especially fun show because it had been a while since I was at a show lined up with a group of friends all up front. I don't know why that is, but seems like for a lot of the touring shows lately, I'm like, "who are all these people?" That's cool and all, I love the diversity of the crowds, but on this night, I was among friends and we all had fun, despite the guy who thought he was in the band that I had to restrain. Tape Deck was rad, and I think it was their first set on the main stage at Casbah, so that was cool. Travis broke his pic and it was funny that I let him borrow my 'pic of destiny' that Evan had given me a few months back that I keep in my hearos case. Pic of Destiny saves the day!
So The Thermals were awesome and I don't think the show sold out completely, but it was packed and everyone seemed to love it; the show was full of sing along moments, including high fives from the bro, that I later found out was a friend of a friend. He was in town from Florida with his band for Awesome Fast. "I thought you were gonna kill him," James said to me after the show. In truth, I was just trying to help him not get tossed by the third song.
The Thermals
After the show, Kevin and I went to Evan's house for his co-birthday party. Despite feeling old as shit watching these 20 somethings throw down some intense games of beer pong and flip cup, it was a fun party in an amazing house among good friends. It was also fun to play some ping pong at the end of the night. I won every game I played but I had a clear sober advantage, so I look forward to playing again when (1) everyone is sober or (2) I'm as shitfaced as they were.
The next day was Labor Day, which also happened to fall on my Dad's birthday. My cousin came down from LA as a last hoorah before she moves to Philadelphia to become the DMM at Free People, a subsidiary of Urban Outfitters. Helloooo, family discount! We spent most of the day and night with family and I couldn't resist taking a picture of Johanna with her Bratz laptop.
Johanna, Blogger In Training
Later that night, it was time for Anti-Monday League with Republic of Letters, the debut of The Nervous Wreckords, and Hotel St. George. Republic of Letters sounded great after being in the studio for some time. Brian Karscig recorded their forthcoming record and he clearly talked Chris into diversifying a bit, and so there are these really great keyboard parts that never existed before in their music. I loved it and really look forward to the new record. The Casbah was packed for The Nervous Wreckords. The guys from Louis XIV were there to show support which I thought was cool, and the bar was packed for their set. Brian Karscig is at the helm, joined by Maren Parusel on guitar/keys and Shaun Cornell from Transfer among others. The show was a kick off before they joined The Killers for part of their tour. Playing a slew of catchy aongs, they got mixed reviews from the few people I talked to but I dug it and from what I hear, the tour is going well. Hotel St. George closed out the night, but the Casbah seemed to clear out. I know it's tough on a Monday night, especially after a holiday, but it was still a bummer.
The Nervous Wreckords
Tuesday was pretty uneventful. I had to be downtown in the afternoon, so I ended up going downtown with Jake and waiting for him during his weekly gig, grabbing some cheap tacos and beer at La Puerta to catch up with Billy who I know back from his Jewel Box days. God, that was like 10 years ago.
My cousin was still in town, so Wednesday was more family time and birthday dinner for my dad at Point Loma Seafoods, then time chasing down Johanna in the park. Since I haven't been talking about my family as much as I used to on this site, I'll just say that my sister is very close to having her second daughter, expected on October 4. Johanna is going to have a little sister! This time of year is always full of family time because it's my grandma's birthday (9/2) and this year she turned 101! My dad's is 9/7, my mom's is 9/20, I'm 9/28, my cousin is 10/13, and soon we can add Nadia to the group. Johanna is running and talking and bossing people around and has an adorable sense of humor, so she's pretty much a spitting image of me at her age (or so I'm told). Gone are the days when I could take dozens of pictures of her in one sitting. I can barely keep up with her, let alone take pictures while I'm doing it.
Johanna
The next day was the San Diego Music Awards, which I've written about here. But if you'd like to read Seth Combs' ranty rant, click here.
Friday night, it was me and @mcbrandt13 again (Kevin, but I like calling people by their twitter names). He was sick, but was a total trooper and we went to Bar Pink. It was a no photo night for me; just wasn't in the mood. Syndicate opened the show with their synthy 80s sound, followed by Yourself and The Air, a really great band (from Chicago?), but it was late and I couldn't trick Kevin into staying more than 3 songs into their set. (He only planned on going out for 'one drink' in the first place, so he dropped me at Josh's house where we played poker till the wee hours with Josh's brother and his friend and Kitty. I won. I love that I get to publicly rub that in.
Saturday night rolled around and I did merch for Soulsavers. I was so excited to see Mark Lanegan in the flesh for the first time ever, and though I didn't really get to see the show, being there for the soundcheck of Revival gave me chills. I snuck a couple pics, as well as a couple of Jonneine Zapata and her band. I guess my only complaint was that the show might've been better suited for a weeknight, because all three performances were pretty mellow and it seemed like people really wanted to get into the show, but there was something a bit too mellow about the vibe. Jonneine was really cool as was her band, and it was nice to see people spending money on new music.
Soulsavers/Joennine Zapata
I closed up the week hanging out with my family at the Brazilian parade in PB. My sister and her husband spent a lot of time in Brazil and Central and South America, so she always digs the vibe. Me, well, sometimes I realize I'm more conservative than I let on. My eyes were bugged out at the amount of flesh revealed in one parade. I love the drum lines and the capoeira action, and there's tons of dancing going on, but these women shake their near nude bodies in ways I didn't know possible. Craziness.
Brazilian Parade
From there, it was on to The Rumble. I touched briefly on this monthly event, but should say that if you missed it because of the NFL, the VMAs, or the True Blood finale, know that the next one will be a Saturday matinee, on October 10. The Jakes, U.S.E., and Rafter all gave great performances and it couldn't be beat with the free food from Phil's and even some complimentary Trumer Pils for a lucky few. There will be more of the good stuff next month, with three great bands and killer sponsors, so save the date now. You'll be hearing a lot about The Rumble on this site and I'll post the lineup soon.
That wrapped up the last couple weeks. It is only midday Wednesday and I've already got more good stuff for the week, but it's time I get to those weekend listings.
