Saturday, March 31, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 31-April 1, 2012

I don't know what to do to make myself stop with my horrible sleep schedule but I hope that one of these days I'll sync my life back to normal human hours. Hopefully it will be a pretty Saturday and I can enjoy some sunshine before working at the Rollins show.  That said, I should really attempt to get a couple hours of sleep at some point. Saturday and Sunday archives are after the jump.

OTR Movie Recommendation: Detachment

If you pay attention to my site, you know a lot (read: too much) about me. You know that I go to shows almost every night of the week. I love live music and occasionally deviate to go to a play, the opera, or on occasion, sometimes I actually stay in. Film is something different entirely, and though I have expanded cable and HBO, I see fewer movies than most of my peers. In fact, after two years without going to the movies, it was only recently that I started going again. I don't have Netflix and I only recently started renting from Redbox. It isn't that I don't enjoy good movies, it just seems the good ones are so few and far between that I have a hard time devoting two hours with a medium where I am not interactive at all. I can't sit still without wanting to look at my Twitter feed or surf the web or explore Facebook  

I've made a greater effort to keep up with movies of late, and recently I dug The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Young Adult,  and Like Crazy. Still, none of these left me feeling  quite as affected as I did when I watched a screener of Detachment.
Director Tony Kaye’s (AMERICAN HISTORY X) long-awaited film DETACHMENT stars Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody as Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who conveniently avoids any emotional connections by never staying anywhere long enough to form a bond with either his students or colleagues. A lost soul grappling with a troubled past, Henry finds himself at a public school where an apathetic student body has created a frustrated, burned-out administration. Inadvertently becoming a role model to his students, while also bonding with a runaway teen who is just as lost as he is, Henry finds that he’s not alone in a life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world.
This is not a film about the underdog school turning things around, nor does it offer a fix for failing educational policies or how to save these really fucked up teens. As Mr. Barthes, Brody (as sexy as ever, even when he's not supposed to be) gives an intense performance of a man with demons of his own while constantly being confronted by the demons of everyone in the world around him. Still there's some feeling of connectedness in realizing that everyone around us is as damaged as we are. Misery loves company.  He finds connection in the least likely of people and though there's certainly not a triumphant feel good moment in the film, the grit of it makes the analytical documentary style interview moments interspersed in the film feel all the more real and authentic. I'll also note that while the film sticks to crisp dialogue, the one song used in the film is "Empty" by Ray LaMontagne which feels like it was made for this film. (see it in the alternate trailer after the jump)

The film is available in limited release in theaters in select cities. In San Diego, the film opened on March 30 at the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 and is also available through video on demand.




Thursday, March 29, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 29-30, 2012

I usually have some thoughts to share, but this week has been so up and down that I will just get to the listings. Tonight SoundDiego Live is at the Griffin, White Rabbits are back in town for a sold out show, and my dear friends Rademacher from Fresno are playing at Bar Pink. I guess I'll be working on weekend listings later today and will post those later. Thursday and Friday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 29, 2012

I usually have some thoughts to share, but this week has been so up and down that I will just get to the listings. Tonight SoundDiego Live is at the Griffin, White Rabbits are back in town for a sold out show, and my dear friends Rademacher from Fresno are playing at Bar Pink. I guess I'll be working on weekend listings later today and will post those later. Happy Thursday.

The Propagandist Declares #DowntownSucks

 Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of visiting The Propagandist. The bar is downtown, a couple doors away from Analog and is attempting to bring something different to the area in a broad concept they're calling "A Town Hall". Run by Brian Divine and his wife, Jessica, the basement bar hopes to be something fresh in the area. Of course, a lot of spots open with a "no douchebag" goal and sooner or later, the bar is overrun anyway, but The Propagandist appears to be faithful to that spirit with goals of hosting live music and local art and being available as a community  resource, whether that means being a meeting space, a place to network among like-minded people, or just a refuge from the typical downtown scene.

The bar has been operational since Halloween of 2011, but they wanted to get everything in order before an official grand opening. They hired Audio Design to essentially match the soundsystem at the Casbah and in February they hosted a live show to test run the sound.

The bar is long and open, with a DJ booth on the right wall and five large booths along its side. On the left wall is the simple bar, with a craft cocktail menu of tasty muddled fruit and elixirs, though they also have PBRs and other beers and wells starting at $6. The floorspace is filled with movable salvaged church pews and tables made from reused lumber.

Brian invited several people down to check out the digs, so while I was there, it was nice to hang with Mario Escovedo, Tim Pyles, and Mike Halloran. Brian gave us a tour of the full space and I've got to say, that green room is gonna be the site of some good band shenanigans.

This Saturday, you can celebrate the official Grand Opening of the Propagandist. The Donkeys are performing and you can check out the new spot for yourself. More photos after the jump.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

San Diego Media News

Some media news I thought I'd share:

According to Radio Insights, Radio Sophie might be in the midst of flipping formats. According to the article, "(CBS radio) has applied for a call letter change to KEGY for the station. Additionally, a protected website at Energy1037.cbslocal.com and a blank Twitter account @Energy1037SD are in place." The article suggests that the "Energy" moniker implies a CHR format (contemporary hit radio in radio speak) that would make Z90 and Channel 933 its direct competitors.

San Diego's favorite Anchorman will return with a sequel.


and since it happened while I was in Texas, I never posted about Chris Cantore's new position at the Union-Tribune. He's the director of Entertainment and Lifestyle for the UT, which has him overseeing Night & Day, Style + Society and DiscoverSD and plans to launch U-T TV.


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Butterfly Jungle at San Diego Zoo Safari Park: March 24-April 15


I created this blog post before Texas and I thought I set it to post before the Butterfly Jungle actually opened, but alas, I did not. So, below is the press release for the Butterfly Jungle at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. Last year we took my nieces and it was a great opportunity for them to learn about butterflies and being gentle with the creatures. If you have a zoo pass, it is worth the trip to the Safari Park. The butterflies tend to be drawn to sweet fragrances (lotions, perfumes, shampoos and conditioners) as well as bright colored clothing.
Butterfly Jungle at San Diego Zoo Safari Park:
Be Charmed by Fragile Winged Wonders

What: Once a year, guests at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are enchanted and spellbound as thousands of butterflies flitter around them in a walk-through aviary. Some may even land on guests' shoulders and heads!



When: March 24 to April 15, 2012.

Who: The 30 species of butterflies highlighted this year hail from Africa, Asia and Central and South America and include the zebra longwing, orange-barred tiger and Grecian shoemaker. Old favorites such as the monarch, giant swallowtail and blue morpho also will be charming guests.Not far from Butterfly Jungle, guests can check out more winged creatures at the Safari Park's new bat exhibit: a cloud of 13 Rodrigues fruit bats.



Extras: Special activities are scheduled throughout the Park during Butterfly Jungle. There will be butterfly-themed foods, such as cupcakes, and a pre-show at the daily Cheetah Run!

Cost: Butterfly Jungle is included with admission to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

SXSW Experience: Italian Japanese

Though Italian Japanese had a short stay in Austin, I ran into the band on Thursday night at the Velveeta Room, where The Silent Comedy played a 1:30 am set. After the show, they were all kind enough to give me a ride back to the house where I was staying, saving me cab money and who knows how much  time just trying to catch one. This is the post SXSW survey as answered by the band's manager.

How long were you in Austin?
Wednesday March 14th through Thursday March 15th.

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We've been on tour for two weeks, and SXSW was part of the tour.

We randomly ran into Transfer and The Silent Comedy after playing the City Tavern in Dallas, and closed the bar down. Transfer was playing a show a couple blocks away the same night, and The Silent Comedy came out to support. Afterwards they headed to the venue we were playing out to have drinks. We ended up having a blast with our San Diego crew.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
Yes, we played four showcases. Wednesday night we played The Thirsty Nickel at 9:30pm. Thursday we played Cheer Up Charlie's at 3:30pm, Blind Pig at 7pm, and Wahoo's at 11pm.

How were your crowds? The venues?
Wahoo's was a huge surprise for us. Ended up being the most energetic crowd. The Thirsty Nickel and Blind Pig were great. Cheer Up Charlie's had an awesome main stage with amazing sound.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
Yes, for our Thirsty Nickel show, our friends from the Chain Gang of 1974 came out. For Cheer Up Charlie's it was awesome playing with Saint Motel, Dirty Beaches, and our friends from Mrs. Magician. The Cuckoo Chaos boys came to support us as well.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We caught our friends Cults at the Carson Daly Last Call showcase, which was sweet.
Writer at Shangri-la was awesome.
The Silent Comedy at The Velveeta Room was off the hook!
Saint Motel, The Chain Gang of 1974, & Paper Route were also an amazing line-up at Peckerheads.
We also caught Snoop Dogg at the Doritos Party.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
BOTH! Definitely.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Pack light. Don't speed. Eat your fruits & vegetables. Bring a dolly. Don't forget to sleep... Coffee coffee coffee.

Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay 2012 Calendar Announced

Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay released their 2012 calendar over the weekend.
Tickets for all shows go on sale March 31 at 10 am (except for the ones that were already on sale, in italics), and Ticketmaster fees are waived for tickets purchased at the Humphrey's Box Office, with just a $3 per ticket service charge.
There is a 12 ticket per show/10 show limit on March 31. (Is that supposed to stop scalping?)
Below is the full schedule. Tickets prices vary by show, but range from $28 (James Morrison)-$138 (Ringo Starr). For all show times, specific ticket pricing, and hotel packages, click here.


Mon, Apr 16 Elvis Costello & The Imposters   - The Revolver Tour
Tue, Apr 17 Madness  
Sun, Apr 22 Craig Ferguson  
Sat, May 05 James Morrison - The Awakening Tour  with special guest honeyhoney
Sat, May 12 Devo  
Sun, May 13 Rufus Wainwright  with special guest Krystle Warren
Sun, May 27 Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas  
Fri, Jun 01 Chris Botti  
Fri, Jun 15 Indigo Girls (with full band)  with special guest The Shadowboxers
Wed, Jun 20 k.d. lang  
Sun, Jun 24 The Queen Extravaganza  
Mon, Jun 25 The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue 2012  featuring Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald & Donald Fagen
Mon, Jul 02 Lyle Lovett  
Wed, Jul 11 Happy Together Tour 2012  The Turtles, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Grass Roots, Micky Dolenz, The Buckinghams
Fri, Jul 13 Lisa Lampanelli  
Fri, Jul 20 Ringo Starr & his All Starr Band  8-ticket limit enforced on first day of ticket sales only.
Sun, Jul 22 An Evening with Yanni Under the Stars  
Thu, Jul 26 Sheryl Crow  with special guest honeyhoney
Fri, Jul 27 Sheryl Crow  8-ticket limit enforced on first day of ticket sales only.
Sun, Jul 29 Earth, Wind & Fire  
Wed, Aug 01 Los Lonely Boys  with special guest North Mississippi Allstars Duo
Thu, Aug 02 Chris Isaak  
Mon, Aug 06 Seal  with special guest Macy Gray
Thu, Aug 09 Buddy Guy  /  Jonny Lang  
Fri, Aug 10 Gipsy Kings  
Sun, Aug 12 America  
Tue, Aug 14 Colbie Caillat  /  Gavin DeGraw  
Thu, Aug 16 Joan Rivers  
Fri, Aug 17 The Fab Four - The Ultimate Tribute  
Sat, Aug 18 Yes  /  Procol Harum  
Tue, Aug 21 Esperanza Spalding  
Thu, Aug 23 Steve Martin  /  performing with The Steep Canyon Rangers  An Evening of Bluegrass and Banjo
Fri, Aug 24 Air Supply  with special guest John Waite
Thu, Sep 06 Pink Martini  
Fri, Sep 07 Jewel (solo acoustic)  
Mon, Sep 10 Olivia Newton-John  
Tue, Sep 11 Chicago  
Thu, Sep 13 Doobie Brothers  
Sat, Sep 15 Tower of Power  /  Average White Band  
Tue, Sep 18 Roger Hodgson: The Legendary Voice of Supertramp  
Sun, Sep 23 Tony Bennett  
Tue, Sep 25 Bonnie Raitt  
Fri, Sep 28 Bill Maher  
Sat, Sep 29 Crosby, Stills & Nash  
Fri, Oct 05 Basia  


Things To Do In San Diego: March 27-28, 2012

I didn't expect to still be awake at 6am, but I got on a roll as I read through email and 400+ later, I'm down to zero unread...until today's start pouring in, of course. There were some show updates...The Color of Glass was added to tonight's Soda Bar show and I added The Used's in-store on Wednesday. I've still got some videos and photos to share and plenty of starred emails that I will need to reply to, but I think my mental exhaustion means it is time to sleep. Tuesday and Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Ultra Music Festival: MDNA endorses MDMA?

Just as the craziness of South By Southwest was coming to an end, a whole other music phenomenon kicked off in Florida. Ultra Music Festival, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals took place at the end of Miami Music Week. Apparently the headlines for the weekend were mostly hijacked by a squabble between deadmau6 and Madonna. Click the jump for more.

Monday, March 26, 2012

SXSW Saturday: Final Day in Austin

A week has passed since my return from South By Southwest and I feel like I still have so much to talk about, but then last week I saw this snarky post on Facebook that said something like, "Has anything ever happened at SXSW in twenty years that anyone who wasn't there actually cared about?"  Well, Sir, probably not,  but if you think about it in those terms, why bother chronicling anything ever? Why even have a Facebook account if what happens to other people is so boring and inconsequential to your life? I'm not trying to save the world here, just living my little life and writing about it. So here goes. After the jump...

SXSW Experience: Cuckoo Chaos

Last week, I posted a link to Jackson Milgaten's blog recap of his SXSW experience, but he also took some road time to answer my little recap questions. It is unfortunate that I didn't bump into these guys the entire time I was in Texas, but they were certainly busy and quite the buzzed about band, not just at SXSW but among bloggers in general who are catching on to the sounds that we've watched grow and morph throughout their musical careers here in San Diego. Check out a few videos from their set at the Virgin Mobile house at the end of the post. Jackson also wanted me to share this link from BreakThruRadio, featuring a podcast highlighting music from San Diego.  

How long were you in Austin (from when to when)? Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We (Cuckoo Chaos) got into Austin on Tuesday night and left Sunday afternoon. We drove out there and played a few shows on the way down with our friends Treasure Mammal who are from Phoenix. The shows were a lot of fun and served as a great warm up for south by.

Did you play? If so, when and where? How were your crowds? The venues?
We had 12 shows scheduled that completely ran the gamut ranging from an official showcase, to corporate parties, house shows, BBQs, and small clubs. Most of them were great and a couple were kind of weird (we played at the 508 house to the sound and video crew while there was a line of people that wrapped around the venue who weren't being allowed entrance for some unknown reason), but overall we had a blast. 4 of the shows were cancelled and we ended up picking one making for a grand total of 9.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
My favorite was probably the last one we played which was at a house a few blocks north of downtown. We stole a bottle of vodka from an earlier show we played that day and passed it around the party during our set. Scott stood in the middle of the audience facing the rest of the band. We really let loose at that one.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We saw/played with some great acts. Of note were Deerhoof (San Francisco),Zulu Winter (London), Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco), Kindness (London), and 100 Flowers (Austin). There were a lot more we wanted to see but we were so busy it just didn't work out.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
I'm sure we will go back again next year if our schedule permits. It's so much fun to be in the madness of it all and to be able to see our friends from all over the globe. I would highly recommend it to any lover of live music.





Things To Do In San Diego: March 26, 2012

I have to admit, I had a much lazier weekend than expected. I went kinda big on Friday night so Saturday was pretty lazy. Somehow I messed up my computer and half the keyboard doesn't work so now I'm using a USB-keyboard. If anyone has any idea how to fix laptops, please let me know. Anyway, that impeded my blogging over the weekend and while I really did intend to hit the Casbah on Saturday and Sunday, after watching a screening of Detachment, a hang with some old friends that turned into game night was medicine for the soul. It ended up rolling into a heavy movie weekend as the rainy weather kept me home watching Young Adult, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Country Strong (it was on cable). So yeah, I missed some shows this weekend but I guess SXSW finally caught up with me and I needed some home time. This week has some big shows  to look forward to. Monday archives are after the jump.

R.I.P. Kevin Lau

Over the weekend, musician Kevin Lau passed away while on vacation in New York. Kevin was the bassist of local acts like UV Tigers and Plastic Explosive. He was 32. According to his latest Facebook updates, Kevin was on a cross country trip that was headed to New Orleans, but a change of plans took him to the Bronx where he was amongst friends. On March 20th, Kevin posted, "I'm on a road trip circling the US. Thanks to Jon Ziemba for getting me out of a pinch in Grand Junction. Colorado was breathtaking. I'm heading to Chicago right now. Then New Orleans, Alabama and Pensacola to see some dear friends . I may be heading through Savannah to NYC to visit my best friends of all time. Wish me luck and let's hang out!" On March 21, "Thought I was headed south but plans changed. It was on my list of things this year and I'm excited to see Mike. Any NYC friends but me up I'm jonezing for some rock n roll," and by that night, he had declared,"NYC is insane!!! I dig it!"

Sadly, by Saturday, his mother had posted, "My son Kevin passed away today in a city he had never been to. He is in the Bronx in New York. I have to get him home," with friends and family quickly posting memories and tributes on his facebook wall.  I have been told that Kevin passed away in his sleep and a cause of death is as yet unknown. A local San Diego gathering will take place on Wednesday, March 28th at Downtown Johnny Brown's for friends who would like to get together in his memory. Kevin will be laid to rest in Moab, Utah.

Update: Kevin's services will be on Friday March 30, the viewing will be at 11 AM the service will be at 1 PM.
It will be in Moab Utah at Spanish Valley mortuary the address is 386 N. 100 S., Moab, UT



Sunday, March 25, 2012

Radiohead @ Jobbing.com Arena- Glendale, AZ- 03.15.12

On the last stop of the first leg of their North American tour, Radiohead swung through Glendale and put on an epic show.  While focusing mainly on new material, they touched on their entire catalog for a sold-out crowd.  I may have been stuck at the far end of the arena, but at a Radiohead show, it really doesn't matter how far back you are.  Eighth wonder of the world.

Apologies for the shakiness of the video- my hand is trained more for still shots than filming.

The Daily Mail:



Lucky:



Reckoner:



Paranoid Android:

Saturday, March 24, 2012

SXSW Delirium: The Silent Comedy

One of the reasons I love going to SXSW is the band van experience. I was a high school and college athlete and it was the road trips that always made the experiences so rich. Not being a musician, there aren't a whole lot of opportunities to get that behind the curtain feeling. I had a great time with The Heavy Guilt, but I dunno if we hit it quite like The Silent Comedy. (Incidentally, Josh's hoodie was free street swag at SXSW. Talk about a score!)


The Silent Comedy - Everyday I'm Hustlin' from Kevin Joelson on Vimeo.

Up All Night Explains Dubstep

Friday, March 23, 2012

SD@140bpm recommends......

Tonight, Friday, March 23, at Winstons in Ocean Beach is going to go off with the sounds of Marty Party.  Marty Party is gaining strength in the EDM scene and has toured with acts like Glitch Mob, Bassnectar, Skrillex and more.  Marty Party also plays with Ooah of Glitch Mob in his side project PANTy RAiD, and with Minnesota in his side project Deathstar.  Marty Party has an original style that crosses dubstep, hip hop, and big bass bangers.  Every show is original and Marty Party calls his shows "Purple Opera"- that is a seamless voyage through an original music collection taking the audience on a roller coaster ride of dance and emotion that hit the audience with intense bass, huge beats and emotional melodies. His music is frequently featured in iTunes, Addictech and Beatport charts and the live performance will have everyone in the crowd going nuts, make sure to be here tonight!





Thursday, March 22, 2012

SXSW Experience: The Silent Comedy

It was nearly impossible to go to SXSW and not see The Silent Comedy ruling the streets of Austin and hear people buzzing about their amazing performances. I was lucky enough to bump into drummer Chad Lee after leaving A Scribe Amidst The Lions. He and I had a beer at Bayou and he had a broken All Access wristband from their earlier set at Stubb's. The bartender at Bayou found us some tape and we met up with the rest of The Silent Comedy and Chad ran distraction as we walked into Stubb's and the security guard inspected my wristband, skipping both lines into the venue going in each direction. We saw Saint Motel perform, the guys from Transfer showed up, and eventually we all went to The Silent Comedy's late night set at the Velveeta Room. On Saturday, I just missed the band's set at the Mohawk, but we had fun in the VIP area for a couple hours as I enjoyed what would be my last Lone Star's of my trip. Later, the guys came to the University of Texas where I was with The Heavy Guilt who busked the line waiting to get in. I was invited to join them back on 6th after the show, but it was late and I had to catch the final bus home before setting off the next morning.  



 How long were you in Austin (from when to when)?
We were in Austin from Tuesday the 13th to Sunday the 18th.



Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

We drove the entire way with several shows in Arizona and Texas on the way out, and Las Vegas on the way back. The drive got pretty treacherous when a semi-truck carrying pallets in front of us started to lose its cargo. Pallets smashed on the road in front of us, making it necessary to swerve and dodge to avoid popping our tires. We also hit ice, snow, and sand. Fortunately, we were safe through it all, and made it out alive.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
We did play. Too many places to mention them all, but some definite highlights were Stubb's and Mohawk. Our management party at Stubb's had us playing with some amazing bands like Lucero and Alabama Shakes. The MOG party at Mohawk was another highlight with The Roots and Blitzen Trapper. Both were tons of fun!

How were your crowds? The venues?
Every show art SXSW is so unique, which is half the fun. The crowds were great whether they were large or small, and the venues each had their own special charm.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
The MOG party at Mohawk had to be our favorite. We showed up early to load in and there was a line of 300 people before doors even opened. It stayed that way for most of the day. Our set was a blast, and got super rowdy. After that, we got to hang out and watch Gary Clark Jr., Bob Mould, Blitzen Trapper, and The Roots while sipping cold Lone Star. Pretty good day overall.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
The Warner Bros. party was a ton of fun! We also went to the Mumford and Sons documentary screening, and saw them and Edward Sharpe play. Mostly we were working, rather than having a good time, so we didn't get to too many parties.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
Next year we will probably be back as a band if we aren't on tour already.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Probably our best moment was shooting whiskey with an older southern gentleman from Country Music Television at the Warner Bros. party. He had the coolest stories, and drank all of us youngsters under the table.

This is a playlist of some of their set at Velveeta. 

SXSW Experience: A Scribe Amidst The Lions

The Heavy Guilt left San Diego around 6pm on Tuesday and I was along for the ride. We stopped in Las Cruces, checking into a hotel at 6am to noon to get some sleep before resuming the trip to Austin. While on the road, I began to get texts from Ryan Blue, asking if I wanted to help book/sponsor/promote a showcase at a bar called the Sahara Lounge. He already had A Scribe Amidst The Lions and their friends Sour Soul from Mexico City. As we texted back and forth, I got the Heavy Guilt to agree to play, as well as Dead Feather Moon. Unfortunately, by the time the lineup was settled, we were arriving in Austin and my 2 am promotional efforts were pointless. The bands were all awesome, the food was amazing, and the drink specials meant a whole bunch of buzzed musicians on the cheap. After the show, I went with A Scribe Amidst The Lions to stop in at their hotel before they took off to their next gig and I returned to wander 6th Street. I asked them the same questions I asked everyone else about their trip. This is from Kris Towne. You can see A Scribe Amidst The Lions as they headline tonight at the Casbah with Family Wagon, Children of Nova, and members of The Heavy Guilt performing between sets in the Atari Lounge.  

How long were you in Austin (from when to when)?

*We arrived in Austin on Monday night 3/12 and left Friday 3/16.

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

*Oh boy did we drive.... what a trip. Multiple times driving through the night. I even videotaped the sun rising over the mountains one morning [not the safest thing!], but it's gonna make for a great time-lapse portion of our documentary. But holding that camera in place for an hour and 20 minutes left me with one helluva sore arm and shoulder the next day! Also, Bob did a great job changing his shoes and socks and kept our sense of smell from being destroyed. Outside of El Paso we were pulled over for having a license plate light out, and had a very interesting conversation with the sheriff regarding our "ridiculously liberal" laws on marijuana... while we didn't have anything on us, we had to verbally tip-toe to avoid him tearing our van and gear apart in search of something.

Did you play? If so, when and where?

*We had four shows booked, one of which was cancelled due to sound/technical problems [aka bullshit]. Venues were Cedar Street Courtyard [Wed 3/14 day party], Sahara Lounge [Thur 3/15 day party], Burger Lounge [Thur 3/15 night showcase]. We also played two shows in San Antonio, and two shows in El Paso. These were actually much better than all our Austin showcases. One of the El Paso shows was an outdoor Bloc Party with Raekwon [Wu Tang Clan] and Cults headlining!


How were your crowds? The venues?

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?


*Venues were amazing, crowds were minimal. Our best turnout was maybe 50 people at the nighttime Burger Lounge show [which is really a restaurant not a venue]. It was cool because we had to play at a minimal sound level to keep the owner happy. Other bands had been shut down all day for noise violations, but we handled it with style and the sound guy and owner were extremely happy, and impressed. We were the first band all day to make it through our entire set without even one warning. The crowd really dug it and we did a lot in merch that night. Plus it's always an invigorating challenge to play a toned-down set without rehearsing it. I really think that helps you grow and expand as a musician.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?

*We got to sneak in to the Thee Oh Sees show, which was packed and a lot of fun!!

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?

*We'll see.... I feel like unless we get some really killer night time parties/sets, it's not really worth the trip. I am working out another tour to Austin right now that's not during SXSW so we can actually get paid and hopefully really make an impact in TX. Through this tour we got great connections in San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin and I would like to keep those flourishing.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?

*Apparently, during SXSW you can smoke, drink, and eat in the pool and hot tub area with lots of people until 5 or 6 am and no one says shit. We did this multiple times while in Austin. Oh, and I saw the singer from Counting Crows. Adam something or other. I didn't say anything to him though because, well, I have nothing to say to him.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 22-25, 2012

If my weekend goes as planned at the moment, I will be pulling 5 straight nights at the Casbah (including last night). This is not a bad thing at all, because the variety from Scribe to Perfume Genius, from Robert Schwartzman & The Relationship (and the amazing opener, the Jamestown Revival) to Mumiy Troll (and my friends in Run Run Run), it will be quite a switchup from night to night. I hope I can power through. I want to give some massive props to Chase for letting me nap while he did this weekend's listings. I don't know if I'll ever catch up on sleep, but it is nice to try. Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

SXSW Experience: The Heavy Guilt

I traveled to Austin with The Heavy Guilt, but they spent the majority of their days and nights busking while I had some SoundDiego/Casbah/sddialedin things I had to do, so I still asked the band to share their afterthoughts. This is from Sean Martin, guitarist of The Heavy Guilt. They will be performing tonight at the Casbah in the Atari Lounge. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

We drove. Too many stories. Al and Rosey were beside me the whole time and write more eloquent than me, but...

I noticed the sky a lot during my travels. San Diego has some plush atmosphere, so it was quite obvious I was not at home. The fiery nature and general bigness of a Texan sky definitely reinforces the vast 'big' sterotype to be true at it's source. Pretty awesome.
The cats in Transfer captured its essence best.
Arizona also presented venus, jupiter & the moon at eye level around 4 am, Wednesday morning.

Did you play? If so, when and where?

A primal & mobile incarnation of the Heavy Guilt hit The Sahara Lounge, The Whole Foods Tent
& about a dozen guerilla sets in the streets of Austin. Primarily on 6th St.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?

Multiple feelings of exhilaration and exhaustion. The final time we were shut down by the fuzz on Saturday was kinda epic. The police Austin were pretty flexible and seemed to get a kick out of slapping our wrists, tongue in cheek.



Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?

I caught a full on shred metal band roguing on the cobblestone.
I applauded their approach synonymous to The Guilt, as I housed several breakfast tacos from The Flaming Cantina. Sad I missed the Heartless Bastards. Guess I'll spot them at the Belly Up next month. Erikka Wennerstom's guitar playing influenced my playing before I went into the studio last year.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?

2013 seems hopeful.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?

Radiohead is awesome. Along with the Immortal Technique and Austin BBQ.
Al Howard really is a shaman.
We are spoiled in San Diego. Any fluctuation in weather is rats on my tools for playing music.
I broke 6 strings and all of my fingernails.
It was great to see other San Diego bands hustlin hard. Little Hurricane threw down and turned some heads.
Lesson 1 stay hydrated and breathe.
Lesson 2 learn lesson 1 & the rest fall in place.

On our drive back from Texas, we hit massive dust storms, heavy wind, and a crazy snowstorm when we hit Pine Valley that we learned shut down the highway just a couple hours after we passed through it. This is some of that footage taken from the back bench that I shared with Sean (best to watch in HD).



SXSW Experience: Little Hurricane

There were so many San Diego bands in Austin this year that it was impossible to see everyone while we were there, so I asked some locals to share their SXSW experiences. This is from Little Hurricane. The band is performing tonight at TNT at the MCASD downtown with The Howls. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 
How long were you in Austin (from when to when)? 
The 12th-18th, as well as a show the week before on 3/10


Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We drove, since we were on tour the month before. The drive was pretty mild, but got terrifying on the way back in New Mexico when we hit a dust storm, with 70MPH gusts and then returned to a snow storm in California!

Did you play? If so, when and where?
We played The Hype Hotel, Beauty Bar, The Lonestar Riverboat, Auditorium Shores, and Buffalo Billiards

How were your crowds? The venues?
The crowds were amazing, the venues/ soundguys varied. Auditorium Shores was one of our biggest shows and stages to date! Opening for The Shins was awesome and totally unexpected!


Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
The show on the Riverboat was pretty memorable. We got to see the city while playing music and drinking Shiner on a riverboat! Who could ask for more?!

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We went to an awesome house party across the street from Stubbs. It was a great way to end the festival- with an open bar!

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013? 
We'll be back in Austin this year for sure!.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Last year we got a huge break from a flyer we handed out at SXSW. We would never have gotten to play the shows we had this year had we not gone last year and promoted our band. SXSW is worth it no matter how small or big you may be.

The band has a pretty solid press package circulating to blogs. If you'd like to read it, click the jump.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

SXSW Experience: Cults

There were so many San Diego bands in Austin this year that it was impossible to see everyone while we were there, so I asked some locals to share their SXSW experiences. This is from Cory Stier who is playing with Cults. The band has a sold out show tonight at the Belly Up. Cuckoo Chaos posted a recap of their own here. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 

How long were you in Austin?

Mar 12-16

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

Traveled by tour bus. We were in Houston the night before Austin playing a show with of Montreal & it got a lil wild. Cannot remember the drive at all.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
Mar 12 @ Speakeasy (Say Media showcase)
Mar 14 @ Red 7 (Carson Daly filming showcase)
Mar 15 @ Google Interactive party
Mar 15 @ Mess With Texas
Mar 16 @ The ND 501 (Windish Agency showcase)

How were your crowds? The venues?
All the shows were pretty great (minus the Google Interactive party, weird vibe, played on top of a parking garage structure).

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
My feet will never forgive me for the amount of walking I did. I know that's not really memorable or standout, but seriously, I'll never forget how my dogs were barking each day.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
Not nearly as many of I would have hoped to. I caught a Panache Booking party on Tuesday that was fun. Also saw The War On Drugs on Thursday night. GREAT band.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2012?
Hopefully a fan...but I wouldn't be surprised if I had to go back to play. Ugh!

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
I don't know what to & what not to share...I just had a great time with all my buddies out there. There were a surprisingly large amount of SD folks too (which was nice). I hope NPMT can take some pointers from SXSW about how to properly organize a music festival of that nature.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 21, 2012

It is already Wednesday and I have so much to catch up on! On top of all the SXSW stuff I still owe you, I have some stuff from the Kaiser Chiefs and Transfer at the Belly Up on Monday and from the Lucero and Drowning Men show last night. It just never ends! Though I'm marking tonight's Allen Stone show as sold out, I'm sitting at the Casbah and they're gonna sell an additional 20 tickets online here, so this is your last call to still grab tickets. Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Wednesday Night: The Lumineers & Y La Bamba at the Casbah

Tonight's show at the Belly Up with Cults is sold out, so instead, you should consider heading to the Casbah for The Lumineers. The band is getting some serious web buzz, and last year I went to their show at Hotel Cafe when The Heavy Guilt opened, and I can personally testify that they're amazing if you dig the folky revival stuff that I love and write about so much of the time. 


You can check out The Lumineers (@thelumineers) self-titled, debut LP via this link, prior to its April 3 release date.



Performing with The Lumineers is Y La Bamba. 

“The music Luz Elena Mendoza makes with her bandmates in the Portland, Ore., group Y La Bamba is a perfect example of how to embrace tradition while still creating something new, exciting and thought-provoking…While its music may not sound exactly like the Mexican music of Mendoza's youth, Y La Bamba creates songs that stop me in my tracks with their breathtaking range.” - NPR

NPR's Tiny Desk Concert includes a performance of "Houghson Boys"


Transfer Tour Diary

Here we are on the back half of our US tour with the Kaiser Chiefs and we are still somewhat reeling from the extreme spectacle/cluster-fuck that is SXSW. Great times but every time we leave Austin I feel like I've taken another few years off my life. Oh well…all in the name of Rock n Roll. Before I go tits up, here's a little bit of a Texas recap:



Dallas and Houston were great shows. We wound up running into The Silent Comedy and had a great time post show hitting a nearby bar for drinks. Low and behold another San Diego band Italian Japanese happened to just finish playing so, being surrounded by all the familiar faces made it feel like a satellite home for a bit.

Houston happened to be a day off and I got to catch a Jesus and Mary Chain show the night before we played at The House of Blues. We had the opportunity to hang out after the show and found out it was their first performance in 3 years. Despite the moments of out of control feedback between songs, stopping and starting a few times at the guitar player's frantic hand wave and looks of confusion painting the picture of a hot mess, they pulled songs together and delivered an impressive set.



On to SXSW - our first show was an acoustic performance for Slacker Radio at the Gibson Showroom in Austin. We got to play three tunes for the segment so we chose something old, something off of Future Selves and a new song we've been playing. I'll post some footage from that performance very soon. Thanks again to Slacker Radio and Gibson for the hospitality. Turned out to be a great time!


We went out that night and caught sets by fellow San Diego bands The Silent Comedy and Little Hurricane. Saw a band called POND that I loved through beer goggles. Confirmed after listening to their album on the ride home. After a little more research I found that the band is comprised of members of Tame Impala. I then realized why it was impressive. Love that shit.

The next day was Saturday and our double show day. First being the Sea Now! Showcase. If you're unfamiliar, check out who was involved www.seanow.org. Pretty cool. We were glad to take part and were paid by a surprise visit from our tour mates, Tribes. It was great to catch up with those lads and we made some plans to go deep sea shark caging while they are in LA in the fall. Wicked!



Also got turned on by a four-piece from Montreal called Plants and Animals that blew me back. Great sound and a killer live show.

The 11pm show at the Whiskey Room would be the last of our 2012 SXSW experience and it turned out to be a blinder. The sound was terrible and the stage was as hot as a hair dryer but we blasted it out and walked away feeling complete. A full house and great spirit in the audience made the last performance the best for us so thanks to Mario Escovedo and Requiemme for inviting us and BIG thanks to all who were there sweating it out.

After this, we got in the van and drove for 24hrs straight back to San Diego, stayed in our beds for ONE night, played the Belly Up and are now making our way to San Francisco to play THE FILLMORE. The second we start to peter out from the insane amount of miles on 2hrs sleep, wandering around LOVE'S Travel Stop like un-showered zombies, staring at the same candy aisle, drinking shitty coffee, considering trucker tweak, sharing countless beat down hotel rooms…I think to myself, we're playing the fucking Fillmore…ALL GOOD!



A moment to introduce our crew:

Soundman Pete, my nephew, Matthew AKA SPARROW and young SPARROW (as a baby)









MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


Morale is high...

www.transferband.com
www.facebook.com/transferband
www.twitter.com/transferband

!!! w/ Wild Belle @ Casbah- 02.29.12


Give the Casbah an extra day of the year and good things are bound to happen.  !!! and the dance party that accompanies them wherever they go made the last day of February one to remember.  More below...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

SXSW 2012: Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More" & "Lover's Eyes"

I have a whole bunch of things I still want to post from SXSW, but it is a process because I have to separate photos for NBC SoundDiego, write, upload videos, then post titles to those videos. This is all on top of the other stuff on my brain like the North Park Festival of Arts, Casbah stuff, daily postings, my eviction, etc., when really all I want to do is sleep for a week straight. Yikes. I will share these videos with you for now (the first is shot with my old camera) to tease the show I saw on Saturday. Click on read more for a new song that is perfect if you need a good cry.






Monday, March 19, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 19-20, 2012

Jeff just let me know that my "just a note" didn't make sense because my listings for the week didn't post. Here's my 2nd try. Like I said, I'll try and format these later. At the moment, it is 12:22 and we're a little less than 200 miles from home. I cannot wait to crawl in bed with Pascha & Kiwi :)

Update:  Okay, here are the listings and hopefully the bullets make them a little easier to read. We got home at 5am and though I'm heading to the Belly Up tonight, I plan on staying in my bed until the latest possible minute. Archives are after the jump.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Just A Note

I'm still on the road with The Heavy Guilt. We're about 330 miles from San Diego at 10:34 pm. I wanted to mention quickly that I posted those listings from my phone and didn't write an intro, so I forgot to mention that I'll clean them up and format them at some point tomorrow so they're a bit easier to navigate.

This week is a great one in San Diego with amazing shows at the Belly Up, Casbah, Soda Bar and beyond. We definitely benefit from post SXSW tours so be sure to get out (even if it rains, ya wuss!) See you in San Diego!! xoxo
Anyway,
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

SXSW: Friday. The night Bill Murray Grabbed My Ass.


I got home so late on Thursday that The Heavy Guilt were all home and more or less in bed when I returned. The next morning, I awoke to everyone getting ready, closed my eyes for one more snooze and woke up over an hour later to an empty house. I probably needed the sleep.

When I finally got myself ready for the day, I navigated to a nearby bustop about a mile from the house. I am so glad I learned the transit system because I probably saved $200 from last year on cabs alone. While at the busstop, I met an older gentleman from Austin who was bussing to meet his wife downtown to partake in the SouthBy fun. It made for a fun busride as he and the driver pointed out Austin landmarks and architecture. Things like "the owl building". The driver said there is a building with the same rooftop design in every capitol city in the US. They also said this specific building was the most expensive per square foot in all of the history of Texas. An Aussie girl chimed in that the rumor is that the architect was from Rice, so when you look at it cockeyed, the owl looks right at the University of Texas at Austin. I'll have to factcheck all of that when I get home. They also pointed out the tower famous for a shooting in the 60s. Gonna have to look that one up, too. In return, I alerted them to the Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show movie screening and concert as we past the LBJ lawn at the UT. This figures into my weekend, but I'll get to that later. (more after the  jump)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego Correction

I only have my phone to work with at the moment, so please note that the Puscifer show in the weekend listings is actually on Sunday, not Saturday as listed. Apologies for the error.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

SXSW- Thursday Pt II or Sometimes You Have To Fake It

So if you ever believe that electricity is hard to come by, just try to find a spare outlet to charge your phone in Austin during SXSW.

Last night I left off at the Sahara, so that's where I'll pick up. The Heavy Guilt left the Sahara, but I stayed to catch A Scribe Amidst The Lions and to catch up with Ryan Blue and Chad Deal (of The Reader). When the show finished, we lingered about, taking full advantage of the ridiculously cheap drinks and backyard vibe of Sahara. Eventually we all got our shit together and went to Scribe's hotel. What was supposed to be a dropby ended up being a full three beer hang, until they motivated to get to their next showcase. (more after the jump)


Thursday, March 15, 2012

SXSW 2012- Thursday Pt. I or The Day I had the best pulled chicken sandwich in all my life

So I don't know where to start, but at the same time I don't have a lot to report. Check the post after the jump.


Things To Do In San Diego: March 15-18, 2012

On the one hand, I'm sooo excited to be in Austin. On the other hand, I have a ton of work to do for NBC before I can really let loose. The good thing is that I'm sitting at the Sahara Lounge, this old smokehouse a couple of miles away from the action in downtown, there' s free wi-fi, a $10 special that includes a sandwich, beer, whiskey and a smoke, and Dead Feather Moon are about to take the stage before The Heavy Guilt and A Scribe Amidst The Lions perform. I am gonna type as quickly as possible and then I look forward to really enjoying my time here. Archives are after the jump.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 14, 2012

Hello, lovelies! I'm going to just let the nasty text from my landlord roll off my back because I'm on my way to SXSW and I'm not going to let he ruin my life anymore than she already has for the past six months. I'm in El Paso, Texas at the moment and Rob has allowed me to use his mifi for a minute to get some stuff out to you all. Unfortunately his battery is on the verge of dying, so I'll have to revert back to updates from my phone, but I wanted to get tonight's listings updated for you. As I mentioned, Jeff stepped up and did weekend listings, so those are posted after the jump. I tried to format them, but I'll have to finish later because I need the browser on my computer to do it. Technology is so amazing, yet so limiting sometimes, too. Louis CK is right.  Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Band Of Skulls Coming to The Griffin April 18

If you've been paying attention...and I know you have...you know that The Griffin has been coming into its own as a venue that can play with the big boys as a destination venue. If you recall, I had my five year "blogiversary" there in November (though my memory of the night is somewhat hazy), and next week, my team at NBC is hosting this month's SoundDiego Live there. (I'll have to give you the link later if you can't find the RSVP page on your own at sounddiego.com)

Anyway, the Griffin has been booking quite aggressively lately, and tonight I got word that Band Of Skulls will be playing live at the club on April 18, between their appearances at both Coachella weekends. The band will be joined by We Are Augustines. The venue will be using Ticketweb from now on, and tickets will go onsale on Friday at 10am. I will post a ticket link when it's available, but set your smart phones with a reminder because you don't want to miss this show.

http://www.thegriffinsd.com
http://www.bandofskulls.com
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

SXSW Bound

I really underestimated how much time it would take to prepare for my second trip to SXSW. I was happy that I was able to at least read through all of my email before setting off, but whereas last year I RSVPed to every party that I could, this year I was slightly less ambitious, or perhaps a bit more realistic, knowing my stay this time around is shorter. It also has to do with actually being on assignment by NBC, once again aiming to track San Diego bands as they wade through the chaos of Austin.

Again, I want to thank everyone whose donations made this trip possible. Before even getting in the van, you already helped as I made some critical SXSW survival goods. I've never loved the 99 Only Store and Dollar Tree so much. We're loaded up with van snacks like pretzels, granola bars, Vitamin Water, pudding cups, Cheez-It Mix, and generic apple newtons. I also loaded up on baby wipes, rain ponchos, a shower glove, and one of those magic hair wraps that supposedly helps dry hair quickly without taking the luggage real estate of an extra towel. Everything for about $25!!

Jesse and I also made an electronics run, so I was also able to purchase an extra camera battery and a backup phone power source. Clearly the electronics manufacturers have a total racket, amounting nearly $100 just for extra juice.

But, I promise to spend wisely and load up on free anything whenever and wherever I can, though I couldn't resist these little Black Labels at 50% off in Yuma, Arizona. Let the fun begin.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 13, 2012

Today is the big day! I'll be heading to Austin in The Heavy Guilt's band van as we make the pilgrimage to the music mecca. The drive is long, sometimes beautiful, sometimes not, but I am so excited about the adventures that await. I'm not sure if we're driving the whole 24+ hours straight or possibly stopping in New Mexico, but you'll be hearing from me either way. I hope to have plenty of time to write along the way. Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Rosey's Diary: My Nephew and Nieces



Nadia (2), Gabriel (3), Johanna (4), Gia (5 months)
This was a post from 2012 that never got published...so I deleted but wanted to keep the pic up.


















Monday, March 12, 2012

The Beach Boys Bring Tour To Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre Friday May 25

I don't normally just publish press releases, but this one came in today and I don't have the time to modify and add links and stuff. Full information is after the jump.
The Beach Boys Bring Historic 50th Anniversary Tour To Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Friday, May 25th
Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks To Tour Together For The First Time In More Than Two Decades
Foster The People Are The Special Guest
Tickets on Sale Saturday, March 17th at 10am
Fans may purchase tickets online at livenation.com and ticketmaster.com

OTR: Dry The River at the Casbah 4/8/2012

I may not be hip to who the next big knob twirly electro-gazey chillwavey hipster bands will be, but my passion is ignited when it comes to new folky and rootsy guitar plucky pretty music kinda stuff. Like how many times did I tell you to go see Other Lives?? And now that little indie band is touring with Radiohead. Anyway, Dry The River is making waves from across the pond and is kinda like taking  Mumford and Sons and shaking them up with Fleet Foxes, and throwing in a dash of Calexico for good measure. The band is coming to the Casbah on April 8, opening for Bowerbirds and I love what I'm hearing (you can find them on Spotify until their album drops on April 17 if you're not sneaky enough to find the advance online). According to their press release:
They just landed on the super exclusive BBC Sound of 2012 list. This comes after hitting the #1 spot on the NME Chart and having been named one of GQ’s “100 Best Things in the World Right Now” and Q Magazine’s “Faces of 2012.”

Critics have been praising Dry the River and “Weights & Measures” with Q Magazine calling it, “Breathtaking stuff”, GQ raving that “…it’s a masterpiece in the making, packed with catchy riffs and overlaid with lyrical intelligence.” And the Sunday Times simply stating, “They have their own voice – and use it beautifully.”
Below is their new video, "New Ceremony".

GET TICKETS HERE




If you wanna check out more, here are some additional links:

‘No Rest’ promo

‘Weights and Measures’ live at Barfly

‘Lions Den’ live All Saints session

‘Bible Belt’ Acoustic 

"Weights & Measures" Live at Bush Hall 

“The Chambers & The Valves” 

New Music: Rhett Miller "Out of Love" & Tour dates

Rhett Miller has a new record coming out on June 5 and I am so excited! The album is called The Dreamer, and is his sixth solo record but the first he's ever self-produced. "I produced The Dreamer myself, a first for me, and had a very clear vision of what it should be -- an intimate, rootsy record that would bridge the gap between my work with the Old 97's and the solo albums I've made in the past. The Dreamer is all about simple American songs and instrumentation. It was a blast to make."

Not only can you listen to the first track, "Out of Love" now, but he's going to be performing at the Casbah on June 15 with his band, The Serial Ladykillers. Tickets for this show go on sale Friday at 10am, so save this link and get your tickets. When he comes to town, Rhett usually plays the Belly Up which has about three times the Casbah's capacity, so you can count on this one selling out quickly.



See his SXSW shows and full tour dates after the jump.

More Radio News: Chris Cantore to Exit KPRI 102.1

In what certainly can be considered odd timing, over the weekend, Chris Cantore announced his departure from KPRI via Twitter. On March 9 at 7:48pm, after his afternoon drive radio shift, Cantore tweeted, "OK, next friday is my last day @KPRiFM ... what's next ? details tuesday ... cool ? yew ! =)."

As Twitter followers began to suspect a possible move to FM 94/9's morning or even back to 91X where Capone's seat is still unfilled, Chris Cantore responded, "would make sense, but total co-ink-ee-dink ! xxoo". In the meantime, KPRI has begun airing job ads for the on-air vacancy.

Once again, sdradio.net was there with news that Cantore's next move will be "...using his social media skills, and will remain in San Diego in a non-traditional media outlet." While Cantore's official announcement won't come until Tuesday, Chris has been creating and developing SD Centric for a while now, so it is possible that the platform is finally where he wants it to be in making it a full time gig. The site's tag is "san diego, by san diegans".  I would suspect that after Chris' experience at X1FM and later with Legit Radio, those of you who want to hear  and interact with Chris will probably still be able to do so in some capacity via some UStream or LiveStream element, and there are already built in tabs on the site for SD Centric TV and Podcast elements, which will likely be expanded. Of course, there's always the possibility that there's some other new venture awaiting Cantore's direction, or he could still return to radio after some time but just can't say so because of common contractual non-compete clauses. I guess we'll have to stay tuned tomorrow. Regardless, I wish good luck to Chris Cantore in wherever his social stream takes him.

Update: The current rumor is that Chris Cantore will be joining the Union Tribune. I'll follow up if I get any more info. 

Things To Do In San Diego: March 12, 2012

Thanks to all of you, I will be heading out to Austin tomorrow. I've stockpiled snacks for the van, have strategically packed my bag for the most efficient use of space and I am sooo freaking excited. I don't know what my wi-fi situation will be when I get there, but I'll be posting frequently from my phone and you can keep up here as well as through Twitter, Facebook, and SoundDiego.com.  I've got your listings for the first part of the week and Jeff has kindly agreed to do the weekend listings this week, too, so big ups to him. Monday archives are after the jump.


Sunday, March 11, 2012

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Original Lineup Coming to San Diego


Bela Fleck & The Flecktones are playing four-yes,  four!!- shows this Tuesday and Wednesday at Anthology.  They are performing with the original lineup which includes Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Roy "Future Man" Wooten and Howard Levy.  Individually they are some of the best musicians for their respective instruments.  Bela Fleck is one of the best banjo players ever (if you google best banjo player his wiki page is the first result), Victor Wooten in my mind and many others is the best bass player in the world, and Future Man created his own instrument which incorporates both guitar and drums. For the past decade Jeff Coffin has been the fourth member on saxophone, however this is the original line up with Howard Levy mixing things up by playing piano and harmonica.  Together they push each other to create an unbelievable fusion of bluegrass and jazz.  Tickets are going fast and some of the seating is sold out so make sure to get your tickets asap.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 9-11, 2012

It was almost exactly 53 weeks ago that I was riding to Texas with my dear sweet friend, Nima, a person I'd met through my blog and found some friendship magic when we decided to drive to SXSW for my first time ever. A whole bunch of crazy things happened along our way including multiple drug searches on the car, some horrific internal feelings induced by his chick offering me kale chips and hummus when all I wanted was a giant cheeseburger, and really bad music from Yoga Girl's iPod, but mostly I remember the bands we ran into en route, including this little band from Vancouver called Said The Whale. Their publicist had reached out to me, but it wasn't until we met in the middle of nowhere when they gave us a CD that we listened to most of the remainder of the ride to Austin that I fell in love with their music. Somewhere along the way, the CD got run over by the car that I realized I needed to once again get my hands on their music. Fortunately, I arrived home and had a new CD in my mailbox and I have to say not only was I a fan, but now we were road friends. The band is back with new music and I am really hoping to catch them in Texas, but on top of that, the band is performing tonight at Tin Can. Don't miss them. Listing archives are after the jump.





I know I'm beating a dead horse, but if you'd like to help me get to SXSW, please donate below. Every dollar helps.










Thursday, March 08, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 8, 2012

Wow! You guys have been so amazing in your response to help get me to SXSW. The other day a friend asked, "Is it really a good time for you to go to Texas?" knowing that I have all this other stuff I'm going to have to face with my landlord and such, but you know what? She is going to still be there to deal with whether I am here or in Texas, so no, it isn't a good time but I'm going anyway. Tonight there are some shows that make me so proud to live in this city with so much talent. Get out and explore it for yourself. If you would like to chip in, the PayPal link is over there to the left. Archive after the jump.

FM 94/9: More About Mikey

Yesterday I posted the news about the departure of Mikey Esparza of The Mikey Show from FM 94/9, and as you can imagine, the story is still unfolding and generating some local internet heat. To be fair, I didn't break the news, I was only commenting on the departure as posted by Chris Carmichael at SDRADIO.net, so credit where credit is due.  Today, Chris posted again after listening to the morning show (while THIS blogger was still sleeping). It is interesting to me that Rick Jackson, the general manager of the Lincoln-Financial radio cluster actually took to the airwaves instead of Garett Michaels, the station's Program Director, who is usually the guy that would share this kind of news with the station's listeners. Of course, there's a lot to be said after the news is out, so I just wanted to take a little bit more time with the story. Anyway, here are some things, thoughts, etc., after the jump.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: March 7, 2012

What an interesting afternoon it turned out to be! Thanks for the additional donations that have come in, if you'd like to help get me to SXSW, there's a donation button over there <<<
I hear that the Rachael Yamagata show is sold out tonight, but the Casbah and Soda Bar both have good alternatives. Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Video: The Silent Comedy at NAMM

I went to the NAMM convention back in January and captured The Silent Comedy performing in the Taylor Guitars demo room. Being the slacker that I am, I uploaded these videos but never got around to adding titles and such so I never posted them. Since The Silent Comedy are playing at the Belly Up tomorrow night with Dead Feather Moon and The Howls, I thought it was about time that I shared them, even if I still haven't added titles. The tickets are selling quickly and the show is expected to sell out soon, so if you want to catch it, I suggest you BUY TICKETS NOW. In case you haven't seen the three bands joining forces for "The Homestead Sessions", check out the three videos below.