Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Day At San Diego Zoo & Safari Park

I've been trying to balance my life a little more. I still have a lust for live music (though my desire to photo/video shows is waning since it seems everyone has a camera and better skills than me), but it is important to take advantage of this magnificent city we live in and get some sunshine to offset my vampire night lifestyle.

This week my zoo membership is expiring and since it is typically a birthday gift from my mom, I might have to wait a few months before renewal. When I found out my mom also had some guest passes that were expiring, Chase and I did a double header, spending Monday at the zoo and Tuesday at the Safari Park. It was especially great because though I go with some regularity, Chase had never been to either park so we pretty much covered every canyon, path and trail available to us. If you haven't been to either in awhile, I suggest enjoying these beautiful pieces of San Diego's anatomy. I should mention that the Safari Park has just added a really cool ropes/obstacle course that I hope I get to try soon.

All of these photos were taken with my Blackberry.



       
       
      
      
     

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Monday, July 30, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 30-August 2, 2012

I hope you were able to enjoy the weekend because our San Diego weather doesn't really get much better. In fact, I'm taking today off and am going to spend the day and night at the San Diego Zoo since my pass expires at the end of July. It should be super exciting around the Zoo as they celebrate the birth of Bai Yun and Gao Gao's sixth cub (though obviously mom and babe will be off display) and probably more crowded than I'd hope when we had already planned on using the soon-to-expire passes, but it should be fun showing Chase the zoo for his first time ever. This week in music is super awesome, especially at the Casbah with Natalie Kardos' going away party on Wednesday before she moves to Seattle this weekend and the amazing lineup of Murder By Death, Cory Chisel, and Ha Ha Tonka on Thursday. On a side note, Jeff did these listings last week, so I know a lot of the bars/clubs don't get their calendars up with much advance, so if I missed any events, please let me know. Monday through Thursday archives are after the jump.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

XXX Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics have kicked off and I already know that the 30th Olympiad, represented by Roman Numerals XXX are going to throw off the balance of the interwebs between people searching events and landing on porn and vice versa.

I've always enjoyed watching the Games. The first Olympics I remember were the LA games and I remember going to Circus Circus in Vegas and every prize on the midway had something to do with Sam The Eagle, so I guess I was hooked. Later in life I became reinterested when they opened the Olympic Training Center in my hometown of Chula Vista, and even more when my BFF's brother-in-law was training at the facility and we got a cool behind the scenes tour before Beijing.

This is the first time that the Olympics have taken place at a time when I work from home and on my own hours more or less, so this means that though the games are just in the first couple days, I've already been up at odd hours watching men's and women's soccer, air rifle (really?), fencing, swimming, boxing, archery, handball (who knew?), volleyball, tennis, beach volleyball, and pieces of the men's road race. I also saw the beginning pieces of the opening ceremony before working and then watched the rest of the thing without sound while I was working at the Soda Bar. There is no point to this post other than a total rant. Because I can. So here are some Olympic observations, questions, and blah blah blahs....

1. If you actually care about the Olympics (and you have Cox Cable), you can watch at various times on NBC 7/39, MSNBC (39), Bravo (42), NBC Sports (65), CNBC (66), and there are replays OnDemand. Mostly you have to stay up all night if you want to see anything live. Which I did last night. Which is why I'm ranting right now.

2. Instead of worrying so much about security during the games and bragging about the 10,000 person crew and thousands of volunteers that made the opening ceremonies happen, how about focusing on attendance? How about making sure that EVERY event has a packed house? How about a Goldstar or a Groupon deal that you buy a voucher for uber-cheap and are on standby for seats? Or giving seats to students? Those women's soccer games are perhaps not the most exciting games in the world, but fill the seats with kids or soccer- er, football-  programs and let them spend money on popcorn and hot dogs (or whatever they serve in British stadia). It is pathetic watching events with hundreds in attendance in a stadium that has the potential to hold thousands.

3. Opening Ceremony- HUH? If you have to have Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer reading a script to explain what is going on, I would say that your "cinematic" approach to the ceremonies failed. On the other hand, Twitter was exceptionally entertaining tonight.

4. Boxing- Get your scoring together! The announcers suck ass, but one of them had a point when he suggested that kids who have talented XBOX thumbs would do a better job than the judges do. If you must, just go electronic like fencing.

5. Team USA- It is great that we have so many amazing athletes and all of them have these really great stories of triumph/hardship/struggle, but in competitions (like swimming) when there are EIGHT lanes, it would kinda be cool to know ALL of the countries represented and not just the two yellow lanes with America's next great hope. My favorite was in the women's relay trials when you cutaway before the swimmer in lane one even touched the wall. I'm pretty sure despite their disappointing loss, their families would like to see them at least finish their final event.

6. Who decided on that horrible font for the LONDON 2012 logo? It's like the new comic-sans.

I should've taken better notes because there were so many other things that popped into my brain while watching the dozens of competitions I've already watched, but I'm sure they'll come to me.

Without even touching the politics or business of the whole thing, what are your thoughts on the Olympics?

Friday, July 27, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 27-29, 2012

Are you ready for the weekend? I know I sure am. My niece is turning five and it just reminds me how fast time can fly by and how much I look forward to my sister's yummy cupcakes. There are great shows all over town this weekend and if you look hard, you'll see that the theme of 2012 being the year of small festivals, just take a look at the new So Cal World Music Festival this weekend at the Four Points Sheraton or the Muir Avenue Block Party in Ocean Beach. There are some cool things happening over at the Roots Factory and the Museum of Art is open for 36 hours straight for a special night of their Salon Series. There certainly is something for everyone this weekend. (Special thanks to Chase for doing this weekend's listings. Sometimes he is just way too good to me.)
Weekend archives are after the jump.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

San Diego Craft Beer & Cocktail Showcase (8.4.2012)


The other night, my friend called me late at night after having a one-on-one date with his six-tap home brewing setup...a drunk-dial if you will. He's pretty involved in the craft beer world, not just here but with national events, and in our conversation when I asked if he was going to one of the beer festivals on Saturday (there was one in Oceanside and one at Liberty Station), he started to rant about the number of beer events and breweries opening up. He thinks the overabundance of events and breweries means the quality is diminishing. His complaints were valid...there are a LOT of beer events in San Diego run by various entities, all hoping to cash in on our lust for hops and sunshine. Somehow binge-drinking 4 ounces at a time, even if we're paying $40 or $50 bucks for it, seems less terrible when it is endorsed by hundreds of other participants, especially when it goes to some sort of charitable foundation. Still, I try and get in on the fun when I can and I think this one is a good one.

His complaint aside, this is an event being held down at El Dorado on August 4 and is super affordable if you buy tickets in advance ($15 for 10 craft cocktail and beer tasters) and benefits the OnLife Suicide Prevention Organization which was founded in San Diego to find at-risk social media users and provide services and intervention for those deemed in need.  Unlike last year's Great American Showcase, which unfortunately had some noise complaints, this year will focus on DJs and some live music by the Euphoria Brass Band. There will be plenty of brewers and bartenders on hand, as well as games, art, food trucks, and local retailers. Click on the flyer for more information and grab your tickets in advance, before they go up to $25.

Things To Do In San Diego: July 24-26, 2012

I've had a night of marathon smut TV while catching up on work. My poor dog is crying by the door as the neighborhood bunny lays in the neighbor's yard just on the other side of the screen door and a short fence, as I watch all of my horribly awesome (or awesomely horrible) reality shows and filter through email. While I have been missing some live music shows that I would've liked to attend over the past few weeks, I feel like I needed to throttle all of my going out just a little to get a little bit healthier, both physically and mentally. Even though all of this is always fun, it is still important to stay well-rounded and not burn myself out and keep the fire alive for this crazy lifestyle, and to keep in perspective what really matters after the events of last week in Aurora. With that, I'll try to do a better job updating here to keep you in the know about what is going on in town. Tuesday-Thursday archives are after the jump.

Reading/Listening Roundup

I feel like I've been rounding up all of these cool links and seeing cool stuff across the web, but the Facebook social monopoly (and completely stupid friend algorithm that decides who sees my posts and whose posts I see) really makes me crazy.

Here's how I spend my time online.

The Tallest Man on Earth performed on the syndicated radio show/podcast eTown. This guy is amazing and the last time I saw him I was sitting in misery in the corner of The Loft with back spasms. This time around, you can see them at the Birch North Park Theatre on 9.2.2012. Get tickets here, and watch/listen to the eTown performance here.






__________________________________________________________________________________
The 2012 Adult Swim Singles Program for 2012 is back and includes all-new, never-before-released tracks from these featured artists. You can download the singles week to week here.

Week 1 (June 18) - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Week 2 (June 25) - The Hives
Week 3 (July 2) - Wye Oak
Week 4 (July 9) - Absu
Week 5 (July 16) - The Field
Week 6 (July 23) - Flying Lotus
Week 7 (July 30) - Gauntlet Hair
Week 8 (August 6) - Wavves
Week 9 (August 13) - Com Truise
Week 10 (August 20) - Yamantaka//Sonic Titan
Week 11 (August 27) - Elite Gymnastics
Week 12 (September 3) - Artist To Be Announced

__________________________________________________________________________________

I know many of you missed Father John Misty earlier this year at the Casbah, but don't let that happen again. He'll be at the FM 94/9 Independence Jam on September 16. Get your tickets here. In the meantime, he's been releasing some great music videos. Click here to see another one for "This Is Sally Hatchet".





__________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, I know people are often surprised when I tell them that I watch The Bachelorette. It is seriously the best show to watch On Demand while I'm working because it repeats itself so often that it really takes no attention away from what I'm doing. That being said, I know it is terrible and this season I have especially loved watching "Burning Love", a web-series that makes fun of some of the more absurd moments of the season but is hilarious even if you've never watched The Bachelor or Bachelorette, and I'm pretty sure it's made by the same people as Children's Hospital.  You can see the Yahoo! series here.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 23, 2012

What a fantastic weekend. I have to say I'm actually really glad I took it easy on Friday night because Saturday was so fun with Writer at Soda Bar. It felt like a reunion seeing so many good friends, and then Sunday was awesome at the Golden Hill Block Party, which was even more of a reunion as I got to see so many friends that don't get out much, either because they work real jobs or have small children or both. It was also funny realizing what a bunch of wusses we all are complainging about the sun and warm weather when people all over the country can only dream of our 78 degrees and cool breezes. I know the asphalt probably raised that temperature, but still...we are so incredibly spoiled in this town. Monday archives are after the jump.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

KPRI Private Listener Show: Imagine Dragons, 7.19.2012

On Thursday afternoon, KPRI hosted another private listener show, this time around was with Imagine Dragons at The Griffin. Naturally I shot video of the whole set which you can check out below. The band will be releasing their first full length on September 4th and they'll be back in San Diego on October 9th at the House of Blues in support of AWOLNATION. You can buy tickets here.


Things To Do In San Diego: July 21-22, 2012

I'm home on a Friday night because I just can't seem to kick this throat thing. Fortunately IFC had a Portlandia marathon all day. Anyhow, it occurred to me that I missed a bunch of things in the weekend listings, so I've added a couple beer fests and Pride. Keep in mind that the Casbah is sold out on Saturday night but there are plenty of tickets for Sunday with EVEREST and ALBERTA CROSS, so get down there and enjoy the show. Weekend archives after the jump.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 20, 2012

I should be working right now, but instead I'm just gonna post listings and let you know that I'm still a little under the weather but I'll post these for your benefit. Friday archives are after the jump.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 19, 2012

I don't know what is up with me this week. Perhaps I just burnt out last week or maybe even caught the Comic-Con cold (or never completely got over my cold from a few weeks ago) but I just haven't been feeling normal this week. It is not very typical that since Sunday I've only been to one show this week, and I really have had no interest in being online very much this week. I finally uploaded my photos from Comic-Con to Photobucket, so I'll post them here later, but in the meantime you can see them here. Fortunately Jordan Krimston stepped up again and did the listings to help you navigate your weekend. His band, Tona Grad, is playing at the Victory Theatre on Friday night so go check them out.   Thursday archives are after the jump.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

San Diego Show Announcements

Have you been paying attention to the Interwebs today? It feels like all kinds of announcements were made, like the S.S. Coachella cruises to The Bahamas and Jamaica this winter (tickets on sale Saturday).

Now, I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm the one who goes into the Casbah website to post new show announcements (and I attempt to create Facebook events for a lot of them, too), and we've had our share of announcements that I am personally SUPER excited about, so in case you missed them, here are just a few shows the Casbah has announced (click the event for ticket info):


and a few older ones for your radar in case you missed them...


It has been months since I've actually booked a show of my own, so I also wanted to let you know that I have a show on August 14 at the Casbah with Old Tiger, Lowly Spects, Western Scene, and Michael McGraw. The show is only $6 and should be a great time with some of my favorite locals (and Lowly Spects from OC).



and lastly, my friends at the Hard Rock Hotel are once again teaming up with Filter for another SoundCheck. The show is FREE on August 7 at 207. Click the flyer to RSVP.



Monday, July 16, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 16-18, 2012

I need a day off so I'm just gonna go ahead and post the listings now and I'll get to my Comic-Con roundups later. In the meantime, you can see my photos here. Tuesday through Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 13-15, 2012

It's Friday night and I'm sitting in the Movies On Demand lounge before all the madness kicks off tonight. I'm gonna go find some food, because after last night's bender, it was a critical error not to lay a solid base. It has been a great day so far. Pyles and I hung out at the Wired Cafe for a while, ran through The Walking Dead Escape, hung out with Ders and Adam at the Workaholics happy hour, and went back to the Wired Cafe for last call of the daytime party. There are a ton of free parties and events related to Comic-Con tonight, but there's also really great shows all over town. Call Taxi Rob and have a great night! (The only update to tonight's list is Jesse LaMonaca at Urban Bar & Grill. Drop by and give him a hug. He give the best hugs ever.) Archives are after the jump.

SD@140bpm recommends..........

Comic-Con weekend brings many attractions and new artistic medium debuts to our fair city, and ELEV8 wants you to celebrate Comic-Con with Gladkill making his San Diego debut along with a great lineup this Saturday at Winstons in Ocean Beach.  Gladkill has already proved himself as a great producer by playing some of the countries biggest festivals including Coachella, Lighting in a bottle and burning man.  Gladkill is part of the music collective Headtron, which includes other great artists like Stephan Jacobs, Gold Rush and Sugarpill.  Gladkill has great melodic lines and live he will bring smashing club banger.  Also on the bill is are some great local artists including Squama MKUltra, and Labels.  Squama, who is a good lead in playing some great future bass and glitch.  Squama has already made a name for himself playing with greats including Nero, Chase & Status,The Gaslamp Killer, Freddy Todd, 12th Planet, Kastle and many others.

If you are feeling ambitious and want to check out two shows, or cant make it to Ocean Beach then make sure to head to The Kava Lounge for Dragon Lounge with headliner Ruff Hauser, more info after the break.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: July 12, 2012

Preview night kicked off Comic-Con with a bang as me and Mr. Pyles began our adventure. Our day started with a Casbah meeting (did you see all the shows we added?!), dropped by Pacific Magazine, had lunch at Lucha Libre, had a beer at Mission Brewery, then headed to the Convention Center. Along the way, we saw the crews setting up the Walking Dead Experience, Dawn of the Con, and the YouTube Fan Lounge (all at Petco Park). We weaseled around the convention center like we owned it and miraculously avoided waiting in any lines to get our badges and to get into the center within minutes of it opening. Since I don't intend to buy any collectibles this year, we mostly wandered stopping to do the Cat Grab at Adult Swim, and meandering through to some favorite booths, grabbing free swag along the way. After Con was all done, I got to see My Jerusalem at the Soda Bar and now I'm catching up on work so I'm ready to go do it all over tomorrow. I've added a few events here, but be sure to check my Comic-Con links- especially The Tracking Board for a full rundown. Thursday archives are after the jump.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wednesday: "Extinction: Gone The Way of the Dodo" Art Opening/Reception @ Blind Lady


I'm going to sound like a broken record in telling you that there is so much going on this week because of Comic-Con, in spite of Comic-Con, and just because it's summer in San Diego. For those of you who want nothing to do with the convention center or who won't be participating in preview night, my friend Susie Ghahremani has an art opening at Blind Lady (as if you need an excuse to go to Blind Lady). She's the artist behind Boy Girl Party and she's an awesome illustrator and painter. This show is a collaboration with Irene Stone who has taken Susie's portraits of extinct species and turned them into cross-stich renderings. I've always loved Susie's style and whimsy and I think you will, too. The art will be on display through July 18, but tonight is the reception with both artists on hand to chat.

Things To Do In San Diego: July 10-11, 2012

Sometimes it is easy to forget how good people can be. Yesterday I watched all 7 hours of the San Diego City Council hearing about the proposed Centennial Bridge/Plaza De Panama Bypass/Jacobs Project. While I still wasn't swayed that this is the best possible plan for Balboa Park, I appreciate that so many citizens and groups voiced opinions and that the council seemed to really thoughtfully weigh all concerns. Ultimately they couldn't reject a $35 million "gift", but I believe that with all of the involvement, they will be stewards for the city. After the meeting, I went to see Marius at Tin Can and the four-piece from the Faroe Islands were fantastic, with a couple songs that could easily put them in the same room with Bon Iver. From there, we went to Dirty Mondays at the Saloon in Encinitas where I completely lost my mind when my phone fell out of the car as I exited and it launched straight into a stormdrain like a hockey puck into a goalieless net. This morning I called the City of Encinitas and after a short transfer, reached Ben Taylor with the Wastewater Division. I told him the location of my phone and within 45 minutes of my call, he had personally gone to the stormdrain and retrieved my phone, which was still on and working. Last night I kinda got over the lost phone, realizing most of my important information is in the Cloud anyway, but the fact that I don't have to buy another phone or wait for an insurance replacement, especially during this busy week at Comic-Con is absolutely amazing to me. I feel really good about the goodness of people today. Archives for Tuesday and Wednesday are after the jump and just so you know, I added my Comic-Con essential links as their own page in the tabs section, so they're easily accessible without having to scroll through all the posts from this week.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Tonight: Marius @ Tin Can

I don't typically just copy/paste a press release as a show preview, but this one just came in for a show tonight. I have a soft spot for bands who travel ridiculous distances to perform in our fair city, and there's just something about those northern European locales that breeds great music. Marius hails from The Faroe Islands which means they deserve a little more love because they couldn't really get much further from home.As a city, we're not particularly ahead of the curve on new music discovery, so I'm just doing my part to spread the word.
Check out Marius tonight at the Tin Can . The show is only $5 and Autumn Electric from Seattle opens. Get there early enough for some delicious Doods Foods and do a shot or two with me.

You can listen to some tracks here.



Press release/band info after the jump.

Blind Pilot @ Belly Up (7/8/2012)




Last night, Blind Pilot returned to the San Diego area to perform at the Belly Up Tavern. Joined by Laura Gibson and Holiday Friends (who were especially awesome, especially considering this was their first tour ever), the band played an amazing set that included songs from their debut, 3 Rounds And A Sound, and their latest release, We Are The Tide. The show was phenomenal and they're definitely one of my favorite bands to see live (and listen to when I'm chilling around the house, too). I filmed most of the show (minus two songs) and you can see all of the videos below. Be sure especially to watch the videos for "Strangers", a Kinks cover that Israel performed solo, "Three Rounds And A Sound", which was performed unplugged among the crowd as their final song, and "New York" which absolutely gave me chills. Also be sure to check out Laura Gibson and Holiday Friends who were perfect openers for this tour.




maybe you bet on me
while we were still young enough to know
or to believe

for every year you took
for every soft breath or loving look
believe me

and don't keep me like you have me
and don't kiss me like you don't

I got wise and I got old
not once, not once did I fall
so don't you now



-"New York", Blind Pilot


Graffiti6 @ House of Blues (6/24/2012)

I've been telling you for awhile that I had these videos from the Graffiti6 show at the House of Blues a few weeks ago. I really intended to add song titles to everything, but I'm just gonna post the playlist. Sadly, they played "Free" as their last song and my battery died, so you'll just have to enjoy the rest of the show without it. My bad.

Comic-Con 2012 General Guides & Links

It's my 7th year attending Comic-Con so I guess I'd say I'm a veteran now. If you're from San Diego, there are plenty of things going on to get into the fun and if you're a visitor, welcome to our beautiful city. I will be updating as frequently as possible to keep you up to date. (Note that this site will automatically load to a mobile version on your smart phone, but all of the information is there, including the pull down tabs that will take you to the Music Venue information and other pages.)



Here's a roundup of links for 2012:


Official Comic-Con Site


Tracking Board Event & Party Grid


The Hollywood Reporter Full Guide To Parties


Unofficial Comic-Con Blog


My Comic-Con Survival Guide (from 2010)


Gaslamp.org Comic-con Events & Specials


Gaslamp.org General Comic-Con Maps, Guides, Restaurants & Bars


Speed-Force Con Tips


FirstShowing.net 2012 Programming Guide - Movie Listings 


Examiner: IGN Events


Entertainment Weekly PopWatch Blog/Comic-Con Posts


Crazy For Comic-Con Fan Blog (I love their PACK THIS list)


The Agency's 3rd Annual Comic-Con Bingo


Here's a Twitter List I made a couple years ago. I haven't updated it much, so tweet at me if there are accounts that should be added to it.


Recommended eats/drinks in Downtown:


The Lincoln Room (901 4th Avenue/$5 Happy Hour food menu 3-7pm Daily)
Hodad's Burgers (945 Broadway)
Chee-Chee Club (929 Broadway)
The Propagandist (835 Fifth Avenue)
El Dorado (1030 Broadway)
Analog (801 Fifth Avenue)
Ciro's Pizza (536 Market)
City Pizzeria (675 B Street)
Vin De Syrah (901 5th Avenue)


Did I miss a link? A party guide? Let me know!!  I can be reached on Twitter, through my Facebook profile, my Facebook page, or you can leave a comment on this site.

Things To Do In San Diego: July 9, 2012

It's Comic-Con week! Let the hours count down until this city explodes with excitement. I've been getting my fill of press releases and such, but I assume today I'll get a deluge of email. Someone asked about public events and I haven't seen a whole lot, but you know I'll keep my big ears perked up for any information. If you have an event that isn't listed, leave a comment or shoot me an email, text, tweet, or comment on my fb wall and I'll update. Today is the final City Council hearing on the Balboa Park project so I'm hoping to make it down there (2pm if you're interested), but seeing as my neighbors raged until well after 4am, I suspect I'll be a little out of it today. Should be quite the drama of the year. Monday archives are after the jump.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Balboa Park Panama Project Information

Last night I got all fired up about the proposed "Panama Project" at Balboa Park. I feel tragically uneducated about the issue and mostly just feel like the park should be left alone. The reality is that isn't going to happen, especially as the city gears up for 2015's centennial celebration of San Diego's 1915 Panama-California Exhibition. So I'm gonna back off a little bit and just share some links from both sides if you choose to read up on the project. Obviously there are dozens of links to articles and such, but here's just a small roundup.

The final City Council hearing is Monday at 2pm.



Monday ·   July 9 ·   2pm - City Council
City Hall - 202 C Street, 12th Floor, San Diego

(Update: Kelly Bennett at Voice of San Diego did a great primer. Check out "Understanding the Plans for Balboa Park")


Press:

A new Balboa Park: What's gained and lost

Balboa Park Plan's Risk to Taxpayers: Fact Check

National Park Service Says Balboa Park Plan Could Risk Historical Designation

Gloria Explains 'Strong Concerns' About Balboa Park Plan He Championed

Jacobs suspends work on Balboa Park plan

Con:

Save Our Heritage Organisation

Help Save Balboa Park

Petition against "Jacobs" Plan

Plan Views/Documents

Blog: Todd Gloria's Bridge to Nowhere In Balboa Park

Blog: The Trojan Horse In Balboa Park

Opinion: Jacobs Plan for Balboa Park Not Worth It

Pro:

Balboa Park Plaza de Panama (official site of Balboa Park)

Opinion 'So Much More' to Jacobs' Balboa Park Plan

Opinion: Balboa Park Could Be Even Greater if Jacobs Plan Implemented

Friday, July 06, 2012

Comic-Con 2012: The Walking Dead Escape- Live The Apocalypse

Comic-Con International 2012 is just around the corner and every year seems to top the previous with large-scale events. This year is no exception as Petco Park turns into a live zombie apocalypse. You don't have to have a Comic-Con badge, but you do have to buy a ticket which will be $75 for "Survivors" who actually run the course or $15 for spectators who just want to watch the action as it plays out. I've heard that tickets for Thursday are going fast (if not sold out already), so you can expect this to be the talk of the Con. For more information and to buy tickets, CLICK HERE.

This is a separate event from the San Diego Zombie Walk which will take place on Friday, July 13 and is open to everyone who wants to participate. As usual, zombies will meet at 4th & Broadway between 5 and 5:20pm to begin their downtown takeover.

Things To Do In San Diego: July 6-8, 2012

There are some days when I work from home where I can literally spend the entire day without talking to a single soul. No phone calls, no texts, just filtering and maybe a few short responses to emails. Yesterday I felt like being a hermit...I'm still overcoming a bit of this cold, my sleep hours have totally been out of whack this week, and I just wanted to finish watching Game of Thrones On Demand in between cough medicine induced sleep, so if you called or texted me, I'll get back to you all today. Believe me, it's nice to know people care, but I just needed a day to hide before I really sunk my teeth into everything that is coming up with Comic-Con just around the corner.

This week, I enlisted the help of Jordan Krimston to get the weekend listings done. He did an amazing job for his first time (and for being just 14), so hopefully he'll be willing to have a go at them again in the future. His band Lua is playing their last-ever show tonight at the Che Cafe, so go check them out if you can.

As I mentioned, my sleep has been out of whack, so I've been up since midnight putting these together and I realized that I will have much more fun this weekend and during the Con if I just got these all out of the way. So here are you San Diego listings through Sunday, July 15. All Comic-Con related events are noted with #SDCC and I will be constantly updating and adding shows and event as I hear of them and I'll try to provide links when they're available. Naturally, I'll have separate posts about certain events and roundups and I'll see how many of last year's links are still valid and update. If you have events, please contact me (email, Twitter, Facebook) and I'll incorporate them into the listings. 7/6/12-7/8/12 archives are after the jump.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Independence Day Fireworks

Why do the work when everyone else already has?

Here are some links to find 4th of July fireworks:

San Diego VIPs

NBC San Diego

UT San Diego

And just because you should know:

Independence Day irony: PTSD has many vets dreading, avoiding fireworks

And this.



(Transcript)



Newsy Bits: Seven Grand Opens, Uptown Tavern Coming Soon and more

So it seems that our little world just keeps on growing. A few months ago I was approached about a new bar opening in North Park that would possibly need some help booking. I was never really pursued further and I understand that they had some delays in getting all of their permits, but it appears that Seven Grand is finally open. The whiskey bar is located at 3054 University Avenue (formerly Bacchus House). They'll host live music, though it isn't clear just how frequently as yet. (Family Wagon performs tonight.) The bar has three active licenses with the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control: a Type 48- onsale general public premises, Type 58- a caterer permit, and Type 66- controlled cabinet access permit, and it appears that the live music would be covered under that Type 48. The bar, which also has a location in Los Angeles, boasts an extensive list (Whiskey/Bourbon/Rye/Scotch, etc), ranging in prices from $7 for your standard Jim Beam or Wild Turkey to the most expensive option, a $64 pour of 15 year old Pappy Van Winkle, as well as craft cocktails ($10) and craft beers ($4-$8). The bar is open seven days a week from 8pm until 2am.

Across neighborhoods, the owners behind West Coast Tavern are busy in preparations for their newest endeavor, Uptown Tavern, which will open later this month in Hillcrest in the former location of Sushi Ono. David Cohen tells me that they're expecting to open on July 16 and it will be similar to West Coast Tavern in North Park, with Chef Eli Freebairn building the menu.

Lastly, while everyone spreads doom and gloom about record stores closing, it would seem that San Diego is incubating record stores like we incubate craft beer. The latest addition to vinyl specialty shops has opened. Groovy Records, owned and operated by Steve Kader, who has long been a part of the scene as a musician and talent buyer, celebrated the opening over the weekend. The store is on the corner of Park and Robinson, at that kinda awkward five point intersection. Drop by and check out the shop, and if you're a local band, Steve is the guy you want to bug about playing Adams Avenue Street Fair.

GROOVY RECORDS
San Diego's Best & Newest Selection Of Used/Collectible LP's, 45's, etc
TEL# 619-542-0597
Hours: Tues To Sat 11am-6pm/Sun 12pm-5pm
3749 Park Blvd (corner of Robinson) Hillcrest-San Diego, CA 92103

In searching information for this post, I also discovered that Budoir closed for good a few months ago. Can't say I didn't see that coming.

On The Horizon...Jeff's July Shows

I thought I would highlight some of the upcoming shows in our beautiful city for July...these are only my recommendations...the bottom line is the quantity and quality of music stopping in San Diego, so enrich yourself and go to a show or two (or more)...

July 6...Mates of State, Stepkids @ House of Blues...SF pop rockers are back...

July 7...Dead Feather Moon @ Belly Up...North County rockers moving up...

July 8...Blind Pilot, Laura Gibson @ Belly Up...deserving of the bigger venue...

July 10...Cory Branan, Audra Mae @ Casbah...awesome singer/songwriters...

July 11...My Jerusalem @ Soda Bar...outstanding band from Austin...

July 14...Shearwater, Husky @ Soda Bar...great bands in an intimate venue...

July 16...Family of The Year @ Soda Bar...LA collective has a new album...

July 18...The Young @ Casbah...Austin does it again...

July 20...Quilt, Young Magic @ Soda Bar...buzzing into San Diego...

July 21...Writer @ Soda Bar...returning to their former scene...

July 22...Golden Hill Street Fair...read Rosemary's previous blog...

July 22...Alberta Cross, Everest @ Casbah...previous residency bands team up...

July 24...The Intelligence @ Soda Bar...Seattle garage rockers bringing it...

July 26...New Mexico, The Happy Hollows @ Casbah...one of San Diego's best headline...

July 29...Dirty Projectors, Wye Oak...new album peaks my curiosity...

Remember, this is only a slice of the pie...check the listings for all the shows...



Things To Do In San Diego: July 3-5, 2012

It's the eve of Independence Day and there is so much fun to be had today. I don't know why I woke up at 5am today, but I've decided to let my body decide when I sleep and when I wake and just roll with it. I was gonna share some newsy stuff, but they warrant their own post, so I'll get to that in a second, but what I will just say that there will be DUI checkpoints all over the city through the weekend. Be safe tonight, kids. Cabs are a lot cheaper than being arrested. Tuesday -Thursday archives are after the jump.

Monday, July 02, 2012

FM 94/9 Updates

After the announcement a couple weeks back that 10 year Program Director, Garett Michaels, was no longer with FM 94/9, I told you that I'd update you as more information became available. Some other changes have gone down at the station as Kevin Callahan, who also programs KSON-FM, has stepped into his role (read more at CityBeat), so I thought I'd recap some of what's been going on over there.

The most obvious changes have been in the reductions of the station's specialty shows. Big Sonic Chill and FTP have both been cut, with The Local Pyle extending to three hours and shifting from 8-10pm to 9pm-midnight on Sundays. Also on Sundays, Brunch With Bob, which ran until noon on Sundays was shifted to an earlier Sunday morning slot, which resulted in host Tommy Hough deciding to end his run at the station- basically he felt that "Brunch" ending at 10am wasn't the best move for the show. (You can read the whole press release after the jump.)  Additionally the station has just announced Commercial Free Mondays (starting today).

In slightly less obvious changes, it appears the station's playlist is being tweaked to include even more tried and true 90s alternative tracks. You can look over recently played tracks and see some familiar names getting back in the mix. Naturally, changes at any station make insiders rumble or get uneasy about the future of the station, but I'll skip any speculation and just say that I'm really looking forward to Independence Jam on September 16 and believe that the best way to support a station is to tune in, call in, leave comments, visit their sponsors, and let them know you're listening, (even if you don't have a Portable People Meter to help bolster their ratings) and buy tickets to the show!!

In related news, it appears that Mikey has resurfaced with a long overdue message to his listeners after a stint at an in-patient facility. You can read his full message here or on his Facebook page (which after being posted on Friday has over 400 comments).

FREE Golden Hill Street Fair Lineup Announced

San Diego is a constantly evolving city and every year that I continue this site, it is great that more and more neighborhood associations and arts associations are teaming up to bring great events to the communities where we live.

You can read the full lowdown about the Golden Hill Street Fair over at Sezio, but here's the basics:

What: Golden Hill Street Fair
When: Sunday, July 22. 11am-6pm. 
Where: 25th St, Between B & C
Cost: FREE!

In typical street fair fashion, there will be food from local eateries, a Stone beer garden, art activies including live screen printing, and of course, live music

5pm - The Donkeys
4pm - Cuckoo Chaos
3pm - The Tree Ring
2pm - Little Deadman
1pm - Jeans Wilder
12pm - Family Wagon

Things To Do In San Diego: July 2, 2012

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a good time judging the Battle of the Fans at Casino Pauma on Friday night and would like to say congratulations to the winner of the night, Talk Like June, though all the participating bands were great. We took a free party bus from KPRI's studios and it was a fun way to spend a Friday, so if you're interested, it will be happening again the next three weeks. This week is the pop category and you can contact Cathryn Beeks to save a spot on the party bus. On Saturday night I worked at Soda Bar which was good, because I'm still a little bit sick and just wanted to stay in the hood. I'm looking forward to Independence Day and a day off in the middle of the week will feel good for everyone, and it also signals the fact that Comic-Con is just a week away! I'll get back to regular posts this week...I still have videos of Graffiti 6 and some photos from Vans Warped Tour to share, plus there are a couple new local festivals popping up that I look forward to sharing with you. Monday archives are after the jump.