I think I've finally recovered from last weekend. The North Park Festival of Arts was awesome but apparently some guera left the house without sunscreen so I've got my first sunburn of 2013. It's been a great week so far, though admittedly it's been absent of any shows. I'll make up for that the rest of the week. Listings are in early this week, so we've got you covered through next Thursday and will update as we go along and things shift up as they always do.
Wednesday May 22, 2013:
Tera Melos, TTNG (This Town Needs Guns), EV Kain @ Casbah
Casbah Presents: Twin Shadow, WYNN @ Belly Up (SOLD OUT)
Casbah Presents: Bloc Party, Bear Mountain @ House of Blues (SOLD OUT)
Soda Bar Presents: Rotting Out, Expire, Globe and Beast @ Che Cafe
Black Pus, California Bleeding, Young Wants @ Soda Bar
Carla Morrison @ The Griffin (SOLD OUT)
Translation: Audio, Fever Charm, The Roaman Watchdogs @ Tin Can
U.S. Bombs, Hard Fall Hearts, Midnight Eagle @ Til-Two Club
What better way to spend an evening than donating some money to a good cause and being awarded with some finely crafted homebrew? That's exactly what is going on this Thursday night at Local Habit in Hillcrest. My homebrewing buddy, Jeff Crane, is donating a special blended cask of a two year old Sour Belgian Brown Ale and a 14% Imperial Stout cask that should be a beautiful treat to everyone there.
Here is the flyer for the event below:
More info about the event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/539963516047644/
Or read the details below:
Join the SoCal Chapter of Hope Through Health for “Cask for a Cause,” an evening of community and craft beer to benefit HIV/AIDS initiatives in Togo, West Africa. Philanthropic partner and popular farm-to-table restaurant Local Habit is hosting HTH on this special night, with all proceeds from the cask, raffle and 10% of restaurant sales going directly toward underserved communities living with HIV/AIDS abroad.
This fine evening will feature a special donation sour beer on cask, live music from bluegrass band Songs for People (www.wesingsongsforpeople.com), and raffle prizes which feature rare beer and other fantastic goodies!
Jeff Crane has brewed a special cuvee for this event by blending together a 2 yr old Oud Bruin (sour Belgian brown ale) with a 14% Imperial Stout. The end product has a tart cherry aroma with rich dark fruit flavors and a balanced sweet-sour finish.
Other specially made local beer will also be available that night, so be sure to come out and try these one-of-a-kind brews!
This past Saturday, the historic neighborhood of North Park celebrated its 17th Annual Festival of Arts by closing off University Ave. between 30th Street and 32nd Street to allow vendors, artists, chefs, bands and local craft breweries entertain the masses. If you were out and about on Saturday, you already know that the weather couldn’t have been any better for this festival.
I was fortunate enough to break away from my house and make it to the Craft Beer Block which was located off Ohio Street and University Ave. The Craft Beer Block is a mini-beer festival of sorts where dozens of local craft breweries pour their finest brews for attendees. Local favorites such as Ballast Point, Green Flash, Stone, Mother Earth, Belching Beaver, Hess and Pizza Port were some of the twenty four breweries on hand pouring liquid gold.
Some of my honorable beer mentions include Mother Earth Brewing’s Cinco De Rye-O, a rye pale ale brewed for Toronado’s 5th Anniversary as well as Belching Beaver Brewing’s Beaver Milk Stout. The Cinco De Rye-O was a well balanced pale ale with a beautiful amber hue, plenty of rye maltiness and a hoppy pine finish. The Beaver Milk Stout doesn’t sound like a typical summer ale but it was incredibly smooth, roasty and chocolatey enough to make you feel like you were having some yogurt on a warm summer day. I would not be surprised if the event was sold out because there were people lined up shoulder to shoulder having their taster cups filled with these delicious brews. With that said, it was great to run into some familiar faces at the festival.
One of those familiar faces was local craft beer artist Rudy Pollorena Jr., also known as Craft Beerd. I met Rudy a couple months ago at another local beer festival and have been following his artwork’s success on Facebook and Instagram since then. Rudy is contributing some very original, creative and fun artwork for the San Diego beer community with his most popular piece being the “SD Beer Matrix” pictured below:
You can find this as well as his other pieces printed on t-shirts, posters, canvas, bamboo and aluminum prints (my favorite) at www.craftbeerd.com. If you’re looking for something to do on Tuesday, May 21st (that is tomorrow) at 5pm, Mr. Craft Beerd himself will be debuting his latest custom piece for local craft beer bar and grill, Fathom Bistro Bait and Tackle on Shelter Island. Click on the link below for the event info:
I was also fortunate enough to talk with one of the owners of Belching Beaver Brewing based out of Vista. These guys are brewing some incredible beers including the Beaver Milk Stout I mentioned earlier. They just recently opened up a tasting room in North Park on 30th Street right next to Crazee Burger so if you hadn’t had a chance to try some of their beers, go check out their tasting room and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of camaraderie, passion and love that people in the craft beer industry share for one another. Attending the Craft Beer Block reminded me once again of these feelings and it really is one hell of an industry to be a part of. With that said, I know I haven’t been posting a whole lot the past few months on here but it is partially because I have been working on a project over the past year that I am proud to share with you today.
My brother and I as well as a talented team of web gurus have been working on a website dedicated to the rising movement of craft beer trading. With over 2,400 craft breweries currently operating in the United States and many more to come, it is becoming more and more common for craft beer drinkers across the country to trade beer amongst each other. These are beers that wouldn’t normally reach different parts of the country because of limiting distribution laws as well as growing demand of breweries working at maximum production, and this is only the tip of the craft beer iceberg. This is where BottleTrade comes in.
We are working day in and day out to bring a website that revolutionizes the beer trading experience for traders across the country. We are not quite ready for primetime, but will be there in the coming months. Until then, check us out at www.bottle-trade.com and get social with on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Did you make it to the North Park Festival of Arts this weekend? Make sure to post your favorite bands, artists and beers in the comments below.
As posted on Soda Bar's website, Russian band Pompeya have canceled their show tonight, May 20, due to visa problems...those who purchased tickets will be refunded asap...
May continues to be an impressive month here in San Diego, with many musical options for one's evenings. Some noteworthy shows for the week leading up to the Memorial Day weekend are:
JJAMZ (LA) return for a great night of music on Tuesday at The Griffin...The Presidents of the United States of America headline the Belly Up...
The Casbah offers two shows of note on Wednesday...Twin Shadow plays his biggest local show yet at the Belly Up...If experimental rock is up your alley, Tera Melos headline the Casbah...
Thursday songwriter Mikal Cronin begins his US tour at the Casbah...his sophomore release is impressive...Juliet Commagere (Hello Stranger) makes a rare SD appearance at The Griffin...
On Friday LA buzz band The Mowgli's bring their entourage to The Loft at UCSD...
TV Girl return to Soda Bar on Saturday...Cold War Kids begin their first of two sold out shows at the Belly Up...
Enjoy Sunday before Memorial Day with outdoor activities, a BBQ perhaps, but mostly be thankful we live in the greatest place in the greatest country...
The North Park Festival of Arts is finally here! I'm so excited about my stage performers and also excited to get a chunk of time back in my life. But all the work and meetings and emails and time are totally worth it and I hope everyone comes down to say hi and check out the amazing talent, the great vendors, and all of the unique art. So that you can access the lineups from your mobile devices, I've posted all of the set times after the jump. Also a heads up that there are two whisky tasting events at Seven Grand, the Craft Beer Block (which is going to sell out), and the Beer Garden where the Bar Pink Stage is located.
It has been an amazing week and I can't wait to share it all in another diary post, but for now I'm just so excited for the weekend ahead. I mean, we are in the glory of outdoor festival time here in San Diego and there's so much fun stuff to do this weekend that it's going to be hard to miss things that are overlapping, but I'm looking forward to jumping on my bike and doing as much as I can. Friday through Tuesday archives are after the jump.
I have to say it was a very, very good week. I posted that really long diary post a few days ago, but I'd rather not get so backlogged and since I'm awake and somewhat alert and avoiding my inbox, I feel like sharing.
I feel like my vocabulary is so limited these days. Amazing and epic and great and beautiful and exciting seem to be so overused in my posts lately, but when I think about how I was a year ago, dealing with my eviction and moving, I was a total mess, completely depressed, and living in a constant state of anxiety. I was binge-living. Binge eating and binge drinking and binge sleeping and binge working. It wasn't pretty. Since then, work fell into a better place with a Casbah promotion, regular site sponsorships, and it turned out that my eviction was a total bonus because I'm so much happier in my current location than I was in Kensington. And of course, Darren. There's something pretty amazing about meeting someone who is my partner in every way- supportive and kind and loving and funny and smart and an incredible dad and generous boyfriend and no offense to anyone who came before, but this love is completely unprecedented in my life. After 8 months, none of the glow has worn off. Read the post after the jump.
The last place indie bands might reside is Lawrence, Kansas. A smallish university community is indeed home base for the two bands playing the Casbah this Sunday. They are veteran band The Appleseed Cast and relative newcomers Hospital Ships. Both bands share the same label, Graveface Records. The Appleseed Cast moved from LA to their current home in 1999. Many lineup changes have occurred within the band, with lead guitarist and founder Christopher Crisci being the lone remaining original member. Their eighth album, Illumination Rituals, was recently released on April 23. Many have described the band as emo or post rock. I would lean toward the latter, as many of the songs tend to feature drawn out guitar riffs, with little emphasis on vocals. Make no mistake, this a blue collar indie rock band, unafraid to play their brand of music to those who either know their style or still desire to discover them. A recent van accident destroyed much of the band's gear (thankfully nobody was injured).
Hospital Ships formed in 2007 as a solo project for Jordan Geiger, who previously played keyboards during a brief period for The Appleseed Cast. Their sophomore release, Lonely Twin (2007), features a melodic combination of guitar, keyboards, drums, and vocals that gel quite nicely. Their third album, Destruction in Yr Soul, is due to be released in June. Guitarist Taylor Hollenbeck will be doing double duty for both bands.
Cap off the upcoming weekend with great music at the iconic Middletown venue. Tickets can be purchased here.
Watch a video of Servants, from Hospital Ships, from their yet to be released album, below.
This month is National Bike Month and there have been and continue to be several bike-related events and such going on. There are great resources in San Diego for all kinds of biking information, including Bike San Diego and San Diego County Bike Coalition. There was also a ride in conjunction with San Diego River Days which continues through next weekend.
Tonight, join the 10 mile SILENT RIDE. This is a national event that started in Dallas, but this will be the first one in San Diego. The ride is in honor of cyclists who have been injured or killed while cycling. We will be riding in honor of Barry Whittaker, Darren's father, who was killed by a motorist while cycling in Northern California in 2009. Here's the information from the Bike Coalition:
All people who ride bicycles are invited to join the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition on Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. for a ride to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured and raise awareness that all people have a right to safe accommodation on San Diego's roads. The Ride of Silence is free, starts at the South Clairemont Rec Center and open to cyclists of all ages and abilities. Participants are asked to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, bring lights, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: South Clairemont Recreation Center
3605 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Friday is National BIKE TO WORK day. You can REGISTER and get all of the information here, Obviously registration isn't required, but it sends a message to our politicians and community that there are a lot of people who would ride bikes if facilities were safer, more convenient, and incentivized.
Finally, Sunday you can get ready for the big CicloSDias (August 11, 2013) with a Mini-CicloSDias at Marston Point Loop on the Southwest side of Balboa Park on Sunday, May 19. These are free and open to all levels of riders from 10am-4pm. Maybe you can hang out for a while, then ride down to Little Italy for Festa Siciliana which happens all day from 10am-6pm.
If you don't have a bike and are in the market for one, or you'd like to rent a good road, city, or mountain bike, go visit Mo down at San Diego Bike Shop or reserve a bike online and he'll take good care of you. Not to knock beach cruisers, but at most rental shops, that's what you're gonna get, and they're pretty laborious to ride if the road is anything other than flat. That's where my Biria came from, as well as my awesome lights and basket. Tell him @sddialedin sent you!\
I'll be adding a bike resource page up next to the music resources to this site in a couple weeks, so if you have good resources, feel free to send them my way. Also, if you didn't check out last week's 2013 Summer Guide from SD CityBeat, you can see plenty of bike stuff to do there, too.
A few weeks ago, I did a little roundup of newsy bits wherein I mentioned that my dear friends Kristian & Pat and their company, MySMN, created a new site for North Park called Living North Park. Tonight, they're celebrating the launch of that endeavor at URBN North Park. You can find the Facebook event listing here. It open to all from 8-11pm and they'll have food and drink specials as well as raffle prizes. It should be a nice pre-gathering for the North Park Festival of Arts happening on Saturday. Meet your friends, neighbors and business owners in the community over some tasty pizza and beer. Be there or be L7.
Incidentally, there's a Pre-Festival of the Arts Mixer at LiveWire from 5-8pm for festival participants. Not really sure if that means vendors or performers because I'm the main stage producer and didn't know about it, but whatever. Sounds like a good time if I didn't have other plans.
As I mentioned in my diary post, the past three days have been absolutely amazing, so I'll save all of that for another post and just remind you how lucky you are to live in San Diego. There is so much awesome in this city and you should take advantage that even if you're cash strapped, you can still get out to free events, parks, and beaches. You can also enjoy free music- like Local Brews Local Grooves every Tuesday at House of Blues or catch the Casbah Twitter Tuesday password for free entry. Here' the listings through Thursday. Weekend listings will come in the next day or two, but all you need to know is that on Saturday we have the FREE North Park Festival of Arts all day long. My stage is on 30th and University, so plan on being there!! Tuesday and Wednesday archives are after the jump.
It has been nearly three months since I've written a diary post. Jeff recently pointed out to me. He says that it is clear my life has changed, and with it my priorities have shifted. And while that may be true to an extent, between trying to keep up with marketing for the Casbah, writing for SoundDiego, booking the North Park Festival of Arts Main Stage, picking up some babysitting, and still working door or merch at the occasional show, nothing has slowed down except for my posts here. And I'm sorry for that, but I'd rather be out enjoying all that San Diego has to offer and I have a partner who has renewed my love of this city- the shows, yes, but also hole in the wall restaurants, bike rides, parks, and tennis and ping pong and archery and hikes and river cleanups and participating in civic activities. The reality was that I lived this critically unhealthy life of going out pretty much nightly, then I laid in bed all day writing about it. This face hadn't seen much sun, the only exercise this body got was the occasional walk to a bar or show, and I took intermittent naps until it was time to go out and do it all over again.
My daily life has had a major overhaul and I honestly couldn't be happier about that, even if it means less frequent posting here and just quick updates on Facebook and Foursquare and Twitter. Fortunately this site has grown with several contributors who keep you abreast of shows and photos. Still, sometimes I hit writing road blocks and the only way to resolve them is to purge all of my shit out into the ether in a long winded diary post. After the jump, if you dare.
The middle of May continues with many live music choices here in San Diego. A closer look at the upcoming week reveals some shows worth attending.
On Monday chillwave artist Christopher Dexter Greenspan, aka oOoOO (pronounced oh), brings his act to Soda Bar...Austin rockers Speak headline The Void...
Tuesday is "find a show from the listings and go" day...
Chicago rockers Filligar invade The Griffin on Wednesday...Dead Feather Moon open for a great bill...
Thursday roots/folk rockers Sons of Fathers make their San Diego debut at Soda Bar...Kisses play their sugary pop at The Griffin...
The weekend begins with a great local bands show at the Casbah with The Burning of Rome...say no more...
Head to Soda Bar on Saturday for Seattle based singer/songwriter Damien Jurado with John Meeks and Matt Curreri lending support...
Cap your weekend on Sunday with indie rockers The Appleseed Cast at the Casbah...a recent accident destroyed much of the band's gear...go show some San Diego support...
This represents only a few of the many live music events; most important is getting out and enhancing your life by watching live music...
Watch a video of Museum of Flight from Damien Jurado below...
