San Diego: Dialed In Presents! Republic of Letters, AM Vibe, The Lanterns @ The Ken

pre-party! BBQ at my house, 5 pm Saturday. Bring food for grilling and drinks for sharing. And beggin strips if you want my dog to like you.

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Foals, Maps + Atlases, Crocodiles - Brick By Brick- 5.25.08

It ended up being a really chill weekend for me. I spent most of Saturday in Chula Vista with my family. We grilled and tried to keep up with the kids...Johanna is 9 months and trying to walk, Claudia is 9 and constantly entertains, and Jasmyne is 5 and responds to "what are you doing?" with a little sass. "Nunya!" "What's nunya?" "None ya business!", then she cracks up. I was there all day and when I got home I was wiped out. It was 9:30 and I thought I'd rest a little, but an hour later, I realized there was nowhere I'd rather be than in my bed. And it was nice. My first Saturday home in ages.



Sunday was more of the same, only we went to my sister's house in PB. I really get bothered when people talk incessantly about the weather and we cracked up because here we were in PB where it was blue skies and sunny, with a cool breeze, and the news crawl said that "dismal" weather had "ruined" Memorial Day weekend. What a bunch of pussies San Diegans can be. Wear a hoodie and stfu. Seriously. May Gray. Get over it. We went up to Kate Sessions Park for a while, too, to let the kids run around, and it was beautiful. The park was packed and we realized that since the beach booze ban, people have taken it to the parks, where it is legal to drink until 8pm (most city parks). A bunch of 20 somethings were playing kickball while a huge gathering celebrated a kid's birthday party. The view from Kate Sessions was beautiful, we could see the mountains out east, the ocean out west, the downtown skyline to the south and even further south, Mexico.



I left PB well in time to arrive at the Casbah for the FM 94/9 end of the month show. I saw some friends, had a michelada, and had some of the free Mexican grub. I caught Jamuel Saxon who opened the show, but had to split because I was told Crocodiles were starting at 9pm at Brick By Brick. I was a little bummed when I got there that they weren't actually going on until 9:30 but no big deal.

I don't know what everyone's deal is with Brick By Brick...maybe I still just have a soft spot from when a friend and I used to hang out there in college, but I've always liked it, although there were some years under different ownership where all the shows were hard rock...so there's that reputation, but really, I like the venue.

Crocodiles started the show and it was their first real San Diego show, though they played a house party on Friday. It's just Chuck and Brandon, iPod beats, some guitar, and a keyboard that was set up atop a trash can. They played in near darkness, with just a red and teal light on the floor behind them so I decided to not bust out my camera. Next time, boys... I think these guys are immensely talented and they've got such great stage presence, can't wait to see them with some actual lights on them.

I was pleased when I arrived to discover that Maps + Atlases was playing. I fell in love with the band when they played the Casbah a while back with Nurses, before Nurses bailed San Diego to move to Chicago to be with Maps + Atlases. The band is incredible, as much to listen to as to watch because of their unconventional ways of playing their instruments and the funky time signatures. I was bummed that Brick By Brick has 7 great stage lights and only used 3 of them...one green and two red, but here are a couple of pics regardless.




I was happy to see the venue filling up because I've heard of some disappointing shows there of late. Foals came out rockin and never stopped. They play fast dancey music, a la The Rapture, and I have to agree with Seth that they're guitar style is also a bit mathy. Regardless of how they're labeled, I was enthralled.








I was also impressed because one of the guitarist was shoeless on one foot and kept hopping around...whether sprained or broken, his energy never wavered and he danced all over the stage. My guess is that his foot probably felt like shit the next day.

I hung up front as long as I could but I was overwhelmed by the saucy girls, particularly the one who kept trying to have a conversation with the band between each song. "Um, excuse me. Wait, I just wanna tell you something. You guys are AWESOME!" Oh, then she tried to bust a move on Seth. Ha! So we ended up listening to the last few songs of the set on the patio.

When the band finished, I made my way back to the Casbah for Jivewire and people were shitfaced. Some nights I can't take it, but this night was just fine and everyone was cracking me up.

Tim was on the turntables...


I also found out it was Mikey's last night at the Casbah. So sad, but he's off to bigger and better things, heading off to Paris to follow his heart. So sweet and best of luck to him.


After Jivewire a bunch of friends came back to my house and we had a good time getting ridiculous until the wee hours of the morning. Wait, 7 am isn't really wee hours anymore, is it? Eventually most everyone went home until it was just a handful of us and we all ended up crashing in my bed, which suddenly wasn't as roomy.

Later Monday I thought I'd head to a couple BBQs but the sad realization that the weekend was over bummed me out and I thought I should get a clear head and avoid social drinking situations. I did head to the Casbah last night, however, so I'll get to posting those pics soon enough. Now, time to do this week's listings.

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Weekend Recap: Transfer, Delta Spirit, Port O'Brien, Morning Benders, After Party

It was quite a weekend and I just finished cleaning up my house that was looking pretty skanky after a late night after party, but I'll get to that in a sec.

Since Thursday was a big night, I came home from work and took a well deserved deep sleep. I was torn about what to do and where to go because there were quite a few great shows around town, but I slept a bit longer than intended, had a late dinner, and got sucked into Joe Scarborough being his usual obnoxious self on his appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. By the time all was said and done, I decided to just walk down the street to catch Transfer. I decided to leave my camera at home since I have a gazillion pictures of the guys rocking out the Ken Club from the past. This time I hung back because I lost my earplugs at Chaser's the night before, but the sound there is so good these days, I didn't need them anyway. Jeremy isn't playing bass anymore, so there was a new guy filling in but the band still sounded tight as ever. They played right up until the bar closed and I alternated between the band room and downing some red headed sluts at the bar. It was a chill time and I was in a good mood. I chatted with Lyn out front for a bit then walked home and unintentionally stayed up til 6:30 a.m. I somehow didn't realize that I'd missed two weeks of In Treatment on HBO so I watched until I was all caught up.

Saturday I had planned on going to the skating event at the Clairemont YMCA, but my parents called and reminded me that it was my brother in law's birthday, so instead we all headed down to Point Loma Seafoods. (Why "seafood" is pluralized, I cannot say) The food was delicious and the day was beautiful. After food and cake, we went on a family shopping trip which was actually quite entertaining, then we all went back to my sister's to hang out and have a couple beers.

From there, my sister, Johanna and I went to Ray At Night. I've always planned on going, but something always seems to come up, so this was my first time and we had a good time strolling through the shops and galleries. From there, she dropped me at the Casbah.

I was glad to get there in time for The Morning Benders because they're a great band and I felt bad for them that the crowd was pretty thin when they played the Beauty Bar a couple months back. They're about to head out on tour with The Kooks, so I'm glad to have caught them at a venue I love, since I'll likely not be going to their Kooks show at HoB.




After the band finished, the patio was packed with people and we were enjoying the night hanging on the zebra bench just kinda people watching and shooting the shit, bouncing from the patio to the back bar, back to the patio. Before I knew it, Port O'Brien was onstage. I asked if anyone had heard of them and my friends had not, but from their first song, I had to see what was going on inside because they sounded amazing. The band rocked. Paco Diamante suggested that they had a Neil Young sound, but I was taking in with the sheer energy onstage and the banjo just added something really unique. At one point Van, the singer, got pretty pissed because he wanted his sound adjusted and the sound guy was nowhere to be found or he was on IM chat or some shit. He brushed it off and continued their set, but in talking to him after, he was upset, and I guess had some words with Chad. He was bummed that Jake wasn't doing their sound which seems to be a recurring theme with bands- Jake is in high demand these days and is going on the road with Delta Spirit and a couple other bands in the next couple months. Anyway, here are the pics:









Delta Spirit was up last and the venue was packed. I stayed on the patio for much of their set, talking to the Morning Benders and Port O'Brien.



I made my way in to try and take pics but all I could do was get a spot over near the side exit so they didn't really come out, and Natalie was up front taking photos, so check her site for better pics. Anyway, we were supposed to leave midset to catch Blackout Party at the Ken Club. Abraham was lagging, however, so Paco and I left without him. We stopped at my house, since I knew people would likely come over, I asked Paco to vacuum quickly while I straightened up a tiny bit.

We went to the Ken, did a couple shots, then made our way in to see the band. They sounded so clean and I was in a great mood. Seemed like everyone else was, too, so it made for a great time.






Abraham finally showed up and we all hung out until the bar was shutting down. I knew Abraham and Dan were coming over, but I didn't expect half the bar to come home with us. Not that I minded, of course, but we were up till the wee hours and the drinking didn't stop until it was all gone. And I mean ALL GONE. Every bottle and can of beer, a whole bottle of Jack, half a bottle of vodka, and any tequila I had...all gone. Eventually I went to bed and some people crashed in my living room. When I woke up on Sunday, my house was filthy. I'm hoping my recycling guy comes by soon because my recycle bins are to the max with bottles and cans. I was pretty lazy, however, and caught up with some of my other posting, so I saved the cleanup till tonight, washing every shot glass, digging cigarette butts out of my sink, dusting, vacuuming, and finding random glasses under my furniture, in my bathroom, in the bedroom. Someone left a shirt, which I think is pretty funny if someone went home shirtless, and I have someone's broken cell phone, too, so if you were here and lost a Verizon with no LCD screen, give me a holler.

It's nearing 10 pm on Monday and I can't decide if I should do my weekly listings or head out...it's Andy's b-day at Wit's End, there's mechanical bull riding at U-31 with Laura Jane, and Chaser's and the Casbah have good shows. dilemma...

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Drag The River, Cory Branan, & The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, 2-15-08

Friday rolled around and my bosses were kind enough to let us bail early, which was great because after the rainy day Thursday, Friday's weather was a lot nicer. I had to run an errand in Golden Hill, so I picked up my dog and we ran around the Grape Street dog park for a while. Pascha is deathly afraid of having her picture taken, but I tried to sneak a couple in, then she caught on and kept a good thirty feet from me until we were ready to leave, at which point she ran out of the park on her own and sat next to my car door.



After that, a brief nap, then it was time to head back to the Casbah for Drag The River, Cory Branan, and Silent Comedy. People are finally realizing what an amazing band The Silent Comedy are. I decided not to take pictures of them because they had a professional photographer there with a flash set up behind the stage and I didn't wanna ruin his shots, but it allowed me to get into the revival. There's this movie called The Apostle that I love- and their set reminds me of that movie. If you've seen it, perhaps you know what I'm talking about. If not, it's worth adding to your NetFlix queue.

I bumped into Seth at the show and he introduced me to Cory Branan who was such a nice guy. Hailing from Tennessee, I could easily see him tour with Steve Poltz & Bob Schneider with his sometimes quirky and oddball lyrics. Not your typical dude with a guitar, which is probably why he has so many whiskey swilling dude fans. This is music not made for coffee shops, and I loved it.






Between bands, Vena Cava played in the Atari Lounge, but they were so loud that they could be heard throughout the Casbah. I like them a lot, but it was pretty packed at the back bar so I listened from the patio. The punkboarders were out in full force, as well. Oh, and then I was at the back bar for a minute when some dude came up and turned on the sauce flirting with me, but I think he was just hoping I'd be so flattered I'd buy him a drink. Yes, Steve, Mr. Firefighter from Carlsbad, I'm calling you out.

Drag The River took the stage last and they had a set list of about 40 songs on their guitars, though I couldn't really say how much of them they got through, because it seemed they got cut short toward the end of the night. Perhaps I'd lost track of time, but it felt a little premature. I can't really say though, because I was out on the patio or in the back bar for more than half their set. I like the band a lot, but they're also a dude's band and the crowd was a little rowdy for my taste. Not pushing or fighting or anything, but just a lot of alcohol pouring and a lot of raised drink sing-a-longs. Kinda felt like a frat party I wasn't invited to.





After the show, Laura Jane and Jason came over and we stayed up really late. LJ left when it was just about sun up, but Jason and I were up well past sunrise, eventually laying out in my backyard and I even got a sunburn. It was awesome- these legs haven't seen sun in some time. Eventually I had to crash out and sorta lost the day, but it was all worthwhile. Below are some pics from the patio...

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Stormy Weekend in San Diego

All week we were warned about the Storm. Of. The. Century. about to hit San Diego, and while it has certainly rained a lot, it's not been all crazy. Or maybe that's how it seems when you can do everything you want within two blocks of your home. I love this weather; the sound of the rain hitting the ground outside, the cars wheels turning over the wet street, bundling up under mountains of blankets. I enjoyed a leisurely Saturday with lunch at Ponce's, some afternoon margaritas at the Ken Club and movies at home, then a nap as I attempted to watch the presidential debates. Unfortunately, that nap went a little longer than I expected, so when Andrea called me to meet at the Ken, I'd already missed The Soft Hands and The Roman Spring. Still, it was the perfect night at the Ken Club, with so many of my favorite friends all there. It felt kinda like a reunion, since everyone was either out of town or celebrating the holidays with family.

Roxy Jones ended up cancelling, but Darren's brother was in town from China, so he played. I've never seen the Ken Club like that...everyone sitting on the floor while he played...well, as anyone there can attest, there's no way to describe it, you just have to see it for yourself. If he plays again while he's here, I'll be sure to post about it. Anyway, I wanted to post some pics from the night, and thank everyone who came over.

After the bar everyone came over to my house. And by everyone, I pretty much mean everyone who was standing outside the bar after closing time- my friends, friends of friends, and a few of my neighbors. Somehow we all managed to squeeze into my small apartment through the night, until everyone left just before 4 in the morning.



Today has been a pajama day for sure, cleaning the house, watching the Chargers, reading, writing and just hanging around. I certainly cannot complain about the weekend. Now, if I can get my column done, I'll be off to the Tower Bar to catch The Muslims et.al.

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Creedle Reunion Show at Casbah w/ Bunky, 12/30/07

I was kinda feeling lazy and was just gonna stay home, but after a few text messages from friends at the Casbah and I couldn't resist the peer pressure (you know, the whole promise of good friends, good drinks and good bands always gets me). Once I arrived, however, I was still kinda lazy and longing for my pajamas, so I sat with my friends at the back bar while the first two bands played until I felt my second wind kick in, and by that time, Bunky hit the stage.

Emily has one of the sweetest voices in San Diego, and the fact that she's always laughing and joking and giggling onstage, makes her so endearing, even when she thinks she's mauling a new song. The horn section separates the band from most others, and with Rafter on guitar, you've got a sure fire crowd pleasin' band with the batch of us in the front all singing and bopping along to the music.








After Bunky is was all fun on the smoking patio and in the Atari Lounge. There was this kinda atmosphere of the changing of the guard...a lot of old school Creedle fans probably back at the Casbah for the first time in a decade and those of us who maybe caught Creedle at some all ages show when we were 17 who are now regulars at the bar. It was quite fun, actually, and not an us vs. them feeling at all. I still have to point out, I was surprised the Casbah wasn't completely sold out.

Creedle killed it onstage, though I can't really say how this show compared to those of the past because I maybe only ever saw them twice before, but they had fun onstage and the crowd was vibing off the energy (and possibly by the overconsumption of booze in the pre-New Years energy in the air.)











The bar didn't kick everyone out immediately after the show, but when it was finally time to leave, my friends and I headed back to my house and stayed up until we couldn't stay up no more.

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Friday Recap Part 2: Silverbird At Beauty Bar & Afterparty

(written on Monday)
I'm not trying to be insensitive to anyone who found this site because they sought fire information, but when I woke up today, I intended to do my normal thing here- write about music in San Diego. Because I've been watching the news for almost 17 hours, I need to unfry my brain, so I'm gonna retrace the weekend as I promised I would a couple days ago.


When I left off, I had left the Matt Pond PA show at the Casbah to head to the Beauty Bar. When I got there, it was absolutely packed. I had missed SayVinyl, but walked in on a full Beauty Bar with full ass booty shakin to the tunes being spun by Gabe Vega. I promptly found Erika who poured me a sweet drink, then made my way to the patio for Silverbird.

(After all the fire blogging, I didn't get to continue this post until Thursday)
I was pleased to see that T-Bone was still 'filling in' until the band finds a new drummer, but in my own reality, I think of him as being an essential part to the band. He has a minimal setup, but plays it all just right to accompany what is an amazing alt-country band, and the fact that he is singing along, albeit without a mic, shows his passion for this music. He is the perfect fit, if only he wasn't already committed to 15 (grossly exaggerated) other San Diego bands.

Anyway, the show was beautiful, and here are the best pics I could grab from my crap camera.

OK, actually these pics might be in reverse order, because here's Anna Banana with Arnie from Arm The Angels, and we took this pic after the set, but nonetheless...here are the pics.

By the way, I should mention that I've seen Silverbird a handful of times but never had any recordings, and I found myself singing along to just about every song on their setlist. Admittedly, there are local bands that I love that will probably never gain an audience beyond San Diego, and then there are bands that you just know are going to break. Maybe not find worldwide million album sales or shit like that, but who will find their niche audience and be successful. I would like to think that Silverbird is one of those bands that people notice beyond our county lines because they are amazing. They could easily tour with Son Volt or Ryan Adams if those guys were open to touring with bands that are as good as they are.
















So long story short, after the set I headed to the Ken. Anna and her friends came, too, as did Bubba from Silverbird. (By the way, that does officially count as 3 shows in one night, because we caught the ska tunes of the Hi-Lights. There were people skankin but that's just really not where my heart is so we hung back on the bar side of the Ken.) We were close to bar time, so we did some shots, then a herd of people came to my place and we drank and talked and drank and logged online to watch funny youtube videos (namely the owner of Apertivo going apeshit on people; not once but twice) and then finally everyone made their way home as I hit the hay.

I know in the afterhours everyone seems to speak nonsensically and there's a whole bunch of drama that can arise, but I had such a great time with friends, both new ones and old ones, that it almost feels perverse, catching people in the raw being completely honest. To me, therein lies the beauty of an after party.

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