Show Me Your Chee Chee's!

The Chee Chee Club has been downtown before downtown began its major redevelopment boom of the past few years or two+ decades (depending on when you think that started). While the area has been developed/gentrified/cleaned (depending on your political bent) the Chee Chee has been left standing in the same spot at 10th and Broadway for years. I can't even speak to whether or not it's ever been nice, but in my lifetime it was a scary bar where the only people I know who ever went there did so on a dare. The bar became known for the bad element, drug busts, and a hangout for both gay and straight prostitutes. It was definitely seedy.

Over the course of the past couple years, Brett Bodie (owner of the Ken Club and co-owner of the Chee Chee) and after various stings and busts, decided he'd had enough. He's been cleaning it up little by little, starting with cutting the hours from a full day to noon to 8pm. He's been anticipating reopening the bar for a while and is finally ready for a soft opening.

This Friday, there's a private show featuring Hotel St George, The Tighten-Ups, and Team Abraham on the roof of the 10th Avenue Theatre. (Hit up the bands, you might be able to get on the list). The theatre shares the same lot as the Chee Chee, and since the roof-top show will be over by 10, the after party will roll into the Chee Chee. I'm looking forward to it and hope it fills the void left when Landlord Jim's shut down...maybe not a place I go every weekend, but a place that I know is there that I can hit on those occasions when I happen to be downtown.

I got the word that Bodie was still down working on the bar, so Todd and I made a visit. It is far cooler than I had imagined and with a few more touches could be quite a great spot, especially pre- or post- Street Scene, before or after a Padres game, or a spot to hit before or after any given House of Blues show.

Ken Club Friday

There seems to be some confusion about the show at the Ken Club on Friday. The original lineup had ¡Society!, The Sess, and Life on Mars. Last night, I heard Pyles announce the show on his show on 94/9, called him, and as a result got a shout out for the blog on-air, so if that netted any new readers, welcome!

Anyway, ¡Society! has cancelled the show (via a MySpace bulletin). They have reposted the show with this lineup:

Vision of a Dying World
The Sess
Life on Mars
Gayle Skidmore and the Eskimo Friends

The Sess have also posted a bulletin with this revised lineup:

The Sess
Zerox
Life On Mars

I'll try to get hold of Bodie, but both shows would be good. I'll post if I can get some clarification. Check out CatDirt for his previous review of Zerox, or see their myspace page here.

Bunky, Rafter Band, & Roxy Jones @ Ken Club 11/15/06

I have no idea what happened to this post, but I guess I have to rewrite the whole damn thing.

Sometimes you stumble upon a show that leaves you so glad that you went out and discovered something new rather than sitting at home in your pajamas watching the season finale to Laguna Beach, and for me, Rafter and Bunky did exactly that. I am so glad I did not miss this show.

The Ken Club occasionally has shows on Thursdays, but very rarely on a Wednesday. There was little promotion (posting a MySpace Bulletin at 5 is not promotion!) so I was surprised to see about 40 people in the crowd. Believe me, I've been to shows there with 4 people in the room, so 40 is a great turnout. And nothing on the Ken Club...I mentioned that I was at the Beauty Bar with only 13 people there a couple weeks, and half weren't even there for the bands.

When I arrived, Roxy Jones was onstage. This is a two-piece band...a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer. Like Two Gallants but not at all. I liked this band, and then I didn't, and then I did, and so on...they were kinda all over the place. They'd have a mellow indie pop song and then all the sudden belt out these random emo screams for seemingly no reason at all. A few songs I liked, a few didn't do it for me, but all in all, I think the vocals were decent and these guys have room for growth if they keep playing. I think a fuller sound with more instrumentation might make the screams less shocking, but maybe that's his point.

Next up was Rafter. Oh. My. God. I've seen stuff about Rafter on Pitchfork (and also here) but this was my first time seeing his band live. Just to explore the musicianship, the 5 or 6 musicians performing played, at various times, these instruments: 12 string electric guitar, drums, bass, guitar, xylophone, trumpet, sax, baritone horn, keyboard, flute, tambourine and cowbell. The band opted to play on the floor in front of the stage and invited the crowd to come closer and some did. Emily's backed the vocals of the drummer and Rafter beautifully and every song was good. I particularly liked a song that I'll guess was called "Fuck you the sky" but I'm not sure. There is a reason Rafter is signed to Asthmatic Kitty. If you get a chance, go see Rafter and his band before they leave San Diego for the great big world. I went outside between bands and some guy walked up to random chicks and said, "That was fucking amazing." I would have to agree.

Last up was Bunky. I have seen Bunky before in the Atari lounge at the Casbah, and while I was impressed, at the time it seemed like more of a novelty act...I thought Emily had a special 'in' because, after all, she tends bar there. I would like to formally apologize for thinking that because they are the real deal. Again, playing on the floor in their own amps and PAs, the band rocked. This mutation of the previous band is comprised of Emily on drums, Rafter on guitar, and Gabriel on sax and keys. At times, Emily has this high pitched voice that sounds like a little girl and at times she busts out these sensual tones, like an early jazz singer of the last century. And it all works. They work their butts off, having played 3 shows in the past week. Still, don't take them for granted because things will happen for Rafter/Bunky. They've already toured Spain, and who knows where they will go next.

The Ken Club should definitely get in the habit of having Wednesday shows, by the way. There is no reason that room should sit unoccupied 4-5 nights a week. The hip hop dj was a funny contrast to the bands, but if you package a night right, have some indie kids bring in their iPods on the bar side with indie bands on the band side, you could draw the crowd that would otherwise be at the Casbah, The Beauty Bar, The Whistle Stop, SDSC, et al. And those people are big time drinkers. Trust me on that one, Bodie. It would be a good thing. And don't worry, I'll still be there on Tuesday, December 6, when Tony's karaoke night starts up.