Showing posts with label chee chee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chee chee. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Rosey's Diary: A Birthday Post
Thursday, January 15, 2009
What are the odds?
Last night's Casbah show ended pretty early, so I swung by Chee-Chee to say hi to Jeff. It was quiet there, but had it's share of misfits, including an older man in a motorized wheelchair who was rocking out to New Order. I happened to look to my right and saw this book sitting on the counter next to a patron. Jeff and I had to capture it.
I only stayed for a few minutes, than made my way to Soda Bar. Emily and I hung out and we met someone and ended up having drinks at his pad after hours. I woke up on his couch this morning and noticed his bookshelves.
Seriously, what are the odds?
I only stayed for a few minutes, than made my way to Soda Bar. Emily and I hung out and we met someone and ended up having drinks at his pad after hours. I woke up on his couch this morning and noticed his bookshelves.
Seriously, what are the odds?
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Overdue Recap: November Shows
Catching up. Yes, with November. Looking back, not only have I not been writing a whole lot, but I also gave up on taking pictures. Regardless, I'll go back in time for a quickie recap. I'll save the space and put it all after the jump if you're interested enough to click 'keep on reading'.
Rewinding back to Thanksgiving week, I started the week selling merch for O'Death. Old Devil and Tobyn Clark and the Tender Faeries opened but honestly I was out on the patio and didn't get to escape inside to catch the show, and even Natalie didn't feel she got any good pics. The bands were awesome though the crowd was really disappointing. There just weren't enough people there for how great O'Death is, though I came to a conclusion that their name certainly doesn't invite a crowd for how they actually sound. They're actually more Americana and folk than the name suggests and expected a lot more people to be there. The description on their MySpace page of Gothic/Country/Punk feels inaccurate. They'd work well with Murder By Death, and I think they actually are working on a split vinyl with that band. Neither here nor there, I guess. The band was gracious and at least I sold a handful of records. There was also some weird band business after, perhaps what happens when 5 smelly dudes spend far too much time together. I hope they sorted all that out since they're continuing with some major European touring.
The next night I decided at the last minute to check out Anti-Monday League. I caught a bit of the Subadons from Tijuana but the night was a little dead, so I decided I would check out El Dorado (it was their opening night). It wouldn't be right if I didn't stop at Chee-Chee first, so I hung out with Fred. We could see a line at El Dorado and I was a little shy, but Fred made me do recon, so I checked it out. Relative to downtown prices, I guess the drinks are cheap, but relative to Chee-Chee, not so much. It seems like a great option for a date and all the staff and bartenders are super friendly.
I stopped back at Chee-Chee before returning to Casbah for The Gift/Curse. Lighting sucked so I just hung out rocking out to the band and enjoying the tunes and didn't bother with pictures. There were quite a few more people out by the time I got back and for good reason...The Gift/Curse rock.
The next night I stayed home, regrettably missing Yeasayer which I've come to understand was a mistake, but driving to La Jolla just seemed like a drag and I have to watch the budget these days more than ever.
Thanksgiving Eve has long been one of my favorite nights to go out. It seems like people return home and are ready to party with eating a feast the only major goal the next day. I went out to dinner at Ken Grill with my cousin, who was visiting from LA, and Sara, and that ended up being a great time in and of itself, then we hit the Ken Club. When they called it a night around 11, they dropped me off at The Ruby Room which was a little disappointing only because I got there during Writer's last song. I expected them to play last. My friends that were supposed to be there weren't, but fortunately Petro, Alex, and Kris were, so we hung around for part of Jamuel Saxon's set before they had to go and they agreed to give me a ride back to the hood. They decided to grab some food and we met up at Petro & Kris' and watched DVDs of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia until Alex eventually dropped me off.
Thanksgiving with the family was chill. My sister and her husband took my niece to Arizona, so it was just my cousin, my parents and myself for Thanksgiving. After a whole day with the family, I visited my second family at the Ken Club.
Friday was another family day until nightfall, when my cousin and I went to El Dorado. I could've pretty much ended up anywhere, but I knew Connie would love the feel of the bar, so I guess we have a place to go when she comes to town that is divey enough for me and upscale enough for her. It meets right in the middle for us.
From El Dorado, she dropped me off at the Casbah. I missed the opening bands but was there in time for the headliner, Deerhunter.
The show was sold out and packed. Deerhunter gave a fierce performance though not really evident in my sloppy photos. The crowd was clearly pleased with the performance that was delivered as I heard some people talking about it like their minds were just blown. I hadn't planned very well and assumed I would know someone at the show, so unfortunately I spent half the show trying to find anyone who'd be willing to drive me to Kensington, and I'm ever so grateful that Peter ended up taking me. I owe him big for that.
My November closed out with another family day and a couple more shows. On Saturday I chilled out a bit until the evening when my mom, cousin and I did some shopping downtown, then decided to walk around in Coronado. We discovered a new spot that had opened the night before at the Ferry Landing. It's called Lil' Piggy's BBQ and it was awesome. We didn't eat a full meal, but after meeting the cook and talking to the people working there, my cousin ordered a kids meal ("The best hot dog I've ever had," she said) and it came with our choice of side so we went with the mac n'cheese, which on its own sells for $2 and was delicious. The chef also brought us some pulled pork and BBQ chicken to sample. So convinced, we ended up buying a plate to take home to my dad. My mom thinks the plate should come with Texas toast instead of just regular sliced white bread, but overall the food we sampled was delicious and my dad was happy with the feast we brought him. They have outdoor picnic table seating that has plastic wind guards and I think it will do well in Coronado. Theydo catering and sell full racks of ribs (which I'll try next time around), and they have a fridge with 100 different bottled beers.
After dropping my mom off in Chula Vista, Connie dropped me at home and I made my way to Casbah to see Team Abraham, The Parson Red Heads, and Blitzen Trapper.
I got there just as Team Abraham took the stage and they sounded great. The added female vocals work well for them. But I'm biased, right? (BTW, if you're on Twitter, follow them @TeamAbraham)
I've also written about The Parson Red Heads and Blitzen Trapper in the past. Both bands are excellent and I love seeing them live, so this bill, on a Saturday night, was a real treat. The Red Heads are happy and sweet and conjure up days laying around on a grass field and girls with daisy crowns in their hair. And I still maintain that the one guitarist looks like Buddy Jesus.
Closing out the night was Blitzen Trapper. I just love these guys and every time I see them it reminds me of just how warm they are, both in sound and stage presence. They are a band happy to be who they are and where they are and it shines in their performances. With the crowd singalongs, it's obvious they've gotten some devoted fans over time, too.
The next day they played an in-store at M-Theory and I figured I had time to get there since they don't usually start on time, but this one did, and it was short and I arrived in time for one song. I could kick myself. I was sure someone would post the video on YouTube, but can't seem to find any. I guess I've learned my lesson about taking my sweet time getting somewhere.
So that rounds out my November. I guess I will now attempt to catch up with December so I don't have anything hanging over my head as we roll into Christmas and 2009 and who knows what access I'll have to the web when I'm gone. Last time I got wi-fi but it wasn't cheap...
Rewinding back to Thanksgiving week, I started the week selling merch for O'Death. Old Devil and Tobyn Clark and the Tender Faeries opened but honestly I was out on the patio and didn't get to escape inside to catch the show, and even Natalie didn't feel she got any good pics. The bands were awesome though the crowd was really disappointing. There just weren't enough people there for how great O'Death is, though I came to a conclusion that their name certainly doesn't invite a crowd for how they actually sound. They're actually more Americana and folk than the name suggests and expected a lot more people to be there. The description on their MySpace page of Gothic/Country/Punk feels inaccurate. They'd work well with Murder By Death, and I think they actually are working on a split vinyl with that band. Neither here nor there, I guess. The band was gracious and at least I sold a handful of records. There was also some weird band business after, perhaps what happens when 5 smelly dudes spend far too much time together. I hope they sorted all that out since they're continuing with some major European touring.
The next night I decided at the last minute to check out Anti-Monday League. I caught a bit of the Subadons from Tijuana but the night was a little dead, so I decided I would check out El Dorado (it was their opening night). It wouldn't be right if I didn't stop at Chee-Chee first, so I hung out with Fred. We could see a line at El Dorado and I was a little shy, but Fred made me do recon, so I checked it out. Relative to downtown prices, I guess the drinks are cheap, but relative to Chee-Chee, not so much. It seems like a great option for a date and all the staff and bartenders are super friendly.
I stopped back at Chee-Chee before returning to Casbah for The Gift/Curse. Lighting sucked so I just hung out rocking out to the band and enjoying the tunes and didn't bother with pictures. There were quite a few more people out by the time I got back and for good reason...The Gift/Curse rock.
The next night I stayed home, regrettably missing Yeasayer which I've come to understand was a mistake, but driving to La Jolla just seemed like a drag and I have to watch the budget these days more than ever.
Thanksgiving Eve has long been one of my favorite nights to go out. It seems like people return home and are ready to party with eating a feast the only major goal the next day. I went out to dinner at Ken Grill with my cousin, who was visiting from LA, and Sara, and that ended up being a great time in and of itself, then we hit the Ken Club. When they called it a night around 11, they dropped me off at The Ruby Room which was a little disappointing only because I got there during Writer's last song. I expected them to play last. My friends that were supposed to be there weren't, but fortunately Petro, Alex, and Kris were, so we hung around for part of Jamuel Saxon's set before they had to go and they agreed to give me a ride back to the hood. They decided to grab some food and we met up at Petro & Kris' and watched DVDs of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia until Alex eventually dropped me off.
Thanksgiving with the family was chill. My sister and her husband took my niece to Arizona, so it was just my cousin, my parents and myself for Thanksgiving. After a whole day with the family, I visited my second family at the Ken Club.
Friday was another family day until nightfall, when my cousin and I went to El Dorado. I could've pretty much ended up anywhere, but I knew Connie would love the feel of the bar, so I guess we have a place to go when she comes to town that is divey enough for me and upscale enough for her. It meets right in the middle for us.
From El Dorado, she dropped me off at the Casbah. I missed the opening bands but was there in time for the headliner, Deerhunter.
The show was sold out and packed. Deerhunter gave a fierce performance though not really evident in my sloppy photos. The crowd was clearly pleased with the performance that was delivered as I heard some people talking about it like their minds were just blown. I hadn't planned very well and assumed I would know someone at the show, so unfortunately I spent half the show trying to find anyone who'd be willing to drive me to Kensington, and I'm ever so grateful that Peter ended up taking me. I owe him big for that.
My November closed out with another family day and a couple more shows. On Saturday I chilled out a bit until the evening when my mom, cousin and I did some shopping downtown, then decided to walk around in Coronado. We discovered a new spot that had opened the night before at the Ferry Landing. It's called Lil' Piggy's BBQ and it was awesome. We didn't eat a full meal, but after meeting the cook and talking to the people working there, my cousin ordered a kids meal ("The best hot dog I've ever had," she said) and it came with our choice of side so we went with the mac n'cheese, which on its own sells for $2 and was delicious. The chef also brought us some pulled pork and BBQ chicken to sample. So convinced, we ended up buying a plate to take home to my dad. My mom thinks the plate should come with Texas toast instead of just regular sliced white bread, but overall the food we sampled was delicious and my dad was happy with the feast we brought him. They have outdoor picnic table seating that has plastic wind guards and I think it will do well in Coronado. Theydo catering and sell full racks of ribs (which I'll try next time around), and they have a fridge with 100 different bottled beers.
After dropping my mom off in Chula Vista, Connie dropped me at home and I made my way to Casbah to see Team Abraham, The Parson Red Heads, and Blitzen Trapper.
I got there just as Team Abraham took the stage and they sounded great. The added female vocals work well for them. But I'm biased, right? (BTW, if you're on Twitter, follow them @TeamAbraham)
I've also written about The Parson Red Heads and Blitzen Trapper in the past. Both bands are excellent and I love seeing them live, so this bill, on a Saturday night, was a real treat. The Red Heads are happy and sweet and conjure up days laying around on a grass field and girls with daisy crowns in their hair. And I still maintain that the one guitarist looks like Buddy Jesus.
Closing out the night was Blitzen Trapper. I just love these guys and every time I see them it reminds me of just how warm they are, both in sound and stage presence. They are a band happy to be who they are and where they are and it shines in their performances. With the crowd singalongs, it's obvious they've gotten some devoted fans over time, too.
The next day they played an in-store at M-Theory and I figured I had time to get there since they don't usually start on time, but this one did, and it was short and I arrived in time for one song. I could kick myself. I was sure someone would post the video on YouTube, but can't seem to find any. I guess I've learned my lesson about taking my sweet time getting somewhere.
So that rounds out my November. I guess I will now attempt to catch up with December so I don't have anything hanging over my head as we roll into Christmas and 2009 and who knows what access I'll have to the web when I'm gone. Last time I got wi-fi but it wasn't cheap...
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Overdue Recap: Little Dragon, Manuok, Anomie Belle @ Beauty Bar
Yes, it is December and I'm a couple weeks behind in show postings. So last I left off, I posted about Angus & Julia Stone at The Loft. The next night I thought Justin from OAKS was DJing at the Ken so I walked over with my laptop, instead I walked in on Christopher singing Karaoke to Missy and decided I would stick around through the mostly terrible renditions of mostly 90s crap. It was fun oddly enough, and my wi-fi was working so I cleaned up my e-mail inboxes while hanging out.
On Wednesday, I wrote a lot and didn't go out. I guess you could say I've been nesting at home more than I have in the past.
Come Thursday, I had plans to meet my friend Jack at the House of Blues for Happy Hour. While I've had my issues with HoB as a venue, I have to say I've really grown to love the bartenders there and their happy hour is hard to beat. $2 domestic pints, $3 imports, $3 wells, and $4 wine, plus I can enjoy the catfish nuggets and fries for under $5. We hung out for a while and met a Ukranian guy who was visiting from South Carolina. When happy hour ended, I convinced them to check out Chee Chee until Jack left and Dmitry and I ended up going to Beauty Bar for Little Dragon, Manuok, and Anomie Belle. It was a great show and we had a blast and met some cool peeps (pictured below). The lights there are not my friend, but I did take some pics and video. Read the rest if you 'keep on reading'.
The night started with Anomie Belle. I knew nothing about the band going in, but their sweet 3 part all girl vocal harmonies were a great way to start the night. I vaguely remember thinking it reminded me of early Zero 7 material.
Manuok was celebrating their CD release to a very receptive crowd. I geel like this one of the most upbeat performances I'd seen of Scott and crew, and he was smiling throughout the show, which was reciprocated by sheer enjoyment from the enthusiastic crowd.
Closing out the night was Little Dragon. Kristian turned me on to Little Dragon a while back and I thought they were ok, but took his recommendation with a grain of salt because (a) he insanely loves female fronted groups (b)he believes Sweden has the hottest music scene at the moment. I'd also seen Yukimi when she attempted to play melodica with Jose Gonzalez and in my opinion, jacked up his songs. (Ask Daye or read about it here.) But I have to say, I was definitely into this performance. Yukimi dances barefoot all over the stage, spazzing out with some fusion of gypsy freak out ballet. You couldn't take your eyes off of her. There's some soul undertones to her music that make me think there are probably dance remixes of her music bumping in night clubs in big cities across the country, and if there aren't there should be.
And though you really can't see anything in this video, you can definitely hear her sultry voice.
So, all in all I have to say it was a good day- saw old friends, met some new ones, and saw three great bands. No complaints here. For more videos, go to my YouTube page.
On Wednesday, I wrote a lot and didn't go out. I guess you could say I've been nesting at home more than I have in the past.
Come Thursday, I had plans to meet my friend Jack at the House of Blues for Happy Hour. While I've had my issues with HoB as a venue, I have to say I've really grown to love the bartenders there and their happy hour is hard to beat. $2 domestic pints, $3 imports, $3 wells, and $4 wine, plus I can enjoy the catfish nuggets and fries for under $5. We hung out for a while and met a Ukranian guy who was visiting from South Carolina. When happy hour ended, I convinced them to check out Chee Chee until Jack left and Dmitry and I ended up going to Beauty Bar for Little Dragon, Manuok, and Anomie Belle. It was a great show and we had a blast and met some cool peeps (pictured below). The lights there are not my friend, but I did take some pics and video. Read the rest if you 'keep on reading'.
The night started with Anomie Belle. I knew nothing about the band going in, but their sweet 3 part all girl vocal harmonies were a great way to start the night. I vaguely remember thinking it reminded me of early Zero 7 material.
Manuok was celebrating their CD release to a very receptive crowd. I geel like this one of the most upbeat performances I'd seen of Scott and crew, and he was smiling throughout the show, which was reciprocated by sheer enjoyment from the enthusiastic crowd.
Closing out the night was Little Dragon. Kristian turned me on to Little Dragon a while back and I thought they were ok, but took his recommendation with a grain of salt because (a) he insanely loves female fronted groups (b)he believes Sweden has the hottest music scene at the moment. I'd also seen Yukimi when she attempted to play melodica with Jose Gonzalez and in my opinion, jacked up his songs. (Ask Daye or read about it here.) But I have to say, I was definitely into this performance. Yukimi dances barefoot all over the stage, spazzing out with some fusion of gypsy freak out ballet. You couldn't take your eyes off of her. There's some soul undertones to her music that make me think there are probably dance remixes of her music bumping in night clubs in big cities across the country, and if there aren't there should be.
And though you really can't see anything in this video, you can definitely hear her sultry voice.
So, all in all I have to say it was a good day- saw old friends, met some new ones, and saw three great bands. No complaints here. For more videos, go to my YouTube page.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Mi Vida Loca: September, Pt. 1
I keep saying how busy things have been and it's getting pretty old, but between my day job keeping me busy and this town offering so many great things to do every night of the week. So, for the first night that I recall in a very long time, I stayed home tonight. I'm looking through pictures and realized that while I updated here and there, I have a lot of pictures that I haven't posted. So I'll do my best to catch up on photos and where my time was spent, after the jump.
I should really just start this entry with "Dear Diary".
In looking back, I spent quite a lot of time at the Ken Club. One, because I can do my listings and attempt to at least keep the basic stuff updated on my site, but also because it's so damn close, so it's been fun hanging with Todd, Scotty, and my other bar buddies. They've been having more weeknight shows, too, which makes it pretty convenient. On September 11, I walked over to see the show, but missed Tape Deck Mountain. I saw just a little bit of Crescendo but finally caught The Feelings Mutual and I enjoyed seeing them after having listened to their CD a few times. We know my pics suck there, but here are a couple anyway.
The Feelings Mutual
Come Friday, I decided pretty late that I was going to go out at all, so again, walked over and it was packed. It was a Secret Scooter Society Club night and both sides of the bar were packed, which was great because it was the debut of Kerrie's band, Heavy Love, who play a great mix of 50's classics. Kerrie is a classically trained vocalist, so her covers of the Supremes and others were spot on, backed by a full band with a horn section. They were really, really good.
http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z160/divebarchick/?action=view¤t=DSC07647.jpg
Saturday night I was supposed to see The Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Augustana at Cricket, but Counting Crows cancelled and since I was supposed to take photos of them, it freed up my night to chill out and go to Kristian's housewarming party. If I haven't said so before, Kristian is one of my best friends, all the way back to when he was a freshman and I was a senior in high school. He contributes to this blog as "KZ" (though not enough), and he recently moved back to San Diego after living in LA for a while. He lives in a killer house in South Park and was having a housewarming party. There was an ice luge and a keg and it was like all the college parties I never really went to. What a great time.
Sunday was a chill day, I checked out Ponce's that night for the final night of "Behind Your Daddy's Back" which was pretty fun. They have a DJ playing lounge music, they have a limited menu of TJ tacos and drink specials. I think they're gonna bring it back around next year. Then I chilled at the Ken to wrap up the weekend.
Monday night was The Juan Maclean at the Casbah, and since it was a late show, I started the night at The Chee Chee. The Juan Maclean were really fun, and Kristian and Beau came and partook in the dance fest at the Casbah.
The next night, I ended up seeing a couple of the people from The Juan Maclean at 4th and B when I sold merch for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. That night was crazy. I have never sold so much merch in my life and the line for people buying t-shirts was about 30 deep from the time the doors opened at 8 until Nick Cave took the stage at 10, and was consistent even while the band played. I wish I could say that I saw the show, but really I only had a few moments when I could actually pay attention and listen to them, but they sounded phenomenal and the crowd was really enthusiastic for the whole show. I worked through the manager and no, I didn't get to meet or even see the band.
The last catch up I'll get to for now was the San Diego Music Awards. I already posted the winners but I did take a few pictures that night that I wanted to post.
I drove out with Matt, Elizabeth and Andrew, we had a couple beers in the parking lot and actually got there in time before the show started. To me, the San Diego Music Awards is not about the performances, and not even really about the awards, but a chance for people from the entire music community...musicians and fans alike...to hang out and celebrate the progress the music community has made here. Think back, even just a year, to the number of music venues and opportunities for bands to play and mix and network and play together compared to now and it's easy to see that this city has it going on.
Writer (left-Best New Artist Nominees) SayVinyl (right-Best Local Recording)
As I Lay Dying closed the show, and I couldn't resist taking pictures because there was a full blown (planned?) mosh pit in front of the stage.
As I mentioned, after the show, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds played the V Lounge, where people mingled, danced, drank, and if you were me, found a video poker machine to spend the money I'd earned selling Nick Cave's merch. But eventually we had to go, same 4 of us and Dagart. And I had to post these pictures. There are a lot of things I don't understand about guys, but one is why guys sucker punch one another in the nuts. It's weird though mildly entertaining for bystanders. I love these pics, after Dagart messed up Andrew, trying to make peace and then looking at me like "What?". I think Andrew is still seeking the right moment for revenge.
So that was the early part of my month. I already posted all my Street Scene stuff, so I'll pick up after that when I give myself the opportunity to upload and write some more, hopefully this weekend. There's always my twitter feed, I guess.
I should really just start this entry with "Dear Diary".
In looking back, I spent quite a lot of time at the Ken Club. One, because I can do my listings and attempt to at least keep the basic stuff updated on my site, but also because it's so damn close, so it's been fun hanging with Todd, Scotty, and my other bar buddies. They've been having more weeknight shows, too, which makes it pretty convenient. On September 11, I walked over to see the show, but missed Tape Deck Mountain. I saw just a little bit of Crescendo but finally caught The Feelings Mutual and I enjoyed seeing them after having listened to their CD a few times. We know my pics suck there, but here are a couple anyway.
The Feelings Mutual
Come Friday, I decided pretty late that I was going to go out at all, so again, walked over and it was packed. It was a Secret Scooter Society Club night and both sides of the bar were packed, which was great because it was the debut of Kerrie's band, Heavy Love, who play a great mix of 50's classics. Kerrie is a classically trained vocalist, so her covers of the Supremes and others were spot on, backed by a full band with a horn section. They were really, really good.
Saturday night I was supposed to see The Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Augustana at Cricket, but Counting Crows cancelled and since I was supposed to take photos of them, it freed up my night to chill out and go to Kristian's housewarming party. If I haven't said so before, Kristian is one of my best friends, all the way back to when he was a freshman and I was a senior in high school. He contributes to this blog as "KZ" (though not enough), and he recently moved back to San Diego after living in LA for a while. He lives in a killer house in South Park and was having a housewarming party. There was an ice luge and a keg and it was like all the college parties I never really went to. What a great time.
Sunday was a chill day, I checked out Ponce's that night for the final night of "Behind Your Daddy's Back" which was pretty fun. They have a DJ playing lounge music, they have a limited menu of TJ tacos and drink specials. I think they're gonna bring it back around next year. Then I chilled at the Ken to wrap up the weekend.
Monday night was The Juan Maclean at the Casbah, and since it was a late show, I started the night at The Chee Chee. The Juan Maclean were really fun, and Kristian and Beau came and partook in the dance fest at the Casbah.
The next night, I ended up seeing a couple of the people from The Juan Maclean at 4th and B when I sold merch for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. That night was crazy. I have never sold so much merch in my life and the line for people buying t-shirts was about 30 deep from the time the doors opened at 8 until Nick Cave took the stage at 10, and was consistent even while the band played. I wish I could say that I saw the show, but really I only had a few moments when I could actually pay attention and listen to them, but they sounded phenomenal and the crowd was really enthusiastic for the whole show. I worked through the manager and no, I didn't get to meet or even see the band.
The last catch up I'll get to for now was the San Diego Music Awards. I already posted the winners but I did take a few pictures that night that I wanted to post.
I drove out with Matt, Elizabeth and Andrew, we had a couple beers in the parking lot and actually got there in time before the show started. To me, the San Diego Music Awards is not about the performances, and not even really about the awards, but a chance for people from the entire music community...musicians and fans alike...to hang out and celebrate the progress the music community has made here. Think back, even just a year, to the number of music venues and opportunities for bands to play and mix and network and play together compared to now and it's easy to see that this city has it going on.
Writer (left-Best New Artist Nominees) SayVinyl (right-Best Local Recording)
As I Lay Dying closed the show, and I couldn't resist taking pictures because there was a full blown (planned?) mosh pit in front of the stage.
As I mentioned, after the show, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds played the V Lounge, where people mingled, danced, drank, and if you were me, found a video poker machine to spend the money I'd earned selling Nick Cave's merch. But eventually we had to go, same 4 of us and Dagart. And I had to post these pictures. There are a lot of things I don't understand about guys, but one is why guys sucker punch one another in the nuts. It's weird though mildly entertaining for bystanders. I love these pics, after Dagart messed up Andrew, trying to make peace and then looking at me like "What?". I think Andrew is still seeking the right moment for revenge.
So that was the early part of my month. I already posted all my Street Scene stuff, so I'll pick up after that when I give myself the opportunity to upload and write some more, hopefully this weekend. There's always my twitter feed, I guess.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Street Scene 2008 Photos: Day 1
So I loved Street Scene this year. Yes, there were the positives...back downtown has that urban feel people in San Diego long for...and the minuses...like I drank a goddamn energy drink that made me feel like shit for the entirety of Saturday, but I endured. Not one band's set disappointed, the sound was great on every stage (and during The National I didn't experience the bleed people spoke of because I hung on the left side of the stage) and the ins and outs plus a photo pass plus hanging with friends who were OK to let me run off on my own but still hang out when it was time to call it a night made it an amazing weekend. I will attempt to write a little about everything I saw and experienced, but mostly, since I uploaded, I wanna post the pics, so after the jump, you can see my version of Street Scene 2008.
On Friday I was rearing to go but my friends took a little bit longer to motivate, so I did my thing at my place, then hopped on the bus to Petro and Kris' house while we waited for others to meet up. We had some beers, then some shots at Rosie O'Grady's before finally catching the bus downtown. It's a long ride, but it was fun being with a group of friends.
The busride to downtown
I was told my photo pass fell through, but while I was waiting to hand off tickets to a friend who was coming from LA, I thought I might as well try and see if the list went through, and sure enough, while not granted a full media pass, I was handed a photo pass. The lines at that point were chaos, but there was a media line and I cruised right in. MGMT were about to start, and that stage was crowded, but some way, some how, I squished my body through hoardes of people to make it up to the photo pit in time for their set. The band looked happy and healthy which was great, since the last time I saw them they looked a bit shellshocked and worn down.
MGMT
After the first three songs, as photographers were kicked out of the pit, I wanted nothing to do with the Zarabunda Stage, and wormed my way right back out, listening to a few songs from the very back of the stage area. I think of all the bands on the weekend, they were most inappropriately placed as far as stage and time go because they were incredibly popular.
I wandered to The Casbah stage and caught Foals within the 3 song allotment. This band is so incredible and I feel like they'll endure while other flash in the pan bands come and go. They're so entertaining and energetic on stage.
Foals
After Foals, I wandered to a beer garden to wait for TVOTR, but the lines were insane. It was about 7 and we had about 45 minutes, and I convinced Jake and Dagart to leave with me. We hopped on a cab and had drinks at Chee Chee, and made it back in time for TV On The Radio. I took pics of them at shows prior, despite them making kind of a big deal about no photos, which always makes me nervous that there will be a big Band of Horses or QOTSA outburst from the band, but with that in mind, I was among probably 40 photographers in the pit, and Kip made eye contact with me as they played and gave me a head nod and a smile, shirking my fear of bearded guys that hate photographs. Their set was incredible and they definitely delivered, though I could say that about pretty much every band I saw throughout the weekend.
TV On The Radio
After TVOTR, I made my way to Spoon's stage and posted up in a spot. There were so many photographers that I decided to only shoot 2 songs per band then move along so I wouldn't get bullied for using a point and shoot cybershot amongst all the crazy media peeps with gigantic lenses. I've seen Spoon so many times now but it never gets old. Britt blows me away. And with a full horn section, their set really rocked.
Spoon
After Spoon, I was done with the big stages and wanted to catch the Casbah stage again, since I think it had been nearly two years since I'd seen Devotchka. I guess their Eastern European sound kinda takes me back to my Polish roots and listening to polkas with my dad as a kid, and there is something about their sound that, while still indie rock, brings an element of tradition to it. They sounded amazing, but the lighting didn't work out so much for my P&S or PoS camera, depending on how you look at it.
Devotchka
Last, I made my way back to the nightmare chaos stage to worm my way through the crowd for Vampire Weekend. I still love this band, despite their unfortunate overhype and subsequent backlash. They make me happy, and when I met them all in the past, they were all sweet and humble guys just enjoying the ride while they can. Can't knock them for that.
Vampire Weekend
After Vampire Weekend, I attempted Beck but was rejected for not having a secondary special photo pass, which pretty much made me give a big middle finger and skip his performance. I guess with Beck I'm a fairweather fan. I only own/like Sea Change, and the last time I saw him at RIMAC I was bored to bits, so I wandered.
I did make one more stop at The Casbah stage for Antibalas who played furiously and had a great political message to their music, not to mention being the only band I danced to all night.
Antibalas
And that was the end of our Street Scene adventure. I caught a ride with Dagart and Jake and we hit the Chee Chee for a while after the show, then went to the Ken. It was a punk night there and it was packed and I ran into a bunch of friends there, so afterward a couple of them came over thinking we'd have a full on after party, but everyone else bailed I guess. Still we had a good time catching up and I finally crashed out around 4 am. Entirely not enough sleep for Saturday's festivities, but such is my life sometimes. I'll post a Day Two recap soon.
On Friday I was rearing to go but my friends took a little bit longer to motivate, so I did my thing at my place, then hopped on the bus to Petro and Kris' house while we waited for others to meet up. We had some beers, then some shots at Rosie O'Grady's before finally catching the bus downtown. It's a long ride, but it was fun being with a group of friends.
The busride to downtown
I was told my photo pass fell through, but while I was waiting to hand off tickets to a friend who was coming from LA, I thought I might as well try and see if the list went through, and sure enough, while not granted a full media pass, I was handed a photo pass. The lines at that point were chaos, but there was a media line and I cruised right in. MGMT were about to start, and that stage was crowded, but some way, some how, I squished my body through hoardes of people to make it up to the photo pit in time for their set. The band looked happy and healthy which was great, since the last time I saw them they looked a bit shellshocked and worn down.
MGMT
After the first three songs, as photographers were kicked out of the pit, I wanted nothing to do with the Zarabunda Stage, and wormed my way right back out, listening to a few songs from the very back of the stage area. I think of all the bands on the weekend, they were most inappropriately placed as far as stage and time go because they were incredibly popular.
I wandered to The Casbah stage and caught Foals within the 3 song allotment. This band is so incredible and I feel like they'll endure while other flash in the pan bands come and go. They're so entertaining and energetic on stage.
Foals
After Foals, I wandered to a beer garden to wait for TVOTR, but the lines were insane. It was about 7 and we had about 45 minutes, and I convinced Jake and Dagart to leave with me. We hopped on a cab and had drinks at Chee Chee, and made it back in time for TV On The Radio. I took pics of them at shows prior, despite them making kind of a big deal about no photos, which always makes me nervous that there will be a big Band of Horses or QOTSA outburst from the band, but with that in mind, I was among probably 40 photographers in the pit, and Kip made eye contact with me as they played and gave me a head nod and a smile, shirking my fear of bearded guys that hate photographs. Their set was incredible and they definitely delivered, though I could say that about pretty much every band I saw throughout the weekend.
TV On The Radio
After TVOTR, I made my way to Spoon's stage and posted up in a spot. There were so many photographers that I decided to only shoot 2 songs per band then move along so I wouldn't get bullied for using a point and shoot cybershot amongst all the crazy media peeps with gigantic lenses. I've seen Spoon so many times now but it never gets old. Britt blows me away. And with a full horn section, their set really rocked.
Spoon
After Spoon, I was done with the big stages and wanted to catch the Casbah stage again, since I think it had been nearly two years since I'd seen Devotchka. I guess their Eastern European sound kinda takes me back to my Polish roots and listening to polkas with my dad as a kid, and there is something about their sound that, while still indie rock, brings an element of tradition to it. They sounded amazing, but the lighting didn't work out so much for my P&S or PoS camera, depending on how you look at it.
Devotchka
Last, I made my way back to the nightmare chaos stage to worm my way through the crowd for Vampire Weekend. I still love this band, despite their unfortunate overhype and subsequent backlash. They make me happy, and when I met them all in the past, they were all sweet and humble guys just enjoying the ride while they can. Can't knock them for that.
Vampire Weekend
After Vampire Weekend, I attempted Beck but was rejected for not having a secondary special photo pass, which pretty much made me give a big middle finger and skip his performance. I guess with Beck I'm a fairweather fan. I only own/like Sea Change, and the last time I saw him at RIMAC I was bored to bits, so I wandered.
I did make one more stop at The Casbah stage for Antibalas who played furiously and had a great political message to their music, not to mention being the only band I danced to all night.
Antibalas
And that was the end of our Street Scene adventure. I caught a ride with Dagart and Jake and we hit the Chee Chee for a while after the show, then went to the Ken. It was a punk night there and it was packed and I ran into a bunch of friends there, so afterward a couple of them came over thinking we'd have a full on after party, but everyone else bailed I guess. Still we had a good time catching up and I finally crashed out around 4 am. Entirely not enough sleep for Saturday's festivities, but such is my life sometimes. I'll post a Day Two recap soon.
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