FM 94/9 Independence Jam: The Final Post

It's pretty pathetic that I never got around to posting the last of my pics from Independence Jam, but things came up. I don't have much more to say about the show, except that it was awesome. I really appreciated the bands a lot, even Flogging Molly, despite them falling just outside of the boundary of what I normally like. In fact, it was pretty fun in that photo pit with bodies flying over me, and one of the guards asking me if I could take a picture with his camera phone since he wasn't allowed to turn around and watch the band at all. The VIP section was cool, the beer gardens were nice, the field was perfect, and the bands kicked ass. I was not only happy to live where I do, but it made me proud to be a San Diegan.

The Silent Comedy



The Hold Steady



Transfer



Flogging Molly








After the show, I caught a ride with Jake to the Casbah where it was loud and crowded. I watched The Sess, but by the time Firewater was playing, I ran into Abraham and heard from a guy I met when MgmT played the Casbah, so we decided to go meet the band at their hotel with the instructions "Bring whiskey and smokes." Done and done. Abraham and I went to their hotel, security drove us on their golf cart to their room, but when we got there, there were just a couple guys they brought on the road. A few minutes later, they showed up with Erika (U-31) and a couple girls so we chilled out and had a couple beers. Really though, everyone was so tired, so we left as Andrew crawled into bed. Super nice guys. When they were on TV the next night...Craig Ferguson, I think, all I could think was, "I've seen him in his chones." Funny.

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam pt 3

So by this point in the day, MgmT was hitting the mainstage. I was feeling the burn from all those stairs and a happy buzz as I descended the stairs. MgmT just makes me happy. My feeling is that some of their songs could be sped up slightly for live performances, but they just chill out all happy and it lends itself to people being able to hear every lyric of "Time To Pretend", "Youth", and all the other songs my friends and I have gotten down to since the album came out.

At this point of the day I was regretting that I didn't have a backup memory card for my camera, so I conserved and didn't even spend the full allotted time in the pit. I think this was also the point in the day that I teased one of the guards about not smiling. Blow-up beach balls were flying into the pit, so I picked one up and tossed it back to the crowd. The security are supposed to look mean and intimidating, and sometimes they are, but most of them are young, many of them servicemen or former servicemen, and after being treated like shit by everyone all day, you might seem grumpy, too. I talked to a couple of them, and I could tell they were good on the inside, particularly when one of them gave me a "psst" to let me know I needed to tend to more beach balls, something they are not allowed to do. I mean really, they're not even supposed to smile. That made me happy as I skipped out of the photo pit.

The VIP area was open by that point, so I watched the end of MgmT while eating a burger, watching the crowd slowly bump like a wave to the end of their set. We stayed up there for a while, regrettably missing The Muslims.

After discovering some barely used port-o-potties I had another quick cerveza then caught The Cold War Kids. They announced they'll have a new release later this summer and played some new songs, but kept everyone happy with "Hang Me Out To Dry" and "Hospital Beds" among others from their earlier releases (the eps and full length). I seriously love these guys and hope they end up on the Street Scene lineup, or better yet, play a little small show at the Casbah. Fingers crossed. I haven't heard anything, by the way, I'm just hoping.





At this point in the day it was about 6pm. I caught the full set, then Natalie and I were smart enough to go around from the VIP to the local stage where The Silent Comedy was just about to bring it down.

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam pt 2

By this point at Indie Jam, it was around 2:30. The Ting-Tings were finishing up their set, I ran into Tim and asked if he could get me an extra credential, so I followed him up the steps and he got me a Casbah stage pass from Porter. It wasn't really necessary, but it gave me leverage to befriend the security up top and I eventually talked to his supervisor who gave us clearance to use the photo barrier for the local stage. Most large shows that I've been to usually have an entrance for photos and one for backstage areas. For some reason, the entrance to get to the photo section of both stages was the same as the backstage area and this caused some confusion, but at least we worked it out up top.

The Blackout Party sounded great and looked perfect, too. Tim was a total rockstar in his wifebeater and aviators as he played his instruments, and Brian was rocking an Obama shirt and the sky made his blue eyes piercing (when he finally took off his shades). Everyone else rocked out, too, though Jake didn't bust another hole in his snare like last time I saw him, fortunately.



After three songs I chilled in the tent for the local stage as more of the bands unloaded, then made my way back to the mainstage for The Whigs. Of all the bands I saw, I was probably least familiar with their music. This was when the mainstage security snafu happened, but Tim worked it out, then later Owen, so I took some quick pics and got out.



There were signs for beer sampling from 3-4p, so Natalie and I walked across the football field to the main beer garden and enjoyed $1 samples of beer and sparks and Velvet and Kristian came to find us. We found a spot on the grass and drank samples until The Whigs finished. From the lawn, we just took everything in, looking at everyone laying on blankets, listening to The Whigs power through their set until the end.

This is where I should say that it's clear people enjoy these events in a million different ways. Some people listened to the music intently, maintaining their spots at the mainstage barrier all day long. Others hang back, minimally clothed, sunbathing while the music played in the background. Some danced, some played hacky sack or frisbee, some hang out to just see one band, and some just drink all day long. Personally, running around, taking pictures, saying hi to friends, being backstage or in a VIP tent, having cold beer...these all make up the ways I enjoyed this event. Just like some people's ideal vacation is a deserted beach in Hawaii, mine is a busy week in a big city where you need 2 days after the vacation just to get back to your real life. Neither is better or worse, just different. With that, The Whigs finished, and it was back up the stairs for Kill Me Tomorrow.

Watching them, I wondered how with all the local shows I go to, I've never seen them. Maybe the band's name sounded too emo for me to even try but they were anything but emo and they played a great set. I promise I will definitely see them again when I can.






I had a beer with Blackout Party and the rest of the bands milling around until I heard the first notes of MgmT and I was off super quick to get to see my band of the day.

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam, pt. 1

I really wanted to get to Indy Jam in time to catch Nortec Collective and Santogold, but Kristian drove down from LA and there was still some discussion as to wheter we were gonna take the magic bus or drive, but taking one car made the most sense for us. Velvet has been living in Montana, so she had a sweet convertible and the ride to Chula Vista was sweet, just chilling into the back with my hair whipping my face. We arrived and had no problem getting right into the venue.

Santogold was finishing up on the mainstage, so we made our way to the upstairs beer garden while The Wrong Trousers hit the local stage. I think they really impressed the crowd that was trickling in, and how could they not with their innocent stage banter, particularly with the story about "Calvin"?



We listened from the beer garden for the remainder of the set, then made our way downstairs for The Ting-Tings. They mentioned again being jetlagged, but it wasn't evident in their performance at all. They were high energy all over again and I was glad we didn't miss their set. They played most of the jams from the album and I ran into some friends as they finished up, so Daye and I busted out some 80s dance moves before heading back upstairs.









The bands alternated all day between the upstairs and mainstage, so as soon as one band finished, it was up the stairs to catch all my local band peeps. The only one I missed was The Muslims but when they played I really needed to get some grub in me. To whomever commented that I didn't look like I had fun, you're sadly mistaken. The bands were great, I was with some of my favorite friend, and I had a nice buzz all day long. It was an amazing kickoff to summer in San Diego, and I'll post more of the pictures in the next couple days.

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam

I uploaded all the pictures I want to post from Independence Jam that took place on Sunday and I'll roll them out later, but for now, I wanted to thank everyone who made it such a rad day, particularly Owen, Tim Pyles and Tim Mays. Those guys were everywhere throughout the day and made sure people like me were taken care of when, say, security didn't believe a "photo" pass meant access to the "photo" pit. Really, though, the whole day was smooth sailing, so here are just some friends who helped make the day special and I'll get to all the music later.

First, huge thanks to Kristian and Velvet who were kind enough to pick me up and drive to the show (left). They didn't stay as late as I did, but thanks to Jake for getting me from Southwestern to the Casbah, and Abraham for getting me home and for the little diversion at MgmT's hotel.

That's Trav and Justin who were fun to chat with up in the VIP tent.






Left, the boys of Transfer, and the man, the myth, the machine, Mr. Tim Pyles:

It was seriously a perfect day and I can't wait to have some time to write about it all, but my lunch is over and I have to head back to work, so check back tonight or tomorrow for all the band photos.

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Independence Jam Set Times: aka DON'T BE LATE.

I just called Owen to see if 94/9 wanted to give set times and he said they've been on the site for over a week. If the link from FM949sd.com to www.independencejam.com wasn't working for you (like it wasn't for me), here are the set times for Sunday. All I know is that bus better get me to Southwestern College in time for Nortec Collective...



You rss readers are gonna have to actually click to the site. Set times are in a jpeg.

I cannot wait. I've been excited about a different band every day this week, and today it's Cold War Kids because I realized that its been some time since I've seen them (and sold merch for them). Yay. All Sundays should be this awesome.

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Sigur Ros Postponed

Word on the street is that the venue, promoters, and tour management of Sigur Ros are trying to find another suitable date for the Sigur Ros to make up the show that is being cancelled on Sunday, so hang on to your tickets.

In the meantime, no excuses not to grab your tickets for Indy Jam. Chula Vista is just like going to Tijuana, after all, right? (That is supposed to be 100% funny. I am Chula Vista born and bred and I'm damn proud of it.)

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam

FM 94/9 announced their Independence Jam lineup. Interesting. Independence Jam has MGMT, too. Maybe they can go for the hat trick and play SoCo Music Festival as well.

Main Stage:
Flogging Molly
The Hold Steady
Cold War Kids
MGMT
The Whigs
The Ting Tings
Santogold
Nortec Collective

Local Stage:
Transfer
Silent Comedy
Kill Me Tomorrow
The Muslims
Blackout Party

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam 2008

Tomorrow morning, April 28, FM 94/9 is going to announce the lineup for this year's Independence Jam. For those of you reading the web on a Sunday, here's a sneak peek at the local stage (in no particular order):

The Silent Comedy
Kill Me Tomorrow
Blackout Party
The Wrong Trousers
maybe The Muslims

Grand Ole Party, The Night Marchers, and Black Heart Procession can NOT play due to conflicting tour dates.

Also, don't forget the Whigs are already confirmed as a mainstage act. I'm hoping that means their tourmates, What Made Milwaukee Famous, will be on that bill, too, but they're not getting airplay so I dunno. I gave up on my other guessing, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

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FM 94/9 Independence Jam

It's coming back. June 8, 2008 at DeVore Stadium at Southwestern College.
Tickets are $40 flat, no service charges, and includes parking.

No band announcements, but I'm here to crack the code, so I'll do my best.

First band (according to Pollstar): The Whigs

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Interpol didn't flake

I just wanted to make a correction on a previous post. After the Independence Jam on Monday, the Interpol guys were supposed to dj and I said they were delayed. Halloran wanted me to point out that 3 of them did actually show up. One was sorta mobbed by people, so he didn't stay long, one was on the turntables, and the other was chilling in the Atari lounge playing pool. I didn't really notice any of them, but seeing as that was after midnight, I think my carriage was already a pumpkin, if you know what I mean. I did get this lovely picture of Halloran, however.



Thanks for the clarification, Hal.

While I'm at it, I thought it was worth noting that TK from Indie 103.1 was here for FM 94/9's show and has been talking about how great it was all week on-air. Of course, he's not gonna mention a competing radio station, but it's good to note that our little town is getting some shoutouts in LA.

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Sunday Recap (pt.1): FM 94/9 Independence Jam at DeVore Stadium, Chula Vista: Interpol, Kings of Leon, Spoon, et al.

Sunday almost didn't happen for me. I was lazy, tired, and on my way to Chula Vista had to stop at three different gas stations before one had a working air/water machine to fill my tires. So frustrating. By the time I got to the venue around 5:30, I was even more tired and just generally grumpy. I got to will call and they couldn't locate my photo pass because apparently you have to say, "there's an envelope with my name on it", not "there's supposed to be a photo pass here for me." duh. I did finally make it through the gates, however, right as Mr. Tube and The Flying Objects started on the local stage. They finally had a stage big enough to hold everyone in the band. I always like watching Mr. Tube, and it was nice to see the local stage well attended throughout the day.



I'm not gonna do a full play by play of the day, but there was some cool stuff happening, lots of good people, and of course, the music was great.






Britt Daniels, Spoon, photo by Rosey

Spoon was the first mainstage band that I got to see. As I mentioned, it was very intimidating in the photo pit with so many photographers with monster cameras, so I was shy and only took a couple pictures of Britt and his boys, then set up my blanket back on the grass while I tried to get in a proper festival mood. It was a little surprising that Spoon only played two new songs, but the older stuff is so good, who could complain?


Britt Daniels, Spoon, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey



After Spoon, is was back up to the local stage for Grand Ole Party. They killed it. I talked to a couple people who'd never seen the band before who were amazed and couldn't believe they are "just" a local band. How much must we emphasize that San Diego has some good shit happenin??


Grand Ole Party, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Grand Ole Party, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey

While hanging out with Matt (Vinyl Radio), some girl approached us with VIP passes. Matt gave her some cash and a CD. I wasn't gonna buy one on principal, but when she said she'd give it to me for $10, how could I refuse? With beers costing $7 each, I'd easily make back my money with the comp beer in the tent, right? We headed back to the mainstage, and I went into the photo pit and did my thing for Kings of Leon. Another bonus of the VIP badge was access to the bathroom near the stage but closed off to the public. So glad I didn't have to suffer through using a port a potty.


Kings of Leon, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Kings of Leon, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Kings of Leon, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey

The crowd was loving Kings of Leon. After the 3 song photo limit, it was time to hit the free drinks in the VIP tent and watch the show from a distance.





Matt and I continued with the back and forth, catching all the local acts and mainstage acts. Spoon is by far my favorite performance of the day, though I was impressed by Kings of Leon and Interpol. Mostly, it was a beautiful day, a perfect venue, and a great place to spend the day with 6000 of your closest friends.


Scarlet Symphony, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Scarlet Symphony, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


Interpol, 6/10/07, photo by Rosey


After I got to hear Interpol call out my name ("Rosemary, Heaven restores you in life...") it was time for me to hit the road. I was parked in the dirt lot and didn't wanna get caught in traffic. I took Otay Lakes to Bonita Road and it was smooth sailing. Then part deux of my evening...Smoosh and the Pipettes at the Casbah.

Super shout out to Owen for the photo pass and Pyles for the awesome local stage, and to 94/9 in general for a super impressive festival.

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Music This Week: Dappled Cities, Thao Nguyen, Midnight Movies,

There are some things I've been meaning to talk about but just haven't had the time so this is going to be really short. Instead of big plugs, let me just say that these are bands and shows I support.

1. Dappled Cities "Granddance"- Finally released on Tuesday, this Aussie band is on Dangerbird Records...home of Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, and The One AM Radio...all bands I truly support. I like Granddance a lot because while cohesive as an album, each song has elements that remind me of something else and because of that, I can listen to it as background music without it being too demanding but without it putting me to sleep. Most important thing to know is that this band is AWESOME and they're playing with Tokyo Police Club at the Beauty Bar on July 26. Pre-sale tickets are on sale for that show for $10 and it will sell out, so wait not.

2. Spoon "Gagagaga" I have not illegally downloaded this album like most of you already have. But Merge records is releasing one track per day here. Sunday at the FM 94/9 Miller Lite Independence Jam is going to be so good.

3. Midnight Movies "Lion The Girl" - If Dido had created music for HBO instead of the WB, she might sound like Midnight Movies. Pretty voice with darker music. Each listen makes me like this CD more and more. Midnight Movies is opening for The Raveonettes this Saturday at the Casbah.

4. Thao Nguyen 6/7, House of Blues Sidestage- You guys never make sense. You go all apeshit over Feist, and Thao Nguyen is right there, completely accessible on Kill Rock Stars. (Listen to Feet Asleep on her MySpace) She's playing tomorrow at the House of Blues Sidestage (for $5!!) This was an "almost didn't happen" show, so it's really not in any of the ads for House of Blues and still wasn't on the House of Blues website last time I checked, but I have verbal confirmation with Jamal that this show is happening, so after you catch Swim Party and Kite Flying Society at TNT, walk with me to the House of Blues for this show. Deal? Deal.

5. Glen Phillips, The Watkins Family, Grant Lee Phillips, Luke Bella. Belly Up Tavern, TONIGHT, June 6: I was a huge fan of Toad The Wet Sprocket growing up and have made an effort to see their shows throughout the years. Glen Phillips as a solo musician is a bit more hushed, but so nice with his great songwriting well in tact. The Watkins Family is 2/3 of Nickel Creek, Grant Lee Phillips of Grant Lee Buffalo has that haunting voice that still takes me back the the room I was in the very first time I heard them. This is a solid show at a perfect venue. I will be there. You will get the full report mañana.

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Tuesday Newsy Bits: Indie Jam Schedule, other stuff

Some really random things today. Since this is still my personal blog (whether you like to hear my garbage or not), I thought I would mention that on Friday, my last surviving frog took his last breath. He was upside down when I got home and struggling to flip over, which he finally did, but hours later his fate was sealed. African Dwarf frogs are really cool little pets if you have the patience to frequently clean their water and always have distilled water on hand. 5 years was a good life for them.
*****
The set times for Indie Jam have been posted on the website for FM 94/9 and also on Chickrawker. Check it out here.
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While hanging with my dad this weekend he commented on my article in the Reader. "If I had $10,000 for each band I could identify in your list," he said, "I still couldn't even buy a cup of coffee." Dashboard by Modest Mouse was playing in the background and trying to seem with it, he asked if I was a fan of "Modest", because that was all that was displayed on the stereo display. Sometimes families seem like they don't really get you and then you get older and realize that at least they always tried. It was a good weekend.
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For my new, slightly more diverse readers, I give you Blues Cruise Information:

Taj Mahal (music) & The International Rhythm Band, Elvin Bishop (music), Bobby Rush, Lowrider Band (Howard Scott, Lee Oskar, BB Dickerson & Harold Brown), Tommy Castro, Marcia Ball, Rod Piazza, Bernard Allison, Curtis Salgado, Janiva Magness, Eric Sardinas, John Lee Hooker, Jr., Sista Monica Parker, Doug MacLeod, Chico Banks, Eric Bibb, Earl Thomas, Eric Lindell and Nathan James & Ben Hernandez are all slated to appear on this year's Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, according to a press release.

The excursion sets sail Oct. 13 from San Diego, travels to the Mexican Riviera, and returns to port Oct. 20. Many of the cabins are already sold out, so if this is something you're interested in, you should get on it. If you're more of a Parrothead, you should join KPRi on their "Music and Margaritas" 4-day Cruise to Cabo. Info here.
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House of Blues Two For TU tickets offerings today include tickets for Tesla on June 11. Are they surprised that tickets didn't sell...for Tesla...at $45 a pop? Other tickets available are Derek Trucks with Susan Tedeschi (originally $35, June 13, 4th & B) and Umphrey's McGee (originally $20, 6/14, HoB)

In other ticket news, tickets for Jackfest (Jack FM concert featuring ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon, The Pretenders, and the Stray Cats) went on sale last weekend. This is what the site says:

All tickets will have a $6 parking fee (per ticket) added on top of the prices below.

Reserved 1 - $75.00; Reserved 2 - $65.00; Reserved 3 - $55.00; Reserved 4 - $35.00; Lawn - $30.00; 4 pack lawn - $19.99 per ticket. ($80.00 Total)

Now, let's see how much they really cost:

Reserved 2 -
$65.00
Facility Charge $6.00
Convenience Charge $11.15
Order Processing Charge $3.40.
Total $85.55 (one ticket)

4 pack lawn
$19.99 per ticket
Facility Charge $4.50
Convenience Charge $7.60
Order Processing Charge $3.40
Total for 4: $131.80

Tickets for Crowded House at Humphrey's also went on sale last Saturday, and as much as I would love to go, I just cannot bring myself to spend $129 on a dinner package seat or $70 on a regular seat (plus ticketmaster fee of $7.75). boo.
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more news later...

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X-Fest + Indie Jam + Street Scene

Hope everyone had a great weekend, expect plenty of pics and posts about my past three days, but in the meantime, a couple things I meant to post last week.

First, CatDirt gave me my pics from 91x X-Fest and since I'm still getting a ton of hits from google searches, here are a few more pics, for you, the children, because it's all about the kids.


The Used at X-Fest, photo by Rosey


Jared Leto at X-Fest, photo by Rosey


Jared Leto at X-Fest, photo by Rosey


Avril Levigne at X-Fest, photo by Rosey


Chris Cantore & Jennifer White at X-Fest, photo by Rosey


Brian of Silversun Pickups at X-Fest, photo by Rosey

Second, for those people wanting to go to FM 94/9's Independence Jam and still scratching their heads wondering "where the hell is Southwestern College?", I took a picture (while driving) of DeVore Stadium. Southwestern College (not "Southwest College") is a junior college in the South Bay. If you take the 805 south, you can take H Street East or L Street/Telegraph Canyon Road East and then make a left at Otay Lakes Road. DeVore Stadium is the football stadium on the corner with the huge dirt lot out front. The college is diagonal from Bonita Vista High School. The field (obviously) is grass and is surrounded by rows of cement stadium bleachers, so there should be plenty of room to wander around and find a good vantage point of both stages at any given time.



Last, I keep getting a lot of hits looking for hints at a Street Scene lineup. I have no inside information from the promoters, but some very likely headliners according to friends in the know include Smashing Pumpkins, The White Stripes, and Nine Inch Nails. Anything I hear I will post right here, so keep checking. Presale tickets should be onsale mid-June. Be their friend on MySpace, where the pre-sale announcement was made last year.

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