San Diego Newsy Tidbits

It's been a while since I posted any newsy bits, and since I don't have a lot of time before I hit two Christmas parties and at least one show, I'll keep it brief.

First, congratulations to my dear friend and colleague Tim Pyles (photo by Natalie Kardos) for being named the 2010 SubModern Host of The Year for his "FTP" show on FM 94/9. We all know he rocks, but it's nice for FMQB to take note and spread the word among the radio world. It would be super awesome if his show was syndicated to other stations, dontcha think?

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A couple weeks ago, I posted about O'Connell's being sold. Apparently that report was premature and at the last minute, the buyers dropped out, so for now, O'Connell's is still O'Connell's. As they'd planned on moving on, there were no shows booked for December, so if you want or need a show in December, you might wanna hit them up.

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Other tidbits- The Styletones will no longer have a Monday residency at Bar Pink come 2011. Though they'll still be all over town, those Mondays became a ritual for manyso be sure to catch them before the year ends. ** Word on the street is that Dirty Sweet has called it quits. With a long history in the San Diego music scene, I suspect they'll find new outlets down the road. **CityBeat reports this week that Seth Combs new venture will be a lifestyle site call GFYSanDiego. Presumably "Go Fuck Yourself", and with SDGossipScene closing up shop and heading to New York, I can already feel the target on my back from my favorite frenemy. Best of luck to Seth.

Tues Recap: Neilfest

Growing up, I recall digging through my mom's "forty-fives" and asking her about her small collection of 60s music. She was mostly into do-wop and soul, and scribbled on the labels was "Rosie y David por vida". David was her high school boyfriend, who was tragically killed before they graduated. She never went into the details of the relationship, mostly just the music. "That's when songs meant something."

In that vein, I went to Neilfest V at O'Connell's, with people mostly my mom's age, who love Neil's music and they could be transported back to their younger days, "when songs really meant something." By the size of the crowd and their passion for the music, you would've thought Neil Young himself was going to be there. At $15 a pop, every seat was full, including rows of chairs set in front of the stage.

I arrived during the Coyote Problem's set. They really did sound awesome, and while few can copy that Neil voice, the band owned the stage. The format was to have each performer play two Neil Young songs and two originals that capture Neil's spirit. The band's did a great job at doing just that.

After Coyote Problem, there was a brief intermission where I chatted with a couple people outside and it was funny how when I mentioned I handle the locals only column at CityBeat, warnings of "just don't be like Ken Leighton" came into play. It's a shame really, that someone who has such access and exposure can be so scorned by the very scene he covers. I got some great stories about him screwing over bands or club owners over the years, and well, at least he's consistent, even going so far as writing shit about people, then sending letters to them via a lawyer essentially saying that he'd sue them if they kicked his ass. What a sad life.

Back in the venue, Gregory Page took the stage and played his four songs. His voice still gets me the way it did the first time I saw him when I was a junior in high school and became a fan. Funny that he's my neighbor now, so I see him frequently and we chatted a little before and after his set.

Lisa Sanders finished up my night, though I think there were still a couple more performers after her. Lisa has a great voice and this was my first time seeing her in probably close to 10 years, but she also had some friends there who were a little obnoxious and clapping along with songs and screaming out to the stage from the back of the room. Poor Lisa couldn't make her friends chill, so I was outta there. Still, Neilfest was a good time. I only wonder in 10 or 20 years, what the songs to define my time and generation will be. What music that I listen to today will stand the test of time?

A couple of my friends were at Nunu's, where Tuesdays are $2 wells all night long. Yikes. Maybe poor decision making on my part because I should've been getting rest for the long day of work ahead, but it was fun, so I can't complain too much. I even made it to the Ken for last call and to check in on a few friends there, before officially calling it a night.

By the way, I didn't take any pictures of Neilfest. They had their own photogs and videographers, so I sat quietly at the bar just enjoying the music, and it was nice to do so. And, for those curious, the new bathrooms aren't anything fancy, but they're new and clean and there are now two stalls in the ladies room, which definitely means I might just head back there for the right show.

Action Jackson Promotions: And then there were two

In creating the Things to Do list this week, I came across the listings for O'Connell's. "Action Jackson Promotions Presents...PIMP N HO BALL Featuring TWO WORD NAME." Now, for the record, I like Two Word Name and while their approach to the music scene might be a little different than most San Diego bands, they bust their asses. And Dag is a regular at Anti-Monday League. Sadly, the same cannot be said for other local bands, even ones who've been billed on the increasingly popular night.

As far as O'Connell's goes, I've been once, and the ambience isn't exactly appealing to me, but I can see it fills a niche and I was also informed this week that in the past month the venue has grown and they've upgraded their sound system as they took over the adjacent property and expanded, so I have been meaning to check it out.

And last, when I hear Action Jackson Promotions, I think of Jackson of The Vision of A Dying World and the guy behind so many of those great bills at Ché Café, Scolari's, and the Tower Bar.

But I have to be honest... a freaking Pimp n Ho ball? Really???

I'm relieved to say that Jackson saw it, too, and his response was a big WTF? I dug around a little to find out that another guy is using the moniker Action Jackson Promotions...his last name is apparently Jackson, though nobody could remember his first name. Skip? Eric? Not sure. As far as anyone I talked to knew, this second "Action Jackson" is new in the promotions game, having promoted that local show on the Soma mainstage on June 2.

Now legally, I doubt either has a dba or trademark or anything like that, but I'm just putting it out there that Jackson has made a name for himself with his promoting, his own band The Vision of a Dying World, and for supporting the local scene as much as anyone (and he's got the MySpace page which counts for something). Jackson considers himself a feminist and was offended by the Pimp N Ho theme, as well as having specifically declined any promotional activity at O'Connell's. I would like to see Mr. Jackson step back and find a new name for his promotions, as this could definitely create confusion in the marketplace.

Support the REAL Action Jackson Promotions this Friday at the Tower Bar for The Vision of a Dying World's CD Release Party. Joining The Vision of A Dying World will be Bunky and Red Feathers. Additionally, the band is reviewed in this week's CityBeat here.