R.I.P. George Scolari 11/1/1926-10/27/2010

While I did spend some time at Scolari's Office in my time, there is no possible way I can pay proper tribute to George Scolari, so I'll post the information as it was distributed:

To all who remember Scolari's Office

We welcome you to pay your respects to the man who made it possible

George Scolari

11/1/26-10/27/10

George touched our lives in so many ways and left us with such great memories. We will all remember how he loved his Corvette, and no one better park in his space! He loved to play golf, shoot pool, and would drink till he passed out at the bar...but then again, it was his bar! He was one to help others, and launched our local band scene that became known across the country. He allowed so many new talents to touch our lives, and gave us a great place to socialize and make wonderful friends. Please show his family how much he meant to us and enriched our lives. Everyone is welcome to say farewell.

For all you gave us, George, we thank you and will miss you!

Viewing will be on November 3rd from 4-8 p.m.
Goodbody Mortuary, 5027 El Cajon Blvd.
Funeral services will be on November 4th at 10 a.m.
Blessed Sacrament Church, 4526 56th St. (corner of 56th & El Cajon Blvd)
Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetary (off the 94), reception to follow.
For more information, please contact Adam (619) 528-8071

News Regarding Tower Bar & other stomping grounds

This is not an "official" announcement, but more of a 'keep it in mind' warning. Apparently the Tower Bar received a letter to cease all shows. The bar (supposedly) does not have a cabaret license and after complaints from a neighbor, the SDPD has issued the letter. Mick is in Europe right now, so I haven't personally confirmed anything with him, but just an FYI in case you were planning on checking out the shows this weekend that you might want to have a Plan B just in case the bands are forced to cancel. SDPD, as we all know, has been cracking down on venues regularly over the past year, and as far as I know, has put a cap on new cabaret licenses as well as making it a complete pain in the ass for venues who have a lapse in the license.

In other news, Street reported today that Bar Pink Elephant got a C&D from a chain of clubs based out of New York, Pink Elephant Club, for use of the name, so our North Park bar will simply be known as "The Pink". whatevs. New York swankster clubs can suck it.

Bar Pink Elephant was also in the news this week when Dang was interviewed about a growing graffiti problem in North Park. According to the report, we're not just talking people tagging the bathroom walls, but Dang said vandals got the bar on a busy night and actually spray painted the floor of the stage area. If anyone witnessed this or any other acts of vandalism, the police want to hear from you and are giving rewards for tips that lead to the arrests of these assholes.

Last, rumor has it that a certain Hillcrest club is in escrow. That's all I can say about that right now, but I think this is one sale many bands will surely benefit from if it goes through.

Man, so many changes, huh? "The Office" (formerly Scolari's) is open, the Zombie Lounge is in it's transition to become "The Radio Room", Avalon is part of North By Northpark and hopefully will become the all-ages venue it set out to be. Add Toronado to North Park hotspots getting hipster buzz and you can see the rapid change in our area. For better or for worse...

Scolari's Out; Chasers In

After a night at the Casbah, Andrea and I scouted the hood in search of T-Bone. It's been a couple weeks since I've seen him and I wanted to get to the bottom of the Scolari's sitch. My attempts to reach him at the club have been unsuccessful.


So anyway, we got to Scolari's really late. T-bone wasn't there, but another guy was, who told us he was gone, but tried to convince us to stay. He told us we might find him at Chaser's.


I haven't been to Chaser's since they kicked The Long and Short Of It off stage and refused to go there since that bar fight that went down a while back. Well, the place has changed. I mean, there was still some creepy menacing guy at the bar giving icky looks...but we talked to Donny and the bartender (from the Screamin Yeehaws). Turns out that Donny and T-Bone will become regular fixtures at the bar. The bartender also assured me that the bar is safe, that the problems from before are gone. I'll get to updating my Things to Do, and will start including Chaser's in the listings once again. I believe many of the shows that were booked out at Scolari's will now find placement there. All this is great for me personally, since Chaser's is just a hop, skip and a jump from my house in Kensington. Yay.

All Scolari's Shows Cancelled

T-Bone posted this on MySpace:

ALL SHOWS CANCELLED AT THE OFFICE PLEASE READ!

I am so sad to have to post this bulletin. I just received a phone call telling me that all entertainment at Scolaris office has been cancelled. I have been told that it has something to do with complaints and police reports. The bar was recently sold, so I think this may be a major factor. I have expressed to the management how this will affect bands tour schedules and how much time, effort and money bands have put into playing at Scolaris. We are working on moving everything to another bar and will let you know as soon as something develops.

Bands, please feel free to message me and I will do my best to find you somewhere to play. Unfortunately due to the number of bands that this will affect I can't guarantee anything

Tonight's Silverbird Show is on at Heavy Press

While I haven't gathered more info on the situation over at Scolari's I have been informed that tonight's show has found a new home.

River City, Silverbird, and Red Feathers will now be playing at Heavy Press, 2312 El Cajon Blvd. Because Heavy Press is a print shop, the show is now open to all ages (though grownups can BYOB). Plan on getting there around 9-ish.

The bonus is that the print shop has this wood on the walls that should really complement the organic sounds of these amazing bands. I know there's a lot going on tonight, but if you haven't checked out Silverbird and Red Feathers, this would be a great place to finally do it, and while I haven't seen River City, they sound awesome, too. (Hear them on MySpace) Plus, who isn't a fan of bands playing in non-traditional venues every once in a while?

All Scolari's Shows Cancelled This Weekend (Or moved to other venues)

I haven't had the chance to talk to T-Bone yet, but I've been notified that Scolari's has had to cancel all shows this weekend and Monday. Apparently the cabaret license expired and it was either not paid or the county just didn't get it in time. Either way, it appears to have nothing to do with the recent sale of the bar and shows are expected to resume once the bar can settle the error with the county after the holiday weekend. (or city?- not really sure whose domain that falls in).

Regardless, the result is that the two touring bands that were supposed to play there tonight- Ice Age Cobra and Rusty Sherrif’s Badge- have been moved to Chaser's; Firethorn is canceled. I'll get a better grip on the situation tonight and update with the rest of the shows that were planned when I get the info.

Saturday/Sunday Night: Ken Club, Scolari's, Casbah

I learned something important on Saturday. Never plan a party when everyone around you is tipsy. I decided on Friday night that I'd have a little wine party at my house on Saturday, but with Christmas around the corner and everyone already locked into plans, my "party" ended up being Jason and I watching Elf on TV while snacking on cheese and crackers accompanied by a bottle of wine. No complaints, but perhaps advanced warning would be better in the future. We decided after the movie to hang out at the Ken Club, where the bar was having a Christmas party of their own, though that was only lightly attended as well. My friend Simon had driven into town from Portland, so he met us, and then Jason left to the Alibi. Simon and I decided to check out the benefit for Riki Watkins at Scolari's. She's the girl who was killed on Sunday morning in the accidental shooting in South Park and she was a bartender at Kadan, so friends threw together a benefit to help her family with funeral costs. By the nature of the event, calling it "fun" would be inaccurate, but it was nice to see how many people came out to show support for the cause. I'll have more to say about that soon, I'll keep y'all posted. From Scolari's, Simon and I went back to my pad and I let him crash so he didn't have to sleep in his car, and come Sunday, once he was gone, I was happy to stay home and relax for the greater part of the day.

I was gonna just slum all night, but Petro and Kris were going to the Casbah so we went down to check out the free FM 94/9 show at the Casbah.

Action Andy and The Haunted Honky Tonkers were great with their rockabilly blues, and Buzz Campbell & Hot Rod Lincoln did more of the same, and I flashed back to when I used to seek them out with friends in high school so we could go swing dancing.

We only stayed for a couple songs by The Stranger's Six but Aaron definitely has his rock star stage swagger, and the bar filled out while they played. I would've liked to stay, but I knew I had to get up early on Monday to get ready for the game, so it was nice to finally get a full night's sleep.

Weekend Music Recap: Desert Diamonds, Low Red Land, The Long And Short Of It, The Heartaches, Modest Mouse

I just really don't think I'm gonna get to posting about this weekend unless I do it now. 'Tis a busy week ahead indeed, but I wanted to mention a couple things.

Friday night, I missed the opening bands, but I finally got the chance to see Desert Diamonds at the Ken Club. I was camera free, but I really enjoyed their set. The singer is commanding onstage and actually kinda reminded me of JD Fortune, the new singer of INXS. He probably won't like the comparison, but after having seen INXS live this summer, I mean it in the most complimentary way and I look forward to seeing the band play again soon.

Saturday night I missed Death On Mars, but got to see Low Red Land from SF. They played loud and fast, but their vocals were really clear (at least with my plugs in) and their music was passionate. I liked the duel vocals and reminded me of the hardcore 'emo' stuff I was into in high school before 'emo' was hijacked by a bunch of pussy MTV boy bands with guitars. For $10, they sold me all of their CDs, including a live CD, a full length, a couple eps, and a sneak peek of tracks from their next full length. I also watched the first few songs of The Long and Short of It, but I had to leave in the middle because I was meeting friends back in the hood.

Low Red Land

The Long And Short Of It

At the Ken Club I saw the Heartaches who always just bring it. The night drew a large crowd and made for a fun night at the bar, and afterward when a couple friends came over to help me decorate my tree. (Which, by the way- we had to cut some branches off the bottom so the tree would stand straight in the stand since they didn't trim it at the Q, and we were able to do it with the infamous Ginzu knife. They always said it could slice tomatoes and cut through cans, but they should add sawing a Christmas tree to their advertising.)

The Heartaches

Anyway, Sunday I really wanted to head to the Zombie, but had some writing to catch up on, which also meant I didn't get to hang out with my family. My cousin was down from LA, but without internet at their house, I might've missed my deadline. I need to plan my time better sometimes.

Finally, tonight I went to Modest Mouse at SOMA. Unfortunately I missed Matt Costa but heard he was great. I got there about 20 minutes before MM hit the stage and just couldn't get anywhere near where I wanted to be. Finally I went in through the front side door and was able to hang in the corner, about a third back from the stage. They sounded great, mostly playing tracks from the last two albums. I was actually impressed because I forgot my earplugs and the sound was so clear and not at all overwhelming. The band didn't talk much, except when Brock ranted that their last three shows being radio shows. He talked shit about radio stations, saying they play in circles and are a bunch of bullshit. Yet he played those shows and also played the 94/9 Hootenanny last year. Maybe he was just being cool to rally the crowd behind him, but honestly, to me, it's called biting the hand. If they wanted to stay indie and obscure, they could easily refuse the big tours. I just think it's a little hypocritical.

Anyway, I watched for exactly 50 minutes then went to use the restroom and the guard wouldn't let me back in the front area, saying they were at capacity, so I had to enter through the back. Being 5'3" and knowing I had a bunch to do around the homefront, I just decided to leave, that was enough of their show for me. I wish I'd had more energy, and I wish I maybe had a little buzz, because I would've liked to see the whole thing, but I'm trying hard to find a better healthier balance with my demanding day job, my CityBeat side job, and this little hobby of a blog that I maintain. Also, sitting next to my dog and my tree in my pj's while I blog and watch the finale of The Hills...sometimes that is really just what I need.

Scolari's "Cop Beating"

A couple weeks ago I posted about an incident at Scolari's. I actually regret posting that now. I was asked to look into the incident, for the possible inclusion in my Local's Only column for the week. After talking to a few witnesses and getting wildly divergent versions of what occurred, I didn't feel there was anyway to adequately represent the story. Apparently SDIndyMedia and The Reader are covering the story, and I'd just like to post the information I got in a kind of experiment...to see if they cover the story in a "fair and balanced" way, or if they take a side ("Cops Suck" vs. "Drunk idiots shouldn't swing at cops")

The original post included information from Alia, a friend of the "victim" who was outraged at the "police brutality" acted out on her friend. Her version of the story really started outside the bar. She says she heard that the singer of Royal Trux, Jennifer, was punched by the doorman, so Jennifer, in turn called the cops. When they came and were taking statements, the cops were telling her she should leave and "go sober up."

According to Alia, Chris Bloss got between the cops and Jennifer. The cops told him to get back and he complied. Still, the cop pushed Chris Bloss, telling him to "step the fuck back" and then the cops took him down to the ground, face down. A female cop sat on top of him with his arms tucked under his stomach so he was unable to comply with their request to put his arms behind his back. He was screaming, "Get the fuck off me!" and they took this as resistance, and he was maced (or pepper sprayed) twice. The cop dismounted since she was now inhaling said spray. The cops pulled out their nightsticks and beat him repeatedly with it. They also threatened to taze him. Alia then ran toward them screaming for them to "get the fuck off him" and to "stop fucking hitting him". They told her to back off and she did. When all was said and done, Chris was beat and bruised and arrested for interfering with police business. He has a sprained thumb and was held with $10k in bail, which was paid. Chris has a January court date. Alia and Chris are looking for the people who were taking pictures of the incident and witnesses to what went down.

But then there's always two sides to every story. BearPaw was there and has a very different version of what happened (BearPaw posted this on The Punk Board and gave me permission to use it.)

Her [Jennifer of Royal Trux] and her boyfriend showed up wasted as fuuuck. Toni served them one drink before they played. Chandra refused to serve them after they played because they were wasted and so the chick tried to climb over the bar but Donny pushed her off. Then big tattoer Tom picked her up and took her outside.

So she was trying to claim that Scolaris was trying to steal their equipment ( the last band was using some of their gear) which was untrue because the 3 non-wasted dudes in the band were allowed in and out of the bar, no problem.

So they sat in the van until the last band was done and the chick and her boy tried to rush the door but Tom was right there waiting for them. They got tossed out again, she couldn't stand on her own. So Donny calls the cops and she kept yelling how they had a sign contract for a $100. So the cops show up and start taking statements.

One cop was talking to the band and another was talking to Donny and Tom. This dude [Chris Bloss] kept getting in between one cop and band while the cop was taking their statement. The cop told him about 15 times to step away because he wasn't in the band nor worked at the bar. Finally the duder said, "Fuck you, cop." The cop turned around and told him that he needs to step away or he is going to jail. Then the duder took a swing at the cop.

Needless to say the cops took that dude down hard. While the cops were dealing with him, the band took off down in the street. They got pulled over around 31st. While they were pulling a way, the chick kicked out one of the side windows of the van.

BearPaw also added that between Chris screaming "fuck you" at the cops, he attempted to take off running, so he was actually grabbed and tackled in front of the furniture store adjacent to Scolari's. He also said that T-Bone (of Scolari's) was the one who said that the band was arrested over on 31st. Those charges are unknown.

The real reason my conscience got in the way of this story was because getting info from SDPD was a more daunting task than I had time for. There is no doubt in my mind from hearing versions of the story that Chris Bloss was roughed up by the cops. What I do doubt is that the cops were not justified in their actions. If someone swung at me, I'd kick their ass too. I'm jus' sayin'.

Anyway, I only got two versions of what happened, but it surely left me with questions, so I'm salivating at the way the Reader is gonna cover the story. Check their site at noon to find out.

Police Beating at Scolari's?

This is a repost of a repost for Alia -

To anyone who was at Scolaris Office last night when the show ended, and witnessed the complete case of police brutality that happened to Chris Bloss, please get in contact with me as soon as possible.

We need witnesses.

Also, we need a camera to take some pictures this afternoon.
We are working on the bail money too. Any donations are greatly appreciated.

PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ME ASAP, and also repost this.

Thanks

Alia
847 922 2423

Friday Recap: Pt 2 Predicates CD Release @ Scolari's

After the Epicentre and after grabbing some dinner, I headed to Scolari's. The first band, Beatmo, was still playing, and when their crowd demanded "one more song" they gave it to them, which was fine and dandy for their fans but was pretty rude to the other bands as it put the whole evening behind...the Drowning Men didn't start until 1. I didn't really watch them at all because I was outside, but they definitely had their own crowd dancing their asses off.

I was there for The Predicates. I've been really enjoying their CD since they gave it to me a couple weeks back, but even more than that, they're really nice people so I wanted to show support.

I don't know if anyone remembers the local band The MacAnanys, but Greg's voice is a lot like Ryan's ... I guess it also reminds me a little of Craig from Hold Steady though the style is really different. Erika assists with backup vocals. Greg kept commenting how sloppy they were, but we had fun watching them, especially with his witty banter between songs.









After they finished, The Drowning Men set up, but like I said, they got started really late, and I had intended to get back to the Ken Club, so I didn't stick around even though I really like the band a lot. I headed home and went to the Ken Club with barely enough time to order a Heineken. I chatted with Matt from Transfer until the lights came up and they scooted everyone out of the bar. It was a nice ending to what was a great evening. I only wish I could've done more. I would've liked to have been at the Beauty Bar for Republic of Letters and to wish Nick a happy birthday in person and I heard the show at the Whistle Stop was great, too. Yeah, tell me again there's no local scene.

Electric Jellyfish in Fatal Ohio Car Accident

I got an email today and I feel so sick everytime I read it. The Aussie band Electric Jellyfish played at Scolari's just a couple short weeks ago.

Electric Jellyfish band crash in US claims two lives
Stefanie Balogh in New York, Karen Collier and Cameron Adams
(from Herald Sun)

A MELBOURNE rock band is devastated after a tragic car crash on their debut US tour killed a guitarist and his wife and injured other members.

Electric Jellyfish guitarist and singer Hayden "Haydo"
Sweeney, 24, and his photographer wife Bridget O'Brien, 26, died instantly when
the vehicle swerved to avoid hitting a deer on the Ohio Turnpike near Cleveland.

Frontman Mike "Beacho" Beach, 20, suffered head injuries and was
initially listed as critical but his condition has since stabilised, while the
bass player Adam "Camo" Camilleri, 24, suffered a broken arm.

Drummer Patrick "Guakko"Lias, 24, walked away with minor injuries and was staying near Cleveland Metro Hospital as he came to terms with the deaths and the abrupt end to their dream.

Lias’s twin brother Anthony said the tour was the culmination of four years' hard work and saving since forming the band at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

“They were hoping to get signed after the tour,” he said. “My brother was stacking shelves, saving money to get the tour together.”

He said the band were travelling between Detroit and Ohio
when Bridget apparently swerved to avoid a deer on the road.

The SUV flipped, skidded and smashed into a concrete barrier, leaving musical
instruments and luggage strewn across the road.

Ohio State Highway Patrol's Milan Post Sergeant Tony Myers confirmed two people had died in the crash and three other Australians were taken to hospital.

All occupants in the vehicle were wearing their seatbelts.

The tragedy happened less than a month into Electric Jellyfish's American tour.

The band, described as psychedelic, post-punk and experimental, launched a new single in Melbourne last month. They played at popular live music venues including The Tote in Collingwood and the Northcote Social Club.

Bridget had relocated from California to Melbourne.

The Plain Dealer newspaper said the female driver was working as the band's photographer and her husband was sitting behind her in the car when the accident happened.

Sergeant Myers said passengers in the vehicle claimed a deer had run across the road.

"The passengers are alleging that there was a deer that ran out that she swerved to
avoid so it appears to be an animal accident, that's not confirmed or proven but
that's the initial report that we are received,'' Sergeant Myers said.

Police said the car was a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe which swerved off the
right side of the roadway on the Ohio Turnpike and struck a guardrail. It then
overturned and continued across the roadway, striking a concrete barrier on the
left side of the roadway.

The band's MySpace page showed they had a show in Detroit Wednesday night, and was scheduled to play in New York City Friday night.

I am so saddened by this news and my thoughts are with the band and their families.

Thursday Recap: Firethorn, Electric Jellyfish, Mostly Bears

Thursday night I headed to Scolari's to catch a couple local bands and a couple out of towners. Unfortunately I got there at the tail end of Firethorn's set (where they played a cover of "Waiting Room"), so I wasn't quick enough on the draw to take any pics. Then I found out Hollywood Begs wasn't going to play...so I ended up watching some of the out of towners and playing some pool, something I've not done in quite some time.

The first out of town band was Electric Jellyfish who came from Australia. They were good though there songs were on the longer side and it was a little hatd for me to sit still while they played (and led me to the pool table).



There was a bit of a long changeover while there was a "are Hollywood Begs playing or not?" conversation but the drummer got bit by a dog? That was the story anyway, though nobody believed it.

Here's the guys of Firethorn hanging out.


Mostly Bears closed up the night. They're from Arizona, Tucson, I think, and they were good but I wasn't wowed by anything in particular, though maybe my head was elsewhere because I had planned on also heading to the Casbah but never quite made it.


Still, it was a good night, how could it not be when T-bone is behind the bar.



I headed out as Mostly Bears were finishing up and made my way to the Ken Club to say hi...I feel like I've been neglecting home base. Dev and I had a good chat that might result in a new direction for me, so stay tuned.

Tuesday Recap: Castanets, Rafter, Fantastic Magic @ Scolari's

It was a late decision for me to head to Scolari's tonight. I was over TV watching, I was over internet surfing, and with the boost of my neighbor paying me for the cable, I had cash in hand, so I showered and headed to the bar, arriving around 10:30. I was pleased to find out that the first band was still on, despite finding a friend outside who was there hoping for "Fast Tuesday" complaining of the "pseudo luau group" playing inside.

That band was Fantastic Magic and they were just fine by me. I would actually describe what I heard as gypsy-ghoul, with the ghostly vocals and the mandolin rocked like a guitar, and the recorder, African Drum, and an accordian like keyboard? Sorry, I don't know what that instrument was, but I liked it, and it was nice that the old dude at the bar offered me a beer despite his been-drinking-all-day breath. Whatever, I didn't make out with him, I just let him buy me a beer.





It was a little funny for me to be at Scolari's for Fast Tuesday, it's like match the punkboarder with the insults they've hurled my way, but actually there were more people there that I knew than I expected, and if any of them have a problem with me or my blog, it didn't come up on this occasion, so it was a chill vibe.

Rafter played second and it was a little weird for me. I've really only seen Rafter as a 4 to 10 piece band, never as just a two piece. His drummer is also his girlfriend who was the former drummer of Red Pony Clock. Sounds like there was some drama there, but I ain't gonna be the one to write that shit out. Nonetheless, Rafter has cleaned up his look, gotten some more fashionable look, and has no problem making out with his girlfriend immediately after the set was done.





Emily (formerly of Rafter, and currently of Bunky) was there and when I mentioned that Rafter didn't play my favorite song ("Fuck You The Sky"), she sang it to me, so I have to say at that point it was a good night.

But then the Castanets came on and it suddenly became a great night. The Castanets should tour with Two Gallants except maybe they sound too similar, only if Cat Stevens was the singer of Two Gallants.






I mentioned in a past blog that they had their gear stolen this summer, and Ray mentioned it again tonight but they sounded great despite the lack of gear or borrowed gear or whatever they had. Ray mentioned that he's been holed up in a hotel room in Overton, Nevada working on new material and how hard it was to transition from not talking to anyone to suddenly seeing so many familiar faces and trying to converse with anyone, let alone 5 or 20 people.

At the end of the set, they recorded and looped their thanks to the crowd, and Rafter and Emily jumped in adding to the loop before it was eventually filtered out by the Fast Tuesday DJs that segued nicely.



Doesn't Emily look pretty?

Anyway, after the bands finished, we closed our night out at the Pink Elephant who, when last call came, played the whole Pink Elephant Parade sequence from Dumbo and made it not feel like a Tuesday night. I could've gone for hours in that place. Nonetheless, it was time to call it a night and now I'm back on job watch 2007 because I clearly cannot be on this vacation forever. I've decided to start making "to do" lists, something I haven't done in years, just to make myself get up at a normal hour on a daily basis. Gotta get back into real life though this has been thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing. As much as I love doing this blog, it just ain't payin' the bills, ya know? Craig's List, Monster, CalJobs, MegaJobs, et al, here I come. With a vengeance.

Recommendation: Dusty Rhodes and the River

I mentioned that I saw Dusty Rhodes and the River at Scolari's a few weeks ago and it was definitely a performance to remember. The band is returning to San Diego on May 1st, opening for Jackie Greene at the Belly Up Tavern.

I mention them this morning because the band posted a bulletin about a new song on their MySpace page called "The Ballad of Graff". Dusty said the song is about an ex-roommate who, 8 months after moving out, decapitated a Hollywood screenwriter then took the head to his neighbor's house where he then stabbed and killed the neighbor. "True story," his bulletin said.

So being the curious chica that I am, I googled and sure enough, here's the story.

Arrest over writer's decapitation

A US man has been arrested after a 91-year-old screenwriter was beheaded and his neighbour stabbed to death.

Robert Lees, who wrote dozens of films including Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and retired doctor Morley Engelson, 67, were found on Sunday.

Police found the head of Mr Lees at the back of Mr Engelson's Los Angeles home.

A homeless man, Kevin Lee Graff, 27, was arrested on Monday after Paramount studio guards recognised him from a police press broadcast.

Mr Graff had been turned away from the gates of the studio after asking for the telephone number of a female employee and acting oddly.

That's some crazy shit, no?

Monday Night Recap: eSen, Doomsday Device, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band

What a tough call I had to make last night. Two good shows and I had to weigh my pros and cons:

Casbah vs. Scolari's

Sound- Casbah is the clear winner here. Scolari's REALLY, REALLY needs a better PA if they're gonna have 4 shows per week here.

Promoter- Tim Pyles vs. Action Jackson. Tie.
This was tough. I love Tim and have been to all but one of the Anti-Monday League shows and was pretty regular on his nights at the Beauty Bar, too. I really believe in what he's doing for local music and the whole music scene in this town. He takes risks on bands with little or no experience because he knows local music isn't just one genre...he tries to bring together all the little niche scenes to make one cohesive San Diego music scene. Action Jackson is relatively new to San Diego but wasted no time in jumping into it all and really busting his ass to make things happen here. This night was billed to be alt-country and I thought it might be a good night to dust off my boots.

Proximity- Scolari's is 1/3 of the distance from my house than the Casbah. On most nights this wouldn't really matter, but my pre-bar nap went a little overtime and both shows were to start early.

Bands-
The main reason I would've gone to the Casbah was to see The Burning of Rome. The band is really good and I like that they made the entire CD available for free download. I have yet to see them live. Unfortunately, they supposedly started at 9, right when my nap was ending. I had also heard great things about The Nurses. I have seen Buddy Akai plenty of times, so that wasn't critical to my decision about the night.

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band were playing Scolari's and I have friends who were at SXSW and swore they were one of the top bands they'd seen. I had not seen Doomsday Device before so I was into seeing a new band. And finally eSen was my decision maker. I'm a huge fan of BlogSanDiego and when you get an e-mail invite, even if it's sent to a hundred people on a list, you're more inclined to feel attached. I wanted to go meet Eric "IRL" (in real life) to put a face to the blog.

So with all this process, even though it made me feel unfaithful in a weird way, I chose to go to Scolari's. I am so glad I did.

I arrived around 9:20 and while there was some delay before the bands started, a lot of people were gathering in the bar. I was surprised how many people were out, and I really haven't been there with that many people turning out for a show.

eSen started the show. A two piece with guitars and a Korg keyboard they were really heavy. Eric has a couple other projects. Maquiladora is an alt-country project and he has a Japan-noise project, and this project, eSen, brings them together. Mostly slow and building up to a peak, this is music I wish I could sing along to in a space where I know nobody else would hear me. It also kinda made me wish I was sipping on some whiskey instead of the drink I had. Hopefully they'll get some sort of MySpace profile up soon. eSen will hopefully get some shows with The Vision of A Dying World.

Pre-apologies, I cannot make my photographs work in Scolari's. Here are some shots anyway.






Doomsday Device was up second and unfortunately we spent most of the set sitting at the bar completely blocked by a chick who apparently didn't realize she's 5'9 and who stood right in front of us. Not like kinda in front of us, which really has to be forgiveable there where there is limited space, but like 7" from the tip of my nose to her back. I liked their sound a lot at first, thinking they kinda have a Cold War Kids funkiness to them, but they're very unpolished and I don't know if that is their style or part of playing at Scolari's. Even more people showed up during their set and while I did get a few pics, not one came out decent, but here's the singer.



Dusty Rhodes and the River Band were last up for the night and even more people showed up. All of Vinyl Radio caught the Nurses at The Casbah then went to Scolari's. There were probably 40 people there, but the band was using a lot of floor space so it felt especially crowded. From the very first note from the very first song, I was blown away. The violin/fiddle gave it a "Devil Went Down To Georgia" feel and at times his vocals might make you think of Jack Black with not as much comedy but similar exaggeration. They have a lot of crowd participation...singing along and hand claps mostly, and there were a ton of girls there dancing along and rocking out. This music was compelling enough for all that ass shakin and Dusty, the frontman, was so full of energy. They only had two mics, and one of them went out during the set, but they just rolled with it, sometimes three of them singing into the same mic. As you can see, they had 6 people and a lot of instruments, and if I hadn't already been won over, the accordion would've been that extra thing that made me love them. The fortunate thing is that these guys are from Anaheim so hopefully we can beg them to come back down and play our lovely town. I tried video but it was so dark it was pointless. Don't miss this band if they come around again. You will be hearing lots from them, I'm sure.

Thursday Newsy Bits

According to True To You, a Morrissey Zine, all tickets for Morrissey's forthcoming US tour will be onsale on 31st March.
*****
I love blogs. I love blogging. I love when I write about a band's performance, and then that band turns around and writes about the show. Case in point, a couple weeks ago I wrote a band called Modern State that played at Scolari's that I liked. A lot. Well, here's what Modern State has to say about that night:

march 13, san diego, california @ scolari’s office

still in the den of
evil that is all of southern califirnia, san diego has at least a few redeeming
qualities. notably, burritos and the many nice folks who live there. truly, what
separates many a shit-hole from another lies entirely in the mentality of a
place. whatever it is, i have experienced san diegans to be consistently good
folks over the years.

scowling behind the bar when we arrived, ritchie
(or the easier to remember t-bone, if you prefer) became a free-beer slingin’
superstar once he realized we were the out-of-towners on the bill. praise be. i
was a little worried about the show at first, no other bands having been asked
to play it at about 3 weeks to go, so i sent out some emails to the few san
diego rockers i know. and it worked out. big thanks to rafter and andrew for the
good words...

Not bad considering his disdain for SoCal (typical of Portland). You should see what he says about LA.
*****
I don't really go outta my way to write about what I think you should listen to, but there are a few bands that I really think you should at least listen to on MySpace and at least consider attending their shows.

The first is Pop Noir. An unsigned band from LA, the band has been called the band to watch in The Rockit Magazine, a tastemaker mag in LA. Have a listen to their songs on MySpace. They've got some good indie/electro songs and will be perfect for Morgan's birthday before we are wowed by Silverbird.

On Sunday, I'm actually skipping out on my boys in Swim Party to head to Brick by Brick for The Small Hours. I have a weakness for Brits (even though only have the band is British), what can I say? I also really like Brick By Brick as a venue and want to show up in a small way to encourage more of the indie rock bookings and less of the cover band and metal stuff. Plus, it's only $5. Words you never thought you'd see me type, right?
I'm taking a 3 day weekend so I hope to see everyone out. I'll be posting between all the fun so check back in.

Tuesday Recap: Paddleboat, Modern State, Soul Junk

Last night I got a solid nap in, had dinner, and found myself couching and flipping between American Idol and Find The Next Pussycat Doll before it occurred to me that I had to get out of my house and away from bad tv. Fortunately shows at Scolari's start later than most, so when I arrived around 10:30, the bands still hadn't started. Before going, I didn't even really pay attention to names of the bands playing, I just went because I trust Action Jackson's shows, and because one band is part of the Sounds Familyre family.

First up was Paddleboat, which is the solo work of Jeremy Scott from The Vision of A Dying World. The funny thing was I was unaware of his moniker until after he was done and while he played, I thought about what I would write here today. I was thinking of a sunny but breezy spring day on a pond in a small boat with an ex-boyfriend who has done me wrong and is trying to get me back with sweet little songs to butter me up. Paddleboat couldn't be a better name for how he sounds and I really enjoyed his short but sweet set.



Modern State was up next. On this night, the band consisted of two guys, one on guitar, the other juggling a trumpet, a xylophone, and various pedals and effects, and as Ryan Orion said, "you get the feeling that everything they say is important." In that way, they reminded me of Two Gallants but with less anthem, more dissonance, and a lot more experimentation (and no drums). They really blew me away, actually. I appreciate political music and their anti-capitalist themes struck a chord with me. They even had self screened CDs and shirts. In between songs, the singer announced, "We are for secession from the union if you'd like to talk to us about it." Power to the people.

I have to mention that between bands, I kicked Ryan's ass in pool. Aww yeah.

Unfortunately, while I love leftist politics in my music, I can only handle religion in small doses. If I had read this site, I might've known what to expect. Sometimes blindly going to a show is not such a great idea...

1955 shows a transition in Soul-Junk's sound. The
double-disk set consists of pop / Indie rock / hip hop influenced sounds. It is
also the last disk to make extensive use of biblical quotes – though Soul-Junk's
lyrics still clearly reflect their Christian worldview.

I myself would classify the sound as less indie, more stoner rock, but with a heavy dose of Jesus. The thing for me about that was the first couple songs, either I wasn't paying attention or they were not steeped in religion. It felt like all of the sudden, the lyrics switched to bible study. Half the people sorta snuck their way out. On top of that, the bassist had his back to the crowd the entire set and although it was Scolari's and the "stage" is less defined, it would've been nice if he acknowledged those of us who stuck around.

Anyway, they finished around 12:30 and I took off rather quickly after saying goodbye to Ryan, Riyadh and Jackson. I decided to stop at the Ken Club for karaoke but that ended up being a bad idea as I watched a guy do Paula Abdul's Straight Up and another do 2 Live Crew.

Sometimes you find a gem; sometimes you just gotta call it a night.