YouTube: More Swim Party

Another video from Swim Party's CD release show at the Casbah, 6.30.08

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Swim Party, Henry Clay People, Writer @ Casbah 6.30.08

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing some of my favorite bands all in one place at the same time. Not only were locals Writer and Swim Party playing, but it was a little reunion with a bunch of other bands all at the Casbah to show their support. Not to mention, the ever awesome Henry Clay People from LA. That was such a good night and I had a grin from ear to ear. It was especially cool coming off the weekend that we had the party at my house.

The boys of Writer started off the night and blew our socks off. I'm really looking forward to their next album release. (I've subsequently seen them two more times since this particular show)


It was funny while watching the Henry Clay People that Matt Binder came up to me and pointed out that they deliver their music much like The Hold Steady because I had been thinking the same thing- telling stories through their music with preacher-like conviction- and they've become an out of town band that I always look forward to seeing.





For their final song, a cover of "Rockin in the Free World", Joey handed his guitar to Alex (from Swim Party) and Matt (Hotel St. George) took the mic and it was a full on party.




Finally, Swim Party took the stage and sounded amazing as always. I didn't really take many pictures, instead opting to take in the whole set, though I did record some video.



It was a perfect night, one that I didn't want to end, but it was really just a testament to the amazing things happening in our supposedly sleepy little city. And, as this whole summer has demonstrated, there's a ton of local stuff to continue to look forward to.

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Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, June 30, 2008

I'm working on my full listings for the week, but all you need to know about tonight:

Anti-Monday League at the Casbah featuring three of my favorite bands: Swim Party, The Henry Clay People, and Writer. It's only $6 and it is going to be amazing.

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Calico Horse, The Donkeys, Swim Party @ Casbah 6.6.08

Friday night had a lot of good stuff going on, but since I finally got the digital advance from Swim Party and missed The Donkeys the last few times they've played, it was a no-brainer to spend Friday night at the Casbah, especially because in addition to those bands, it was Calico Horse's CD. Yes, Emily, it's about time!! We've been waiting for this one forever.

I didn't take Swim Party photos but instead really just took in the music which sounded perfect. I'm so excited for everyone in SD to get their hands on the new album at the end of the month when it's released.

The Donkeys sounded really great too. They still won't let me talk about their record deal and I haven't heard anything new since December. I just occurred to me I should've bought the music they did have on Friday. Gonna have to get my hands on those. They sound like they've embraced their country sound a little more and I really loved it.





Between bands, Joey Barro of The Antiques performed in the Atari Lounge. Here he is with Jesse of the Donkeys. I blushed when we spoke; he is one good looking dude.


Calico Horse finished the night strong and Emily owned the stage with her command of the stage and soaring vocals. I've had the advance for some time now, but hearing the songs live just gives that something extra that you can only get from a live performance. Really, really good stuff.



After the show, some friends came over to my place, but I was done, and crashed out. Plus, I had a big weekend ahead...I needed as much beauty sleep as I could get.

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bill, Republic of Letters, Swim Party, The Sword 4.17.08

I am not gonna disclose how late I ended up staying up on Wednesday night but I was hanging with my Kensington homies and it was very. very. late. Still, a couple Diet Coke refills of my 44 oz cup from AM/PM and I made it through the day. Plus, I had the motivation of knowing I was going to have a three day weekend. After work and a short nap, I was off to the Belly Up for an all local show. Being friends with 3 of the 4 bands certainly has it's perks, so while the first band wrapped up, we hung out backstage.

Bill started and I had to check them out now that Dagart is playing with them, and it had been ages since the one show I saw them at the Alibi. They sounded good, with a little Ben Fold's mixed up with a little jazz and a funky little groove behind every song. My camera just didn't want to cooperate with only the back lights being used, but here are a few pics, apparently almost all of Dag.


We retreated back into the backstage area until Republic of Letters started. Those pics came out even worse, which sucks because their set sounded really great, and I was happy to look around and see other people singing along to their songs.

Last up was Swim Party and I had to stay for a couple songs, even though I was supposed to be heading down to the Casbah, because I had to take them in before their hiatus, and of course, they didn't disappoint.

I left after a few songs, and a short 21 minutes later was at the Casbah. I tried to prepare for the transition in music by playing the hardest shit I could find on my iPod, but nothing quite prepared me for a sold out balls out metal show that I witnessed. I wormed my way around the side, as I do, and I took some pictures, until I realized that the 3 guys playing guitar all looked exactly the same...same length hair and color, and heads hung forward with all their hair hanging over pretty much the whole set. They rocked hard, but it was also entertaining watching the crowd trying to stand upright as they were getting pummelled from behind. It got a little crowded where I was too, so about midway through the set, I realized the sound on the patio was just as good.



After the set I was determined to get a picture of the band's faces, but since I didn't know what any of them looked like, or if they were even on the patio, I just said, "Anyone with long hair, get in the picture." Who knew people would actually listen? I think a couple of them were in the opening bands but I have no idea. Either way, a good representation of the crowd that night.

After all of that I closed my night out at the Ken Club. It was so nice knowing that I had Friday off and I lived up my Thursday to celebrate it.
Then there was the weekend...I'll save that for another post.

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A rundown of my last few days

I guess I haven't really posted since the Beto Cuevas show so here's a quick rundown on how the last few nights have been for me.

Thursday, my friend Kristian and I went to the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma for a "Yelp Elite" party. Thanks to Ruggy for the invite. I love the hotel though it's been a while since I stopped by(you can read about the last time I was there here. Booze was provided by Effen Vodka (yay!) and there were some delicious tray passed appetizers. When we got there, we went straight for a cabana- I think a lot of people didn't know they were out by the pool and confined themselves to the bar- and it was great to hang out with other friends...Daye, Aaron, etc.

From there, we went to TNT where Absolut Grapefruit was the sponsor. Excellent. I liked F.U.Z.Z. though I didn't expect to because any band described as "funk" usually makes me turn and run. Then Ex-Friends played and the patio was more crowded. I love TNT and really look forward to some of the summer shows, when it's warm out, the days longer, and more people show up.

I said my goodbyes to Kristian and his friends and made my way to Chaser's, though by the time I arrived, I missed Di Nigunim, and ended up just sitting at the bar with Gene. It was a full on Punkboard night there. Sandra showed up and we ended up at my house after while she waited for Taxi Rob to come get her.

Friday night was a one stop night for me. I met James at the bar so we were on the bar side while Witt played but we got a booth when the Henry Clay People and Swim Party played. There weren't a lot of people at the bar, maybe everyone was at "The Fest" at the Casbah, but those of us who were there got a great show. The Henry Clay people are from LA and their original stuff is great, but I was especially taken by their cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait" and they did a fun version of Operation Ivy's "Don't Know Nothin'" and I was finally able to pick up their CDs. Then of course Swim Party rocked our socks off, and I was glad there was an intimate crowd of good friends there for what was their last show in a while since Eric is getting married soon, and Petro's got to take some time to get ready for his late summer wedding.

Saturday was a lazy day punctuated by dinner at Lefty's. I decided to take a nap before heading to the Casbah, but when the time came, I never made it to the Casbah. I was tired and needed the rest, but ended up waking up in the middle of the night and rediscovered my new best friend, Hulu.

Hulu is a site that hosts tons of tv shows and movies. Watching is free if you don't mind a few commercials. I watched half of the third season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, then shut down and went back to dreamland. Now I'm home and scratched my plans for that Vegan BBQ to hang at home. I think James and I are going to Habitat House in a little while but until then, I'm signing off. If I don't sign back on, don't forget to check out 91X in the morning. Mat Diablo makes his morning show debut. He's a great guy and has shared some of his plans for the show and I think people who enjoy some talk and music will be pleased. I hope.

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Too Many Plans, Too Little Time: the rest of my weekend

I completely overbooked my weekend, so much so that when it came to it, I ended up at only two of the seven or so things I'd planned. After getting sick, I realized I had to listen to my body and needed to take it easy.

Friday night, I had miscommunicated with a friend and we ended up missing Tokyo Police Club at Soma, but when Abraham called, he and Dan swung by and picked me up to go to the Beauty Bar. Since Sarah has been there, there are some noticeable changes to the bar. I liked it when Erika was the manager there, but even then, I sometimes felt like a fish out of water; I would go for the bands and when they'd finish, I'd leave to someplace where I felt a little more comfortable in a hoodie and jeans. Some of the staff has changed, the booking is a little different, and there's less a focus on pleasing the hipsters, and I think a different crowd is feeling more comfortable there than before.

Swim Party was awesome as ever, but I was absolutely blown away by Pattern is Movement. Two guys, one on drums and one on keys, just killing it. They did a Radiohead cover that was amazing and they were really nice guys to boot. I highly recommend checking out their MySpace page here.

After the show, Dan dropped Abraham and I off at the Ken Club and we had a couple unnecessary shots and when the bar closed, Abraham crashed out while I caught up on my week's worth of In Treatment.

In the morning my dog was going nuts and I let her out and she had "e.d." (explosive diarrhea) so I set up my lawn chair to stay outside with her and fell asleep in the sun for a couple hours. By noon, it was hot and we decided to get lunch. We headed for El Comal in Grant Hill, but it appears to have changed owners and is now called "Caffe de Pepe" or something. We still ate there, and our food was pretty damn good, though I miss El Comal's salsa trio and their chilaquiles were to die for. Dan came and met us, as did my sister and Johanna, so it was a fun time to chill out.

After lunch, I really wanted to check out the show at Planet Rooth, but I was kinda tired, so I napped instead, and ended up missing a house crawl that I should've been at as well. I did some evening grocery shopping and when Abraham and Daniel showed up again, we walked to the Ken. I was really mellow, and didn't go into the band room until Red Feathers played. I guess I was pacing myself since I kinda knew there was gonna be an after party, and there was. A bunch of us went back to my house, listened to music, watched some shit on YouTube and chilled out for a while until everyone bailed in the wee hours of the morning.

That lead to Sunday, where it was a lazy day and I spent most of it with my family for a BBQ. We watched Enchanted, which I actually thought was a pretty funny spoof of all the Disney princess movies until it turned into one in the end. And of course, I spent some Q.T. with my niece. Petro commented that I haven't posted a picture of her in a couple weeks, so this one is for him.



Anyway, by the time I got home from my parents' house, it was almost 9 and I realized I'd not posted about any of last week's shows, so I decided not to go to the Casbah. I do plan on being there tomorrow for Musee Mechanique and if you haven't heard them, check them out here or here. Hopefully someone will be kind enough to get me a copy of Staring At The Sun. I'm looking forward to the week ahead, but it's finally time for me to get some sleep. I'll try to get some listings up in the morning. night-night.

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Friday Recap: Team Abraham, Swim Party, Jamuel Saxon 2.22.08

Friday was a good night, wasn't it? I worked a little late but it was just fine because when I did finally leave the office, I was ready for my weekend to get going. I mentioned I sat at home reading a movie script, the I got ready and headed out, arriving at the Whistle Stop right around 9 because I'm never quite sure when everything's gonna get started there.

Team Abraham took the stage at 10, which gave plenty of time to catch up with friends and ease into the night. I think the band sounded great, no mic problems like they thought they had at the Casbah a couple weeks back, so from start to finish, they sounded clean, and the harmonica sounded beautiful accompanying the music.

Team Abraham




Then, of course, after Swim Party got all their equiment and lights set up, they got
to playing to a pretty crowded Whistle Stop. We know I love them, end of story there.

Swim Party




After they finished, I quickly left and made my way to Chaser's to catch Jamuel Saxon. It wasn't until Randall pointed out that its a mock of Samuel Jackson that the lightbulb clicked. I'm so dumb sometimes. But anyway, there was a good little crowd at Chaser's dancing and getting down, and Jamuel Saxon was awesome. There's some prerecorded beats, a dj, and Isaac from Get Back Loretta and another guy banging their hearts outta a couple drums and bongos, all the while Keith singing and sounding killer. Those brothers Milgraten never cease to amaze me with not only their talent, but their diversity of talent.

Jamuel Saxon




of course I chatted with T-Bone a bit and took a pic of the best hoodie I've ever seen...


After Chaser's, I hit the Ken for last call and it was packed for Roses on Her Grave and Desert Diamonds, even though they'd already finished. I ran into Aaron and we played half a game of pool, I did a couple shots, and for once actually went home after closing time and went to sleep.

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Swim Party, Talkdemonic & AM Vibe @ Casbah, 2-11-08

Yet again, I have a week's worth of pictures that I haven't gotten around to posting.

After we left Rodrigo y Gabriela at 4th & B, Andrea and I made our way to the Casbah. It had been a while since we saw AM Vibe play and once again they didn't disappoint. I have to say, I've never really had chick envy, but Lisah is one of the coolest chicks to watch perform. She rocks but has a sweet voice, she is sexy but doesn't dress in a suggestive way, and when she plays she has a smile on her face throughout her entire set. Plus, I heart Porter in a big way, so call me biased, but I love this band.





Talkdemonic was up next and I guess it was just over a year ago that they performed at another Anti-Monday League, which I wrote about here. It was kinda nice to go from all instrumental Rodrigo y Gabriela, to the melodic rock of AM Vibe, back to the all instrumental music of Talkdemonic. The live violin and drums had so much energy, even if once again I had to get over my slight bias against pre-recorded sounds playing from an iMac. It appeared that some of the people there were unfamiliar with Talkdemonic and a handful of people asked me if I knew who they were because they were so impressed with the set.









Last up was Swim Party, and gush gush. The crowd stuck around despite it being a bit of a late night. They are starting to incorporate a couple of their new songs into their set, though they told me they have been so focused on getting their next album recorded that they haven't worked out how to play most of them live. I captured a couple songs on YouTube, as did Natalie, so I'll post those when I get some real time to do so.









It was a really great night. One other thing I wanted to point out about the night was how impressed I was with all the local bands supporting other locals. Just looking through the crowd, I saw members of Firethorn, Someday Assassin, The Modlins, Writer, The Predicates, Frantic Romantic, Dead on Seven, The Tighten-Ups, Team Abraham, Republic of Letters, Blackout Party, Starcrossed and Roxy Jones. Anybody who says that locals bands don't support one another are dead wrong.

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Overdue Recap: Langhorne Slim & Silverbird @ Beauty Bar, Verso @ Ken Club, and the rest of that weekend...

It's so nice to have a free day to catch up with life, no?

A week ago Friday was a great day for me. Work was all caught up and I got to help out on a project that I can't really detail, but it incorporated local music and I was stoked to do it. I was even let off work early, and on my ride home, I was told that I would be rewarded for my efforts with a bottle of vodka. I got home when there was still a bit of daylight, straightened up my house and chilled out until Andrea and Amy showed up. We decided to have some pre-show cocktails so we called a cab who showed up relatively quickly. We were buzzing with energy and a couple drinks.

When we arrived, we met up with the guys in Langhorne Slim. Andrea had brought them some hats from The Village Hat Shop to try out, and they chose a couple. We ordered some more drinks and chilled until the bands started.

Silverbird started off the show. Justin was sporting a new haircut, and this variation of the band only had Justin's guitars, Robin's keys, and the relatively new bassist (sorry, forgot his name). Since they've been without a regular drummer, Justin used a tambourine with a foot pedal to accompany the music. They sounded really great- Justin's heartfelt voice kinda crushes me a little everytime I hear it- so I'm definitely looking forward to them getting in the studio and laying down an album.





I spend a lot of time going to shows, but it's rare for me to actively have a 'ladies night', so we kept well lubed. I finally met Sarah, the new Beauty Bar manager, and we got to hang out a bit and talk about what she's doing with the place, and I think she's got some good things planned. Dustin is helping out with the booking there, too, which I think is a good injection of new blood. Sarah also hooked me up with a couple poker chips, so our good night was propelled to a great one. On top of all that, Abraham was there and said he'd drive us home. Night set, we went back on the patio to watch Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles.

I love this band, and I'm glad that they've got a full length because listening to an EP can only hold you over for so long. I've seen them a few times now, namely with Two Gallants and when they toured with Rocky Votolato, and the energy they have on stage is great. Even with Slim jumpin all over the stage, the other musicians hold their own and really, Paul just kills on that stand up bass.







After the set, we briefly hung out, and Andrea gave one of the hats she brought to Brandon, so here's him reluctantly modeling his new hat. (Check out the Village Hat Shop Online.)



After the show, we headed back to Kensington. I guess that is the point in the night where I had that moment of clarity...like perhaps I should've had dinner before all those cocktails. Oops. We walked over to the Ken and caught the end of The Verso's set. I'll have to check them out again when I'm not all googly eyed.





Afterward, we all came back to my house, and I quickly made my way into bed while my friends entertained themselves. The next morning, they were all up, shiny and bright after crashing in my living room, and convinced me that we should get some lunch. We headed to Bluefoot for some beer while our stuffed pizza was cooking at Lefty's. I'd only ever had fries from Lefty's before and let me tell ya, call me converted. They have some of the best pizza sauce I've ever tasted and it was delicious food to cure the h.o. The Upas Street football crew rolled in and we hung out for a bit, but after a couple hours, it was nap o'clock so I suppose you could say my Friday night finally ended about 3 pm Saturday.

Later that night, I rallied and went to the Ken Club for Swim Party, The Roman Spring, and the Focus Group. It was a great show for all three bands, though I didn't take pictures (you can read Natalie's review here). Late in the night, my friend Sara came to hang out, so we hopped between the band room and the bar, catching up with one another since it had been ages since we'd hung out. Of course, convenience is key, and after the bar, some friends came over. My neighbor was gone so we blasted MgmT and Sub Society and Prince and a whole bunch of other music until it was time for everyone to head home around 4 or 5 in the morning.

Last thing for me for last weekend was SuperBowl Sunday which was really chill with my family at my sister's house in PB. The game was great, but of course, I was obsessed with my niece Johanna. Talent scouts, my e-mail is in the about me section of this page :)

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Saturday Recap: Apes of Wrath, Swim Party, Roxy Jones @ Tower Bar

I don't really think there is anyone quite as skilled at procrastination as I am. I have work to do, so what do I do? Have a late lunch at Ponce's. Still have work to do, so what do I do? A nap sounds pretty good. I was going to try to make myself stay home to do what I needed to do, but instead, convinced myself that going to the show was actaully work, too, because I was still on the hunt for material for my next CityBeat column. I can really justify anything...

When I arrived to the Tower, Apes of Wrath were already playing and had a large crowd up front, so I just kinda hung back and didn't really plan on taking pics, but toward the end of their set I was able to snap a few. I've seen the band a few times before and have an unmixed demo from them, but I was really surprised that even though they were playing really loud, the vocals were crystal clear. Did Mick upgrade the sound at the bar? I was also glad to get up close because the drummer was really entertaining to watch.




Swim Party played second and I don't think there's any band that I've written about on my site more than Swim Party, so I'll spare the lovefest and just post the pics. And to Alex, I'm really sorry, but I just had to post a pic of the sneakers...Maybe Santa will notice you need some new ones. Or maybe he'll just hook you up with more duct tape. Either way, think of it as me trying to help you...





Last up for the night was Roxy Jones. I like their kinda unpolished sound and they're another of the San Diego bands that is better every time I see them. Plus, their latest CD is really good. Keep an eye out for my CityBeat column this week for some more info on Peter.




Again, I headed back to the Ken after the show where Todd and I played "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" on Tarryn's phone. Sadly, the answer to that question is no. I'm happy to report that the Christmas decorations have been up at the Ken for about a week now, and it's always been my favorite time of year to live near this bar. I also wanted to introduce everyone to Kittyhead.



Kittyhead is a cat that hangs around the neighborhood. She sometimes lays in the street, resulting in several people calling the number on her tag only to be told "Leave her alone. She's an outdoor cat." Well, this just isn't the kind of neighborhood where we leave animals alone, so Kittyhead spends her nights in the Ken Club, sometimes on the bar, sometimes sleeping in one of the booths in the back, sometimes hiding out in the band room. She's sweet but cautious, and she will bite if she wants you to leave her alone. Anyway, she follows me home, but with Pascha and my own three cats, I just can't take her in, even just at night, but I do put some food out for her every once in a while. This is probably a bad idea, however, because last night, it wasn't Kittyhead eating the food, but a baby skunk hopping away from me on the sidewalk. Lesson learned there...Anyway, if you're in Kensington, say hi to Kittyhead and give her some love, just please don't take her out of the hood. After all, she does have an owner, even if he is an asshole.

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Thursday Recap: SD:Dialed In One Year Anniversary with Swim Party, Writer, and Pocket Utopia

After a late Wednesday and all day at work, I was happy that I was able to get home, get a little overtime work in (gotta love Excel spreadsheets!), and still get a disco nap in before my big show. I grabbed a bite from Ponce's and took it to the bar and a lot of my friends came early to hang out, which I appreciate because for my sister and brother in law to allow Johanna to spend the night with my parents to come out had to be a hard choice. Thursday can be slow at the Ken Club, and even competing against great shows at Cane's, the Beauty Bar, The Casbah, and the Tower, we had a really, really good turnout, though I think that speaks more to the bands than anything.

I've of course talked about Pocket Utopia, Writer and Swim Party extensively here before and they all gave impressive performances, even with a couple sound issues that I really think were only noticeable to the bands, because from where I was they sounded great. It wasn't my intention to snub other bands that I love when I booked the show; instead I wanted to mix it up a little with a couple bands that I don't think get the opportunity to play as much as they should. With the success of the night, I think I'll try to get another show together for next month, so if anyone is interested in getting on the second Thursday of December, please let me know and we'll go from there.

I appreciated Swim Party's attempt to get me on stage for a speech, but really, why do they think I write in the first place?? So thanks to everyone who came to the show, to my friends who faithfully read this blog, and especially to the strangers who read this blog and came out to the show but for one reason or another haven't introduced themselves yet. It has been a great year, probably the best of my life thus far, and it ain't over. I feel like '08 is gonna be even better- and the 2nd anniversary falls on election night so hopefully we'll have double the reasons to celebrate.

I chose to not take too many pics of the night, but here are a few, as well as Lynn's drawings of the evening.

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One Year "Blog-iversary" is Coming Up!

I'm sorry my posting has dwindled. My first two days of work were really good but really busy. So much so that Friday night I was wiped out and fighting a cold, so I stayed in. Makes me wish I hadn't squandered those three months off...maybe I didn't really need all that sleep. And maybe all those nights of watching TV until the sun rose could've been more productive.

Oh well.

But let me say, the job is rad. I actually get to use my brain! And Excel (I am an Excel geek)! And Math! And people in the office actually Smile! And when there are meetings, stuff actually gets done and decisions get made! It is very satisfying at the end of the day, let me tell ya. And I literally have no time...from the time I walk in the door until it's time to go home, I have projects to do so there's no surfing or daydreaming or even emailing, which is a great thing because time zooms right by. I am happy.

Lest you think I'm ignoring my local music, I've been home almost all afternoon loading every single local album that I can find so that I can have a good mix of local stuff on the iPod for the show at the Ken Club on Thursday. If I don't have your CD, sorry. I've got what I've got. And extra special thanks to the bands who do whatever it is they have to do so that iTunes can get the album info without me having to input band names manually. All those demos without track listings are really bumming me out. But I do have a good collection of San Diego music from the past and present. It was fun to dust off the old Macananys album, and stuff from the Rugburns and Rust and Den of Thieves and Blacksmith Union and Three Mile Pilot to mix along with new stuff from Grand Ole Party and The Stereotypes and Emery Byrd and The Silent Comedy and The Drowning Men and Republic of Letters and on and on and on. I've only loaded 31 cds/demos and am not even a quarter through my collection. I have my work cut out for me. I intend to just do a major random shuffle of all this stuff that will play on the bar side the night of the one year anniversary of this blog. Yay.

I know there are some other things going on this Thursday night (The Hold Steady for one), but I would really love to see some of the faces of people that have been reading here and all the people who've commented, e-mailed, showed support for what I'm doing here, and especially those that have bought me drinks over time :) Plus, it's gonna be a great lineup of music, and we won't keep you out too late. And it's free. Did I mention that?



I'll try to post my pics from Wednesday night soon, but I'm cleaning (everyone else's house still all ashy?) and uploading and downloading and all kinds of stuff and my BFF is in town this week from England for the Neuroscience conference so there might be a deviation in my usual routine.

Some things worth noting:

1. It's not too late to send me your band news for next week's CityBeat column. I'll be finalizing the draft tomorrow. Get on it!

2. I am helping to present the Great Northen/Robbers On High Street show at the Casbah on Wednesday. I should have a couple pairs of tickets for the show, and I have an autographed CD and a t-shirt from Robbers on High Street that I'll be giving away next week. Check back for that.

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Monday Recap: Swim Party, Frightened Rabbit, Quasi

Last of the catching up posts...

Monday night I went to the Casbah for Swim Party, Frightened Rabbits, and Quasi. Unlike usual Mondays in San Diego, there was a lot to choose from around town. Battles were playing at the Epicentre and Final Fantasy was at the Beauty Bar among a few other options. With that in mind, I guess I wasn't too surprised that the Casbah wasn't very crowded. For that, all I can say is that I'm sorry to anyone who wasn't there, because Swim Party absolutely blew the lid off the place. They sounded so clean and so good that my friend and I were trying to figure out how we can get Barsuk to pay attention. I was so into the music, I didn't even pull out my camera and let Natalie go to town. Check her site for those pics in a couple days.

Frightened Rabbit was up next. They're a 3 piece from Scotland and, well, let's face it, what girl isn't just a little groupified by a band with accents? Even more so when that band is so good?













I loved the vocals, and maybe it's because I'm so into the band's countrymen, My Latest Novel, but I was into them from the get go. The whole band was great, but the drummer stole the show. Watching him beat the skins, all the while singing along, and even at one point playing harmonica while he played was nothing short of a spectacle. I try not to turn into groupie fan when watching a band, and no disrespect to his girlfriend, but those faces he made were sex faces...I feel like we all watched him having sex because he was just on another plane than all of us.

Quasi was up last and played a really long set. I found it funny that all three bands of the evening were 3 piece bands. I liked some of Quasi's more melodic songs, but sometimes the dissonant hammering on the keyboard got to me...just not my thing. The room was more crowded that it had been earlier in the night and people were really into Quasi, but it was getting late and I had to go make my contribution to the Leukemia/Lymphoma benefit so I took off a little after 12. Natalie took pics of Quasi, too, so keep a look out for her to post. Tonight I'll be at Black Box and possibly the Casbah too. One great thing about my new job is I start at a normal time: 9 am, and not the 7:30 I was used to at my old job. Hope to see y'all out...

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Save The Date: SD:Dialed In One Year Anniversary

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Sunday Recap: The Henry Clay People, Swim Party, Writer @ Zombie Lounge

After uploading my pictures from Saturday, I suspended myself from taking pictures (and from drinking) when I headed to the Zombie Lounge on Sunday night. This is a move I regret now, but I just couldn't bring myself to take pictures and ruin a whole other crowd's night with my flash. Still, I can't not write about the amazing bill that played at the Zombie.

Unfortunately I missed Mia Valentine. I still have this stupid obsession with the show "Cold Case" and once I started watching, I had to be there to find out that it was the cousin who shot the Elvis wannabe. So I watched and then headed to the bar and for a minute wished I had arrived either 5 minutes earlier or 5 minutes later because I was almost caught in the middle of a hooker fight.

I parked on the northwest corner of 35th and El Cajon, got out of my car and walked to the crosswalk. Me and two hookers on the corner, just as the "walk" sign turned green. We began to cross as three other ladies of the night came our way and suddenly some shit talking went down. "You the bitch fucking my baby's daddy? You fucking my man? You fucking whore!" Then the response, "Nah, Bitch, you got the wrong Ho, I don't know your shit. I ain't fuckin yo man!" There's stupid me just walking across the street as they're about to fight in the middle of the street, just minding my own business but kinda laughing inside about the almost fight happening as I cross 35th relatively early on a Sunday night. It will never cease to amaze me that this kind of shit is happening less than a mile from my neighborhood; less than a mile from the home of Mayor Jerry Sanders and Mr. 91X, Chris Cantore.

I quickly found sanctuary in the Zombie Lounge, as The Henry Clay People were mid set. People had told me about the band but holy shit, they are so good. I was thinking of Dusty Rhodes and the Little River Band in their presentation (though the music is very different)- the way you feel like the band is preaching to you, enlightening you of some secret they've learned with the hand gestures and emphatic expressions but in the meantime you're listening to the music and wondering how these young guys have it all figured out...and why they're playing the Zombie Lounge on a Sunday night?? They closed their set with a song dedicated to everyone who is "broke and poor but continue the rock 'n' roll". Then there was the acknowledgement that being broke and poor is redundant, but rock and roll anyway! And as Joey jumped in the crowd and knocked my shoulder and the crowd rocked along with them, you knew that everyone was right there with them. (This is a pic from their MySpace since I didn't take any.)

After The Henry Clay People, Swim Party took the stage and what else can I say about these guys. If I had a label, Swim Party would be the first band I'd sign. I took some heat because Petro shaved his beard after I posted a pic of him with his gigantic beard here but it was all in good fun. Anyway, the boys did their thing and seriously, if Swim Party hasn't been on your radar then you are sleeping.

The last band of the evening was Writer. They're a San Diego band I'd never heard of but who came highly recommended, and the second the singer, Andy, opened his mouth, I got a little pissed that this band isn't playing every other week in San Diego. In their live performance, there's this natural thing to connect them with The Smiths crossed with Wilco, and I would never take either comparison lightly. Is it too late to book them to open for Rocky Votolato at the Casbah next week? Can we make this happen? They were amazing onstage, and later, offstage, they were so nice, even after two of the three were bitten by a couple dogs running loose on El Cajon Blvd (unless it's edited, see my CityBeat column on Wednesday for more info on that). Anyway, Writer is playing some benefit show at a gallery or boutique or something in November, but I'm working on getting them seen around town sooner than that only because I don't think I can wait that long.

I couldn't be happier that the Zombie Lounge is diversifying and allowing more bands to take their stage. There was a time when you could only see rockabilly or punk bands but the shift definitely works for me.

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Thursday Recap: Swim Party & Austin James Band, The Corvinas

As anyone who regularly reads this site knows, Thursday was a really strange day for me on account of this blog. In a day I went from about 250 hits to almost 10 times that because of my experience with Band of Horses, my posts about it all, and then an interview of Ben Bridwell by Pitchfork. I opted to not respond to commenters and I still won't, because most likely, they've come and gone and are now hating on the next indie nation whatever. I feel like that's all subsided now and while I appreciate many of the comments, I will keep my thin skin and my Mexican temper, thank you very much. It's who I am.

Anyway, it was nice that night to be surrounded by friends at my various stops of the night. Swim Party were already playing when I arrived, but I walked in on my favorite song so I was happy. I was also told that I could video whatever I wanted, though I guess I have to edit it down since the two songs I captured went over the 100 meg limit on YouTube.



The band sounded so great and they've added some light trees to their light boxes making for a better looking stage than the 4 Beauty Bar lights can provide on their own. As I mentioned in the other recap, a couple of the guys from Adam Franklin's band stuck around a couple days. Actually one of em missed his flight and I hear it was a great story, but that's neither here not there. So it was nice to chat with them a litle bit at the Beauty Bar.

The Austin James Band played after Swim Party and had these killer harmonies. And not just a couple of them, but the entire band including the drummer would join in. Their second song was a cover of Jumpin Jack Flash and in between their mostly originals, they'd throw in another cover that were singalong worthy. They have the look of a hippie jam band, but I loved their soaring harmonies and am glad I stuck around. I also liked how, much like Swedish Models, the band moved around a lot, switching up instruments between one another. I didn't ever find out if one of them is actually Austin James, but it didn't really matter.






Matt Binder's doppelganger?

Once the bands ended, I headed to Kadan for CatDirt's show, but I missed FOTH. I was in time for The Corvinas who rocked the enthusiastic crowd.





It was kinda claustrophobic for me, so I ended up talking with David the door guy about the shooting that occurred a week before around the corner from the bar. He was really nice and had a lot of strong opinions about the situation. Until the investigation is complete, however, he wasn't really passing judgment. A friend of mine wrote on his blog that there wasn't crime in the area until the A/C lounge opened and brought douchebags to the neighborhood. I didn't buy his argument, and neither did the door guy, who recounted instances of crime associated with the former tenants, Your Place. Bad shit happens everywhere.

After that, I returned inside to hang out for a little longer and then was on my way to close my evening at the Ken feeling better about all the drama that had occurred just a few hours before.

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Thursday Night Thing/ Thao Nguyen/Ken Club

Is Thursday not the best day of the week? Seriously...Fridays and Saturdays are for every rookie in town...but Thursday...that's when the pros are out.

My night started at TNT. I made sure to get there relatively early because I didn't wanna deal with the clusterf*ck that it was the last time I came when the bands were on the back patio of the new wing of the museum. I was pleased to see Swim Party setting up back in front of the old wing on the patio. Sorry to say I didn't see any are, but I certainly had a good time watching the bands and the standup comics (Mal and Erik). Oh yeah, and the cocktails. Thanks for the drink tickets Larry and Andrea.

Before the show started, I had the chance to chat with Derek Rast of Kite Flying Society, or as we lovingly call him, "The Quarterback" (think "Popular" by Nada Surf). It was made abundantly clear to me that I have not posted specifically about Derek in the past and it is about time I had. Seriously ladies, pink jacket and all, Derek is haitch oh triple freakin tee and the dude is single. I mean, come on, look at that jawline.

And that redeye I had to correct? That's because those light eyes can't handle the flash. But come on. Do they get any cuter? The dude wore a tuxedo to the music awards. And had a bouttonniere! And by the way, did I mention his skills on the glockenspiel? Dude is on fire... get your hands on him. I told him I was going to write, "he won't f*** me, but he might f*** you" and then he said, "I might f*** you." This dude is a giver, fo sho.

Anyway, I had a great time at TNT and seeing as pretty much everyone I know was there, I know you all did, too. The kids were dancing to Swim Party and having a ball. (The one with the Swim Party sticker on his back is the nephew of Alex, the bassist of SP)

Kasey and Andrea were out, too. Oh, and 91X was there with coupons for free go-go taquitos, big gulps, and 1/4 pound big bite hot dogs...Kasey piled a dog up with all the fixins, including massive amounts of jalapeños. Hope they're treating him ok today.

Oh, yeah...and Swim Party rocked it. Before the show, a couple guys went around collecting anonymous notes that had people's secrets and confessions on them. During the show, they were projected behind the band. Like PostSecret, there is something liberating and cathartic in revealing secrets, still I was surprised how many people admitted shitting themselves. Weird. I also liked the cheating ones. As a guy walked by holding his girlfriend's hand, she asked, "So where's you wife tonight?" to which he replied, "She just got off work and is at home," and I kinda figured I knew their secret.

Kite Flying Society keeps playing the new material so a release is cleary imminent. I can't wait. They are so humble, they'd probably never tell you, but they've been invited to Athens Popfest 2007 (as have other locals Red Pony Clock), so yay for them. They've also found a replacement bassist who played last night.

Anyway, it was a good time but as soon as it started, the night was already over. My friend and I hopped on the trolley to 6th Avenue to make it to the House of Blues for Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stand Down. It was supposed to be a sidestage show, but ended up being in Salvation Alley, probably because HoB didn't advertise the show at all. We walked in as she played "Feet Asleep" so I was happy, though she only played a few songs after that. We all know by now that I'm partial to male vocalists, so when there is a chick that I do like that I think rocks, it should convey to you that she is really good. Hand claps and all.

This was the only promotion the show got, so the half dozen of us were there but it was gooood...

After the show, my friend and I headed back to Kensington and made our way to the Ken Club to polish off the evening. It was a good night, especially evident by the fact that my only "set in stone" plan for Friday is to take a long, long nap.

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Repeater, Swim Party, Qu'est-ce Que C'est @ Ken Club 5/26/07

Saturday night I decided to take it easy (total drink count: 2 beers) ...there was a party I was supposed to attend, but since I hate driving, nothing seemed better than just going to the Ken Club for Repeater, Swim Party, and Qu'est-ce Que C'est.

Repeater is a band out of Long Beach and have apparently played here before at the Beauty Bar. This was my first time seeing them and though the crowd was relatively thin for a Saturday night, especially during a 3 day weekend, those of us present knew we were seeing something special. There's a quality to the singer's voice that is so distinct and unique I think everyone in the room ended up buying their CD.











Swim Party played next and played their loudest show ever. I loved them as always, but they seemed disappointed, like the sound guy had pushed them to play too loud. Doesn't matter, we in the crowd enjoyed ourselves as always with this band.







Qu'est-ce Que C'est closed up the show with their synth-pop and filling the Ken Club with their fog machine. I really like these guys but was a little less receptive to their sound on this night, just because I was in a more relaxed state. That is my fault, however, not theirs.




When they finished I called it a night since the bar was kind of a dud anyway. When I got home, my mellow mood turned somber when I discovered that two of my five African Dwarf frogs were belly up, and another dead in the bottom of their enclosure. I put the two surviving frogs in a separate container with fresh water, but sadly one didn't make it through the night. The last one is alive but not very active. I have had these frogs for almost 5 years, but since I was told they could live to 13, and since I know I was slacking on changing their water, I can't help but feel guilty, like I killed them with neglect. boo hoo. I certainly hope that there is a froggy heaven.

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Friday Newsy Bits

ok really, I have no newsy bits today. But I thought this was funny. I passed this car the other day on my way home from work and since my best friend is a lawyer who defends people who are evicted, I have a slanted view of evictions...even if I didn't, you have to be kind of a scumbag to be so proud of your profession, no?




*****
Last night I finally met Natalie who until now I'd only known through MySpace. She is a killer photographer and writes reviews for Reviewer magazine. She was at Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on Tuesday at the Epicentre and you can check out her shots here.
*****
The Sky Drops are playing at San Diego Sports Club next Wednesday night at Pussy Galore. You should check them out. Really. You can download a couple songs on their website or check them out on MySpace. They're coming all the way from Delaware, so forget all the things that irritate you about SDSC and go, ok? They're playing with dreamtiger and Spindrift. Shoegazey bliss.
*****
Don't forget to vote for Swim Party so they can play some granola hippy festival in Santa Barbara. Then we can take the train up and watch them in our birkenstocks with out pachouli dabbed under our armpits while we drink organic shadegrown coffee. It will be awesome.
*****
I'm out...have a great weekend...

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