Covid-19: Fader Fort Goes Digital on March 31st & April 1st

The Fader Fort is one of the hotspots of SXSW every year, and since the festival was obviously canceled this year, The Fader has decided the show must go on, virtually, of course. Tune in to their link here. Videos will only be live for 24 hours, so check it out sooner rather than later.

(Update: due to popular demand, the live stream has expanded to two days. Check after the jump for full lineup.)

Full press release after the jump:

Newsy Bits & Bulletins: NPFoA, The Void, Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Che Cafe and more.

There was a time when I'd sit at my desk in my office and just pounce on new news related to San Diego or music or festivals. Perhaps I just figure everyone has the same information at their fingertips or perhaps I've lost my edge or maybe I've just been finger-wagged too many times for posting things prematurely that I just don't feel that urgency to be first or break stories. Maybe I'd rather just link you to other sources so I don't get the backlash of incorrect information. Or maybe I have been having too much fun freelancing and not being confined to a desk or laptop all day that I just figure I'll get to all of it some other time. Whatever it is, there have been some things mulling around my brain that I've been meaning to share, so I'll get to it in one long post. If you don't take the time to read, you can blame yourself for not knowing later. North Park Festival of Arts open for band submissions, Cricket becomes Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Eleven becomes The Void, Che Cafe Cracks down on bigotry, Givit sends you to SXSW, CityBeat Demo Review...read about all of it after the jump.

San Diego Music Thing Preview: Ume

The first time I saw Ume was in 2009. They were opening for The Meat Puppets and Dead Confederate at the Belly Up, which was certainly no simple task, and I was enthralled. The band is from Austin and despite vocalist/guitarist Lauren's tiny stature, the chick rocks. Hard. Sometimes I think to myself that it is never too late to pick up an instrument, and then I see a woman like Lauren shred and I know there is just really no point. Certainly she's got the cute thing covered, but don't underestimate just how fierce the band can be on stage. Ume has been back around a few times since then, but here's a clip of the band performing at the San Diego Music Foundation/Bar Pink/Casbah party at Lustre Pearl at SXSW in 2011.

You can see Ume on Friday night at Bar Pink at 12:30am as part of the San Diego Music Thing.


And you have to check out this awesome clip of Ume on No Reservations With Anthony Bourdain:

SXSW Experience: Italian Japanese

Though Italian Japanese had a short stay in Austin, I ran into the band on Thursday night at the Velveeta Room, where The Silent Comedy played a 1:30 am set. After the show, they were all kind enough to give me a ride back to the house where I was staying, saving me cab money and who knows how much  time just trying to catch one. This is the post SXSW survey as answered by the band's manager.

How long were you in Austin?
Wednesday March 14th through Thursday March 15th.

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We've been on tour for two weeks, and SXSW was part of the tour.

We randomly ran into Transfer and The Silent Comedy after playing the City Tavern in Dallas, and closed the bar down. Transfer was playing a show a couple blocks away the same night, and The Silent Comedy came out to support. Afterwards they headed to the venue we were playing out to have drinks. We ended up having a blast with our San Diego crew.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
Yes, we played four showcases. Wednesday night we played The Thirsty Nickel at 9:30pm. Thursday we played Cheer Up Charlie's at 3:30pm, Blind Pig at 7pm, and Wahoo's at 11pm.

How were your crowds? The venues?
Wahoo's was a huge surprise for us. Ended up being the most energetic crowd. The Thirsty Nickel and Blind Pig were great. Cheer Up Charlie's had an awesome main stage with amazing sound.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
Yes, for our Thirsty Nickel show, our friends from the Chain Gang of 1974 came out. For Cheer Up Charlie's it was awesome playing with Saint Motel, Dirty Beaches, and our friends from Mrs. Magician. The Cuckoo Chaos boys came to support us as well.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We caught our friends Cults at the Carson Daly Last Call showcase, which was sweet.
Writer at Shangri-la was awesome.
The Silent Comedy at The Velveeta Room was off the hook!
Saint Motel, The Chain Gang of 1974, & Paper Route were also an amazing line-up at Peckerheads.
We also caught Snoop Dogg at the Doritos Party.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
BOTH! Definitely.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Pack light. Don't speed. Eat your fruits & vegetables. Bring a dolly. Don't forget to sleep... Coffee coffee coffee.

SXSW Saturday: Final Day in Austin

A week has passed since my return from South By Southwest and I feel like I still have so much to talk about, but then last week I saw this snarky post on Facebook that said something like, "Has anything ever happened at SXSW in twenty years that anyone who wasn't there actually cared about?"  Well, Sir, probably not,  but if you think about it in those terms, why bother chronicling anything ever? Why even have a Facebook account if what happens to other people is so boring and inconsequential to your life? I'm not trying to save the world here, just living my little life and writing about it. So here goes. After the jump...

SXSW Experience: Cuckoo Chaos

Last week, I posted a link to Jackson Milgaten's blog recap of his SXSW experience, but he also took some road time to answer my little recap questions. It is unfortunate that I didn't bump into these guys the entire time I was in Texas, but they were certainly busy and quite the buzzed about band, not just at SXSW but among bloggers in general who are catching on to the sounds that we've watched grow and morph throughout their musical careers here in San Diego. Check out a few videos from their set at the Virgin Mobile house at the end of the post. Jackson also wanted me to share this link from BreakThruRadio, featuring a podcast highlighting music from San Diego.  

How long were you in Austin (from when to when)? Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We (Cuckoo Chaos) got into Austin on Tuesday night and left Sunday afternoon. We drove out there and played a few shows on the way down with our friends Treasure Mammal who are from Phoenix. The shows were a lot of fun and served as a great warm up for south by.

Did you play? If so, when and where? How were your crowds? The venues?
We had 12 shows scheduled that completely ran the gamut ranging from an official showcase, to corporate parties, house shows, BBQs, and small clubs. Most of them were great and a couple were kind of weird (we played at the 508 house to the sound and video crew while there was a line of people that wrapped around the venue who weren't being allowed entrance for some unknown reason), but overall we had a blast. 4 of the shows were cancelled and we ended up picking one making for a grand total of 9.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
My favorite was probably the last one we played which was at a house a few blocks north of downtown. We stole a bottle of vodka from an earlier show we played that day and passed it around the party during our set. Scott stood in the middle of the audience facing the rest of the band. We really let loose at that one.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We saw/played with some great acts. Of note were Deerhoof (San Francisco),Zulu Winter (London), Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco), Kindness (London), and 100 Flowers (Austin). There were a lot more we wanted to see but we were so busy it just didn't work out.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
I'm sure we will go back again next year if our schedule permits. It's so much fun to be in the madness of it all and to be able to see our friends from all over the globe. I would highly recommend it to any lover of live music.

SXSW Experience: The Silent Comedy

It was nearly impossible to go to SXSW and not see The Silent Comedy ruling the streets of Austin and hear people buzzing about their amazing performances. I was lucky enough to bump into drummer Chad Lee after leaving A Scribe Amidst The Lions. He and I had a beer at Bayou and he had a broken All Access wristband from their earlier set at Stubb's. The bartender at Bayou found us some tape and we met up with the rest of The Silent Comedy and Chad ran distraction as we walked into Stubb's and the security guard inspected my wristband, skipping both lines into the venue going in each direction. We saw Saint Motel perform, the guys from Transfer showed up, and eventually we all went to The Silent Comedy's late night set at the Velveeta Room. On Saturday, I just missed the band's set at the Mohawk, but we had fun in the VIP area for a couple hours as I enjoyed what would be my last Lone Star's of my trip. Later, the guys came to the University of Texas where I was with The Heavy Guilt who busked the line waiting to get in. I was invited to join them back on 6th after the show, but it was late and I had to catch the final bus home before setting off the next morning.  



 How long were you in Austin (from when to when)?
We were in Austin from Tuesday the 13th to Sunday the 18th.

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

We drove the entire way with several shows in Arizona and Texas on the way out, and Las Vegas on the way back. The drive got pretty treacherous when a semi-truck carrying pallets in front of us started to lose its cargo. Pallets smashed on the road in front of us, making it necessary to swerve and dodge to avoid popping our tires. We also hit ice, snow, and sand. Fortunately, we were safe through it all, and made it out alive.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
We did play. Too many places to mention them all, but some definite highlights were Stubb's and Mohawk. Our management party at Stubb's had us playing with some amazing bands like Lucero and Alabama Shakes. The MOG party at Mohawk was another highlight with The Roots and Blitzen Trapper. Both were tons of fun!

How were your crowds? The venues?
Every show art SXSW is so unique, which is half the fun. The crowds were great whether they were large or small, and the venues each had their own special charm.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
The MOG party at Mohawk had to be our favorite. We showed up early to load in and there was a line of 300 people before doors even opened. It stayed that way for most of the day. Our set was a blast, and got super rowdy. After that, we got to hang out and watch Gary Clark Jr., Bob Mould, Blitzen Trapper, and The Roots while sipping cold Lone Star. Pretty good day overall.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
The Warner Bros. party was a ton of fun! We also went to the Mumford and Sons documentary screening, and saw them and Edward Sharpe play. Mostly we were working, rather than having a good time, so we didn't get to too many parties.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?
Next year we will probably be back as a band if we aren't on tour already.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Probably our best moment was shooting whiskey with an older southern gentleman from Country Music Television at the Warner Bros. party. He had the coolest stories, and drank all of us youngsters under the table.

This is a playlist of some of their set at Velveeta. 

SXSW Experience: A Scribe Amidst The Lions

The Heavy Guilt left San Diego around 6pm on Tuesday and I was along for the ride. We stopped in Las Cruces, checking into a hotel at 6am to noon to get some sleep before resuming the trip to Austin. While on the road, I began to get texts from Ryan Blue, asking if I wanted to help book/sponsor/promote a showcase at a bar called the Sahara Lounge. He already had A Scribe Amidst The Lions and their friends Sour Soul from Mexico City. As we texted back and forth, I got the Heavy Guilt to agree to play, as well as Dead Feather Moon. Unfortunately, by the time the lineup was settled, we were arriving in Austin and my 2 am promotional efforts were pointless. The bands were all awesome, the food was amazing, and the drink specials meant a whole bunch of buzzed musicians on the cheap. After the show, I went with A Scribe Amidst The Lions to stop in at their hotel before they took off to their next gig and I returned to wander 6th Street. I asked them the same questions I asked everyone else about their trip. This is from Kris Towne. You can see A Scribe Amidst The Lions as they headline tonight at the Casbah with Family Wagon, Children of Nova, and members of The Heavy Guilt performing between sets in the Atari Lounge.  

How long were you in Austin (from when to when)?

*We arrived in Austin on Monday night 3/12 and left Friday 3/16.

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

*Oh boy did we drive.... what a trip. Multiple times driving through the night. I even videotaped the sun rising over the mountains one morning [not the safest thing!], but it's gonna make for a great time-lapse portion of our documentary. But holding that camera in place for an hour and 20 minutes left me with one helluva sore arm and shoulder the next day! Also, Bob did a great job changing his shoes and socks and kept our sense of smell from being destroyed. Outside of El Paso we were pulled over for having a license plate light out, and had a very interesting conversation with the sheriff regarding our "ridiculously liberal" laws on marijuana... while we didn't have anything on us, we had to verbally tip-toe to avoid him tearing our van and gear apart in search of something.

Did you play? If so, when and where?

*We had four shows booked, one of which was cancelled due to sound/technical problems [aka bullshit]. Venues were Cedar Street Courtyard [Wed 3/14 day party], Sahara Lounge [Thur 3/15 day party], Burger Lounge [Thur 3/15 night showcase]. We also played two shows in San Antonio, and two shows in El Paso. These were actually much better than all our Austin showcases. One of the El Paso shows was an outdoor Bloc Party with Raekwon [Wu Tang Clan] and Cults headlining!


How were your crowds? The venues?

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?

*Venues were amazing, crowds were minimal. Our best turnout was maybe 50 people at the nighttime Burger Lounge show [which is really a restaurant not a venue]. It was cool because we had to play at a minimal sound level to keep the owner happy. Other bands had been shut down all day for noise violations, but we handled it with style and the sound guy and owner were extremely happy, and impressed. We were the first band all day to make it through our entire set without even one warning. The crowd really dug it and we did a lot in merch that night. Plus it's always an invigorating challenge to play a toned-down set without rehearsing it. I really think that helps you grow and expand as a musician.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?

*We got to sneak in to the Thee Oh Sees show, which was packed and a lot of fun!!

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?

*We'll see.... I feel like unless we get some really killer night time parties/sets, it's not really worth the trip. I am working out another tour to Austin right now that's not during SXSW so we can actually get paid and hopefully really make an impact in TX. Through this tour we got great connections in San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin and I would like to keep those flourishing.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?

*Apparently, during SXSW you can smoke, drink, and eat in the pool and hot tub area with lots of people until 5 or 6 am and no one says shit. We did this multiple times while in Austin. Oh, and I saw the singer from Counting Crows. Adam something or other. I didn't say anything to him though because, well, I have nothing to say to him.

SXSW Experience: The Heavy Guilt

I traveled to Austin with The Heavy Guilt, but they spent the majority of their days and nights busking while I had some SoundDiego/Casbah/sddialedin things I had to do, so I still asked the band to share their afterthoughts. This is from Sean Martin, guitarist of The Heavy Guilt. They will be performing tonight at the Casbah in the Atari Lounge. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

We drove. Too many stories. Al and Rosey were beside me the whole time and write more eloquent than me, but...

I noticed the sky a lot during my travels. San Diego has some plush atmosphere, so it was quite obvious I was not at home. The fiery nature and general bigness of a Texan sky definitely reinforces the vast 'big' sterotype to be true at it's source. Pretty awesome.
The cats in Transfer captured its essence best.
Arizona also presented venus, jupiter & the moon at eye level around 4 am, Wednesday morning.

Did you play? If so, when and where?

A primal & mobile incarnation of the Heavy Guilt hit The Sahara Lounge, The Whole Foods Tent
& about a dozen guerilla sets in the streets of Austin. Primarily on 6th St.

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?

Multiple feelings of exhilaration and exhaustion. The final time we were shut down by the fuzz on Saturday was kinda epic. The police Austin were pretty flexible and seemed to get a kick out of slapping our wrists, tongue in cheek.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?

I caught a full on shred metal band roguing on the cobblestone.
I applauded their approach synonymous to The Guilt, as I housed several breakfast tacos from The Flaming Cantina. Sad I missed the Heartless Bastards. Guess I'll spot them at the Belly Up next month. Erikka Wennerstom's guitar playing influenced my playing before I went into the studio last year.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013?

2013 seems hopeful.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?

Radiohead is awesome. Along with the Immortal Technique and Austin BBQ.
Al Howard really is a shaman.
We are spoiled in San Diego. Any fluctuation in weather is rats on my tools for playing music.
I broke 6 strings and all of my fingernails.
It was great to see other San Diego bands hustlin hard. Little Hurricane threw down and turned some heads.
Lesson 1 stay hydrated and breathe.
Lesson 2 learn lesson 1 & the rest fall in place.

On our drive back from Texas, we hit massive dust storms, heavy wind, and a crazy snowstorm when we hit Pine Valley that we learned shut down the highway just a couple hours after we passed through it. This is some of that footage taken from the back bench that I shared with Sean (best to watch in HD).

SXSW Experience: Little Hurricane

There were so many San Diego bands in Austin this year that it was impossible to see everyone while we were there, so I asked some locals to share their SXSW experiences. This is from Little Hurricane. The band is performing tonight at TNT at the MCASD downtown with The Howls. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 

How long were you in Austin (from when to when)? 
The 12th-18th, as well as a show the week before on 3/10


Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?
We drove, since we were on tour the month before. The drive was pretty mild, but got terrifying on the way back in New Mexico when we hit a dust storm, with 70MPH gusts and then returned to a snow storm in California!

Did you play? If so, when and where?
We played The Hype Hotel, Beauty Bar, The Lonestar Riverboat, Auditorium Shores, and Buffalo Billiards

How were your crowds? The venues?
The crowds were amazing, the venues/ soundguys varied. Auditorium Shores was one of our biggest shows and stages to date! Opening for The Shins was awesome and totally unexpected!


Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
The show on the Riverboat was pretty memorable. We got to see the city while playing music and drinking Shiner on a riverboat! Who could ask for more?!

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
We went to an awesome house party across the street from Stubbs. It was a great way to end the festival- with an open bar!

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2013? 
We'll be back in Austin this year for sure!.

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
Last year we got a huge break from a flyer we handed out at SXSW. We would never have gotten to play the shows we had this year had we not gone last year and promoted our band. SXSW is worth it no matter how small or big you may be.

The band has a pretty solid press package circulating to blogs. If you'd like to read it, click the jump.

SXSW Experience: Cults

There were so many San Diego bands in Austin this year that it was impossible to see everyone while we were there, so I asked some locals to share their SXSW experiences. This is from Cory Stier who is playing with Cults. The band has a sold out show tonight at the Belly Up. Cuckoo Chaos posted a recap of their own here. If you went to Texas and didn't hear from me, feel free to answer the questions and shoot'em over to me for posting. 

How long were you in Austin?

Mar 12-16

Did you drive or fly? Any travel stories you'd like to share?

Traveled by tour bus. We were in Houston the night before Austin playing a show with of Montreal & it got a lil wild. Cannot remember the drive at all.

Did you play? If so, when and where?
Mar 12 @ Speakeasy (Say Media showcase)
Mar 14 @ Red 7 (Carson Daly filming showcase)
Mar 15 @ Google Interactive party
Mar 15 @ Mess With Texas
Mar 16 @ The ND 501 (Windish Agency showcase)

How were your crowds? The venues?
All the shows were pretty great (minus the Google Interactive party, weird vibe, played on top of a parking garage structure).

Any memorable or standout moments from your own shows?
My feet will never forgive me for the amount of walking I did. I know that's not really memorable or standout, but seriously, I'll never forget how my dogs were barking each day.

Did you catch any parties or showcases of note?
Not nearly as many of I would have hoped to. I caught a Panache Booking party on Tuesday that was fun. Also saw The War On Drugs on Thursday night. GREAT band.

Will you go back as a band or fan in 2012?
Hopefully a fan...but I wouldn't be surprised if I had to go back to play. Ugh!

Any wrapup thoughts, lessons learned, crazy moments, cool tales to share?
I don't know what to & what not to share...I just had a great time with all my buddies out there. There were a surprisingly large amount of SD folks too (which was nice). I hope NPMT can take some pointers from SXSW about how to properly organize a music festival of that nature.

SXSW 2012: Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More" & "Lover's Eyes"

I have a whole bunch of things I still want to post from SXSW, but it is a process because I have to separate photos for NBC SoundDiego, write, upload videos, then post titles to those videos. This is all on top of the other stuff on my brain like the North Park Festival of Arts, Casbah stuff, daily postings, my eviction, etc., when really all I want to do is sleep for a week straight. Yikes. I will share these videos with you for now (the first is shot with my old camera) to tease the show I saw on Saturday. Click on read more for a new song that is perfect if you need a good cry.

SXSW: Friday. The night Bill Murray Grabbed My Ass.

I got home so late on Thursday that The Heavy Guilt were all home and more or less in bed when I returned. The next morning, I awoke to everyone getting ready, closed my eyes for one more snooze and woke up over an hour later to an empty house. I probably needed the sleep.

When I finally got myself ready for the day, I navigated to a nearby bustop about a mile from the house. I am so glad I learned the transit system because I probably saved $200 from last year on cabs alone. While at the busstop, I met an older gentleman from Austin who was bussing to meet his wife downtown to partake in the SouthBy fun. It made for a fun busride as he and the driver pointed out Austin landmarks and architecture. Things like "the owl building". The driver said there is a building with the same rooftop design in every capitol city in the US. They also said this specific building was the most expensive per square foot in all of the history of Texas. An Aussie girl chimed in that the rumor is that the architect was from Rice, so when you look at it cockeyed, the owl looks right at the University of Texas at Austin. I'll have to factcheck all of that when I get home. They also pointed out the tower famous for a shooting in the 60s. Gonna have to look that one up, too. In return, I alerted them to the Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show movie screening and concert as we past the LBJ lawn at the UT. This figures into my weekend, but I'll get to that later. (more after the  jump)

SXSW- Thursday Pt II or Sometimes You Have To Fake It

So if you ever believe that electricity is hard to come by, just try to find a spare outlet to charge your phone in Austin during SXSW.

Last night I left off at the Sahara, so that's where I'll pick up. The Heavy Guilt left the Sahara, but I stayed to catch A Scribe Amidst The Lions and to catch up with Ryan Blue and Chad Deal (of The Reader). When the show finished, we lingered about, taking full advantage of the ridiculously cheap drinks and backyard vibe of Sahara. Eventually we all got our shit together and went to Scribe's hotel. What was supposed to be a dropby ended up being a full three beer hang, until they motivated to get to their next showcase. (more after the jump)

SXSW 2012- Thursday Pt. I or The Day I had the best pulled chicken sandwich in all my life

So I don't know where to start, but at the same time I don't have a lot to report. Check the post after the jump.

SXSW: Will You Help Me Go?

The music portion of South By Southwest is a little over a week away which means I don't have a lot of time to decide if this is really going to happen for me this year. My iffy living situation and finances because of said living situation are looking bleak, but at the same time, I kinda feel like this might be my last big hurrah for SXSW. Last year I was given a press badge; this year I was granted a wristband, but that is still a lot better than just going with nothing. I considered putting together a big SXSW/Eviction fundraiser, but I'm not the only one trying to get to Texas, so I couldn't very well ask bands to play for me when they're trying to get there themselves, but I will be absolutely shameless here for one last time.

If you find this site useful throughout the year, whether you check the listings regularly, you check out the music videos, or perhaps I've helped get people out to your band's shows by including you in my listings, please consider a donation. Every dollar helps; in fact if everyone who typically checks my Monday listings donated just $5 (less than a drink in most bars), I would clear my trip and my impending relocation. Even if I don't get to Texas, the cost of keeping this site going is making it harder to justify. I know from the past that the reality is that a handful of people might feel compelled to help and everyone else just clicks away, but I'll put it out there one last time before I have to decide my next move. Please donate.

Newsy Bits and Information Updates

It's been a while since I've posted news because this is usually stuff I allocate to Twitter and Facebook these days, but here are some things on my radar I thought you might want to know about.

SXSW 2012 is now accepting band submissions. You have to go through SonicBids and pay $30 but you never know...it could be worth a shot. To be honest, the majority of bands attending SXSW and playing shows in Austin are not considered "official" showcasing bands. I think in the last few years, no more than 5 or 6 local artists have been selected...that doesn't mean you don't have a chance. Make sure you have a QUALITY EPK. I can tell you from our Adams Avenue submissions that the volume gets lost, so make sure your songs sound good and clear through a regular computer speaker. Have a friend or 12 look over your materials before you send anything.

Blitzen Trapper and Dawes have announced a co-headlining tour this fall. They'll be at the Belly Up on October 9 and no doubt this show will sell out. Get presale tickets from each band's respective sites starting at 10am on August 5. Additionally, Blitzen Trapper will be releasing their new record, American Goldwing, on September 13, but you can pre-order now.

The San Diego Music Awards are almost here! Next Monday, August 8, the SDMAs take over Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay. If you've never been before, you're in for a great time with a who's who in the local music scene. Reserved tables are $500, but there are limited GA tickets available for $30. The event has consistently sold out over the years, so get your tickets now.

Over the past year, I've become more involved in San Diego music than ever before. Here are a few updates on some bands I've been working with this year:

• Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels are currently in the process of recording their second album at Lost Ark Studio. Jesse & James recently performed at Alex's Lemonade Stand and the full band will be performing tomorrow afternoon at the Handlery Hotel Pool from 5-8 and opening for The Horde and the Harem tomorrow night at the Soda Bar. Jesse LaMOnaca and The Dime Novels are nominated for Best Americana for this year's SDMAs.
• Josh Damigo just kicked off a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for his sophomore record. He was last year's Best Acoustic winner at the SDMA's and though he has been doing well for himself in LA and just did his first southwest tour, he might be coming back for an opportunity too good to pass up. Help him get that record going!
• Michael McGraw has wowed me onstage since we met earlier this summer. He played my showcase at Eleven and recently opened for Jeremy Messersmith at Soda Bar and he's a prolific songwriter so I can't wait for him to keep busting out new music. This month, however, he's taking a little break to get married this weekend and head out on a beautiful Hawaiian honeymoon. Congrats to Michael & Jen! Looking forward to booking him for some more shows upon his return.
• The Heavy Guilt recently celebrated the release of their 2nd album, In The Blood, to a crowd of over 400 people at Device Gallery in Barrio Logan. They've also played a couple of out of town shows and will certainly be playing around the region in upcoming months. Good luck to them on their SDMA nomination for Best Alternative Album.

I've also been booking a whole lot more. Besides the North Park Festival of Arts, this year I'm on the music committee for the Adams Avenue Street Fair. I also have some upcoming shows for your radar:

• August 4- Colin Clyne @ West Coast Tavern
• August 13- Dynamite Walls, Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels, The Morgansterns @ The Ken Club
• August 23- FMera, The Short Eyes (need one more) @ Casbah
• September 10- San Diego Music Thing Showcase: Ume, Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels, My Jerusalem, The Heavy Guilt, Strange Vine @ Soda Bar
• September 29- SoundDiego Live/Birthday Show (Lineup TBD) @ Casbah
• October 17- Dos Hermanos @ Bar Pink

I also just got a whole slew of new shows to post on the Casbah's calendar, so check in this week to see a ton of onsales this Friday.

SXSW: Assessing The Photographic Evidence

I still have a lot mor to say about SXSW, but I finally uploaded all of the photos that were suitable for sharing. All 696 of them.

I'm not sure how this slideshow works (I think it only shows the most recent 100 photos), so here's a direct link to all of the photos.

SXSW: White Sea

In my running around at SXSW, my initial strategy was to use this massive spreadsheet I'd created with all the bands and parties I was hoping to see. Fat chance of that happening. Later, my strategy was to text friends, see where and when they were playing, and if I heard back, attempt to see them. On Friday morning, I text messaged Steve Poltz and lo and behold, he was playing at noon, so I decided to make his show my first stop of the day, and kill two birds with one stone since he was also playing at the Sea Shepherd (i.e. Whale Wars) party that Indigenous was behind. Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how far of hike it was from where I was staying, so I arrived for just his last two songs. On the positive, White Sea was playing after him, so I got to catch up with Ray Suen and catch he and Morgan playing a short set. This is "Cannibal Love".


Yesterday I got a press release that theire first music video was launching on MTVu, so here's that one, too.

White Sea - Music - More Music Videos

SXSW: Breaking Laces

So I was really gonna stay offline today, but I just got a press release about Breaking Laces and it's kinda funny. Billy and Seth of Breaking Laces were the guys I hung out with on Friday at Bar 96 in Austin. Seth wasn't doing well when we met. Apparently he'd fallen and hurt his wrists. I was sure at least one was broken judging by the swelling. He sat with me and asked me to text his friends from his phone to let them know he was ok. He even asked me to call his mom, but I wasn't about to freak out the family of a stranger. Later that night I helped them get a cab, which we shared when they dropped me at the Bright Eyes show, though the line was around the block so I ended up just walking back to 6th.

They asked if I was gonna blog about them to which I responded, "I dunno. I mean, it would be incredibly awkward if you sucked." Fortunately they don't. Willem's vocals are compared to Ben Gibbard's and their record, When You Find Out, is hook-laden without being hokey. Some of the poppier songs remind me of Sumack, which was easily one of my favorite bands in my twenties. I didn't realize when they told me they only had three records on them that I was getting an advance that doesn't come out until May, so in retrospect, I feel pretty special.

After listening to the record more than a few times, I feel like there are two distinct and separate personalities. There's the catchy simplicity of "When Your Find Out" and "Shopping For One" that remind you of hand holding and sweet relationship beginnings, while songs like "Bone Dry" or "What We Need" hit the complexities of deeper relationships. One of my favorites is "Laser Beams" and it could almost be about SXSW. "The pain rains out of me/I hurt my head on laser beams/The pain rains outta me/and I'm so scared I can't believe"

I love this record and think you will, too. Seth needs some time to heal before they hit some east coast dates, but you better believe that when they come to California I will be all over it.

Here's the full press release:

Brooklyn-based rock trio Breaking Laces headed down to Austin to play four SXSW showcases, meet people, make connections, drink beer, catch some shows and head home to get ready for the release of their highly anticipated upcoming release, When You Find Out. But things didn't go exactly as planned....

While the band did play all four gigs, the last two were quite an accomplishment - band drummer, Seth Masarsky, hit the kit with two broken wrists! Such devotion to rocking out regardless of injury, earned Seth and the band the official True Grit Award from The U.N.C.L.E. SXSW 2011 Spirit Awards.

Breaking Laces' songwriter and lead singer, Willem Hartong tells the tale: "The first rule of Austin Fight Club is that we don't talk about the fact that Seth found his way into a basement Friday night and got Tyler Durdened. Sounds a lot better than, don't drink while walking, right? No matter the story, fact is we can now honestly say we live up to our name, Breaking Laces. It's a true accomplishment."

Breaking Laces upcoming release, When You Find Out, is stockpiled with Hartong's smart, witty, humorous and honest songs ranging from pop ditties to distortion-influenced rock. The 12-song album, set for May 17 release, consolidates and focuses the salient qualities of the band's prior work, while venturing into some exciting new musical territory with instantly memorable tunes such as "What We Need," "Here to Stay," "Laser Beams" and "Carry On."