Newsy Bits: Styletones Make Super Bowl Cut, Postal Service, SDMT, SXSW

I've been collecting little bits and pieces that I've read this week, so while I wait for Darren to fix the ping pong table in the backyard (!!!) and finally hang some things on my walls, I thought I'd post so you have some ways to kill time as you finish off your workday.

First, I was so happy to see everyone posting on Facebook about The Styletones having a song in a Milk ad airing during the SuperBowl! George Varga was hip to the story and you can read about it in the UT.



Earlier this week, a beer guy took issue with lists about beer towns written by people who really have no business talking about beer. He decided to make his own list, and San Diego was definitively named Best Beer City in his article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Granted, it is a reader submitted blog, but the guy knows his stuff as far as we're concerned.

This was an interesting little article about new postal rates. NPR: Rising Postal Rates Squeeze Small Record Labels I'm not really sure how much record distribution is happening internationally, but it made me think about places like TAANG!! Records who have storefronts that sell records but primarily rely on international sales of classic vinyl to keep thriving.

Lastly, San Diego Music Thing Submissions Open On Monday! From their Facebook:

Hey friends! Artist submissions for this years SDMT open on Monday, Feb. 4th. Keep you eyes open for our new website also launching on Monday. Were celebrating by giving away a pair of SDMT all access badges. Post below with the name of a band you would like to see at this years Music Thing and we will pick a winner on Monday!

Thanks to everyone who has submitted to the North Park Festival of Arts so far. I got some great entries last week and I'll be getting back to all of you.  There's also an open call for poster artists so check out the site.

Finally, I don't have a ride to SXSW this year. I've tagged along with Dynamite Walls and The Heavy Guilt in the past couple years and would love to get back to Texas in March, so if anyone has room for one, I'll blog and tweet about how awesome your band is and be forever grateful. I think I'm covered with a place to stay, just need to get there and back. If you want to donate to this year's travel fund, my little PayPal is set up in the corner.

Happy Friday!!

Night & Day Street Fest

Tomorrow Saturday October 13, from 4:00 pm to midnight is the Inaugural Night & Day Street Festival on 14th and L (festival map).  If you do not have tickets good news, there are still some tickets available, and better news, use the promo code: sddialed at checkout and save five dollars a ticket.  That means you get 9 bands for $20, you can purchase tickets here.

What you need to know about the Night & Day Street Fest:
Food trucks, vendors and craft beer will be onsite
Drink tickets are $5
This festival is 21+ so make sure to bring a valid form of identification
There are no in-and-out privileges
Dogs will not be allowed
No outside food or beverages
Shirts and shoes are required for entrance
If any disorderly conduct is witnessed or reported the participant will be escorted off the property

Set Times:
Main Stage:
G. Love 10:00
Donavon Frankenreiter 8:00
Pato Banton 6:30
The Mattson 2 5:00

14th+Imperial Stage
The Styletones 10:30
Everest 9:00
The Nervous Wreckords 7:30
Low Volts 6:00
The Legacy Pack 4:30

Rocktoberfest 2011 in Photos

I don't know about you, but I had such an amazing time at Rocktoberfest. The lineup was stellar and all of the bands were not only incredibly professional, but all proved why they represent San Diego and can command festival sized stages. I arrived with The Heavy Guilt long before the gates opened to help with last minute details and make sure I had covered all my bases in getting out set times through the tweet-o-sphere and the interwebs. Luckily everything was running smooth and I had time to visit my friend Pete at True North to get some food before the festival. (If you haven't eaten at True North, you are seriously missing out. Get the juicy lucy with tots and you'll be converted.)

By the time I was back, 3pm rolled around and gates were opened. Unlike last year, when it rained and we opened gates at noon, this year the event was well attended from the start up until the finish. I can speak on behalf of West Coast Tavern and the Casbah in saying that this year's attendance blew last year out of the water. With a full bar, a good selection of beer (Beck's Oktoberfest was my personal preference all night), and re-entry allowed so you could grab a bite at a nearby restaurant if you didn't want to wait in the food truck lines, this is the perfect setup for a micro-festival. West Coast Tavern also has the nicest bathrooms in North Park, in case ya didn't know, and I sat down with Everest for awhile as they finished their dinner before their set, so that was pretty great, too. If you didn't come last year, you should know that the two facing stages was a new setup and I think it was perfect allowing the music to jump back and forth all night long. 

I'm just gonna post a couple photos and I really don't need to go through a band by band rundown because they were all fantastic....The Heavy Guilt, Low Volts, The Styletones, Bully, Dead Feather Moon, The Creepy Creeps, The Soft Pack, and Everest all delivered. Everest played a bunch of new stuff and told me they're working on a new record for the beginning of 2012. Tim Pyles did a great job as MC and even let me come up on stage and introduced me so I could get this crowd photo:



You can see my photos on Facebook if you want to tag yourselves or at SoundDiego with all of my Foursquare adventures.

Just a few of them after the jump.

Rocktoberfest Lineup Announced

The Rocktoberfest lineup was released today and thank goodness because I have never been very good about keeping secrets:

Everest

Transfer

The Soft Pack

Dead Feather Moon

The Styletones

Low Volts

The Heavy Guilt

Rocktoberfest takes place in the lot behind the Birch North Park Theatre on October 22 from 3-10pm with two facing stages alternating music all night, so you don't have to choose one band over another. The show is put together by your friends at West Coast Tavern, The Casbah, and FM 94/9. You can buy tickets here for $15. Click here for the Facebook event page to RSVP and share with friends.

San Diego Newsy Tidbits

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

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

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

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

The Heavy & The Styletones, Casbah, 10.23.09

I skipped the Why? show on Thursday night at the Loft so when Friday rolled around, I was rearing to go. There were a bunch of things going on that night, too, but I was committed to catching The Heavy once again, as well as seeing The Styletones for their debut Casbah performance. It was a fun Friday- I definitely prefer loud shows on the weekend so the warriors can get a bit more rowdy, and the dancefloor was bouncin. I have to be honest that I definitely enjoyed The Heavy more the last time around, maybe because that show sold out. Following The Styletones made it hard, too, because The Heavy plays to tracks whereas The Styletones have a full horn section. Tough to fill the room with backing tracks, but I'm sure bringing a horn section from the UK just isn't cost effective.



You can see two videos from The Heavy if you 'keep on reading'. That night ended up being a really good one, hitting up Nunu's after the show where I ran into some old friends. I love nights like that.

Another perspective on the San Diego Music Awards

Josh already posted about the awards from his perspective, so I don't really have a whole lot to add, but since I took pics, I thought I'd share them. He is certainly right that last night was a great night. I rode out to Viejas with Ben and Brian from The Long and Short Of It and while I made it in during The Burning of Rome's performance, they were, um...looking for parking...*ahem*...so it was pretty funny that while the first four awards were announced, they hadn't yet made it inside to claim their Best Hard Rock Album award. Josh got their late, too, but we found one another quickly and it was pretty amazing to have my hand on his heart beating while his category was announced. I know that he didn't expect to win but I'm happy and proud that he did, and I'm especially glad that his award was in the first group or waiting might've lead to a high anxiety evening.

There were so many amazing musicians and people at the awards- far too many to name here- but once again I felt completely privileged to be a part of this music community. Unlike 80% of the presenters who have no clue about the scene, I was proud of my friends for their amazing performances, to all the winners, to all the nominees, and to the HUNDREDS of bands and musicians that do the grind and play for the sheer joy of playing music that didn't get nominated. For the full list of winners, click here.

It was funny that I was attempting to tweet all the winners, but dropped off somewhere around best new artist. After the award ceremony, I went to the after party to see The Styletones and was happy to sit down to regain feeling in my feet. The Styletones are the perfect party band and it was nice to be able to chat with people that I didn't get to talk to at the ceremony. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and Josh and Kitty were done, so after waiting for my saucy ass long enough, I was summoned to the valet area and we were on our way. Incidentally, it was just about midnight, so my party didn't end there, but at the Ken Club where Miggs was spinning records.

Again, it was a fantastic evening. I wish nights like that could happen more often, but it gives me something to once again look forward to for next year. (All the photos are from my camera except the two with me in them, courtesy of Marie Haddad.)








More pics if you 'keep on reading'.

The Styletones, Bar Pink, 7.20.2009

It's no secret that Jake Najor is one of my closest friends, and if you know me in real life, you'll often see me out with him. We met when he was playing in Blackout Party but you've likely seen him around town drumming with plenty of different bands and musicians like Breakestra, The Tighten-Ups, or going on tour with the likes of Big Daddy Kane or any host of other performers.

So needless to say, I get no mercy for the fact that before tonight, I had yet to see The Styletones live. Sometimes that happens as a blogger, though...what if I don't like my friend's band? Then what am I to say or do?

Fortunately, I FINALLY got to see the band play (after even more pressure drilled in at an after party with half the band on Friday night)and no doubt they are superb. Their funky soul had people dancing and grooving, and nobody was judging the rhythmically challenged, everyone was just there to enjoy the music and have a good time. The 8 piece band features Ben Moore on Hammond B3 Organ, Bill Thomas on bass, Deron Gant on Guitar, Gabriel Sundy on sax, Andy Geib on trombone, Freddie Gonzalez on trumpet, and Jake Najor on Drums, all fronted by Mr. Steve Harris.



The Styletones have a Monday night residency at Bar Pink and if you're looking to shake your ass or just have a hard soul soundtrack to your demise as you suck down some Sneaky Tikis then you are required to check them out.