Show Preview: Minus the Bear @ UCSD Price Center Ballroom Wednesday May 8, 2013

Seattle five piece indie rockers Minus the Bear will be making their next San Diego appearance this Wednesday on the campus of UCSD. The Band released their fifth full length, Infinity Overhead, on Dangerbird Records last summer. Many have described their sound as math rock with the unexpected time changes. There is a certain precision to the overall effect, with guitar riffs filled with pleasant vocals throughout. Earlier albums focused more on the electronic aspects of their music, so one never quite knows what to expect. What is readily apparent is a band that is always searching to improve and add to their kaleidoscope of sound.

Minus the Bear recently finished a European tour and this headline show is one of only a few on the West Coast. Fans will be treated to a band that has found its stride and is clearly capable of delivering in the live setting. The show will be taking place at Price Center Ballroom West. Tickets can be purchased here.

Watch a video of Steel and Blood below.

Recommended Shows in San Diego May 6-12, 2013

The first full week of May shows no let down in the number of quality musical events right here in sunny San Diego. A closer look reveals the following of note:

New Yorker Laura Stevenson stops at Soda Bar on Monday with her new album Wheel...Field Mouse opens for a great bill...

The Casbah is the place to be on Tuesday for LA indie rockers Bleached and Brooklyn based Ex Cops (SD debut)...both bands recently released their initial full length offerings...

Head to UCSD on Wednesday as Seattle based band Minus the Bear play in front of the youngsters (and me) at the Price Center Ballroom West...tix still available here...The New Limb open...

Cleaner shaved Devendra Banhart headlines the Belly Up on Thursday...his new album is a keeper...oops this show is sold out...

Marina and the Diamonds play to  a sold out crowd on Friday at the House of Blues...if you don't have a ticket check out Unwritten Law playing an early acoustic show (6 pm doors)  at the Casbah...

On Saturday Bar Pink has a great show on tap with newly formed Pyrramids, featuring OK Go's Tim Nordwind and vocalist Drea Smith...their new album, Brightest Darkest Day, is worth a listen...

Sunday offers great choices, such as Cloud Cult at Porter's Pub, Chrome Sparks at Soda Bar, or The Milk Carton Kids up at the Belly Up...choose and you won't lose...of course, only after you have enjoyed some or all of the day with your Mom...

Who claims San Diego has a sleepy music scene?...I beg to differ...see you at the show(s)!

Watch a video of Paper Doll from Pyrramids below...

Friday Night at The Loft: The Heavy Guilt, The Howls, Low Volts

Tonight is an amazing lineup of local talent at The Loft. The show features The Heavy Guilt, The Howls, and Low Volts. If after all this time, you still haven't been to the venue, tonight is the perfect excuse to try something different. It is Al Howard's birthday, so he's gonna go even more ballistic on the chains than usual. See you there tonight!

Are you ready for the The Hood Internet?

The Hood Internet are in town tomorrow and they are going to kick your ass, sonically of course! The mash-up maestros from Chi-Town are back in support of their newest mixtape, The Hood Internet Volume Five. For those of you not familiar with this incredibly handsome duo, think party rocking mash-ups a la Girl Talk but less ADD and more witty. What started as a casual project between STV SLV and ABX has lead to so much more, seeing The Hood take their show all over the world! They have remixed and produced tracks with the likes of Das Racist, GZA and Kid Static just to name a few and as far as mash-ups go, no one is safe from their selection! Michael Jackson vs Ratatat, Arcade Fire vs Blondie, Kanye West vs Journey, Fleetwood Mac vs Daft Punk, Ghostface Killah vs Beirut, Major Lazer vs Dirty Projectors...the list goes on and on and on.

If you have nothing better to do tomorrow, come down to The Loft at UCSD (Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / 8:00 PM) and prepare for a dance party like no other. Also, be sure to check out their website www.thehoodinternet.com where you can download (FOR FREE/GRATIS!!!) all their mixes and tracks and stream them live when you're at work tomorrow deciding if your cheap ass is going to shell out $10 to go see this dope ass DJ duo.

Friday Night: UCSD is the place to be

Friday, December 4th - The Moviegoers, Girls, We Live Inside, Beaters and more: A night of goodness at UCSD!

If you're looking for something to do to unwind after all that Thanksgiving madness, come up to UCSD Friday, December 4th for a night of art and music. First, stop by the Visual Arts Facility to see the first-year MFA group show, We Live Inside, at the VAF Gallery just off Russell Lane. A reception will be held from 6 - 8, and The Moviegoers are playing a free show in the Performance Space at 7:30. So come grab a drink to start out your night! It's FREE!

Next, you can head off to The Loft to see Girls, the righteous San Francisco indie rock group and SPIN magazine's best new band of 2009. The show starts at 9 and The Morning Benders will be opening. $10 advance, $12 at the door (UCSD students: $5 or pay as you can at the door)

If Girls isn't up your alley, or you want to try and do double duty, you can wander over to the Che Cafe because they've got a full night of music lined up. Abe Vigoda, Blessure Grave, Beaters, No Paws (No Lions), and The Preteens are all on the bill. $8, doors at 8:30, bands at 9.

WHAT: a rad night of art and music at UCSD
WHEN: 6 - 8 for a free art show (think free drinks), 7:30 for The Moviegoers, and 9 for other music/dancing
WHERE: UCSD (VAF Gallery, VAF Performance Space, The Loft, Che Cafe)
HOW MUCH: art show/The Moviegoers free, other shows $8-$12
PARKING: Gilman Parking Structure is your best bet, but if you are broke (or some kind of fitness nut) you can park on Villa
La Jolla Dr. (or other places off campus) and hike it, but give yourself extra time of course.

NOTE: If you're really into experimental sound/video/performance art, you should come by the Visual Arts Facility Performance Space Thursday, 12/3 at 8:00 for 90 minutes of temporal works. Again, it's FREE!

Contest: Tickets To See Chairlift At The Loft At UCSD

Brooklyn synth-pop trio Chairlift will be performing at The Loft (USCD) on Tuesday, Sept. 15th. Animal Collective collaborator/composer John Maus will be joining the band as a fourth guest member on their fall headlining US and European tour with Phoenix and The Killers!

Dubbed one of Vanity Fair's "3 Bands to Watch" this year, Chairlift has been touring for the greater half of '09 with YACHT, Sebastian Tellier, and Peter, Bjorn & John among others, in support of their celebrated Columbia Records debut, Does You Inspire You (feat. the production work of Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear). Chairlift's single "Bruises" was also featured in the iPod Nano Commercial late last year.

The band made their late night television debut on Craig Ferguson last month, and recently did an exclusive collaboration with Marc Jacobs and Saks Fifth Avenue for their fall MARC BY MARC JACOBS Ready-To-Wear and Accessories Collections for Fashion Week. Their video "Evident Utensil" was also nominated for "Breakthrough Video" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

If you would like a pair of tickets, e-mail sddialedin AT gmail dot com with subject "Chairlift". Include your full name and phone number. The show is all ages. Winner will be notified Monday.

Overdue Recap: Angus & Julia Stone, Hey Ocean @ The Loft, UCSD, Grand Ole Party & Casbah 11.17.08

Monday night I checked out another relatively new venue, The Loft at UCSD. I really haven't had any reason, other than Che Cafe and RIMAC, to go to UCSD in several years, so I felt completely lost on the campus. I bought a parking permit and circled lots until I finally parked at the Gilman structure which turned out to just be a short walk to Price Center. There's a huge student center and lounge adjacent the original Price Center and after wandering, I finally got directions and found The Loft. There was a film screening, so I played on the free computers until the movie and Q&A ended. Jeff was there and we hung out until the bands started.

The Loft is a great space for bands and I'm kicking myself for missing Yeasayer who played there last night, but that is neither here nor there. There is ample seating, an open floor in front of the stage which is average sized, but perfect lighting and an even better sound system. They certainly didn't cut corners to get top of the line sound equipment. For more, click 'keep on reading'.





Hey Ocean is a band from Canada. This was their first US tour, and I believe only their third in the states. They were cute and it was clear that they really love playing music. They had multiple instrumental garnishes, like the use of flute, a xylophone, and a triangle, along with shakers and such. My thought was they follow in the vein of Jason Mraz, happy lyrics and music, not quite jaded by life, and it was refreshing, though don't get me wrong, I still love the angsty and introspective stuff, it was nice to see them enjoy themselves onstage. I felt very old at the show, and it was a sea of digital cameras flashing the whole show, but the bands didn't seem to mind.





Hey Ocean "Beat Boxer"


Hey Ocean "Alright"


Hey Ocean "Jolene"


I was really excited to see Angus & Julia Stone, thanks to some press releases I'd received and the recent burst of Aussie musicians that have been brought to my attention (Paul Turner, An Horse are a couple others). They're a brother and sister duo, and were backed by a bassist from Australia and a drummer that they knew from Australia but who currently lives in San Francisco.

The two of them trade off vocals. Julia has a beautiful raspy voice with a touch of Julie Garland from the Wizard of Oz, emphasized even more by her flower adorned braids and her dress and knee high stockings, she had the look of someone who loves to dance in a field of daisies on a rainy day.

And while she was the sweet one, Angus is more weathered, with his bushy beard and denim shirt, he looks like someone who had been told to finally get out of the tree he was trying to save against loggers in the Northwest. The contrast of the two created a perfect balance and the room was nearly dead silent from the first note to the very last of the set.







Angus & Julia Stone "Just A Boy"


Angus & Julia Stone "Mango Tree"


A couple other people who were at the show also posted their videos on YouTube. You can see those here and here.

It was great to see an intimate show a respectful venue such as The Loft and I hope to see more shows there in the future. For the record, most shows are $5 or "pay what you can" for students with a valid student I.D.

After the show I didn't waste much time, and headed to the Casbah to catch Grand Ole Party. Obviously a very different crowd and type of music. It was packed and frankly I've taken enough pictures of them that I didn't fight too hard to get a spot up front but they put on their typical great set, though it seemed a little short at 40 minutes. The crowd was happy and I was too, after having seen two great shows in one night.

YouTube: More Angus & Julia Stone

I wonder how protective Julia is about her hottie brother. I hope they need a place to stay...

"Just A Boy"

Things To Do In San Diego: Angus & Julia Stone @ The Loft

Brother and Sister duo Angus & Julia Stone are in town from Australia and playing The Loft (in the Price Center) at UCSD on Monday. I promise I will post listings on Monday for all the great shows happening this week, but in the meantime, consider checking out Angus & Julia at the Loft because they're great and by the time it is over, you can still race to the Casbah to catch Grand Ole Party.

"Hollywood"

For Those of You Asking About the Show at RiMAC- NOT TRUE

I'm trying to get more info on this show to verify that it is legit. The listing I posted has Man Man, The National, Cat Power, Bus Driver, Dan Deacon @ UCSD (Rimac Arena). What I read was that the show is free for UCSD students with valid ID, $21 for non-students. I have a couple calls in to see if, in fact, this show is happening or if I've been punked. I will post as soon as I hear information.

Note, since Man Man has an in-store at Austin that same day, and since Cat Power had all those cancellations, I'm thinking this listing might have been from 2007. I can't be sure. The info was on SanDiegoPunk.com for those of you asking.

Update: I'm sorry for having posted this. It appears to be either a lie, a rumor, or an outdated listing. I apologize for getting hopes up.

Rocky Votolato at Porter's Pub, UCSD, 11/30/07

There were a whole boatload of shows I wanted to catch this week, but work was quite demanding, and I just couldn't get to them. Adjusting back to a day job has been a little challenging. You know, that whole "waking up in the morning" thing...so I did the Ken Club thing on Tuesday, which I wrote about as I was there, then Wednesday I skipped the Casbah show and opted for sleep, cuz I really freakin needed it.

But come Thursday, I did make sure I made it out to UCSD. I really wanted to catch The Midwinters, but there were a couple problems with that. First, I'd never been to Porter's. Second, I don't go to UCSD ever. Third, there is a shitload of construction happening on the UCSD campus. All of this resulted in me driving all around the campus in search of parking and I actually made myself carsick. I was ready to just skip it altogether. Instead, I persevered and found a spot (finally!) and got there in time for Chris & Thomas. The only thing was that when I got there, all I wanted was a beer, so I had one in the pub part, then found Rocky and April inside the venue.

It was great to see them again. They told me that they turned this one off show at UCSD into a full on vacation. It was their 9 year wedding anniversary and as April said, "It's both of our favorite city." Yay, San Diego. So anyway, they'd been here a few days and were gonna be here through Saturday. Unfortunately, they were hoping to go to the zoo on Friday but that morning it ended up pouring, so I doubt that worked out. They'll just have to come back.

Anyway, Rocky played solo and it was great to see him with only an acoustic guitar and his voice, since even in his most recent instores, he still opts for the electric. He had a 50 minute set, which meant he was able to play a lot of his back catalog, including the Waxwing song I posted earlier. It was, yet again, another amazing chance to see my favorite musician showing yet another side of his talent. And those young college kids...man, they LOVE rocky. Apparently his music was on a Starbucks compilation or something, so his fan base is growing. Catch him in the next small venue that you can...while you still can.

Rocky Votolato (Waxwing) "Keep This Up"

Another capture from Rocky's show at Porter's on Thursday. The first time I saw Rocky Votolato, in 2001, was at Che Cafe. In the years since, I've never seen Rocky do a Waxwing song, so this was really cool. Anyone interested in Waxwing should go to Second Nature Recordings and check out the catalog of CDs available.

Rocky Votolato performing "Keep This Up"



There was a chick taking polaroid instant shots and had no qualms about doing it right in my ear. Those cameras are LOUD. You can hear her camera, especially in the last section of the song.

Rocky Votolato At Porter's Pub

I still haven't gotten to properly write about Sunday, so clearly I'm a little behind with posting. I'm heading down to the Casbah now, but in the meantime, here's some video from Rocky's solo performance last night at Porter's Pub.

Rocky Votolato, "Before You Were Born"

Of Montreal: Tickets On Sale This Weekend

Of Montreal tickets for their November 10 performance at UCSD's Mandeville Auditorium go on sale this weekend. Tickets are available via (your favorite nightmare) Ticketmaster on Saturday, August 31.