Drag The River, Cory Branan, & The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, 2-15-08

Friday rolled around and my bosses were kind enough to let us bail early, which was great because after the rainy day Thursday, Friday's weather was a lot nicer. I had to run an errand in Golden Hill, so I picked up my dog and we ran around the Grape Street dog park for a while. Pascha is deathly afraid of having her picture taken, but I tried to sneak a couple in, then she caught on and kept a good thirty feet from me until we were ready to leave, at which point she ran out of the park on her own and sat next to my car door.



After that, a brief nap, then it was time to head back to the Casbah for Drag The River, Cory Branan, and Silent Comedy. People are finally realizing what an amazing band The Silent Comedy are. I decided not to take pictures of them because they had a professional photographer there with a flash set up behind the stage and I didn't wanna ruin his shots, but it allowed me to get into the revival. There's this movie called The Apostle that I love- and their set reminds me of that movie. If you've seen it, perhaps you know what I'm talking about. If not, it's worth adding to your NetFlix queue.

I bumped into Seth at the show and he introduced me to Cory Branan who was such a nice guy. Hailing from Tennessee, I could easily see him tour with Steve Poltz & Bob Schneider with his sometimes quirky and oddball lyrics. Not your typical dude with a guitar, which is probably why he has so many whiskey swilling dude fans. This is music not made for coffee shops, and I loved it.






Between bands, Vena Cava played in the Atari Lounge, but they were so loud that they could be heard throughout the Casbah. I like them a lot, but it was pretty packed at the back bar so I listened from the patio. The punkboarders were out in full force, as well. Oh, and then I was at the back bar for a minute when some dude came up and turned on the sauce flirting with me, but I think he was just hoping I'd be so flattered I'd buy him a drink. Yes, Steve, Mr. Firefighter from Carlsbad, I'm calling you out.

Drag The River took the stage last and they had a set list of about 40 songs on their guitars, though I couldn't really say how much of them they got through, because it seemed they got cut short toward the end of the night. Perhaps I'd lost track of time, but it felt a little premature. I can't really say though, because I was out on the patio or in the back bar for more than half their set. I like the band a lot, but they're also a dude's band and the crowd was a little rowdy for my taste. Not pushing or fighting or anything, but just a lot of alcohol pouring and a lot of raised drink sing-a-longs. Kinda felt like a frat party I wasn't invited to.





After the show, Laura Jane and Jason came over and we stayed up really late. LJ left when it was just about sun up, but Jason and I were up well past sunrise, eventually laying out in my backyard and I even got a sunburn. It was awesome- these legs haven't seen sun in some time. Eventually I had to crash out and sorta lost the day, but it was all worthwhile. Below are some pics from the patio...

Win Tickets To Drag The River, Cory Branan & The Silent Comedy

This is certainly a Casbah heavy week. In fact, I'll be heading down in support of the House Party girls and the San Diego Burrito Project. Then, of course, there's Grand Ole Party on Thursday night, which San Diego is buzzing about. But there's another great show this week that should be noted, and I've got a pair of tickets up for grabs.

Drag the River, Cory Branan, and Silent Comedy are all performing (with Vena Cava in the Atari Lounge) this Friday night at the Casbah. Drag The River has an interesting history of being an on again/off again band. Their last time around, in fact, Chad had to perform mostly solo because his bandmates ditched him in Colorado (or something like that). The dude is awesome and can put down some serious whiskey.

Cory Branan is an amazing performer who is beyond the singer-songwriter label, as he's not a cry in your beer kinda guy, but rather an inspired troubadour...

And then there's Silent Comedy- one of San Diego's finest bands-

It's going to be a great night at the Casbah, and you can see it all for free. Send an e-mail to me by 5 pm on Wednesday. Include your name & phone number and I'll notify the winner on Thursday. e-mail sddialedin AT gmail DOT com.

Stream Cory Branan here and here

Cory Branan

Thursday Recap: Benefit for Free Radio San Diego 96.9

I really intended to hit three shows last night, but when I realized I had forgotten my camera and I only had half hour to get to UCSD, get a permit, get parking, and get to Porter's Pub, I knew it was just not gonna happen. Oh, and did I mention my empty gastank? So no, I did not see Great Glass Elevator or the Modlins. At that point, I took all of it as a sign that I should just stay close to home, and decided to skip What Made Milwaukee Famous at the House of Blues, too, and from what I've heard, I missed a good time, but sometimes it's just gotta be that way.

So my night instead involved me watching Gray's Anatomy for the first time this season. It was a special two hour episode to spin off a new show following Addison as she moves to California. After missing the whole season, it took about two seconds to catch up and I realized I don't miss not watching Gray's. Though the fact that I watched all two hours just shows I don't like to leave things incomplete. (This also explains why I've banned myself from the Lifetime network. Two minutes of bad acting and predicatable plotlines and I'm hooked.)

After that and catching a beer buzz (gotta watch the spending), I walked to the Ken Club for another Free Radio San Diego benefit. I missed Barfer again, as well as Lilith Velkor, but bounced between the show and the bar for Chaz, Vena Cava, and Hostile Combover.

I liked Chaz, kinda poppy punk, but easily digestable. They had two dudes in cloaks onstage dancing behind them at one point, and then released 2 garbage bags full of helium balloons with confetti in them. Fortunately, I was not confetti-ed because how would I have explained that one at the day job?







Vena Cava was great as usual, though they were rocking the stage so much, the drum mics kept shifting and required adjustment. I tried to get a good pic of Big P, but no such luck.





The night was finshed off by Hostile Combover and just watching Ben go nuts is always fun. I had almost left the house without my earplugs but thankfully I remembered or my ears would be ringing all weekend. The room thinned a little because it was well after 1 when they finished. By the looks of things, Free Radio did pretty well getting some cash for their station and by the amount of empty glasses, I think the bar did well, too.





There are bound to be some complaints, so I do wanna say that I love the Ken Club and I treat it like I have a vested interest in its success. I don't work there, but it's not unusual to see me collecting empty glasses, covering the door, and getting refills of TP and paper towels for the women's restroom. But last night was ridiculous, not at the fault of the bar, but I blame the chicks. Seriously, are girls such pigs? I hadn't used the bathroom all night because the line was always long but at the end of the night, I went in and OMG. ew. The toilet was totally clogged (thankfully with just paper) and about to pour over the edge. Here's what I don't understand: there is a plunger RIGHT. NEXT. TO. THE. TOILET. Are chicks too stupid to know how to use it, or think they're somehow above using it at a bar, or are they just too fucking lazy to let one of the bartenders know there's a problem? You mean to tell me that you would rather squat in the guy's bathroom with no lock on the door than use a plunger? Disgusted, I took care of it, which was literally thirty seconds of my life. If you're one of the chicks who went in there at some point in the night when the toilet wasn't flushing, I have a little link for you here.

Happy weekend everyone. I feel like I'm getting sick, so I'm probably sticking close to home this weekend, but you might catch me out here and there. Ciao...

Thursday Newsy Bits: Moustache Month, Rob Crow, TV stuff, 94/9 Insiders

Bet you didn't know it was Moustache Month: There's a group of guys (and the occasional hairy lipped female) who participate/created Moustache Month...You know them if you see them. It's the dudes from Vena Cava, Dan Padilla, The BatCave, et al. and every year they compete to see who can grow the most awesome 'stache. Anyway, the finals are this Friday at the Tower Bar. There's a ton of fun stuff this weekend, but if your sights are set on PBR tall boys, head over and visit Mick at the Tower and have some circa 1974 fun.

Here's their message:

the vegas semi-finals have been tallied and now its time for the big enchilada! bring your mustache to TOWER BAR friday the 26 and see if the 'juggernaut" can keep his title. special guest appearances by HAIRLIP (all girl review), MICROPHONE MIKE, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND (f.y.p./toys that kill). and the best band in san diego right now, ROLLIE FINGERS!

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Everyone loves Rob Crow. Well, not everyone. He and his new album are front page at Insound (next to The Shins), he's number #38 on their chart right now, and you can see him FREE! at M-Theory on Saturday @ 3pm.
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FM 94/9 has released the details of their Insider DJ program. In a nutshell, during the day they will call a name every hour. If you call back within 30 minutes, you get $100 and you choose three songs for them to play. The next hour, they will call another name, but if that person doesn't call, back in, the last person who did call would get another $100 and three more songs, meaning you could score some cash because my guess is there few people who are that glued to the radio all day. The program starts in Feb.
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Tonight's Visual Underground at the Whistle Stop will feature "Before the Music Dies".

According to M-Theory: BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES tells the story of American music at this precarious moment. Filmmakers Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen traveled the country, hoping to understand why mainstream music seems so packaged and repetitive, and whether corporations really had the power to silence musical innovation. The answers they found on this journey–ultimately, the promise that the future holds–are what makes BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES both riveting and exhilarating.

The film will be followed by a performance by Transfer
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In TV news...Hey Greg, They're just not into you. Greg Behrendt, author of "He's just not that into you" and host of The Greg Behrendt Show, got the axe from Sony. I can't even believe I bought that trash book. Also cancelled, Moustache at Large...I mean, Geraldo at Large. Such a shame. (mwahaha)
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In other TV news, is the Grey's Anatomy/Isaiah Washington thing just out of control or what?

“With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling," Washington said in a prepared statement. “I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again. I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally.”

Really? Counseling? I'm usually way on the left side of the spectrum when it comes to defending people but now hasn't GLAAD gone too far? People say mean things and hurt each others feelings all the time. Grown-ups say they're sorry and move on. All of this bigotry and hate and anger is around and Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Isaiah Washington are all really stupid because they got caught. People say bad shit all the time...sometimes with bad intentions, sometimes because the word has lost its meaning and is just slang. I got called out because I was using the word "retard" in the context of saying "I'm so freakin retarded". Because sometimes I am. Get over it.

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It's awards season. Make sure you head over and vote for the Plug Awards at plugawards.com and vote for your favorite indie bands, blogs, labels, and more. Sorry to say San Diego isn't represented but it's fun to vote anyway. Unlike the Grammy's when you see the nominee list and say WTF???

Random Tidbits/Anti Monday Recap

1. Morrissey has scheduled three solo dates in Pasadena. The shows will be Feb 1-3 and tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m.

2. Contrary to the SignOnSanDiego teaser about Lady Sovereign, she is not "back at the House of Blues for the second time in three months". Her other show here was cancelled because she brokedown. Maybe she'll breakdown again when she finds out that even when the same tickets had 3 more months to sell, they were still offered for 2 for Tuesdays on the HoB site, whick means you could buy 2 Lady Sov tickets for the low price of $13 (plus $999 in rip-off HoB service charges). I've mentioned that I had a nightmare with "Love Me Or Hate Me" as the soundtrack, so there is no question that I will NOT be at the show tonight. That's what I get for repeatedly watching The Bad Girls Club on the Oh! Network. But how can I resist? It's only like the best reality show EVER!

3. Cool Merch watch: Vena Cava has the best shirts ever. (after you click the link, scroll down for t-shirt demonstration)

4. My lovely amigo Troy Johnson has been blogging lately. Check it out here.

Last night brought the long awaited arrival of Tim Pyles' Anti-Monday League. I feel like I've been helping to promote the hell out of this show, so if people didn't show up, I was gonna take it personal. To my surprise, not only did people show, but it was pretty crowded. Definitely more people than I ever remember at Poprocks. I hadn't really even paid attention at the hodgepodge lineup until I was at the show. The Strikers are metal-cum-psychobilly and were pretty damn good and got the few of us who showed up early lubed for a night of good music. The bassist played a standup bass ("painted like the Batmobile" according to Jason) and as they played their version of Wooly Bully, he proceeded to hump his bass in that jackhammer way that is a nightmare to all women and resurrects bad flashbacks of college. Or maybe that's just me. Nonetheless, I thought they put on a good show and if the fast hard rock stuff is your cup of tea, you should check them out on Saturday at Dream Street.

By the time Fifty took the stage, more people had arrived though it really was a testament more to the fact that everyone loves Tim and wanted to support his endeavors more than anything else. Everyone who matters was at the show. That was a joke. Really. But it was cool to see all the people who turned up...Bart Mendoza, Troy Johnson, Edgartronic, O from Reeve Oliver, Irwin of Irwin's Conspiracy, ChickRawker, CatDirt & CDWife (after Timberlake, of course), the SDSC crew of Neil, Rodney, and Jason, Laura Jane (host of the upcoming Indie Music Fest), Mel, Nick and Adrian of Republic of Letters, MC Flow, and whoever that awesome guy was that bought me a drink at the end of the night. I didn't catch his name but he gets the gold star. I know there were a bunch of other local musicians represented but I don't know all of 'em.

Anyway, Fifty did their thing and the sound was loud but the vox still audible which to me, makes or breaks their shows. The crowd seemed genuinely into the music and you would've been hard pressed to find anyone there who wasn't enjoying themselves. FOTH brand of Pistols inspired punk is fun and energizing and it's always funny to see Junior try to work out a new place for him to climb while onstage.

I escaped to a pool table for a few games with Nick until Vinyl Radio started. I have no journalistic integrity because I love these guys so there definitely might be a conflict of interest, but I was a fan first and friend second so I can still say that I love Matt's onstage presence and the blues driven classic rock feel of their material. I mentioned that I've heard the new recordings and the forthcoming album is gonna be strong. Morgan Young filled in on drums (not the dude from Brian Jonestown Massacre as reported here) and I know that the band wishes he were a permanent fixture. Their quest to find a permanent drummer continues.

Following along? That is psychobilly to punk to rock. This had me concerned because I really liked what I'd heard of Peter and The Wolf, but didn't think the crowd would stick around for folkie indie music. And more or less, I was right. Maybe it was because it was Monday night, maybe people didn't want the change of pace, or maybe that the band isn't local made them easier to dismiss, but I am glad I stuck around for their performance.

I had heard tracks from Peter and the Wolf from a radio broadcast and was expecting a guy and a chick with a guitar and maybe a single snare or something. In no way was I prepared for 8 guys taking the stage, all with various improvised instruments. The singer fronted with a duct taped guitar. I didn't notice any other traditional instruments. One guy played a bicycle rim and the spokes with a drumstick. One guy played a six pack of empty beer bottles in their little cardboard carrier with a drumstick. There were pots and pans and lids and spatulas and shakers and all kinds of random stuff. I felt like I was watching the indie rock version of Stomp without the lame interpretive dance. Unfortunately the crowd thinned out and it seemed there were more people onstage than in the crowd, but those of us paying attention were stoked by what we saw. The band would've benefitted from a more indie billing, I think, like with Kite Flying Society or similar, but for their first show in SD, I hope they felt the trip was worthwhile.

That's all I've got for now. New calendar to be posted later.