Things To Do In San Diego: April 9-10, 2009

Thursday, April 9, 2009:

• Finding Fiction, Republic of Letters @ Bar Pink
• Vetiver, Richard Swift, The Donkeys @ Casbah
• Incomplete Neighbor, Brown Shoe, The Predicates, DJ Waly Mayhem @ Beauty Bar
• Sandollar, Red Llama Dog @ 710 Beach Club
• Dark Star Orchestra @ Belly Up
• Anti-quark, VV Morgue, My Dead Body @ Radio Room
• Karaoke @ O'Connell's
• Milton Henry, Horace Martin @ Winston's
• Jon Garner Trio plus special guests @ Soda Bar
• The Sound of Quient Punx feat Drew Andrews & Friends @ Whistle Stop
• Giant, Ghostlimb, Fed to the Wolves @ Che Cafe
• Eclipse 79, Locked out of Eden, Jason Chase, DropJoy @ Canes
• Rock Out Karaoke (7-10p)@ 710 Beach Club
• "Spring Into New Music" feat masterworks of Magnus Lindberg, Iannis Xenakis, new pieces from up and coming composers. @ The Loft, UCSD
• Modern Day Moonshine @ House of Blues (Voodoo Stage)
• The Disco Biscuits, Heavyweight Dub Champion @ House of Blues
• Amy Kuney, Annie Bethancourt, Kyler England @ Lestat's
• Billy Curington @ Viejas Dreamcatcher
• Duchess, Hula Guns, Trouble In The Wind, Odessa, Opus Humanus @ Dreamstreet
• Ronnie Corbin & Pirate Radio @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Skelpin @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)
• A Waltz Dream @ Birch North Park Theatre
• Patricia Mueller, Richard Romero, Jefferson Jay and The Soul Man, The Ambassador, Jake Allen @ Portugalia
• Irish Night @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Boombox Thursday feat. DJ Edgartronic @ A/C Lounge

Friday, April 10, 2009:

• X1FM Open Door Sessions feat. Transfer @ X1FM Studios (7 pm, all ages, free, or watch live stream on X1FM.com) Writer, The Knew (Denver), Tape Deck Mountain @ Ken Club (Pre-show BYOB BBQ at my house, from 6pm till showtime. E-mail for address)
• Syndicate, The Secret 6 @ Bar Pink
• Feel The Noise feat. The Little Things, DJs Gabe Vega & Saul Q @ U-31
• Late Night Live feat The Silent Comedy, Calico Horse, The Union Line @ Anthology (Late Show 10:00 pm)
• Blind Pilot, Loch Lomond, Grizzly Circus, River City @ Casbah
• Crash Encore, Jackson Price, Family Wagon @ Ruby Room
• The Widows, The Old In Out, Killer Dreamer @ Soda Bar
• Happy Hour with The Mar Dels @ Belly Up (5:30 pm)
• 40 oz to Freedom, RiceRokit, The Anna Troy Band @ Belly Up
• Electric Feel DJs Andrew Decade, Adam Salter, Colour Vision @ Beauty Bar
• Chaz, Wild Weekend, Misc. Ailments, Save Amos @ Radio Room
• Another Zeke Productions Presents...The Flametrick Subs, The Strikers, Embalmers @ O'Connell's
• Blue Turtle Seduction @ Winston's
• Robert Cray @ Viejas Dreamcatcher Lounge
• Club Pussy Galore feat. Black Mamba, The Secret Seven @ Whistle Stop
• West of Memphis @ House of Blues (Voodoo Stage)
• Don Felder "An Evening At Hotel California" @ House of Blues
• Josh Damigo, Alexis Allan, Thomas Ian Nicholas @ Lestat's
• Plane Without A Pilot, Deaf Zero, Medford Falling, Love Beats War, Light Of Doom, Talk Cute! @ Soma
• Sani!, Muscle, Blood, and Something Else, Adam!, Madii and Alex, Machéte, Matt Ants, and Fighting, Lelas and the Travelling Perole @ Che Cafe
• Jessica Sonner, Dan Craig @ Marquee (835 25th St, Golden Hill, All ages)
• Cyanide Vogue, Suspects of a Crime, Feeling of Hate, Fuzz Huzzi, The Prism @ Dreamstreet
• Luminance @ The Loft, UCSD
• Bombay Status @ 710 Beach Club
• Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Mike Relm, Bukue One, Serendipity Project, Vokab Kompany @ Canes
• Mystique @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (5-7pm)
• Detroit Underground @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (9pm-1am)
• Leon Redbone @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)
• Somato Sensory, Sky Harbor, Misdelphia, For 25 @ Channel Twelve 25
• Viva Las Vegas!: A Winter Pops Concert @ Copley Symphony Hall
• Slackjaw @ Surf n Saddle
• Fiffin Market @ Hensley's Flying Elephant

Transfer hitting the road for West Coast Tour

Transfer is hitting the road fresh off of the heels of their successful SXSW tour last month. The tour will bookend San Diego dates and officially kick off on April 14th at the Soda Bar and wrap up May 1st at the Casbah. Word is that if you want to see Transfer in San Diego, you need to get to one of these shows as they are currently in the final stages of recording their second full-length album. Produced by the band with bassist/engineer, Shaun Cornell, mixed by Mark Needham, (Killers, Bloc Party, Chris Isaac), inspired by the coyote howls and cricket bows of their surroundings at their hillside studio in North San Diego. They plan to debut some new material from the record which is set to release on their label, OBSCURE MAGPIE RECORDS in July of 2009.

Joining Transfer on the road will be the Tucson band Holy Rolling Empire and performance video group AVicious.

Here is a list of the the cities upcoming on the Transfer Tour:

April 15th, Silverlake, CA: Spaceland
April 16th, Monterey, CA: Monterey Live
April 17th, Chico, CA: Nick’s Night Club
April 18th, Weed, CA: College of the Siskiyous
April 19th, Corning, CA: Veterans Hall
April 20th, Redding, CA: Downtown Eatery
April 22nd, Portland, OR: Dante’s
April 23rd, Portland, OR: Red Room
April 24th, Seattle, WA: Tractor Tavern
April 25th, Bellingham, WA: The Rogue Hero
April 26th, Seattle, WA: The High Dive
April 28th, Sacramento, CA: Harlow’s
April 29th, Chico, CA: LaSalles
April 30th, Long Beach, CA: The Old Prospector
May 1st, San Diego, CA: The Casbah

AVicious will be blogging, tweeting and ustreaming throughout the tour so check out www.AVicio.us for updates throughout the tour.

SXSW Writer Tour: Day 2 Part 2

This is the final post for the Writer tour to Austin for the SXSW Music Festival. Just after watching tour-mates Lights On play a showcase at a "more restaurant than bar" type place, Andy and I drove downtown towards the chaos of 6th St. Writer was to play Mugshots in a few hours. Jayme had met a nice mom who on her day away from the kids decided to give Jayme a ride to the venue, she also bought him ice-cream, ahhh.

On the way down to 6th St, Andy and I spotted two youngsters trying to hitch a ride. We pulled over and said, "Get On In!" They had been waiting at the bus stop for a while and all the buses were full so they thought they'd try to hitch a ride. These kids were awesome, they lived really close to the venue, and bought us a 12'ver of Lone Star beer! With some time to kill, we drank at their house, talking about the festival and how cool Austin is. I was stoked to charge my phone and camera in their outlets (that gets tricky on the road).
They thanked us for the ride, we thanked them for the beer, and made our way to Mugshots, for the "killer" showcase on 6th St. during prime time hours! Luckily everyone made it to the venue and we started loading the gear in.

Earlier in the day, Andy had been talking with Christian (who was riding with Lights On) and told him he should open the set with some of his songs. Christian had brought his acoustic guitar and harmonic, planning to play some spontaneous shows, and so this worked out perfect. Christian had some great songs, the kind of story-telling songs that talk about "real" life. Maybe like Merle Haggard-ish? It was a great segway into Writer.
Some friends from San Diego had made their way over as well. Brooke, radio station marketing extraordinaire, and Jake, sound man and tour manager. It was great to see them amidst all the insanity of downtown. Writer played a powerful set, especially since the Mugshots' stage at the end of a narrow corridor. We were packed up to the front. The energy was really high, after all the shows, to know this was the last on the tour and that really spurred everyone to let loose.

Click on Keep on Reading to get the rest of the story

Well, after Writer played, the post-show energy got insane. It had been a long day of drinking and now we were set loose on downtown. We stumbled around and ran into Drew Andrew's crew again and also saw Marc Marino from Dirty Sweet. Somehow we ended up at a "downtown" bar, but with a punk band playing. The band was killing it, so I started bouncing around, and I got some dirty looks from girls up-front, who didn't want to spill their drinks. What planet was this? You are front row with a punk band playing and you want the crowd to make like a flower and plant!?

Well, I wasn't having that (too many drinks and too many power chords to keep me docile). At one point, I fell to the ground as the singer dove into the audience. This was turning out to be the kind of raw energy I expected from a punk band. I wish I had my wits about me enough to find out the bands name, but we seemed to get sucked out of the bar with a tidal wave.

Back on 6th St. I was able to meet back up with my buddy Riyadh and our college roomie, Brian Cardellini, and his wife. They drove down from Houston and were staying at a hotel! They were kind enough to invite us to come over. I was 3 days without a shower, fallen on the bar floor, and spent all day in sunny 80 degree weather, a hotel sounded like the Taj Mahal. We drove all 6 of us over to the hotel, and oddly enough, saw our friends The Henry Clay People piling out of their van as well. It was late, and everyone was pretty beat, so rather than a double-band raging Motley Crue party (right?) we talked for awhile and retired to our rooms.
A big "Thank You" to the Cardellini's for giving us a place to sleep :)

Everyone showered in the morning, we drove back to downtown to watch Lights On play a noon showcase right off 6th St. This was the best stage yet, good size, good sound, and even at noon people were there! In true SXSW fashion, another band was playing right next door with some bleed through, but once Lights On started you couldn't tell. This was definitely their best show of the tour. The sound was great, the crowd was good, and everything seemed to click for them.

After the show, we said our goodbyes to the band we had spent the last 9 days with, and headed toward the Honda Element.
About to start a 21 hour drive, I convinced the guys to unload some more promo material while we had the chance. Of course, walking around we ran into Henry Clay People again and they were going to the free show at Mohawks. This was a great venue, with outdoor and indoor stages, multiple viewing levels, and a free PBR with free entrance! We watched Granddaddy, Roadside Graves, and Vivian Girls. All great bands. Then we forced ourselves to start the 20hr. drive to SD, had to be back for work on Monday, it was Saturday at 3:30pm. Do the math, we were going to drive straight through the night. And we did, somehow. I have to thank David for taking the 5AM to 8AM driving, I was so sleepy and from the looks of it so were Jayme and Andy. We made it home safe and sound at noon on Sunday. What a trip!

More pictures at my personal site www.myspace.com/dagart

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New Silversun Pickups

The video for the Silversun Pickups new single "Panic Switch" was released this week, and starting today, the entire album is available online for streaming on MTV's "The Leak".

The album will be available from Dangerbird Records on April 14.

For the video, click here.





Silversun Pickups has also teamed up with Coachella, Virgin America and FILTER to offer one lucky fan a VIP flyaway trip for two complete with round-trip airfare, Coachella tickets and campground passes. For more information and to enter, Go Here to Filter's Contest.

Let's keep out fingers crossed that they hit the summer festivals, which likely won't be announced until after Coachella.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 7-8, 2009

Tuesday, April 7, 2009:

• Leonard Cohen @ Copley Symphony Hall
• Tall Tales and the Silver Lining, Drew Andrews and the Spectral Cities, Really Big Birds @ Soda Bar
• The Howls, Joel P West, Gray Ghosts, Longstay @ Casbah
• Princeton, The Union Line, Faded Paper Figures, and By the Real Sea @ The Loft, UCSD
• Sangre Sangre, The Old Palominos, Bill Cardinal, DJ Gonzo, Art by Ryan Tannascoli @ Beauty Bar
• Too Cool For Karaoke: Ladies Stardust African Famine Benefit @ Ruby Room
• Dan Padilla, Breaker Breaker One Niner, Success(WA), The Damage Done(WA)@ Radio Room
• Jerkagram, White Fang, Talibam, Pregnant, BWATWOB, Fortress of Amplitude, Stag Hare, Italic Indian and Rob Walmart @ Che Cafe
• Junior Reid, Stranger, DJ Carlos Culture @ Belly Up
• Mechanical Bull Riding @ U-31
• Ken Club Karaoke @ Ken Club
• Train Of Thought Open Mic @ Marquee (835 25th St, Golden Hill, All ages)
• Tiki Tuesday with Exoticatronica and DJ Tim Hines @ Bar Pink
• Karaoke @ O'Connell's
• Club Starz @ House of Blues
• Comedy Night with Mal Hall @ Lestat's
• Despite The Wolves, Dead Serial Killers, Silence Betrayed @ Winston's
• Friends Chill Game Night @ Whistle Stop
• The Room @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Jose Serrano @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Game Night @ 710 Beach Club
• "Jazz Up Your Tuesdays" Anthology House Band @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009:

• All Bets On Death(WA), Secret Fun Club, Geronimo, Human Quana Orchestra @ Radio Room (Early show)
• The Republic Tigers @ The Loft, UCSD
• Nerd Nite featuring zombies, bird mating dances, and music by Overlord @ Casbah
• Dar Williams, Melissa Ferrick @ Belly Up
• Ded Pigeons, Rise of the Speedmen, Aristeia, Cloud Archive, DJ G Rex @ Beauty Bar
• My Cuzzins Funk (Parliament/Funkadelic all night long!) @ Ruby Room
• Live Wednesdays presents Sex Mannequin, Audiocrack, DJ Andrew Decade @ U-31
• Red Hot Wednesday with Robin and DJ Claire @ Bar Pink
• Yonder Mountain String Band @ House of Blues
• Nostalgia Double Feature Cinema @ Marquee (835 25th St, Golden Hill, All ages)
• A Night of Bellydancers & Music @ Lestat's
• Jimmy Dean & friends @ O'Connell's
• Manwhore Wednesdays @ Ken Club
• Grand Canyon Sundown, Marck Jacobson Band, Plow @ Winston's
• Never Say Die Presents - Rolando Garza, Panorama, Los Hollywood, Sacrilegio, Eskera @ Canes
• Knock'em Stiff, Inciting Riots, The Watchmen, F.U.B.A.R., Kasket Krawlers @ Dreamstreet
• Defamation League, The Knowz @ 710 Beach Club
• Joe Wood & The Lonely Ones @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Gregory Michaels Band @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Kristin Korb (CD Release) @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)

Things To Do In San Diego: April 6, 2009

I'm in Vegas and not only are we not staying at the hotel with the free wi-fi (though I'm here for a very short time now), but my phone broke to the point where I cannot access any phone numbers, voice mail, text messaging, or anything. The screen lights up with no display, which is pretty much my biggest nightmare. I'm out of warranty and not due for a contract upgrade, so paying full price for a phone is the only option I have and that is not an option. If anyone has an AT&T compatible phone sitting around, please get in touch with me. I'll be back Wednesday. For now, I'll try and do the full listings for the week while I'm here, but forgive me if it doesn't happen.

Monday, April 6, 2009:

• Anti Monday League and Black Box Present Japanese Sunday (hometown show after Japanese Tour), Marasol (hometown show after a tour of Alpine), The Old In Out @ Casbah
• Rachael Yamagata, Greg Laswell @ House of Blues
• Aluminum Babe, Lights On @ Bar Pink
• Lady Dottie & The Diamonds @ U-31
• BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Linnzi Zaorski @ Belly Up
• Kipper's Pop Culture Trivia Challenge @ Whistle Stop
• Open Mic @ Lestat's
• Grown Folk Music with The Husky Boy All-Stars: DJs Buddha & Duse@ Bar Pink
• Blues Jam hosted by Mystery Train @ O'Connell's
• Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
• Sing or Die Karaoke @ 710 Beach Club
• Spring Harpfest Fundraiser hosted by Chet & The Committee @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• The Tail Draggers @ Hensley's Flying Elephant

Things To Do In San Diego: April 4-5, 2009

Saturday, April 4, 2009 (Happy 39th Anniversary, Mom & Dad!):

• Greg Gerding book reading @ Luce Loft (7-10pm, 1037 J Street, free)
• Autolux, Mini Mansions, io echo @ Casbah
• The Pheromones (CD Release Party), Eric Macek @ 710 Beach Club
• The Bloodflowers, Buddy Akai, The Slow Down, DJs Jon Toubin, Lord Nelson, Memo rx@ Beauty Bar
• John Brown's Body, Blue King Brown, DJ Emmanuel from Organika Music) @ Belly Up
• Gavin Degraw, Angel Taylor @ Martini Ranch
• Publicists, Lanterns, Daysleeper @ Ken Club
• Fashion Whore @ Ruby Room
• Jordan Reimer, Carl D, Jim Earp, Partners in Rhyme @ The Marquee (825 25th, Golden Hill)
• TBA @ Radio Room
• Missy Higgins, Harlan Coben @ Gillespie School
• Sycuan Presents Joe Rogan @ House of Blues
• Aaron Bowen @ Lestat's
• Transport feat. DJs Gabe Vega & Saul Q @ Whistle Stop
• Cubensis @ Winston's
• Tribe of Kings/Ting-a-Ling!! @ Soda Bar
• Taboo Band (Tribute to Sade) @ Canes
• Fishnet Follies @ Dreamstreet
• Winds Of Plague, Emmure, Terror, All Shall Perish, The Ghost Inside, Underneath The Gun, For Today @ Soma
• Sun God Battle of the Bands @ The Loft, UCSD
• First Friday Gomango Kids Concert @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (2-4 pm)
• Patty Zlacket @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (5-7 pm)
• Rockola @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (9pm)
• Trummerflora Spring Reverb @ Kava Lounge
• Steve Tyrell @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm, Late Show 9:30 pm)
• The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra @ Birch North Park Theatre
• Muriel Anderson @ Acoustic Music San Diego
• Start of a Century, Candy Asylum, Volts, The Useless Idols @ Channel Twelve 25
• RIP Carson @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto: A Jacobs' Masterworks Concert @ Copley Symphony Hall

Sunday, April 5, 2009:

• Greg Gerding book reading, performences from Abraham Nunez (Team Abraham) and John Finkbiner (The Stereotypes) @ Rebecca's Coffee Shop (3-6 pm, free)
• Rademacher @ Bar Pink
• Stereo Total, Leslie and the Lys, Microphone Mike @ Casbah
• Rhythm and Blues Matinee w/ Nathan James, Olivia Pierson, Billy Watson @ Belly Up (4 pm)
• Salsa Sunday Feat. Orquesta Primo @ Belly Up
• Keviyna’s Birthday and Drag Show @ Ruby Room
• Zombie Surf Camp, The Slow Poisoner @ Radio Room
• Saints & Sinners Tour 2009 featuring Hollywood Undead, Senses Fail, Haste The Day, Brokensyde @ House of Blues
• Christopher Dallman, Gregory Douglass, Syd @ Lestat's
• Squirelly Arts, IDS, Fall of Enosis, Shining Through @ Brick By Brick
• Reckless @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Eric Lindell @ Winston's (5-9pm)
• Jose Sinatra's OB-o-ke @ Winston's
• Spring Reverb 2009! Noise Fest! @ Soda Bar
• Too Many Creeps feat Mario Orduno & friends @ Whistle Stop
• The Industrial Jazz Group, Plotz!, Mesa College Big Band @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• Steve Keaney, Beer Money, Nick Z @ Portugalia
• NILS @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (11a-1:30pm)
• Mark Fisher @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (5:30-6:30 pm)
• A Waltz Dream @ Birch North Park Theatre

Live at the Luce Loft: Writer & Black Mamba

Sezio.org has the first of the videos from their Live at the Luce Loft series. To me, no video or photos can capture how spectacular those shows were, but for those who didn't make it, here's at least a glimpse of what you missed.

Black Mamba


Writer

Open Door Session Videos from the Last Two Weeks

I forgot to post the video from Children of Nova two weeks ago, and I just got ahold on The Vision of a Dying World video. Check em out and watch the rest of the videos @ www.myspace.com/opendoorsessions

Children of Nova Part 1


Children of Nova Part 2

SXSW: Lady Dottie & the Diamonds Performance

Myself and Jeremy Glaholt of AVicious were riding around on bikes during a day off at SXSW and stopped in for a beer at a joint near a friend's house only to stumble onto some San Diego friends. M-Theory owner Eric Howarth was there with some of his bands and so I caught this performance by Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, jumped back on the bike and headed out to see more music. This so happen to be one of the best days I have had in a very long time. More SXSW video coming soon but feel free to follow us on Twitter, YouTube or check out our blog as well.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 3, 2009

Friday, April 3, 2009:

• X1FM Open Door Sessions feat. The KneeHighs @ X1FM Studios (7 pm, all ages, free, or watch live stream on X1FM.com)
• Fever Sleeves, Empty Rooms(sf), By Sunlight @ Soda Bar
• Hotel St. George, My Pet Saddle @ Whistle Stop
• Anya Marina, The Traditionist, Wrong Trousers @ Casbah
• ReAmp presents Dynamite Walls, War Stories, DJ Andrew Decade @ Beauty Bar
• The Styletones @ Bar Pink
• The Focus Group, Slowdown(Missouri), Michael Mcgraw @ Radio Room
• Arm the Angels, Sayvinyl, Helen Earth Band @ Belly Up
• Happy Hour with The Fabulous Pelicans @ Belly Up (5:30pm)
• R.A.W. (LA), DJ ODI (NY), JUNGLE @ Ruby Room
• Trummerflora Spring Reverb @ Museum Of Making Music
• The Devastators @ Winston's
• Head Cat, Thee Corsairs @ Brick By Brick
• Plain White T’s, Danger Radio, Vedera @ House of Blues
• The Dirty Legs, Pick-Up Girl, The Snails, U.S. Drag, Blue Marble @ Dreamstreet
• Joe Brooks, Sara Haze @ Lestat's
• Parkway Drive, Stick To Your Guns, MyChildrenMyBride, Comes The Horsemen@ Soma
• Have Heart, Shook Ones, Rotting Out, Comadre, Take Offense @ Che Cafe
• Clive Chin, Tribal Theory, The Reggaelators @ The Loft, UCSD
• Uproot, Likewize, Chimney Fish @ 710 Beach Club
• Organika Presents - Michael Palmer & Triston Palma @ Canes
• Gonzalo Bergara & his quartet, feat Jeffrey Radaich rhythm guitar, Rob Hardt clarinet & tenor saxophone, & David Tranchina upright bass @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• Rising Star @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• The Real You (Hometown Show!) @ Epicentre
• Kaskade @ SPIN
• Jesse Rose @ On Broadway
• Stephen Pearcy, Pretty Boy Floyd @ 4th & B
• Steve Tyrell @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)
• The Heroes @ Anthology (Late Show 9:30 pm)
• A Waltz Dream @ Birch North Park Theatre
• Hawaiian Treasures Celebration featuring Grammy winners:George Kahumoku, Dennis Kamakahi and Richard Ho'opi'i @ Acoustic Music San Diego
• Copilot, Centerpiece, Kris Kraft, Signs and Signals @ Channel Twelve 25
• Stone Senses @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Underground feat. DJ Brother Darkness, JDRENIK & Professor CC @ Stout House

Escondido Concert In The Park for Amber Dubois

The search for missing teenager Amber Dubois continues after over a month of her disappearance on her way to school on February 13. Family, friends, and volunteers have searched relentlessly and are hosting a free concert in Kit Carson park where donations and raffle money will finance the continued search efforts. For more information about Amber and the event and how you can help, click here.

SXSW Writer Tour: Day 2 Part 1

I am trying to finish up this write-up on SXSW, but I keep getting distracted. I am going to try to finish it all up by the end of this weekend.

After a hippie night of watching amazing acoustic sets of bands playing under a tree at Ms. Beas until 4am, we had nowhere to sleep, so we crashed in the Honda Element. At this point, it had been almost 3 days with no showering for me, starting to really marinade in my amazing scent. But eating Torchy's breakfast tacos made up for my cramped sleeping conditions, best food find in Austin was Torchy's, great salsa/hot sauce choices.
We met this guy/band name Viking Moses, who after misunderstanding the name we kindly nicknamed Thor Ramsey. He played the acoustic show at Ms. Beas to a strangely awkward ending, and then started walking away alone!? Andy stopped him and said, "I dig your tunes." He said he was playing a book store the next day, so that was our first stop on the agenda. When we asked directions from a chica at Torchy's she smirked humorously at us first, then tried to figure the best way to direct us (it was ALL the way across town... FAR) Driving across Austin we passed through downtown, then what we called Austin's Hillcrest, then into a really chill area we called Austin's Portland.This is where the book store was. A chill indie book store that had vegan treats and a great vibe. Viking Moses (aka Thor Ramsey) jammed on his guitar singing songs with a young girl backing on keyboard. A bunch of kids on all the same tour have been riding in a van together and backing each other on the tour. So great to see the comraderie of young musicians. Viking Moses really lays it out there, he was so passionate that he lost his shoe, his sunglasses, and knelt on the floor as he poured his heart out. Thor Ramsey became our favorite new friend from SXSW.
Click on Keep on Reading for more of the story...

Post book store show, we headed to a record store show in the area, The Fling were performing. We made it to this great punk rock record store that had tons of vinyl, vintage mags, and random goodies too. The bands that played were awesome and I wish i could remember their names. I will post vids of them later. The Fling have a great sound, and the harmonies are like a mix of Beatles, CCR, and The Rolling Stones, It is good Rock and Roll. We had a blast at the Record store and they paid to put some Writer albums in their collection, very nice. After hanging out there with our tall cans, we set off to see Lights On.
At a bar that seemed more sports bar than venue, Lights On played outside and put on an impressive show at which the next band said "I don't know how we are lucky enough to play on the same bill with those guys." Then they proceeded to sound like a hack/terrible John Mayer cover band, really bad! The bar was not a venue, but we had a great time none-the-less and met this local who was on her night away from her husband and kid. All alone, we asked her to hang with us, since she was reading a book, but glancing in our direction enough for us to notice she was reading one page every 20min. She gave Jayme a ride to Writer's show at Mugshots, and the good mother she is, bought him ice cream on the way. More of that to come... next post...

StayClassy.Org Invite You to the Elemental Experience

By now, you've probably heard of StayClassy.Org and their parties for a cause. This year they're putting together a huge music festival for San Diego. Matisyahu, Mason Jennings, Bassnectar, Pinback, Dirty Sweet, Pete and J and Jay Nash will all be performing - and all to help raise $500,000 to build a shelter to house the 2,500 homeless youths in San Diego. I slacked on posting but tickets are $40 right now, but will go up on Friday (tomorrow!), so I suggest you not wait.

The event takes place on May 2 at Mission Bay. For tickets and information, click the flyer.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 2, 2009

Thursday, April 2, 2009:

• TNT (Thursday Night Thing) feat. The Traditionist, Lights On, The Color of Glass @ Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego Downtown
• Swim Party, Secret Apollo @ Bar Pink
• The White Buffalo, John Meeks, Vision of a Dying World @ Casbah
• The Magdalena Ecke YMCA Fundraiser w/ Stripes and Lines, Calico Horse, Don't Bore Nina, Red Handed @ Belly Up
• Dexter Romweber Duo(Former Flat Duo Jets), Pushin Rope, Old Devil @ Radio Room
• Braiins!!, Sexual Bigbird, Blue Jungle(la) @ Soda Bar
• The Gregory Page Show @ Lestat's
• Turbo Teen, Office Twins, Halloween Hallowdays, Hi Ball Kids @ Beauty Bar
• Gavin Degraw, Angel Taylor @ Soma
• "Rebel Rouge" featuring Kon Von Kon and Wolfgang von Cope + The Gypsy Two @ Kava Lounge
• "Worst Music Ever" with Dmitiri D, Daniel & Mark @ Whistle Stop
• The Kids Are Alright Karaoke @ The Marquee (825 25th, Golden Hill)
• The Riverbottom Rockers, Meluplus, Kritterbox, Unknown Motive @ Brick By Brick
• Naked Funk @ Winston's
• Bar Bazaar: Local Designer Trunk Show @ Soda Bar (5-9 pm)
• Dirty Heads, Mishka, Tribal Theory, Revival @ Canes
• Jed Sheldon, Podunk Nowhere, Jaden, Evan Bethany, The Green Lifestyle @ Dreamstreet
• Tripp, Natural Incense, The Devlin Jones Band @ 710 Beach Club
• Forever The Sickest Kids @ The Loft, UCSD
• Patricia Mueller, Richard Romero, Jefferson Jay and The Soul Man, Charbra, Robin Lee, Jack Davidson @ Portugalia
• All Star Jazz Quintet featuring trumpeter Derrick Cannon & saxophonist Tripp Sprague with Russell Bizzett drums, Bob Magnusson bass, & Danny Green piano @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• The Soul Persuaders @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge
• Ryan Shaw @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm)
• Irish Night with Skelpin @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Boombox Thursday feat. DJ Edgartronic @ A/C Lounge
• Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony: A Symphony Exposed Concert @ Copley Symphony Hall

Rosey's Diary: Writer & Black Mamba @ Luce Loft, The Bronx @ Casbah 3.25.2009

Wednesday night kicked off what turned out to be quite a spectacular week of local music. Sezio.org coordinated five nights of music at a place called Luce Loft in downtown San Diego. Sandwiched between Sushi Center for the Arts and The Corner on J Street in East Village, the space is an open loft space with concrete walls, arched wooden ceilings, and open space. It's stunning on it's own, but add some couches, a couple giant LoveSacs, some chairs, area rugs, and 100 people with a deep love for San Diego music and arts, and it was completely breathtaking. And all that before the music even started. Sezio specifically paired bands with different sounds in an effort to cross-pollinate the audiences, and they succeeded above and beyond anything I could've imagined. To keep reading my diary about Luce Loft and The Bronx at the Casbah, click 'keep on reading' below.

Swim Party (Just hanging out. They didn't play until Friday.)




Black Mamba kicked off the night with a quiet set that set the stage for what would turn out to be ten of the most unique and moving sets of music I've experienced. Aimee's voice is hypnotic and the music allows you to drift away and I was glad that my first time seeing them was in this setting. I look forard to their record release later this month.



After a short break, Writer played. It was easily my favorite performance from them yet. It's obvious that their SXSW tour helped David gel with the band. Andy played his guitar unplugged and sang a couple feet back from the mic so it really felt organic. Of all the performances of the week, I think that Writer's lyrics lend themselves to singalongs the best, and the crowd took full advantage. You can check my YouTube page for a couple songs from them (though the band is entirely sihouetted because of the dark lighting)



For far better pics, check Too Sunny Out Here and See Michael's Photos in the photo links in the sidebar of this site.

We hung around for a little while after the show, but not too long because we were going to see The Bronx at Casbah. The two shows couldn't have been more night and day, but it was fun nonetheless. I didn't see much of the opening band except that the singer had a two inch gash on his forehead. Apparently he dove off the stage and wasn't caught and landed on glass. Before The Bronx started, I was kinda hanging on the side of the stage thinking that's where I'd stay for their set, but I made a last minute decision to post up on Kenny's side of the stage near the wall. I essentially was just on the outside of the flurry that would turn into the pit. I took an elbow to the mouth at one point, but other than that was mostly unscathed, save for a lot of other people's sweat on me to a point where about 6 songs in I decided I had enough pictures and retreated. The Bronx plays an aggressive adrenaline pumped set that just something that anyone with any roots in hardcore should check out.

The Bronx

Things To Do In San Diego: April 1, 2009

Wednesday, April 1, 2009:

• Wirepony, The Exfriends, AM Vibe @ Belly Up
• Heavy Glow, Golden Animals, Ninja Love, DJ G Rex @ Beauty Bar
• Crescendo, Tropical Depression, Lisa the Lush @ Radio Room
• Valient Thorr, Thieves and Liars, Die Sabotage @ Casbah
• The Anal Sex Beatles, Beat-Less, The Autumn Film (Boulder), Extinct Animals @ Ruby Room
• Lily Allen, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ House of Blues
• Electro Gun Microwave, La Creaky Cahts, Vintage Black, The Midnight Hour @ Dreamstreet
• John Elliot and the Hereafter, The Blue Hit @ Lestat's
• Live Wednesdays presents South of The Boulevard, The Brandy Alexander Band, Sex N Violence @ U-31
• No Sucker DJs @ Bar Pink
• Black Wax presents Fun! (the movie) @ Channel Twelve 25
• Manwhore Wednesdays @ Ken Club
• Red Ink, Sea Pansy (w/ guests TBA) @ Brick By Brick
• Mama's Cookin, The Chi Club @ Winston's
• Never Say Die Presents (Bands TBA) @ Canes
• Intransit Audio, Bad Habit @ 710 Beach Club
• The Jazz Ensemble @ Dizzy's (San Diego Wine & Culinary Center)
• Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones @ Hensley's Flying Elephant
• Chet Cannon and the Committee @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (5:30pm)
• John Nemeth CD Release @ Humphrey's Backstage Lounge (8pm)
• Branford Marsalis @ Anthology (Early Show 7:30pm, Late Show 9:30 pm)

Local Media Bitchslap

I love when local media wars are waged, especially when I'm not a part of them. This week I wrote about the "North Park Music Thing", formerly known as "North By North Park", after a press release was issued from Kevin Hellman on behalf of the San Diego Music Foundation. Looks like some panties are in a bunch about the whole thing.

First, Kelly Davis calling out Ken Leighton.

And, Ken Leighton's response.

I shall sit back and let the fun ensue.

Update: Kelly responds, again.

Joe Purdy Releases "Last Clock On The Wall"

Perhaps you recall my obsession with Joe Purdy's "Can't Get It Right Today" that was featured in a Kia ad last year. Well, Joe's been busy. Very busy. He is an unsigned artist who, through his own digital distribution, has been able to gather a loyal following. He finished his tenth record on March 17 and released it the same day. You might be familiar with his songs that have aired on multiple TV shows like Gray's Anatomy, House, amd Lost among others. Frankly, I'm posting the widget so I can stream it.