Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Vivian Girls
A few months ago I came across a wonderful new band with a familiar sound. There were jangly and distorted guitars, raggedy drums, aloof female vocals, and singsong melodies and everything cloaked in a haze of reverb. It brought to mind girl groups of the ’60s, British indie in the ’80s, and half-forgotten California bands from the ’90s such as Tiger Trap, Henry’s Dress, and the Aislers Set. And someone else from the distant past…who am I forgetting? Oh yeah, the Vivian Girls. Whatever happened to them?
I’m kidding…sort of. The Vivian Girls came out of Brooklyn just a couple of years ago, but the hype-and-backlash cycle is so quick these days that many bloggers were tired of the band by the time they released their debut album. In the months since, we’ve had a series of new bands mining similar veins. The novelty (if you’re young and don’t remember the older bands) or nostalgia (if you’re old, like me) has worn off. These bands now have to stand on their songwriting ability or risk falling behind the competition.
If last year’s Everything Goes Wrong is any indication, the Vivian Girls may have what it takes. While there’s nothing as catchy as their first-album tracks “Where Do You Run To?” or “Tell the World,” there’s a much healthier killer-to-filler ratio this time around. Song titles such as “Can’t Get Over You” and “End” give a clue to what inspired guitarist Cassie Ramone’s songwriting, but thankfully she doesn’t wallow in grief. One song is called “I Have No Fun,” but it may be the most fun thing the Vivian Girls have recorded.
Past Event
Vivian Girls
- Thursday, February 4, 2010, 8:30 p.m.
- Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
Here's something you might be interested in.
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls
A few months ago I came across a wonderful new band with a familiar sound. There were jangly and distorted guitars, raggedy drums, aloof female vocals, and singsong melodies and everything cloaked in a haze of reverb. It brought to mind girl groups of the ’60s, British indie in the ’80s, and half-forgotten California bands from the ’90s such as Tiger Trap, Henry’s Dress, and the Aislers Set. And someone else from the distant past…who am I forgetting? Oh yeah, the Vivian Girls. Whatever happened to them?
I’m kidding…sort of. The Vivian Girls came out of Brooklyn just a couple of years ago, but the hype-and-backlash cycle is so quick these days that many bloggers were tired of the band by the time they released their debut album. In the months since, we’ve had a series of new bands mining similar veins. The novelty (if you’re young and don’t remember the older bands) or nostalgia (if you’re old, like me) has worn off. These bands now have to stand on their songwriting ability or risk falling behind the competition.
If last year’s Everything Goes Wrong is any indication, the Vivian Girls may have what it takes. While there’s nothing as catchy as their first-album tracks “Where Do You Run To?” or “Tell the World,” there’s a much healthier killer-to-filler ratio this time around. Song titles such as “Can’t Get Over You” and “End” give a clue to what inspired guitarist Cassie Ramone’s songwriting, but thankfully she doesn’t wallow in grief. One song is called “I Have No Fun,” but it may be the most fun thing the Vivian Girls have recorded.
Past Event
Vivian Girls
- Thursday, February 4, 2010, 8:30 p.m.
- Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego