Musician Interviews
“My music sounds like Joanna Newsom meets Wilco meets Gershwin meets Rilo Kiley,” says Kelsea Little, who first earned widespread attention in 2006 with local teen-trio the Wrong Trousers. Their acoustic performance of the Buggles’ …
The hellbillies formerly known as the Beat Farmers are no strangers to lineup changes. Their longtime pedigree assures that some folks will find fault with any version of the band, including the omission of those …
“I write my songs with piano,” says Chris Carpenter, “so you’re going to hear a melodic singer/songwriter if you take an ear of me. I love the wide range of song possibilities on the piano. …
North Park singer/songwriter Carmen Caserta was 19 when she dragged her piano from L.A. to San Diego, originally to attend college. “I got my undergraduate degree in psychology and then started law school in 2008,” …
When Thom Beebe landed a part in the television drama Renegade, filmed in San Diego during the 1990s in Mission Beach, he was cast as a drug-dealing thug. It was not typecasting, although the San …
Tropi-Cali act Red Pony Clock has a fluid lineup ranging from 10 to 13 members, and they describe their music as “clarinet and xylophone–driven vaudeville-a-delic joy pop, influenced by mariachi and seething with the eternal …
“I make street-level music for the people,” says alt-country crooner Chad Cavanaugh. In 2008, the North Park singer/guitarist says he was surprised at his Best New Acoustic Artist nomination for that year’s San Diego H.A.T. …
On Wednesday, August 24, federal agents and SWAT officers raided the Gibson factories in Memphis and Nashville. To an outsider, it might have looked like a drug bust. But in this case, the agents weren’t …
"Lightnin’ Hopkins meets Social Distortion,” is how Scottie Blinn describes his head-rush heartland music. “I call it ‘grease punk’: deeply rooted blues, with a lot of attitude that tells a good story.” Blinn first came …
Speedo, Slasher, the Swami, and John Reis are all the same person, but each one does something different. Reis, a Pacific Beach native, has performed in Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and the Night …
“We were originally called Kitten’s Pharmacy, back in the ’90s,” says singer Kathleen “Kit” Johnson of Pharmacy. “We opened for bands like Bow Wow Wow at Brick by Brick and Third Eye Blind at Canes, …
“I was raised in the idyllic beach town of Encinitas, the daughter of a surfboard shaper,” says singer/songwriter Nena Anderson, known for her soulful vocals, distinct phrasing, and charismatic stage presence. “Blues players like to …
Singer/guitarist Stoney B. grew up in Chicago listening to the music of his father, Lil’ Howlin’ Wolf, aka Jessie Sanders. “My dad was mentored by Howlin’ Wolf, and he introduced me to many blues legends …
Hocus is fronted by Lando Martinez (aka Fat Lando), who retired from the U.S. Navy in 2008 after serving 20 years. “I’m a rarity,” he says. “I’ve served my country honorably, and I write great …
When the Glossines came together in summer 2001, Kristin Warnken had just left the band Dizzy, for whom she played guitar (she’s also a drummer now). Bassist Amber Everson was a go-goth dancer at Sabbat, …
“I call my music ‘Brooklyn style,’” says Puerto Rican vocalist Zulayka. “I mix R&B, Latin, house, hip-hop, traditional Spanish, Caribbean, and reggaeton sounds in a synth-driven pop/dance format. After 15 years in the music business, …