Of Note
I was told to meet a guy named Richie by the back gate of Del Mar’s Sound. It was 4 pm on a Tuesday. I walked by the empty ticket booths, past a security guard, …
Video:GONZO: TV themes take the stage at The Jazz Lounge“I opened this club, so I can do what I want,” says Leonard Patton from the stage at The Jazz Lounge. He’s flanked by pianist Aimee Nolte …
“This is why they didn’t let me talk in the band,” joked master kotoist June Kuramoto from a stage at The Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. The band was jazz fusion legends Hiroshima, which …
From age six to age eight, I lived in National City. I admired the cholo style: creased T-shirts, khaki pants, black corduroy slip-on shoes, perfectly slicked back hair, and low riders cruising the boulevard — …
“Use the force, young Skywalker” reads the note attached to the mixing board at Little Italy’s Music Box. Jedi hijinks might help to explain the flow at Commotion Explosion, which sees several bands taking the …
Video:GONZO: Grinnells serve jazz for breakfast at Books & Records in Bankers HillWhen I ask Jenna Angeloni, the manager at Books and Records in Banker’s Hill, if anyone has ever taken their “no dress code” …
Video:GONZO: Neil Young performing "Harvest Moon" at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater on 4/24/2024I caught a Neil Young show last summer when he performed at the Rady Shell as part of his Coastal …
Under the spell of ayahuasca, it’s not uncommon for people to see apex cat predators. One friend told me that during her session, she kept seeing jaguars. As for me, during my last sitting with …
Video:Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley reflects on the band's early days playing Iguanas in Tijuana“I don’t even know this fucking guy, he’s not my friend!” says the man who has just pulled a stranger out …
Video:Sparse crowd doesn’t lessen metal magic.“It doesn’t matter,” says a guy I’ll call Drunk Boda after I inform him that I didn’t play at tonight’s Metal Monday show at Navajo Live in San Carlos. The …
Video:Save Ferris was signed to Epic Records in the mid-’90s, after fellow Orange County ska band No Doubt rocketed up the chartsSka music has a habit of popping up every decade or so to ride …
Faded, not fadingONYX pays a visit to Pacific Beach’s Break PointPacific Beach on a Friday night is not usually my cup of tea. Tad youthful on those streets. However, it’s not often that ONYX performs …
Video:GONZO: TikTok star Ricky Montgomery connects in real life“There’s nothing more dangerous than the combined rage of teenage girls,” a teenage girl informs me after I ask a group of them to not beat me …
“Wait, what? Protein? Gimme some steak!” The staff member taking my order at Panama 66 in Balboa Park had nearly left me resigned to eating a quinoa salad, a vegetarian meal, because I was unaware …
A text message buzzed my pocket as I stood outside of the Template, waiting to see Half Hour Late in Ocean Beach. “You’re in OB,” read the text from my colleague, “and the heart and …
Video:GONZO REPORT: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons“Don’t ever fucking do that again!” yells the security guard at Winstons Beach Club in Ocean Beach. The recipient of his instruction is a guy named Steve, who …