“The ’80s was a nadir: hair metal, New Romantic synth-pop, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Men at Work — it was horrible,” says Mike Stax about the inspiration behind launching his ’60s music mag Ugly Things …
October 18, 2017
Articles by Donovan Roche
Digital is ephemeral, print is permanent
Heavy Guilt's declaration of disagreement with everything Donald
Co-founded by Redwoods Music impresario Al Howard and keyboardist Josh Rice in 2009, the Heavy Guilt hung things up after their third and arguably best album, Heavy Guilt, in 2014. So why come back now, …
May 31, 2017
The Verigolds standard: mystique
Having formed in 2014, the Verigolds are fairly new to the San Diego music scene. But the Pacific Beach foursome, known for their pastiche of ‘60s psychedelic rock and spacey synths, have made an impact …
April 19, 2017
Cindy Lee Berryhill powers up
“Some folks are easygoing, dependable ‘dogs’ and some are aloof, unavailable ‘cats,’” says singer-songwriter Cindy Lee Berryhill, relaying the conversation she had with a friend returning to the dating scene that inspired her new song …
April 12, 2017
Shins return to sound if not form
The Shins’ return to San Diego after a five-year hiatus — for two nights at the Observatory — was special for more reasons than just the long absence and mini residency. To start, for many …
March 17, 2017
Slim Cessna's hillbilly hootenanny
How does one begin to describe Slim Cessna’s Auto Club? The band, forming 25 years ago in Denver, defies categorization, though many have tried. Some have labeled their sound — a wickedly enchanting mix of …
February 24, 2017
Haunted bossanova
Even if you’ve seen the Creepy Creeps perform several times, you’d likely never recognize any of the bandmembers in public. The reason: onstage, their appearance ranges from dapperly dressed apes to skeleton faces with fezzes. …
February 21, 2017
Schizophonic freak-out
The Schizophonics’ appreciation of different musical styles comes through in everything they do. Led by husband and wife Pat (guitar, vocals) and Lety (drums) Beers, the band offers a potent blend of punk, rock, and …
January 25, 2017
Childish Gambino gets funked up
These days, Donald Glover is known more for his acting (in the critically-acclaimed FX series Atlanta, and before that, Community) than his musical endeavors as alter-ego Childish Gambino. But he’s about to even the score …
January 6, 2017