The origin of Hotel St. George dates back to a night at the Casbah in November of 2007. “Erik [bass] and I met and had ourselves a bit of a pity party about the demise …
October 8, 2008
Back to profile
Stories by Dryw Keltz
< Newer stories
Older stories >
More Is Better
How to Break Up a Band
Dynamite Hack was a late-’90s, Austin-based alternative rock band that is best remembered for their tongue-in-cheek acoustic cover of Eazy-E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” The song can still be heard occasionally on local FM94/9 and even more often …
July 9, 2008
So Ill on the Mic
Brendan Bohan (aka Brendan B) is a rapper out of Ocean Beach. Like many San Diegans, he’s a transplant. Brendan grew up in Chicago — or “Chi-Town,” as he likes to call it. He doesn’t …
June 25, 2008
Scaring the Natives
Hellyeah is a rock “supergroup” featuring members of Mudvayne, Pantera, and Nothingface. Their self-titled debut sold 45,000 copies in its first week. Hell Yeah is a San Diego rock band and the brainchild of singer/guitarist …
April 16, 2008
Rare Attack
The Swedish Models formed in early 2007 after guitarist Andrew Bernhardt, original bass player Mark Wiskowski, and drummer Dustin Paul called it quits with their band Cape May. The trio then picked up guitarist/vocalist Ryan …
February 27, 2008
Alex Van Who?
In 1998, Van Halen played Philadelphia's Spectrum on their first tour with ex-Extreme singer Gary Cherone. When Todd Weiler lived in Philadelphia and worked for a caterer, he helped set up the backstage food for …
November 29, 2007
Feeding Gwen
Todd Weiler has worked backstage-catering jobs at concerts since the mid-'90s. He recalls what Gwen Stefani ate at Anaheim Stadium three years ago. "She ended up having a spinach, mandarin orange, candied walnuts, and cranberry …
October 25, 2007
Ready to Rock, Man
Ranchita Rocks took place September 28 through the 30th on Golightly Farms Ranch in Ranchita. The event was intended to raise money for lawyers to fight SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink plan. "The turnout wasn't what we …
October 18, 2007
Undercover Cover Band Blues
When I joined the Fading Captains as their bassist, a strange year in my life began. We played Guided By Voices songs exclusively. The band is pretty well known in the underground indie-rock circuit but …
October 11, 2007
Kiss Him, He's Irish (and White)
Local rapper Brendan B tried to set up a show a couple of weeks ago. "I call up one [San Diego] venue, and the guy goes, 'You know, we really don't do rap music.' I'm …
March 15, 2007
Downed Tower
I was at the La Jolla location of Tower Records on Tuesday, December 19, the day before the chain was set to shut down for good. About one quarter of the store was filled with …
December 28, 2006
From Country to Death Metal
My old band, the Infomercials, practiced at Super Sound Music in Escondido. The facility had two rooms that were equipped with gear (amplifiers, PA, drum kit, mikes), so all you had to do was bring …
December 7, 2006
Screamo, San Diego's Baby
Wikipedia defines screamo as being "...a musical genre which evolved from emo, post-hardcore, more specifically hardcore emo in the early 1990s. Characteristic of the genre are hardcore screaming vocals and harmonized guitars.... In California in …
November 22, 2006
Average-Looking Scumbags
At 7:30 p.m. on October 3, local rapper Brendan B was on his way home from a Newport Avenue bar in Ocean Beach. "I was cutting through an alley, and two guys came out of …
October 19, 2006
O.B. Sand Blast
This summer, Don Ho (not his real name) held a series of live-music events at the end of Brighton Avenue in Ocean Beach. Dubbed "Sounds on the Sand" and held under the auspices of Ho's …
October 5, 2006
Warped, Green
Mark McLarry, a Point Loma resident, co-owns a solar-powered stage that is being used on this summer's Warped Tour. His company, Sustainable Waves, rents out the stage for other events throughout the year. Though McLarry …
July 6, 2006
He'd Rap a While for a Camel
Ocean Beach resident Brendan B, a 25-year-old rapper from Chicago, has no record label, no management, and no airplay for the 13-song demo he's been handing out. "I work at Sunshine Company in Ocean Beach," …
June 22, 2006
Nostalgic for Cheap Beer
Pabst Blue Ribbon, the first canned beer sold in the U.S., is still the only canned beer available in many San Diego bars. As the cheap hipster beer of choice, Pabst is sold at the …
April 6, 2006
Pauper's Ransom
Mick Miller operates a recording studio out of his two-bedroom apartment in North County. The studio consists of a Mac and a PC, a Pro-Tools software program for digital recording, and a collection of microphones. …
February 23, 2006
Swingin' Times
Ocean Beach--based Cape May has always drawn well at the Casbah, according to lead singer Andre Che. Yet, Che's band hasn't played the club since November 2004. "We've been trying to contact [club owner] Tim …
December 15, 2005
Rise to Power
If you attended the Presidents of the United States of America show at the House of Blues on September 24, you may have noticed a man onstage playing three-string guitar who bore no resemblance to …
October 6, 2005
Wrong Room, Wrong Room Raider
Andrew Bernhardt, 23-year-old guitarist of OB band Cape May, will be featured on an episode of MTV's Room Raiders. Bernhardt was selected for the program after Dusty Paul, Cape May's drummer, submitted an application at …
July 21, 2005