Photos"My music is an exploration of the complexities of mental health, navigating loss, heartbreak, and our cultural and political climate," says singer-songwriter Anna Ballew. "I intend for my music to bring people together and to …
June 17, 2026
Jay Allen Sanford co-created the comic book line Rock 'N' Roll Comics for Revolutionary Comics, publishers of the Beatles Experience 8-issue series (among the titles reprinted in graphic novel form, beginning in 2010), and his publishing company Re-Visionary Press is known for its line of Carnal Comics — True Stories of Adult Film Stars; the titles were among the top-selling independent comic books of the '90s. He also created the comic strip "Rock Tales," which began in Rip Magazine before beginning a 15-plus year run in Spin magazine. Since selling off his publishing interests in 2000, he likes to scribble and type stuff every day, and rumor has it that people actually pay him to do this, including MTV/VH1, for whom he writes TV shows and specials like Pop Up Video, 100 Most Metal Moments, etc.
For the San Diego Reader, he serves as Music Section editor and writes cover stories and musician interviews, as well as contributing each week to the Blurt music column for over 20 years. He draws two comic strips created specifically for the Reader: Overheard in San Diego (debuted 1996 and collected in book form in 2013) and Famous Former Neighbors (since 2004). His column Just Announced, previewing upcoming local concerts, debuted in early 2017, and his Local Five/Live Five column debuted in 2019.
Articles by Jay Allen Sanford
Anna Ballew will be in full Bloom at the Casbah on June 30
The Touchies temporarily derailed by heart surgery
"Gotta say, this eight hour long open-heart surgery was rough," says Anthony Arellano, aka Stanze Touchie, who with his wife Mishey and Vaughn Franklin is one third of local pop-punk-rock trio The Touchies of the …
May 27, 2026
Dress darkly for World Goth Day San Diego on May 22
"The Lord said...Stretch your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread...darkness that can be felt." Exodus 10:21 Old school “goth” can be traced back to the third and fourth centuries, when a Germanic tribe …
May 20, 2026
How he bootlegged San Diego concert tapes for two decades
At first, Tracey thought I was an FBI agent. I'd been bidding on his eBay auctions for weeks, purchasing CD recordings of local concerts that took place from the mid-'80s onward. Though clearly not official …
May 13, 2026
Jon Kanis debuts Frequency 432 kHz: Backstory podcast
"I recently sat down with musicologist Jon Kanis for the launch of Frequency 432 kHz: The Backstory with Rock's Royalty, and we went deep," says singer-guitarist Rick Sparhawk. "Stories from the road with Johnny Cash, …
May 6, 2026
Mojo Nixon fan pays tribute to local psychobilly star
"I have a new song out all about my love of Mojo, 'Wild Like Mojo Nixon,'" says Jay Luttrull, who was featured as the late psychobilly star's number one fan in the 2022 documentary film …
April 8, 2026
The Beatles have a lot more San Diego history than you think
The Magical Mystery Campout: Beatles Tribute Fair is happening at DeAnza Springs Resort over the weekend of April 4 and 5. Hosted by Alma of Queen Bee's, the event offers overnight camping, hiking, swimming, pool …
March 25, 2026
Punk Rock Rodeo returns to OB with Wanted Noise & more
Punk Rock Rodeo returns to Ocean Beach on March 20 and 21, with a free all-ages outdoor stage in the Hodad's parking lot, and additional performances and events at Winstons, Humble Heart, Art Up Your …
March 18, 2026
Scene In San Diego: America's Finest City as seen through a Hollywood lens
It's always interesting to see San Diego through the eyes of Hollywood. I've been watching reruns of the first season of Harry-O, when the TV series still had David Jansen living on a houseboat in …
March 15, 2026