Forty-three years ago today -- 11/1/64 -- the Rolling Stones played an evening show at Balboa Park Bowl after appearing that afternoon at Long Beach's Civic Auditorium. Tickets cost $3.50, and the show started at …

"We probably spent $400 promoting an event that never happened," says Agave drummer Chris Flores of the band's scheduled October 13 CD-release party at PB's Longboard Grill. "We were aware that they already had a …

"The shitheads at the House of Blues in San Diego said they didn't know that [the Black Crowes] was going to record the show ourselves, he didn't read the contract," writes Boa at Crowesbase.com. Since …

Thirty-seven years ago today -- 10/18/70 -- Pink Floyd performed in San Diego for the first time at the Intercollegiate Baseball Facility (a.k.a. the Polo Field) at UCSD. Touring behind their Atom Heart Mother album, …

When Jennifer Lopez appears at Cox Arena on Wednesday, October 24, expected munchies include chocolate chip cookies, brownies, an apple pie ("à la mode"), honey peanut Balance Bars, mango, and papaya. Her dressing room requires …

Some excerpts from online venue reviews written by patrons: The Aero Club: "The owner, Bill, is meticulous about his beer lines. He uses a mix of nitrogen and CO2. He uses a special dishwashing detergent …

"Our last drummer disappeared and [went to] jail for art theft," says Tim Malley, guitarist and singer for Tim and the 23s. "After our second practice with him, we couldn't get ahold of him. It …

Both shows at the San Diego Arena on Eighth and Harbor Drive (aka Glacier Garden skating rink) for Presley's first full-length California concerts were sold out and police presence was heavy. "Some girls broke into …

Brian Lewis is the former venue manager for Humphrey's. "I liked the backstage responsibilities best of all," he says, "because of the interaction with performers.... "Dana Carvey would come into the inside stage and just …

When the Steve Miller Band appears at Pala Casino's Palomar Starlight Theater on Friday, October 5, their hospitality room requires tortilla chips ("one bag unsalted, two bags salted"), a pint of guacamole ("no supermarket prepackaged"), …

Hip-hop artist MC Flow -- a.k.a. Abby Schwartz -- raps about politics and women's issues. She grew up in New York City and moved to San Diego in 2000 at the age of 30 to …

Anya Marina recently appeared on The Shit Show Sirius radio program with comedian Andy Dick. "We made out once. I know you don't like to admit it," Dick told her. "We were drunk and I …

"Metal music kept me going for a lot of years," says Tom Wren, creator of locally based online 'zine Metal Nightmare (www.metalnightmare.com). The thirtysomething software engineer published the first print edition of Metal Nightmare in …

"Random, mindless hilarity is always good."

Artist Mike Clift has drawn gory, zombie-heavy record covers for bands such as GutRot, Nocturnus, DiamondHead, and Skinlab. He's probably best known for his sleeve artwork for long-gone locals Psychotic Waltz, whose drummer, Norm Leggio, …

Rapper Tonex (pronounced toe-NAY), a pastor at Truth Apostolic Community Church, has generated controversy because he curses in his song "The Naked Truth": "I got out alive, nigga...I did it, I made it, [I'm] the …

Pinback, Goblin Cock, Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, Optiganally Yours, Other Men...man of a thousand bands Rob Crow has referred to the Star Wars film series in nearly all his musical projects: "She purrs and sabers light, …

Todd Loren launched Rock 'N' Roll Comics in 1989 to spin unlicensed comic-book biographies of rock stars. Some, like Frank Zappa and Kiss, were supportive, while others -- such as the New Kids on the …

When Toby Keith performs at Coors Amphitheatre on Sunday, September 9, "artist has his own roaming glow ring, glow rose and live rose operation...no glow products of any nature or any live roses are allowed …

Phil Spector hasn't let a murder trial slow him down. In early April, he produced "Crying for John Lennon," a song by local singer/song-writer Hargo. The song will likely be included on a documentary film …

"For a young girl trying to get recognition in the music industry, your morals are tested on a daily basis," says soul/jazz singer Amber Ojeda, 23. "My first experience meeting a record producer [three years …

"This isn't [Richard Simmons's] 'Sweatin' to the Oldies,' " says Techno Sweat CEO Rick L. Frimmer, whose Carlsbad company sells music downloads and CDs remixed at various BPM (beats per minute); the music is designed …

The Death Squad posts songs on their MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/thexdeathxsquad) such as "Emo Arab Turbins" [sic] and "White Power": "Hail Hitler, white power, supremacy is the best, tattoo a swastika on my chest/ I pay …

Happy Songs About the War, set to debut in January '08 at Sixth@Penn in Hillcrest, is a one-man musical being developed by singer/songwriter J.D. Boucharde and local theater maven Leigh Scarritt. "It started as a …

Some gems from July posts on the San Diego Musicians page at craigslist.org: "Seeking U2Heads to portray U2's Boy/October era in sight and sound...seeking a Bono, Adam, and Larry. The Edge portrayer position is taken. …

Some of the Beatles' first recordings -- before they became "The Beatles" -- were collaborations with English rocker Tony Sheridan. Today Sheridan frequently appears at Fab Four events, though Blizzard singer/guitarist Chris Leyva says, "I …

"We went to a soundstage in L.A. and got clown makeup put on us," says Shoestring Strap singer/guitarist Dave Lowenstein of his band's appearance in the upcoming film Circus of Life. "We waited around for …

When Manganista chartered a "party bus" for a gig at L.A.'s Viper Room at the end of June, they decided to record on the way. "I wanted to record a crowd of about 30 or …

Rosey Bystrak's blog (sddialedin.com) has fueled the debate over fans shooting concert videos to post online. After a July 6 Band of Horses show at 'Canes, Bystrak posted, "So there I am with my tiny …

Singer/songwriter J.D. Boucharde's four-album project Contra Mundum (Latin for "against the world") is a biographical odyssey about his experiences with addiction, abuse, and depression. He specializes in telling stories, though not all are based on …

Inside story of a porn empire

Now you'll be as plugged in and up to date as all those insiders scarfing up the invite to private KPRI listener parties, drinking free at HOB sidestage shows, and studiously ignoring Casbah headliners from the courtyard.

"I have not met or spoken to this imposter Action Jackson, but I would like to get a hold of him and simply ask him to stop using the name," says Jackson Milgaten of Action …

"I bring exploding foam, snow machines, confetti cannons, piñatas, and remote-control spaceships," says Jeffrey Beringer, a.k.a. Mono Mono, of his "interactive and inflatable" solo performances. Interactive? "The lights and other special effects are operated by …

"It was a full-on bar brawl, like you see on Most Shocking Videos," says VV Morgue of a July 5 event she promoted at Chasers. As the band Ghost Ship was playing, Morgue reports, "I …

Habitat House, a residence and home recording studio at 1008 21st Street, has been hosting house parties with live music for several months. Upwards of 100 people attend, with cover charges usually waived due to …

'The band started out as a one-off thing, to play a Halloween party with our friends in the band Three Piece Unit," says Dave Howarth, guitarist for Blue Shift. "When we started getting gigs at …

America's Got Talent contestant Boy Shakira -- a local male Shakira impersonator -- has polarized the show's three judges; Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan have approved him as a contestant, while David Hasselhoff argued on …

"We showed up at the Bean Bar, where five bands had a combined draw of ten people standing around," says Four Kings singer/guitarist Drew Bent of a recent gig scheduled near the Sports Arena. "We …

The Wrong Trousers can often be found on weekends in Balboa Park, performing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" on mandolin, standup bass, and full-sized concert harp. "On our best days at Balboa Park, …

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 …

Large-venue concert after-parties at which the performers show up have become more frequent at the Casbah. "We did a Faint after-party last December that was pretty successful," says owner Tim Mays. "Two of the guys …

"Due to a mix-up at the CD factory," says Shoestring Strap guitarist Dave Lowenstein, "some copies of our new CD Mudgrass have two tracks of Mormon sermons instead of our 14 songs." Lowenstein didn't know …

Molly Malone's in Ramona is home to "the world's first Internet concert club," according to the online 420 Channel. Organizer Jay Znamirowski uses three cameras to film performances, which he edits and then puts up …

One day, he's a lauded real-estate visionary being handed the key to the city by Mayor Frank Curran. Then, he's battling city officials as they appropriate his downtown properties in the name of some barely …

"We made a record last spring that was slated to come out this summer on Capitol Records," reads a post on Reeve Oliver's MySpace page. "This is now no longer the case.... Capitol's parent company …

Ike Turner has filed a $5000 lawsuit against the LAPD. He was arrested last month based on a 1989 narcotics warrant that later proved invalid. The 75-year-old spent around 15 hours in jail. "I think …

Before the Goo Goo Dolls play Viejas Casino Concerts in the Park on Saturday, June 23, they want their dressing room stocked with eight bottles of Starbucks Frappuccino or Nestle cappuccino ("four plain coffee, four …

In 1973, California officials were using the “Red Light Abatement Act” as a toilet brush to clean out porn shops and theaters from the municipal landscape. The Buena Park Pussycat at 6177 Beach Boulevard was …

Within hours of Morrissey's June 3 Viejas Bayside appearance, fans at Morrissey-solo.com were ripping the former Smiths singer a new one for cutting his set short. He left the stage without a word to the …