"Before, it was this really old dingy dive bar, but now it's classy and funky," says Bethany Main, an SDSU senior majoring in interior design. She got the job of remodeling the Morena Club from …

"It is not my fault that the sound man didn't even show up until after 11 p.m.," says Candye Kane in an e-mail to fans titled "Tio Leos Controversy," referencing a September 9 show. Phat …

Remember when Christian rock conjured up images of guys with poodle perms wearing bumblebee stripes (Stryper) and high school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar stiffly performed to an amplified vinyl record? Those a bit more …

"The Hurricane Hit Us dead on [in Miami]," says Gavin Allen, director of Visual Underground. At the end of August, the local firm was in Miami to work MTV's Video Music Awards; they assisted the …

When the Foo Fighters play Cox Arena Tuesday, September 27, they request that "if for some reason purchaser [promoter] actually promoted the show with a real live ad campaign and accompanying cool posters or lithos, …

When Live play House of Blues on September 19, their contract requests the band dressing room have a "spotlessly clean and sanitized bathroom" with "soft toilet tissue, odorless air freshener [and] toilet seat covers." In …

"10 Years without Dick," a November 11 Casbah tribute to the late Dan McLain (a.k.a. Country Dick Montana), will feature a reunion of Montana's pioneering punk band, the Penetrators. Montana died during a Beat Farmers …

Dave Mustaine's Gigantour -- with Megadeth, Dream Theater, and others -- had big booking problems. Several venues, including SDSU's Open Air Amphitheatre, couldn't accommodate the show's second stage, and promised bands (such as Symphony X, …

Twenty-two years ago today (9/15/83), Elvis Costello and the Attractions played an experimental "amphitheater seating" show at the Sports Arena with two thirds of the venue blocked off. The bands (Aztec Camera opened) were set …

Jewel has decided not to release a book of love poems she calls "too steamy, too private" for publication. In a message posted at www.jeweljk.com, the 31-year-old explains, "They're too explicit...when I wrote these poems, …

"Rampant Liver-Defying Consumption" is promised at Rocket From The Crypt's final show on Halloween. "After 16 years of scars and ear damage all in the name of spreading goodwill and the Rock N Roll doctrine," …

Candye Kane won't be doing lap dances at Tio Leo's tomorrow night; she'll be singing with her blues band. However, members of the Fat Bottom Girls will shake their booties during the ten-woman burlesque troupe's …

One of Hot Snakes' final recordings is featured on Activision's video game soundtrack to Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. They do a cover of Government Issue's "Time to Escape." Saves the Day, Thrice, My Chemical Romance, …

“I suggested that we stay on the raft and sing.”

"There's always a backlash when a band lands a major-label deal without paying their requisite 'dues' beforehand," says Augustana frontman Dan Layus. Former locals STP were scorned for their seemingly "instant" success; now it's time …

The band's performance after an August 28 high school football game in Birmingham, Alabama, was to be televised on ESPN. When parents got ahold of The Best Little Secrets Are Kept CD and found a …

Twenty years ago today (9/1/85), Black Flag, the Minutemen, and SWA played Palisade Gardens Roller Rink on University near 30th. Police stopped the show four times due to noise complaints. Nearby businesses frequently petitioned owner …

Twenty-eight years ago tomorrow (9/2/77), concertgoers could choose from Mahogany Rush at the Civic Theater, Leon Russell at SDSU's Open Air Amphitheatre, and Bob Marley at the Civic Theatre. The Marley show (and the rest …

"Some fans who've followed me for years thought it was weird, having Slash on the record and in the video [for 'Street Child']," says Elan of her last album's guest guitarist. "But I grew up …

When Coldplay hit Coors Amphitheatre tomorrow, August 26, they expect their dressing room to be stocked with a bottle of vodka, two bottles of red wine, two bottles of dry white wine ("cold...not Chardonnay"), 48 …

On July 25, Jim Morrison's parents won their lawsuit against Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek; a permanent injunction prohibits the two former Doors members from using the name that made them famous. Octogenarians George and …

San Diego crooner Frankie J's next single will be a remake of Extreme's 1991 ballad "More Than Words." "I don't think anyone's ever done it in Spanish before," says the 24-year-old. "I'll be doing an …

Peter Sprague was eight when his family moved from Cleveland to Del Mar, where surfing and music became, as he puts it, his "life and religion." Peter continues, "Though I hate to admit it, I …

Fifteen years ago tomorrow (8/19/90), Nirvana played the year-old Casbah. This gig (a year before the release of Nevermind) has appeared on two bootlegs. The first to surface featured only 46 minutes of the band's …

When Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers play Coors Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 20, the band hospitality suite should be stocked with a six-pack of Budweiser ("long necks"), a six-pack of Corona, two quarts of Knudsen …

Thirty-one years ago today (8/11/74), Frank Zappa brought his Mothers of Invention to Golden Hall for a show immortalized on the bootleg LP Golden Debris. The audience was let in while the band performed a …

Megadeth Man and Fallbrook resident Dave Mustaine recently told KNAC's Philthy Phil that he won't perform certain songs now that he's embraced Christianity. "The ones that I did that I'm not doing anymore that to …

A former Marine lance corporal pleaded no contest July 28 to one felony count of lewd and lascivious acts against a child. Dario Ambriz, 23, was stationed at Camp Pendleton in 2004 when he met …

Former Stone Temple Pilots Robert DeLeo (bass) and Dean DeLeo (guitar) have teamed with Filter front man Richard Patrick to form a still-unnamed band. In October 2001, Patrick joined STP onstage in Chicago to sing …

When Styx plays Viejas Casino Concerts in the Park on Saturday, August 13, expected munchies include a bag of assorted candy ("Snickers, Kit-Kat, Milky Way, etc."), a box of sourdough pretzels, a jar of soy …

Recent rumors of Michael Jackson sightings at Carlsbad's Chopra Center for Well Being are true. Deepak Chopra, who calls himself Jackson's "spiritual guru," wrote in the July 14 Delhi Times: "After the verdict clearing him …

Longtime local guitarist Michael Goodrich Jr., who moved to Ketchum, Idaho, last year to play for Staggering Home, suffered third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body after falling into a bonfire pit on July …

Ravi Shankar almost canceled a July 10 appearance in Arles, France, after two of his sitars were broken during an Air France flight from Lebanon. Shankar, an Encinitas resident since 1998, wouldn't play a replacement …

“Someone left their crack out in the rain.”

When the Pixies play Street Scene at Qualcomm Stadium, the "male dressing room" (Frank Black, Joey Santiago, David Lovering) needs a sliced smoked salmon platter, a tin of Suisse Mocha International Coffee, a veggie platter …

When Eminem plays Coors Amphitheatre tomorrow, Friday, July 22, he wants his dressing room stocked with a half case of Heineken, six cans of V-8 juice, 12 cans of Myoplex Low Carb Drink ("assorted flavors"), …

"The rather sad news to report is that Hot Snakes will be packing it in after our current tour plans," according to a handwritten message posted July 1 by John Reis on swamirecords.com. "It was …

Anyone ever tell you that you look like Courtney Love? You could cash in at this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con International, where they're holding a Courtney Love lookalike contest. Actually, it's for the character she …

When Ja Rule plays House of Blues on Sunday, July 17, "a police escort must be arranged in advance in order to facilitate the artist vehicle arrival to and departure from the venue." Rule expects …

“When I was depressed, I would listen to her.”

Overheard June 11 at the after-party for Music Midtown in Atlanta (similar to Street Scene): Louis XIV guitarist Brian Karscig saying, "Jimmy [Armbrust, bassist] got the crabs during this tour. It wasn't what you think, …

After Switchfoot played the Sphere in Buffalo, New York, on June 25, the Buffalo News reported, "Switchfoot look as comfortable in front of an audience as they would be in one. Sometimes too comfortable -- …

Thirty-eight years ago tomorrow, in 1967, Jim Morrison -- once a student at Clairemont's Longfellow Elementary School -- appeared with the Doors at Balboa Stadium. It was the band's first appearance in Morrison's former hometown. …

"We ditched the original driver [in Italy] 'cause we genuinely thought he would get us killed," says guitarist Nick Hipa of As I Lay Dying. The band was on a European tour in mid-June when …

On this day in 1965, when Jerry Lee Lewis played downtown's Convention Hall, he got a "stern warning" from a "top local cop" because he allegedly violated city municipal code 33.1593: "It is unlawful for …

“It’s been around for a while — you can pretty much guess what they have on the menu.”

The Deadheads' Holy Grail -- tapes of every concert the band has ever played -- is within grasp, thanks to a phone call from the former wife of onetime Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux. Official Dead …

When the Neville Brothers appear at Humphrey's on June 24, in the tuning room, they want a bottle of V-8 juice, a bag each of "individually packed cookies" and "individually wrapped candy" as well as …

“I kind of relate to being a fat little kid.”

REO Speedwagon plays the Del Mar Fair tomorrow. While the band is in town, they would like to do some golfing, particularly "if the golf course chosen would agree to trade tee times for tickets …