"We recorded the whole thing straight to tape," says Vinyl Radio front man Matt Binder. "This is how the Beatles and the Stones did it." Two years ago, however, two-inch studio recording tape was not …

Mojo Nixon quit KGB/101.5 two years ago to work for Sirius satellite radio. (His weekday-afternoon country-rock show, Outlaw Country, originates from his home studio in Coronado.) With the planned merger of XM satellite radio with …

"The rap scene has started to get like karaoke," says Richard Gendron. "We did that for a while, but we were limited because we had to write our lyrics to these [prerecorded] beats." With partner …

The day after the Grammy awards, the KUSS (95.7 FM) morning team of Tony and Kris talked about the previous day's on-air stunt: urinating into adult diapers. They didn't play any Dixie Chicks music, even …

"Punk rock is really starting to get big in Mexico, especially in Mexico City," says singer/guitarist Irving Lugo, who estimates that there are now over 100 punk bands in Tijuana. But, "Norteño is still the …

Had the Dixie Dregs' January 20 show at Birch North Park Theatre not been canceled, it would have been the first national rock act to play the venue in at least 15 years. Steve Kader, …

"I'm kind of a band slut," says Rowland Bluntz, singer/guitarist in the Reservoir Tips, Noise God, and Hungover Tomorrow (also known as Punk Floyd). So the Reservoir Tips could open for Battalion of Saints, Bluntz …

In the past two years, Strangers Six has played over 200 U.S. cities, guesses singer Aaron Thompson. "We've toured all over the West Coast five times already.... We had a '92 Dodge van. Once a …

Last month, Carlsbad-based accordion player Matt Hensley said he would no longer tour with Flogging Molly, the band he co-founded ten years ago. He was the only local member of the Irish punk band; the …

While some local bands struggle to play outside the Southwest, the Bloody Hollies are planning their fourth tour of Europe. "The first time we played Tromsö, Norway, we got there at noon and it was …

Robert plays drums in two Brazilian bands, Jangada (a mix of samba and reggae) and Banda Braza (traditional Brazilian forró). Since 1998, he has traveled to Brazil seven times to study music. He's connected with …

Raised in greater Detroit, Evan Demko left the University of Michigan with a degree in industrial engineering at a bad time. "Factories were moving out, and plants were closing down [in 2005]. All that's left …

A couple of years ago, recent Torrey Pines High grad Michael Gallagher abandoned his acting aspirations and took a New York Film Academy summer course in L.A. Now 18, he has written, cast, and directed …

Not long ago, Rosarito's big draw was hip-hop. Rappers and DJs drew weekend crowds to bars such as Iggy's and Papas and Beer. "Those places were importing these rappers from San Diego," says Adrianne Rapp, …

Promising to be the country equivalent to what the Coachella music fest is to pop/rock fans, the Stagecoach Festival debuts May 5 and 6 at Empire Polo Field in Indio (the same venue as Coachella, …

The El Cajon Wherehouse closes its doors forever tonight. One insider says that its managers will likely be transferred to other stores but that many employees will be out of a job. In the early …

"Fuck George Bush I want my homies back/ I'll go to war with anybody if they can give your boy dat/ Then to top it all off when Katrina popped off/ I was in the …

The four members of the Four Kings attended Point Loma High when they got some unexpected attention in 2003. Singer/guitarist Andrew Bent says, "A friend of a friend told us that he really liked our …

One of the most popular videos on YouTube last week was Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz versus a security guard at a concert in Albuquerque. The video showed that Wentz had been helping fans …

The Bayside venue on the Embarcadero increased from hosting 8 pop-music shows in 2005 to 23 shows in 2006. Last year, Viejas Entertainment brought major-name artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, Radiohead, and Angels …

"I just got a call from the agent who has MC Lars ["Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock"]," says promoter Sulo King. "They were going to book him at 'Canes, but they decided to put …

"They want to tear it down and build 22 condos," says Danny Salzhand of the 101 Artists' Colony studio near Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The venue, which hosts one or two all-age shows a month, …

"I was in our rehearsal studio in L.A. [in 1993]," says Encinitas drummer Jon Dette. "I happened to be playing Testament songs one day. Testament drummer John Tempesta hears me playing. He opens the door …

Blender magazine reports that Jewel (Kilcher) has left Atlantic Records after a six-album deal that began in 1995 with Pieces of You (which sold ten million copies worldwide) and ended with last year's largely ignored …

"Mark and Tom made the call to MCA," says former Finch drummer Alex Pappas. Five years ago, former blink bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge signed Finch to their Scout Management company. The duo helped …

A music-industry insider alleges that Street Scene founder Rob Hagey has been in discussions with AEG Live, the L.A.-based concert-promotion company that owns the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In 1984, Hagey held the …

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Mayer, 23, plays his music regularly at North County venues such as Monterrey Bay Canners, the Coyote, and Squid Joe's. The events of this past August 19 are still impacting his life. "I …

"If it loses money, I'm prepared to do it again," said Chris Wepsic in 2005 when he launched the first Festival Del Mar. Wepsic produced and bore primary financial responsibility for the two-day event at …

"The best way to get at somebody is by going after their looks, their name, their weight, size, shape, what they are wearing, their mama, or their girlfriend," says 24-year-old Bryan Mason, an organizer of …

How could metal monster Glenn Danzig draw 2300 fans to Soma in March but bring in only 895 to the same venue in November? In March, opening band Lamb of God attracted fans; and Doyle, …

The December 11 Soma show was the first local gig for (+44), which features former blink drummer Travis Barker and bassist/front man Mark Hoppus. Guitarist Tom DeLonge, the other one-third of blink, proceeds with Angels …

When SDSU journalism major Chris Coyle wrote a CD review for My Chemical Romance's Black Parade album, he found out the extent of his readership. "One person wrote, 'I wish you'd fuck off and die,' …

SD native JMatth (born Jason Matthews) has been rapping since he was 9. By age 15, when he was known as JROC, he'd shared the stage with Run-DMC, CeCe Peniston, and Montell Jordan. "My mom …

A couple of weeks ago, Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph released The Trouble with Money, a 40-minute-long DVD movie he wrote and directed. "We started making it in January," says Randolph, who is best known as a …

Kevin Stapleford resigned last week as program director for 91X. Stapleford, who had programmed 91X from 1989 until 1995, was brought back to the station last summer after 91X became independent of Clear Channel Communica-tions; …

"The rivalry was between the Jumping Turtle, the Longshot, and the Boulevard," says promoter Sulo King. "It was like [the movie] Roadhouse." The owner of one of those San Marcos nightclubs says, "In May 2004 …

Encinitas punk goofballs Kut U Up have always been proud of their slacker work ethic. "We're the least-hardest-working band in Southern California," says bassist Chris Cote. Yet, with no CD, website, manager, or agent, the …

Former 91X DJ Bryan Jones was found in his Fresno apartment on November 16. He had died two days earlier from a heart attack at age 49. Jones and other early-'80s 91X DJs made the …

"You have to be good to play this music," says Chris Wise of the Hi-Lites, a North County--based ska band. "Anytime you have more than five members, it's hard to get people to practice. And …

Josh Steely played guitar for 13 years in Sandjacket, a Carlsbad trio. His last show with the band was in September at the 49-capacity Mas Fina Cantina. Now with a new band, Steely jokes that …

Reeve Oliver's first major-label album was set for a January release, but a spokesman for band manager Dan Field says Capitol Records will now release the self-titled CD "in early summer." Capitol Records publicist Ambrosia …

Marcos Curiel, former guitarist for Chula Vista--based P.O.D., was asked to leave the Christian rap-core band in 2003. Fans bought four million copies of the first two P.O.D. albums on Atlantic (The Fundamental Elements of …

Kyle Ponterio says he is one of about 30 professional marimba players in San Diego and the only player in a local rock band. "I was teaching percussion at a local school," says the classically …

This year, Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" won the Song of the Year Grammy, which may have helped push sales of their 2004 album American Idiot over the five-million mark. The song also paid …

"I Hate the Government," says Aaron Ballenger, singer/guitarist with Buddah Grinder. Ballenger worked at the OBD (Ocean Beach Dispensary) until July 6, when it was raided for dispensing medical marijuana. "I'm 21 years old, and …

Four-time San Diego Music Award winner Earl Thomas started singing in a Pentecostal church while growing up in Pikeville, Tennessee. "They spoke in tongues and rolled on the floor," says Thomas. "We didn't handle snakes, …

Singer/guitarist Allen Camp says Misguided Children "spent a lot of time in a van eating peanut butter" in the late '80s, early '90s. The high point for his hardcore punk band was when Eddie Vedder …

Five years ago, Camp Pendleton "E" clubs (the E stands for enlisted) hosted civilian bands for the entertainment of U.S. Marines. The manager of one of those clubs, Tracer's, would book three punk bands on …

The FCC ruled last week that KSDS/"Jazz 88" can increase its signal from 3,000 to 22,000 watts of power. KSDS general manager Mark DeBoskey says that by March his straight-ahead jazz station will be heard …

As I Lay Dying just left for a three-week tour of Germany. Longtime bassist Clint Norris, who lives in Encinitas, stayed behind and is working at Guitar Center in San Marcos. He didn't care to …