"I'm halfway through a three-month chemotherapy program. It sucks all the energy out of you." To make ends meet, Phil Cole, 45, has had to liquidate. "I have a mobile recording studio. I've had to …

Six-year-old Before Today signed a three-record deal with Equal Vision in January, which released their Celebration of an Ending (recorded locally at Double Time) in September. Equal Vision (the New York label known for breaking …

"They decided San Diego wasn't important enough for them," says one Z90 employee about Mase and Juvenile not showing up to the $33-a-ticket (plus $10 Ticketmaster fee) Z90 "Jingle Jam" concert December 2 at the …

"Last year we booked Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard [at Soma]. They were in the $10,000 range. Now both bands are asking $50,000 [per date]," says Len Paul, owner of Soma, pointing out that the …

"What people don't understand is that in the case of concert promotion, more competition means higher ticket prices." A promoter, who did not want to be identified, explained the reverse economics of the concert promotion …

Using the F-word between records may cost you your DJ job, but apparently it doesn't mean you have to quit radio altogether. Former KGB disc jockey Diane Ray is back on the air playing classic …

"We opened for Pantera and White Zombie at [former MTV personality] Rikki Rachtman's birthday party in 1993. It was at the Palladium in Hollywood." Norm Leggio recalls when his local band Psychotic Waltz played on …

"The show is not happening," said Creative Artists Agency's Laura Haber. "We don't understand where that's coming from." Despite what CityBeat wrote December 8, there is no New Year's Eve show at Ground Zero in …

"We didn't get paid anything and we had no one from the Warped Tour crew to help us," explained Underminded guitarist/vocalist Nick Martin about his band's experience on this summer's Warped Tour. They had to …

"They tell us you cannot bring headphones and handheld CD players to school. I got in trouble last month." Matt Carter, 15, is the bassist/vocalist for Rookie 7. The Santana High sophomore said he was …

Lou's Records manager Tony Vic's name has been bantered about by radio insiders as a possible addition to KPBS's These Days (heard weekday mornings). Doug Myrland, KPBS general manager, and Vic would not comment on …

"The Sports Arena sold... their land to AM/PM and Krispy Kreme," said Norm Leggio, owner of Blue Meannie Records. Because of this, Leggio maintains there's a lot less parking for the Sports Arena than there …

The Lounge is no more. Hosted by Dirk Sutro, The Lounge aired 6 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday on KPBS (89.5 FM) and featured in-studio guests who talked about music, poetry, performance art, film, …

"We booked seven shows before noon," said Steve Redfearn about his first day with new hire John Wojas. Redfearn, president of Viejas Entertainment, said his concert company has left the reservation and is now based …

Those Dang Robinsons, a six-person band from southeast San Diego, includes five brothers -- all sons of Pastor Archie Robinson, Sr., who has led the congregation at the Newbirth Christian Fellowship for seven years. There's …

"It's only open to the campus," says Judy at UCSD's University Events Office about the Unwritten Law show Friday, December 3. The show is free, but Judy maintains that you can only get in if …

"I got this the day I got fired." In a packed sushi restaurant, former Unwritten Law drummer Wade Youman pulls up his shirt to show a huge "FOR THE KIDS" tattoo that spans his chest. …

"For local kids to get to Soma, it's a good 45-minute drive." Accident Experiment drummer Ernie Longoria said he and his business partner came up with a new business plan for music-starved Alpine kids: instead …

"We put two 18-foot Slip N' Slides together, so it ended up being 36 feet long. Then we poured 25 bottles of rubbing alcohol on it. We lit it on fire, and our friend Pinner …

"If you notice, we don't have much local music right now.... Jesse got married." Belly Up Tavern owner Steve Goldberg says his Solana Beach showcase is actively looking to hire someone to replace Jesse Gilholm, …

House of Blues executive vice president Kevin Morrow oversees the booking at all eight HoB nightclubs nationwide. He recently announced the launch of the HoB Club Network, which would hook up a national sponsor for …

After seven and a half years as the morning DJ at R&B oldies station Magic 92.5 (XHRM-FM), Greg Cook was released from the station October 29. The Magic 92.5 is now without a live morning …

"I can't do this. I'm sorry." In an emotional plea to his fans, Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard cut a live radio broadcast short on 91.1 FM, saying he could not continue to …

"I just want other bands to know they should stay away from Talent 2K, period." Homegrown blues guitarist Paul Alvarado, 49, says he has been playing music for over 30 years. But last year he …

Harmonium, the nonprofit group that runs the Epicentre/San Diego Regional Teen Center on Mira Mesa Boulevard, has let Brian Witkin, 19, owner of Real 2 Reel Records, operate a store in its building, which will …

"The club felt it was too risqué. I mean, we're talking about pasties and a G-string. People wear less than that on the beach in San Diego." Sean Suicide is the tour manager for the …

Encinitas-based Switchfoot is at the front of the pack when it comes to sold-out concerts. According to Pollstar magazine, which monitors box office receipts on a week-to-week basis, venues across the country are reporting 100 …

"Some of the functions have moved to New York," said Danny Stein, CEO of eMusic, explaining why half of the local staff of eMusic will be moving to the other coast by the end of …

"I'd say 30 to 40 percent of the touring bands I deal with use samples or some type of prerecorded tracks." Sound tech Larry Ashburn, whose Audio Design provides the sound system at Soma, is …

I see Asian gang cars some nights, in a long caravan down the Mira Mesa Boulevard. They meet at In-N-Out Burger before heading off for illegal street races on Kearny Villa Road or in Sorrento Valley.

Eight years ago at 6:30 in the morning, if you surfed the beach breaks closest to downtown Oceanside, you’d see the underworld scurrying home like cockroaches getting back to the rocks. The crystal meth/prostitute element …

“It has nothing to do with someone being a swinger. I’m a polygamist. Anyone’s beliefs have nothing to do with how well you protect your children or how well you protect your wife or husband."

“There is no more Aztec Bowl. It’s over,” said lead singer Adam Hay of Watch It Burn. “I heard people just today say they should do this once a month...but you know what? It’s done.” …

It’s punk rock Thursday. “I’m hating life,” sniffed Brian, 28, a North Park local and regular at the Turquoise room at the Aztec Bowl. “Punk is adolescent, abusive, aberrant behavior.” Nevertheless, there are a hundred …

“When you buy your first bar nobody ever tells you about ASCAP or BMI. If you listen to them, you need their license to open your doors,” said Tom Goettle. Goettle and wife Flo Mowery …

Eminem’s dad, Marshall Mathers Sr., a 48-year-old Chula Vista factory worker, thinks his story is worth money. A recent issue of Star divulged that he wanted to reconnect with his multiplatinum-selling son. The two hadn’t …

“A sad punk rock parade” is how Justin Fairweather, a local DJ and promoter, 23, described a recent Green Day music video shoot in San Diego. “The director was telling us we were supposed to …

“Our newest song is ‘Rancho Ghost Town,’ named after Rancho San Diego, which is right near where I live. It’s about widespread implanting of strip malls throughout our eastern rural areas, making them like any …

“House of Blues is not coming to the building bounded by Fifth and Sixth and Broadway,” says a well-connected source. “I understand they have walked away from the Woolworth’s building.” It was announced in the …

“The Belly Up gave me back my tape. They said we don’t like punk rockers. They didn’t even listen to it. They just gave it back to me.” Singer Brad Kavonius has mixed reactions as …

“There are so many Drifters,” said one local promoter. “There’s the Original Drifters, the World Famous Drifters, and just the Drifters. Meanwhile, none of them have any original members.” On Saturday the Drifters, the Platters, …

"People put stuff in your drinks,” said Angela, a topless dancer with Jagger lips and Parton breasts. “It happened to me once. It wasn’t enough to knock me out, but I could tell something happened.” …

“That’s the value of a brand. They’ve got the domain name.” Like MP3.com’s Michael Robertson, James Gambale runs a San Diego-based Internet music-distribution company. But unlike Robertson, Gambale has a much harder task to bring …

“They were throwing up on the boat, and no one was there to clean it up,” said one employee of the Clear Channel radio group about a “Ships and Salsa” radio promotion April 21. Clear …