“Vaquita? Tastes like chicken,” quips Insect Surfers founder David Arnson, who studied marine biology before forming “Planet earth’s longest-running modern surf band” in Washington, D.C.’s mid-’70s alternative-rock scene. After we reconnect at a private Surfers/Sand …
Mikey Belknap’s helium-spiked vocals ended up at Kids in Heat’s lead microphone almost randomly. “My brother Stan was always playing guitar in bands. I wasn’t a musician, just really into skating. I was in Texas …
What local band is led by one of San Diego’s first punk rockers, has been inhabited by a who’s who of local rock/pop/punk players, and has a drummer — Nick “Nico” Peters — who says …
Bassist Trips Jurado and drummer Ryan Badabing mesh like a rocking monster truck, cut through by Vanja James’s power chords and piercing vocals. James’s second San Diego show as Little Dove wouldn’t be laughed out …
On taking a run at the Zombies, Bart Mendoza (who orchestrated the tribute show) relates, “As a kid, I was intrigued by the way they dressed. Paul Atkinson was my inspiration — I wore a …
Javier Escovedo’s return to local music has been gradual. The guitarist/songwriter is an on-again, off-again San Diegan. He lived in Huntington Beach before moving to Chula Vista in his teens. In the mid ’70s, Escovedo’s …
Self-described mod band the Bassics has been hugging the stage since Mrs. Magician’s set flared out. MM continues to enhance River Cuomo’s slack; slamming out catchy tunes about shopping malls and VCRs. But that’s not …
The line of musical soldiers widening the Americana trail continues to increase, whether the attack leans in a hard-hitting, bad-ass direction or concocts idyllic portraits (“Chopping wood and carrying water, everything was better”). Zoe Muth …
Bleeding Gold may be the widest-reaching indie label in San Diego. I’m sitting with its founder, Valhalla High alumni Roger Preston, on a sunny afternoon in Trolley Barn Park. He keeps pulling full-color covers for …
Nineteen-year-old North Park native Gonzalo Meza recalls his garage-rock initiation: “I heard the White Stripes’ ‘Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground’ on my sister’s MP3 player in 2005. It sounded like nothing I’d ever heard. A …
Whether or not drivers are visually disturbed by the strobe light punctuating Hirsch the Machine Hirsch’s performance, few of those passing the El Cajon Boulevard/30th Street intersection are likely to pin it to Thrift Trader’s …
Never heard Tacocat before. First impressions of “Bridge to Hawaii”: (1) I’m getting impatient with the song’s two resounding opening guitar chords, cringing at the prospect of overdramatized, underwritten music...is there going to be a …
(Charles)Book&Record’s Zack Wentz and wife Shelby create a song using Yellofier (an app), part of a contest orchestrated by the band Yello.
Truckee Brothers bassist Greg Friedman releases solo album Can’t Talk Now.
Jimi Hendrix has been dead 43 years – and continues to be represented by a seemingly infinite stream of releases. If his Age of Aquarius idealism has been muddied, he can’t be held accountable for …
Jason “Blackie” Blackmore set to release film titled Records Collecting Dust, mostly interviews with San Diegans talking about their record collections.
Performer/poet Jimmy Jazz publishes new edition of book titled Cadillac Tramps.
It’s embarrassing to admit I’ve never heard of a band that’s been around since 2002 — which convinces me its winsome sound transcends “noteworthy,” demanding “essential” status — unless that sound is so good that …
Christian Motos’s new release includes a song that didn’t make the Skyfall soundtrack.
A synth player who leaves a popular Aussie band, St Helens, to explore the possibilities of himself with his machines? Sounds like a fairly risky set-up. But the short-lived indie band’s ex-songwriter/singer/guitarist/keyboardist has crafted a …
I purchased After Hours, one of the four freshly minted CDs in the Complete Columbia Albums box, many years ago, on vinyl. Shouldn’t having the original — the cover of which is minutely replicated, as …
Rarely has a format seemed as fitting as “country rock opera” does for Giant Giant Sand’s meshing of folk/jazz/rock/blues/country with offhand theatricality. Based on the group’s most dependable obsession/location — the Southwest — Tucson is …
Ukulele-based covers might seem to bypass an essential element in the Replacements’ mix of yearning with bravado — Paul Westerberg and Co. were rockers, albeit of a power-pop persuasion. But Nashville-based duo Bright-Little-Field’s homespun approach …
Recorded at Austin City Limits last April, We Walk the Line effectively lobbies for posthumous 80th birthday bashes. Brandi Carlile’s opening tear through “Folsom Prison Blues” convinces us she can at least imagine shooting “a …
I’ve only heard one other Buffalo Killers record, 2011’s 3. I’m thinking this one shows a steady rise into the classic-rock stratosphere. From the first ringing chord and cymbal crash, Dig. Sow. Love. Grow. is …
San Diego folk music archivist/godfather steps back into the committee to organize the Adams Avenue Roots Festival.
From the appreciative letters that San Diego elementary school students have sent to the San Diego Music Foundation: “Dear Mrs. Taylor, Thank you for the beautiful guitars that you gifted us. We are very greatful. …
What the heck does “dead roots stirring” mean? Is it meant to evoke horror? When one stops and considers, dead roots stirring could be kind of horrible. But it’s never made sense to over-analyze stoner …
On November 8, Cherry Bar owner James Young flew the hard-rocking San Diego band Bloody Hollies to Melbourne for two shows. Guitarist Joey Horgen describes the junket as “a test run” for an alliance between …
Only a few of the “crank-it” tunes on this album fit the implications of its name, which references Welsh mining apparel. "Mission & Maintenance" is one of those. "Be Your Own Invention" leans on a …
Directed by Chris Aquavella, 14 mandolin players and three guitarists pluck and strum the poignant notes of “La Frisonette.” Avoiding the black-and-white depictions of Robert Johnson and Leadbelly lining the walls, I imagine sitting in …
An inveterate Band whore, I was initially motivated to give Latebirds a spin by Levon Helm's presence (along with Benmont Tench, Nels Cline, Minnie Driver, and Kris Kristofferson) on the bonus disc, Woodstock Sessions. And …
“Within a seated arrangement, the audience witnessed these works in pitch dark.” Larry Caveney is describing audio events he’s produced in his Alabama Street garage in North Park. Caveney launched “the Garage” events in 2009. …
Last time I saw Aaron Bowen, in 2007, he didn’t seem particularly happy. Now, seated at my dining-room table with his wife Kate, the Sweetwater High alum is beaming. “I was very depressed. My outlook …
After decades of choral experience that included singing with the Tucson Boys Chorus and at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Missouri, Gary Holt became artistic director for the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus in …
Blackout Party singer/songwriter Brian Holwerda chats with me between waiting tables at Café Japengo and finishing BP’s second album, Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed. “In my late teens I played in a band called Fine …
Valhalla High grad and college dropout Matt Bahamas (née Barajas) cites “babes” as a major inspiration: “Here in San Diego, they’re wearing low-cut shirts and short skirts...turning heads. The chase is the most fun, and …
Despite the standard '70s instrumentation, tricky rhythm burps manifest right out of the gate. It's not quite "math rock" but counterpoint enough to bring King Crimson and Polvo into the conversation. Chris Kosnik's soaring, echo-layered …
For Lee Coulter, who was originally inspired by Simon and Garfunkel and Back to the Future (“I played the tennis racket to the soundtrack”), it’s about the music. And producing. And giving “Rockstar 101” lessons …
“It’s time to get weird! Play with strangers! Feel like part of a kinky experiment!” reads the poster for Pink Punk Lotto. A few days before the showcase, rocker, DJ, and PPL organizer “Swami” John …
Unusual title. Strange artwork — foliage sprouting from several depictions of a naked figure wearing an expression of shock, pain, or bemusement. A pleasant, elementary riff ("Peace on the Rise") repeats for two minutes, prompting …
On March 30, Michael Tiernan blogged, “I launched Project Strong this past Tuesday, the day of my brother’s birthday, and I’ve already received tons of interested people who will be contributing content for the video. …
Bill Wesley moved to San Diego from Missouri in 1974. The then-teenaged Wesley created light shows for Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge, with projectors that he “modified so I could use foot switches to turn …
Since October 2010, Joyce Rooks has driven her cello from Oceanside to Marcelo Radulovich’s studio in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Jim Call brings a theremin from Lemon Grove. Wherever the trio sets up, it’s a Nicey Nice World. …
A genealogy of Dead Rock West and its crew of hard-/punk-/folk-rock collaborators would gobble twice the space allotted for this emission. To the (momentary) point: since 2003, Frank Lee Drennen and Cindy Wasserman have often …
On April 27, Charlene Lain, a friend of local soundman/roadie Carlo Dimaggio, used Dimaggio’s email address to relay a message to several contacts: “For those of you that have not heard and were close to …
When he realized I was at Eleven to cover that evening’s show, Mark “Harpo” Delguidice’s face lit up. Although the Myspace for Harpco, his “folk/rock/blues/Americana” band, waxes wise-ass (“We vowed to forge ahead to become …
Podunk Nowhere duo Heather and Johnny Janiga found out about Songwriters Acoustic Nights at a Gregory Page show. The Janigas were promptly invited to take seats at the monthly musicians’ gathering, which features the “Writers …
Respectful (albeit soulful) backing vocals and laid-back, loping resolutions on the first couple tracks of this reissue (originally released in '01) seem a lifetime from Peter Green's stints with the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. And …
I met Craig Oliver at a scorching rock spread (Oh Sees, So Cow, and Bare Wires at Bar Pink). Unless he’s pouring lager and adjusting sound at the Whistle Stop, Oliver’s at just about every …