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 …
April 9, 2014
Back to profile
Stories by Mary Leary
< Newer
| Older stories >
Now you know: Flower Animals
David Bowie at the Thrift Trader?
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 …
March 26, 2014
Tacocat's NVM
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 …
February 28, 2014
Yello aspirations
(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.
June 5, 2013
The indelibly linked Greg Friedman
Truckee Brothers bassist Greg Friedman releases solo album Can’t Talk Now.
May 1, 2013
People, Hell and Angels, by Jimi Hendrix
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 …
March 15, 2013
Vinyl exposure
Jason “Blackie” Blackmore set to release film titled Records Collecting Dust, mostly interviews with San Diegans talking about their record collections.
March 6, 2013
Creedle dreams
Performer/poet Jimmy Jazz publishes new edition of book titled Cadillac Tramps.
February 27, 2013
Foolish Blood by Two Hours Traffic
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 …
February 8, 2013
Skyfallout
Christian Motos’s new release includes a song that didn’t make the Skyfall soundtrack.
January 23, 2013
Lost Animal's Ex Tropical
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 …
January 18, 2013
The Complete Columbia Albums Collection of Sarah Vaughan
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 …
November 29, 2012
Tucson, by Giant Giant Sand
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 …
November 8, 2012
Treatment Bound: A Ukelele Tribute to the Replacements
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 …
September 21, 2012
We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash
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 …
August 16, 2012
Buffalo Killers' Dig. Sow. Love. Grow.
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 …
August 2, 2012
Adams Avenue Old Folker
San Diego folk music archivist/godfather steps back into the committee to organize the Adams Avenue Roots Festival.
April 18, 2012
Giving Thanks to the San Diego Music Foundation
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. …
January 18, 2012
Elder's Dead Roots Stirring
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 …
January 18, 2012
If You Want Blood, You Got It
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 …
December 21, 2011
Donkey Jacket, by Henry's Funeral Shoe
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 …
October 17, 2011
Slo Jam at New Expression
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 …
September 28, 2011
Latebirds — Last of the Good Ol' Days
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 …
September 7, 2011
Superhero Sound Artists
“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. …
August 10, 2011
Call It Macaroni
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 …
August 3, 2011
Gary Holt's Grandmother Test
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 …
July 27, 2011
Till We're Old and Gray
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 …
July 20, 2011
Comical Bahamas
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 …
July 6, 2011
The Local Fuzz by the Atomic Bitchwax
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 …
July 3, 2011
Imported Coulter
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 …
June 22, 2011
Train-Wreck Rock at Pink Punk Lotto
“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 …
June 8, 2011
Chad Vangaalen's Diaper Island
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 …
May 30, 2011
Michael Tiernan: Unstuck from the Ugly
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. …
May 18, 2011
Arrayist Visions
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 …
May 4, 2011
It's a Nicey Nice World
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. …
April 20, 2011
Intoxicating Suds and Gastroenteritis
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 …
April 13, 2011
Will Work for Music
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 …
April 6, 2011
Harpo Hangs with Spinal Tap
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 …
March 30, 2011
A Round and Around at Swedenborg Hall
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 …
March 16, 2011
Time Traders, by the Peter Green Splinter Group
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 …
March 14, 2011
Craig Oliver and Volar Records
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 …
March 2, 2011