Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
kenl's avatar

Ken Leighton

Ken Leighton is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Goodnight, Irenic

Sam Trego, who identified himself as the Chairman of the Board for the Irenic wrote an email to say that the "rumors in your article were not entirely correct." I found his number and called him to ask him what he was talking about. As it turns out, he admitted that the major point of the story was true, that outside promoters like The Casbah and Soda Bar in fact had no bookings in the Irenic in the coming year, ending a six year policy. He said that there were concerts through December (which was what the article said). A second email indicated he did not like the headline "Goodbye Irenic." He said it made it appear as if the Irenic was closing down for good. (Which it does not....only that live music events by headliners like the ones mentioned in the article were not coming back). I asked Trego why his general manager Kyle McMillan who was hired to run the Irenic's business affairs did not return a call to answer questions about the Irenic's future. Trego said he didn't know. In his second email to me he that indicated his beef was with the headline, "Goodbye Irenic." He said he had said all he wanted to say with these two emails and that we are done communicating. If I could talk to him more I would ask him since when does a church have a Chairman of the Board? Also, I would like to know if his company, San Diego-based Imagine Entertainment, ("Which offers an outrageous mix of comedy and drama for the theatrically inclined") would be producing shows in the Irenic in the coming year.
— November 10, 2017 7:25 a.m.

And the alt-rock-radio war raged on

Some more thoughts on this. TJ (Timothy Joseph) went on a 20 minute rant on his show about how this article should have never happened because it was all about bringing down local music. The article was inspired because some bands noted how it seemed like the rich kept getting richer. TJ co-owns a rehearsal space complex and recording studio that is used to record 91-X's "X-Sessions" live sets by major bands including Portugal the Man, Cold War Kids, Rise Against, The Shins, War on Drugs and 1975. TJ also owns a rehearsal space complex. He also gets to host his own local music show on the other local alt rock station. Then TJ's band struck the jackpot when it was picked as the only local band to play at 91Xs two-night Wrex The Halls show next month AT THE SPORTS ARENA. Chances for local bands to open for these multi-band shows featuring signed, nationally touring artists are rare. 91X often selects the bands for these opening slots with some kind of fanfare to select the local openers. Not this time. 949 didn't even have any local openers for its last big multi-band show, last summer at the Oceanside pier amphitheater. In fact, 949 doesn't even have a Christmas show announced. At any rate, this Wrex The Halls/Sports Arena deal seemed like a big deal and thats why I simply asked Garett Michaels of 91X how the process worked since a few people wanted to know. I have spoken to him many times (as you can see in past articles over the years). But he punted on this one. TJ also objected because I mentioned the ratings of the local shows. I have mentioned radio ratings occasionally in the articles over the years, but this is the first time that the ratings for the local shows were ever brought up. I thought it would be a good opportunity. Of course TJ's show is on later than Loudspeaker, hence the available pool of listeners is smaller. He made it like it was some big ugly conspiracy because I brought them up at all. I told him I didn't make them up, and they were what they were. Please stop whining TJ. Just because i refer to your ratings does not mean I'm trying to bring down the local scene. Your station does absolutely nothing to promote your show. When John Reis was on your show last year he said "Does anyone listen to this show?" I thought this was a good time to report what Nielsen had to say. I have told TJ that I think he sounds great on the air. And of course he does do a lot for local artists as does Loudspeaker. This article was not about the good that you do (which is a lot). It was just that your band got the best gig of the year and some people wanted to know about it (and Garett Michaels didn't want to comment). So many people are struggling in local music. But it seems like you have cracked the code. You are winning on many fronts. Thats fine! But please, don't whine about one article about your band playing Wrex the Halls.
— November 6, 2017 9:36 a.m.

Vista councilman regrets leash-free vote

At the meeting tonight....as councilman Franklin previously said, John Aguilera was in fact out of town and did miss the meeting. But he was wrong about Amanda Rigby not being able to vote. She WAS allowed to vote. And so, along with Mayor Ritter and Mr. Franklin, the vote to rescind the original ordinance was approved three to one. Mr. Franklin writes: "the necessity of a new ordinance however requires it to come back before the council in full complete form to be finally passed." He says about twenty people spoke tonight. Of them, he says that only two or three favored off leash. The rest, he says, agreed with him and wanted Vista to make it against the law to take a leash off your dog in Buena Vista Park. This, while he admitted at his Sunday meeting in the park that its a law that probably wont be enforced. One social media gadfly said that an unenforceable law is often called a bad law and that Mr. Franklin who regularly flaunts his GOP DNA is a fraud for enacting a law that gives $100 tickets to people who let their dogs run free in a park. All I know for sure is Mr. Franklin was open and accessible for discussion on this. He exposed himself to ridicule and stepped up to the plate as the guy who stood for something that was potentially unpopular. When all is said and done, maybe there are some issues like potholes that aren't Democrat or Republican. And maybe dogs in parks is one of them. Maybe dogs in a public park are the menace that Ritter/Franklin/Rigby claim that needs legislation to eradicate.
— October 10, 2017 11:04 p.m.

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader