San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now

NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED

IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....

If you wanna see a list of over 1,5000 San Diego bands, with links to full profiles, photos, discographies, articles, MP3s, etc, checkout http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search/

Believe it or not, you can click on ANY LOCAL MUSICIAN'S NAME (around 4,500 musicos listed!) and bring up bios of every notable band they've ever been in! Try it here with Rob Crow ---

AND, if that wasn't cool 'nuff, click on an instrument, say like this here link to "Drums" - BAM, a list of EVERY DRUMMER IN SAN DIEGO!!!

We've been working on this massively cross-linked Local Music Database for over two years now, covering a century of San Diego history --- if you're a local performer who wants to add or edit a page, go to http://www.sandiegoreader.com/band/edit/

More anon!!!! JAS

HERE'S THIS WEEK'S NEW Overheard in San Diego

AND THE NEW Famous Former Neighbors

I've loved Blazing Saddles for over 30 years now and must have seen it a dozen times at the drive-in, and another two dozen times since the advent of video - I completely over-rendered this Cleavon Little comic strip with detail nobody on Earth will ever notice, but I had a fun night working on it! Here are a couple of working drafts, too, so you can see how comically obsessive I sometimes get with these strips  -----------------

ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TODAY/THURSDAY, JUNE 18

Live Music

• Rey Vinole
  Spreckels Organ Pavilion

• Lucy Bell - 4th&B

• Open-Mike Night - 8Teen Arts and Cultural Center

• The Love Rangers - The Alley

• Kemosabe - Alpine Inn

• WPA (with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek), Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) - Anthology

• Mainly Mozart Festival - Balboa Theater

• The Styletones, Bright Light Fever, By Sunlight, Manuok - Bar Pink

• Vinyl Film, Revolution 89, the Fascination - Beauty Bar

• No Knife, the Focus Group, John Foothills Band - Belly Up Tavern

• Eclipse79 - The Bitter End

• International Farmers, Self Made Men - Boar Cross'n

• Paradigm - The Brew House at Eastlake

• Chanauk - Brick by Brick

• Ray Correa - The Butcher Shop

• The Sandy Chappel Quartet - Café La Maze

• Orquesta LGC - Café Sevilla

• Heavy Glow - Canes

• The Farmers CD release, Murrugun the Mystic, Bongo: DJ of the Absurd - The Casbah

• Mambo Salvaje - Club Miami

• Summer Mencher - Concerts at the Cove, La Jolla

• Super Diamond, Cash'd Out, Lindsey Yung, David Cook (Grandstand Stage), Phil Bellante (O'Brien Stage) - Del Mar Fairgrounds

• Chet & the Committee - Downtown Café

• Eamon Carroll - The Field Irish Pub and Restaurant

• Federal Funk - Four Points by Sheraton

• The Mar Dels - Georges on Fifth

• Stacey Murray and Collin Metscher - La Gran Tapa

• Nick Z - Hennessey's Tavern

• Skelpin - Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub and Grill

• The Circle Jerks, Briggs, Channel 3, Authentic Sellout - House of Blues

• Piano Bar - Jack's La Jolla — Ocean Room

• Chill Boy - The Kraken

• Lisa C. Pollock - Lestat's Coffee House

• Caballeros Latin Jazz Jam - Mangia Italiano on Third

• Sub-0-Records New Artist Preview Night - McDini's

• Bordertown Blues - McP's Irish Pub and Grill

• David Patrone - The Merk

• Quarteto Caballero - National City Public Library

• Mike Gardner - North Bar Sports and Spirits

• Live Jazz - Osetra Watergrill

• Johnny "V" Vernazza - Patrick's II

• Jefferson Jay Band - Portugalia

• Stepping Feet - RT's Longboard Grill

• Hit the Switch - Radio Room

• The Ed Rapacci Duo - Red Fox Steakhouse

• Peter the Prince of Piano - Rei Do Gado Churrascuria

• Awesome New Republic - Ruby Room

• Seldom Seen - San Diego Museum of Art

• Lindsay Spurlock - Santee Trolley Square Town Center

• Dazed and Confused - Second Wind (Magnolia)

• Dance Gavin Dance, the Audition, Endless Hallway, the Day Sets Fire - Soma

• Open jazz jam - South Park Bar & Grill

• Rey Vinole - Spreckels Organ Pavilion

• Nomadic Circus - Stage Saloon

• Robin Henkel - Terra

• Michael Tiernan - Tiki House

• The Cutaways, Action Andy - Tin Can Ale House

• Lindsay Spurlock - Trolley Square Amphitheatre, Santee

• Gregory Isaacs, Tribe of Kings Sound - WaveHouse Bar & Grill

DJ and Other Events

• Maystar's Club Pop Noir
  Static Lounge
  

• College Night
  Belo
  

• DJ Mick B
  Fannie's Nightclub

• Caboose Funk-n-Disco Train - Whistle Stop

• DJ Scooter - Syrah Wine Parlour

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical) - Rolando/Cygnet Theatre

Submit a DJ Listing

The Casbah now records select shows, available on CD immediately following show at the club & www.emusiclive.com.

  MY PERSONAL HOTPICK FOR TODAY...

WHY CHUCK CAN'T HEAR

“Back then, we were always looking for number 11 on the loudness dial,” says Chuck Lapinsky, a working drummer for over 40 years until hearing loss forced his retirement. “We didn’t use ear protection, because it was seen as a sign of weakness. Boy, how wrong we were.”

“When my music career started in Chicago and the midwest, our stage monitors and amps were as large as possible. That’s what people wanted, and I wore a complete headset onstage for many years. In retrospect, that was a really bad decision.” Audiologists now believe that headsets focus damage to the ear’s cochlea, resulting in Tinnitus and other hearing ailments.

Today, Lapinsky shoots photographs around town (www.myspace.com/chuckl2432), a gig that still finds him working at concerts. “The ear protection much better than in the past,” he says. “I use regular earplugs in front of the stage, and I keep that time to a minimum. I do a lot of shooting from onstage right or left, or backstage when I’m able to get access. I also use a zoom that lets me back off a bit. If it gets too loud, I take a break.” He says he’s only drummed “a handful of times” over the past few years.

Musicians who’ve talked publicly about hearing loss include Ike Turner, Pete Townshend, Lars Ulrich, Bob Mould, and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum.

  “There’s no cure for Tinnitus or hearing loss,” warns otolaryngologist Dr. Sam Levine. He recommends being tested by an audiologist at the first sign of hearing difficulty or damage. “Your ears are trying to tell you something. That ringing is the scream of your hair cells dying.”

Related links

THE DAY TORI ROZE ALMOST MET GWEN STEFANI (PLUS, HOW A LOCAL THEATER GROUP ALMOST BECAME THE FIRST SNL CAST)...

This week’s new issue has a Musician Interview with songstress Tori Roze ("Like Stank on Erykah"). We had no space to include her entertaining brush with entertainment royalty, but here ‘tis below -----

“I used to call my car the No Doubt Mobile, aptly named because it was covered in a plethora of No Doubt garb, fully inclusive of a key chain dangling from the rearview that I made, with Gwen Stefani’s mug right in the middle of it. When I was 18, I was going to Melrose in L.A. to meet up with my boyfriend at a restaurant called Johnny Rocket’s. I found the restaurant, looked for the closest parking, and managed to park myself directly in front of a pine green Jaguar.”

“As I got out, a man from the Jaguar popped out who bore a striking resemblance Gavin Rossdale [Stefani’s husband]. Upon finishing lunch, I told my boyfriend that we should go back to my car to see if it was really him. So as we approach my car, not only do we see Gavin but, oh no, Gwen Stefani and her entire family were taking pictures on the front lawn of her brother’s house! I just kinda stood there in shock, looking like a complete fool with my No Doubt Mobile accidentally parked dead in front of Gavin and Gwen’s Jaguar. Talk about fate. I must have looked like a complete stalker.”

“I stood next to Gavin and asked him how it was going, but Gwen was very reluctant to cross the street and get in the car where he and I were standing. I’m sure he told her about seeing my car an hour prior, and there I was, faux stalker extraordinaire, looking so starstruck that my boyfriend ended up ditching me. Being the considerate and oh-so-cool person that I am, I walked away like it was no big deal, so that Gwen could feel comfortable about getting into her car. But I know they both sat in that car behind my bad-ass No Doubt Mobile and talked about me for the next five minutes.”

 Also, Tori’s Mom (who plays in Tori’s band) revealed some fascinating back info about Indian Magique, a theater group that won the Canadian Emmy for Best Comedy Show in 1977. Both Tori’s parents were involved with the troupe, which played a large part in launching the San Diego rep and ALMOST became the first cast of Saturday Night Live…

"It was a sketch variety show ala Saturday Night Live for Metro Productions. We wrote for it and Bernard Baldan, Franz Muhr, & Ralph Steadman starred in it. Indian Magique was the precursor to what is now the Rep. The Rep would not even exist if it hadn't been for Christopher R - Tori's dad. He brought Sam Woodhouse and Doug Schmidt, the now-recognized, established directors, into the company.”

“This same ensemble performed at a number of the Comedy Stores, was invited to perform on The Tonight Show by Victor Buono when he was hosting. Got canned for a flawed demotape viewed at the last minute by the talent coordinator for the show, and missed an opportunity for doing SNL as a result."

Tori further explains “Indian Magique was a band of hippies coming together doing theatrically innovative everything. You name it, they did it and well. They had a lot of potential; however, they sadly lost the opportunity to become SNL before it even existed, due to a flaw in their reel because the wrong tape had been put in the right hands. They were essentially the answer to what was being sought by the masses. in a time where the collective consciousness was picking up what they were putting down.”

Related links

• Musician Interview: "Like Stank on Erykah"
• www.myspace.com/toriroze 

Upcoming Shows

• The Bitter End, Thursday, July 9
• U-31, Wednesday, July 22

MORE NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK

	CLUB CRAWLER: Golden Shower of Hits by Barnaby Monk There will be a Golden Shower of Hits when Hermosa Beach hardcores the Circle Jerks hit the pit at House of Blues tonight. The tenacious trio of Keith Morris (hollerin'), Zander Schloss (bassin'), and ...
	Dinosaur Jr. by William Crain We all get excited when our favorite old bands reunite, and we tend to overlook the fact that the musicians probably hate each other and are only getting back together because their solo careers have ...
	Heart Pounder by DJ Morgan Thomas Back in November of '97, I was doing a live broadcast from Nashville. It was the day before the Country Music Awards. It is a crazy and massively fun, long day -- a cattle-call of country stars, big and small, who move from ...
	Eyeless as a Calling Card? by Jay Allen Sanford "I call it a Sludge Opera because the music is thick and lugubrious," says one-man band Zsa Zsa Gabor (real name Samuel Lopez) of his elaborate sci-fi stage production The Blind Dead. "The opera part ...
	Zank by Rosa Jurjevics Zank's new album, Without a Bridge, sounds like a primer for how to make a pop album, right down to the key changes. The construction is there -- harmonies in the right place, solos expertly executed -- but the songs lack ...
	Swift Serenade by Josh Board Luke Walton, an 18-year-old Carlsbad resident and recent graduate of La Costa Canyon High, is getting popular because of a song he sort of wrote, a love song for Taylor Swift. He posted it on ...
	Hiromi by Dave Good There's a kind of primal pleasure in watching a slight Asian woman systematically manhandle an array of expensive keyboards onstage. That's one way to describe watching Hiromi -- a jazz-fusion pianist -- and her unique ...
	Like Stank on Erykah by Jay Allen Sanford "My parents maintained a very musical household," says singer-trumpeter Tori Roze. "My mom played with Randy Holden, the lead guitarist in Blue Cheer, and she opened for groups like Canned Heat and Three Dog Night. ...

 CATHRYN BEEKS’ WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET  

Saturday 6/20 - 2pm  Canes in Mission Beach is where you'll want to join me this and EVERY Saturday throughout the summer.  KPRI's "Concerts at The Beach" is brought to you by Scion and will feature your favorite Homegrown bands.  This week is Locked out of Eden (other act tba) get there at 2pm for free music and fun in the sun.  Then, head a little south....

Saturday 6/20 - 4pm  Winstons in Ocean Beach for the birthday celebration of our favorite girl, Katie.  Music from Podunk Nowhere, Paul Cannon, Nicole Torres, Tori Roze and surprise guests.  $5 gets you all the good times you can grab.

MUSIC NEWS

 Artist of the Week: Don't miss Randi Driscoll and her right hand man, Noah, Backstage at The Bitter End this Wednesday night at 10pm.  NO COVER!  

 Link of the Week:  ChrisVirginDesigns.com - Professional Graphic Designs, Website Design, & Screen Printing. Let them design or print your next flyer, t-shirt, business card, website, social network profile, flash design, brochure, newsletter, skateboard, business logo, letterhead, enevelope, sign advertisement, banner, cd/dvd cover, postcard, poster, event ticket, doorhanger, laminated badges, notepads, greeting cards, bookcover.... you get the idea.  Huge thanks to Chris for the spiffed up Homegrown Hour logo! 

 Tune in to KUSI channel 9 news this Saturday as Kristen Cusato rocks out with Citizen band, then Sunday she's Holding Air Hostage.  You better do what she says.

 You've seen him in a bunny suit, how about a bathing suit?Christopher Dale & Friends goes Poolside on Wednesdays for happy hour at The Handlery for the next 3 months.  It's all ages, free and you get out just in time to head to The Bitter End for more free, LIVE music.  

 Citizen Band will release Breaker Breaker My Heart this Sunday June 21st, Father's day at The Brick by Brick.  Matt and Cathryn open the show, see you there good buddy!

 North Park Music Thing is happening August 7th through the 9th and you can still be part of it.  Go here for submission information and details.

 Shows are posted here, if you missed this Saturday you can hear it at kprifm.com this Friday.  Join The Homegrown Hour Mailing List!

That's it for this week, see you at a show!
Cathryn
ListenLocalsd.com

SLIGHTLY STOOPID, BLAZED, AND CONFUSED

Mickey Avalon is the latest act to join co-headliners Slightly Stoopid and Snoop Dogg, along with Stephen Marley, on this summer’s not-to-be-missed Blazed And Confused tour.

Reggae-influenced punkers Slightly Stoopid embarked on their first headlining run of US amphitheaters last summer and will continue supporting their 2008 album, Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid. The record, which marks the group's ninth release, includes outtakes, rarities and "brand new studio joints."

Additional shows at Bicentennial Park in Miami, FL on Saturday, August 1 and the St. Johns County Fairgrounds in Saint Augustine, FL on Sunday, August 2 have been added to the itinerary.

7/10 Primm, NV Star of the Desert Arena
7/11 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/12 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
7/14 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
7/15 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
7/17 Portland, OR Memorial Coliseum
7/18 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre
7/19 Boise, ID Idaho Center Amphitheater
7/20 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
7/22 Vancouver, BC Pacific Coliseum
7/24 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/25 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
7/30 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Music Park
7/31 St. Petersburg, FL Vinoy Park
8/1 Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
8/2 Saint Augustine, FL St. Johns County Fairgrounds
8/5 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
8/6 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
8/7 Philadelphia, PA Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
8/8 Boston, MA Comcast Center

SAN DIEGO MUSIC 4 A CAUSE - FOR THE CRITTERS

  "Basically we're just two girls seeking out ways to contribute back," says Brooke Haggerty, who with Carissa Buschle founded San Diego Music 4 A Cause. "Focusing here on the community in San Diego, we aim to raise awareness on animal rights issues. Our goal is to support local organizations while showcasing the San Diego bands we all love. If you're interested in supporting our cause or having us support yours, message us!"

Haggerty met Buschle on Election Day 2008, while both were campaigning for Proposition 2. "Carissa works for Greenpeace, an independent global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace."

  "I work for the Animal Protection and Rescue League, a local nonprofit organization which works to expose animal cruelty behind closed doors, educates the public on animals issues through outreach campaigns, and works with policymakers to implement humane change!"

"We share a love for the local music scene, and we quickly saw an amazing way to connect San Diego musicians with the local organizations fighting for humane and social change. Our goal is to support local organizations while showcasing the San Diego bands we all love, with the support from local venues."

"Right now we are planning a benefit show for APRL's SealWatch campaign. It will be at the Beauty Bar on El Cajon. We are also hoping to hold another benefit show at the Ruby room soon after. We have a number of bands excited to contribute to the cause, and so we have yet to solidify the line-ups and dates."

"We are working on posting a set schedule. In the meantime, APRL will have a booth at the upcoming Ocean Beach Street Fair, Saturday June 27th. We would love to chat with anyone interested in becoming involved."

 "Bands interested in playing a benefit show can contact us via myspace, and we will get in touch!" http://www.myspace.com/sdmusic4acause

Animal Protection and Rescue League - www.aprl.org --- Animal Acres - www.animalacres.org --- San Diego Animal Advocates - www.animaladvocates.org --- San Diego Green Peace - www.greenpeace.org/usa --- Guide Dogs of the Desert International - www.guidedogsofthedesert.org --- HandicappedPets.com - www.handicappedpets.com

PAUL McCARTNEY IN SAN DIEGO

6-16-76 – Paul McCartney and Wings played the San Diego Sports Arena: McCartney brought his Wings Over America tour to the Sports Arena just as Wings at the Speed of Sound was topping the U.S. charts. "They flew in on a private jet, [and] people literally wept when McCartney hit the stage," recalls local music historian and Shambles front man Bart Mendoza. "He played a hit-filled show, lasting just over two hours, and included a few Beatles tunes -- 'I've Just Seen a Face,' 'Lady Madonna,' etc. -- but stuck heavily to his solo tunes." Mendoza says that a high point came with "a pyrotechnic-laden 'Live and Let Die.' But the defining moment was likely those first two seconds as the crowd realized that, yes, he was about to play 'Yesterday.' It was pandemonium."

Several songs from this show appear on the bootleg album Oriental Nightfish, produced in 1977 by Reading Railroad Records (aka Hoffman Avenue Industries, Inc.). A double LP on colored vinyl, San Diego cuts include "Jet," "Magneto and Titanium Man," "My Love," "Soily," and "Beware My Love."

27 YEARS LATER, McCARTNEY RETURNED TO SAN DIEGO...

(Beatle at birthday bash)

2-22-03 – Paul McCartney plays a private party in Rancho Santa Fe: When Ralph Whitworth threw his wife a 50th birthday party at Delicias restaurant, he forked out a million bucks (for charity) to have McCartney perform for the crowd of around 150. Macca and band (including guitarist Rusty Anderson) did 19 songs, as well as the Beatles' rarely performed "Birthday" (which was later added to the tour's setlist).

In a press release, McCartney said, "Normally I don't do this sort of gig, but I was chuffed to do it because it was a 'win-win' show. Ralph gets to be the great husband for organizing the surprise, his wife gets a rocking party, I get to rehearse the band for the tour, and most important, Adopt-A-Minefield gets one million dollars."

"Crasher" columnist Josh Board knows Rusty Anderson's sister, who lives in San Diego. "The day after the Rancho Santa Fe concert, I called to ask if she was there. She said, 'No, I didn't make it. Rusty left a few messages on my machine, but I got them too late. I can't believe it. For them to be so close like that. And I went all the way to Russia to see them.'"

Less than a year later, the Whitworths filed for divorce.

  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/05/29-years-ago-today-iggy-pop-at-the-catamaran-plus-/

LOCALS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  The Secret Seven, with Zachary Goode of of the Weezer parody band Geezer, made their live debut in late April, 2009, at the Whistle Stop. "We're done tracking guitar, bass, and drums for fourteen original songs," said Goode at the time. "Vocals and overdubs are up next..."

 Staring at Strange is fronted by Kelly Eismann, who was classically trained and is said to have a three-octave range. She sang with her father’s jazz groups before making her way through various punk and metal bands.

 WHAT I'M WATCHING...

 Whether or not you're a fan of Will Ferrell...Try Stranger Than Fiction sometime! Seemingly loosely inspired by "Secret Cinema," an obscure cult film by Paul "Eating Raoul" Bartel, Ferrell's character suddenly hears an unseen narrator telling his life story, with foreshadowing and hints of worrisome events to come. Ferrell seeks out Dustin Hoffman, who has written about writing and seems to understand that Ferrell is a character in a story and must do certain things that adhere to certain narrative structures.

 One of the more interesting aspects of the movie is how Ferrell's obsessive compulsive disorder is actually illustrated by bits of animations that show us how his compartmentalized mind is working - surprisingly fine little film that few seem to have heard of, let alone seen.

 Cloverfield FAR exceeded my expectations! It wasn't an A-plus effort but, having heard nothing but "yuck" reviews, I was amazed I liked it as much as I did. Perhaps the whole jiggly camera thing isn't so annoying on a little screen - I imagine in a theater I would have needed dramamine pills to handle all the jerking around. 

 But on a TV screen, I thought it was a unique and entertaining way to tell a story - showing a huge event like a monster tearing down NYC, but focused thru a tiny handheld camera lens.

 I like that the movie doesn't cheat you out of at least one long, slow, intensely closeup look at big ol' Clover.

  RTN - the Retro TV Network - has been airing Night Gallery half hour eps each weeknight, and tonight's was one I don't remember seeing before, "Brenda" - turns out Thriller/Zone vet Doug Heyes scripted it, but under a pseudonym.

 Heyes did some of the greatest Twilight Zone eps, like the fondly remembered "Eye of the Beholder," but I'm particularly a fan of his work on Boris Karloff's Thriller, like the "Hungy Glass" episode with Shatner and Russell "Professor" Johnson - even horror author King has said it was one of the most terrifying things he remembers seeing on TV.

 (SPOILER PARAGRAPH) The girl is so wacked out that she imagines some kind of love affair with the creature, which sounds silly to type but actually made for a compelling ep, the way the actress played out a year in her character's skewed and psychotic life, managing to seem as if she's grown up when she returns to her monster's island, only to quickly crack back up into the whacked out lonely girl who may either marry or be eaten by her man-thing.

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 Local Record Release Roundup - June

 

Joey Harris and the Mentals are promoting their new 10-track self-named album with a June 14 release show at Brick by Brick. “Mojo Nixon and Paul and Caren Kamanski will be joining us onstage,” says Harris, “as well as Scottie Mad Dog Blinn of the Mississippi Mudsharks, who produced the album and is releasing it on his Double Barrel label. We’ll also have a special appearance by Slim Crowbar and the I.O.U.s.” Brick by Brick is where Harris was once chatted up by Frank Zappa, circa 1980. “I’d just played with Fingers, [and] Frank said he loved the band’s energy and the songs and asked me to contact his manager in L.A. on Monday morning. I did try. There were a lot of messages, but nothing ever came of it.”   

 

Jeff Berkley’s 5-piece rock band Citizen Band will appear June 21 at Brick by Brick, to launch their new album Breaker Breaker My Heart. “We’re gonna put our own spin on a Bill Monroe and Peter Rowan bluegrass tune,” says Berkley, best known as half of the roots duo Berkley Hart “CB allows me to do things I don’t get to do in BH, like kick and yell, or have a smoke machine, moody lights, distortion, and tape echoes. Also, there’s more drinking in CB. But BH is just the two of us.”

 

On June 21, Sublime-ly groovy jam band Irieside celebrate their full-length debut on Above Ground Records at the Boars Cross’n in Carlsbad.

 

Candye Kane’s new full-length Superhero (Delta Groove Records) debuts with a June 19 appearance at Anthology, her final San Diego appearance until her current world tour wraps up this October in Australia. Summer will also see new albums from Irish rockers Skelpin (The Singing Bird), acoustic blues guitarist Joshua Blatchley, headbangers Wolves of Eden, the Brit-inspired Modlins, and a live set from songstress Anna Troy.

 

Chuck Schiele’s compilation of Ocean Beach-based performers, Waves, is set for release June 27, with several acts appearing at that weekend’s OB Street Fair. “Everybody knows the jam band thing has a pretty strong foothold here,” says the Grams frontman and operator of StudiOB. “I work counter to that.”

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DELTA SPIRIT'S WORST AND WEIRDEST GIGS

Jon Jameson of Delta Spirit recently told LAist about the band's worst and weirdest gigs: What was the worst show you ever played? (laughs) Lawrence, Kansas. We played the worst show ever. We kept getting shocked the whole night by the mics. All of us just really hated it. We thought we were going to get electrocuted. But at some point we just realized, "Ok this show is total sh-t," and had a crazy Nirvana spaz out jam session at the end. Did the audience like it? Maybe, who knows? We're usually really friendly after the show and like to hang out, but that night we couldn’t face it. But we're going back to Lawrence on our next tour, and we're going to redeem ourselves! What is the weirdest thing you ever saw at a show? We played this show with Matt Costa in Florida one time that was totally weird. That tour for some reason we had six shows in Florida. At this place the stage was a fake boat and the audience was dancing on the sand. Next to this stage was this fake lagoon. It was like a really bizarre MTV beach house. Would you rather be burned alive or frozen to death? Oh, frozen for sure. Because there is always a chance you would always get warm. But if your hot there's no escape. I mean if you're frozen there is always hope that a St. Bernard will show up with a barrel full of whiskey . Whiskey doesn’t help in a fire. Complete interview:

http://laist.com/2009/01/16/interview_jon_jameson_of_the_delta.php

Before there WAS a Delta Spirit, drummer Brandon Young and bassist Jon Jameson were both in Noise Ratchet. After deciding to form a new group together, Young came across singer Matt Vasquez at a trolley station, where he was standing on a bench and singing to passersby. The trio became a band, joined by guitarist Sean Walker, and you-name-it-I-play-it Kelly Winrich. Regarding the band's name, Jon Jameson says "My mom’s Uncle Red, from Birmingham, Alabama, had a taxidermy shop called Delta Spirit Taxidermy Station of North Central Alabama." The band first garnered attention while touring with Tokyo Police Club, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and their Monarchy Music labelmates (and fellow religious refugees) Cold War Kids. The group's rootsy debut EP I Think I've Found It ranked number nine on the Best of '07 list at the influential music blog Daytrotter. Word of mouth about their fiery stage shows caused ever-growing crowds, though offbeat antics like playing trash can lids as instruments didn't always endear them to audiences expecting mainstream indie rock. In summer 2007, they convened in Julian to stay in a friend's cabin and record a full length album, called Ode to Sunshine. They also recorded in a studio built in the basement of Kelly Winrich's parents' house, located on the beach in San Clemente. After circulating copies of the album themselves, the band was signed by Rounder Records in 2008, with the label re-releasing Ode to Sunshine. Rounder's remastered version of the album includes an additional song, "Streetwalker," taken from the EP and re-recorded. They made their network TV debut on September 3, 2008, on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Their song "Trashcan," featuring an actual trashcan lid used as a percussion instrument, has become a popular radio hit.

Related links

• Blurt (Dec. 3, 2008)
• Website
• Alternate website

HIDDEN TRACKS - THE SHAMBLES AND MANUAL SCAN -Dontcha just love getting something for nothing? And who doesn’t fantasize about finding hidden treasure? That’s pretty much the notion behind “Easter eggs” on DVDs and hidden tracks on albums – the goodies are there, but you gotta find ‘em ---- http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jan/21/delta-spirits-worst-and-weirdest-plus-breakups-and/

"Rock Operas Were Born in San Diego" - Didja know the world's first-ever actual rock opera was staged in San Diego? "An Eye in Each Head" creator Anthony Adams is still in the stage rock biz, at the North Park Theater... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

"Midnight Movies - the '80s Part 1" - The Fine Arts Theater, the Unicorn, the Guild, the Academy, the Loma and La Paloma, the Ken Cinema, the Strand in OB - for a time, the midnight movie crowd was its own sort of stoner subculture. Several historic cult movie events happened right here in SD, including the first-ever audience participation performance along with Phantom of the Paradise.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/nov/09/more-on-brick-by-bricks-new-hip-hop-showcase-plus-/

"Why Jackson Browne Hates Former Reader Contrib Richard Meltzer" - The first time Jackson Browne was profiled Rolling Stone [June 22, 1972], Richard Meltzer did the interview. When Meltzer called the singer "one hell of a prototype sex symbol for the gay rock underground," Browne was VERY unhappy....  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/nov/09/more-on-brick-by-bricks-new-hip-hop-showcase-plus-/

"An Extreme Elvis Is a Naked Elvis" - Extreme Elvis doesn’t play San Diego much any more. "I’m banned from all the clubs in town," he says. "They booted me off the stage at one place [Brick By Brick] after about five minutes".....  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/oct/22/worst-musical-halloween-costumes-plus-rock-op92d7a/

 "The Celebrity House Hunter" - A local real estate agent talks about driving celebs like George Harrison and Bread singer David Gates around town, in search of new digs... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/oct/22/worst-musical-halloween-costumes-plus-rock-op92d7a/

  "Judge Judy Takes On the Belly Up Tavern" - So I was watching an afternoon repeat of Judge Judy (I like it when she yells at dumbasses), and lo and behold the episode involved the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. It was the case of “Beauty and the Bouncers”... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/oct/22/worst-musical-halloween-costumes-plus-rock-op92d7a/

"Playing With Michael Jackson's Head [Guitarist]" - Local string whiz Jennifer Batten has played with the Great Gloved One, Jeff Beck, Slash, and many more... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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 "Whales Are Changing Their Tune" - according to Professor John Hildebrand, a blue whale expert at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD who has studied recordings of whales “singing” since the 1960s.   http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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"[Paint]Brushes with Fame" - profiling three album cover and concert poster painters; Mike Clift (Psychotic Waltz, Tipper Gore's Comics & Stories), Geo (Fairfield Fats Band, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), and Ken Meyer, Jr. (Marvel's Ghost Rider, Alternative Comics). http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/ ****************************************************

"RIP Alton Kelley: King of Collage, Prince of Prints" - my unpublished 1999 interview with the late album cover and poster legend, who died in June ’08. Together with Stanley Mouse, Kelley virtually created the very look of an entire era. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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"RIP Dave Stevens: Rocketeer Creator" - tribute to another fallen Great One, longtime San Diegan Dave Stevens.   http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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"Where Have All The Deadheads Gone?" Local flower children, after the head Deadhead was dead. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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Blacks Beach - Partying nekkid with the children of the Rainbow (and some OCD Beatles fans).  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/aug/31/rock-operas-leaving-town-plus-playing-with-michael/

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THE KOMPLETE KISS KOMIX KRONICLES - Comprehensive collection of stuff I’ve done about working with Kiss on a comic book series, along with a bunch of never-before-seen artifacts from the Kiss Komix archives AND an article by Kiss comic author Spike Steffenhagen, offering his own very-different take, ala Rashomon, on the same events I describe in my essay...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/12/komplete-kiss-komix-kronicles

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LOCALS REVEAL THEMSELVES - We asked 75 local musicos to tell us something few would know or guess -----

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/11/75-secrets-about-75-san-diego-musicians

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LOCAL ROCK CHICKS - “It’s not easy being a chick rocker,” says Vv Loveland of Scary Mary, who shares rock chick tales alongside Eve Selis, Anya Marina, AM Vibe, Elan, Lindsey and Anna Troy, Cindy Lee Berryhill, Jenn Grinels, Victoria Robertson, Rachael Gordon, Wild Weekend, and more...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/11/rocker-chicks-do-san-diego-plus-browsing-the-board

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ROCK 'N' ROLL COMICS: THE INSIDE STORY - In 1989, local Revolutionary Comics ("Unauthorized And Proud Of It") launched Rock 'N' Roll Comics, featuring unlicensed biographies of rock stars, most of which I wrote. Some performers, like Frank Zappa and Kiss, were supportive, while others like New Kids On The Block considered our comics akin to bootlegs and sued. In June 1992, publisher Todd Loren was found dead in his San Diego condo, brutally murdered...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/12/rock-n-roll-comics-the-inside-story

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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK VS REVOLUTIONARY COMICS - The inside story of how a hugely successful boy band tried to sue local-based Rock 'N' Roll Comics over an unauthorized biography of the group, sparking a court case that established, for the very first time, first amendment rights for comic books. Illustrated by comic superstar Stuart Immonen (Superman, etc.)...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/13/new-kids-on-the-block-versus-revolutionary-comics

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OVER A MILLION CARNAL COMICS ARE IN PRINT - Here's how and why we made some of the top-selling erotic comics of all time, right here in San Diego, including what Gene Simmons has to do with it all, backstage tales of porn stars, and more confessions of a comic pornographer...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/08/carnal-comics-the-inside-story-jay-allen-sanfor

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THE ROCKETEER AND OTHER FAMOUS '80S COMICS BEGAN RIGHT HERE IN SAN DIEGO - Here's a detailed history of local Pacific Comics, who recruited comic superstars like Jack Kirby to create one of the first successful indie comic book lines. Pioneers in the fight for comic creators' rights and royalties, former employees and operators reveal how they did it, and what went so terribly wrong...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/08/pacific-comics-the-inside-story-jay-allen-sanford

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COMICS AND CENSORSHIP - DON'T BE AFRAID, IT'S ONLY A COMIC BOOK - A local-centric history of comic book censorship, and the fight for the rights of comic creators...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/06/comics-and-censorship-a-local-centric-illustrated

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TWILIGHT ZONE AND STAR TREK WRITER GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON PRESENTS - The inside story of a local horror comic book series featuring Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, plus sci-fi king Larry Niven, Zap Comix co-founder Spain Rodriguez, Matthew Alice artist Rick Geary, Vampire Lestat painter Daerick Gross, yours truly JAS, and many more...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/05/deepest-dimension-terror-anthology-twilight-zone

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THE BIRTH OF IMAGE COMICS: INSIDE STORY OF A LOCAL PUBLISHING POWERHOUSE - Illustrated tale revealing how Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and local comic artist Jim Lee (the Punisher, etc.) conspired to create the ultimate creator-owned comic books...

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-birth-of-image-comics-an-illustrated-history

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When Your Love Is Locked Up - On California women's prisons and the families and loved ones of prisoners. Focus is on my good friend Danielle Barcheers, the 2nd youngest female ever convicted of a capital crime in CA state history (now ten years into a 20-to-life sentence). Plus 100 Rockin' Local Lawsuits.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jul/30/when-kids-go-to-prison-plus-100-rockin-lawsuits

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"Before It Was The Gaslamp: Balboa's Last Stand" - Cover story 6-21-07: In the late 70s/early 80s, I worked at downtown San Diego's grindhouse all-night movie theaters, for the owner of the Pussycat Theatre chain, Vince Miranda - this detailed feature recalls those dayz, the death of the Balboa Theatre, etc.

More Before It Was the Gaslamp

 

"Battle Of The Peeps" - feature article about a weird gig I had in the mid-'80s, running a strip club called Jolar, for the nation's second biggest pornographer, Harry Mohney (Deja Vu Showgirls founder).

More Battle of the Peeps - An Insider History of San Diego Porn Shops

"Field Of Screens" - Cover story 7-6-06: Complete theater-by-theater history of San Diego drive-ins thru the years, including a few which screened X-rated fare for awhile.

More Drive-In Theaters in San Diego: Complete Illustrated History 1947 thru 2008

  

"Pussycat Theaters - When 'Cathouses Ruled California" -- for the first time, the detailed inside story of the west coast Pussycat Theater chain of adult moviehouses, which peaked in the '70s but later died out. Told by those who actually ran the theaters!

More Pussycat Theater History: When Cathouses Ruled CA

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Like this blog? Here are some related links:

OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/

FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/

SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic

JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford