San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now
Press illo to play the Overheard song!
NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED
IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....
If you wanna see a list of over 1,800 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 4,800 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 soon!!!! JAS
HERE'S THE NEW Overheard in San Diego
ARCHIVE OF Famous Former Neighbors
ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TODAY/WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
NAM CHI VU GOES BEATLE (AND SO DOES ROCKOLA AND THE ALPHABEATLES...)
“Imagine the Spice Girls singing Beatles songs,” says bass phenom Nam Chi Vu of The Penny Lanes, an all-female Fab Four tribute that also includes singer/guitarist Vanja James. “I based the name after the Beatles song, of course, but also after Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous. I have replicas of the Sergeant Pepper uniforms in short dress form, which the ladies will be wearing with mod go-go boots…We’ll play all the hit Beatles songs, but that includes covers the Beatles did, such as ‘Twist and Shout’ and ‘Please Mr. Postman.’”
While their look is customized per gender, The Penny Lanes shoot for straight note-for-note renditions. “My goal is to get it as close to the real thing as possible. When doing a tribute, I feel like it’s important, because everyone knows these songs and will know if something is tampered with, or when someone messes up or forgets a lyric.”
Classical/jazz bassist Nam Chi Vu has been singing since she was 12, playing electric bass guitar since she was 13, acting since she was 14, and playing upright bass since she was 16. Her background consists of several genres from classical, jazz, rock, to pop. Her experience goes from sharing the stage in master classes with Victor Wooten to rocking out with Chicago-based band Veruca Salt.
Vu is a rare multi-threat talent. As a bassist, she’s among the city’s two or three best, equally comfortable playing classical, jazz, and rock.
In other Beatle news, Campland near PB hosts Beatles on the Bay on Saturday, October 10, with Rockola doing an all-Moptop set. The locale used to host an annual Dead on the Bay gathering, until Grateful Dead reps encouraged them drop the unauthorized moniker. “The Dead management feels real concerned about people not being confused in terms of who’s putting on a production or who’s associated with a production,” according to promoter Brian Ross. It’s a free show (other than parking fee).
If you prefer your Beatles naked, the Alphabeatles still perform for tips at Black’s Beach on the first Saturday of every month. The middle-aged married duo plays acoustic versions of around two dozen Beatles songs, unaccompanied by clothing and always performed in alphabetical order, a discipline they refuse to alter. I once saw a (naked) woman request that they do “Rocky Raccoon.”
“We can’t,” the (naked) husband said, “we’re only on the Gs,” and they launched into “Good Day, Sunshine.”
************************************************
EBEN BROOKS: THE RETURN OF HEROES AGAINST HUNGER
Heroes Against Hunger is a once-a-month concert series at Claire de Lune Coffeehouse that benefits The San Diego Food Bank and they are looking for acts for December 6th. If you are an artist—musician, poet, comedian, painter, photographer, author, whatever!—and want to play or exhibit at one of these shows, contact Eben Brooks by clicking his name in this sentence and let him know.
The last Heroes Against Hunger show was Sunday, October 4 - Brooks emailed a report: "Sunday night's show was INCREDIBLE! We not only punched up the energy, but we filled Claire to capacity, and maybe a little beyond. I know for certain that, at one point, they didn't have enough seats to hold everyone! Claire isn't a small place, but the seating is spread out (it's a coffee house, after all), and we probably had 60 people in there for most of the evening."
"So here we are, a basically unknown band, and not only did we collect over 40 pounds of food and over $75 for the Food Bank, but we filled this venue to capacity. We're probably going to have to move the show before the new year."
Regarding the Eben Brooks Band, “Our music is very lyric driven,” says its titular leader. “If I had to choose a genre, I would call it progressive acoustic rock, but by progressive I mean politically and personally progressive. It’s possible for lyrics to reflect a wide range of complex social topics, even if writing anti-war songs nowadays is an open invitation for people to impugn your patriotism.”
“Our music is about growing, challenging oneself, becoming a better person, and making the world a better place,” says Brooks, formerly with the Celtic folk band the Wild Oats (1991 – 2002). “We’re trying to create music that makes people think. Obviously, we want to entertain people, and we want them to be able to enjoy a song or a show without feeling they’re being beaten over the head with a ‘message,’ but the messages are there. Our music is very lyric-driven.”
Brooks counts various sci-fi authors as among his influences. “I’m a very big fan of Roger Zelazny’s work, and I’ve read all the Amber Chronicles,” says Brooks, whose video for his song “Champs Élysées” was inspired by Zelazny’s Courts of Chaos. “We chose Lestat’s to shoot at because the writer and director wrote a script that fits perfectly with their setup and decor. Lestat’s has great stone gargoyles.”
He points out that fantasy fiction and rock have long been simpatico. “I’ve always been a big fan of Jethro Tull, who tends to weave fantasy and sci-fi elements into their songs. Hawkwind writes music heavily influenced by Michael Moorcock, and there’s always Led Zeppelin’s work based on Tolkien.”
MORE NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK
 |
Keep Life Punk Rock by Jay Allen Sanford Electro-dance-punky quartet the Attack!! was founded in 2008 by singer-guitarist Ivan Tamayo (Kiss Me Katelynn, Suspect Jones) and drummer Bryan Famous (London Ghost Show). After playing their first gig ... |
 |
Anthology Hits the Airwaves by Bart Mendoza Starting on October 9, Little Italy venue Anthology will join forces with KPRI (102.1 FM) to broadcast a live, two-hour music show, Homegrown Fridays Live. Airing from 10 p.m. to midnight, additional concerts will ... |
 |
Dean & Britta by William Crain When the Andy Warhol Museum decided recently to hire a band to write a soundtrack for Warhol's famous silent-film screen tests, it couldn't have picked a more appropriate act than Dean & Britta. Watching the resultant ... |
 |
As Tall As Lions by Dave Good When As Tall as Lions played the Casbah this summer, Dan Nigro told the audience that he'd been waiting 27 years (basically, his entire life) to rock the Casbah. "It was a joke, you know? 'Rock the Casbah ... |
 |
Derren Raser, Trophy Wife, and Verso by Brian Carver The song had a lot of warmth and immediacy to it. It was almost like he was performing that in a bedroom for you. Typically, it's not what I'm into as far as that softer style goes, but he at least has a good ear for ... |
 |
Finger Pickin' Good by Dave Good Local acoustic picker Jim Earp went to the annual Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas, this year and came home with honors. Earp says he tied for fourth place in the International Finger Style ... |
 |
Norton's Infinite Adventure by Jay Allen Sanford "I moved to Paris to pursue my own music as a composer," says San Diego singer-guitarist Nick Norton (a Park Tradition, Honest Iago), who last year was awarded a scholarship by the European American Musical ... |
 |
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by Jay Allen Sanford "We're not an Apple licensee, so we have to be careful how we market them," says Digital Group Audio president Erik Groset, creator of the portable Livespeakr system, designed (but not licensed) for iPhones and ... |
SPORTS ARENA MVP SPILLS ON 2.5 MIL REDO AND NEW ARENA NIGHTCLUB
“We’re putting two and a half million dollars in the building” says Ernie Hahn, General Manager of the Sports Arena for the past 13 years. “It’s been a year since AEG Live became a majority owner partner and, since there’s no new arena being built for awhile in San Diego, AEG is modernizing the facility with creature comforts like LCD TV screens, flat screens, redoing the entrances and the outer concourse, paint and colors and lighting, and all new lower level seats. The eight rows of riser seats at the Arena that have literally been here since day one are all getting replaced, [with] 2,200 state-of-the-art seats.”
Construction has also begun on “a special club for our sponsors and club seat holders,” in the old Arena Club space, set to open later this year. Club 3500 (the facility’s address) will be 6,500 square feet, with a 350-person occupancy and accessed via membership only. “When you walk in,” says Hahn, “it’s going to feel like a downtown club, really swank, hip, and sophisticated. It’ll be close to a dedicated seating section at stage right, which will be put aside for our club members.”
Annual membership is $2,450.00, with the option to purchase up to four “dedicated seating” tickets for events you want to opt-in for. Other perks include VIP parking, a VIP entrance, and its own “Exclusive men’s and women’s rest rooms, with sound in them, new paint, mirrors, sinks, and counters, and stalls. The Arena Club in the past always had to utilize the rest rooms that are also available to anybody in [sections] A, B or C on the floor.”
Hahn is also outfitting Club 3500 with Arena memorabilia. “Few houses have this kind of history,” he says. “A lot of people saw their first concert here. We’ll have over 120 pictures showing the actual [Sports Arena] history, like Pink Floyd in ‘74, or the Stones in ’72. I’ve got a great shot of Elton John, one of Elvis in ‘73 or ‘76, and I think a Led Zeppelin ‘75 shot. We have a great photo of James Brown here in 1967, and one of John Denver in the mid-seventies, which I particularly like.”
The 42 year-old Hahn grew up in locally, with parents who were Mariners season ticket holders in the ‘70s (“Lower level one, two seats on the end, across from the visiting penalty box”). He began at the facility as an event coordinator in June 1991.
AEG runs, operates, or is involved with around a hundred arena facilities worldwide, though Hahn notes “We’re an open building. So, whether it’s Live Nation or AEG or anyone else, all shows are not only welcome but encouraged here.”
As for selling naming rights to the building (after a short-lived stint at the iPayOne Center), Hahn says “Through the global partnerships division of AEG, we’re working with a lot of sponsors, some who just recently stepped up, and we’re in discussions with a couple who will hopefully bid or ultimately come in as a naming rights partner.”
AEG sold naming rights for
And now, courtesy of Bart Mendoza, here are 15 video clips set at the Sports Arena, some pro-shot and some fan-made ----
1) Tribal Seeds @ Reggae Fest 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzQ-w7zr84
2) Fleetwood Mac / “Dreams” 05/31/09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eXXAth0i74
3) Metallica / “Enter Sandman” 01-13/14-92 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYlPUNEwGRU
4) Nirvana / “Heart Shaped Box” 12 29 93 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGpbtv2mgU
5) U2 / “Beautiful Day” 09 28 05 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HhnRBOMJhY
6) George Micheal / “Careless Whisper” 06/17/08 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml1Qlpn_LQ8
7) Led Zeppelin Comes to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APplenzzKk4
8) Taylor Swift / “Hey Stephan” (really good footage of her interacting with concert crowd at 2:30 – kind of daring actually…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI4e8_fn80k
9) AC/DC / “Back In Black” 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiWX-7khEog
10) Janet Jackson / ….. (Janet gets overwhelmed by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcosWOI-dOs
11) Pearl Jam / “Jeremy” 1995 – not great pic quality, but really good sound!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCOZoUcPANI
12) JJ Cale & Eric Clapton / “Cocaine” 03/15/07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg63-uOgUJ8
13) P.O.D. / “Boom” (just 8 seconds worth!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXEzvQtnC9w
14) Ozzy Osbourne / …end of the show (fake gunshots!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUpDN1gOx5s
15) Slayer / At the Sports Arena 1992 (a brief parking lot clip shot by a fan!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H_9zhpMDHY
************************************************
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS TO GIVE AWAY 30 GUITARS IN 30 DAYS VIA TWITTER
Beginning Tuesday, October 6th, multi-platinum recording artists Thirty Seconds to Mars will begin a Twitter-powered “30 Guitars in 30 Days” giveaway, rewarding one Twitter follower each day with a brand new guitar for the astronomically low price of 1 Tweet.
Co-presented by Culture Jam and Michael Kelly Guitars, fans can enter to win 1 of 30 Nostalgia Series guitars (including fitted hard-shell cases) by sending a single tweet through Culture Jam’s custom application at: thirtysecondstomars.culturejam.com. The band will select one winner daily.
The "30 Guitars in 30 Days" giveaway is the most recent fan-focused intiative from Thirty Seconds To Mars. Recently fans have had the unique opportunity to participate in both the recording process of This Is War as well as the album packaging. "The Summit" brought fans from around the world together both online and offline to record sounds that were included on the album and the "Faces of Mars" contest allowed fans to submit photos of themselves which will ultimately end up on multiple different covers of the album.
On October 13th, you will also be able to use the application to become one of the first to purchase Thirty Seconds to Mars’ newest single – “Kings + Queens” – as well as preorder This is War (December 8th, EMI’s Virgin Records) via iTunes and Amazon.
************************************************
Exclusive preview and new interview with one of the creators/performers behind the new internet Trek series - click for more ---http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/happy-rons-hormonal-harem---loving-san-diegos-musi/#
READER EXCLUSIVE - For the first time anywhere on the web, here's the promo trailer for Star Trek: The Continuing Mission, episode six: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/audioclips/66/
************************************************
CATHRYN BEEKS’ WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET
Thursday 10/8 - Happy Hour Acoustic Jam at Winstons in OB - EVERY THURSDAY. Solo and small ensembles, sign up for a showcase spot and get a free drink. Wanna sit in? Bring your instrument and if the featured artist is down, you're in. Email me to reserve your spot. This week: 5:00 open, 5:30 Jared Engelmier, 6:00 open, 6:30 open, 7:00 Happy Ron, 7:30 Brenda Xu --- No cover, good times. Friday 10/9 - Homegrown Live at Anthology! From 10pm to Midnight I'll MC sets from 3 amazing LOCAL favorites at San Diego's swankiest concert club, Anthology. Sold out? You can hear it LIVE on 102.1 KPRIfm. Tickets are only $10, two for one and special seating available. This is an amazing opportunity for San Diego to hear how incredible our local talent is, be part of the first one this Friday night: Tori Roze, Nova, and Endoxi. Go to Anthology for ticket info, see you there! MUSIC NEWS
Artist of the Week: Brenda Xu will play the new Acoustic Happy Hour Jam at Winstons in OB this Thursday at 7:30, no cover.
Link of the Week: A pleasure to perform from or see your favorite acts upon, Anthology's stage is considered San Diego's finest. Now more of our local bands have the opportunity to perform there while being heard by the greater San Diego area on 102.1 KPRIfm from 10 to midnight each Friday beginning in January. There are 4 shows until then and the first one is PRETTY INCREDIBLE! Tori Roze, Nova and Endoxi. Get your tickets at anthologysd.com, I'll see you there!
Last Chance for Chick Camp, Ladies only! Friday and Saturday, October 16th and 17th, 2pm on Friday we'll check into a spacious, private site at Lake Jennings in Lakeside. We'll pitch tents, rent boats, drink big girl drinks, cook delicious meals, play music, relax, etc. $20 covers you, stay the whole weekend or drop by for a few hours. Wood, water, smores and goodie bags will be provided. BYO camp gear (or arrange to share), food and booze. Lake Jennings is only 30 minutes from downtown San Diego, weather will be low 80s day/high 50s night... perfect for camping! Limited space, email me for more info. 
The MTS Kick Gas Festival gets started at 11am on Saturday, October 24th at Qualcomm stadium. Tickets are in and only $10 advanced, $15 day of show. The line up is CRAZY GOOD, plus the festival is all ages, family friendly and full of all things green and good for our earth. Listen Local is proud to be part of this event again this year, one of three stages! KickGasFestival.com for info.
Studiowest and The Recording Arts Center are looking for solo artists and bands to participate in their "Audio Recording Techniques" class. Selected acts will get a free day of studio time and solid tracks to take and use as you'd like. The next class is from 11am-5pm on Oct. 29th (solo artist) and Oct. 31st (band). Contact studio manager Astra Kelly, if you'd like to be involved.
Triptych featuring Peggy Watson, David Beldock and Joe Rathburn will play at The Oasis on Saturday, October 10th at 7:30. DON'T MISS THIS SHOW! Contact Martha for reservation information.
More trio house concert fun! Zen House Concerts presents Sven-Erik Seaholm, Bviolin and Peter Bolland on October 17th. For ticket info contact www.zenhouseconcerts.com
Wayne's World II at Old Time Music in North Park takes place on October 17th at 7pm. Wayne Riker with Laura Kuebel, John Dodge and Veronica May. For info visit here
Randi Driscoll releases her new CD "365 Days" on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:30pm with Grammy Award Winner, Larry Mitchell, and other surprise guests at Anthology! For tickets and info visit Anthology's site.
The Homegrown Hour is going LIVE on Fridays at Anthology beginning October 9th with Nova, Tori Roze and Endoxi. $10 cover for a swanky night of local music love, or listen on the radio at 102.1 KPRI from 10 to midnight. More info coming soon...
THE READER AND VALLEY VIEW CASINO PRESENTS ART, MUSIC, AND WINE FESTIVAL - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
(
The Reader, in association with Valley View Casino and KPRI-FM and FOX 5 San Diego, will hold the Valley View Casino Art, Music & Wine Festival on Sunday, October 11th. The event will feature more than 30 local artists of various mediums, 10 wineries including Robert Mondovi, Charles Krug, Chateau St. Michelle, Ferrari Carano and Coppola and several unique food purveyors all in the casino’s open air event center from noon to 6:00p.m.
“We have the best guests in the world and we wanted to create an event where they can enjoy fine wine, great live music, top-notch art and unrivaled guest service all wrapped around the best casino experience in San Diego,” said Bruce Howard, general manager at Valley View Casino.
The juried art festival, free to attend, will display a wide range of work from artists throughout
All Valley View Casino Players Club members will receive a special discounts and offers on their art purchases simply for showing their Valley View Casino Players Club card. Joining the Valley View Casino Players Club is easy and free. Please note that the Valley View Casino Art, Music & Wine Festival is open for guests 21 or older.
All guests must be over the age of 21 to attend any concert, show, restaurant or visit Valley View Casino. For more information about Valley View Casino, visit www.valleyviewcasino.com or call 1-866-VIEW-WIN.
Len Rainey & the Midnight Players
TODAY'S "WHAT THE F-CK" ALBUM COVER
The undesirable behavior being mocked on this cover seem to be (left to right) nailbiting (or flatulence?), smoking (or obsessive fingering?), spinsterism (or Bible thumping?), jokesterism (or devil worship?) and, uh, exhibitionism? Overdressing? Terrible fashion sense? Hanna Barbera-ism? Your guess is as good as mine --
An album cover only Robert Crumb (or John Waters) could love...
No, not a surreal '70s porn video - or is it? Somewhere between the comical and offensive, therein you'll find inexplicable little mindf*ks like this Videodronic wonder.
So an axe-wielding Sumo wrestler with a baby seal head takes a dump on Holocaust victims, while a bomber plane flies up his ass...another brown acid casualty, or what??
Okay - so you're saying bongo players only date hookers?? Or that hookers prefer bongo players? And what's with the no-panties look (is that Britney's mom)? The whole thing seems geared for people who HATE beatniks.
Some "party" - I'd swear I saw a Hieronymus Bosch painting of Hell that looked just like below...
Oh yeah, these two kids TOTALLY rock. What parent would ever buy this for their kids, when the music contained therein apparently makes their sons do the Riverdance and float away, while their daughters' shoes vanish and their dresses fly up? BTW, WTF is "FULL COLOR" high fidelity (unless yer on LSD)??
If you think about it, that's pretty impressive, to be able to hula-hoop with no hands AND no neck!!
Not sher why, but these two may be the scariest people I've ever seen...
TV show themes were big in the '70s, and many compilations came and went, but this one below has to be the worst cover of the lot. Nobody resembles the actual performers, except Farrah's hair - bionic Steve Austin looks like porn star John Holmes, Lamont Sanford has morphed into Jesse Jackson, and what the hell is Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks doing on Hawaii 5-O?!
PREVIOUS WTFs - http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jul/24/wtf-album-covers---strange-bizarre-and-butt-clench/
************************************************ ************************************************
| NOVEMBER 12 |
San Diego, CA @ Delta Room/House of Blues with IRRADIO |
The Twilight Zone made it's TV debut 50 years ago this week, on 10-2-59 - we asked local musicos to tell us their own favorite Zone episodes --- (more "What's Your Favorite Twilight Zone?" )
********************************************************
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... (more Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology: Inside ... )
************************************************
WHO GETS ALL THAT MONEY FROM THE BEATLES ROCK BAND AND DIGITAL ALBUM SALES????
$$$$: So Michael Jackson once bought most of the Beatles song publishing - does that mean his estate is now raking in the bucks from the newest round of Fab Four marketing, including the Rock Band game and digital album releases?
SONY/ATV & Michael Jackson's music company would each share the publishing royalty -- which, as stated, is only paid on units SOLD (any CDs that are returned to Capitol-EMI for refund by retailers are discounted). And that amount is believed to be 50% of $0.0825 for every ORIGINAL song on every album except those written by George Harrison and Ringo Starr or the four songs held back by Dick James when he originally sold the song catalog to Northern Songs in 1968 ("From Me To You", "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You" and "Ask Me Why"). Those songs required separate publishing deals and revenue shares that do NOT involve Michael Jackson or his estate.
Lennon and McCartney each receive 1/2 of 50% of the $0.0825 songwriting royalty for every ORIGINAL song they wrote for any of the 13 Beatles CD remasters. McCartney has indicated that his unresolved rift between him and Michael Jackson dealt with his request, on behalf of him and Lennon -- to get a bigger songwriting royalty. This indicates to those outside the Beatle camp that the deal Jackson original purchased may have been pulling MORE than the industry standard 50% leaving Lennon & McCartney less than their 50%. McCartney asked for a raise and Jackson refused. They never spoke to each other again after that.
Regardless, BOTH royalties are called the "mechanical" royalty -- one is the publishing share, one is the songwriting share. These royalty shares are also in place for any radio airplay that occurs around the world giving Jackson a piece of the Beatles everytime their songs get played -- or someone does a cover version.
To complicate matters, there are VIDEOS on each of these CD remasters which requires a synchronization royalty because the music is being married to visuals (i.e. film). So, the splits are nearly identical for that, though it's hard to say what the original publishing deal was that the songwriters signed in the 1960's.
THEN...there is the sales royalty based on the recordings themselves which has been a source of speculation for years. Epstein signed the Beatles to an absolutely criminal royalty rate with Parlophone in 1962 -- which included an equal share of the sale of every album to all four members of the band. The Beatles received a slightly larger pay increase upon renewing with Parlophone via Capitol Records in early 1967 -- and the term of the contract was extended from 5 years to 9 years...keeping the band tied to the label even after they'd split up -- finally elapsing in 1976. Lennon, Harrison and Starr all left Capitol at that time even after renewing the terms of their deal for BEATLES ONLY product for another 9 years [it is assumed the Beatles got another raise as Capitol was then allowed to release "Rock And Roll Music", "Hollywood Bowl" and "Rarities" as a concession].
That deal was renewed again every 5 years [giving us "Reel Music" and "20 Greatest Hits"] and by 1992/1993 The Beatles and their revived corporate representatives, Apple Records, laid out a business plan that would have Beatles product re-launched, like Disney movies, intermittently over the next 45-50 years. The "Anthologies" were the first salvo, followed by "1", The White Album Anniversary Remaster [not actually remastered, just reissued], "Yellow Submarine Songtrack", and "Let It Be: Naked" plus the most recent "Love" re-creation of classic tracks remixed.
There is no way of knowing how much money each of the Beatles is receiving for the CDs they sell. An EMI-Canada promotions manager for The Beatles "1" album told me years ago, he thinks it's 40% on the wholesale rate -- and that the Beatles do NOT allow any discounts of their product or promotional copies to be charged back to their account (which is standard practice...and why so many artists never make a dime from sales of their records).
The Beatles also renegotiated their "controlled composition" clauses in their deal. Standard practice in the music industry since RCA Records invented the Long Play album in 1948 is that a label would not pay a royalty for any song exceeding 10 compositions on a record. If you notice, many of the Beatles early albums have 12 or 14 tracks. The Beatles would only get paid for 10 of those songs on each album. As smart business men, even at the beginning, they realized that the more original compositions they had on each record, the more money they'd make. But Parlophone insisted on cover tunes -- so the Beatles fought to have 2 to 4 cover tunes on each of the early albums as 'throw aways' that were not counted against their 10 controlled compositions. [Robert Palmer changed the industry standard in 1990 when he insisted on getting paid for every song because of the extended play time of CD releases. His album featured 18 songs]
And make no mistake, the band makes money from EVERY single piece of merchandise that features their faces or the Beatles logo. This may look crass and greedy on the surface, but few people know that The Beatles never made a penny off Beatlemania between 1963 and 1966 because Brian Epstein gave the rights away for the band's merchandising during that 4 year period. All the money from Beatle wallpaper, curtains, lamps, mini-record players, combs, Beatle wigs, clothing accessories, et al went straight into the pockets of official licensees around the world. When Epstein died, the Beatles vowed to control all aspects of the group's intellectual and physical properties (where they could).
And this is why there is now a Beatles empire controlled by their representatives at Apple Records.
Many of the artists from Revolutionary Comics, Rock 'N' Roll Comics, and Carnal Comics have joined forces once again to work on a new & unusual comic and reality based project – The Obama Nation Card Game!
Obama Nation makes good-natured fun of politics, republicans and democrats, government spending and the
Former Rev Com artist (and Obama Game art director) Steve Crompton described how it all came together; ”It’s a bit like a cross between wacky packages, Old Maid and some of the stuff Revolutionary Comics might have done if they made card games. I thought it would be fun to get the old gang together for something like this, and I needed all the help I could get, so I contacted everyone I could find and I’m really happy with the response and great art I got from my Rev Com & Carnal pals.”
A quick look at the 54 card deck shows reveals an impressive list of RevCom & Carnal alums, including Lyndal Ferguson, Scott Jackson, Steve Crompton, Brad Foster, Gus Norman, Randy Vogel and Philo. There may even be a few others hiding in the set as a complete list of all the RevCom artists is hard to come by.
The full-color 54 card deck comes in a resealable box for a only $7.99.
http://shop.twistedrules.com/
You can also get it at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/shops/carnalcomics
http://www.obamanationcardgame.com/
************************************************
Dandy Warhols Star Releasing Graphic Novel about '70s German Band
The story is set in Germany in 1977, when the country is still shattered from the devastation of war and the harsh realities of communism. The country's youth are fighting back against a repressed nation with their only figurehead for this violent, well dressed revolution, a band, later to be forever lost in time, One Model Nation. 
Robert is no stranger to comics. He studied cartooning under Walter Simonson (The Mighty Thor) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he attended on scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Best known for being the primary songwriter behind Life of Agony's critically acclaimed River Runs Red concept album, Robert is also an accomplished artist. His illustrations and designs have appeared on merchandise, ad campaigns and websites for multi-platinum rock acts such as 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown.
In Wire Hangers, which will debut with a 32-page, ad-free first issue, a series of abductions are plaguing New York, leaving no one safe. When Anna Davis, a feisty young female reporter, goes undercover to try and snag the big exclusive, she stumbles upon clues that give us a glimpse into what could be the most disturbing government conspiracy of our time. Pill-popping detectives, corrupt secret agents and a mysterious, disfigured homeless man are all inter-connected in this horrific tale of revenge and redemption.
Robert states, "I've wanted to tell this story for as long as I can remember. I came up with the Wire Hangers concept a few years back, when Life of Agony was on the road supporting Ozzy Osbourne It has haunted me ever since! Whenever we were touring or in the recording studio, I would find myself sketching out characters on the back of lyric sheets and leaving myself voicemail messages with scene dialogue. By the time I presented the idea to IDW earlier this year, the story was completely fleshed out. Visually, it's dark and gritty with tons of textures and atmosphere. The artwork really sets a tone for the series and plays an equal part in telling the story.
"I really can't express how excited I am to finally see this idea come to life. I've been a huge comic book fan since I was just a kid and went to art college in the hopes of becoming a penciler one day. During my graduation year, LOA landed the record contract with Roadrunner to record River Runs Red and, once it came out, I found myself touring full-time and focusing on my music career. So, for me, all these years later - to finally create my own original comic series is a dream come true. Releasing it through IDW is the icing on the cake. They've put out some of my favorite books, like 30 Days of Night and Welcome to Hoxford. It's a real honor to have Wire Hangers appear alongside those titles."
"Wire Hangers is going to hold its own up against the IDW titles that Alan has long admired," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. "When he brought me the story, both his storytelling sense and artistic skills were fully formed and ready to roll on a comic series. In much the same way Alan went from playing bass for one band to fronting another, his talents will be front and center on his comic, too."
Wire Hangers will make its debut with a 4-issue miniseries in March 2010.
************************************************
MOWER GUITARIST QUITS, SKINLAB TOUR CANCELLED
The just-announced SkinLab/Mower tour is already minus a Mower. Here's what the band said today on their MySpace page:
"A decision made by a departing member yesterday has forced the band to relinquish our spot on the bill. We are beyond disappointed. Sometime between sound check and set time last night in Denver, CO, our guitarist Greg Russell decided to book a flight and leave the tour without alerting anyone in the band of his intentions."
"The fact that he decided that his issues were more important than the fans, friends, band, crew, agents, club owners, promoters, record labels, sponsors, press, Skinlab, and all the local support acts is something that we can't even begin to understand or condone. The four remaining members of Mower looked into every possible replacement option to continue on the tour, but none of those options would have been viable in time." - more on this story
LOCALS IN THE NEWS
Tuesday's Earful: The Soft Pack @ The Bowery Ballroom
Earvolution (blog 10-7) - When four white guys from San Diego, California decide to name their band The Muslims, they are either the most naïve bunch of clueless putzes ever pick up ...
*****************************************
Slacker Integrates With Twitter
socalTech.com (10-7) - San Diego-based Internet radio service Slacker has integrated its service with micro-blogging service Twitter, the firm said this morning. ...
*****************************************
Slacker radio app lets users create stations on BlackBerrys
USA Today (10-6) - Mudd moved the 35-member staff back into his former Musicmatch Spanish hacienda-style offices in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego (since vacated by ...
*****************************************
CATTLE DECAPITATION: Orangevale Footage Available - Oct. 5, 2009 (10-4)
Blabbermouth.net - Capital Chaos has uploaded video footage (see below) of San Diego extreme metallers CATTLE DECAPITATION performing the song "Regret & The Grave" on October ...
*****************************************
Watch: Thom Yorke & new band makes debut at Echoplex
Consequence of Sound (10-3): The song was soundchecked (with drums) at Bayside in San Diego on June 27th, 2006 and never heard from again. Until last night. Thom asked the rest of the ...
*****************************************
Show alert: The Zeros
Pegasus News (10-2): Here is a story from the San Diego Union about the band. They are from my hometown...Chula Juana, as well, holmes! LOL! Hard Night's Day This is as close to ...
*****************************************
Chuck Schiele DIY Entrepreneur - Renaissance Man
GuitarGearHeads.com (10-2): 2006 and 2007 San Diego Music Award Winner (for his roots music group, The Grams), Chuck Schiele wears many different hats. He is a singer/songwriter as ...
*****************************************
Thirsty interviews Ryan Moran of Slightly Stoopid
Stay Thirsty Media (10-1): Slightly Stoopid and completely kick-ass, this Ocean Beach, San Diego band has been flooding the industry with reggae, punk and rock infused stylee' ...
*****************************************
Nightlife Agenda - Washington Post: Somehow Nathan Williams -- a San Diego kid whose main hobbies include skateboarding, getting stoned and writing fuzzy, lo-fi pop songs in his basement ...
*****************************************
Cowboy Mike left Motor City to spin in So Cal
Arizona Daily Star -The trance music aficionado moved to San Diego from Detroit about six years ago, and he's become a fixture in the local club scene, as well as a rising star ...
*****************************************
'New Moon' Soundtrack: A Quick Guide To Its Lesser-Known Artists - MTV.com: Anya Marina ("Satellite Heart"): The San Diego-based singer/songwriter, sometime actress ("100 Girls") and radio DJ released her second album of playfully ...
*****************************************
Mustache Mayhem with the Silent Comedy
PopMatters - Walking into the Silent Comedy show at San Diego’s Casbah on September 11th, you might have felt you’d stumbled onto the craft services table on set of a remake of Paper Moon. Every other guy in attendance looked like a particularly roguish Depression-era hobo or the piano player at a Chaplin film festival. ...
*****************************************
Veoh Claims Win Over Universal Music
*****************************************
Rock 'n' Roll Comics Gets an Encore - Headlines - Broken Frontier
Throughout the 90's, “Rock 'N' Roll Comics”, was a popular staple on the newsstands. Now the title will be receiving an encore as newly-packaged graphic ...
*****************************************
The Outhouse - Comic Book Forum and Fanboy Haven - Bluewater ...
The Beatles Experience comic book will run over 200 pages, dramatizing one of the most compelling tales in pop culture history, drawn from thousands of photos and interviews, meticulously researched and featuring stunning art by Mike Sagara (Rock 'N' Roll Comics)
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS
Mo 10/5: Steve Martin
Mo 10/5: Jamie Foxx
Tu 10/6: Abigail Breslin, Joe Torre, Cindy McCain
We 10/7: Wanda Sykes
Th 10/8: Gerard Butler, Ben Harper & Jack Black
Fr 10/9: Terry Bradshaw
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC
Mo 10/5: Ellen Page, Dierks Bentley
Tu 10/6: Kristen Bell, Anvil
We 10/7: Jason Bateman, Selena Gomez, Toby Keith
Th 10/8: Jimmie Johnson, the Backstreet Boys
Fr 10/9: Lady Antebellum
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS
Mo 10/5: Michael Sheen, Viola Davis, Jack Ingram
Tu 10/6: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the Avett Brothers
We 10/7: Rachel Bilson, Jeff Dunham
Th 10/8: Jean Reno, Sophia Bush
Fr 10/9: Gerard Butler, Phoenix
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, NBC
Mo 10/5: Seth Green, Kevin Lyman, Pete Yorn (R 9/16/09)
Tu 10/6: Thomas Jane
We 10/7: Juliette Lewis
Th 10/8: Joss Stone
Fr 10/9: Glenn Howerton
Mo 10/12: Frank Caliendo, Casey Currie, Emily Wells (R 9/17/09)
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, ABC
Mo 10/5: David Alan Grier, 10-year-old vacuum cleaner expert Gregory Evans, Pink (R 9/16/09)
Tu 10/6: Patricia Heaton, the latest "Dancing with the Stars" castoff, Gossip
We 10/7: Joel McHale, Richard Belzer, KISS
Th 10/8: Kelsey Grammer, Stana Katic, Motorhead
Fr 10/9: Michael Moore, Malin Ackerman, the Backstreet Boys
Mo 10/5: Brian Ross, guest co-host Lisa Ling
Tu 10/6: Steve Martin, David Alan Grier, guest co-host Lisa Ling
We 10/7: Chris Rock, Shakira
Th 10/8: Kelly Clarkson, Paul Shaffer, guest co-host Ana Ortiz
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY, syndicated
Mo 10/5: Eddie Cibrian, Chris Byrne
Tu 10/6: Larry David, John Stamos
We 10/7: Chevy Chase, Julie Andrews
Th 10/8: Vince Vaughn, Michael Kors
Fr 10/9: Anderson Cooper, Daniel Craig, Mark Knopfler
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW, syndicated
Mo 10/5: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Miranda Lambert
Tu 10/6: Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Michael Franti & Spearhead
We 10/7: Ellen Page
Th 10/8: Clive Owen, the Backstreet Boys
Fr 10/9: Jason Bateman, Judy Shepard
CHELSEA LATELY, E!
Mo 10/5: Heather McDonald, Johnny Sanchez, Jason Sklar
Tu 10/6: Karissa & Kristina Shannon, Crystal Harris, Dan Levy, Chris Franjola, Loni Love
We 10/7: Brad Wollack, Brody Stevens, Guy Branum
Th 10/8: Nia Long, Josh Wolf, Chris Hardwick, Michael Yo (R 9/30/09)
Fr 10/9: Juliette Lewis, Sarah Colonna, Bryan Callen, Ben Gleib
THE RETURN OF ROCK 'N' ROLL COMICS!
(colors: Christie Maconnell)Hard Rock Heroes: What goes together better than comics and rock music? With almost 300 pages of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics, Hard Rock Heroes goes WAY beyond Behind the Music, to tell the real life, behind-the-scenes stories of rock’s most heavy hitters. Creators include Stuart Immonen (Superman: End of the Century), Ken Landgraf (Wolverine), Jay Allen Sanford (Overheard in San Diego..), Todd Loren (Beatles Experience), Scott Pentzer (Razor), Mike Sagara (Ninja High School), and many others.
Hard Rock Heroes is a book-length pictorial history, covering bands like Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Poison, Megadeth, Pantera, Anthrax, Motorhead, Sammy Hagar, and more. The cinematic stories are realistically drawn, researched from countless photo and video archives, with an encyclopedic eye toward visual accuracy, dramatic flair, and journalistic depth.
.. ..
Also includes the never-before published “missing” Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics #8 from 1990, on Skid Row. The lack of an eighth issue has vexed collectors and catalogers for years – exactly 20 years later, the story can finally be told, and collectors can finally own ALL the Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics!
.. ..
As a bonus treat, Hard Rock Heroes also features the Motley Crue comic story from their official box CD set Music To Crash Your Car To II, released in 2004 and written and drawn by original Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics creators Lyndal Ferguson and Larry Nadolsky. Shipping February 2010.
"Great ideas, like the marriage of rock 'n' roll and comics, have the half-life of Uranium and will always be popular," says series co-creator Jay Allen Sanford, who has worked on over 200 reality-based comic books and thousands of similar cartoon strips for the San Diego Reader, as well as for magazines like Rip, Spin, and Oui. "The folks at Bluewater clearly have their fingers on the same pop culture pulse that enabled the original Rock 'N' Roll Comics to become one of the top-selling indie comics of the '90s. Truth is often stranger than fiction...and certainly much more interesting!"
The Beatles are bigger than ever, now available online for the first time digitally, on the Vegas stage in “Love,” and in the new Beatles: Rock Band video game. Now comes the most comprehensive and encyclopedic illustrated Beatles story ever, the Beatles Experience! Over 200 pages, dramatizing one of the most compelling tales in pop culture history, drawn from thousands of photos and interviews, meticulously researched and featuring stunning art by Mike Sagara (Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics) and Stuart Immonen (Legion of Super Heroes, Ultimate X-Men).
Covering the Beatles’ lives from birth and beyond their breakup, dramatized in dialogue and scene recreations more akin to a film bio than a mere documentary, the Beatles Experience also includes a Chronolog timeline going down each page, with encyclopedia background and footnotes detailing related events happening at the same time in the world, in music, and in the Beatles’ own tumultuous and extraordinary lives.
The Pink Floyd Experience: All five issues of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series The Pink Floyd Experience have been out of print and in demand for over fifteen years. As showcased in Pink Floyd’s own official box CD set Shine On, the Floyd comics chronicle rock’s most enigmatic psychedelic warriors, from their early dayz with stoner icon Syd Barrett, through their split (and later reformation). With art by Marvel and DC star Ken Landgraf (Wolverine, Hawkman, Nightwing & Flamebird, etc.), the collection also includes update material, bringing the saga up to 2010.
The Led Zeppelin Experience:
The Led Zeppelin saga is one of the wildest in rock history, and this graphic novel pulls no punches in dramatizing the backstage, behind-the-scenes story. From their early days as the New Yardbirds on through their rise to superstardom (and controversy), all five issues of the original Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series are collected in one rockin’ volume, with art by Scott Pentzer (Razor), Marshall Ross (Deepest Dimension), David Neer (Sports Superstars), Francois Escalmel (Frank Zappa: Viva La Bizarre), and others. The collection also includes update material, bringing the saga up to 2010.
HELL BENT FOR SANTA - HALFORD'S CHRISTMAS ALBUM?!?
Hell Bent for Santa? You will be this year as Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford drops his version of a Christmas album on fans (more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/hellbent-for-christmas---rob-halford-plans-christm/ )
************************************************
PATHOLOGY SEEKS NEW COOKIE MONSTER
Cookie Monster-sound-a-like vocalist Matti Way has quit the death metal/grindcore band Pathology. The group states, "We are extremely disappointed and bummed over this. Matti has other stuff going on right now and we wish him the best. Because of this we are canceling a few upcoming shows." (more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/pathology-seeks-new-cookie-monster/ )
************************************************
WAVVES SAYS "IT'S WRETCHED PLAYING SHOWS IN SAN DIEGO"
Wavves frontguy Nathan Williams is quoted in the new Denver Decider saying "Generally speaking, it's wretched playing shows in San Diego. The people think they're too cool to move around, they don't come out if it's not a party, and there aren't enough places to play besiedes bars, which is a real bummer...but Wavves happened, and I think it sort of shed a light on San Diego."
Asked if he's planning to stick around SD, he says "I'm moving to LA next month. I've had plans to leave San Diego for longer than I can remember, so it's about time that I finally do it." ( more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/wavves-says-its-wretched-playing-san-diego-and-pla/ )
2009 SAN DIEGO
Jimmy Powers (half of the Clasy Pigeons duo) says of his Best Hip-Hop nomination “I don’t feel I should have been nominated for the award. I have only released a limited press EP [200 copies]…I think local artists like Blame One, who hit the top 40 on iTunes this year, should be the ones getting a nomination.” ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/2009-san-diego-music-awards---post-show-report-its/ )
***********************************************
WHAT I'M WATCHING:
LIFE ON MARS season 1
I remember not being that impressed with the first Life on Mars episode - seemed like no more than a "reverse" Dirty Harry, ie instead of a rogue cop operating amidst PC bureaucracy, the show had a PC future cop in pre-PC 1973. The premise seemed to have possibilities, but that first ep was all stereotypes and occasional inexplicable sci-fi flashes explaining less than nothing about what the hell was going on ---- However, I stuck with it, and I'm absolutely astounded at how it paid off....
MORE LIFE ON MARS - PLUS "WHAT I'M WATCHING" DVD AND MOVIE REVIEWS, 1970 THRU 2009 - Including S Darko, Futurama: Bender's Game, the Sentinel, Andy Warhol's Bad, Night Gallery: Brenda, Star Trek 2009, Stranger Than Fiction, Cloverfield, Black Ceasar, Forbidden Zone, Cover Me Babe, Final Destination, Wicked Wicked, Watchmen, Coraline, Land of the Lost TV show, more = http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/sep/02/what-im-watching-dvd-and-movie-reviews-1970s-thru-/
DOG TALKER
“I haven’t done too much playing in concert as of late,” says singer/guitarist Dave Gilbert, “so I started the OB Happy Dog Walking Service.” He says the doggie duty requires walking from six to twelve miles each day, making the job more consistent than musician work, despite playing in three local bands at the moment... (more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/dog-walker---ob-musician-runs-successful-biz-doing/ )
GUITAR WHIZ WAYNE RIKER TURNS HIS BACK ON PRIVATE TEACHING, TO HEAD UP WORKSHOPS INSTEAD
"The final curtain has come down for me as a private guitar teacher, after thirty seven years of lessons," says local guitarist Wayne Riker. "However, I'll be starting an exciting series of on going four hour workshops,every fifth to sixth Sunday,at Old Time Music in North Park"... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/guitarist-wayne-riker-gives-up-guitar-lessons-for-/ )
Recent Blog now only found in the "archive" section: Comic-Con 2009 - Final Wrapup, with more costumes, costumes, costumes!
THE RETURN OF RIP MAGAZINE (or "Why I Got Fired By Larry Flynt")
Rock writer Lonn Friend, former MTV host and publisher of the terrific '90s music mag Rip, is launching an online archive of the magazine! Rip is where I first created the Rock Tales comic strip before it ended up at Spin Magazine. After around a year of the two-page Rock Tales strips, I turned one in mocking Courtney Love called "12 Steps to Stardom" - little did I know that Rip publisher Larry Flynt had just arranged for Love to play his wife in the movie The People VS Larry Flynt. ... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/the-return-of-rip-magazine-or-why-i-got-fired-by-l/ )
HANDS FREE - TROPHY WIFE WILL MARKET ANYTHING FOR A BUCK!
From producing Viewmaster reels to scratch-N-sniff flyers and custom Wheaties boxes, the self-marketing requirements of today’s music biz can result in some offbeat promo endeavors. “We sell what we call a ‘hands-free cell phone device’ on eBay,” says Trophy Wife singer/guitarist Joe MacAskill, “which are really just headbands to hold the phone against your ear, with our band logo hand-drawn onto it.” The “devices” sell for $5 to $8.... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/trophy-wife-says-well-market-anything-for-a-buck/ )
HAPPY RON'S HAREM - LOVING SAN DIEGO'S MUSICAL LADIES
“Most of the women were involved with someone else, so I had to behave appropriately,” says Happy Ron Hill of the video shoot for his song “Pitter Patter,” which featured nine different
Dressed in a pimp-like purple suit and porkpie hat, Hill is seen in the video professing his love to all nine women, including Marcia Claire (as MC Bassalicious), Cathryn Beeks (Catastic Beats), Laura Kuebel (Laura Fab), Brooke Mackintosh (Brooklyn), Marie Haddad (The Marrying Type), Elizabeth Abbott (Tipsi Holiday), Alyssa Jacey (Alyssa Jacey Blue), Nancy McCartney Mestyanek (Sister Linkun), and Jenene Lambert (Neener). “All the women were at the shoot at the same time,” says Hill, “though many were late.”
(more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/happy-rons-hormonal-harem---loving-san-diegos-musi/ )
Subscribe to this band's/performer's events: iCalendar | RSS
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...
THE KOMPLETE KISS KOMIX KRONICLES - Comprehensive collection of stuff I’ve done about working with Kiss on a comic book series in San Diego, 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
ROCK 'N' ROLL COMICS: THE INSIDE STORY - In 1989, San Diego's 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
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.)...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Down the Slippery Slope - Arrested For the Crime of Viewing Manga
On March 30, 2004, when Dwight Whorley found the Japanese website of Fractal Underground Studio via Yahoo and clicked on a couple of the thumbnail images... ( http://comipress.com/special/miscellaneous/down-the-slippery-slope-the-crime-of-viewing-manga )
"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.
"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).
"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.
"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 Music on the Reader Website:
**************************************************** ***************************************************
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
San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now
Press illo to play the Overheard song!
NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED
IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....
If you wanna see a list of over 1,800 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 4,800 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 soon!!!! JAS
HERE'S THE NEW Overheard in San Diego
ARCHIVE OF Famous Former Neighbors
ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TODAY/WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
NAM CHI VU GOES BEATLE (AND SO DOES ROCKOLA AND THE ALPHABEATLES...)
“Imagine the Spice Girls singing Beatles songs,” says bass phenom Nam Chi Vu of The Penny Lanes, an all-female Fab Four tribute that also includes singer/guitarist Vanja James. “I based the name after the Beatles song, of course, but also after Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous. I have replicas of the Sergeant Pepper uniforms in short dress form, which the ladies will be wearing with mod go-go boots…We’ll play all the hit Beatles songs, but that includes covers the Beatles did, such as ‘Twist and Shout’ and ‘Please Mr. Postman.’”
While their look is customized per gender, The Penny Lanes shoot for straight note-for-note renditions. “My goal is to get it as close to the real thing as possible. When doing a tribute, I feel like it’s important, because everyone knows these songs and will know if something is tampered with, or when someone messes up or forgets a lyric.”
Classical/jazz bassist Nam Chi Vu has been singing since she was 12, playing electric bass guitar since she was 13, acting since she was 14, and playing upright bass since she was 16. Her background consists of several genres from classical, jazz, rock, to pop. Her experience goes from sharing the stage in master classes with Victor Wooten to rocking out with Chicago-based band Veruca Salt.
Vu is a rare multi-threat talent. As a bassist, she’s among the city’s two or three best, equally comfortable playing classical, jazz, and rock.
In other Beatle news, Campland near PB hosts Beatles on the Bay on Saturday, October 10, with Rockola doing an all-Moptop set. The locale used to host an annual Dead on the Bay gathering, until Grateful Dead reps encouraged them drop the unauthorized moniker. “The Dead management feels real concerned about people not being confused in terms of who’s putting on a production or who’s associated with a production,” according to promoter Brian Ross. It’s a free show (other than parking fee).
If you prefer your Beatles naked, the Alphabeatles still perform for tips at Black’s Beach on the first Saturday of every month. The middle-aged married duo plays acoustic versions of around two dozen Beatles songs, unaccompanied by clothing and always performed in alphabetical order, a discipline they refuse to alter. I once saw a (naked) woman request that they do “Rocky Raccoon.”
“We can’t,” the (naked) husband said, “we’re only on the Gs,” and they launched into “Good Day, Sunshine.”
************************************************
EBEN BROOKS: THE RETURN OF HEROES AGAINST HUNGER
Heroes Against Hunger is a once-a-month concert series at Claire de Lune Coffeehouse that benefits The San Diego Food Bank and they are looking for acts for December 6th. If you are an artist—musician, poet, comedian, painter, photographer, author, whatever!—and want to play or exhibit at one of these shows, contact Eben Brooks by clicking his name in this sentence and let him know.
The last Heroes Against Hunger show was Sunday, October 4 - Brooks emailed a report: "Sunday night's show was INCREDIBLE! We not only punched up the energy, but we filled Claire to capacity, and maybe a little beyond. I know for certain that, at one point, they didn't have enough seats to hold everyone! Claire isn't a small place, but the seating is spread out (it's a coffee house, after all), and we probably had 60 people in there for most of the evening."
"So here we are, a basically unknown band, and not only did we collect over 40 pounds of food and over $75 for the Food Bank, but we filled this venue to capacity. We're probably going to have to move the show before the new year."
Regarding the Eben Brooks Band, “Our music is very lyric driven,” says its titular leader. “If I had to choose a genre, I would call it progressive acoustic rock, but by progressive I mean politically and personally progressive. It’s possible for lyrics to reflect a wide range of complex social topics, even if writing anti-war songs nowadays is an open invitation for people to impugn your patriotism.”
“Our music is about growing, challenging oneself, becoming a better person, and making the world a better place,” says Brooks, formerly with the Celtic folk band the Wild Oats (1991 – 2002). “We’re trying to create music that makes people think. Obviously, we want to entertain people, and we want them to be able to enjoy a song or a show without feeling they’re being beaten over the head with a ‘message,’ but the messages are there. Our music is very lyric-driven.”
Brooks counts various sci-fi authors as among his influences. “I’m a very big fan of Roger Zelazny’s work, and I’ve read all the Amber Chronicles,” says Brooks, whose video for his song “Champs Élysées” was inspired by Zelazny’s Courts of Chaos. “We chose Lestat’s to shoot at because the writer and director wrote a script that fits perfectly with their setup and decor. Lestat’s has great stone gargoyles.”
He points out that fantasy fiction and rock have long been simpatico. “I’ve always been a big fan of Jethro Tull, who tends to weave fantasy and sci-fi elements into their songs. Hawkwind writes music heavily influenced by Michael Moorcock, and there’s always Led Zeppelin’s work based on Tolkien.”
MORE NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK
|
|
Keep Life Punk Rock by Jay Allen Sanford Electro-dance-punky quartet the Attack!! was founded in 2008 by singer-guitarist Ivan Tamayo (Kiss Me Katelynn, Suspect Jones) and drummer Bryan Famous (London Ghost Show). After playing their first gig ... |
|
|
Anthology Hits the Airwaves by Bart Mendoza Starting on October 9, Little Italy venue Anthology will join forces with KPRI (102.1 FM) to broadcast a live, two-hour music show, Homegrown Fridays Live. Airing from 10 p.m. to midnight, additional concerts will ... |
|
|
Dean & Britta by William Crain When the Andy Warhol Museum decided recently to hire a band to write a soundtrack for Warhol's famous silent-film screen tests, it couldn't have picked a more appropriate act than Dean & Britta. Watching the resultant ... |
|
|
As Tall As Lions by Dave Good When As Tall as Lions played the Casbah this summer, Dan Nigro told the audience that he'd been waiting 27 years (basically, his entire life) to rock the Casbah. "It was a joke, you know? 'Rock the Casbah ... |
|
|
Derren Raser, Trophy Wife, and Verso by Brian Carver The song had a lot of warmth and immediacy to it. It was almost like he was performing that in a bedroom for you. Typically, it's not what I'm into as far as that softer style goes, but he at least has a good ear for ... |
|
|
Finger Pickin' Good by Dave Good Local acoustic picker Jim Earp went to the annual Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas, this year and came home with honors. Earp says he tied for fourth place in the International Finger Style ... |
|
|
Norton's Infinite Adventure by Jay Allen Sanford "I moved to Paris to pursue my own music as a composer," says San Diego singer-guitarist Nick Norton (a Park Tradition, Honest Iago), who last year was awarded a scholarship by the European American Musical ... |
|
|
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by Jay Allen Sanford "We're not an Apple licensee, so we have to be careful how we market them," says Digital Group Audio president Erik Groset, creator of the portable Livespeakr system, designed (but not licensed) for iPhones and ... |
SPORTS ARENA MVP SPILLS ON 2.5 MIL REDO AND NEW ARENA NIGHTCLUB
“We’re putting two and a half million dollars in the building” says Ernie Hahn, General Manager of the Sports Arena for the past 13 years. “It’s been a year since AEG Live became a majority owner partner and, since there’s no new arena being built for awhile in San Diego, AEG is modernizing the facility with creature comforts like LCD TV screens, flat screens, redoing the entrances and the outer concourse, paint and colors and lighting, and all new lower level seats. The eight rows of riser seats at the Arena that have literally been here since day one are all getting replaced, [with] 2,200 state-of-the-art seats.”
Construction has also begun on “a special club for our sponsors and club seat holders,” in the old Arena Club space, set to open later this year. Club 3500 (the facility’s address) will be 6,500 square feet, with a 350-person occupancy and accessed via membership only. “When you walk in,” says Hahn, “it’s going to feel like a downtown club, really swank, hip, and sophisticated. It’ll be close to a dedicated seating section at stage right, which will be put aside for our club members.”
Annual membership is $2,450.00, with the option to purchase up to four “dedicated seating” tickets for events you want to opt-in for. Other perks include VIP parking, a VIP entrance, and its own “Exclusive men’s and women’s rest rooms, with sound in them, new paint, mirrors, sinks, and counters, and stalls. The Arena Club in the past always had to utilize the rest rooms that are also available to anybody in [sections] A, B or C on the floor.”
Hahn is also outfitting Club 3500 with Arena memorabilia. “Few houses have this kind of history,” he says. “A lot of people saw their first concert here. We’ll have over 120 pictures showing the actual [Sports Arena] history, like Pink Floyd in ‘74, or the Stones in ’72. I’ve got a great shot of Elton John, one of Elvis in ‘73 or ‘76, and I think a Led Zeppelin ‘75 shot. We have a great photo of James Brown here in 1967, and one of John Denver in the mid-seventies, which I particularly like.”
The 42 year-old Hahn grew up in locally, with parents who were Mariners season ticket holders in the ‘70s (“Lower level one, two seats on the end, across from the visiting penalty box”). He began at the facility as an event coordinator in June 1991.
AEG runs, operates, or is involved with around a hundred arena facilities worldwide, though Hahn notes “We’re an open building. So, whether it’s Live Nation or AEG or anyone else, all shows are not only welcome but encouraged here.”
As for selling naming rights to the building (after a short-lived stint at the iPayOne Center), Hahn says “Through the global partnerships division of AEG, we’re working with a lot of sponsors, some who just recently stepped up, and we’re in discussions with a couple who will hopefully bid or ultimately come in as a naming rights partner.”
AEG sold naming rights for
And now, courtesy of Bart Mendoza, here are 15 video clips set at the Sports Arena, some pro-shot and some fan-made ----
1) Tribal Seeds @ Reggae Fest 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzQ-w7zr84
2) Fleetwood Mac / “Dreams” 05/31/09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eXXAth0i74
3) Metallica / “Enter Sandman” 01-13/14-92 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYlPUNEwGRU
4) Nirvana / “Heart Shaped Box” 12 29 93 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGpbtv2mgU
5) U2 / “Beautiful Day” 09 28 05 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HhnRBOMJhY
6) George Micheal / “Careless Whisper” 06/17/08 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml1Qlpn_LQ8
7) Led Zeppelin Comes to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APplenzzKk4
8) Taylor Swift / “Hey Stephan” (really good footage of her interacting with concert crowd at 2:30 – kind of daring actually…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI4e8_fn80k
9) AC/DC / “Back In Black” 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiWX-7khEog
10) Janet Jackson / ….. (Janet gets overwhelmed by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcosWOI-dOs
11) Pearl Jam / “Jeremy” 1995 – not great pic quality, but really good sound!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCOZoUcPANI
12) JJ Cale & Eric Clapton / “Cocaine” 03/15/07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg63-uOgUJ8
13) P.O.D. / “Boom” (just 8 seconds worth!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXEzvQtnC9w
14) Ozzy Osbourne / …end of the show (fake gunshots!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUpDN1gOx5s
15) Slayer / At the Sports Arena 1992 (a brief parking lot clip shot by a fan!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H_9zhpMDHY
************************************************ THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS TO GIVE AWAY 30 GUITARS IN 30 DAYS VIA TWITTER
Beginning Tuesday, October 6th, multi-platinum recording artists Thirty Seconds to Mars will begin a Twitter-powered “30 Guitars in 30 Days” giveaway, rewarding one Twitter follower each day with a brand new guitar for the astronomically low price of 1 Tweet.
Co-presented by Culture Jam and Michael Kelly Guitars, fans can enter to win 1 of 30 Nostalgia Series guitars (including fitted hard-shell cases) by sending a single tweet through Culture Jam’s custom application at: thirtysecondstomars.culturejam.com. The band will select one winner daily.
The "30 Guitars in 30 Days" giveaway is the most recent fan-focused intiative from Thirty Seconds To Mars. Recently fans have had the unique opportunity to participate in both the recording process of This Is War as well as the album packaging. "The Summit" brought fans from around the world together both online and offline to record sounds that were included on the album and the "Faces of Mars" contest allowed fans to submit photos of themselves which will ultimately end up on multiple different covers of the album.
On October 13th, you will also be able to use the application to become one of the first to purchase Thirty Seconds to Mars’ newest single – “Kings + Queens” – as well as preorder This is War (December 8th, EMI’s Virgin Records) via iTunes and Amazon.
************************************************
Exclusive preview and new interview with one of the creators/performers behind the new internet Trek series - click for more ---http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/happy-rons-hormonal-harem---loving-san-diegos-musi/#
READER EXCLUSIVE - For the first time anywhere on the web, here's the promo trailer for Star Trek: The Continuing Mission, episode six: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/audioclips/66/
************************************************ CATHRYN BEEKS’ WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET
Thursday 10/8 - Happy Hour Acoustic Jam at Winstons in OB - EVERY THURSDAY. Solo and small ensembles, sign up for a showcase spot and get a free drink. Wanna sit in? Bring your instrument and if the featured artist is down, you're in. Email me to reserve your spot. This week: 5:00 open, 5:30 Jared Engelmier, 6:00 open, 6:30 open, 7:00 Happy Ron, 7:30 Brenda Xu --- No cover, good times. Friday 10/9 - Homegrown Live at Anthology! From 10pm to Midnight I'll MC sets from 3 amazing LOCAL favorites at San Diego's swankiest concert club, Anthology. Sold out? You can hear it LIVE on 102.1 KPRIfm. Tickets are only $10, two for one and special seating available. This is an amazing opportunity for San Diego to hear how incredible our local talent is, be part of the first one this Friday night: Tori Roze, Nova, and Endoxi. Go to Anthology for ticket info, see you there! MUSIC NEWSArtist of the Week: Brenda Xu will play the new Acoustic Happy Hour Jam at Winstons in OB this Thursday at 7:30, no cover. Link of the Week: A pleasure to perform from or see your favorite acts upon, Anthology's stage is considered San Diego's finest. Now more of our local bands have the opportunity to perform there while being heard by the greater San Diego area on 102.1 KPRIfm from 10 to midnight each Friday beginning in January. There are 4 shows until then and the first one is PRETTY INCREDIBLE! Tori Roze, Nova and Endoxi. Get your tickets at anthologysd.com, I'll see you there! Last Chance for Chick Camp, Ladies only! Friday and Saturday, October 16th and 17th, 2pm on Friday we'll check into a spacious, private site at Lake Jennings in Lakeside. We'll pitch tents, rent boats, drink big girl drinks, cook delicious meals, play music, relax, etc. $20 covers you, stay the whole weekend or drop by for a few hours. Wood, water, smores and goodie bags will be provided. BYO camp gear (or arrange to share), food and booze. Lake Jennings is only 30 minutes from downtown San Diego, weather will be low 80s day/high 50s night... perfect for camping! Limited space, email me for more info. The MTS Kick Gas Festival gets started at 11am on Saturday, October 24th at Qualcomm stadium. Tickets are in and only $10 advanced, $15 day of show. The line up is CRAZY GOOD, plus the festival is all ages, family friendly and full of all things green and good for our earth. Listen Local is proud to be part of this event again this year, one of three stages! KickGasFestival.com for info. Studiowest and The Recording Arts Center are looking for solo artists and bands to participate in their "Audio Recording Techniques" class. Selected acts will get a free day of studio time and solid tracks to take and use as you'd like. The next class is from 11am-5pm on Oct. 29th (solo artist) and Oct. 31st (band). Contact studio manager Astra Kelly, if you'd like to be involved. Triptych featuring Peggy Watson, David Beldock and Joe Rathburn will play at The Oasis on Saturday, October 10th at 7:30. DON'T MISS THIS SHOW! Contact Martha for reservation information. More trio house concert fun! Zen House Concerts presents Sven-Erik Seaholm, Bviolin and Peter Bolland on October 17th. For ticket info contact www.zenhouseconcerts.comWayne's World II at Old Time Music in North Park takes place on October 17th at 7pm. Wayne Riker with Laura Kuebel, John Dodge and Veronica May. For info visit here Randi Driscoll releases her new CD "365 Days" on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:30pm with Grammy Award Winner, Larry Mitchell, and other surprise guests at Anthology! For tickets and info visit Anthology's site.
The Homegrown Hour is going LIVE on Fridays at Anthology beginning October 9th with Nova, Tori Roze and Endoxi. $10 cover for a swanky night of local music love, or listen on the radio at 102.1 KPRI from 10 to midnight. More info coming soon...
THE READER AND VALLEY VIEW CASINO PRESENTS ART, MUSIC, AND WINE FESTIVAL - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
( The Reader, in association with Valley View Casino and KPRI-FM and FOX 5 San Diego, will hold the Valley View Casino Art, Music & Wine Festival on Sunday, October 11th. The event will feature more than 30 local artists of various mediums, 10 wineries including Robert Mondovi, Charles Krug, Chateau St. Michelle, Ferrari Carano and Coppola and several unique food purveyors all in the casino’s open air event center from noon to 6:00p.m.
“We have the best guests in the world and we wanted to create an event where they can enjoy fine wine, great live music, top-notch art and unrivaled guest service all wrapped around the best casino experience in San Diego,” said Bruce Howard, general manager at Valley View Casino.
The juried art festival, free to attend, will display a wide range of work from artists throughout
All Valley View Casino Players Club members will receive a special discounts and offers on their art purchases simply for showing their Valley View Casino Players Club card. Joining the Valley View Casino Players Club is easy and free. Please note that the Valley View Casino Art, Music & Wine Festival is open for guests 21 or older.
All guests must be over the age of 21 to attend any concert, show, restaurant or visit Valley View Casino. For more information about Valley View Casino, visit www.valleyviewcasino.com or call 1-866-VIEW-WIN.
Len Rainey & the Midnight Players
TODAY'S "WHAT THE F-CK" ALBUM COVER
The undesirable behavior being mocked on this cover seem to be (left to right) nailbiting (or flatulence?), smoking (or obsessive fingering?), spinsterism (or Bible thumping?), jokesterism (or devil worship?) and, uh, exhibitionism? Overdressing? Terrible fashion sense? Hanna Barbera-ism? Your guess is as good as mine --
An album cover only Robert Crumb (or John Waters) could love...
No, not a surreal '70s porn video - or is it? Somewhere between the comical and offensive, therein you'll find inexplicable little mindf*ks like this Videodronic wonder.
So an axe-wielding Sumo wrestler with a baby seal head takes a dump on Holocaust victims, while a bomber plane flies up his ass...another brown acid casualty, or what??
Okay - so you're saying bongo players only date hookers?? Or that hookers prefer bongo players? And what's with the no-panties look (is that Britney's mom)? The whole thing seems geared for people who HATE beatniks.
Some "party" - I'd swear I saw a Hieronymus Bosch painting of Hell that looked just like below...
Oh yeah, these two kids TOTALLY rock. What parent would ever buy this for their kids, when the music contained therein apparently makes their sons do the Riverdance and float away, while their daughters' shoes vanish and their dresses fly up? BTW, WTF is "FULL COLOR" high fidelity (unless yer on LSD)??
If you think about it, that's pretty impressive, to be able to hula-hoop with no hands AND no neck!!
Not sher why, but these two may be the scariest people I've ever seen...
TV show themes were big in the '70s, and many compilations came and went, but this one below has to be the worst cover of the lot. Nobody resembles the actual performers, except Farrah's hair - bionic Steve Austin looks like porn star John Holmes, Lamont Sanford has morphed into Jesse Jackson, and what the hell is Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks doing on Hawaii 5-O?!
PREVIOUS WTFs - http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jul/24/wtf-album-covers---strange-bizarre-and-butt-clench/
************************************************ ************************************************
| NOVEMBER 12 |
San Diego, CA @ Delta Room/House of Blues with IRRADIO |
The Twilight Zone made it's TV debut 50 years ago this week, on 10-2-59 - we asked local musicos to tell us their own favorite Zone episodes --- (more "What's Your Favorite Twilight Zone?" )
********************************************************
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... (more Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology: Inside ... )
************************************************
WHO GETS ALL THAT MONEY FROM THE BEATLES ROCK BAND AND DIGITAL ALBUM SALES????
$$$$: So Michael Jackson once bought most of the Beatles song publishing - does that mean his estate is now raking in the bucks from the newest round of Fab Four marketing, including the Rock Band game and digital album releases?
SONY/ATV & Michael Jackson's music company would each share the publishing royalty -- which, as stated, is only paid on units SOLD (any CDs that are returned to Capitol-EMI for refund by retailers are discounted). And that amount is believed to be 50% of $0.0825 for every ORIGINAL song on every album except those written by George Harrison and Ringo Starr or the four songs held back by Dick James when he originally sold the song catalog to Northern Songs in 1968 ("From Me To You", "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You" and "Ask Me Why"). Those songs required separate publishing deals and revenue shares that do NOT involve Michael Jackson or his estate.
Lennon and McCartney each receive 1/2 of 50% of the $0.0825 songwriting royalty for every ORIGINAL song they wrote for any of the 13 Beatles CD remasters. McCartney has indicated that his unresolved rift between him and Michael Jackson dealt with his request, on behalf of him and Lennon -- to get a bigger songwriting royalty. This indicates to those outside the Beatle camp that the deal Jackson original purchased may have been pulling MORE than the industry standard 50% leaving Lennon & McCartney less than their 50%. McCartney asked for a raise and Jackson refused. They never spoke to each other again after that.
Regardless, BOTH royalties are called the "mechanical" royalty -- one is the publishing share, one is the songwriting share. These royalty shares are also in place for any radio airplay that occurs around the world giving Jackson a piece of the Beatles everytime their songs get played -- or someone does a cover version.
To complicate matters, there are VIDEOS on each of these CD remasters which requires a synchronization royalty because the music is being married to visuals (i.e. film). So, the splits are nearly identical for that, though it's hard to say what the original publishing deal was that the songwriters signed in the 1960's.
THEN...there is the sales royalty based on the recordings themselves which has been a source of speculation for years. Epstein signed the Beatles to an absolutely criminal royalty rate with Parlophone in 1962 -- which included an equal share of the sale of every album to all four members of the band. The Beatles received a slightly larger pay increase upon renewing with Parlophone via Capitol Records in early 1967 -- and the term of the contract was extended from 5 years to 9 years...keeping the band tied to the label even after they'd split up -- finally elapsing in 1976. Lennon, Harrison and Starr all left Capitol at that time even after renewing the terms of their deal for BEATLES ONLY product for another 9 years [it is assumed the Beatles got another raise as Capitol was then allowed to release "Rock And Roll Music", "Hollywood Bowl" and "Rarities" as a concession].
That deal was renewed again every 5 years [giving us "Reel Music" and "20 Greatest Hits"] and by 1992/1993 The Beatles and their revived corporate representatives, Apple Records, laid out a business plan that would have Beatles product re-launched, like Disney movies, intermittently over the next 45-50 years. The "Anthologies" were the first salvo, followed by "1", The White Album Anniversary Remaster [not actually remastered, just reissued], "Yellow Submarine Songtrack", and "Let It Be: Naked" plus the most recent "Love" re-creation of classic tracks remixed.
There is no way of knowing how much money each of the Beatles is receiving for the CDs they sell. An EMI-Canada promotions manager for The Beatles "1" album told me years ago, he thinks it's 40% on the wholesale rate -- and that the Beatles do NOT allow any discounts of their product or promotional copies to be charged back to their account (which is standard practice...and why so many artists never make a dime from sales of their records).
The Beatles also renegotiated their "controlled composition" clauses in their deal. Standard practice in the music industry since RCA Records invented the Long Play album in 1948 is that a label would not pay a royalty for any song exceeding 10 compositions on a record. If you notice, many of the Beatles early albums have 12 or 14 tracks. The Beatles would only get paid for 10 of those songs on each album. As smart business men, even at the beginning, they realized that the more original compositions they had on each record, the more money they'd make. But Parlophone insisted on cover tunes -- so the Beatles fought to have 2 to 4 cover tunes on each of the early albums as 'throw aways' that were not counted against their 10 controlled compositions. [Robert Palmer changed the industry standard in 1990 when he insisted on getting paid for every song because of the extended play time of CD releases. His album featured 18 songs]
And make no mistake, the band makes money from EVERY single piece of merchandise that features their faces or the Beatles logo. This may look crass and greedy on the surface, but few people know that The Beatles never made a penny off Beatlemania between 1963 and 1966 because Brian Epstein gave the rights away for the band's merchandising during that 4 year period. All the money from Beatle wallpaper, curtains, lamps, mini-record players, combs, Beatle wigs, clothing accessories, et al went straight into the pockets of official licensees around the world. When Epstein died, the Beatles vowed to control all aspects of the group's intellectual and physical properties (where they could).
And this is why there is now a Beatles empire controlled by their representatives at Apple Records.
Many of the artists from Revolutionary Comics, Rock 'N' Roll Comics, and Carnal Comics have joined forces once again to work on a new & unusual comic and reality based project – The Obama Nation Card Game!
Obama Nation makes good-natured fun of politics, republicans and democrats, government spending and the
Former Rev Com artist (and Obama Game art director) Steve Crompton described how it all came together; ”It’s a bit like a cross between wacky packages, Old Maid and some of the stuff Revolutionary Comics might have done if they made card games. I thought it would be fun to get the old gang together for something like this, and I needed all the help I could get, so I contacted everyone I could find and I’m really happy with the response and great art I got from my Rev Com & Carnal pals.”
A quick look at the 54 card deck shows reveals an impressive list of RevCom & Carnal alums, including Lyndal Ferguson, Scott Jackson, Steve Crompton, Brad Foster, Gus Norman, Randy Vogel and Philo. There may even be a few others hiding in the set as a complete list of all the RevCom artists is hard to come by.
The full-color 54 card deck comes in a resealable box for a only $7.99.
http://shop.twistedrules.com/
You can also get it at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/shops/carnalcomics
http://www.obamanationcardgame.com/
************************************************ Dandy Warhols Star Releasing Graphic Novel about '70s German BandThe story is set in Germany in 1977, when the country is still shattered from the devastation of war and the harsh realities of communism. The country's youth are fighting back against a repressed nation with their only figurehead for this violent, well dressed revolution, a band, later to be forever lost in time, One Model Nation. Robert is no stranger to comics. He studied cartooning under Walter Simonson (The Mighty Thor) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he attended on scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Best known for being the primary songwriter behind Life of Agony's critically acclaimed River Runs Red concept album, Robert is also an accomplished artist. His illustrations and designs have appeared on merchandise, ad campaigns and websites for multi-platinum rock acts such as 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown.
In Wire Hangers, which will debut with a 32-page, ad-free first issue, a series of abductions are plaguing New York, leaving no one safe. When Anna Davis, a feisty young female reporter, goes undercover to try and snag the big exclusive, she stumbles upon clues that give us a glimpse into what could be the most disturbing government conspiracy of our time. Pill-popping detectives, corrupt secret agents and a mysterious, disfigured homeless man are all inter-connected in this horrific tale of revenge and redemption.
Robert states, "I've wanted to tell this story for as long as I can remember. I came up with the Wire Hangers concept a few years back, when Life of Agony was on the road supporting Ozzy Osbourne It has haunted me ever since! Whenever we were touring or in the recording studio, I would find myself sketching out characters on the back of lyric sheets and leaving myself voicemail messages with scene dialogue. By the time I presented the idea to IDW earlier this year, the story was completely fleshed out. Visually, it's dark and gritty with tons of textures and atmosphere. The artwork really sets a tone for the series and plays an equal part in telling the story.
"I really can't express how excited I am to finally see this idea come to life. I've been a huge comic book fan since I was just a kid and went to art college in the hopes of becoming a penciler one day. During my graduation year, LOA landed the record contract with Roadrunner to record River Runs Red and, once it came out, I found myself touring full-time and focusing on my music career. So, for me, all these years later - to finally create my own original comic series is a dream come true. Releasing it through IDW is the icing on the cake. They've put out some of my favorite books, like 30 Days of Night and Welcome to Hoxford. It's a real honor to have Wire Hangers appear alongside those titles."
"Wire Hangers is going to hold its own up against the IDW titles that Alan has long admired," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. "When he brought me the story, both his storytelling sense and artistic skills were fully formed and ready to roll on a comic series. In much the same way Alan went from playing bass for one band to fronting another, his talents will be front and center on his comic, too."
Wire Hangers will make its debut with a 4-issue miniseries in March 2010.
************************************************ MOWER GUITARIST QUITS, SKINLAB TOUR CANCELLED
The just-announced SkinLab/Mower tour is already minus a Mower. Here's what the band said today on their MySpace page:
"A decision made by a departing member yesterday has forced the band to relinquish our spot on the bill. We are beyond disappointed. Sometime between sound check and set time last night in Denver, CO, our guitarist Greg Russell decided to book a flight and leave the tour without alerting anyone in the band of his intentions."
"The fact that he decided that his issues were more important than the fans, friends, band, crew, agents, club owners, promoters, record labels, sponsors, press, Skinlab, and all the local support acts is something that we can't even begin to understand or condone. The four remaining members of Mower looked into every possible replacement option to continue on the tour, but none of those options would have been viable in time." - more on this story
LOCALS IN THE NEWS
Tuesday's Earful: The Soft Pack @ The Bowery Ballroom
Earvolution (blog 10-7) - When four white guys from San Diego, California decide to name their band The Muslims, they are either the most naïve bunch of clueless putzes ever pick up ...
*****************************************
Slacker Integrates With Twitter
socalTech.com (10-7) - San Diego-based Internet radio service Slacker has integrated its service with micro-blogging service Twitter, the firm said this morning. ...
*****************************************
Slacker radio app lets users create stations on BlackBerrys
USA Today (10-6) - Mudd moved the 35-member staff back into his former Musicmatch Spanish hacienda-style offices in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego (since vacated by ...
*****************************************
CATTLE DECAPITATION: Orangevale Footage Available - Oct. 5, 2009 (10-4)
Blabbermouth.net - Capital Chaos has uploaded video footage (see below) of San Diego extreme metallers CATTLE DECAPITATION performing the song "Regret & The Grave" on October ...
*****************************************
Watch: Thom Yorke & new band makes debut at Echoplex
Consequence of Sound (10-3): The song was soundchecked (with drums) at Bayside in San Diego on June 27th, 2006 and never heard from again. Until last night. Thom asked the rest of the ...
*****************************************
Show alert: The Zeros
Pegasus News (10-2): Here is a story from the San Diego Union about the band. They are from my hometown...Chula Juana, as well, holmes! LOL! Hard Night's Day This is as close to ...
*****************************************
Chuck Schiele DIY Entrepreneur - Renaissance Man
GuitarGearHeads.com (10-2): 2006 and 2007 San Diego Music Award Winner (for his roots music group, The Grams), Chuck Schiele wears many different hats. He is a singer/songwriter as ...
*****************************************
Thirsty interviews Ryan Moran of Slightly Stoopid
Stay Thirsty Media (10-1): Slightly Stoopid and completely kick-ass, this Ocean Beach, San Diego band has been flooding the industry with reggae, punk and rock infused stylee' ...
*****************************************
Nightlife Agenda - Washington Post: Somehow Nathan Williams -- a San Diego kid whose main hobbies include skateboarding, getting stoned and writing fuzzy, lo-fi pop songs in his basement ...
*****************************************
Cowboy Mike left Motor City to spin in So Cal
Arizona Daily Star -The trance music aficionado moved to San Diego from Detroit about six years ago, and he's become a fixture in the local club scene, as well as a rising star ...
*****************************************
'New Moon' Soundtrack: A Quick Guide To Its Lesser-Known Artists - MTV.com: Anya Marina ("Satellite Heart"): The San Diego-based singer/songwriter, sometime actress ("100 Girls") and radio DJ released her second album of playfully ...
*****************************************
Mustache Mayhem with the Silent Comedy
PopMatters - Walking into the Silent Comedy show at San Diego’s Casbah on September 11th, you might have felt you’d stumbled onto the craft services table on set of a remake of Paper Moon. Every other guy in attendance looked like a particularly roguish Depression-era hobo or the piano player at a Chaplin film festival. ...
*****************************************
Veoh Claims Win Over Universal Music
*****************************************
Rock 'n' Roll Comics Gets an Encore - Headlines - Broken Frontier
Throughout the 90's, “Rock 'N' Roll Comics”, was a popular staple on the newsstands. Now the title will be receiving an encore as newly-packaged graphic ...
*****************************************
The Outhouse - Comic Book Forum and Fanboy Haven - Bluewater ...
The Beatles Experience comic book will run over 200 pages, dramatizing one of the most compelling tales in pop culture history, drawn from thousands of photos and interviews, meticulously researched and featuring stunning art by Mike Sagara (Rock 'N' Roll Comics)
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS
Mo 10/5: Steve Martin
Mo 10/5: Jamie Foxx
Tu 10/6: Abigail Breslin, Joe Torre, Cindy McCain
We 10/7: Wanda Sykes
Th 10/8: Gerard Butler, Ben Harper & Jack Black
Fr 10/9: Terry Bradshaw
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC
Mo 10/5: Ellen Page, Dierks Bentley
Tu 10/6: Kristen Bell, Anvil
We 10/7: Jason Bateman, Selena Gomez, Toby Keith
Th 10/8: Jimmie Johnson, the Backstreet Boys
Fr 10/9: Lady Antebellum
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS
Mo 10/5: Michael Sheen, Viola Davis, Jack Ingram
Tu 10/6: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the Avett Brothers
We 10/7: Rachel Bilson, Jeff Dunham
Th 10/8: Jean Reno, Sophia Bush
Fr 10/9: Gerard Butler, Phoenix
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, NBC
Mo 10/5: Seth Green, Kevin Lyman, Pete Yorn (R 9/16/09)
Tu 10/6: Thomas Jane
We 10/7: Juliette Lewis
Th 10/8: Joss Stone
Fr 10/9: Glenn Howerton
Mo 10/12: Frank Caliendo, Casey Currie, Emily Wells (R 9/17/09)
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, ABC
Mo 10/5: David Alan Grier, 10-year-old vacuum cleaner expert Gregory Evans, Pink (R 9/16/09)
Tu 10/6: Patricia Heaton, the latest "Dancing with the Stars" castoff, Gossip
We 10/7: Joel McHale, Richard Belzer, KISS
Th 10/8: Kelsey Grammer, Stana Katic, Motorhead
Fr 10/9: Michael Moore, Malin Ackerman, the Backstreet Boys
Mo 10/5: Brian Ross, guest co-host Lisa Ling
Tu 10/6: Steve Martin, David Alan Grier, guest co-host Lisa Ling
We 10/7: Chris Rock, Shakira
Th 10/8: Kelly Clarkson, Paul Shaffer, guest co-host Ana Ortiz
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY, syndicated
Mo 10/5: Eddie Cibrian, Chris Byrne
Tu 10/6: Larry David, John Stamos
We 10/7: Chevy Chase, Julie Andrews
Th 10/8: Vince Vaughn, Michael Kors
Fr 10/9: Anderson Cooper, Daniel Craig, Mark Knopfler
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW, syndicated
Mo 10/5: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Miranda Lambert
Tu 10/6: Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Michael Franti & Spearhead
We 10/7: Ellen Page
Th 10/8: Clive Owen, the Backstreet Boys
Fr 10/9: Jason Bateman, Judy Shepard
CHELSEA LATELY, E!
Mo 10/5: Heather McDonald, Johnny Sanchez, Jason Sklar
Tu 10/6: Karissa & Kristina Shannon, Crystal Harris, Dan Levy, Chris Franjola, Loni Love
We 10/7: Brad Wollack, Brody Stevens, Guy Branum
Th 10/8: Nia Long, Josh Wolf, Chris Hardwick, Michael Yo (R 9/30/09)
Fr 10/9: Juliette Lewis, Sarah Colonna, Bryan Callen, Ben Gleib
THE RETURN OF ROCK 'N' ROLL COMICS! (colors: Christie Maconnell)Hard Rock Heroes: What goes together better than comics and rock music? With almost 300 pages of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics, Hard Rock Heroes goes WAY beyond Behind the Music, to tell the real life, behind-the-scenes stories of rock’s most heavy hitters. Creators include Stuart Immonen (Superman: End of the Century), Ken Landgraf (Wolverine), Jay Allen Sanford (Overheard in San Diego..), Todd Loren (Beatles Experience), Scott Pentzer (Razor), Mike Sagara (Ninja High School), and many others.
Hard Rock Heroes is a book-length pictorial history, covering bands like Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Poison, Megadeth, Pantera, Anthrax, Motorhead, Sammy Hagar, and more. The cinematic stories are realistically drawn, researched from countless photo and video archives, with an encyclopedic eye toward visual accuracy, dramatic flair, and journalistic depth.
.. ..
Also includes the never-before published “missing” Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics #8 from 1990, on Skid Row. The lack of an eighth issue has vexed collectors and catalogers for years – exactly 20 years later, the story can finally be told, and collectors can finally own ALL the Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics!
.. ..
As a bonus treat, Hard Rock Heroes also features the Motley Crue comic story from their official box CD set Music To Crash Your Car To II, released in 2004 and written and drawn by original Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics creators Lyndal Ferguson and Larry Nadolsky. Shipping February 2010.
"Great ideas, like the marriage of rock 'n' roll and comics, have the half-life of Uranium and will always be popular," says series co-creator Jay Allen Sanford, who has worked on over 200 reality-based comic books and thousands of similar cartoon strips for the San Diego Reader, as well as for magazines like Rip, Spin, and Oui. "The folks at Bluewater clearly have their fingers on the same pop culture pulse that enabled the original Rock 'N' Roll Comics to become one of the top-selling indie comics of the '90s. Truth is often stranger than fiction...and certainly much more interesting!"
The Beatles are bigger than ever, now available online for the first time digitally, on the Vegas stage in “Love,” and in the new Beatles: Rock Band video game. Now comes the most comprehensive and encyclopedic illustrated Beatles story ever, the Beatles Experience! Over 200 pages, dramatizing one of the most compelling tales in pop culture history, drawn from thousands of photos and interviews, meticulously researched and featuring stunning art by Mike Sagara (Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics) and Stuart Immonen (Legion of Super Heroes, Ultimate X-Men).
Covering the Beatles’ lives from birth and beyond their breakup, dramatized in dialogue and scene recreations more akin to a film bio than a mere documentary, the Beatles Experience also includes a Chronolog timeline going down each page, with encyclopedia background and footnotes detailing related events happening at the same time in the world, in music, and in the Beatles’ own tumultuous and extraordinary lives.
The Pink Floyd Experience: All five issues of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series The Pink Floyd Experience have been out of print and in demand for over fifteen years. As showcased in Pink Floyd’s own official box CD set Shine On, the Floyd comics chronicle rock’s most enigmatic psychedelic warriors, from their early dayz with stoner icon Syd Barrett, through their split (and later reformation). With art by Marvel and DC star Ken Landgraf (Wolverine, Hawkman, Nightwing & Flamebird, etc.), the collection also includes update material, bringing the saga up to 2010.
The Led Zeppelin Experience:
The Led Zeppelin saga is one of the wildest in rock history, and this graphic novel pulls no punches in dramatizing the backstage, behind-the-scenes story. From their early days as the New Yardbirds on through their rise to superstardom (and controversy), all five issues of the original Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series are collected in one rockin’ volume, with art by Scott Pentzer (Razor), Marshall Ross (Deepest Dimension), David Neer (Sports Superstars), Francois Escalmel (Frank Zappa: Viva La Bizarre), and others. The collection also includes update material, bringing the saga up to 2010.
HELL BENT FOR SANTA - HALFORD'S CHRISTMAS ALBUM?!?
Hell Bent for Santa? You will be this year as Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford drops his version of a Christmas album on fans (more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/hellbent-for-christmas---rob-halford-plans-christm/ )
************************************************ PATHOLOGY SEEKS NEW COOKIE MONSTER
Cookie Monster-sound-a-like vocalist Matti Way has quit the death metal/grindcore band Pathology. The group states, "We are extremely disappointed and bummed over this. Matti has other stuff going on right now and we wish him the best. Because of this we are canceling a few upcoming shows." (more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/pathology-seeks-new-cookie-monster/ )
************************************************ WAVVES SAYS "IT'S WRETCHED PLAYING SHOWS IN SAN DIEGO"
Wavves frontguy Nathan Williams is quoted in the new Denver Decider saying "Generally speaking, it's wretched playing shows in San Diego. The people think they're too cool to move around, they don't come out if it's not a party, and there aren't enough places to play besiedes bars, which is a real bummer...but Wavves happened, and I think it sort of shed a light on San Diego."
Asked if he's planning to stick around SD, he says "I'm moving to LA next month. I've had plans to leave San Diego for longer than I can remember, so it's about time that I finally do it." ( more at www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/wavves-says-its-wretched-playing-san-diego-and-pla/ )
2009 SAN DIEGO
Jimmy Powers (half of the Clasy Pigeons duo) says of his Best Hip-Hop nomination “I don’t feel I should have been nominated for the award. I have only released a limited press EP [200 copies]…I think local artists like Blame One, who hit the top 40 on iTunes this year, should be the ones getting a nomination.” ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/2009-san-diego-music-awards---post-show-report-its/ )
*********************************************** WHAT I'M WATCHING:
LIFE ON MARS season 1
I remember not being that impressed with the first Life on Mars episode - seemed like no more than a "reverse" Dirty Harry, ie instead of a rogue cop operating amidst PC bureaucracy, the show had a PC future cop in pre-PC 1973. The premise seemed to have possibilities, but that first ep was all stereotypes and occasional inexplicable sci-fi flashes explaining less than nothing about what the hell was going on ---- However, I stuck with it, and I'm absolutely astounded at how it paid off....
MORE LIFE ON MARS - PLUS "WHAT I'M WATCHING" DVD AND MOVIE REVIEWS, 1970 THRU 2009 - Including S Darko, Futurama: Bender's Game, the Sentinel, Andy Warhol's Bad, Night Gallery: Brenda, Star Trek 2009, Stranger Than Fiction, Cloverfield, Black Ceasar, Forbidden Zone, Cover Me Babe, Final Destination, Wicked Wicked, Watchmen, Coraline, Land of the Lost TV show, more = http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/sep/02/what-im-watching-dvd-and-movie-reviews-1970s-thru-/
DOG TALKER
“I haven’t done too much playing in concert as of late,” says singer/guitarist Dave Gilbert, “so I started the OB Happy Dog Walking Service.” He says the doggie duty requires walking from six to twelve miles each day, making the job more consistent than musician work, despite playing in three local bands at the moment... (more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/dog-walker---ob-musician-runs-successful-biz-doing/ )
GUITAR WHIZ WAYNE RIKER TURNS HIS BACK ON PRIVATE TEACHING, TO HEAD UP WORKSHOPS INSTEAD
"The final curtain has come down for me as a private guitar teacher, after thirty seven years of lessons," says local guitarist Wayne Riker. "However, I'll be starting an exciting series of on going four hour workshops,every fifth to sixth Sunday,at Old Time Music in North Park"... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/guitarist-wayne-riker-gives-up-guitar-lessons-for-/ )
Recent Blog now only found in the "archive" section: Comic-Con 2009 - Final Wrapup, with more costumes, costumes, costumes!
THE RETURN OF RIP MAGAZINE (or "Why I Got Fired By Larry Flynt")
Rock writer Lonn Friend, former MTV host and publisher of the terrific '90s music mag Rip, is launching an online archive of the magazine! Rip is where I first created the Rock Tales comic strip before it ended up at Spin Magazine. After around a year of the two-page Rock Tales strips, I turned one in mocking Courtney Love called "12 Steps to Stardom" - little did I know that Rip publisher Larry Flynt had just arranged for Love to play his wife in the movie The People VS Larry Flynt. ... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/the-return-of-rip-magazine-or-why-i-got-fired-by-l/ )
HANDS FREE - TROPHY WIFE WILL MARKET ANYTHING FOR A BUCK!
From producing Viewmaster reels to scratch-N-sniff flyers and custom Wheaties boxes, the self-marketing requirements of today’s music biz can result in some offbeat promo endeavors. “We sell what we call a ‘hands-free cell phone device’ on eBay,” says Trophy Wife singer/guitarist Joe MacAskill, “which are really just headbands to hold the phone against your ear, with our band logo hand-drawn onto it.” The “devices” sell for $5 to $8.... ( more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/trophy-wife-says-well-market-anything-for-a-buck/ )
HAPPY RON'S HAREM - LOVING SAN DIEGO'S MUSICAL LADIES
“Most of the women were involved with someone else, so I had to behave appropriately,” says Happy Ron Hill of the video shoot for his song “Pitter Patter,” which featured nine different
Dressed in a pimp-like purple suit and porkpie hat, Hill is seen in the video professing his love to all nine women, including Marcia Claire (as MC Bassalicious), Cathryn Beeks (Catastic Beats), Laura Kuebel (Laura Fab), Brooke Mackintosh (Brooklyn), Marie Haddad (The Marrying Type), Elizabeth Abbott (Tipsi Holiday), Alyssa Jacey (Alyssa Jacey Blue), Nancy McCartney Mestyanek (Sister Linkun), and Jenene Lambert (Neener). “All the women were at the shoot at the same time,” says Hill, “though many were late.”
(more www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/oct/04/happy-rons-hormonal-harem---loving-san-diegos-musi/ )
Subscribe to this band's/performer's events: iCalendar | RSS
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...
THE KOMPLETE KISS KOMIX KRONICLES - Comprehensive collection of stuff I’ve done about working with Kiss on a comic book series in San Diego, 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
ROCK 'N' ROLL COMICS: THE INSIDE STORY - In 1989, San Diego's 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
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.)...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Down the Slippery Slope - Arrested For the Crime of Viewing Manga
On March 30, 2004, when Dwight Whorley found the Japanese website of Fractal Underground Studio via Yahoo and clicked on a couple of the thumbnail images... ( http://comipress.com/special/miscellaneous/down-the-slippery-slope-the-crime-of-viewing-manga )
"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.
"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).
"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.
"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 Music on the Reader Website:
**************************************************** ***************************************************
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
