http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/30/21932/ "It's never been easy being a woman in jazz--it's a boys club and always will be, but because there are so many great female artists out there now, it is getting easier," says San Diego flute icon Lori Bell. …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/29/21857/ Brian Ross, the Programs and Events Manager for UCSD, is putting together a truly magical double-bill performance at The Loft, on April 4, featuring the Peter Sprague Quartet, with special guests the Jeff Kaiser Quintet opening the show. Sprague …

“2012 is a mystical time for the world, so we wanted to build one of the wonders of the world,” Cosmic Family promoter Christophe Lobe, a project manager behind the Basshenge sound camp, told The Reader in January. As such, …

"This," Bill Yeager says, "will probably be the biggest event in the history of the SDSU Jazz Studies Program." Yeager plays jazz 'bone, and he's an educator. For the past 27 years he has been the director of jazz studies …

“All of these players I’ve either heard of over the years, or I’ve played with, and they’re all guitarists that have a high musical IQ,” says Wayne Riker, whose new full-length Guitar Decathlon features ten tracks, ten styles of music, …

This Sunday's edition of the Local Pyle, FM94/9's local music show hosted by Tim Pyles, won't be touting the current crop of San Diego-based artists but will be looking back at the earliest days of the area's music scene. On …

I mentioned that Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto may have been forgotten if it had been written by a lesser composer. The point being, there is a ton of mediocre classical music. It is tempting to consider every piece of classical …

This is my roommate Mawkus. His full name is Marcus Aurelius Rosario and he tilts his head and tugs at his giant ‘fropuff when he’s talking about girls he finds attractive. He’s really good with a wok and often tries …

When Ezequiel “Ziggy” Pelayo says, “We started Yeah Buddy Fest because we really just wanted to barbecue and party and hang out all day,” you believe him. The good times really are that simple, and the 30-year-old promoter, musician, label …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/28/21780/ San Diego's most cutting edge music curator Bonnie Wright is at it again, poised to present the next installment of her experimental series Fresh Sound at Space 4 Art, on Monday, April 9, at 8 pm with a solo …

Kaiser Chiefs are an alt-pop band out of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Formed in 2003, Kaiser Chiefs are better known on the other side of the pond. The band has toured as an opening act with the Foo Fighters, Green …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/27/21721/ Saxophonist Gary Lefebvre is a significant part of the West Coast Jazz history, having played with many luminaries of the genre in the late fifties and sixties, when that term was still in vogue. This is a guy with …

Ratt bassist Robbie Crane chose his Facebook page to announce his departure from the band, after spending around 15 years as part of its epically fluid lineup. "Hey all, Just thought I would let you know that as of a …

I was reminded today of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. This piece is an operetta or light opera and had its premiere in 1956. It was not received well. The libretto was reworked in 1974 and that is the version most often …

I ended up going to see A Room with a View at The Globe this weekend. I was thinking about writing a rant but I’ll tone it down a bit and just say I hated it. I hated it on …

**** stars out of five 1,815.7 miles from the mother ship of New Orleans the NOLA revival continues here on the West Coast. The Euphoria Brass Band, a San Diego group steeped in the traditional sounds of the second line …

DJ Mark E. Quark recalls Len Paul, owner of Soma, telling him things like "play more industrial," and "you're playing too much of that techno shit." Quark admits he pretty much ignored the suggestions, "As long as people were dancing, …

The most recent release from ambient psydub producer Bluetech, Rainforest Reverberation (Critical Beats, 2011), is the perfect soundtrack for the cause it supports. Bluetech’s signature underwater mid/downtempo dubscapes intertwine the digital and the organic with exotic, live instrumentation sampled over …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21539/ Last Thursday, Anthology added a concert to their "to-die-for" list when they brought jazz guitar legend Pat Martino in tandem with pianist Eldar to San Diego for just the second time in 30 years.Martino's 2006 performance at the Athenaeum …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21524/ Low-Budget Rockstar By Scott Ibex Orange Moon Press, Costa Mesa, CA Tip #4: Keep a Malleable Mind and Hone Your Crazy Alarm Rick Sparhawk, co-founder of the '70s band Montezuma's Revenge meets me at Cosmos in La Mesa. We …

CONFESSIONS OF A LOCAL CONCERT BOOTLEGGER http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21508/ “I was probably responsible for starting up more record labels than David Geffin, Berry Gordy, and Suge Knight combined!” At first, Tracey thought I was an FBI agent. I’d been bidding on his …

John Pack Skypes early this morning from Baja California. He lives there year round. "After this call, I have to go up and chaperone about six bands through Mexicali and make sure they have a good experience." Pack checks his …

San Diego jazz guitarist Nate Jarrell and drummer Jeanette Kangas don't just make hip music together. The two musicians, along with Kangas' partner Suzann Gage have formed a non-profit organization, the San Diego Center for the Arts, which is making …

Do you have a go-to playlist? A go to playlist is a list of music that gets you through the current mess you’ve created in your life. I have one and it has bailed me out more times than I …

My last memory of JT’s Pub & Grill prior to Friday night was pissing off a large group of drunken Steelers fans during a playoff game by blaring the cheesiest country music imaginable from the jukebox. Vitriolic shouts and icy …

Reach your peak with Leroy Zeke!! There's a basketball hoop in many of Leroy Zeke's photos and for good reason: school gymnasiums were their first arenas. A San Diego band based out of Lemon Grove, they were active from 1969 …

Was it just a strange coincidence that meteorologist/bandleader Dave Scott's Sunday performance in National City at the Liberty Theatre occurred during a rainstorm? Well, it certainly gave the affable trombonist something to chat up the audience about. Sunday's gig was …

A song called “Mac and Cheese” by North County musician David Rees ( FreeMartin ) has been announced as a finalist in the 2011 International Songwriting Competition, in the children’s music category. "The song is kind of Randy Newman meets …

The pooch didn’t get screwed but it was close. I made the claim that I didn’t care what happened in Bruckner’s 4th Symphony this weekend. As soon as the performance started, I started to care. The first item on the …

The new five-song EP from Incomplete Neighbor, Flowers and Dinosaurs, dropped March 15, featuring their current lineup as a trio. Currently based in Chula Vista and University Heights and about to go on a northwest tour, they decided to release …

Ever wonder what Jason Mraz's favorite yoga school is? Jivamukti Yoga School in New York City. His pick for weekend breakfasts and Yerba Mate lattes? That'd be Jitter’s Coffee Shop, right here in San Diego. What about best place in …

Thursday night's double-concert show at The Loft was a fascinating glimpse into the early expressions of a young band just starting out, and the further development of a group hitting its stride. Dangond Giordano Quartet They go by DGQ, and …

Club owner Howard Berkson and the folks at Anthology are going to bring one of the most important musicians in jazz history to San Diego next Thursday, March 22, when legendary guitarist Pat Martino takes the stage in a duo …

To my knowledge, there are no fewer than six versions of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. They are: The 1889/90 First Edition. The Hass Edition of 1936. The Nowak Edition of 1953 using the 1886 copy. The Nowak Edition of 1974 using …

The newest installment of the Computer Music Concert series took place March 14th in The Experimental Theater of The Conrad Prebys Music Center (CPMC). The 60 speakers of The Experimental Theater were utilized. The concert included a piece by Issac …

“All right, welcome to the Nerves-Plimsouls-Beat-Breakaways show!” announced musician Peter Case as a piece of rock-and-roll history went down at Bar Pink last Thursday night. Case and Paul Collins, cofounders of seminal power-pop punkers the Nerves, took the stage together …

UCSD Concert promoter Brian Ross has been doing some great things for the San Diego jazz scene for some time now, especially in the form of presenting double-bill performances of local jazz musician's at The Loft, a pretty sweet venue …

Bruckner’s Symphonie No. 4: Die Romantische is launching at Symphony Hall this Thursday and Saturday. Why the odd schedule? The orchestra is also playing Don Pasquale at the Civic Theater on Friday and Sunday. I am excited yet trepidatious about …

On March 17, downtown Vista will host their first St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. While traditionally these types of events have civic leaders as parade grand marshals, the organizers, Vista Village Business Association, …

Los Angeles-based alt-rapper Busdriver commanded the Soda Bar’s minute stage like a chameleon, blending with shifting sounds and patterns. “I’m just here to hold your hand when you die,” he proclaimed over the jittery flute of “Imaginary Places,” as the …

If you listen carefully you can hear the one note on David Bowie's "Space Oddity," a glissando followed by a squawk that constitutes possibly the most famous sound in Stylophone history. Kraftwerk would come along later and play more Stylophone …

Friday night's inaugural Dizzy's production at McCrea Music Company, featuring local legend Daniel Jackson and friends, was memorable for several reasons — not all of them happy ones. It was part concert, part birthday party (for Jackson's two adult children), …

Swami Sound System, which debuted March 7, is a new Slacker station featuring obscure tracks and monologues from former Rocket From the Crypt frontman John Reis. "I am charged by this opportunity to unchain neglected and primitive hits and unleash …

3-10-75 – On tour behind their Physical Graffiti album, the mighty Zep played a 14-song set at the San Diego Sports Arena, with no opening band. Doors for the sold-out concert opened at 3:00 p.m., and seating was unreserved, with …

KSDS Jazz 88 Jazz Live monthly concert series continues on Tuesday, March 13, with LA vocalist Judy Wexler and her quartet. Wexler has been getting a lot of positive press lately from Jazz Times, who called her, "one of the …

I recently watched an old video from Jim Holiday's Only the Best documentary series, chronicling the bios of various stars from the "golden age of erotica," which I haven't seen in some 15 years. It was striking how GREAT some …

Seeing Craig Finn without the backdrop of the Hold Steady was a bit jarring at first. I felt as if I were a witness to someone cheating on his wife. Especially since this "solo" show at the Casbah was in …

Don Pasquale opens at San Diego Opera on Saturday the 10th. The last time SDO put this production on it was a big hit with audiences. What can I say? The opera is funny on its own and this particular …

Promoter and noise musician Sam Lopez (aka Zsa Zsa Gabor) recently curated the third annual San Diego Experimental Guitar Show at Soda Bar and went on to inaugurate the monthly Stay Strange series at the Kava Lounge to cultivate San …

"Right now I have 12 paid admissions, which is exactly my target." It's Tom Griesgraber talking about the upcoming series of Stick seminars and concerts he's hosting in conjunction with the Mira Costa College Music Department and the Museum of …

In a move that’s sure to please alternative-rock radio listeners — and likely activate a pissed-off “M-1 army” — FM 94/9’s senior V.P. and general manager Rick Jackson announced this morning at 8 a.m. via a taped statement that its …

When Jim McInnes was fired by Clear Channel/101.5 KGB FM in 2002, after 28 years with the station, he had spent most of disc jockey career ["And over half my life!"] at KGB. JM in the PM on the FM. …

"I am so excited. We sold out, standing room only, and the trio got a standing ovation at the end," said Bonnie Wright immediately following the first installment of her Fresh Sound concert series, which also happened to be the …

"This happened by accident. It sort of fell into our laps." Raymond Raye is on the phone and he's excited about plans to host a series of psychobilly/rockabilly shows in an old school neighborhood lounge set deep in the East …

Former Supertramp frontman Roger Hodgson kicked off his first full-band U.S. tour in 30 years with a pair of shows at Pechanga Casino & Resort. After leaving the band in 1983, having becoming discouraged with the music industry and wanting …

Sitting there listening to Beethoven’s 7thSymphony on Sunday I came to the conclusion that I could listen to only Beethoven’s 3rd, 5th, and 7th symphonies for the rest of my life and die a happy death. That is not to …

“Just wanted to let you know the Mashtis are no longer together,” Itai Faierman tells the Reader. “I have a new psych-rock project in the vein of late-era Syd Barrett. We start recording our first EP at the end of …

Daniel Jackson says he’s in the bank when I call. In a hushed voice he asks me to call back in ten minutes. Twenty minutes later, and he’s walking: “That’s a city bus passing, now a couple of dogs on …

I could have done without Strauss II and Saint Saëns on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, they were well played and nice but when the Beethoven 7th Symphony is on the program, it’s tough to get excited about much else. …

"Daniel has been planning this show since the beginning of the year, a performance with some musicians with which he has a special connection — we just weren't sure where we would hold it," says Dizzy's operator Chuck Perrin. He's …

Sifting through the 2000+ performers seeking label attention, blog hype, and free booze at the 25th annual South by Southwest music festival in awesome Austin, Texas can be overwhelming. So, to afford you more time to focus on the important …

"Just wanted to let you know the Mashtis are no longer together," Itai Faierman tells the Reader. "I have a new psych-rock project in the vein of late-era Syd Barrett. We start recording our first EP at the end of …

Sue Palmer, in conjunction with Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar, will stage a benefit concert on March 21, to help raise funds to cover medical expenses for international blues singer Candye Kane. Kane has suffered a recurrence of her cancer …

Third Story with special guest, trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos practically tore the roof off of The Back Room at 98 Bottles last night with an exciting performance that bodes well for the future of jazz music, not just in the San …

After over a year of very little activity, Paper Plane Pilot is back with a new single, “It’s All Ending,” featuring guest vocalist Bryarly Bishop. According to one-man-band leader Dustin Frelich, “The song was written in the later part of …

Jeffery Smith, the Managing Artistic Director for the Liberty Theatre At Paradise Village will be presenting trombonist Dave Scott & The New Slide Quartet on March 18, as a part of their ongoing Sunday jazz concert series. Scott is the …

After a year of intermittent recording between hard drive crashes and rewrites, alt-country five-piece the Western Set is saddling up to release their debut LP, Country Music, tomorrow night (Saturday, March 3) at the Tin Can Ale House. Vox/guitarist Patrick …

Reaching the point to where a band has completely exhausted itself occurs often these days with perpetual touring and publicity stunts. However, age may be an advantage for the foursome from West Palm Beach. These Floridians named Surfer Blood have …

Hardworking (and hard-drinking) 91X program director and afternoon DJ Garret Capone said his final adieus to local fans the afternoon of Wednesday, February 29. In a tear-drenched finale, the beloved music hound had fellow 91X DJs Mike Halloran and Steve …

Saxophonist Ian Tordella's new CD is officially out today, and after last Friday's release-party, it seems that a dedicated review of the source material is warranted. Tragic Comedy represents a new direction in jazz--it's not quite the "electric-space-jazz," that Tordella …

This morning, Art Fag Recordings posted a video for Heavy Hawaii’s track “Super Bowl XXIX” from their new three-song 7” of the same name. The local boutique label pressed 500 copies of the vinyl release, which you can order online …

In anticipation of a nationwide tour, Art-rock brothers Writer recently announced the release of their newest 7”, Family Dinner. The two-song vinyl will be released through Pretty Awesome Records, a local non-profit charity label run by artist Tess Passero and …