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Entries
Tenor madness at 98 Bottles
Ian Tordella led a tenor-heavy ensemble and a crack rhythm section at the Little Italy venue.
Local saxophone wizard Ian Tordella delivered a mostly cerebral set on May 24 at 98 Bottles, billed as The Twin Tenors, Vol. III, featuring LA saxophonist Joe Berry along with pianist Kamau Kenyatta, bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Charles Weller. …
Stone Temple Pilots files lawsuit against former singer Scott Weiland
STP (with new singer from Linkin Park) suing to protect band name and songs
Stone Temple Pilots are suing their former frontman Scott Weiland, in an attempt to prevent him from using STP's name or songs. The suit, filed in L.A. on May 24, accuses Weiland of "hijacking its name and songs to promote …
Anthony Wilson Guitar Quartet
Four of the world's top players joined forces for a concert in La Jolla.
Athenaeum Jazz concluded its Spring series of concerts on May 23, with the Anthony Wilson Seasons Guitar Quartet in front of a nearly sold-out house at TSRI in La Jolla, shattering some expectations and succumbing to others in the process. …
Get well soon, Tim Curry - a musical overview of his forgotten rock star years
67 year-old actor/singer suffered a stroke this week
67 year-old Rocky Horror Picture Show icon Tim Curry suffered a stroke yesterday and is said to be recovering in an L.A. hospital. We at the Reader hope he gets well very soon and, seeing as how Curry once (briefly) …
Mary had a little lamb a la Tchaikovsky
The Russian equivalent of Row, row, you're boat gets thrashed by Tchaikovsky.
When I went to the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 a few weeks ago I didn’t realize how famous the theme of the finale movement is Russia. The theme is exactly the tune to In a field a little birch tree …
Gavin Hardkiss spins tales of local EDM culture in Cubic Lust
Sex, drugs, and mashups: what a deejay does
This is how Cubic Lust starts: "Wake up in a pool of blood. It's soaked into the sheets of this oversized bed. Everything is blinding white." Cubic Lust, a first novel written by Bay Area deejay/producer Gavin Hardkiss is due …
Tijuana Jazz & Blues Festival
Free street fair on Revolucion with Carlos Marks, Los Zaragoza, Steph Johnson, Pico de Gallo, Tico's Big Band, and more.
On Sunday, May 26 from 1 to 11 p.m., you are invited to a free afternoon and evening of music, food, wine, and craft beer in a street fair atmosphere with the Tijuana Jazz & Blues Festival on Revolucion between …
FYF Fest celebrates 10 years with blowout lineup
My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Beach House, FLAG (Keith, Chuck, Dez, Billy & Stephen playing the songs of Black Flag), Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart, The Breeders, Yo La Tengo, Solange, Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Holy Ghost!, Death Grips, Strfker, Thee Oh Sees... and many more
FYF Fest returns to Los Angeles Historic Park for their tenth annual extravaganza with what may be their most compelling lineup to date. Headliners for the Saturday, August 24 - Sunday, August 25 weekend festival include: Yeah Yeah Yeahs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpGtkz-449U …
Sensori Collective: a member-supported community center for beatmakers
Three local beatmakers are working together to create a community space for like-minded musicians.
A trio of local beat producers is putting their resources together to create a community space for fellow music creators. “Music is deeply personal and perfectionism can strangle the life out of what you are capable of and prevent others …
Spanish lovers at San Diego Symphony
A night dedicated to Spain brought all the warmth and flavor of Andalusia.
The San Diego Symphony took us on a trip to the Andalusian Plain of Southern Spain with a concert full of gypsies, flamenco dancers and romantic guitars. The concert opened with Granados’ Tres danzas espanolas. The sweltering Spanish flavor of …
Skelpin fiddler Patric Petrie dropping Pocket Venus May 31
New CD with Matt Hensley (Flogging Molly) debuting at the Mingei Museum
Patric Petrie's release party for Pocket Venus happens May 31 at the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park. “Pocket Venus refers to a woman who is petite in height, yet voluptuous and curvy at the same time,” says the Skelpin fiddler. …
Rob Thorsen Trio: Live
There is a special, exploratory chemistry happening with these three.
Veteran double bass artist Rob Thorsen celebrated the recent release of his CD, Rob Thorsen Trio: Live on May 18, in front of a healthy crowd of jazz aficionados at Dizzy's in Pacific Beach. Featuring pianist Joshua White and drummer …
Ben Wanicur Quartet live at Dizzy's
Wanicur's charts are tricky, but with Peter Sprague, Ian Tordella and Charles Weller in the band, easy to digest.
San Diego bassist Ben Wanicur held a CD release party May 17, at Dizzy's celebrating his new disc The Excluded Middle, fronting an all-star band featuring Peter Sprague on guitar, Ian Tordella on saxophone and Charles Weller on drums. Opening …
Ian Tordella : Twin Tenors @ 98 Bottles, May 24
This is Vol.III in the series, pairing Tordella with LA sax man Joe Berry
Saxophonist Ian Tordella continues his Twin Tenors series, which spotlights up-and-coming saxophone talent (as well as established players) in the southern California area, accompanied by an outstanding local rhythm section comprised of bassist Rob Thorsen, pianist Kamau Kenyatta, and drummer …
Number two and trying harder
King Kruk brings home silver from Las Vegas
"At the end of the contest," James Kruk says, "I was taking a photo with Linda Thompson, and she whispered in my ear, "You were my favorite." That's a big statement, considering that James 'King' Kruk is an Elvis impersonator …
CutMod chops veggies, video for chance to tour as Psy's personal chef
USCD grad mixes music, projection mapping, and culinary prowess to woo South Korean pop star.
“I have applied to be Psy's chef because I love mixing cultures through food and media,” says Will ‘CutMod’ Michaelsen, a 2011 UCSD graduate and projection mapping artist who moved to Los Angeles to work in the music industry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifU_4QywNcc …
Microbial life vs. multicellular life in opera
What's a theory of the role of Mother Earth without a musical reference?
When I wrote about Gaia versus Medea as models of motherhood I should have mentioned that this distinction was developed as an argument by a scientist named Peter Ward. Ward holds that the Gaia Theory of the Earth as a …
On the menu: saving jazz
Loving local music and local food: "not a sausage fest."
"This is a dinner party. I want people to understand that." LJ Livingston is on the phone to talk about her coming benefit banquet/concert affair Loving Local Music and Local Food. "This is not a sausage fest." Livingston is hard …
Parker Trio live in the East Village
The creative Chicago/ Southern California guitarist brought his tight trio to town for some jagged explorations on the jazz aesthetic.
Concert promoter Bonnie Wright's importance to the music and arts community received some rare public acknowledgement on May 14, when she was awarded a proclamation signed by Mayor Bob Filner declaring it to be Bonnie Wright Day in San Diego. …