Detach yourself from your CrackBerry/iPhone/laptop and go do something. Like ...

- Bob Log III (Daft Punk's banjo-pickin' distant cousin) at the Casbah (info)
- Artist vs. Poet plays your campus loft (info)
- Who needs Cesar Millan? San Diego has its own dog whisperer (info)

MORE: TONIGHT; TOMORROW; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oh, Randy, Randy Laybourne.

Your cute li'l dingbats and characters reminiscent of Matt Groening's anthropomorphic bunnies (above) complete my Gchat avatar.

And seeing your fidgety creative process in this video, below, as you get ready for your Swiv Tackle Circus "20x20" show next weekend, has intrigued me all the more.

How was your honeymoon in Canada, BTW?

Take a zine-making workshop with Master Laybourne Jan. 25.

by Keli Dailey at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For all you fans of a certain toe-headed pixie chanteuse whose fingers work their way up and down an acoustic guitar like a stick-legged supermodel struts a catwalk (you know, the one who not too long ago hung up her DJ headphones and hightailed it to Tinseltown to pursue her music full-time), Lestat's is where you need to be Friday night.

That's where you'll find Anya Marina honoring shout-out requests and trying out bits of her forthcoming album "Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II," which was produced by Louis XIV guitarist Brian Karscig and Spoon's Britt Daniel, before she heads out on tour with The Virgins.

The Predicates and Pedestrian also play.

by Derrik Chinn at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Detach yourself from your CrackBerry/iPhone/laptop and go do something. Like ...

- You know it, I know it, we all know it: The media are cowards (info)
- Instrumental death metal, great for soundtracks (info)
- Magic Johnson. Syrup. Guidance Counselor. Based just on those band names, how can you not go to this show? (info)
- Code of Science does dubstep at the Office (info)

MORE: TONIGHT; TOMORROW; THURSDAY; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CORONADO BREWING COMPANY
170 ORANGE AVE.
CORONADO
619-437-4452

Rundown: Look at it this way: Coronado is Arabia, Coronado Brewing Company is a magic lamp and the ginger-headed mermaid mascot is the magic genie who brings you not three wishes but three beers. That's right. CBC pulls the plug after your third drink (whatever it may be) because let's face it, the Coronado Bay Bridge is no place for swerving flying carpets. And unless you have two IDs and an overabundance of cojones there's no point in trying the fake mustache routine, especially when the Little Club sits a few doors down.

The deal: Happy hour at CBC is a late lunch in disguise. Pints drop from $5 to $3.50 from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays, and small bites like spicy shrimp tacos, carne asada quesadillas and calamari strips slip into red tags, too, ($3-$8).

Not to be missed: Of CBC's nine microbrews, the stars include the Islander IPA (a copper malt that took the silver at '07's L.A. County Fair), the Islandweizen (the Crown City's answer to unfiltered wheat beer) and Neptune's Nectar (a pale ale that maxes out at 8.5 percent ABV). And Mondays, when happy hour stretches from 2 p.m. 'til close.

by Derrik Chinn at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Guitarist Ron Asheton of the legendary punk band The Stooges was found dead in his Michigan home this morning. He was 60.

Reports from the Detroit Free Press say the cause appeared to be of natural causes.

"Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Brad Hill said the department received a call around midnight with a request to check on Asheton because the unidentified caller said he had not heard from the guitarist in a few days. Police went to his home and found him deceased."

The Stooges are known as Iggy Pop's distortion-heavy punk band that influenced musicians like Kurt Cobain and Jack White. The band was among the nominees for this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the inductees expected to be announced this month.

In 2003, Rolling Stone named Asheton the 29th-greatest rock guitarist of all time.

Here's footage of a 1970 live Stooges concert in Cincinnati (hosted by a very "square" announcer):

by Nina Garin at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Big Show at Soma, or The Mainstage Event as it was called this year, is a January event that is as old as Soma's new location. Every year the Soma staff decides what San Diego bands have made an impact on the side stage and steps them up to see what happens when given the full size venue. Every year a few bands show off their true potential, while others struggle to fill the vast space of the Main Stage.

Perhaps the most impressive act of the night occurred smack dab in the middle of the set as Casino Madrid turned the floor into a battlefield. Madrid's approach to the stage demonstrated experience and their first song ripped with beastly breakdowns and chord progressions. Their lead vocalist, Aaron, does an excellent job of engaging the audience while their stage right guitarist puts on an amazing live show as he maintains the stage presence of wild animal tearing through an intense set. Drummer, Johnny initially, comes off as a pretty standard metal drummer. But did you notice the syncopated snare notes in the second or third song? Not a lot of people did, but this sort of calculated rhythmic composition is the mark of a very good drummer. Points on the "Rocket from the Crypt" shirt.

Casino Madrid definitely had the largest crowd that night, upstaging the supposed headliners of this local showcase, and these kids came ready to rage. Since the metal scene has taken on a new image in the past few years hardcore dancing has become more of a trend. Soma has gone so far as to redirect a spotlight to illuminate the audience when the riffs become too hard, the breakdowns become too intense, and the fists go flying as a massive pit erupts on the floor. Casino Madrid's set was so hard, that spotlight had to go on twice, and one unfortunate punk left with a cracked head creating a puddle of blood in the middle of the pit. Good work Casino Madrid, just like an old school punk show.

Continue reading "THE MAIN EVENT: Soma showcases locals on Mainstage" »

by Patrick Meissner at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Gossip Girl" is back, bringing with it a new, very mysterious mystery.

I'm not talking about the Rufus and Lily love child, but about the mischief Blair was up to on New Years Eve.

OK. I'll rewind.

Over the break, Serena did go to Argentina with Aaron but broke up with him before the plane even landed. Because? She is still in love with Dan! (Not to mention Aaron was the worst. boyfriend. ever.)

And just like that, Dan and Serena are back together, acting all mushy and gushy in the halls as if nothing ever happened.

Jenny decides to go back to school because, as she says, if she can sabotage Eleanor Waldorf, get her clothes burned by a crazy model and be almost homeless, she can surely survive the evil witches at school. Especially since she and Eric are now the cutest best friends, ever.

She gets to school and sees the Queen Bees being particularly terrible to Nelly Yuki, a girl, it should be mentioned, with really amazing blue glasses.

"Nelly Yuki is the new, old Jenny Humphrey," says Eric, for the night's first of many hilarious lines of dialogue.

Jenny decides she will save Nelly Yuki and she launches an attack against the QBs. You know, really vicious stuff, like taking their table at Pinkberry.

The QBs tell their daddies, Jenny writes a Gossip Girl post about their dirty secrets and threatens to post it, so they basically call a truce.

Except that Nelly Yuki ditches Jenny because after all that, it turns out Jenny doesn't want the title of Queen Bee and why would Nelly waste her time with an unpopular kid? One that lives in Brooklyn, no less?

Meanwhile, after a lot of arguing and a really heartfelt "I'm a father" speech by Rufus, Lily agrees to help him search for their love child.

And that leaves us with Chuck.

Ever since his dad died, he's been extra reckless. His new, mysterious uncle had to fish him out of a smoky, lady-filled den and bring him back to the city.

This leads to a lot of forlorn Chuck, wandering around with messy hair, smoking hash in front of the principal. And Blair is legitimately worried.

Though she's supposed to impress some upper-crust, argyle-wearing society ladies, Blair kicks them out of her house to go save the boy who won't say "I love you" back to her.

Apparently, Chuck owns his burlesque club, Victrola, again? And he's throwing a party. And by the time Blair shows up, Chuck is on the roof, looking like he's ready to jump. Blair talks him down, tells him she'll always be there for him. Chuck takes her hand, says "I'm sorry" and crumples into her.

But before you go thinking that this is finally the time for Chuck and Blair, there's the new secret.

Chuck's uncle, Jack, puts Chuck in the limo and Blair is all, "I don't trust you to take care of him."

Jack says, "You don't really have a choice."

Then. She says it: "He can't know about New Year's Eve."

He can't know what?

Did Blair hook up with the uncle? Is that where this is going?

Until next week!

by Nina Garin at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So often, Top Ten lists are meaningless.

Like, what if it was a particularly bad year for music? Then critics pad their list with filler.

(Nic Harcourt, who recently stepped down from his perch as music director at KCRW, a musical staple of the L.A. area, honestly put Coldplay's "Living La Vida Loca" -- whatever it's called -- on his Top Ten for 2008. I guess in a year of digitally enhanced T. Pain songs, they're relatively amazing.)

What I really want to see: A Top Ten list on the murder rates in America's biggest cities. Morbid, yes. Maybe even a bit useful.

Rank: City: Population: Homicides in 2008

1. New York, N.Y. 8,143,197. With 516 murders, an increase over 2007.

2. Los Angeles, Calif. 3,844,829. With 381 murders, down from 2007.

3. Chicago, Ill. 2,842,518. With 508 murders, an uptick from 2007.

4. Houston, Tex. 2,016,582. With 294 murders, a decrease from 2007.

5. Philadelphia, Pa. 1,463,281. With 332 murders, down from 2007.

6. Phoenix, Ariz. 1,461,575. With 175 murders through Nov. 11, 2008, a drop from 2007.

7. San Antonio, Tex. 1,256,509. With 116, a drop from 2007.

8. San Diego, Calif. 1,255,540. With 58 murders, a dip from 2007.

9. Dallas, Tex. 1,213,825. With 170, down from 2007.

10. San Jose, Calif. 912,332. With 32, down from 2007.

Some of these figures are based on preliminary homicide reports. And we're up for a new census in 2010.

Photo: Sunrise over San Diego, by Howard Lipin, Union-Tribune.

by Keli Dailey at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Detach yourself from your CrackBerry/iPhone/laptop and go do something. Like ...

- Just don't mention this band's name in an airport (info)
- Heavy metal, Casbah style (info)
- Wha? Huh? On Mondays the Brass Rail pours $.80 cocktails? (info)
- Big hair Haven (info)
- Get a foothold in the New Year (info)

MORE: TONIGHT; TOMORROW; WEDNESDAY; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Much like the Chargers season, 2008 was a wild ride in sports. The Olympics came to China, the Tampa Bay Rays won the American League pennant, Spain won its first major soccer title and Barry Bonds couldn't find a team. The new year should provide just as much excitement and intrigue, so let's take a look ahead with Street's fearless sports predictions for 2009.

1. The Chargers will miraculously make it to the Super Bowl after a bad call goes in their favor in the AFC Championship game. They will then get annihilated by the Carolina Panthers.

2. Michael Phelps will get plastic surgery to improve his smile and marketability, but by the time he recovers, people will have forgotten all about him until the 2012 games.

3. Barack Obama, saddled with wild expectations and the worst economic situation since the depression, will fail to live up to the hype for the first eight months of the year. Then, just before college football season starts, he'll broker a deal for a playoff system and be hailed as the greatest president since FDR.

4. The New England Patriots will franchise Matt Cassel and trade that "other" quarterback because it's tough to fit "Brady-Bundchen" on the back of a jersey.

5. In a similar move, the Chargers, with Michael Turner running wild in their nightmares, will trade LaDainian Tomlinson and re-sign Darren Sproles (pictured).

Continue reading "CRYSTAL BALL: Sports predictions for 2009" »

by Tovin Lapan at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been an advocate of the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child ever since I heard the concept. (Send resilient little $200 Internet-ready computers to a kid in a developing country -- until Dec. 31, 2008, the program was give-one, get-one for yourself, as I said in our Christmas gift ideas post.)

Now suddenly, the most talented Beatle is on the bandwagon, too. Never mind he's dead.

Through video and digital manipulation, John Lennon's been resurrected to support the Laptop campaign in the commercial above. Noticeably absent is the Lennon song invoked in the ad, "Imagine." His widow (you know who) gave them the rights to use his image. But maybe the line "imagine no possessions" didn't gel with hawking an albeit well-meaning product?

by Keli Dailey at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to hear a preview of Earthless, the hard-rocking San Diego power-trio that performs tomorrow night at the Casbah? Then tune in this morning at 11:30 a.m. to Fill In The Blank, my weekly live music interview show on SignOnRadio.com.

Two of the band's members, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell and drummer Mario Rubalcaba will guest on today's show, which will also feature some music from Earthless' recent "Live at Roadburn" album. Mario, as you may know, is the former drummer in Rocket From the Crypt and Clikatat Ikatowi, so expect the interview to include a little San Diego music history as well.

You can phone in your questions and comments for Mario (who will be on today's show from noon to 12:30 p.m.) and Isaiah (who will be on for the full hour) at our handy, toll-free number: (866) 818-6394. And be sure to tune in to next week's show, when our guests will be Casbah co-owners Tim Mays, Bob Bennett and Harlan Schiffman.

by George Varga at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another year, another batch of interviews with some of pop music's biggest stars and biggest poseurs -- the wise and the witless, dedicated artists and fast (and not so fast) talking wannabes.

No doubt, the coming year will feature much more of the same, especially after secret lovers Britney Spears and Axl Rose finally tie the knot and embark on their joint "Chinese Circus" tour. (Spoiler alert: Brit and Axl aren't even dating; we just threw that in to see if you -- and their highly litigious attorneys -- are awake yet on this glorious New Year's day.

Either way, with 2008 now officially passed, it's a good time to look back at some of the more (and less) memorable quotes from some of the interviews I conducted over past year. So, turn off your iPods, fire up your lava lamps, and get ready for a quick trip down not-so-distant memory lane.

"I was offended. That was a brash, ignorant kind of statement Axl made. I knew where he was coming from, once he explained it, but that didn't validate it to make it worthy of putting on a record." -- Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash (shown at right) acknowledges, 20 years later, being upset by Axl Rose's lyrics to the band's controversial song, "One in a Million."

"You know what the first show I went to was when I was 19 or 20? It was Guns N' Roses in London. Was I a fan? No, I wasn't, actually. There was no record shop in my hometown, so the fact my parents even had a Guns N' Roses record was a mystery." -- Welsh neo-soul vocal star Duffy (at left) discloses her early headbanging phase.

"We were not amused." -- Yoko Ono (who is not pictured) admits that she and John Lennon frowned on an Ono-inspired character being identified as "Hitler's daughter" in the 1978 Beatles film parody, "The Rutles -- All You Need Is Cash."

"It's not true. I'm not Yoko Ono!" -- Bluegrass queen Alison Krauss laughingly denies that her joint concert trek with Robert Plant prevented a Led Zeppelin reunion tour.


"My whole deal about singing is: I don't go into remote control to satisfy my ego." Robert Plant explains the real reason he didn't tour with his ex-Zep band mates. Ouch.

"I like the music of (Igor) Stravinsky a lot and I recently saw 'The Rite of Spring' performed for the first time, which I loved. I also liked seeing Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 1" which was very powerful. I go to concerts by the New York Symphony quite a lot." -- Raveonettes leader Sune Rose Wagner, who is a lot less "rock 'n' roll" than fans might think.

Continue reading "GLOBAL WARMING? No, just more pop stars being interviewed" »

by George Varga at 06:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's all so simple, write good songs and the people will listen. That's Mod Amish guitarist and lead singer Shannon Jones' motto, and it seems to be paying off. After releasing their second album "No Use for Sunshine" the single "September" was chosen out of 700 entries from rising bands by WFNX radio station in Boston to enter the regular rotation, and the band was one of seven first prize winners in Converse's "Get out of the garage" contest for unsigned bands. Jones moved from Louisiana to San Diego six years ago, where he found the support and opportunities he needed to keep working on his songwriting. He eventually convinced college friend and former band mate Mike Drake to join him out west. With drummer Jim Benuska and bassist James I they formed Mod Amish almost two years ago, building momentum through a committed, business-like approach to the band.

Name: Shannon Jones

Age: 37

Where does the name Mod Amish come from?

When I originally started the band with Mike [Drake] back at the University of Louisiana Lafyette, we were called Brittle Star. Then we found out there was a band in Florida called that and they had already released an album. I think Mod Amish were the only two words we could think of that hadn't been combined to form a band name yet.

What is your song writing process?

The music comes first, then the lyrics. The lyrics are by far the most torturous part for me. You have to be brutally honest with yourself when writing. To come up with really good, meaningful, well phrased lyrics involves a lot of rewriting.

What is the new single "September" about?

It's about the difficulty of dealing with life's frustrations.

Favorite Place to eat lunch in San Diego?

I live right above Brian's American Eatery and I'm there all the time. When I first got to town I got a gig playing acoustic music there, which was great. It gave me a chance to work on my songs and play in front of people.

Who are your favorite local bands?

Drop Joy
Marisol
Perfect Blue

Continue reading "STREET PEOPLE: Shannon Jones" »

by Tovin Lapan at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)