San Diego Reader

Derek Duplessie: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals | Bart "Bartman" Mendoza: Bass guitar, Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals | Dylan Martinez: Bass guitar, Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals | Danny Cress: Drums

Genre: Rock

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Synoposis

Inception: San Diego, 2003

Background:

The Rarities were a project that grew out of acoustic collaborations between Derek Duplessie (Desert Poets), Bart Mendoza (Manual Scan, the Shambles, True Stories) and Dylan Martinez (Static Halo, Rookie Card, Broken Dial Radio).Though still a high school student, Duplessie was a music veteran with several albums to his credit, as well as a 2000 appearance on television’s To Tell the Truth. His 12-string guitar was the key element to the band's sound, a mix of rock and folk influences.

With the addition of Danny Cress (the Coyote Problem, Citizen Band, True Stories), the group played numerous shows, both electric and unplugged and recorded an unreleased album, Year of Ashes, produced by Gregory Page.  Notable guests on the album include violinist Ray Suen (the Exfriends, Louis XIV) and keyboardist Martin Greaves (Mad Dogs & Englishmen).

The Rarities can be briefly seen rehearsing outside of San Diego nightclub Dizzy’s in the documentary Why We Listen. A full concert set was filmed at Lestat's  for a proposed KPBS-TV program. The band split when Duplessie left for college.

Discography