Spoon started losing that choppy, melodic, bluesy swagger on their last album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The band lost that beat that dominated previous albums like Kill The Moonlight. The beat that made me …

San Diego Opera's 2010 season opened on many high notes with a good performance of Puccini's La Bohème on Saturday. The tuneful show featured Polish tenor Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo. After taking a little while …

In his ongoing quest to promote democracy through educating the public, Ed Kravitz of SaveIB.com has sought access to a video feed of Imperial Beach City Council meetings. His intention is to stream the meetings …

New improvements and enhancements may be in the works for Wells Park in El Cajon. The City of El Cajon recently announced that it is applying for a $5 million state grant to revitalize the …

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the three ports of entry in San Diego County seized over 5000 pounds of marijuana valued at 3.2 million dollars on Thursday afternoon, January 28. According to …

In a meeting at Escondido City Hall on January 26, planning commissioners voted 3-2 to deny a request allowing an auto-services development to be built on a corner near the intersection of Brotherton Road and …

Located off the 78 Freeway in Vista, at 435 West Vista Way, is the Vista Entertainment Center, a megaplex of adult fun and games. Inside are 40 bowling lanes, an arcade room, a Karaoke machine, …

In an early-morning warrant sweep on January 28, about 60 detectives and county sheriff’s deputies assisted in arresting eight suspects in connection with a series of burglaries that have occurred in Santee, Lakeside, and unincorporated …

In November of 2007, the volunteer border-watching organization (also dubbed an “anti-illegal immigration” organization) known as the Minutemen was granted a two-mile-long section along Interstate 5 in accordance with Caltrans' Adopt-A-Highway program. The roadside area …

A Fallbrook gang member will have to stand trial for stabbing his childhood friend, a San Diego superior-court judge ruled on January 27. Skyylr Hamilton, 18, is charged with attempted murder and a handful of …

"It's really a life raft to keep the city afloat," said Escondido councilmember Marie Waldron during Wednesday evening's city council meeting. The life raft that Waldron was referring to was a list of proposed cuts …

The sea is calm to-night. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out …

Instead of laying off fire and rescue personnel, Mayor Jerry Sanders’s budget cuts — approved by the city council last December — included the implementation of daily rolling “brownouts” at 8 of 13 San Diego …

A few years ago, when the Museum of Contemporary Art downtown converted the Santa Fe Depot’s old baggage-claim area, it did what museums all over the country have been doing in recent years, from remote, …

Arrived downtown in a light drizzle. Homeless huddled in doorways to keep dry. After hiding my camera in my underwear, I made my way down the stairs at House of Blues and found a pile …

The Dominican Republic is a rich tapestry of colors, geography, cultural influences, even climate – all enhanced by a rich history. Upon its discovery in 1492, it was described as a “paradisiacal island of high …

I've never seen so many side-mirrors on cars get broken off by passing cars... If you live or drive on 32nd Street (especially between Redwood and Thorn), this may not be news to you. Now, …

“We’re going to June Lake!” We tell that to friends often – we travel to the Eastern Sierras up Hwy. 395 at least four times a year. “Where’s that?” most say. By simply describing it …

Hopping out of the van, we were greeted by the cold like a slap in the face. Our fingers working slowly as we struggled to strap snowshoes to our boots. The day started out with …

The site of pre-Colombian ruins on the Yucatan peninsula, Coba, reachable on a day trip from Cancun, was at one point inhabited by over 50,000. Coba’s Nohoch Mul is the highest pyramid in the Yucatan …

When the housing market crashed, wreckage was scattered throughout Chula Vista. In 2007, 12 to 15 homes out of every 1000 went into foreclosure. Many of those thousands of homes that fell vacant as a …

“Global warming?” says Steve Wampler. “Crap!” This is unexpected because Steve trained as an environmental engineer at UC Davis. But he’s serious. “There are 100,000 scientists out there who are saying it’s total crap too, …

Jazz in North Park is the new name for an old concert series that hopes to pick up where it left off over a year ago. In 2008, Jazz in the Park (as in Balboa Park) went dark when its host, the San Diego Museum of Art, pulled the plug after a seven-year run.

On Wednesday of this week, the State Race Track Leasing Commission was scheduled to approve a new request for proposals for a new lease of the Del Mar track. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, the …

Bigfoot And God Last night (and into the morning), I read with interest your article “I Found Bigfoot” (Cover Story, January 14). I believe you! “Things” did roam California early on. When I was a …

Planning a trip to India years ago, I set my sights on the south of the country (Kerala and Tamil Nadhu). Why? To eat. I’d heard that the southern food was really spicy and really …

Pacific Beach is more mysterious at night. Silent runners materialize like ghosts along the boardwalk, murmuring couples huddle in shadows, the odd drunken brown-bagger holds up a lamppost, groups burst out of eateries like the …

The idea behind Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s new musical has potential: What if only certain characters sing? And what if they’re ghosts haunting a lighthouse during World War II? The people in the “real …

The circular interior of St. Ephrem’s church might serve as an eclectic museum of Catholic devotional art. So many styles, drawn from so many traditions: a golden mosaic rendering of the icon of Our Lady …

The name “Sycamore Canyon” in California geography plays a rather redundant role. How many canyons have specimens of native sycamore, and how many of those were named (either in English or in Spanish) after that …

What are you reading? “Guns, Germs & Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond. My wife gave it to me. Basically, [the author] asks the question, ‘Why did the Spanish conquer the Aztecs …

Ad Seg is not just a name for a local four-piece hardcore punk band. It’s short for “administrative segregation” (also known as “the hole”). It’s the isolation area you go to if you’re bad in …

“The Jumping Turtle is not going out of business,” says owner Matt Hall, despite having lost his most recent appeal to keep the City of San Marcos from revoking his venue’s entertainment permit. “City Hall …

Artist: The TouchiesSong: “Ur Friendz Suck”Heard by: Jimmy Wigdahl, San DiegoIt’s your average punk song. It has three chords. It’s something that you listen to that’s fast and makes you want to run around in …

Thirty Years AgoMy Ocean Beach/Point Loma friends have taken offense to comments made by Lowell Gannon. He says he was embarrassed to say he lived in O.B., then moved to P.B.! I’d be embarrassed to …

John Stewart Harbison, c. 1870s. The Pennsylvania beekeeper brought his first shipment of bees to California in 1857. He settled near Sacramento and had such success that many others tried their hand at honey production. …

Dear Matt: I have some friends in Denver, and they keep wanting me to come visit. They say you can get drunk there faster and cheaper because of the altitude. I asked them why but …

Revivals aside, we are lucky to get one black-and-white film a year. So we must count ourselves lucky, already in January, to get Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon, a common choice in cultural hubs as …

Communication at a Chula Vista city council meeting hit an all-time low on December 15. The council was besieged when one resident threw plastic eggs at the dais, claiming that councilmembers had “no backbone, no …

It’s Big Lie season again. Super Lie. Specifically, Super Bowl Lie. It’s that giddy time of the year when the National Football League trots out its claim that the city that hosts the Super Bowl …

Ex–San Diego schools chief and border business investor Alan Bersin, still awaiting senate confirmation of his appointment by President Barack Obama to become head of Customs and Border Protection, has hit the lecture circuit. On …

For decades, Chargers owner Alex Spanos has been a financial mainstay of Republicans far and wide, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to a vast array of GOP candidates and officeholders, from city councilmembers and …

The family Suburban turns 16 this year and with a little help from my kids, the tinting on the rear windows looks even older. I’m not giving up my truck until it’s dead, but I …

“Some people say we sound kind of like groovy ’60s music, and some people say we sound kind of like surf punk,” says Erica Putis, bassist in the alt-rock trio Recordable Colors. Putis says that …

In 1969 Tom Chapin was the sound guy on a film crew that spent several months at sea in search of great white sharks. The footage resulted in the spooky nature thriller Blue Water, White …

If there’s one story we love, it’s the story of a young person who pursues his dream in the face of obstacles — with his money running out, with his family begging him to get …

Thursday 28He’s got Grammys, he’s got Emmys, he’s got a velvet croon and a watch-out-for-your-girlfriend grin. This renaissance man-about-town is Harry Connick Jr., and he’s bringing Your Songs, his umpteenth collection of fancy-pants jazz as …

For Travis Trevisan, vocalist and guitarist for San Diego discordant-pop three-piece Tape Deck Mountain, the 5.1 rating out of a possible 10 they received from music website pitchforkmedia.com for debut full-length Ghost doesn’t faze the …

On Tuesday night, January 19, during a storm that pounded San Diego, traffic signals all over the City of Encinitas went out. Traffic engineers believe lightning stuck a main controller in the Mountain Vista area …

The evidence was hidden in a cargo of fish, but authorities at the Otay Mesa border crossing sniffed out 708 pounds of marijuana anyway. According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release, the …

“If you have a problem that annoys you, then you have two problems. Knock one of them out.” This local man’s statement lived with me during the week I spent in Brazil’s second-largest city (and …

I wake up at 5.30, and I’m usually out the door by 6.15. I can fit in three or four jogs around my neighborhood a week; the other days I walk the dog for a …

A foodie just learning balsamic’s tasty lineage, I visited one of the many countryside balsamic vinegar producers while in Modena, Italy, home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the nearby village of Sorbara, as …

Two young children swept into a flashflood while inside an auto with their mother have yet to be found and are presumed drowned. On Wednesday night, January 20, the two children (Virginia Cruz Mendez, age …

On January 21 at about 9 p.m., sheriff's deputies arrested a resident of the San Pasqual Reservation after a traffic stop led to the discovery of numerous types of illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia that …

Early in the morning on Friday, January 22, one of four large Torrey pine trees fell down at Ada Harris elementary school. The tree, which suffered nearly a week of heavy rain and wind, was …

Last Friday, January 15, two men attempting to sell a cell phone through Craigslist met up with a prospective buyer at a shopping-center parking lot near 5500 Grossmont Center Drive. Upon inspecting the cell phone, …

With his goatee and hat, smoking a cig for all his photos, the intently hip Kottarashky, aka Nikola Gruev, is a Bulgarian architect by day. On this debut, he's mixed a compelling collage of his …

Some noise, yes, very nice. And that was my only thought on this white-vinyl Sub Pop thingy my brother dragged home. I wish I could tell you I was hip to the game from the …

Before taking the stage, Trophy Wife treated their fans to the music video premiere of “Move to the Desert” at Bar Pink. Attendees included the video's director, comic book artist Jeremy Cox. A highlight of …

This is a true story of the male ego and road rage on horseback. I love the quiet solitude of a Saturday afternoon horseback ride. The clear blue skies in rural San Diego County. The …

Members of North County volunteer action group P.L.A.G.U.E (Prevent Los Angeles Gridlock Usurping Environment) hopes to spread their objections to a three- to four-billion-dollar Caltrans proposal to broaden Interstate 5 by a total of 22 …

The Encinas Creek Bridge will soon be demolished and replaced. Built in 1913, the 120-foot bridge is located on Carlsbad Boulevard, south of Palomar Airport Road. The bridge has been a concern for the City …

Residents of the Tijuana River Valley region experienced localized flooding, mudslides in outlying colonias, and the usual accumulation of trash that flows down spontaneous streams and clogs the storm drains. A 50-foot tall, 60-something-year-old tree …

On Tuesday, January 19, a tow-in surf duo (a jet-ski rider pulling a guy on a surfboard) was apprehended and ticketed after enjoying the large surf near the Tamarack jetties in Carlsbad. At 11:55 a.m., …

If the lure of adventure is calling you northward, you won’t find a more unique experience than dog sledding in our 49th state. Dog sledding (or mushing) affords you thrills, challenges and opportunities to view …

Santa Barbara has always been one of my favorite day trips in Southern California. The Spanish architecture and beautiful setting between the mountains and ocean creates an atmosphere that never fails to regenerate my spirit. …

Two Sunsets brings together lo-fi kingpins the Pastels and Japanese ambient-folk duo the Tenniscoats in a mostly winning collaboration. Part of album's charm comes from its nonchalance, as if the melodies occurred to the musicians …

Most Oceanside hoteliers and vacation property owners, 82 percent of them, agree that the city should start a tourism-marketing district. They submitted petitions to the city and appeared at the Wednesday, January 20, city council …

On their 18th release, Canadian metal veterans Anvil live up to their name. Title track “This Is Thirteen” is a chunky, iron block on which to lay your head for a steady, heavy-handed pummeling. The …

Where will you be when your automotive Karma wears out? I know exactly where I was - on the 15 south going to work, January 8th, 2010. It happened in an instant. For only a …

Recently, after 30 illegal immigrants were deported by U.S. authorities and dropped off in Tijuana, the Mexicans were given the opportunity to be transported back to the interior from whence they came, via bus, for …

A rare Sparrow, one of 285 of the eye-popping electric cars ever made, was recently spotted in Encinitas. The owner wasn’t around to provide details, but an internet search revealed that the car was a …

On Tuesday afternoon, when heavy rains flooded a section of North Torrey Pines Road near Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, the driver of a silver compact was left stranded, according to San Diego police Capt. Chris …

A proposed change from Kate Sessions Park’s 12-hour alcohol ban to a 24-hour alcohol ban was on the Santa Clara/Pacific Beach Recreation Council’s agenda on Tuesday, January 19. Some of the reasons given for the …

The downtown area of El Cajon will continue its transformation with the approval of the Prescott Promenade project plans by the El Cajon City Council during their January 12 meeting. The promenade is a small …

The United States Mass Media Directorate is housed in a Washington D.C. secret facility often rumored to exist but never acknowledged by our government. This is where journalists, magazine editors, filmmakers, television producers, cable-news executives, …

Crime, of Course As a native tijuanense, I always tend to have my city on my mind even though I find myself in the northernmost part of Europe: Sweden. The internet age has made it …

for Marilyn My old friend and I step down into the pool’s warm chlorinated water, no longer thin, dark-haired girls as when we met. We push out into the lap lanes in our women’s bodies. …

The 22nd District Agricultural Association, which runs the Del Mar Fair, has been kind to local politicians, giving them free passes to various events, according to state disclosure forms. Del Mar city councilman Mark Filanc …

La Jolla’s Helen K. and James S. Copley Foundation still has $3 million left to pay on its $6 million 2008 pledge to the UCLA Foundation, endowing the David C. Copley Chair for the Study …

A tough economy, along with program budget cutbacks, has hit KPBS, the public broadcast operation run by San Diego State University, particularly hard over the past year, raising questions about the long-term viability of its …

The practically straight-up Vital Link Trail connects popular Wildwood Canyon Park in the Verdugo foothills with the Verdugo Mountains crestline. Almost every step on the trail yields a higher vantage for the panoramic view of …

Thursday 21Sezio, a local not-for-profit artist’s collective, provides a platform for San Diego artists and musicians. They’ll be hosting a benefit for that cause at Casbah tonight with a remix set by IDM band Jamuel …

“The ball is in our court, and we have to totally kick ass,” writes Kevin Martin, pianist and vocalist for San Diego indie-pop band Get Back Loretta. On January 28, the band will play a …

Long-gone locals reuniting to play the Casbah this week include the Dave and Deke Combo (January 22), the Dragons (January 23), and a triple-reunion bill on Saturday, January 30, with new-wave pioneers the Unknowns (1979–1982), …

Alan Garth’s record collection is too big to fit into his North Park row house. For now, he keeps his 2000 or so discs in storage. Garth’s living room is without television and instead is …

Winning their fourth straight AFC West championship, the San Diego Chargers ended their regular season as a possible Super Bowl team. As their postseason commenced last Sunday, one could imagine hopeful Bolts faithful singing along …

Thirty Years AgoYou are floating weightless in a warm, still place where only now and then do feathery tendrils of sensation tickle your naked body. But your eyes are wide open and nothing covers them …

Suppose colleagues often call the house, even in the early hours. This morning you’re half dressed and still sipping coffee when the phone rings. It’s an important business call, but your ride to a sales …

I’ve been restraining an emotionally disturbed teenager for an hour. It’s midnight and I’m sore. All I can hear are feral screams. According to the usual platitudes, college should be the gateway to more money …

Claire Daly blows the biggest of big saxes, the baritone sax. It is a monster, maybe twice the size of its cousin, the tenor sax. It takes big air to make sound come out of …

Black Lips came out of Atlanta in the early part of the 21st Century as one of the more promising garage-rock-psychedelic-revivalist bands in years. (The band prefers the term “flower-punk.”) If you were one of …

Members of Dynamite Walls write and record radio-ready pop-rock from their Encinitas home base. But if Tom Pritchard had not broken up with his girlfriend five years ago, there might not be a band today. …

Recipe by Matt Richman, executive chef, Market Street Café. I like the colors and freshness of food. The simplicity of it. That’s really where it’s at, I think. In a perfect world, I would love …

The Stanley Clarke Band plays the Belly Up Tavern on Sunday, January 24. I was first exposed to Stanley Clarke from my dad’s [records] when I was about six or seven. One particular album cover …

There is an Irish way of paying compliments as though they were irresistible truths which makes what would otherwise be an impertinence delightful. — Katherine Tynan Hinkson "‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,' as Father Neil would …

Hey, Matt: I have a question about cockroaches. You always hear that after we bomb everything else off the earth, all that will be left are cockroaches. Is this true? If it is true, how …

I have no idea if it’s any kind of leading economic indicator, but according to Amanda Keston, director of client services for the newly formed Spectrum Wine Auctions, “The wine-auction market has turned the corner. …

After it all happened, she said, “When the dog started barking, I knew there was something wrong.” It was a beautiful day in October, and we had left San Diego in the early morning, trying …

Dangerous Skating My name is Michael Esordi, and as a longtime and legitimate member of the cryptozoology community, I would like to address a few points in this article by James Snyder (“I Just Found …

Omygod. She’s eating her pizza with her knife and fork. Then again, she’s English. “What do you think, Robin?” She takes a sip of her English breakfast tea. My old buddy Robin looks up from …

David Rabe set Hurlyburly, a three-hour emotional maelstrom, in the Hollywood Hills, early ’80s. As I watched Ion Theatre’s snappy, polished, visceral production, I had a nagging sense of déjà vu. Then it dawned: I …

I don’t usually talk theology while I’m working. But last Sunday, as I took in the broad, airy, blue-tinged church interior before the service, executive pastor Lance Stratton approached me. “I’m doing the hardest thing …

Pechanga Casino's concert theater isn't exactly where you'd expect rock-music veterans like Aaron Lewis to entertain beer-swigging fans. Its plush carpeting, luxurious seats, and blazer-clad ushers make it better suited for something more cultured, say …

The San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has been trying to reduce cigarette litter for over ten years, just about the time it takes for a butt to biodegrade and release its hundred plus …

There’s nothing to do in Idyllwild! Exactly – it’s not Big Bear or Mammoth. Like my family and I, that’s why visitors to the “mile high” town return year after year. There’s not one traffic …

When I think of Puerto Rico, I remember pulsing Latin and reggae music, sunsets that look poured from an artist’s palette, inviting stretches of beaches and colorful towns bustling with shops, art and tantalizing eateries. …

While visiting Ecuador, if you lack the time and/or money for a multi-day tour into the Amazon with a stay at a jungle lodge, you can still get a taste of the rainforest just five …

I can hear the wailing guitar riffs as we drift lazily on the water: "Well, take me back down where cool water flows, yeah, Let me remember the things I love, Stopping at the log …

Last year, the song "Overheard in San Diego" by Cathryn Beeks and Sven Erik Seaholm became that comic strip's heavily-promoted and oft-played theme song at SDReader.com. NOW WE NEED A FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS SONG! Record …

Vampire Weekend’s sophomore record is a short, sweet grower. Admittedly, I didn’t care for it after the first listen. The abstract, African-influenced sounds threw me off of what I expected from an American indie band. …

Delphic is an electronic dance band from Manchester that is currently gleaning overblown praise from the always-congenial BBC. Much like dance-pop contemporaries Passion Pit and Junior Boys, Delphic’s sonics are defined by a sanguine, heart-aching …

Frank Fairfield wants nobody to know much about Frank Fairfield, which is his right, up to a point. His debut contains no bio, no liner notes, and damn few credits. From an online article I've …

On January 14, officers from the San Diego North County Regional Gang Task Force, the Carlsbad and Oceanside Police Departments, the San Diego County Probation Department, and the FBI awakened documented gang members at 6 …

Ah, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, how you bring a smile to my face and a movement to my hips. It’s hard to engage an audience for 45 minutes when you do not have drums, bass, or …

The jewel of San Marino, California, Huntington Library is not your typical lending and borrowing library. Its collection contains over five million books, volumes, manuscripts, photographs and other works mostly related to American and British …

"I'm not a weak councilmember, relative to a strong mayor, and I think that should be made clear," said district three councilmember Todd Gloria at the Wednesday, January 13, meeting of the Rules Committee. Gloria …

Whether it's defining their musical genre or deciding what to name themselves, Black Moth Super Rainbow is a band that is hard to pin down. The mysterious group from Western Pennsylvania is best known for …

Near Windansea Beach on Tuesday, January 12, at about 10:00 a.m., I spotted what appeared to be a construction project at the intersection of Neptune and Playa Del Sur. I stopped to speak with Jose …

Caribbean Guatemala with Mayan ruins? You bet. Situated between Belize and Honduras, the short Caribbean coast of Guatemala displays a panoply of history and beauty. Starting from our cruise ship stop at Santo Tomas de …

Mexican authorities are hopeful that the January 12 capture of Teodoro Garcia Simental (“El Teo”) will lead to the cessation of the gangland-style murders and kidnappings in TJ, Rosarito, and Ensenada. Garcia was considered heir …

Scripps Ranch homeowners invested in solar technology for their homes recently started an email campaign to urge the San Diego City Council to reconsider newly implemented fee increases for solar permits/plan issuance as well as …

On Monday morning, January 11, I passed a project in progress on the corner of Genter and Draper in La Jolla. I approached Cody Whitters (a journeyman lineman with Henkels & McCoy, working as a …

A pickup heading southbound to Mexico on Monday, January 11, had a compartment concealed under the truck’s bed that was filled with more than 40 game birds. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detected the …

Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Monday, January 11, a Dodge Durango was driven into the Sombrero Mexican Food Restaurant at 189 Palm Ave. and the laundromat next door. According to Sombrero owner Maria Gomez, a …

Aquaculture farmers in Ensenada have vowed to extend the length of time their farm-raised blue-fin tuna will fatten, from four months to over a year. The tuna are kept in corrals, where they are fed …

Last summer, when word spread of a new business opening up in the neighborhood surrounding Petco Park, residents in the area were excited. The new business would potentially occupy a space on a list of …

Covering dance, club, R&B, and hip-hop favorites from the past three decades, Rising Star wowed a diverse crowd at Viejas Casino's Dreamcatcher Lounge. The vocalists of this San Diego-based octet opened the show dressed as …

Mmm-Mmm Good! AWESOME ARTICLE on great soups (“Soup of the Evening,” Restaurant Review, January 7). I shall treasure it. THANK YOU. Eric Alan Jones via email Perfection, At Last I want to congratulate the Reader …

On June 17, program manager for the City of San Diego's Economic Development Division, Luis Ojeda, responded to a claim from downtown resident Kathy Casey that approximately 2500 downtown residents living in condominiums were overcharged …

President Barack Obama’s choice to head the Transportation Security Administration, currently stalled by GOP senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, may face even tougher sledding if sensational steroid-use allegations made by the nominee’s ex-wife in …

On an overcast January day in 2002, I plunged into the backcountry of East County, carrying a half-full pack and weathered walking stick. Hiking into the serene green of silence and solitude was my escape, …

A cheerful, creamy glow filled the broad church; it matched the cheerful, happy buzz of the congregation. A timer warned that the service was about to begin, but it had to be rolled back a …

Assembly speaker–elect John Perez rolls into town on Saturday, January 23, to raise money at the Mission Bay Hyatt Regency for termed-out Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña’s bid for county supervisor against incumbent Ron Roberts…The U.S. …

A combination of well-connected charities and business groups have been given tickets to Chargers games, thanks to San Diego–elected officials. Recipients of the city’s stash of free tickets, the giveaway of which now has to …

I’ve got to thank the MTS for this find. They canceled the 962 night-bus service on weekends from the Eighth Street trolley to Spring Valley and back. Who knew? And I’ve just missed the last …

In the bottom circle of Dante’s Inferno, Satan is a gigantic, three-headed monster waist-deep in a lake of ice. His three mouths chew the world’s worst traitors: Brutus and Cassius, who killed Caesar, to the …

Last fall, the story made its way around the media fish tank to the North County Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Orange County Register, Orlando Sentinel, Honolulu Advertiser, and Anchorage Daily News, to dog websites, surfer …

My agent says Los Angeles will call. My broker says to sell without delay. My doctor says the spot is very small. My lover says get tested right away. My congressman says yes, he truly …

“On the Loose” by hip-hop duo Clay Pigeons (featuring guest performer Main Flow) was the most-downloaded local MP3 from SDReader.com during December 2009. Songwriter Jimmy Powers provided some background. If you could sum up the …

For UCSD grad Devon Goldberg, it’s like doing his old free-form radio show back at the student-run campus station KSDT — but different. Schedule permitting, every Saturday night from 10 p.m. to midnight local time, …

“I’ve known film director Jeromy Cox for 20 years or so,” says Trophy Wife singer-guitarist Joe MacAskill, “and when he suggested I wear a horse costume for the video [“Move to the Desert”], I pretty …

Lowell Kiesel, founder of the Carvin Corporation, died in San Diego on December 28. He was 94. Carvin, based in San Diego, is one of the oldest manufacturers of guitars and amplifiers in California. “His …

In 1986, Mike Halloran moved to San Diego from Detroit to work at the new “cutting edge” TJ-based rock station 91X. Its DJs had to drive to the Tijuana “bunker on the mountain” studio, which …

Artist: A Shift to the LeftSong: “Like a Fox” Heard by: Don White, University CityEarly in life, jazz was described to me as “play a wrong note and it’s a wrong note; play the wrong …

Thirty Years AgoJIM FROM Mom’s Saloon December 8 after Christmas party. Remembering your blue eyes and smile. You haven’t phoned. Let’s go ride wild horses. Country Sue. BRIAN JONES, his ideas stolen, his strengths diminished, …

On a warm September afternoon last fall, Scott Freeman sat at an outdoor table near the art department at San Diego City College. Dressed in jeans and a black-and-gray-striped bowling shirt that covered his noticeable …

First let me confess. I do not know what I’m talking about. Anything naive, ill-informed, mistaken in what follows will be admitted freely without need of threat or torture. I am confident I speak for …

Alan Silva plays mostly acoustic songs in a variety of styles, from indie to folk to country blues. “I take inspiration from many sources in music, as well as from literary figures,” he says. “Compare …

Like a modern-day John Lee Hooker, Otis Taylor can make an entire song from a single riff. Hooker conjured powerful emotions with little more than a guitar and a somnolent mumble. Taylor, a multi-instrumentalist and …

Hey, Matt: Why is it that when I am swimming in the ocean or a pool and I open my eyes underwater it’s all blurry. Fish, birds, and marine mammals seem to be able to …

The first time you hear White Denim’s “I Start to Run,” it sounds so great you can’t believe it. There’s powerful drumming, a driving bass line, cool stabs of guitar playing, and full-bodied shouting. In …

At no time is freedom of speech more precious than when a man hits his thumb with a hammer. — Marshall Lumsden "Dododummyshutup,” said my friend Joe the sommelier. His cheeks reddened, corroborating the statement …

Voice Growing Fainter? Numbers have taken a free-fall to 20,000–25,000 The beginnings were auspicious enough — and Voice of San Diego garnered copious praise from various media-watchers who anointed it as a model for the …

“The Chinese proverb says, ‘Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one,’” proclaimed friend Bernice as she poured a cup of green tea during our afternoon chat. The tea was …

When Marc-André Hamelin walked onstage at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Sherwood Auditorium on December 18, only the high shine of his shoes looked the part of a world-renowned, super-virtuoso pianist. His rumpled black suit …

Perhaps you are comforted believing that the U.S. government, Federal Reserve, and Wall Street are all working assiduously to provide you with a job. Ha ha ha ha. Not so. The Federal Reserve, our central …

Chula Vista, CA. July 16, 2009I am sitting with 19,999 other half-interested fans at an obscenely large amphitheater so close to the international border with Mexico that you could chuck your cell phone and hit …

Last week’s search for great soups brought me to Dobson’s famed mussel bisque and thence to their website, where I discovered a well-kept secret, their 25th-anniversary special of a three-course prix fixe (weekdays, 3:00–7:00 p.m.) …

Last Sunday, January 10, at approximately 10:45 p.m., I was driving my 1998 Honda Civic east on Skyline Truck Trail. My boyfriend and I were heading toward our home in Jamul. We noticed an unusual …

Equality California and the Courage Campaign joined local LGBT individuals and Unite Here Local 30 union members on Saturday, January 9, in the latest demonstration against the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel. Participants yelling “boycott” marched …

The oldest member of the Enemy is 23, but this three-piece from England displays impressive musical maturity. Music for the People is the band's sophomore effort and it delivers, with high-energy crowd-pleasers such as “51st …

"Just fly," my friends told me. "Or rent a car. The bus will take forever." The Balkan bus system is a confounding web of coaches and stations. Unlike in the U.S., there’s no equivalent to …

I had for months anticipated the opportunity to spend two weeks in Ecuador over the Christmas holidays. It is a country of incredible biodiversity and natural beauty. During my first week there, I volunteered at …

Searching for ways to reduce cost and trim the City of San Diego's structural deficit, department heads from 175 city offices agreed to implement recommendations outlined in the city auditor's 2008-2009 annual report. The next …

Maybe the name of the band should be Trial by Audience. New band, new music. The frontman, blues-rock guitarist Robben Ford, said it was the first time they'd played it for anyone. It was groundbreaking, …

Lupe Fiasco makes relevant, conscientious, agreeable hip-hop music that anyone can get behind, regardless of exposure to -- or seclusion from -- the rap scene. That said, the emcee's latest "mixtape," Enemy of the State: …

“I just came from the bank to get $100 to donate to the Salvation Army,” said Melanie Gates at the Salvation Army’s annual luncheon on Christmas day. “As I was walking along the trolley tracks, …

Since repairs to the Mission Bay Channel jetties began (a 350-ton crane capacity derrick barge and at least one support vessel have been at work there off and on since October), the enormous mound of …

On Monday, January 4, at around 2 p.m., my brothers Alex and Joseph and I were pulled over by a sheriff in Lemon Grove. We were taken out of the car, handcuffed, and searched in …

As part of a cost-cutting effort for the new fiscal year, the San Diego City Council approved budget reductions proposed by Mayor Jerry Sanders that included changes to lifeguard operations at Black’s Beach, formally known …

Three high school students — two boys and a girl — were assassinated Wednesday afternoon, January 6, shortly after taking some prep exams on campus. All were 16 years of age. The students (Osvaldo Martinez, …

Stacy, a Good Will employee working at a drop-off site located in the Mira Mesa Park & Ride, describes the period between Christmas day and New Year’s Eve as extremely busy. She says “1251 people” …

If the city can't afford to maintain the fire pits on its beaches, can community members step in? Members of Ocean Beach's planning board pondered that question at its January 6 meeting, discussing City of …

Concertgoers attending the San Diego Symphony's performance of Prokofiev's 5th Symphony on January 7 were greeted by the composer himself, or rather, his very convincing look-alike (right down to hair style and Russki accent) Nuvi …

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, the region's mass transit system that covers 3240 square miles for approximately three million residents, is forced to streamline operations by about $13 million dollars. The agency blames the deficit …

If you thought life in the Caribbean was laid back, Vieques, an island municipality to the east of the Puerto Rican mainland, takes it to the extreme. Most of the island looks and feels like …

An Amtrak passenger train en route from Santa Barbara to San Diego barely avoided an accident on Monday, January 4 at about 7:40 p.m. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train number 784 was operating through Rose Canyon …

I passed three police cars stopped in the 1100 block of Felspar Street on the afternoon of January 5. I parked my car and as I walked toward them, two of the cars drove away. …

December was a divisive month for an already fractured Oceanside city council. Early in the month, councilmember Jerry Kern was victorious in defeating a recall effort. In that recall election, two of Kern's colleagues, Mayor …

On Tuesday, January 4, at about 11:00 p.m., El Cajon police took three young men into custody for felony vandalism. An officer reportedly became suspicious of the teens’ passenger-side window being rolled down on such …

Not much is currently popular about Wall Street, but pre- recessions and depressions, America’s financial institutions reveled in a period of immense prosperity. From politics to architecture, Greek and Roman civilizations heavily influenced much of …

Founded in 1977, Forecast specializes in what regional radio used to call “lights-out jazz,” a progressive sort of lounge sound almost verging on rock and roll. Mining the same smooth ground as locals Fattburger and …

Leland Batson,Cinephile Seldom have gender stereotypes been explored in such an inventive and playful fashion as in director Charlie Call’s terrific short film, Peep Show. A young woman treats herself to a verbal peepshow in …

Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart is pretty much the whole show. His Bad Blake, given name to be held back for the gravestone, is an over-the-hill and down-on-his-luck C&W singer still living the life of …

I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s. — Henry Moore January is my least favorite month. February is cozy with groundhogs and hearts, March is revelry with Mardi Gras and St. …

Majestic blue waters of the Adriatic Sea splash into the unassuming, picturesque coastal town of Piran, Slovenia. This aged European town on Slovenia’s small stretch of coastline has its own seaside, Mediterranean-like character – quiet …

Recipe by Patrick Ponsaty, executive chef, Bernard’O Restaurant As a fifth-generation chef, my father didn’t give me another choice or allow me to take another direction. He owned a restaurant in Cazeres, France. I started …

So, holidays are over, all the fun is gone. All the money’s gone. Sorry, Gate, but you got here late, all the jive is gone. What now? Drown your Visa bill in a nice hot …

The shiver. Down my spine. Can’t help feeling it every time I walk into Old Town. Honest. Something happens when you saunter up that dusty path from the trolley-bus depot, around the wooden fences, and …

Poverty does not become me. I’m sure it doesn’t become anyone, but it really doesn’t become me. I was supposed to be somebody by now, and by that I mean somebody other than this woman …

I asked Sergeant Bret Righthouse about the bad old days, back in 1994, before a cadre of mounted San Diego Police Department officers began routinely patrolling Balboa Park. Transients and illegal aliens had set up …

San Diego politicos spent the last month of 2009 raising money for the 2010 election season. Contributors included the California Medical Association, which gave $7800 to San Diego city councilman Ben Hueso’s Democratic assembly bid. …

He’s the son of Alex Spanos and the president of the Chargers, currently seeking a multimillion-dollar handout from taxpayers as a condition for building a new stadium somewhere in the county. But La Jollan Dean …

Government officials say they’re hard up for funds, but most can’t seem to resist spending for lobbying activities. A recently filed disclosure report covering the third quarter of last year shows that District Attorney Bonnie …

San Diego, Texas lies 52 miles west of Corpus Christi and 1169 miles east of San Diego, California. It occupies 1.6 square miles on the county line between Duval and Jim Wells counties and is …

Heymatt: Why when a guy breaks up with you do people say you have a broken heart? Where did your heart start to be the same as sadness or emotions? How can your heart break? …

I went to a huge Christmas party a couple of weeks ago at the University Heights home of Liz Abbott and Kent Johnson. They publish the San Diego Troubadour — a local paper that covers …

New Year. No more chips. Almonds! Hubby Patrick, friend Lissa, and I sat down for a tasting, beginning with the kind most likely to be served in-flight: Blue Diamond Roasted & Salted ($3.49 for 6 …

It is doubtful that anyone who knows who these guys are would mind my calling them a supergroup. In the classic sense of the term, that is exactly what they are — a traveling supergroup …

In 2007 I was lucky enough to see Sonic Youth play their landmark 1988 album Daydream Nation in its entirety. From opener “Teen Age Riot” to the closing “Trilogy: Eliminator Jr.,” it was awesome. For …

Praise The Pharmaceutical Companies Re “The Little Pills That Sent Me on My Journey” (Cover Story, December 31). I always enjoy the Reader and have never felt the need to actually send an email to …

It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, two days after “Black Friday,” a term originating (according to Wikipedia) with the Philadelphia PD in the 19th Century to denote this holiday’s weekend traffic that is a bitch …

It’s probably impossible to know the truth of it now. I’m talking about Michael Oher, starting right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and subject of a hit movie titled The Blind Side (said film cost …

“Do you know about this priest?” asked the man next to me in the pew, referring to Father Phien Van Pham, the Vietnamese celebrant. “He was persecuted for his faith — he spent quite a …

Flat Cat Canyon is the curious name given to a rugged gorge southwest of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park visitor center and not far outside the community of Borrego Springs. Park rangers once found a …

Last year, the San Diego economy did poorly, although it was picking up a bit in the final several months. This year, it should do moderately better. Alan Gin, economist at the University of San …

Acoustic minimalist Drew Andrews, between Via Satellite and Album Leaf projects, debuts a new solo CD at the Casbah on January 13. The dual record-release party includes Boomsnake, plugging their new EP and 7” Re/Visions, …

“After being in the local scene for two years, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go,” says singer-songwriter Kenny Eng, who cites three factors that he feels are most responsible for failing at …

“Let’s hear it for Carey Driscoll,” says singer Tom Russell from the stage of a Methodist church in Normal Heights. “Carey Driscoll, my favorite promoter, tryin’ to keep folk music alive. Man! Some of those …

“I used to sell 78s to Robert Crumb,” says Folk Arts Rare Records owner Louis Curtiss of the cartoonist and musician whose Book of Genesis: Illustrated currently tops the New York Times’ hardcover graphic books …

Thirty Years AgoDear Matthew Alice:We were wondering if any photo developers in the San Diego area develop nude photos. We have tried most of the conventional sources (Dean’s, Save-On), but we’ve always had our negatives …

Much as I want to get behind a band from my old Maryland stomping grounds (Wheaton, Rockville), I'm as bored as I am impressed by Hotspur. My feelings really don't apply -- these guys have …

Genial Sacramento eccentric Anton Barbeau travels to England for this one, and writes about same for his first song, no less. Other selections highlight the thin line between Esperanto and joyous gibberish, with backwards- and …

Parked by the curb on Quivira Road on Monday afternoon, January 4, was an enormous yellow Leyland Olympian bus. On its side was a sign that read: "The British Bus Company, LLC, Santee, CA." I …

Early on New Year’s Day, residents of Fahrenheit condominiums discovered one of their two building elevators had been vandalized. Many homeowners who came upon the scene were furious over damages to the communal area. “This …

Ex Libras are the latest disciple of the new prog genre, and like their primogenitors Muse and Oceansize, they're more concerned with bombastic, stadium-crushing peaks than, say, making actual music. Their debut album Suite(s) is …

When Lisa and I exited the Ruby Room, we couldn't decide between triple espressos or permanent bunks in Titicacaman's parallel universe. With the mildly strangled, dreamily idiotic vocals of an erotic asphyxiator, he took us …

As winter’s chilly arms embrace us, my thoughts drift back to sun-drenched days on Grand Cayman’s pristine beaches. Relaxing with a strawberry daiquiri in one hand and an engaging novel in the other, my days …

On Monday, January 4, San Diego Unified School District issued a news release for a special meeting to take place the following day to discuss "whether the district needs a school superintendent in the future." …

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. It comes courtesy of the simple spiritual man in the loincloth who brought the British Empire to …

With beguiling rhythms and building-block layers, Oceanside-based band the Drowning Men stand out from the indie-rock pack. Over pure punk and Irish folk and through tasteful use of voice, drums, organ, guitar, accompanied by the …

Shelley Susman grew up in a tennis family in La Jolla. Her mother, Karen Hantze Susman, won a singles title at Wimbledon in 1962 as well as several double titles alongside Billie Jean King. Her …

I noticed a “Kohler Power Systems 24-hour Emergency Service Unit” and pump surrounded by about 30 orange cones and 30 orange-and-white-striped “City of San Diego Street Division Signs” at Santa Clara Point and Bayside on …

A Tijuana hospital was strafed with high-powered weapons on December 31, and a used-car lot next door was set ablaze. Both the hospital and car lot are owned by Dr. Fernando Guzmán Cordero, who was …

At about 9:00 a.m. on December 31, at the corner of Midway Drive and West Point Loma Boulevard, a five-car wreck occurred that sent a mother and her nine-year old girl to the hospital, the …

Last week, sheriff's deputies rescued two surveyors who’d become lost while working on a Stewart Canyon landfill project. On December 30, James Plunkett, 30, and Jason Wold, 25, were placing markers in the area when, …

A 20-year-old man was arrested for burglary after he was found sporting the clothes he allegedly stole from a dryer at about 9:30 a.m. on December 28. A 911 caller alerted police that the thief …