Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Day the music died

After the big-label era...Banana Dang!

Mario Jimenez and Thanh-Thanh Dang had a coffee shop in Puerto Rico; they traded it for Banana Dang in Oceanside.
Mario Jimenez and Thanh-Thanh Dang had a coffee shop in Puerto Rico; they traded it for Banana Dang in Oceanside.

Rockers often segue into food and beverage. Moby, Ludacris, and Justin Timberlake have all opened eateries. Ex–San Diegan Mark Trombino, the multiplatinum producer (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) who will soon play Coachella with his re-animated Drive Like Jehu, launched a second career two years ago when he opened Donut Friend in Highland Park.

Singer Mario Jimenez and publicist Thanh-Thanh (pronounced tahn-tahn) Dang have turned the page with their new coffee-and-smoothie storefront called Banana Dang.

Jimenez fronted the post-hardcore band Stanford Prison Experiment for ten years (1992–2002), releasing three albums. They opened for Rage Against the Machine on a West Coast tour and toured with Faith No More in Europe. Stanford Prison Experiment got signed to Island Records in 1998, just as that label imploded. “Ninety-seven people got laid off,” Jimenez tells the Reader. “By the time our record came out, everyone we knew there was gone. We went out on tour, but no one worked our record.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Dang’s work as a publicist in L.A. and New York earned her a gold record (Fuel) and a platinum disc (Foo Fighters). She worked for P.R. companies as well as for Geffen Records publicity, working with Beastie Boys, Hole, Bowie, and Guns ’N Roses until she was given her own P.R. department to run at Ultimatum Records (Incredible Moses Leroy), which folded soon after she left. Dang left the record industry just as music was starting to get downloaded.

While the two experienced firsthand the record-industry meltdown, Dang and Jimenez made their own happy ending. They got married and then opened their own coffee house on Puerto Rico’s west coast. After eight years, they’ve opened Banana Dang in downtown Oceanside. Forty years ago, Dang’s family came to nearby Camp Pendleton, arriving with hundreds of other South Vietnamese refugees.

How did you get into publicity?

Thanh-Thanh: I started putting out my own ’zine called The Club [1985–’86]. It was all about Echo and the Bunnymen. I always had Mac [Ian McCulloch] on the cover. And I would cover what other people thought about the band. Then I get a call from the head of publicity for Sire asking me if I would like to actually interview Mac.... Then two USC grads put out a paper called T&B, which stood for The Beat. I got to interview Frampton, Depeche Mode, Dead Milkmen, Jesus and Mary Chain.... Then [in 1992] I was an intern at Echo and the Bunnymen’s independent publicity company.... I became an intern at [now defunct] Hollywood Records. I made copies of magazine articles all day. I became like an encyclopedia on all the bands because I read all the articles.

Your first paying job?

T-T: Geffen Records. I was there for a month when Kurt [Cobain] died. My boss wasn’t in that day. Everyone went to work in shorts and a T-shirt, and when they wanted someone to talk to the TV cameras, no one was dressed for it. We made the director of marketing go out. The phones rang off the hook all day.... I was there when Beck’s first album came out. He would come in and just hang out. He was really shy. When I left, “Loser” was just becoming a hit.

From 1993 until ’97 you were the tour publicist for Bowie, Warped Tour, and Social Distortion. Which was most fun?

T-T: Mike Ness only did interviews with fanzines. He was totally against Rolling Stone, so it was really easy to set up interviews. Everyone wanted to speak with Mike. He was so real.

You experienced the decline of major labels firsthand. Do you miss the big-label era at all?

T-T: Now the power is in the hands of the artists. They have more control of their own music and how it’s communicated. They can go on Twitter and Facebook and write directly to their fans. They don’t have to go through several heads of state. A smaller fish is more powerful than a bigger fish. It can move faster. It has more agility. More places to hide.

Why Puerto Rico?

Mario: We were looking for a place to start a coffeehouse. We found it on our honeymoon. Rincon is on the very western point of Puerto Rico, which is semi-rural. It’s the surfing mecca for the Midwest and the East Coast.... We were able to buy the house. We lived upstairs and had the coffeehouse downstairs. We had banana trees on our property. We used only coffee that was grown on the island.

Too much paradise?

M: We wanted to get back here so our daughter could be with our families. [Puerto Rico] is an island and sometimes the tankers don’t roll in on time. The electricity and water would not always be there. It’s a beautiful place but maybe not the best to run a business. If you’re used to everything running on time, and not running out, you can throw that out the window.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?
Next Article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Mario Jimenez and Thanh-Thanh Dang had a coffee shop in Puerto Rico; they traded it for Banana Dang in Oceanside.
Mario Jimenez and Thanh-Thanh Dang had a coffee shop in Puerto Rico; they traded it for Banana Dang in Oceanside.

Rockers often segue into food and beverage. Moby, Ludacris, and Justin Timberlake have all opened eateries. Ex–San Diegan Mark Trombino, the multiplatinum producer (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) who will soon play Coachella with his re-animated Drive Like Jehu, launched a second career two years ago when he opened Donut Friend in Highland Park.

Singer Mario Jimenez and publicist Thanh-Thanh (pronounced tahn-tahn) Dang have turned the page with their new coffee-and-smoothie storefront called Banana Dang.

Jimenez fronted the post-hardcore band Stanford Prison Experiment for ten years (1992–2002), releasing three albums. They opened for Rage Against the Machine on a West Coast tour and toured with Faith No More in Europe. Stanford Prison Experiment got signed to Island Records in 1998, just as that label imploded. “Ninety-seven people got laid off,” Jimenez tells the Reader. “By the time our record came out, everyone we knew there was gone. We went out on tour, but no one worked our record.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Dang’s work as a publicist in L.A. and New York earned her a gold record (Fuel) and a platinum disc (Foo Fighters). She worked for P.R. companies as well as for Geffen Records publicity, working with Beastie Boys, Hole, Bowie, and Guns ’N Roses until she was given her own P.R. department to run at Ultimatum Records (Incredible Moses Leroy), which folded soon after she left. Dang left the record industry just as music was starting to get downloaded.

While the two experienced firsthand the record-industry meltdown, Dang and Jimenez made their own happy ending. They got married and then opened their own coffee house on Puerto Rico’s west coast. After eight years, they’ve opened Banana Dang in downtown Oceanside. Forty years ago, Dang’s family came to nearby Camp Pendleton, arriving with hundreds of other South Vietnamese refugees.

How did you get into publicity?

Thanh-Thanh: I started putting out my own ’zine called The Club [1985–’86]. It was all about Echo and the Bunnymen. I always had Mac [Ian McCulloch] on the cover. And I would cover what other people thought about the band. Then I get a call from the head of publicity for Sire asking me if I would like to actually interview Mac.... Then two USC grads put out a paper called T&B, which stood for The Beat. I got to interview Frampton, Depeche Mode, Dead Milkmen, Jesus and Mary Chain.... Then [in 1992] I was an intern at Echo and the Bunnymen’s independent publicity company.... I became an intern at [now defunct] Hollywood Records. I made copies of magazine articles all day. I became like an encyclopedia on all the bands because I read all the articles.

Your first paying job?

T-T: Geffen Records. I was there for a month when Kurt [Cobain] died. My boss wasn’t in that day. Everyone went to work in shorts and a T-shirt, and when they wanted someone to talk to the TV cameras, no one was dressed for it. We made the director of marketing go out. The phones rang off the hook all day.... I was there when Beck’s first album came out. He would come in and just hang out. He was really shy. When I left, “Loser” was just becoming a hit.

From 1993 until ’97 you were the tour publicist for Bowie, Warped Tour, and Social Distortion. Which was most fun?

T-T: Mike Ness only did interviews with fanzines. He was totally against Rolling Stone, so it was really easy to set up interviews. Everyone wanted to speak with Mike. He was so real.

You experienced the decline of major labels firsthand. Do you miss the big-label era at all?

T-T: Now the power is in the hands of the artists. They have more control of their own music and how it’s communicated. They can go on Twitter and Facebook and write directly to their fans. They don’t have to go through several heads of state. A smaller fish is more powerful than a bigger fish. It can move faster. It has more agility. More places to hide.

Why Puerto Rico?

Mario: We were looking for a place to start a coffeehouse. We found it on our honeymoon. Rincon is on the very western point of Puerto Rico, which is semi-rural. It’s the surfing mecca for the Midwest and the East Coast.... We were able to buy the house. We lived upstairs and had the coffeehouse downstairs. We had banana trees on our property. We used only coffee that was grown on the island.

Too much paradise?

M: We wanted to get back here so our daughter could be with our families. [Puerto Rico] is an island and sometimes the tankers don’t roll in on time. The electricity and water would not always be there. It’s a beautiful place but maybe not the best to run a business. If you’re used to everything running on time, and not running out, you can throw that out the window.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Dating Sites For Little People: Best Platforms & Tips

Next Article

Pacific Beach – car thief's paradise

Take photos of your automobile and license plate
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.