San Diego Reader

Blogs | Rock Around the Town

New Dark/Goth Club, U2 in SD, Tim Curry Rocks, Love-In Musical, Local Recording Studio Spotlights, more

RSS | E-mail the Author
Bookmark and Share

San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now

Listen to the Overheard in San Diego theme song! Press illo to play the Overheard song!

Sven-Erik Seaholm: Vocals, Guitars, Bass www.svensongs.com
Bill Ray: Drums www.billraydrums.com

NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED

IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....

If you wanna see a list of over 1,3000 San Diego performers, with links to full profiles, photos, discographies, articles, MP3s, etc, checkout http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search/

Believe it or not, you can click on ANY MUSICIAN'S NAME, and bring up a list of every notable band they've ever been in!

AND, if that wasn't cool 'nuff, click on an instrument, like "drums" - BAM, a list of EVERY DRUMMER IN SAN DIEGO!!!

We've been working on this massively cross-linked Local Music Database for over two years now, covering a century of San Diego history --- if you're a local performer who wants to add or edit a page, go to http://www.sandiegoreader.com/band/edit/

More anon!!!! JAS


HERE'S THIS WEEK'S NEW Overheard in San Diego

overheard3-26-09fnl


AND THE NEW Famous Former Neighbors

famflanneryfnl


sdpcJayAltFnl

ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TONIGHT/SATURDAY, MARCH 28

Live Music

DJ and OtherEvents

TwoRose


SanDiegoSkylineFNL

Jay Allen  Sanford  MY PERSONAL HOTPICK FOR TONIGHT...

 

NEW CLUB EVENT: DEADLINE’S DARK CABARET

 

Tonight, Tragic Tantrum Cabaret headlines the newest dark music/art club in San Diego, to be held at the Radio Room.


Deadline was formed by friends DJ Synexx and Mr. E in January of this year,” according to zOe and Zeph of the Cabaret. “We stopped in last month and were very impressed with the crowd, the vibe and the people.”

Support the local underground music and art scene at Club Deadline's Dark Cabaret tonight - doors open at 9 pm and Tragic Tantrum are on at 11:30. “Come early to see bellydancers and hang out with us! You won't see us until May after this, as we're going back into recording…”

 

"Our band blends the f-ck-it-and-just-play mentality of punk with the theatrics of cabaret," says Tragic Tantrum cabaret-singer/guitarist Zephyrus "Zeph" Rex.

 The performance-art duo composes songs around a melodica and a toy xylophone. "There's a lot of unexplored territory there. With punk music, you can perform and entertain and deliver a message whether or not you have a wealth of musical know-how. In a way, it's sort of an underground music for the people, though not necessarily music for the masses."

"I think there's also an element of circus to our act," says singer/lyricist zOe. "There's something about painting your face that allows your true self to come out. With both Zeph and myself having a background in theater, it was a very natural thing to fall into. If our show were a dessert, I think it would be Red Hots mixed with chocolate, strawberries, and licorice. Hot, sweet, tart, and manufactured."

 

Related links


DURGA SOUND MAIN STAGE 

  • SONO CLIP 12:00 NOON
  • RHYTHM & THE METHOD 12:45 PM
  • GUAVA BELLY 1:30 PM
  • BITTER SOBER 2:15 PM
  • SOCIAL GREEN 3:00 PM
  • JENNIE LAWS 3:45 PM
  • Alisha Zalkin 4:20 PM
  • THE BURNING OF ROME 4:45 PM
  • ADAM JOSEPH 5:45 PM
  • SI*SÉ 6:45 PM
  • ALICIA CHAMPION 7:45 PM
  • DANIELLE LOPRESTI & THE MASSES 8:30 PM
  • JULIETTE & THE NEW ROMANTIQUES 9:30 PM

CRAIG YERKES ACOUSTIC STAGE 

  • CHRIS KLICH JAZZ QUINTET 11:00 AM
  • DANIELE SPADAVECCHIA 11:45 AM
  • MERLE JAGGER 12:30 PM
  • AARON BOWEN & LEE COULTER 1:15 PM
  • AUSTIN & OWENS 2:15 PM
  • CITIZEN BAND 3:00 PM
  • KYLER ENGLAND 3:45 PM
  • ERIC HIMAN 4:30 PM
  • BLACKRAVEN 5:15 PM
  • VERONICA MAY & THE TO-DO LIST 6:00 PM
  • THE GRAMS 6:45 PM
  • AUSTIN JENNINGS 7:30 PM
  • JOE RATHBURN 8:15 PM
  • GREG FRIEDMAN 9:00 PM
  • FRANCESCA VALLE 9:45 PM

GREEN STAGE 

  • TAM TAM MANDINGUE 11:15 AM
  • COLLECTIVE PURPOSE 11:45 AM
  • BIG TOE 12:30 AM
  • TRIPTIC 1:15 PM
  • JAMESON 2:00 PM
  • CAROLANN AMES 2:45 PM
  • HECTIC WATERMELON 3:30 PM
  • SAUCY MONKY 4:15 PM
  • (SIC)MONIC 5:00 PM
  • GHOST 5:45 PM
  • JIBILIAN / SETAR 6:30 PM
  • THE RANDIES 7:15 PM
  • LOCURA 8:00 PM
  • THE COUSIN LOVERS 8:45 PM
  • AUDIBLE MAINFRAME 9:30 PM
  • SLAAMD 10:15 PM

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH STAGE 

  • MARIE HADDAD 12:00 NOON
  • LINDSEY YUNG 12:45 PM
  • DURGA AWARDS PRESENTATION 1:30 PM
  • AMY LACOUR 2:30 PM
  • GABY MORENO 3:15 PM
  • STASIA 4:00 PM
  • JANE LUI 4:45 PM
  • REBEKAH LEBEAU 5:30 PM
  • KATIE COSTELLO 6:15 PM
  • LINDSEY HARPER 7:00 PM
  • LEAH 7:45 PM
  • LAURA CRITCHLEY 8:30 PM
  • ANGIE EVANS 9:15 PM
  • TIFF JIMBER 10:00 PM
  • TORI ROZE 10:45 PM
  • ALYSSA JACEY 11:30 PM

MATURE AUDIENCES STAGE (21+)

  • TOOTIE & THE GIRLS FROM LIPS 5:45 PM
  • KIMBERLY DARK 6:30 PM
  • THE PLATT BROTHERS 7:15 PM
  • NOMIS 8:00 PM
  • ALLISON GILL 8:45 PM
  • ALU 9:30 PM
  • PAULO MATTIOLI & UJJAYI SOUNDSYSTEM 10:15 PM
  • MC FLOW 11:00 PM
  • LOVE YOU LONG TIME 11:45 PM
  • LYNSKEY-WISDOM 12:30 AM

INDIE FILM STAGE 

  • FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO 11:00 AM
  • DJEMBEFOLA 1:30 PM
  • THE STORY OF STUFF 3:20 PM
  • ELECTION 2008 3:47 PM
  • MIRA 4:02 PM
  • THE STORY OF STUFF 4:22 PM
  • RHYTHMS TO PEACE 4:47 PM

Musicpalooza contest still calling for musicians

Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. Competition begins June 19 at the fair, held in Del Mar, Calif.

The winning band and solo artist will take home $25,000 each. Second place winners will receive $5,000 each and third place entries will receive $2,000.

Entries are made online. Information, including entry link, is available at www.sdfair.com/musicpalooza.

The contest is open to all musicians and singers, amateur as well as professional, throughout the United States and Baja California.

Judges will narrow down their selection of groups and individual performers to compete on the various stages during the Fair, beginning Friday, June 19.

Finalists will then compete on the Grandstand Stage, Friday, July 3, on which night winners of the grand $25,000 prize will be announced.

For more information about “Musicpalooza” including rules and regulations, entry materials, and contacts please visit www.sdfair.com/musicpalooza. Participants and sponsors may also call the Special Events Department directly at (858) 792-2363.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/mar/24/musicpaloosa-contest-still-calling-musicians/


U2 IN SD - IT'S BEEN 4 YEARS ALREADY?!?!

As U2 prepare to take over the world yet again, here's a peek back at the last time they hit SD -

am123 3-28-05 and 3-30-05 – U2 at San Diego Sports Arena: The opening dates of U2's Vertigo Tour came just two weeks after their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ticket prices ran $49.50 to $165, though area resale agencies like Advancetickets.com were charging $1190 for fifth-row seats.

"The band sounded amazing from start to finish," says Interference.com contributing editor Devlin Smith of the opening date. "Even though Bono said at the end of the main set, 'You can screw up a little, we're amongst friends, right?' I couldn't name a single blunder."

"Bono said during 'One,' 'Did You come here to play, Jesus, because I did,' and introduced himself to the audience during the night's closer, '40,' as Little Lord Jesus," says Smith. "Edge was confident and comfortable, taking much of the spotlight for himself as he shared vocal duties on 'Miracle Drug,' sang 'La, la, la, la, de, day' on 'Running to Stand Still,' and sported a Madonna-style head mike to provide backing vocals on 'Zoo Station.'"

Smith says drummer Larry Mullen was "broadening his stage persona, supplying backing vocals for 'Love and Peace or Else' and 'Elevation,' and picking out notes on a synthesizer for 'Yahweh.' " As for bassist Adam Clayton, "He and Edge did mix it up, readopting an early-'80s tradition of swapping instruments for 40."

According to Pollstar magazine, the March 30 show grossed $2.9 million, making it the only 2005 San Diego show among that year's top 100 moneymaking concerts.


RELATED LINKS

am70  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/05/29-years-ago-today-iggy-pop-at-the-catamaran-plus-/

ab20

 THE DAY NIRVANA PLAYED OFF THE RECORD: 10-24-91 - Detailed feature on Nirvana playing a tiny local record store, just as their first album was hitting the charts, featuring interviews with OTR staffers, rare video footage of the event, and more... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-nirvana-played-at-off-the-record


concert2ab21

THE DAY JIMI HENDRIX CAME TO TOWN - 5-24-69: From my extensive interviews with Hendrix bassist Noel Redding, here's the inside scoop on a legendary (and highly bootlegeed) local concert... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-jimi-hendrix-came-to-town


brian2

THE DAY BEACH BOY BRIAN WILSON GOT BUSTED IN BALBOA PARK: In June 1978, Brian Wilson - without telling his wife or fellow bandmembers - decided (inexplicably) to escape his life entirely and hitchhike to Mexico. He wound up in San Diego a few days later, mentally fogged, barefoot, and unwashed. “He was on a binge," according to Stephen Love, brother of Beach Boy Mike Love and sometime-band manager..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/18/the-day-beach-boy-brian-wilson-got-busted


Monkee Business

THE DAY THE MONKEES TURNED DEL MAR INTO CLARKSVILLE: 9-11-66 - Del Mar was renamed “Clarksville” for the day, as part of a promotion for the Monkees TV show, which would debut the following night. The Sunday event marked the first time the foursome ever performed music in public.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/16/day-the-monkees-turned-del-mar-into-clarksville


ElvisMex20pelvis

WHY MEXICANS HATED ELVIS: May 1959: While Elvis Presley’s popularity in the U.S. was arguably at its all-time peak, Mexico was in the midst of a huge anti-Elvis backlash. Tijuana tabloids called him a racist and homosexual, after the singer reportedly told gossip columnist Federico de León "I'd rather kiss three black girls than a Mexican." A Mexican woman in the same column was quoted saying "I'd rather kiss three dogs than one Elvis Presley”..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/13/why-mexicans-hated-elvis-plus-celeb-sighting/

 


 TIM CURRY ROCKS – SO I DESIGNED THIS DREAM CONCERT…

 

Tim Curry has enjoyed a vastly and inexplicably underrated music career.

 

Like many (most?), he first hit my radar as Frank ‘N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I first caught while visiting Austin Texas in summer 1978. A few months later, my first appearance in my hometown Connecticut newspaper The New London Day was NOT in the police blotter (surprise!!) – it was an article about the midnight rockies at the Groton Cinema, as represented by a photo of me (half)dressed as Curry and accompanied by my already underwear-inclined girlfriend ----

 

 

(October 16, 1978 – let the mocking commence…)

 

(An aside - after above pic was published, underwear girl’s parents forbade their daughter to date me…as did the parents of several other local ladies….)

 

 Anyway, I continued to follow Curry’s musical career. Post-Rocky, he started up an amazing rock-n-cabaret band, with Alice Cooper’s fiery lead guitarist Dick Wagner.

 

Curry’s big, booming voice was perfectly suited for the theatrical rock opera-esque songs, most of which managed to be both gritty urban and feather-fay at the same time – think Springsteen concert as staged by Twyla Tharp.

 

 

Over several solo albums, Curry enjoyed a few moderate “hits,” including “Paradise Garage,” a snarky rocker about a famous New York City disco – the (excellent) video includes a shot of Curry making faces at a guy walking by dressed as Frank ‘N’ Furter –

 

 

“I Do the Rock” was probably his best known tune, with its stream of consciousness namedropping rap. Curry even updated the tune for a performance on the Tracey Ullman show!

 

 

But most every song on Curry’s albums was a jewel, especially smoldering burners like “Sloe Gin,” an all-out “Stairway” style masterwork still frequently covered by guitar gods –

 

 

Checkout this amazing version by the amazingly(ly obcure) Joe Bonamassa (hand to gawd, if you haven't heard this guy, wailing THIS tune, you will seek me out wherever I may be in this whole wide world, just to shake my hand and thank me for turning you on to this):

 

 

 However, for some reason, Curry’s rock and roll fire never quite caught – his deep voiced operatic style clearly foreshadowed the VERY similar music in the two Eddie and the Cruisers movies, as performed by the Beaver Brown band (and lip synched by the actors). In addition, groups like Sisters of Mercy, Oingo Boingo (whose original Mystic Knights cabaret act was directly inspired by Rocky), the Cult, and even Guns N’ Roses and U2 may well some of their inspiration to Curry’s music. Many similarities -----

 

Certainly Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell looks, feels, AND sounds like a direct descendent of Tim Curry’s rock and roll experiment, as do the Dresden Dolls, the Killers, and a number of other contemporaries.

 

 Curry kept singing, tho, first in movies like the low budget Blue Money, on up through Muppet Treasure Island, Annie, etc.

 

 Up until recently, he was rocking the stage in Monty Python’s Spamalot, as King Arthur. Just last weekend, he co-starred in an Ion TV movie The Colour of Magic, based on the Terry Pratchet stories and co-starring friend-of-Frodo Sean Astin. It was watching that movie that gave me the idea for this blog ----

 

Here’s a Dream Concert I designed, with what I feel would be the ultimate Tim Curry performance, assuming he’d ever agree to do such a demanding, wide-ranging career retrospective. Me, I’d like to think he could make a lot of people wealthy doing such a show, say in Vegas, but - truth be told – the musical side of Tim Curry still seems to enjoy no more than a small-but-dedicated cult fanbase.

 

Betcha a show like this could change that, tho ----------- click song titles for links to sound or vid files provided where possible (all highly recommended, whether or not you’re already one of the converted) -------

 

FIRST SET

 

PARADISE GARAGE

 

Charge it

 

Hide this face

 

Birds Of A Feather” (from his 1978 debut Read My Lips)

 

Wake Nicodemus” (WITH live bagpipes, of course!)

 

“Simple Twist of Fate” (Yep, the Dylan song, an early Curry concert staple)

 

“All I Really Want”

 

I Will” (Curry’s wonky reggae version of the Beatles tune, from his 1978 Read My Lips album)

 

“Working on My Tan” (Another reggae number this one from Curry’s 1981 album Simplicity)

 

Gimme Some Lovin” (another cover from his early shows)

 

“When a Man Loves a Woman” (Helluva cover)

 

"Tumbling Down" (By the Venus in Furs, from the movie Velvet Goldmine - tho never covered by Curry, it should be)

 

"Suffragette City" (Bowie cover, 'nother one he hasn't done but should do)

 

“SOS” (slow fadeout of sound and lights, with only the ringing buoy bell, accompanied by the rising applause)

 

INTERMISSION screened on a Drive-In style screen backdrop:

1 – Film clips from Curry’s Saturday Night Live appearance 12-5-81, including his Mick Jagger impersonation and the Rocky Horror Fire Sale with Meatloaf

2 – Curry duet with Tracey Ullman from the February 1989 ep of her TV show

3 – Clip from Blue Money (1982) of Curry singing the title song

4 – From Rocky Horror, Frank ‘N’ Furter intro scene

5 – A couple of clips from the excellent 1979 West German Der Musikladen TV show appearances

6 – Clips of Curry purring into a mic as DJ Johnny LaGuardia in the cult classic Times Square

7 – “The Pluck Song ” (“I’m such a lucky plucker…”) from the 2001 movie Blood Moon

8 – Compilation video of his many singing movie roles, including “Easy Street” from Annie, in which he played Rooster Hannigan

 

 

 

SECOND SET

 

A Professional Pirate - ” (from Muppet Treasure Island – perhaps with a Muppet guest star??)

 

Toxic Love ” (Written by Thomas Dolby, from the animated film Ferngully)

  

zucchini song” (Hysterical dirty ditty from his SNL appearance)

 

Rose Tint My World ” (Rocky Horror snippet)

 

Street Signs” (from his Rock Follies of ’77 show)

 

Tim Curry singing Losing My Mind ” (Piano torch tune by Sondheim)

 

“Cry For Love” (Iggy Pop cover – Curry has never performed it, to my knowledge, but he’d tear the mutha up)

 

Fire Woman” (Cult cover, also never in a Curry setlist, but I actually thought Curry was singing when I first heard it…)

 

Celluloid Heroes” (Kinks cover he used to do in the ‘70s)

 

Alan” (Nice barroom croon)

 

Anything Can Happen on Halloween ” from The Worst Witch (false start, a few bars only, just enough to make the audience gasp “No effin way” --- the song is Curry’s most ridiculous musical moment, from a no-budget 1986 TV special, tho a clip of the song from the show has become a popular internet laughing stock, simply for being so crappy)

 

"I'm Going Home" from the Rocky Horror Show (rarely performed live since the old stage days)

 

“No Love on the Street” (with Clarence Clemens sax solo)

 

Origin of Love” (Tho never covered by Curry, this rocker from Hedwig and the Angry Inch would be OWNED by him)

 

I Do The Rock

 

Finale: "Sloe Gin"

 

Encore:  Spamalot medley, accompanied at the end by surprise walk-ons Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and – what the hell, it’s a dream – the late Python Graham Chapman, dressed as Brian from Life of Brian, revealed by an opening curtain to be hanging on a cross, as they all sing Eric Idle’s closing track from Meaning of Life “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

 

The concert ends with everyone whistling “Bright Side,” as Curry and the Pythons walk off stage, to thunderous and deafening applause……


ROCKY HORROR SPOOF from the Hillcrest-based comic book BARF

RockyJay2RockyJay3RockyJay4RockyJay5RockyJay6RockyJay7RockyJay8RockyJay9RockyJay10RockyJay11RockyJay12RockyJay13RockyJay14


LoveIn1

Adams Entertainment Releases Second DVD in Music Series –

Love In: A Musical Celebration

_

Featuring the late Buddy Miles final performance,

Eric Johnson, Peter and Gordon and Vince Martell 

 

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, Adams Entertainment  has released Love-In: A Musical Celebration of the “Summer of Love.”  Love In: A Musical Celebration features electrifying live performances by legendary artists, rare historic footage and a spectacular psychedelic light show, filmed at the North Park Theater.   

 

Hosted by Tony Award-winning Broadway star, BEN VEREEN, ("Hair," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Roots," "Pippin," "Wicked"), with live performances by some of the eras superstar artists including the late, great BUDDY MILES in his final performance as well as Grammy Award-winning guitarist, ERIC JOHNSON, lead singer/songwriter of the Youngbloods, JESSE COLIN YOUNG, British invasion greats, PETER & GORDON, classic psychedelic band, STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK, lead guitarist/singer of Vanilla Fudge, VINCE MARTELL, soul and blues sensation, EARL THOMAS, sitar virtuoso and foremost protégé of Ravi Shankar, KARTIK SESHADRI, and tabla master, ARUP CHATTOPADHYAY.

 

Love In is a feel good, high spirited view into the unequaled musical passion and creative time which can never be repeated, the explosive 60s.

 

For more information on the DVD go to:  http://www.LoveInTheMusical.com

 

Eyehead4 

The stage production comes courtesy of San Diego's longtime counterculture theater maven Anthony Adams, who I first became aware of when I discovered a private-pressing rock opera LP from 1973, An Eye In Each Head.

Created by Adams (Harlequin Records), the album captured the music of a decidedly offbeat and counterculture stage production, launched locally. The show earned a measure of local fame and notoriety, not only for its (perfectly legit) nudity and (witty) drug references, but for its offbeat storyline subject matter.

The show concerned a fly who eventually becomes king of the world, due to man’s evil and self destructive nature.

Then the fly reveals that he’s really Jesus…

 AnthonyAdams1 Show creator Anthony Adams – who was in a local sixties teen garage band the Norsemen – is credited by many as having launched the first true recording of a rock opera.

The Who’s Tommy is often regarded as a song cycle, Jesus Christ Superstar is most accurately classified an oratorio, and SF Sorrow was never truly staged, leaving An Eye In Each head a clear contender for the title, having been staged as well as recorded. Pictured here is the mind-blowing cover Art By Conchita Vesco.

 EyeHead1

“I saw this performed at UCSD with my parents,” says Gravedigger 5 vet Ted Friedman. “I think my cousin was in it. For real, I was real young. It was weird. I was maybe 10, if that, there may have been some nudity in it. A fly takes over the world. I remember my parents saying maybe it wasn't a good idea to take us there. I just remember it being really trippy and kind of long. I think it kind of scared us.”

 EyeHead3 EyeHead2 ducktales Adams went on to a prolific and storied career in the theater, as well as working on TV series like Disney’s Duck Tales and Jim Henson’s Fragglerock.

 Olig Among his original plays and musicals that he’s directed in San Diego and London are the Adventures of Olig and Obster, A Song For Gar, the Living Cell, and the Great Relativity Bomb Plot. He also composed music for the national touring production of the Grapes Of Wrath, starring Ed Harris and John Carradine.

 primal2 Adams’ Los Angeles-based Adams Entertainment has filmed DVDs of two musical stage productions produced at the Birch North Park Theatre; 2006’s Primal Twang: The Legacy of Guitar and the aforementioned Love-In, a celebration of 1967’s Summer of Love.

Both episodes are part of a proposed ten-part DVD series on the history of musical styles, featuring a mix of storytelling and performances from guest musicians including Eric Johnson, Jesse Colin Young, and San Diego’s own Rockola and Strawberry Alarm Clock (“Incense & Peppermints”).

While the filming was by all accounts a success, further productions will not be take place in San Diego. “We love the North Park Theatre,” said Adams. “It has great acoustics and is physically beautiful, but there is simply better access to musicians up north and it’s also much easier to get attention from the national press.”

The San Diego native has run his production company in Los Angeles for the past 18 years. He partially relocated to San Diego in 2005 to care for his ill father. Now all operations are moving back to Los Angeles. While the move back to Los Angeles was inevitable, Adams also considers that the production is also a victim of its own success.

“When managers and others began to see how well Primal Twang turned out, we began to get calls from all sorts of big name performers who wanted to be involved. It’s just so much easier to connect with them in a city that’s geared towards the industry already.”

Upcoming episodes include Country, Jazz and The British Invasion. The two productions so far have used numerous local musicians to back the star acts including Peter Sprague, Dennis Caplinger and Rockola.

According to Rockola guitarist Mark DeCerbo, rehearsals for “Love-In” took six weeks. “It was a lot of work and we didn’t even get much screen time,” he joked. “But it was worth it to play with people like (sixties duo) Peter & Gordon.”

Adams Entertainment’s return to Los Angeles will not exclude these local musicians from continuing to be involved in productions, though Adams makes no guarantees. “These guys were great and I really hope to work again with Caplinger in particular, but it’s a matter of best fit. I don’t care if you’re from San Diego or Nashville, as long as you’re right for the part.”

(Thanx to Bart Mendoza for portions of above)



STUDIOWEST - LOCAL FACILTY WITH WORLD CLASS ASPIRATIONS

Album cover Astra Kelly from StudioWest emails to say " We are staying super busy, here's just a snapshot of this week alone:"

~ Tonight the winner of the SD Songwriter's Guild contest, Allegra, comes in to record a few new tunes with her band. 
~ Tomorrow the winners of the SD6 "Your song for San Diego" contest, Pullman Standard, are in to record their winning song. They've won two days of studio time so they'll be back in soon, I'm sure. 
~ We are also doing dialog replacement for the new NBC series "The Kings." Actress Susanna Thompson lives here in SD. 
~ Tues. evening is the first ever "San Diego Pro Tools User Group" meeting.
~ Every Wed., we record "A Way with Words" a radio show that airs on KPBS.
~ Wed. night, a "Pyles Session."
~ Fri. voiceover for Bullrun, a popular UK television show
~ Sat., Rolling Stones producer Alan Sanderson brings a new client to Studiowest. He's been doing some work here since Strate Sound closed down.

 "Phew!! Also, did you know that in addition to our recording services, we are also The Recording Arts Center, San Diego's only Digicertified Pro Audio school, offering beginner to expert level Pro Tools certification courses?"

 
No, I did NOT know that - more in an upcoming Blurt, perhaps?????

Related links

Custom Radio Station

Listen to music by Astra Kelly


CHRISTIAN COMES AGAIN - 21ST CENTURY RECORDING CUTS OUT THE MEDDLE-MAN

San Diego Recording Studio

“Three years ago,” says recording engineer Christian Cummings, “seventy-five percent of my income came from producing records and twenty-five percent from mixing. Now, it's the opposite. The personal computer has revolutionized the world of recording.”

Cummings, who also plays with Crash Encore, says that performers who record at home aren’t necessarily qualified to produce and mix. “Software like Pro Tools can be learned by reading and trying, but then there are recording techniques like mic placement, EQ, compression, and all the other sonic factors outside the computer. Those skills can only be learned by listening, studying, practicing, ear training, and style development…the recording techniques used by George Martin and the Beatles differ greatly from what Kiss did with Bob Ezrin, or even what Kings of Leon do.”

Despite the decline of studio recording, Cummings feels he’ll still earn money mixing. “New technology cost me work, but it also allows me to offer my final mixes at a cheaper price…services that once required $30,000 worth of equipment can mostly be accomplished now with $5,000 worth of gear.”

He says his current fees run “Between $10,000 and nothing. To put that into perspective, platinum multi-Grammy winning mixers can charge $10,000 per song…now, we can mix a whole album within a day, maybe costing the client $500.”

Christian Cummings began performing live at age 15 in Hollywood. By his early 20s, he'd already shared the stage with everyone from the Foo Fighters to Snoop Dogg, as well as performing in hiw own bands, Tailgunner and Crash Encore.

After graduating SDSU, he joined up with local mainman Bryan Stratman at Capricorn Studios, to hone his skills as a recordist. recording-gear-hybrid-room

Cummings teaches occasional recording workshops at the Signature Sound recording studio.

"This might sound strange based on the current trends," he says, "but I have no intention of covering much on Pro Tools, besides answering basic questions. The reason being is that Pro Tools is a piece of logical software that can be explained via textbooks in a very quantitative fashion."

"Despite what your local music retailer would like you to believe, the quality of your gear is only a very small part of the overall equation. Learning to trust your ears, use your equipment properly, and playing your parts well will get you much closer to where you want to be."

"However," he says, "all technology aside, songwriting trumps recording 99 times out of 100. If you write and play a great song, even a bad recording of it will be great.”

recording studio san diegomusic mixingpro tools mixing

(A few of Cummings' recordings)

Drumming for Ken Andrews in Portland

mixmymusic.net/workshop

mixmymusic.net


http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1361450_13060946&url=http://www.myspace.com/cathrynbeeksordeal CATHRYN BEEKS' WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://bleach226.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/ian-will-surf-again/ Saturday 3/28 - Ian WILL Surf Again - benefit for our little buddy Ian at The Bare Back Grill downtown.  Music starts at 7pm with Rusty and Sean followed by The Cathryn Beeks Ordeal and Christopher Dale.  For more info about how you can help, go here.

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.listenlocalsd.com/EventsExtras.html Sunday 3/29 - Couch Sessions is BACK and there's a few spots open!  Bring your unplugged stringed instruments, small percussion toys (no hand drums, please) and your voices to The Oasis in Sorrento Valley.  Play along or book a featured spot below and hear others playing along to your songs. $5 per person, refreshments available. YOU MUST RSVP to Cathryn@ListenLocalsd.com to get the address and directions to The Oasis. 6:00 OPEN 6:20 Crystal Goodman, 6:40 Cathryn Beeks, 7:00 Wesley Wilkes, 7:20 Karen Real, 7:40 OPEN, 8:00 Jeffrey Joe Morin, 8:20 OPEN, 8:40 Charlie Imes - Reserve a spot or ask questions.

MUSIC NEWS

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.myspace.com/crimesofmusic Artist of the Week:  Catch Charlie Imes in an intimate setting during Couch Sessions this Sunday at The Oasis in Sorrento Valley.  Sign up to play or come to watch, $5 for all and everyone must r.s.v.p. to get directions.  See you there!

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.myspace.com/chrisvirgindesigns Link of the Week: Listen Local is proud to announce that Chris Virgin Designs has joined the Listen Local family in offering our members amazing work at even more amazing prices.  Give Chris a shout to discuss all of your design and printing needs, tell him we sent you!

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.myspace.com/lisasandersmyspace Hey!  Another great house concert at The Oasis with Chris Trapper, Lisa Sanders and Gregory Page this Friday, march 27th.  $15 donation, for reservations go here.

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.fm949sd.com/blogs/hilary/home.aspx From Hilary's blog "Kristen Cusato over at KUSI is the coolest. On March 15th, she invited Maria Degitz, organizer of the "Ian Will Surf Again" benefit, as well as musicians Christopher Dale and Matt Sylvia to be on the morning news so they could promote the event. Click here to read the story of the horrible accident Ian and his family were in, and c'mon down to the Bareback Grill downtown on Saturday, March 28th, after 6pm to help us raise money for Ian's rehabilitation! Cathryn Beeks and Sean & Rusty Jones will play live music too, and a DJ will spin after 10pm. And Sector 9 donated a full skateboard for the raffle! Because nothing goes better with good karma than a nice, juicy burger, are you with me?"

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.myspace.com/bviolin From Bviolin:  "The new album has completed production!  With Sven the Zen Seaholm's magical touch as producer Bviolin is releasing his next album less than a year after the first release! The new album is entitled "Stretch Reach" and contains  Bviolins original Persian Gypsy Funk instrumental dance compositions, the release Date is Late May 2009  Go here for info on the Spring Tour!"

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.listenlocalsd.com/Calendar.html New Dates on the Calendar.  We're hosting every Wednesday in May Backstage at The Bitter End.  Book a show, bring a crowd and get your own night.  Excellent sound, swanky room.  Check the calendar for openings, email me to reserve one.  No cover

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=https://www.mysdbb.org/index.cfm?group=op&step=2&hlc=HARP Will you bleed for the blues?  Schedule an appointment to give at the 10th annual Spring Harmonica Festival in the Parking lot of 9550 Milden St, La Mesa,CA 91941 on April 11, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sponsor Code: HARP Click here to make an appointment.
 
http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/fan_reach/pt?eid=1634756_13060946&url=http://www.brewhouseeastlake.com/ Help support a new venue in Chula Vista  The Brewhouse awaits!  This Thursday hear sets from Elliot Lawrence, Paradigm and Matt ARcher.  NO COVER ALL AGES

CATHRYN BEEKS MP3S:

  • Desert Music - Add to playlist
  • Drive America - Add to playlist
  • Good To Be - Add to playlist
  • Keep Walking - Add to playlist

    www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/cathryn-beeks-ordeal

    ListenLocalSD.com | The Calendar | FAQs | Venues and Partners |Contact


  • Jay Allen  Sanford A HUNDRED AND FIFTY FREE UNUSED BAND NAMES -

     

    Free for all who wish to use, here’s a list of band names I’ve been dreaming up, all so far unused (as far as I know). I designed many for maximum internet search possibilities and cult tie-in potential – if anyone ends up getting rich and/or famous using any of my band names, I expect you to at least buy me a large pizza, and maybe a Porsche ---

     

    Oh yeah, I design band logos too, so maybe hire me for that…

    Jay Allen Sanford

    3-20-09

     

    Danish Plato

    Watchers From the Blind

    P Test

    Duodnym Duo

    Same To You Bud

    Why You I Oughtta

    George LeRoy Tirebiter

    Logan’s Sun

    Rizzuto’s Revenge

    The Hell You Say

    Sickon U

    Strapon Dickoff

    Schwing Kings of Bling

    Aiiieeeggg!

    Manos Hand of Fate

    Zoey Loves Zeus

    Aaark Aaark

    The Steekin Badgers

    There’s No Need To Fear

    Restless Natives

    Nightmare Feet

    The Saggy Baggies

    My Fellow Terrariums

    Pudding Pipers

    Things Won’t Leave

    Crooow!

    Not Wearing Pants

    Spa Fon

    Squa Tront

    Quitcher Wining

    Opposing Bums

    MiniMiniMini

    Icy London

    Icy France

    Eye See Eeew

    I.C. Underpants

    He’s Dead Jim

    Giant Rats of Sumatra

    Monsters Due

    Orion Slave Traders

    Jenna’s Douche

    Way 2 Bigg

    Mylar Zone

    Bees, She Sees

    Lionel and the Security Blankets

    Thank You Mask Man

    So Far So What

    Zoso Mofos

    The Whoop Woops

    Jerkin Gerkins

    WTF Whitey

    Alba’s Abs

    Overlord Obscura

    Yorga Counts

    I Said Goode Daye

    Broken GayDar

    Suckit

    Stickit

    Takeit

    Tara La Bouvier

    The Shoephones

    Tents On Fire

    Bitten by Barnabas

    Attaway Castaway

    Jay Men Forever

    Beware of Torgo

    Milk Me Dammit

    Freaky Fantasm

    Phrankly Phinks

    Wish You Were Beer

    It Takes Beef

    Coconut Radio

    Eggplant Revenge

    I Got a Rock

    Who Killed Todd Loren?

    The Phoneups

    The Homegrownups

    Minor Murders

    Max Madder

    Themes of Josette

    Chef Schweaty

    The Shaft Workers

    Scary Serling

    Servants of Sexploitation

    Cathouse Theater

    The Hairy Poms

    See Thru U (abbreviated as C/U)  

    Put That Thing Away

    Robert’s Ridge

    Munchin Brady

    Mystic Hamburg Highway

    Future Faire

    Joel VS Mike

    Miss B. Natural

    Psycho Tsunami

    The Friendly Giants

    The Fraidy Scats

    Sax Afire

    Margo Escargot

    The Pullout Nows

    Nobody For President

    Ducking Howard

    Bare Whiz

    The Golden Hind

    Planxton

    Kitten Kundalini

    Bunches of Hooey

    Knot Insane

    Fuggit Forgot

    SlamSlam

    Fleas on Feet

    Peeble’s Pet

    Wholly Moley

    Klondike Kittens

    Cheez Toe

    Demons of Demi

    Penisaurus

    The Tube Grooves

    Groovy Groo Bees

    Bozo Buskers

    The Dwarf Crushers

    Rotten Cratchet

    Cartman’s Probe

    More Science High

    Steppenfetch

    See Sigmund

    The Vulcan Itch

    Whynot Measles

    Ribsey’s Treat

    Clams Got Legs

    HellCowz

    Highway Bloody Hwy

    Starkweathermen

    Whacko Mole

    R.U. Nutts

    Tearaway Newsome

    WrongWrongRight

    SaveSum

    Eyes of Bohemia

    Duz Not Die

    Know Duh

    Nose Hoes

    Harden Gardens

    Ghostly Trioka

    Takeout Wrenched Ankle  

    Gallery of Night

    Lowbrow Unibrow

    The Unibrowser

    Bundy’s Bride

    Buddy Buddha Breath

    Zeta Zilch

    The Beta Rays

    Already1

    Almighty1

    The Crankups

    Indoor Outhouse

    Freddie Fullasheet

    Return of Mr. Hand

    Faster Phoebe and the Fallouts

    Wot the Hey

    V.A. Jay Jay

    Gamma Made Me Green

    Collector’s Attrition

    Lela’s Eyeball

    Tubby La Mesa

    Finches of Attica

    Busted Chifarobe

    Busted by Boo

    The Tumblin’ Tombstones

    Stewie Luvs Rupert

    The Giggity-gigs

    YesNoMaybe

    Pigga Fuggen Name


    UNCLE JUNKIE AT BRICK BY BRICK 3-19-09

    m_085df0167dc2453ba47b9e465cf4300fm_5118ec5aedf341e2a3c81370de3896bfm_b4acf5e715ae453f9a8c4d9e4703206dm_171b18e6b85747c3a715a04f8f08843cm_600b6a29e46e4f70beb3eea28bd84facm_87b906da15ac4faeb5c17abe4b023729m_96dbeb1b5d374c6791bc0a0669445815m_4e52f21ec2f74d60aa6f7fb67431b736


    Record Release Roundup

    U.K. transplant Taz Taylor releases his new album Straight Up on March 27, featuring his self-named band’s new singer Keith Slack, formerly of the Michael Schenker Group (who replaces another MSG vet, Graham Bonnet). Guest players include Don Airey (Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne).

    Cotton Fever’s release party for their album Tall Tales of the West happens March 28 at Two Roses Tattoo on Logan Avenue.

    Realcide release their new CD/LP on March 29.

    Bobby Fantasy’s new album (recorded at Jason Hee’s studio) is being prepared for release; he appears March 29 at O’Connells.

    The new CD from fusion jazz guitarist Patrick Yandall, A New Day, debuts March 29, with a release party at Humphrey’s. Yandall informs, “I’ll have a guest keyboardist, Kevin Flournoy, an amazing player and producer who tours the world with the Pointer Sisters and Harvey Mason.” The Samoan-born, Michigan-bred Yandall appears regularly at local casinos, a sometimes thankless gig. “A manager at one place — who’s not there anymore — told me to tell the band to turn down, since the people were there for the food and not to listen to us. Makes you feel really special.” A New Day will be available at Amazon, CD Baby, and at patrickyandall.com.

    A.J. Croce releases Cage of Muses March 31.

    Nautical Disaster's release party for their new EP Interceptor happens Tuesday, March 31st, at the Casbah, with the always invigorating Apes of Wrath and the incorrible stylings of White Denim. This one's $10 in advance, www.casbahmusic.com, or $12 at the door.

    The gigaholics of Likewize are holding a release party for their debut album Real Livin’ on April 3, at 710 Beach Club. “I moved out to San Diego because I’m in the Navy and had orders to the USS Nimitz about three years ago,” says bassist Matt Albrecht, who currently serves a shore command at the 32nd street base.

    Albrecht says the local music scene differs from where he grew up near Austin, Texas. “Instead of beach and reggae music, in Austin you’ll see country rock. The biggest difference is the most popular bands in Austin are local original bands, and in San Diego it’s the cover and tribute bands.” Real Livin’ (self-released by Likewize) contains ten tracks and will be available via MySpace, iTunes, likewizemusic.net, and CDs sold at shows.

    Nickel Creek fiddler-gone-solo Sara Watkins releases her self-titled debut, produced by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, on April 7.

    As I Lay Dying release a three-DVD set, This Is Who We Are, on April 14, which includes performances taped at the Jumping Turtle in San Marcos.

    Children of Nova are holding a CD release party at Soma on April 17.

    The Drabs are nearly done with a new album containing ten songs, some of which can be heard when they play April 21 at the Beauty Bar.

    Locals with upcoming record release info, please send details thru the Reader link or to me at jas2669@aol.com -


    TOWER BAR REBUILD NEARING COMPLETION!

    From the Tower Bar's MySpace blog, March 21:

     

    The rebuilding of the tower on top of The Tower Bar and Tower Tattoo Parlor is almost complete.  Built to the exact dimensions of the original, it will stand 110 feet high.

     The “Euclid tower” was a spire that loomed as a local icon for nearly seven decades until 1999, when the city of San Diego ordered it torn down because it was leaning precariously.
     
    With $225,000 in city redevelopment funds, a South Bay firm was contracted to build an aluminum-alloy replacement of the original wooden tower, designed in 1930s art-deco style to resemble New York's Empire State Building.
     
    The replica was trucked in sections from Chula Vista and hoisted by crane to its rightful perch atop the namesake Tower Bar on University Avenue just east of Euclid Avenue.
     
    The tower's history is almost as colorful as the spire eventually became. Erected in 1932, it rose 110 feet above what was then a hamburger drive-in at the end of the former trolley line from downtown San Diego.
    Bob Kennedy, City Heights project manager for San Diego's redevelopment agency, said replacing the tower was one of the most requested and least costly projects identified by community groups in a five-year plan adopted in 2003. Some $20 million to $30 million worth of improvements are planned for the area over the next three to five five years with local property-tax revenue that, as redevelopment funds, must be reinvested back into City Heights.
    What it will raise is community morale, said Enrique Gandarilla, executive director of the City Heights Business Association.
    “It's a symbol of the revitalization that's taking place in City Heights,” he said. “Every community has special landmarks. For us, this is once again going to be one of those.”
    A celebration is planned for Monday, April 20th 2009.  San Diego Mayor, Jerry Sanders, is scheduled to speak
     














    http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=7690879&blogID=478096326

    latefnl

    LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS

    Th 3/26: Jason Segel, Brian Kiley, U2 (R 3/6/09)
    Fr 3/27: Joe Torre, Demetri Martin, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt (R 2/4/09)

    Mo 3/30: Seth Rogen, Tom Dreesen, Adele
    Tu 3/31: Bill O'Reilly, Marianne Faithfull
    We 4/1: Marg Helgenberger, Ray LaMontagne
    Th 4/2: Michael J. Fox
    Fr 4/3: Denis Leary, Diana Krall

    THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC

    Th 3/26: Paul Giamatti, Emma Roberts, Prince
    Fr 3/27: Dana Carvey, Billy Mays, Prince

    Mo 3/30: Vin Diesel, Lisa Lampanelli, Gavin DeGraw
    Tu 3/31: Amy Poehler, Paul Walker, Fall Out Boy
    We 4/1: Michael Caine, Dennis Rodman, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer
    Th 4/2: Ben Affleck, Taylor Swift
    Fr 4/3: Miley Cyrus

    LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS

    Th 3/26: Eva Longoria Parker, Neal McDonough (R 10/5/08)
    Fr 3/27: Lauren Graham, the Damned (R 10/31/08)

    Mo 3/30: William Shatner, Regina King
    Tu 3/31: Isabella Rossellini, Linda Cardellini

    LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON, NBC

    Th 3/26: Ray Liotta, Cheryl Hines, John Rich
    Fr 3/27: Ted Danson, N.E.R.D.

    Mo 3/30: Bill Hader, Emma Roberts, Glasvegas
    Tu 3/31: Glenn Close, Kristen Wiig, Gomez
    We 4/1: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Stevie Nicks
    Th 4/2: Seth Rogen
    Fr 4/3: Lauren Graham, Cold War Kids

    LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, NBC

    Th 3/26: Iglu & Hartly
    Fr 3/27: Jack & Kelly Osbourne, Ben Harper & Relentless 7

    Mo 3/30: Charles Hamilton (R 3/3/09)
    Tu 3/31: Robin Thicke

    THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, Comedy Central

    Th 3/26: Nandan Nilekani (R 3/18/09)

    Mo 3/30: Jack Cafferty
    Tu 3/31: Seth Rogen
    We 4/1: Peter Orszag
    Th 4/2: Tom Zoellner

    THE COLBERT REPORT, Comedy Central

    Th 3/26: David Grann (R 3/17/09)

    Mo 3/30: Derrick Pitts
    Tu 3/31: David Plotz
    We 4/1: Dambisa Moyo
    Th 4/2: Biz Stone

    JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, ABC

    Th 3/26: Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, Bobby Cannavale
    Fr 3/27: Paul Giamatti, Jim Gaffigan, Keri Hilson featuring Lil Wayne

    Mo 3/30: Jaime Pressly, Kirstin McMillan, the Pretenders (R 3/11/09)
    Tu 3/31: The latest "Dancing with the Stars" castoff, Will Arnett, Michelle Rodriguez
    We 4/1: Amy Poehler, Jordana Brewster
    Th 4/2: Vin Diesel, Anna Faris
    Fr 4/3: Paul Walker, Lily Allen

    Mo 4/6: Dwayne Johnson, Kristin Stewart, The-Dream (R 3/13/09)
    Tu 4/7: Portia de Rossi, Melissa Rycroft, Motley Crue (R 3/20/09)
    We 4/8: Andy Samberg, Ashley Scott, MSTRKRFT (R 3/18/09)
    Th 4/9: The latest "Dancing with the Stars" castoff, Zach Braff, Cheryl Hines, Charlie Wilson sits in with the band (R 3/24/09)
    Fr 4/10: Amy Poehler, Jordana Brewster (R 4/1/09)




    A NOTE FROM ROBIN HENKEL: "My new Egg video is complete and viewable on YouTube.

    "A year ago, I wrote a funny song about eggs and chickens.  Right off the bat, people liked it.  I could tell it had potential for the making of a silly video. A year later, after at least six video shoots, hours of editing and planning (which amounts mostly to getting goofy ideas, gagging around and laughing at ourselves), the video is in a presentable form on YouTube. So if you are up for a little uplifting 'cluck cluck' or a big fat 'pacauck!' check it out.  Especially if you are having a crappy day at work.  Watch my video and tell your boss 'I want egg!'"
     


    SECRETS BEHIND AXL VS GN'R PHOTOG, AS TOLD BY LOCAL “ROCKET QUEEN”

     

    Rocket Queen “For years, I drank and used drugs out of shame over it,” says Adriana Smith, known by Guns N’ Roses fans as the girl heard having sex with Axl Rose in the recording studio, during the song “Rocket Queen.”
     
    “I was dating the drummer [Steven Adler] at the time, and we got in a little tussle about whether or not I was his girlfriend…I was boozing it up in the studio, and Axl propositioned me. Axl and I had always kind of tempted fate, and once we got together, it was like fire and gasoline.”
     
    The track appeared on GN’R’s debut album in 1987. “Axl had visions of taking me on the road with them, and we’d have live sex shows behind a screen onstage. I mean, the guy’s a genius, he has crazy over-the-top ideas.”
     
    However, Smith – then 19 - declined. “I probably lost a lot of money, but I didn’t want to be seen as the groupie lowlife boyfriend-stealing slut.” She says the last time she met up with Rose was a chance encounter at a 1998 party.
     
    Smith’s identity remained unknown for many years. She settled in San Diego nearly 20 years ago, had a daughter, and began working as a drug and alcohol counselor.
     
     Adriana1 “I’m 15 years sober,” she says. “I went public, because I’ve been trying to make my amends to my past. Axl had a girlfriend at the time, who later became his wife…I let Axl down by shooting down his big plans, and I also let Steven down, he was really upset about it.”
     
     

    AdrianVents2 Today, Smith fronts the local band Ghost in the Graveyard, which includes guitarist Dave Wagner, brother of famed session guitarist Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper, Tim Curry, etc.). The current lineup made its debut on Halloween, 2008, at Bailey BBQ in Julian.

     Album cover “There’s a song on our CD [Wars in the Graveyard] called ‘CFM, Come Find Me,’ which is actually written to Axl,” says Smith. “I have no doubt that at some point we’ll meet up again. Maybe the gas will be on the fire again!”

    Smith’s MySpace page was recently revised with a post containing her own insider's takeon the ongoing dispute between onetime Guns N' Roses official photographer Robert John and the band's current lead Pharisee Axl Rose, who said some fiery things about John in a recent interview. Excerpts include: 

     AdrianVents1 "It seems Robert is attempting to sue Axl for his words. Furthermore, Robert is creating a public spectacle of himself and Axl for his own attention-seeking, without regard to his past mistakes."

    "I am someone who has been blessed with being 'in the know' and will not tire until all things untold are told truthfully. Robert John and I met in the '80s when GNR was still playing clubs. He and Axl were like brothers. As a matter of fact, they were almost look-alikes to some degree, with the hair colr, skin tone, and height, except Robert was always heavier, and is even more so now."

     

    "Because of his relationship with Axl, Robert was signed by Geffen Records under exclusive contract to be the only photographer on GNR's tours. This was not kosher with the whole band, or the top industry dogs, but Axl is a very loyal and trusting friend, and would have it no other way."  

     Adriana2 "Robert's work began to decline as a result of his personal inadequacy to keep current with necessary equipment and technology, and so the effects of his work resulted in crappier pictures. Axl was there to stack the bux behind him for better more expensive equipment, with no avail. The drugs, the pace, the stress, or whatever, lead to Robert's innability to do his job. I was privied to the info that out of 2000 pictures, only two were acceptable, but low quality, and below standard; trash."

    "Robert John took Axl Rose to court to sue him for this event recently. It did not go well for Robert. He lost the litigation and lost the best friend he ever had. Did he appologize or try harder? Nope. He, like Slash and Steven, continue to badger and berate Axl & live in denial of their self-made shortcummings just to blame others for where they are in life. This makes me sick!"

    "Robert was going through many personal things in the time before he was relieved as photographer for GNR. He was losing his long-time girlfriend Shannon and the house they so desperately loved. Axl bailed him out in the amount of approxiamtely 160,000 bux. That was prior to Robert John suing Axl, by the way. Oh, and the rub is that Robert gave the house to Shannon in the end and lost everything anyway."

    "All of us used to hang out and party back in the day. At some point, the party changes, and people usually trade vices for virtue; usually."

    "The reason that I am posting this blog is simple. I can't stand liars and people who were supposed to be my friends forever, perpetuating anguish and animosity toward Axl."

    "So I want none of you to believe it is Axl's fault Robert John is not on tour with GNR, he gave him everything: a career, the equipment to use, sole photographic rights , and a house, and his credit! Robert John sued him, and is now gonna try again, because Axl repeated what he heard about Robert being on meth. Well Robert, if you are gonna sue anyone it should be me. I am the one who told him about it, and you told me, remember?"

    "No one can trust anything you say and that is heartwrenching. Let me know when you are really sorry. By the way, saying sorry isn't best related by trying to sue the person who cared about you most."  

    axl3

    Three women I've known have had sex with Axl Rose - and these are their stories...  (more Sex With Axl Rose )


    Former Dream Theater Singer is Going to the Movies

    Over the past few weeks, the band Dominici had frequently held the daily "top downloads" spot here on the Reader website with their song The Calling. The songs are from the musical concept trilogy 03.

    “I’m talking to scriptwriters and producers about bringing the story to the big screen,” says former Dream Theater frontman Charlie Dominici, who fronts the self-named band. “The three CDs have a storyline that’s perfect for a movie, and the soundtrack is already done.”


    Photography by Veronique Broquet

    The singer/guitarist spent the last year recording and touring with his band Dominici, whose members are based in Sardinia (off the coast of Italy), but he recently returned to San Diego. “The 03 story is very international,” he says, “concerning a young boy taken from his home, placed in a foreign land by his captors, and trained for months in the desert by religious fanatics who seem to be planning some sort of terror attack.”

    “He develops a love for the foreign country, where he meets a girl, falls in love, builds his own business, and is living as a free and prosperous man. But then his captors resurface and want him to carry out his sacred mission.”

    Dominici says the story ultimately concerns religion, with a touch of sci-fi. “The true nature of the apparent terror plot is something that has been prophesized in the Bible, among other religious and philosophical writings, but involving beings from another world. I don’t want to give away the ending, but some who have figured out the CDs say it’s pretty shocking.”

    “A movie version would be sort of a science fiction twist on the Greatest Story Ever Told.”

    As for potential casting, Dominici says “I would love to see Michael Chiklis, Russell Crowe, or Denzel Washington become interested in the project. Al Pacino would be great as one of the so-called terrorists; Scarface of the desert.”

    Charlie Dominici - the original singer for Dream Theater - spent several years living in an apartment on Spring Street in La Mesa, beginning in May 2003. "I chose La Mesa because it really is a nice place to live and I knew the area well," he says (he also resided in San Diego from 1998 to 2000). "It's very rustic and kind of like an old classic western."

    Dominici joined famed prog rockers Dream Theater in November 1987, co-writing seven of the eight songs on the band's debut album When Dream and Day Unite. He was booted in 1989 and replaced by Kevin James LaBrie, reportedly because of "personality conflicts."

    Dominici spent the next 15 years as a "virtual recluse" (his description). "I needed to get some financial stability and also wanted to return to music only when it felt good again."

    He was asked to leave Dream Theater after their first album. Wikipedia quotes Mike Portnoy saying, "It was like having Billy Joel sing in Queensrÿche."

    Only Dominici didn't completely disappear -- he sang at Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy's wedding in 1994 and joined his old band onstage in L.A. for two songs in March 2004 (filmed for the DVD When Dream and Day Reunite). "I was so out of practice, vocally...after that I realized how much I had been like a fish out of water since I had not been doing much musically. I quit the car business and started writing."

    A guitar player and singer since he was 12 years old, Dominici was a La Mesa auto finance accountant for several years. "I'm sure there will be some people who'll be looking at my CD and saying, 'Hey, that guy sold me an alarm, a LoJack, paint sealant, and a service contract. '"

    In summer 2007, he temporarily relocated from La Mesa to Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, to join his new band Dominici, for recording and touring overseas.

    His solo material is acoustic singer/songwriter music reminiscent of Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin, while his rock band Dominici is more influenced by the Queensryche/Dream Theater/Roger Waters school of theatrical, classical metal. 03 part one is acoustic, while the other two CDs in the trilogy are heavy progressive metal, recorded with a full band.

    www.dominici.com

    www.myspace.com/charliedominicimusic

    sdreader.com/news/2007/may/31/let-music-do-talking

    Download "The Calling"


    MORE NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK

    One Rapper's Reality

    One Rapper's Reality by Jay Allen Sanford, Published March 25, 2009

    “I call my genre of music ‘reality rap,’ ” says hip-hop impresario Kayo. “It describes the things that I went through. It’s reality because I ... More

    Two Down on Elevation Road by Larry Harmon, Published March 25, 2009

    Two Down on Elevation Road

    Brick by Brick’s Max Paul says there was no confrontation during a hip-hip show at the club that led to the shooting of two men about a half mile away from the club Friday, March 13. ...More

    Road Reports by Jay Allen Sanford, Published March 25, 2009

    Road Reports

    Around 20 San Diego bands performed as part of the annual South By Southwest festival in and around Austin, Texas. Writer band members gigged their way to SXSW in a Honda Element equipped with a ...More

    The Smell of Heavy Metal by Jay Allen Sanford, Published March 25, 2009

    The Smell of Heavy Metal

    Nightclubs in San Marcos offering live music have had an uneven history. The Longshot closed in September 2006, mainly over ABC violations. The Boulevard, opened in 2004, also had its liquor license suspended for a ...More


    MORE STORIES

     Captures Hinder at 4th & B -  The four-camera shoot features hundreds of screaming, slam-dancing fans... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/23/hinder-4th-b-gig-goes-global-plus-this-weeks-backs/

    *********************************************

    zap2.psdzap4

    FRANK ZAPPA COMICS AND STORIES - Here's a full length Famous Former Neighbors comic, unfolding the life story of San Diego's most famous and acclaimed musical alum... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/nov/10/frank-zappa-comics-and-stories

    ********************************************

    dionne20

    http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/23/hinder-4th-b-gig-goes-global-plus-this-weeks-backs/


    STAR WARS ROCKS – LOCALS WHO FEEL THE FORCE

    http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/23/hinder-4th-b-gig-goes-global-plus-this-weeks-backs/

    *****************************************

    worst1

    WORST AMUSEMENT PARK ATTRACTIONS EVER - http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/23/hinder-4th-b-gig-goes-global-plus-this-weeks-backs/

    ***********************************************

    Worst Musical Halloween Costumes Ever - from Donny and Marie to the Monkees, Kiss, the Village People, Michael Jackson, and more.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/13/worst-musical-halloween-costumes-ever


    MidnightHeaderFnl

    Midnight Movie Culture in San Diego - Didja know that the first ever live costumed performance during a screening of Phantom of the Paradise took place at the Ken Cinema on July 29, 1983? Here's part one of a five-part history of local midnight movies .... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/27/midnight-movies-a-local-history-part-1-the-80s


    Why Jackson Browne Hates Former Reader Contrib Richard Meltzer - The first time Jackson Browne was profiled Rolling Stone [June 22, 1972], writer Richard Meltzer talked about hanging out with Browne and Velvet Underground icon Nico, who Browne had a serious crush on. Members of Nico’s mostly-gay and/or transvestite entourage were said to have unnerved “innocent” Browne with homosexual advances, and Meltzer went on to call the singer "one hell of a prototype sex symbol for the gay rock underground," pissing off Browne mightily.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/29/why-jackson-browne-hates-former-reader-contrib


    RD2zzTopCVR2RD1zzTopCVR1 

    ZZ Top: An Illustrated Rock Tale: the ZZ Top story, in words and artwork! http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/oct/03/zz-top-an-illustrated-rock-tale


    HotelView2.psd PalmsHotel

    Tales of the Palms Hotel - from 1978 thru around 1983, I lived at the floppiest of downtown flophouses, the Palms on 12th and Island. This biographical history of those years includes rare photos and tales like the time Chuck Norris came to the Hotel to film a scene for the 1979 movie A Force Of One. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/oct/04/tales-of-the-palms-hotel-in-downtown-san-diego-70s


    col4 jayalbums

    The Day I Sold My Albums - vinyl adventures of an album hoarder! http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/oct/21/the-day-i-sold-my-albums-to-off-the-record


    PinkFloydTats

     Rockin' Tattos - Locals talkin' rockin' tats! Parlor by parlor coverage...  http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/oct/27/rockin-tattoos-locals-talkin-rockin-tats


    hip49hip50

     Tijuana Bathrooms - Everybody's Gotta Go Sometime - C'mon along as I explore the bathrooms of our neighbor to the south - bring your own TP! http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/oct/06/an-excrement-job-tales-of-tijuana-bathrooms





    The Story Teller Series at Oasis House Concerts continues...
     
     
    Message From Oasis: It is our pleasure to welcome Berkley Hart to The Oasis House Concerts for their first full show with us, as the latest in our Story Teller's series.  Please join us as the boys play some classics that you don't hear often, as well as newer material mixed in with some of your old favorites, sprinkled liberally with the stories behind the songs and from their adventures on the road.  

    There's limited seating available and this one should sell out easily, so don't wait (see advance reservation link below).  Feel free to share this email with other music-lovers for this unique opportunity to witness the artistry and magic of Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart in the intimate setting of The Oasis, conveniently located just off the I-5 in Sorrento Valley (between La Jolla and Del Mar), and finally on a weekend night!

    Berkley Hart have found something that works.  The combination of Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Award winner, Jeff Berkley, and stand-out wordsmith, Calman Hart, creates a pairing that, over their ten-plus years together, continues to build fans all over the country.

    Beginning with their debut award-winning album, "Wreck 'n' Sow," the duo set a precedent of excellence that they've lived up to with each subsequent award-winning album. The duo is currently at work on their 5th studio album, entitled "Las Vegas", and we can't wait to get our hands on it.

    Berkley Hart is best known for having also created their own personal "house concert revolution" by encouraging and helping friends and fans to host their own house concerts, using Berkley Hart as their first show, and having them back annually. 

    Berkley Hart
    Saturday, March 21st, 2009
    Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8:00 p.m.
    $20.00 Donation
     
    Also:
     
    Oasis House Concerts is honored to present an evening with 3 premier singer-songwriters in an intimate setting, at the Economic Stimulus donation level of only $15! 

    Chris Trapper may not be a household name yet, but you've heard this Grammy Nominee's songs in films such as August RushThe Devil Wears Prada, and There's Something About Mary.  As the principal songwriter and singer for nationally acclaimed alt-rock trio The Push Stars, Trapper has also been making quite a name on his own, having recorded and released 5 critically-acclaimed solo albums.  His words and music can best be described as an interesting blend of 1950's pop, 1990's rock and old-timey jazz with the ever-present understory of Chris' distinctive bari-tenor. It's intricate power-pop with a compelling knack for telling everyday stories.  (www.christrapper.com)

    Lisa Sanders is a singer/songwriter whose life of joys and sorrows is laid out for all to share through the beautiful and heartfelt songs that she writes and sings.  A multiple San Diego Music Award winner, Lisa has gone from knowing the highs of artistic success to the lows of living in her car, and come back again to tell the tales.  Lisa has shared the stage and opened for such music legends as B.B. King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Stevie Nicks and Sting and we're pleased to welcome her to the Oasis to sing for you the songs of her soul. (www.lisasanders.com)

    Gregory Page has quickly emerged as the artist-in-residence at the Oasis, as he makes his 3rd appearance in our young history... but that's ok.  A multiple San Diego Music Award-winner and a nationally known and respected singer/songwriter, Gregory Page is an amazing performer whose songs have a beautifully simple complexity that will take you to places and times like few others can.  If the San Diego music scene is a treasure chest of riches (and it is), then Gregory Page is one of the crown jewels.  (www.gregorypage.com)

     
    Chris Trapper, Lisa Sanders & Gregory Page
    Friday, March 27th, 2009
    Doors at 6:30 pm, Show at 7:00 pm
    $15.00 Donation (*** Special "Hard Times/Economic Stimulus" pricing)

    Like this blog? Here are some related links:

    OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/

    FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/

    SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic

    JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford

    Comments

    No Comments

    You must be a registered member to post comments.

    Not a member? Sign up here!

    Username:
    Password: (Forgotten your password?)

    Comment:

    Search

    New & Improved Coupons

    Classifieds

    Contests

    Win Movie Passes to Armored!

    A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist ... More

    Subscribe & Win!

    Enter your e-mail: