King Kruk brings home silver from Las Vegas

"At the end of the contest," James Kruk says, "I was taking a photo with Linda Thompson, and she whispered in my ear, "You were my favorite." That's a big statement, considering that James 'King' Kruk is an Elvis impersonator …

Loving local music and local food: "not a sausage fest."

"This is a dinner party. I want people to understand that." LJ Livingston is on the phone to talk about her coming benefit banquet/concert affair Loving Local Music and Local Food. "This is not a sausage fest." Livingston is hard …

Country rocker Billy Joe Clements on the art of bending cow hide to his will

"I gave one as a gift to a buddy once, and I pre- loaded it with cash." Sweet. It's Billy Joe Clements on the phone, and he wants to get me caught up on his new thing: the handcrafting of …

The youngest Kmak steps up with a knockout alt rock debut

Seen last week on Joshua Kmak's Facebook page: "To the girl that was sitting across from me at Rubio's, I was going to say hello, but I didn't and have been kicking myself in the ass ever since. I was …

Free local music video service takes a hit and regroups

The update from San Diego Music TV's Megan Erickson: "As of right now," she emails, "there has been no recovery of any of the items that we taken during the robbery at our office/studio, but the investigation is still ongoing …

East County rocker Scott Frazier explains where he's been for the last couple years.

"I'm probably the most addictive personality you'll ever meet." A familiar figure is sitting behind the mixing table in a private recording studio in Casa de Oro, near Spring Valley. It's Scott Frazier, in white T shirt and jeans, wearing …

Long-time local deejay Shotgun Tom finally gets his name on the Walk of Fame. "Visit my star," he says, "at 7080 Hollywood Blvd and La Brea." Here's a reprint of the story I wrote last year when K-EARTH 101 announced the news that Shots had made the final cut:

“Thirty thousand dollars.” It’s Shotgun Tom Kelly on the phone from his L.A. apartment to talk about the star he will be getting next year on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “That’s what they cost. And then it costs another …

Tori Roze on her band's new #2 release, Turbulence

Dave Good: The music on Turbulence…kind of is turbulent. At the very least, it sounds driven and complex. Victoria Roze: "The driven and complex music on this album simply reflects each of us as band members. Was it intentional to …

The San Diego Record Show returns Saturday April 20. Here's an interview with Record Show manager Alan Garth from a couple of years ago:

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 organized around a couple of …

Allison Adams Tucker on the problems with putting an all-female jazz group together, gender in jazz, and why smooth jazz chick saxists are too cute

"It started with SWAN (it stands for Support Women Artists Now) Day in La Jolla." It's Allison Adams Tucker on the phone to chat up her Women In Jazz show. She explains how, exactly, she became involved. "They had events …

Mariachi on tap all afternoon at downtown's Civic Theater

"I've been working on this with them for six months or so," Jeff Nevin says. Them, meaning San Diego Opera management. "Actually, I first met with them last February." The result is Mariachi Week, which has been going on all …

Filip Mandaric says the one-time BBC standout band is now a solo effort

Filip Mandaric's on the phone from Westwood, near his second home, which is more or less in the shadow of the UCLA campus. He released the new and self-titled Capital Grey EP digitally on Tuesday via the usual distribution channels …

Harp Fest fundraiser Sunday in El Cajon

A concert to raise funds for a concert: that's what Chet Cannon's gig is all about Sunday March 10 at the Downtown Café in El Cajon. He calls it the Spring Harp Fest Patio Party Fun raiser, intended to help …

San Diego jazz crooner recalls his journey from dark to light

"I got sick. I went from being able to run a million dollar show to not being able to add two numbers." Peter Marin thinks that the singing of jazz music has brought him back from the brink of wherever …

The smell of cork grease and brass: perfect!

"We almost burned down. That was December 9." Gentry McCrea is not sure exactly how the fire got started, but the source turned out to be the restaurant next door. The flames toasted a part of an outside wall as …

Under a layer of body paint, there's a lot going on in the nomad-ish mind of Dive Bomber front man Kris Keyes

On Facebook today guitarist Catfish Comstock posts this: "First Time EVER! Dive Bomber is #4 on Reverbnation San Diego Rock Charts and #10 in San Diego for all genres! " Dive Bomber is a San Diego hard rock band fronted …

"I went to jazz camp at Stanford, and there's a 12-year-old kicking my ass."

Nobody calls them Young Lions any more but Kyle Myers, from Rancho Penasquitos, could have been one -- that good. And although I don't think alto sax man Christopher Hollyday was officially dubbed a Young Lion either, he surely could …

Daniel Jackson week gets underway Thursday night in downtown San Diego

The name of Daniel Jackson rests at the top of many San Diegan's lists of hometown straight-ahead jazz tenor sax heroes. But, as I have written before, Jackson kills it as a piano player. He kills it. "I hope whenever …

Jazz 88.3 radio deejay has hosted Latin Grooves for nearly a decade from the campus of City College

Also known as C-Love, Chris Springer has been the voice and chief programmer of the Latin Grooves show Saturdays on KSDS Jazz 88.3 since 2003. He takes time out for a little email Q/A session. How did the show come …

A harmonica with a rock and roll past lands up under Coe Lewis's Christmas tree

"I just want to point something out to you right here." Coe Lewis sets a smallish white box on the table at Einstein's and opens it to reveal: a pocket harmonica with set of pinkish lip prints. "That's my lipstick," …