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

Playback

Few bands reunite, especially two decades later. The Playground Slap, originally from Jamul, is now based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and back in the game. When they first played together, from 1982 to 1988, the Playground Slap shared the stage with Ministry, Midnight Oil, and Camper van Beethoven.

Original members Marcelo Radulovich (vocals, synths), David Ybarra (vocals, bass), and Ray DeZonia (synths, vocals) are now joined by Bill Ray (drums) and Mike Keneally (various).

The Playground Slap will unveil new material at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar on July 2, 9 p.m., on the Finish Line Stage.

TRICKIEST PROBLEM PLAYING LIVE?

Marcelo: "Sweat! I'm usually drenched by the fifth song."

Ray: "Getting all of my keyboard crap in and set up. Onstage I play a monster 1984 Jupiter 6 synthesizer. I also use a laptop and MIDI controller for samples. A mixer, an amp, two stands, all the cables needed to power up and plug in, plus the T-shirts we sell. As soon as everything is onstage and working properly, I get some beer in me and all is good."

FAVORITE INSTRUMENT?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Marcelo: "My Gibson SG. Hasn't been with me very long, but it feels so right."

Ray: "The Jupiter 6 I mentioned -- I bought it at Prosound and Music in San Diego, back when they were called Musician's Repair. It started that Playground Slap sound. The Jupiter 6 is the mothership of all vintage synths. During our old heydays I played both the Jupiter and a Juno-60, a combination that could produce some of the fattest and wicked sounds ever created."

Bill: "Dunnett 6.5 x 13 titanium snare drum. I've used it on almost all the recordings I've done since 2001. That equals about 30 albums."

BEST GIG?

Marcelo: "I was in a band called the Assholes (for whatever reason we called ourselves 666 for this gig), and we had the first of three spots opening for Black Flag in Fresno, 1982. It was the best gig because it convinced me that playing music -- standing on a stage with musical instruments making noise -- was the thing for me and something I wanted to keep doing for the rest of my life. I was 17. It was also the worst gig because we were too arty for the Fresno punks. We were improvising and switching instruments between songs...when they did not respond the way we wanted them to, we ended up insulting them, and they ended up yelling nasty shit because we weren't giving them what they were there for. Fights almost broke out -- we almost got the shit kicked out of us."

Ray: "The Tiki House. It's tiny, and you play around the pool table. Dave had to turn sideways so that people could get down the hall to the bathrooms. I was pasted up against a wall with a map of the world on it. A lot of old friends showed up, and between the songs people started yelling geography questions at me. Someone called me a Communist for spending so much time standing in front of China. It was an old map because it still had Rhodesia instead of Zimbabwe."

WORST GIG?

Ray: "We played some short-lived TV show called Beach Party that was not only out in the sun, but toss in the wind and sand, too! Outdoor gigs mean Porta Pottis, sweaty feet, and no place to wash your hands."

Bill: "Playing for a frat boy-run clothing business back in 1995 at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. What a fucking nightmare."

FAVORITE PLACE TO HANG OUT?

Marcelo: "Home. My wife and cats are there."

Ray: "Someplace along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights. There are several great bars, coffee shops, bookstores, thrift stores, and the Ken Theater. If I'm not there, I am at Shakespeare's Pub watching English soccer. If it's Sunday afternoon I will be shopping at Record City in Hillcrest."

Bill: "Ocean Beach, the first place I moved when I came to San Diego in 1989. My grandparents lived there in the 1940s, and I feel a real attachment. I will move back there someday."

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

Marcelo: "Santiago, Chile -- my birthplace. I must've been three years old...I was bumming around the house, like a three-year-old should, when I heard this sound coming from a radio: a man was singing a ballad about some lost love. It enchanted me, and I was filled with curiosity, so I stood in front of the radio and listened. When the song ended, I shook my head in wonder. Then I went off to run around in the yard."

Ray: "Hanging out with my grandmother, making forts out of the card table and some blankets. Sometimes she would take me to Mission Valley and let me play on this concrete dinosaur that was there."

Bill: "Three years old, sitting behind my drum set, knowing this was my life. Thirty-five years later, I still look out past my drums wondering, 'So, when does the pot of gold appear?' "

WHERE IS MUSIC GOING IN THE FUTURE?

Ray: "I hope that this casino craze ends soon, with their ability to overpay even the most has-been of groups. It dilutes the talent pool so that people have to, or will, pay $50 to go see crap like REO Speedwagon or Styx or any other act that ten years ago you would have seen for free at the county fair. And possibly in the future the record companies will stop bitching about the decline in CD sales. Look at the crap that is on the major labels. You couldn't pay me to listen to the new Justin Timberlake release. They need to put out CDs for a reasonable price in packaging that buyers want -- how many people bought Alice Cooper's School's Out for the cover or the women's panties the record came wrapped in?"

Bill: "The industry as we know it is killing itself off due to greed and mismanagement. Musicians will soon be responsible for their own destinies, and record execs will be on freeway off-ramps with 'Will Fuck Artists for Food' signs. The RIAA and its recent shenanigans are testament to that -- what does one do when they can't breathe, their oxygen/lifeblood gets cut off? They thrash about and lash out at anyone and everyone. Frank Zappa would be proud of the situation."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief

Few bands reunite, especially two decades later. The Playground Slap, originally from Jamul, is now based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and back in the game. When they first played together, from 1982 to 1988, the Playground Slap shared the stage with Ministry, Midnight Oil, and Camper van Beethoven.

Original members Marcelo Radulovich (vocals, synths), David Ybarra (vocals, bass), and Ray DeZonia (synths, vocals) are now joined by Bill Ray (drums) and Mike Keneally (various).

The Playground Slap will unveil new material at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar on July 2, 9 p.m., on the Finish Line Stage.

TRICKIEST PROBLEM PLAYING LIVE?

Marcelo: "Sweat! I'm usually drenched by the fifth song."

Ray: "Getting all of my keyboard crap in and set up. Onstage I play a monster 1984 Jupiter 6 synthesizer. I also use a laptop and MIDI controller for samples. A mixer, an amp, two stands, all the cables needed to power up and plug in, plus the T-shirts we sell. As soon as everything is onstage and working properly, I get some beer in me and all is good."

FAVORITE INSTRUMENT?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Marcelo: "My Gibson SG. Hasn't been with me very long, but it feels so right."

Ray: "The Jupiter 6 I mentioned -- I bought it at Prosound and Music in San Diego, back when they were called Musician's Repair. It started that Playground Slap sound. The Jupiter 6 is the mothership of all vintage synths. During our old heydays I played both the Jupiter and a Juno-60, a combination that could produce some of the fattest and wicked sounds ever created."

Bill: "Dunnett 6.5 x 13 titanium snare drum. I've used it on almost all the recordings I've done since 2001. That equals about 30 albums."

BEST GIG?

Marcelo: "I was in a band called the Assholes (for whatever reason we called ourselves 666 for this gig), and we had the first of three spots opening for Black Flag in Fresno, 1982. It was the best gig because it convinced me that playing music -- standing on a stage with musical instruments making noise -- was the thing for me and something I wanted to keep doing for the rest of my life. I was 17. It was also the worst gig because we were too arty for the Fresno punks. We were improvising and switching instruments between songs...when they did not respond the way we wanted them to, we ended up insulting them, and they ended up yelling nasty shit because we weren't giving them what they were there for. Fights almost broke out -- we almost got the shit kicked out of us."

Ray: "The Tiki House. It's tiny, and you play around the pool table. Dave had to turn sideways so that people could get down the hall to the bathrooms. I was pasted up against a wall with a map of the world on it. A lot of old friends showed up, and between the songs people started yelling geography questions at me. Someone called me a Communist for spending so much time standing in front of China. It was an old map because it still had Rhodesia instead of Zimbabwe."

WORST GIG?

Ray: "We played some short-lived TV show called Beach Party that was not only out in the sun, but toss in the wind and sand, too! Outdoor gigs mean Porta Pottis, sweaty feet, and no place to wash your hands."

Bill: "Playing for a frat boy-run clothing business back in 1995 at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. What a fucking nightmare."

FAVORITE PLACE TO HANG OUT?

Marcelo: "Home. My wife and cats are there."

Ray: "Someplace along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights. There are several great bars, coffee shops, bookstores, thrift stores, and the Ken Theater. If I'm not there, I am at Shakespeare's Pub watching English soccer. If it's Sunday afternoon I will be shopping at Record City in Hillcrest."

Bill: "Ocean Beach, the first place I moved when I came to San Diego in 1989. My grandparents lived there in the 1940s, and I feel a real attachment. I will move back there someday."

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

Marcelo: "Santiago, Chile -- my birthplace. I must've been three years old...I was bumming around the house, like a three-year-old should, when I heard this sound coming from a radio: a man was singing a ballad about some lost love. It enchanted me, and I was filled with curiosity, so I stood in front of the radio and listened. When the song ended, I shook my head in wonder. Then I went off to run around in the yard."

Ray: "Hanging out with my grandmother, making forts out of the card table and some blankets. Sometimes she would take me to Mission Valley and let me play on this concrete dinosaur that was there."

Bill: "Three years old, sitting behind my drum set, knowing this was my life. Thirty-five years later, I still look out past my drums wondering, 'So, when does the pot of gold appear?' "

WHERE IS MUSIC GOING IN THE FUTURE?

Ray: "I hope that this casino craze ends soon, with their ability to overpay even the most has-been of groups. It dilutes the talent pool so that people have to, or will, pay $50 to go see crap like REO Speedwagon or Styx or any other act that ten years ago you would have seen for free at the county fair. And possibly in the future the record companies will stop bitching about the decline in CD sales. Look at the crap that is on the major labels. You couldn't pay me to listen to the new Justin Timberlake release. They need to put out CDs for a reasonable price in packaging that buyers want -- how many people bought Alice Cooper's School's Out for the cover or the women's panties the record came wrapped in?"

Bill: "The industry as we know it is killing itself off due to greed and mismanagement. Musicians will soon be responsible for their own destinies, and record execs will be on freeway off-ramps with 'Will Fuck Artists for Food' signs. The RIAA and its recent shenanigans are testament to that -- what does one do when they can't breathe, their oxygen/lifeblood gets cut off? They thrash about and lash out at anyone and everyone. Frank Zappa would be proud of the situation."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Love Thy Neighbor(Hood): Food & Art Exploration

Events November 2-November 6, 2024
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
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.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader