Pop Rocks

Wendy Bailey is an old-fashioned pop songstress with a big splashy sound akin to, say, Carole King or Sheryl Crow.

“Most of my songs are short, sweet, and full of jangly pop hooks,” says Bailey. “Basically, it’s melodic pop rock. It becomes more melodic as I get more focused on my guitar playing, which used to be more or less secondary to the lyrics. I’ve had comparisons made between me and Velocity Girl, Liz Phair, the Foo Fighters, and Jimmy Eat World.”

She says San Diego isn’t the easiest place to be a so-called chick rocker. “Sometimes it’s a challenge convincing folks, particularly clubs, that I’m a rock and pop artist and not a singer-slash-songwriter. I do scale down my show on occasion for acoustic sets — I’d rather have an acoustic gig than no gig — but I’m primarily a rock-band kind of musician. I’m always looking for a chance to connect with a wide-ranging crowd.”

That connection sometimes happens one on one, thanks to her online, on-demand Wendy’s Virtual Show. “It’s a video-chat concert, where someone can request a time and a day for me to give them a live concert performance on the computer. All they need is video-chat capability.…

I usually do my own songs, but I might tackle the occasional cover.”

Wendy’s Virtual Show costs $5 for “at least a half-hour set” (contact wendy@wendybailey.com). Her self-released EP It Ain’t Rocket Surgery was recently rereleased by local Blindspot Records.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

“Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Baby 81, BRMC, Howl, and Take Them On, On Your Own. Notice a trend here? I’m obviously obsessed with their great guitar sounds, primarily from Gibson 335s, plus their excellent and mondo-creative bass lines. The songwriting is great, too — particularly on Howl, the jewel amongst the others, though all their stuff is played with the attitude of Han Solo.”

MUST-HAVE DVDs?

1. The Shining. “Brilliant acting and direction. My favorite line: ‘Wendy, darling, light of my life — I’m not gonna hurt ya, I’m just gonna bash your brains in!’ ”

2. Meet Me in St. Louis. “Great movie, sweet story. The autumn portion of the film is the best.”

3. Singin’ in the Rain. “I’ve had a major crush on Gene Kelly since fourth grade.”

4. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. “Where it all started.”

5. Spider Baby. “Spiders, spiders, spiders.”

BRUSH WITH FAME?

1. “I had the rare opportunity to meet Carlos Santana last summer. It was amazing, everything from hanging out with him in his room before the show to getting front-and-center seats for his show at Cricket.”

2. “I got to take a picture with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush backstage at Cricket as well. The pics are in my MySpace photos. Geddy’s got a great handshake.”

BEST THING YOU’VE EVER WON?

“One hundred dollars in a raffle, in seventh grade.”

SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT?

“My tuning pedal. I’ve got a pretty good ear, but not perfect.”

FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER?

“The Laura Ingalls Wilder series. Don’t knock ’em until you read ’em.”

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS?

“None. I need to be in the garage practicing, you know? But if you’re making a Christmas list, I could certainly use a subscription to Guitar Player.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

1. blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com “So much drama on this forum, it’s hilarious.”

2. fender.com “Guitars, not cars.”

3. gibson.com “Guitars, not Debbie.”

4. fluevog.com “I’ll take these shoes over Jimmy Choos any day.”

5. chuaochocolatier.com “No need to explain.”

GUILTY PLEASURES?

“I don’t really have any. I’m fairly unabashedly unashamed.”

HOW DO YOU LIKE OUR NEW PREZ SO FAR?

“I’m excited to find out more about the development of an arts commission within Obama’s administration. At last, government is taking the arts seriously, in a federal way.”

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?

“I rarely wash my jeans. Hey, I’m conserving water, laundry soap, and utilities!”