Vomiting near a loading dock on a rainy night in a Pacific Beach alley isn’t the best feeling in the world. In fact, just the thought of it brings back the acidic, post-puke taste in …

Susan Boyle's victory is Revenge of the Nerds writ large. Writ gloriously large. If you've ever been ditched by your "best friend" on a cold, rainy night with no easy way to get home; ever …

Tucked away in the southern end of the Anza-Borrego Desert is an engineering marvel that, due to its remoteness, has only been viewed by a relatively small number of people. The Goat Canyon trestle was …

Two business owners expressed their concerns to the Solana Beach City Council on May 26 regarding a new shopping-center tenant that will be selling guns. The shopping center is located on Genevieve Street near Stevens …

On May 24, a pitbull attacked a six-month-old puppy at the off-leash dog area at Wells Park. The puppy was badly injured; however, the owner of the pitbull refused to exchange information and declined to …

In the early evening hours of Saturday, May 22, police and ambulance sirens shattered the silence at the Mariner's Cove Apartments. The entrance to the complex was surrounded by cops and a large fire truck. …

San Diego’s ’70s rock icons Glory and a number of other local acts reunited and united for the California Music Project, a program that raises money to keep music in our schools. Fans arrived hoping …

The Drive-By Truckers' tenth release explores territory familiar to the Athens-based band, which continues to mine the vein of ’08's Brighter Than Creation's Dark, with more tales of losers, juicers, a low-budget hooker, and a …

In 1970, Carole King and James Taylor first performed together in a small nightclub in West Hollywood called the Troubadour. Thirty-six years and a lot of music history later, they returned with the same back …

Sly, spry octogenarian bluesman Mose Allison is the ultimate hipster. Along with Carlsbad bassist Gunnar Biggs, the pianist-singer delivered what his audience expected, judging by the raucous applause between numbers. Mr. Allison has been doing …

Before San Diego Police Captain Chris Ball had the chance to sit down at Wednesday's Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee meeting, the issue of "floatillas" surfaced. "These floatillas...I imagine we're going to have our …

Donna Lambert, facing seven felonies for selling marijuana to an undercover officer with a doctor's recommendation, accepted a plea deal on May 27 and will avoid jail time. Lambert's case is the third of three …

The con appears to be on for residents and merchants in the East Village. During the past week, there have been reports of at least three grifters trying to talk their way into getting money …

I hear or read a lot of stories of people who “did Italy in two weeks” or “saw France in a week.” I understand Americans just can't get up and live in another country, and …

It was a beautiful April Sunday. Today was the big day. We, meaning my friend Kent and myself were making a small trip today out of the city hopefully not to far. We decided to …

Most San Diegans have been to Anza-Borrego State Park, but I wonder how many have discovered the (self-declared) Slot Canyons. When entering the park from the 8, take a left after the exit, go past …

“I called 911 at 3:07 p.m.,” said Skip, the manager of the Pomerado Gardens Apartments in Poway, checking his cell phone. On May 26, Skip was one of the first residents to alert emergency services …

Though not on the front page of the news anymore, aftershocks subsequent to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred on April 4 in the Imperial Valley continue. A 4.9 quake shook as recently as May …

On May 25, a loss-prevention agent at the Marshall’s store on Marron Road confronted a 41-year-old Hispanic male suspect after he clipped security sensors with wire cutters and concealed merchandise on his person. According to …

On May 24, at around 9:30 a.m., police had to subdue a seemingly deranged man at the Palomar Street trolley station. When I came upon the scene, police were restraining the man. Two people told …

On May 25 at noon, city councilmember and mayoral candidate Steve Castaneda called a press conference on the steps of city hall to announce his exoneration…again. In 2006, the district attorney’s office, acting on an …

On Tuesday evening, Heather Werdick, a transportation planner for San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), presented the agency's draft 2050 Regional Transportation Plan to the Community Planning Committee, a group of planning chairpersons from neighborhoods …

Lobbyist and lawyer Paul Robinson has been appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the governing board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, replacing another lawyer and lobbyist, John Davies, who quietly quit in …

State attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Brown dispatched a news release last week touting a $549,000 grant his office had made to the California Arts Council, using some of the money paid by …

Summer got started without me. Let’s see what I’ve ­missed. Iron Man 2, to take the first thing first, serves a sequel’s purpose; it gives the sheep somewhere to go and get clipped. No one …

Beatrice’s daughter wants cornrows. Beatrice doesn’t know how to do cornrows, and at this stage in life, she isn’t up for learning. So, she came to me for info. “I’m African; we don’t ‘learn’ braiding,” …

“I made a 60-minute video of my original music, set to footage from the original Twilight Zone and subtitled with the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche,” says Grant Clarkson of his jazz-rock DVD Ever So Much …

Some songs sound weird until you listen to them more closely and realize that neither the words nor the music is all that interesting. Some songs sound sort of unremarkable until you find that the …

In 1985, in Aberdeen, Washington, Kurt Cobain headed a band named Fecal Matter. He was 18. Some of the members of that band (Dale Crover, Buzz Osborne, and Mike Dillard) were also in a fledgling …

My brother Jeff decided to end his life with a shotgun in early 2008, in a motel room at a ski resort in upstate New York. In the spirit of keeping this brief, I will …

In 1904, young Elise Roberts and her family summered on Palomar Mountain. They left their Long Beach home in a roofed wagon, half packed with clothes and bedding, the other half filled with hay for …

Correction In a letter last week titled ­”Where’s the Okra?” the writer referred to remarks that Naomi Wise had made about Indigo Grill in her April 29 restaurant review. It was Indigo Café, not Indigo …

King’s Fish House’s announcement of its May–June Maine lobster event (ending July 4) set the gears spinning: I realized that my last review was eight years ago — pleasant memories, but high time for a …

“Life’s too short to drink crappy beers,” says Todd. He’s sipping on his Allagash Black, a dangerous-looking high-octane brew from Maine. But most of the 27 microbrewskis on tap behind the bar we’re sitting at …

Playwright Matthew Lopez discovered a surprising parallel in U.S. history. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee signed the documents of surrender at the Appomattox Court House; on the 12th, the Army of Northern …

You’ve read that recent San Diego county resident and convicted dope cheater Floyd Landis announced — by way of e-mails to sponsors, media, and sports officials — that he used banned drugs during his cycling …

Los ­Angeles’s scenic and storied Mulholland Drive/Highway skims across the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains from the Hollywood Hills all the way to Ventura County. If Mulholland were ever extended farther eastward from its …

Thursday 27Anybody else have a “Canada bands” category in your iTunes? ­It’s a time-saver for how far that full spectrum flings, from the bubblegum of New Pornographers to the mad-cow meat of Frog Eyes. Fronted …

“I’m originally from Philly, but I had moved to Sweden to be with a Swedish girl I met,” says singer-songwriter Jesse LaMonaca. “I lived there for about a year and put a band together and …

Gabe Serbian is in the center of San Diego’s hardcore punk scene. The Golden Hill denizen drums for post-punk experimentalists the Locust, screams for Black Flag–inspired hardcore roots enthusiasts Rats Eyes, and works the bar …

“We’re leaving San Diego to live in Austin, Texas,” says singer-guitarist Ivan Tamayo of the Attack!!, an electro-dance-punk trio with two guitarists and a drummer. “San Diego just has no love for local music. There …

Last May, former WWE wrestler and El Cajon resident Chuck Palumbo teamed up with The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine for an eight-day cross-country charity ride from San Diego to Rockingham, North Carolina. Palumbo spent ten …

Artist: The KneehighsSong: “Eyes Wide Open” Heard by: Angel Martinez, Southeast San DiegoIt was a pretty smooth track. It had a nice beat. I haven’t heard that type of music before. It’s kind of like …

Thirty-Five Years AgoI was walking around humming that old song about jumping down and turning around and picking a bale of cotton and it made me wonder — just how much cotton is that? And …

Reconciliation Word over all, beautiful as the sky, Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost, That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly softly wash …

Hey, Matt: My son and I were at the beach and he suddenly asked me a question that I couldn’t answer. I figured maybe you could. So, to make my son (and me) a little …

It's not clear whether Mayor Jerry Sanders has ever paddled a kayak, but apparently, a local kayak tour company knows what it takes to float ­Jerry’s boat — and keep it afloat — courtesy of …

Why don’t you slip out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini? — Robert Benchley "M and H. This must be it,” I said, stopping before an unlit gray door on which the …

On March 23, after deliberating for 40 minutes, a jury emerged from the jury room inside the courthouse in Vista. The 12 members had reached a verdict. As they filed into the jury box, the …

Banks and companies commit massive fraud at will. Until recently, regulators have just looked the other way. Corporate lobbyists have greased the palms of politicians of both parties, who have passed legislation sheltering plutocratic thievery. …

Three police cars blocked automobiles from taking the Cabrillo Bridge into Balboa Park at about 3 p.m on May 24. Five more squad cars were parked in the middle of the bridge, where about a …

I almost feel 17 and angsty again as Bellingham mathcore dudes Dog Shredder bobble around Bar Pink. All elements are present: drummer in Dillinger Escape Plan tee with Band-Aid under eye as if he just …

The most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon also has the richest tradition. The unique grass courts add a certain mystique. Having watched it on TV for years, I always wondered what a visit …

Boston transplant Jimmy Powers's debut is a workman's album, workman rap from a musician who has a day job. That perspective lends Powers’s music honesty, humility. This is apparent in personal songs such "Janice Marie," …

The Escondido City Council held a public hearing on May 19 to discuss a proposed fee increase for landscape-maintenance costs in the area located west of the El Norte Parkway and Rees Road intersection. Ballots …

During Friday’s lunch hour, a group of about 30 demonstrators organized by the San Diego Coffee Party took to the streets of downtown, carrying signs and occasionally bursting into chants. They gathered at the park …

On May 18, the San Diego Port Commission, the Chula Vista City Council, the Chula Vista Planning Commission, and the Chula Vista Redevelopment Agency met in back-to-back meetings to approve the Bayfront environmental impact report …

“When I do it, I do it good,” said the elderly female driver of a silver Cadillac Catera on May 18 at approximately 2:30 p.m. She had narrowly avoided a head-on collision on Cardeno Drive …

The City of Vista has worked hard to abate graffiti. In 2008, the city hired artists to paint murals along the Sprinter light rail corridor as a way to deter taggers from leaving their marks …

The North Park Community Plan Update Advisory Committee (CPUAC) held a meeting at Garfield Elementary School auditorium on May 19. The meeting became quite animated when staff tried to explain the City's concept of “park …

Carlsbad resident Mark Lowe, a Marine Corps reserve officer stationed at Camp Pendleton, was sentenced on May 14 for his role in an alleged spy ring. Lowe, who also works as a pilot for Delta …

The John Butler Trio brought a little bit of North County to the downtown Abbey for a KPRI private listener's concert a day before their sold-out House of Blues show. The Australian rocker with roots …

Big brass heralds the triumphant return of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings on opener "The Game Gets Old." The sultry, soulful Jones laments, "So many times I've played the game of love/ But it …

I attended the Friends of Kate Sessions meeting at the Soledad Club on May 18 after receiving an email invitation. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m., but the gates were locked and …

Richard Strauss's musical description of an adventurous day in the Alps and Igor Stravinsky's turbulent tonal depiction of spring make an apt pairing for an afternoon at the symphony. Written in the same period, they …

"This is an important project in my district," said councilmember Donna Frye, who felt ill and needed to leave Wednesday's council meeting. Before leaving, Frye presented a motion to delay a vote on the Hazard …

Greece is most often characterized by its idyllic beaches and ancient ruins, which are fantastic and not to be missed. However, on my second trip to Greece we stayed with a friend who showed us …

On May 17, the Padres squared off against their divisional opponents, the San Francisco Giants. In the top of the ninth inning, Padres pitcher Heath Bell took the mound in hopes of scoring a save …

A group of 40 to 50 protestors converged on the headquarters of General Atomics early Wednesday morning, carrying signs, waving model Predator attack drones emblazoned with slogans such as "General Atomics Makes a Killing,” and …

Thirty-five-year hang-gliding veteran William Armstrong appeared before the San Diego City Council on May 18 to request that the council consider creating a training hill at the city-owned Glider Port in Torrey Pines. "We don't …

Good Nephew, Bad Nephew. Marco Garcia resigned from his position as San Diego Animal Control officer two weeks after he was arrested for assaulting his 66-year-old aunt in an incident regarding a dog he brought …

On Halloween 2009, around 7:00 p.m., a sugar-crazed group of costumed children and their adult chaperones works its way through one of those North County neighborhoods where the rows of prim two-story homes are painted …

“We are a very modest band and don’t believe too much in putting on stage antics or showboating,” says singer-guitarist Michael Stauffer of post-shoegaze scenesters FMera (“FM era”). “We let the music set the atmosphere …

Every time I read an article about the decline of the record industry, I’m struck by one fact: The peak year for album sales in the history of the recording industry was 1999. It’s not …

“We had a fire-breather at first,” says Queensrÿche front man Geoff Tate via telephone from his home in Bellevue, Washington. “That didn’t quite work out. I didn’t really see the point, you know?” Queensrÿche Cabaret …

There’s music floating around our backyard. It comes from a mockingbird perched atop the pecan tree, the phoebe sitting on the sprinkler head, house finches chirping over the bird feeder, and our chickens clucking around …

In May 2009, councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Todd Gloria sent a letter to Carol Schultz, executive director of Uptown Partnership, the agency responsible for increasing the parking supply, enhancing pedestrian use, and easing traffic flow …

Thirty-Five Years AgoI AM GROSSED OUT! My program’s first assembly had no errors at all! That never happens. Wow! Aren’t you excited? - R. LeChevalier, NCR Data Processing Division.— CLASSIFIEDS, May 22, 1975 Thirty Years …

“Lester Bangs attended Grossmont College from 1966 to 1968,” says English professor Raul Sandelin of the late rock critic for Rolling Stone, Creem, and the Village Voice. “The school is honoring its former alum with …

“More and more music videos qualify as ‘short films,’ worthy of screening at the big worldwide film festivals,” says singer-songwriter Scott West, whose video for his song “Keep It Clean” was one of only ten …

On January 1, 2009, San Diego pop-rockers Crash Encore (nominated for Best New Artist at the SDMAs in 2007) announced that they would post one free song for download every week for the next year. …

“At Humphrey’s, they used to make me hide out back behind the Dumpsters because I was too young to be in the bar,” says 19-year-old Josh Gooch, a working blues guitarist since he was a …

­it’s 7:30 at the House of Bromance by Lincoln and Washington in University Heights. Childhood friends from Massachusetts Ian and Patrick moved into the second-story house about six months ago, stoked on the large windows …

Thursday 20Baltimore represents at Tin Can Ale House, where Marylanders Future Islands and Lower Dens (Jana ­Hunter’s new band) join our own Heavy Hawaii and Rafter for a four-layer cake of indie-pop confection. Baked goods …

Anthology is a three-level restaurant and club just south of Little Italy on India. Inspired by CEO Howard ­Berkson’s roots in Chicago nightlife, the 13,000-square-foot establishment pairs New American fine dining with live music in …

For a long time now I have not been able to listen to Dinu Lipatti’s slender, ascetic fingertips pressing ever so gently firm on the piano keys in his last recorded transcription of Bach’s Cantata …

Two of inland San Diego ­County’s most important east-west highways, Scripps-Poway Parkway and the Tierrasanta-to-Santee stretch of the Highway 52 Freeway, have been designed to carry bicycle as well as auto traffic. They can be …

Back in November of 2009, I took note of a billboard ­I’d seen on the 8 West, put up by the San Diego Coalition of Reason. ­“Don’t believe in God?” it read. “You’re not alone.” …

The Meters, a New Orleans funk band, asked in song, “Now that we found love, what’re we gonna do with it?” Terence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune offers contrasting ­answers. Maybe …

Blue skies, smiling at me/ Nothing but blue skies do I ­see… It’s an oldie but goodie, and Irving and I launched into it when he mentioned that the guy who wrote it had the …

Some nights, you don’t want to dress up for a restaurant or, worse yet, keep wearing that same stiff corporate outfit for 14 hours straight. But you don’t want to cook, either. You just want …

Funny, Cool, Short Re “Nothing Normal About It” (Cover Story, May 13). It’s a good story. Pit bulls will be always brave and strong, and I love pit bulls. They’re really nice dogs. The story’s …

Hey, man. Solar Man here. Well, my ­name’s Derek Ensminger, but my friends call me Solar Man. Look around my office and ­you’ll know why. ­There’s a solar-powered video camera over there, a solar charger …

The essence of pleasure is spontaneity. — Germaine Greer Normally, it would kill me to desecrate a beautiful filet mignon by shredding it with plastic cutlery on a paper plate. But extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary …

Dear M.A.: When I really have to pee bad, why do I do that little pee dance? I’m squeezing muscles and shifting my weight back and forth on my feet and sometimes bending over. It …

The California State University system has been beset by scandals, ranging from a defaulted $1.25 million loan made by Sonoma State ­University’s academic foundation to Clem Carinalli, a former board member and developer who is …

Balboa ­Park’s Old Globe Theatre escaped the great financial meltdown of 2008 relatively unscathed, at least according to its IRS return covering the 12-month period ending in December 2008 and filed last November 18. The …

For years, KPBS-FM and TV, the public broadcasting arms of San Diego State University, have been extremely deferential in handling interviews with city officials; the university is dependent on the ­City’s goodwill for getting an …

“New Orleans is my spot,” declares Pershall the cabbie en route to my second day at Jazz Fest. Ten minutes away from the famed French Quarter at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the 41st annual …

On May 18, the San Diego County Grand Jury handed down their verdict on San Diego County's public jails as part of the annual review mandated by the California penal code. After inspections at seven …

At approximately noon on May 17, two men were cutting open a propane tank (for scrap) on the 2900 block of Imperial Avenue when fumes caused the tank to ignite. A fire quickly spread to …

On May 17, a male caller to Chip Franklin’s morning show on AM 600 claimed that the Hotel del Coronado was losing reservations from Arizona residents unhappy with the City of San Diego and the …

A recent rash of cat disappearances in the area around Famosa Slough have caused much heartache for pet owners. Outdoor cats have vanished without a trace. A talk with “Chet” — a gentleman who lives …

Last Tuesday, May 11, Derrick Roach spoke to the Chula Vista City Council during public comments. After introducing himself as a private investigator that investigates “business fraud and public government agencies,” Roach called for the …

Dozens of motor homes lined the curvy road leading to the 57th annual OMBAC “Coming Out Party,” held May 15 at Mariner’s Point. Two women (beers in hand) sat inside one of the trailers, screen …

It's Sunday night. Little more than wind whips around the remains of the Festival of the Arts: a few drunks and strung-out vagabonds; porta-potties; ungainly street sweepers. A guy's yelling across the street as I …

Four days, two nights spent boating through majestic Halong Bay is like a dream. Turquoise blue water and giant, dragon-shaped cliff islands covered by jungle forests simply equals magical. There are a million different tour …

Bonnie “Prince” Billy's latest pairs Will Oldham's backwoods bark and Cairo Gang frontman Emmet Kelly's streaming folk and blues guitar. The result is stripped-down folk songs with flourishes of classic-country melodies and gospel harmonies. Oldham's …

You would think since the housing market has crashed that developers would not be building right now, right? Wrong, now is the best time ever because of something called a "redevelopment agency" and YOUR property …

Usher may have been the headliner at this eight-artist concert, but Justin Bieber was the reason Cricket Wireless was sold out. Everywhere I looked, pre-pubescent girls were giggling and hopping around in nervous excitement as …

Local artist Robert Guenther decided his old Ford camper van was a "gross-pollutant vehicle" (his words) and decided he wanted to install some type of solar-powered engine to run his car. Lacking funds or any …

“April showers bring May flowers.” San Diego's climate does not usually follow that popular adage. This year at Torrey Pines State Reserve, though, it's true. A walk of the Guy Fleming trail loop on May …

Chula Vista police caught a Wells Fargo bank robber red-handed — almost. The robbery took place at the Third Avenue branch at around 2 p.m. on May 13, according to a press release. Witnesses said …

On May 13, the California Department of Education released its statewide “Academic Performance Index” (API) for all public schools. Cardiff School District ranked a ten — the top API rating — but not all is …

The fifth studio release from Brooklyn-based the Hold Steady marks a transition for the quartet. With the defection of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, their sound is now tighter, more guitar-driven. Lead singer Craig Finn, who years …

The roller coaster of on, off, and in-between following the 1994 departure of yang element Al Anderson, along with the '09 passing of seminal member Steve Ferguson, have been intense bubble busters. After rejoicing at …

A resident from Acacia Avenue in Carlsbad appeared at the May 11 city council meeting to ask for help in reducing the number of utility lines that are in the vicinity of her home. “When …

An SDPD van nabbed a silver Mercedes on May 13 at the corner of Kline and Eads streets in La Jolla. My request for information resulted in one of the parking enforcement officers walking proudly …

At a special National City council meeting held on May 11, members of the public participated in surveys about the city’s finances and services. National City faces a $6.7 million dollar deficit, and the trial …

San Diego's natural resources committee met on May 12 to discuss a proposed ordinance that would make the current level 2 drought response and mandatory water restrictions permanent. "We do live in a desert," said …

Every winter, gray whales migrate from Alaska and Siberia to the rich waters of Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California to breed and give birth to their 14-foot, 2-ton babies. Unlike whale-watching tours in the …

1. Old San Juan. With its well preserved Spanish colonial-style architecture, Old San Juan continues to charm locals and visitors alike. Lively nightlife can be found in and around the city, and if you like …

At the May 11 San Diego Unified School District Board of Education meeting, held in the Eugene Brucker Education Center auditorium on Normal Street, the board considered adopting a resolution introduced by board president Richard …

“It’s like a constant subway ashtray all the way down Fifth Avenue and all around the area,” said downtown resident Raymond Vinole, speaking before the San Diego City Council on May 11. “No matter where …

"There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both." In his incarnation this past Saturday at AcousticMusicSanDiego in Normal Heights, Dave Alvin was the quiet Dave, backed …

From the front of the room, Stephen Whitburn, candidate for District 4 county supervisor, introduced himself to the 30 residents sitting inside the Joyce Beers Community Center in Hillcrest during a May 11 county supervisor …

“I love San Diego and miss it,” says Japanese Sunday mastermind Eric Kusanagi, who lived in Golden Hill and worked downtown at Sushi Deli. “It’s where I was reborn.” The core member of dreamy shoegaze …

Let’s say you’re in your early 20s and you have a band with a really cool sound — way ahead of your time. And let’s say you record a masterpiece album, but your record company …

San Diego city councilman Carl DeMaio’s campaign to qualify his controversial city contracting measure — the so-called Competition and Transparency in City Contracting Initiative — for the city ballot isn’t hurting for money, thanks to …

The Tour of California (TOC) has been the preeminent cycling race in North America since its first go-around in 2006. The eight-day, 810-mile route attracts the best teams and best cyclists in the world. Andrew …

Silverwood. The name comes from the glittering effect of sunlight upon the dark-green leaves of the coast live oak. Scores of these trees, some of them two-century-old giants scarred by wildfire, shade the canyon floor …

What are you reading? “Game Change, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. It’s about the last presidential election. I normally avoid politics, but my fiancée bought it, and she said I had to read it. …

Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever …

Thursday 13San Diego’s new math-punk supergroup Ghetto Blaster, featuring Ryan Foxe (Fishwife), John Cota (Hostile Combover, Rats Eyes), Greg Sudor (Irradio), and Cole Mears (Combover), will make their world premiere at Bar Pink tonight. Dorian …

“We’re a rock band with heavy electronic elements,” says singer-guitarist Ephraim Wecker of San Marcos–based Hello Drama. “Our music is dance-y and energetic, hopefully something you can have fun listening to.” Hello Drama’s track “Here …

Two teenage boys walk into Steel Guitars of North County in Oceanside, scan the assortment of vintage oddities arranged on the walls, do a quick appraisal of the pack of 50-somethings trying them out, turn …

“The Reverending Story is designed to explain the strange workings in my past lives,” says North Park resident Reverend Stickman of his musical stage show debuting June 24 at Swedenborg Hall. “The idea behind the …

While Poison front man Bret Michaels recovers from a potentially fatal brain hemorrhage, San Diego writer-psychic David Moye recalls interviewing the L.A.-based rocker in 2007, after which he says he gave Michaels a psychic reading. …

Thirty-Five Years AgoIn general, I avoid eating at places with the words “jolly” or “happy.” Not because I am a misanthrope, but because the chain that calls itself the Jolly Ox serves little to give …

We’re tightening the financial belt here in Kelly land. We’re not starving, mind you, but unnecessary expenses are being trimmed. Meals out, movies, lattes, golf — all done for the time being. And I’m trying …

John Meeks doesn’t just listen to classic country, he lives it. “That was the music on the radio in the car when I was a kid.” His dad performed country music in honky-tonks across New …

NOTE: This show was canceled at press time. At the age of 17, Mick Taylor became a member of the legendary Bluesbreakers, following in the footsteps of heavy predecessors Peter Green and another guitarist often …

On May 4, PBS’s Frontline show interviewed a former recruiter for Ashford University, the online college that is part of San Diego’s newest corporate darling, Bridgepoint Education. She complained about the pressure to enroll students. …

Damon Lane County Park, two miles east of the Mount Helix summit, serves more than local residents’ needs for a peaceful commune with nature. “The park was put there,” says Jack Phillips, chair of the …

Sometimes when she talks, a cigarette dangles from the right side of her mouth, the tip bobbing up and down — à la George C. Scott — with each word. At other times she leans …

Is there life on Broadway, east of the I–5? I’ve got a couple of answers to that. Feta 1, Turkey 2. No, we’re not talking World Cup soccer scores. Just the two sandwiches you gotta …

The ever-enchanting Mistral (née Azzura Point) has been remade again with a renovated dining room and new chefs. The executive chef for the whole resort property is Marc Ehrler, a hotshot direct from France. The …

Benjamin’s Boot Camp As longtime fans of Mr. Benjamin’s Cotillion, we were thrilled to find the story “Don’t Look Down,” with its much-deserved praise for Peter Benjamin and his dance class in the May 6 …

Matt: Can I take my handgun into space when I go, or will I need to defend myself with a laser weapon like everybody else? I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to buy new …

That’s Matthew Richards of Matthew Richards Wines over there in the picture, and while it’s a decent enough head shot, it’s not really the right pic to accompany this piece. The right pic would be …

Donovan’s Steak and Chop House, the San Diego–based chain of meat eateries, is prepared to admit that it failed to disclose its political contributions by not filing a so-called major donor report as required by …

Quarterly lobbying reports are in, and they reveal the usual lineup by state legislators and their staffs for gifts parceled out by a variety of special interests. During the quarter, Sempra Energy spent a total …

Memories of my decade in Normal Heights came stumbling back when I received the following email from my old friend Hank, who still lives there: “Yo, I want to apologize for my rant yesterday. I …

I headed down an isolated desert dirt road in Arizona to the experimental community of Arcosanti, not knowing quite what to expect. Arcosanti is a creative laboratory for innovative design strategies to combat urban sprawl. …

Mothers’ Day came to the rescue of a moribund restaurant industry in Tijuana last weekend. Revenues doubled, according to César Escandón, the president of the local restaurant association. Some eateries in the Distrito Gastronómico had …

On May 7, San Diego County Superior Court judge DeAnn Salcido held a press conference in front of the Hall of Justice and alleged widespread violation of the law by the superior court judges of …

San Diego medical marijuana dispensary operator Joseph Nunes was sentenced to one year in federal prison on May 10. "They took him right to jail," said a medical marijuana activist who was in the downtown …

"He's drunk off his ass...wavin' his dick around," said one SDPD officer to another as he pointed to a young man wearing a thong and wading through the waters at Fiesta Island's "Enchanted Cove" on …

Looking like a young Peter Sellers, the diminutive Craig Finn led the Hold Steady onto the Belly Up stage for their fourth local concert in two years. Opening with a chorus of hammers and anvils …

Minneapolis-based indie folkster Luke Redfield's debut speaks of wanderings both spiritual and geographical. The collection of transcendental travel songs tells the story of a modern seeker probing for truth within and abroad and ultimately finding …

"This 'stereo' recording," states the back cover of Barrence Whitfield's comeback album, "is suitable for playback on today's hi-fidelity systems without adverse effect to the stylus." Good thing most of us aren't (I hope) stupid …

Yefim Bronfman's performance of Beethoven's Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 with the San Diego Symphony at Copley Hall was a joy to patrons disappointed by the illness that kept him away from Concerto No. …

On June 8, Chula Vista will go to the polls to elect a mayor, two city councilmembers, and for the first time since voters passed a 2008 ballot measure, a city attorney. And while the …

I woke up on Monday, April 8, 1996, from my daily siesta in Sevilla, Spain, to my host father, Paco, telling me the police just called looking for me and George, my New Jersian housemate. …

On Wednesday, May 5 I went to the Subway Sandwich shop on Midway Drive. As soon as I entered the store, I knew something was wrong. There was no one working and a bag of …

On May 7th, several members of the Carpenters Local 1506 Union set up banners in front of 600 B St. in downtown San Diego. They were set up in front of the building next to …

News from the Mariner's Cove apartments in Ocean Beach: Car gasoline siphon attacks are causing consternation among residents. A Navy man I know filled up his truck with gas on payday and the next morning, …

The Business Improvement District fees charged by the Downtown Business Association of Escondido were contested by a pair of business owners at the May 5 city council meeting. Greta Kurtz, a business owner for 25 …

A man of Somali-descent pleaded guilty in a Minnesota federal court on May 2 to charges of making false statements to federal investigators due to his involvement in transporting suspected terrorists to San Diego and …

Councilmembers Donna Frye and Carl DeMaio sat at a table at the front of a meeting room inside San Diego County's Health and Human Services Complex. Local political and social activist groups Empower San Diego …

I arrived in D.C. at 8 a.m., after a long night hunched in the seat of a Greyhound bus. Morning sunlight beamed, and as I hiked to Union Station, then to the Capitol, I realized …

Now that the community plan update is underway, the issue of density in Uptown is a hot topic at community meetings. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) estimates an influx of 1.2 million people to …

"Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” Or was it, “Why don’t you come up sometime’n see me?” Either way, Mae West, right? In She Done Him Wrong, 1933, propositioning Cary Grant. Turner …

“Our music sounds like four guys creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts,” says Republic of Letters singer-guitarist Chris Venti. “The songs can be characterized as a combination of melodically driven …

Tyler Richards HewesExecutive director, Orchestra Nova, orchestranova.org My friend Trevor hosts the occasional Man Night at his house; we watch “manly” movies, drink beer, eat pizza, and add our own commentary. The movies always have …

Thirty-Five Years AgoRECREATIONAL VEHICLE. You had better give up am radio, drinking, and Elton John — you know why? Look at another ad, toots. Love, Leenie Baby. LOOKING FOR people to help start a commune …

Photography is a great dumping ground of sentimental clichés. Lovebirds, autumn leaves, maternity-ward prune-faces, sublime mountain streams, birthday antics... Fill in the list. Grand illusion-maker that it is, and connoisseur of the uncanny, photography is …

Maybe it was because of the recession or questions raised by crusading websites. In any case, San Diego county supervisors appear to have accepted far fewer gifts in 2009 than during the years of the …

Some wealthy and influential San Diegans are putting sizable money behind Democrat Gloria Romero’s bid to become state superintendent of public instruction. Romero, a state senator representing East L.A., also has the backing of EdVoice, …

I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business. — Henry David Thoreau ‘Imagine if you made a hundred thousand dollars …

Hey, Matt: How come an orange tastes so weird immediately after brushing my teeth? It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of toothpaste I use or how ripe or unripe the orange is. It always …

Back when Kathryn Bigelow was having, or about to have, her historic victory as Best Director on Oscar night, we were hearing some dire statistics about the percentage of female directors in the grand total. …

Carrying my whitewater kayak down the stairs at Swami’s on a shoulder, wetsuit draped over the other, I survey the ocean on one of the most beautiful days yet this year. March 16 and 75 …

The gigantic art project unfolding on the unlikely canvas that is Borrego Springs appears to have reached completion. Sculptor Ricardo Breceda says, “That’s it.” There will be no more additions. But Dennis Avery, the man …

Just Do It About Dorian Hargrove — courage to pen that story (“Broken Skull, Broken Heart,” Cover Story, April 22)! No, you will never be the same, you’ll be better! Different, in a very unique …

This restaurant is closed. SOHO, which opened on Saint Patrick’s Day, instantly offered one of the most interesting, eccentric menus in San Diego, combining tastes from the South, the deeper South (Mexico and South America), …

“The music is schizophrenic. There’s a different personality for every song. It’s like Science Fiction Theatre,” says Ryan Foxe, former front man for ’90s punk band Fishwife and current singer for the Grids. We’re sharing …

Last October, Creative Commons, a San Francisco nonprofit at the forefront of the copyleft movement, announced on its website that it had found the right entity to take its ccMixter to the next level: ArtisTech …

“San Diego holds a very special place in my heart,” says Bhakti Yoga devotee Krishna Das, called “the Chant Master of American Yoga” by the New York Times. “I’ve sung at the Seaside Church in …

When I signed my son up for dance and deportment lessons, I didn’t tell him. For one thing, it was called Mr. Benjamin’s Cotillion, and I couldn’t shake the image of Mr. Benjamin Bunny, Peter …

It’s true: God did tilt the world on its axis, and all the nuts rolled into Southern California. Proof: entrepreneurs in Los Angeles are discussing a billion-dollar retractable-roof football stadium downtown. Not to be out-loose-screwed, …

When he recorded The American in 1998, singer-songwriter Martin Sexton took a road trip through human emotion and gave voice (and in some cases, dialects) to characters he found along the way — in three …

Before dawn on the morning of SDSU’s commencement last May, James Ziegler-Kelly climbed out of his tent under a bridge in Mission Valley. He dressed, folded the tent and his sleeping bag, and loaded the …

After getting burned by bunk craigslist Coachella tickets, lo-fi lovefolk duo the Preteens resorted to spending the weekend at singer-guitarist Alex Miranda’s folks’ place in Lake Elsinore. “We went to the Family Fun Center, and …

Welcome to ESL 100, English Surely Latinized, inglés con chile y cilantro, English as American as Benito Juárez. Welcome, muchachos from Xochicalco, learn the language of dólares and dolores, of kings and queens, of Donald …

Much of the interior of Santa Sophia was straight out of the Jet Age — everything groovy, expansive, and clean. A pair of curved entrance tunnels led to a church whose high walls and ceiling …

Coming back from Point Reyes, in no hurry, and decide to turn left toward the Sacramento River delta. As river meets greater San Francisco Bay at Carquinez Strait, there lies the unincorporated town of Crockett, …

In their press material, Fang Island’s music is described as sounding like “everyone high-fiving everyone.” If there is an awards show for blurb-writing in music publicity, this little nugget should take home the statue. I …

Craig Noel died in his home on April third. He was 94. Friends remember the Father of San Diego Theater. THE PERSONJack O’Brien, artistic director emeritus, Old Globe Theatre. In the mid- to late ’60s, …

“Mom says she doesn’t want flowers for Mother’s Day,” I said to my husband Patrick. “Get her a bouquet she can eat,” he replied. The man is nothing if not consistent. I started with the …

Peter Wolf started in the music industry playing with bluesmen Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. He was also an influential freeform disc jockey but got famous as the lead singer for the J. Geils …

If pop-rock is the accusation, L.A.-based Lemon Sun is guilty of rock, a.k.a. serious dance-hall chops. Promptly sifting through the crowd to clamber onstage after a fierce swamp-rock outpouring from Leopold and His Fiction, the …

Despite entertainment-media archetypes, the province of Transylvania (located in northwestern Romania) is actually an idyllic, totally not-creepy part of the world. Transylvania means “across the forest” in Latin, and the heavily forested region is dotted …

Sundays are special days here in Tijuana, days of languor, even torpor, afternoons of beer 'n' bullfights by the beach (commencing May 16), and, right now, cockfights in the Zona Norte. A newly remodeled bar, …

Three police vehicles arrived at the scene of an accident where a burgundy Chevy Blazer and a black Volkswagen Cabrio collided near the intersection of Fanuel and Garnet Streets in Pacific Beach, at approximately 8 …

Back in October, a frequenter of the Starbucks on Linda Vista Road and Napa Street wrote to Donna Frye, city council representative for that area. He inquired about the disused 20-foot pole standing across the …

At 3:40 Sunday, May 2, the following could be heard echoing through the second floor of the La Jolla Library: “I may be a nigger, but you’re a nothing…less than a nothing. Sir, sir, have …

Approximately 200 San Diego residents participated in the Worldwide Medical Marijuana March Saturday, May 1. The march started at Crystal Pier and moved south down the boardwalk to the rollercoaster in Mission Beach. Demonstrators passed …

The Carlsbad Police Officer's Association dominated the public commentary portion of the City Council meeting on April 27, accusing council members of being short sighted when it comes to public safety. Rod Mortenson, President of …

"We're going to space," Primitive Noyes' guitarist says. "Will you come to space with us?" The bassist puts a bow to her strings, coaxing ethereal groans and harmonics through a delay pedal. The layered sound …

In July 2009, members of the Greater Golden Hill Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) convinced a majority of city councilmembers to cut fiscal year 2010's assessment in half, preventing the collection of new assessments until existing …