San Diego Reader's 2014 Music issue

"Your favorite band sucks"

— T-shirt

Oh, Lord, has it come to this? We’re quoting T-shirts now? Well, yes — if only to illustrate a point about how good things can come from anywhere. Which is also the point of the quote. By removing any reference to a particular band, the quote is meant to help you see the pointlessness of both the hate and the bandwagon devotion that inspires it.

The stories that follow are about music in San Diego. In them, you’ll read about clubs that host jazz one night and local indie acts the next, a band that blends country and punk, an electronic musician who whistles Chopin, a jazz virtuoso who started out playing gospel at Encanto Baptist.

Good stuff can come from anywhere. And a lot of it is coming from San Diego.

Local cops have soft spot for pop-punk? — Dryw Keltz

All things head-banger — Dave Good

Country conundrum — Ken Leighton

Diazepam dandelions — Chad Deal

Jazz came knocking — Robert Bush

Syncopated space rockers — Jay Allen Sanford