Diana Death likes the hourly-rate room

“Hmmmmm...that’s a hard one,” Diana Death says when asked who her favorite local band is. Finally, she narrows it down to a name: “I’ve gotta give mad props to Deadbolt. It’s pure, old-fashioned three-chord rock and roll played the way it’s supposed to be played. My favorite clubs? I like Black Cat [4246 University Avenue, City Heights],” Death says, “because it has that nice, homey feel. But for state-of-the-art? It’s the Music Box. Dude, it’s like, even the green rooms, the waiting rooms for bands? They’re all like little studio apartments. They each have their own, like, mini refrigerators.” She giggles.

For recording, she likes Mike Kamoo’s place in El Cajon, Earthling Studios. “And Andy Ridenhour. His studio’s in his house.”

She says she rehearses her band Chinese Rocks at Iacon Sound. “I like the hourly-rate room. It’s got air conditioning and wood floors. It’s a beautiful place. And big. You could do cartwheels in there.”

She rents in neighboring Sherman Heights. “I like that it’s a traditionally Mexican neighborhood. I can go to the panaderia, and I can speak Spanish walking around the neighborhood. My favorite restaurant is downtown near the mall, near Horton Plaza. It’s called Los Panchos de Charly. Good drinks and different things, like ceviche. I love to go on shopping sprees at the 99 cent store. Right now, I’m obsessed with YouTube videos about the supernatural. Unsolved stuff. I love to get takeout and watch true crime shows on TV while I’m eating. Somehow, that makes the food taste better. Tacos, mostly. Today, I got mashed potato tacos. They’re so good. They’re comfort food.”