David Robles

Tulpa Luna

Assuming the concert lockdown is over by June, Tulpa Luna - formerly known as Warsaw - will embark on a west coast tour with former local Adam Gnade (Three One G, Pioneers Press) in support of an upcoming project they’re collaborating on. “This two-song 7-inch vinyl record is set to be released on Sell the Heart Records later this spring,” says Demetrius Antuña, who reports the band is working on a new studio album. “This will include some Warsaw songs from our first three EPs reworked and rerecorded, as well as a handful of new ones. No dates set for this yet, but shooting for a late summer/autumn release.” Regarding the name change, “When we started this band a little over three years ago, we chose the name Warsaw as a reference to one of our favorite bands. We never had any intention of trying to emulate them or cover their music. We just thought of it as a little nod, an homage, so to speak. If you are unaware, Warsaw was the name of the band Joy Division before they released their first album. The name has led to so many questions, some confusion, and even outright anger...we’re still the same band, and we will continue playing many of our songs from the last few years, plus a lot of new ones, just under a new name.”

Red Flag

The 30th anniversary of influential synth-pop duo Red Flag’s debut album Naïve Art is being celebrated with a double vinyl reissue containing four bonus tracks, limited to 1000 copies available in three separate colors: red, white, and black. A double CD version features 18 bonus tracks. Brothers Chris and Mark Reynolds were originally Liverpool natives before moving to San Diego in the mid-’70s. The first song they recorded, “Distant Memories,” under the name Shades of May, was selected in 1984 for a 91X compilation album, Local Heroes. Inspired by bands like Depeche Mode and the Cure, the duo described their sound as “a blend of synthpop, new age, and ambient.” Signed to Enigma Records in 1988, Naïve Art (produced by Paul Robb of Information Society), released the following year, earned them two top ten hits on Billboard’s Dance Charts (“Russian Radio” and “If I Ever”), as well as an appearance on American Bandstand and opening slots on tour with Devo and Thomas Dolby. Red Flag released a dozen albums between 1988 and 2002, and nearly twice that many singles and EPs. Mark Reynolds passed away in his home on 2nd Avenue on April 7 2003, reportedly from complications related to respiratory failure, though it was later reported to have been a suicide.

Glass Spells

Synth-pop trio Glass Spells is back with a new video for their track “Mirrors,” sporting a lineup featuring sole remaining founder Anthony Ramirez now accompanied by Tania Costello (vocals) and Michael Buehl (drums). After they released their debut single in 2014, “I Feel It,” original singer Mellany Martinez was replaced by Suz Gonzalez. They spent early 2016 recording a self-titled album at Emprise Soundlab studios in Mexicali with Gerardo Montoya (aka Letters From Readers, who has also worked with FAX, Maniqui Lazer, etc.), promoted with a single for “Rebellion” and a video for the song “Away From Space.” All the band members were from Imperial Valley, but at the time of the album release, singer Gonzalez was living in Phoenix, AZ., two others were in Imperial Valley, and Ramirez settled in San Diego. This eventually proved unworkable. Former Glass Spells bassist/keyboardist Anthony Ramirez went on to Twin Ritual, playing alongside guitarist Nathan Leutzinger (Astral Touch) and singer Laura Levenhagen (Le Chateau). Their early 2018 EP Hand Through the Mist, with its debut single “Angry,” was produced by Dave Trumfio (OK Go, Jesus and the Mary Chain, Built to Spill).

Lenny Morris III

“It’s a clear departure from my escapades as a freelance acoustic songwriter, as I have now focused on a career writing carefully crafted lyrics with messages I hope will resonate with the masses,” says Lenny Morris III of his new hip-hop single “Dear World,” also released as a YouTube video. Fairly new to hip-hop, Morris began singing at age five and picked up his first instrument at 12, when his cousin handed him an old Harmony guitar. Until 2011, he wore a paper hat at In-N-Out Burger, but within a year, he was making a full-time living as a musician, playing Listen Local showcases at House of Blues and the Stage Bar and Grill, as well as landing a weekly Wednesday gig at Mosaic Wine Bar. He’s also held residencies at the Hard Rock Café, Gordon Biersch Brewery, Hooleys La Mesa, and Hennessey’s La Jolla and Carlsbad. “I’ve done dozens of private events, ranging from weddings and engagement parties, a few private parties for the San Diego Padres Organization, and some corporate gatherings.” His debut acoustic EP Lenny Morris Music featured his band The Native Tongue, while a sophomore release, No Secret, dropped around the same time that he launched a Johnny Cash and June Carter tribute project.

David Robles

A vet of bands like the Marsupials, Wha?, White Mule, Madly, and Scary Pierre, David Robles currently plays with Gary Wilson & the Blind Dates (bass, guitar, keyboards), the Zeros (bass), and Javier Escovedo & the City Lights (guitar). His mildly psychedelic David Robles Project released a single for “She Sighs” in late 2017, featuring his old Wha? Bandmate, drummer Ben Johnson (Hostile Comb-Over, Long and Short Of It), which was also shot as a video. His new album drops in April. “Blue Sunshine was recorded from November 2019 through February 2020 in my home studio using Logic Pro,” says Robles. “I recorded all of the parts myself, playing guitar, bass, keyboards, live drums, drum programming, and vocals. My girlfriend and primary inspiration, Kelly Paige Standard [a noted oil painter], sang backups on ‘Twirl.’ I recorded 27 songs total for the project and plan on releasing the other 14 songs this summer.” Robles, who also works as a videographer, just uploaded several video samples from Blue Sunshine, including the title track, “Days of Isolation,” “Right Tonight,” and “Can’t Stop Thinkin,’” each demonstrating his breezy visual style with clips that at times resemble Magical Mystery Tour outtakes.