Mario Rubalcaba

Multi-instrumentalist Mario Rubalcaba has played with everyone from Thingy and Spider Fever to a 2002 regrouping of Battalion of Saints. He’s featured on a new edition of the outsider music podcast created by Three One G label owner, author, and actor Justin Pearson, best known as bassist/vocalist for Dead Cross, The Locust, and Retox. “Cult and Culture episode 22 looks into the prolific career of San Diego’s Mario Rubalcaba,” says Pearson, “best known as drummer of bands such as Earthless, Hot Snakes, Rocket from the Crypt, Clikatat Ikatowi, Off!, 411, and more, as well as guitarist in Chicano-Christ. All of which is in addition to his time as a professional skateboarder. Mario gives insight as to how he found his way into various bands starting from a very young age...those who may know Mario from only a few of his bands will find it fascinating to learn about the scope of his work, how unique and varied it is, and just how much influential music he has been a part of.”

Mike Keneally

Guitarist Mike Keneally, a former player for Frank Zappa’sFrank Zappa’s touring group, will join the Zappa Band, featuring other former Zappa band members, for their first headline tour, including a June 5 date at the Ritz Theater in Escondido. “A lot of amazing Frank Zappa music is played with intensity, humor, and love,” says Keneally. “We’ll be enjoying the opportunity to play different material from night to night. We know that often people like to attend multiple shows, and our repertoire is presently large enough to be able to change things up. So, while we will be playing the songs we played last year opening for King Crimson, we won’t necessarily play them all every night, and we’ll be playing lots of other things besides.”

Keneally was 25 when he joined Zappa’s band in 1987; he went on to record over 30 solo albums, including many with his band Beer For Dolphins. He’s also played with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Devin Townsend, Dethklok, and Andy Partridge of XTC. The Zappa lineup features fellow alumni Ray White (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Thunes (bassist), and Robert Martin (keyboards, sax, vocals), Zappa Plays Zappa vet Jamie Kime (guitar), and Zappa archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers (drums, vocals).

Jon Pebsworth

“I’m slowly coming out of my post-heart attack hibernation,” says Buck-O-Nine singer Jon Pebsworth. “My doctors are happy with my recovery and have given me a good bill of health. Still have some work to do, but I’m out of any danger and headed in the right direction. I would like to sincerely thank all of you for all your support and so much love during the weirdest and scariest time of my life. Your calls, texts, emails, and visits have been a huge part of my recovery. Also, thanks to everyone who helped me with the GoFundMe campaign. It seriously helped me and Nuryah get through the chaos. Since my heart attack on December 30, I’ve been spending most of my time, while not in the hospital or at a doctor’s appointment, writing a bunch of new songs. My goal this year is to record new music and play some shows with Buck-O-Nine. I’m also planning more solo stuff this year.” Pebsworth says he has “roughly 10 to 12 songs somewhat ready to record. I also have a new band I am starting with my bro Jeff Hawthorne. We’re doing kind of a ska/reggae/punk kinda thing and would like to record and play live this year.”

Eve Selis

“Twenty one years ago, Marc Intravaia and I took a trip to Nashville,” says singer-songwriter Eve Selis, “and both our label meeting and writing appointment canceled once we landed, so we decided to take a road trip. We drove north looking for the Natchez Trace and got lost in Kentucky. We wandered into Russellville and decided to stop in the town square and write a song. That’s when we met Marion Humphries. He was cleaning up around a cannon monument from the Civil War. We stopped to talk to him and got so many wonderful nuggets of life wisdom we decided to write our song ‘Russellville’ about the whole day. We ended up going back to the town with the band and performed on their radio station and did a concert in the town square.” Humphries, whose 90th birthday was in March, recently passed away. “I actually just spoke with him last week on a video app. I told him I would be out of town until Mother’s Day and would come visit him when I got back to Nashville. Little did I know it would be to say goodbye.”

Blink 182

20-year-old alt-pop artist renforshort just released a single via Interscope Records entitled “we’ll make this ok” featuring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and previewing her debut album, dear amelia, due July 8. Blink bassist Mark Hoppus appears in a new documentary, Bleeding Audio, concerning the unlucky punk band The Matches. Other featured musicians include Nick Hexum (311), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s), Justin Courtney Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack), Ali Tabatabaee (Zebrahead), and Cassadee Pope. The current version of Blink is collaborating on merch with Sombrero Mexican Food, the local eatery chain mentioned in their 1997 classic “Josie,” described in verse as the girlfriend so cool that she “brings me Mexican food from Sombrero just because.” The collaboration is kicking off with a T-shirt line that features the Blink 182 mascot bunny wearing a branded sombrero. Meanwhile, former Blink member Tom DeLonge recently released the trailer to his directorial film debut, Monsters of California. His highly publicized scientific investigation into UFOs continues, as he rides a wave of positive press and public goodwill engendered by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy citing his work, as well as an Esquire article, “The Vindication of Tom DeLonge,” concerning recent UFO revelations by the U.S. government.