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Live Five: Hey Chels, Victim, Battalion of Saints, Jeff Berkley, Sutton James
Reunions, sludge pop, metal, and Americana in Little Italy, OB, La Mesa
September 4
Hey, Chels was founded by Jacque Mendez (New Way On) on vocals and electric piano, Stephanie Presz (the Newports) on drums, Kevin White (Squarecrow, Londons Falling) on guitar, and Ricky Schmidt (Western Settings, Caskitt) on bass. The debut self-titled EP, released in 2018, was produced by Patrick Ryan Heaney (Cage the Elephant, Cold War Kids, the War On Drugs). Their full-length Everything Goes, recorded by Pat Hills at Earthtone Studios in Sacramento, premiered online for free in advance of its vinyl release. The band will perform their trademark sludge rock on a bill that includes North by North, The White Collars, and Beth & the Baysides.
Victim at the Holding Company
September 5
Victim was a 1980s heavy metal band founded in Spring 1983 by Brian Thoryk (who played with cover band Desire and a punk group called Skullbusters) and members of another cover band named Syndrome, including Mike Pfahler and Junior Solis. Their 1984 debut album Power Hungry included a track called "Victim" that also appeared on a KGB Homegrown compilation. A follow-up album, By the Neck, was recorded in 1984, but the masters were lost during a period of financial difficulty for the band and not recovered until nearly 30 years later. A revised roster recorded a third album in December 1985, DMN, aka Dirty Mean & Nasty, before the group split. This reunion performance in OB will feature founding members Junior Solis, Mike Pfahler, and Brian Thoryk, along with latterday singer Mark Arrington.
Battalion of Saints at the Holding Company
September 6
Formed originally in 1978 under the name the Nutrons, Battalion of Saints achieved both national and international attention, working and touring with British punk bands like U.K. Subs, Discharge, Broken Bones, and the Exploited. Their songs railed against the government, big corporations, televangelism, and police brutality, and they frequently played long-gone local venue Straita Head Sound. By the time they split in 1985, several former members had already died. Ten years later, in 1995, singer George Anthony reformed the band with his friend Terry Bones (of Discharge and U.K. Subs), playing and recording for a few years. They’ve reunited in various configurations, with this latest version set to headline in OB.
Jeff Berkley at the Jazz Lounge
September 6
One half of folk-Americana duo Berkley Hart, Jeff Berkley got his first co-producer credit for a Joel Raphael record. He’s since worked with a roster of talent including such notable locals as Gregory Page, Lisa Sanders, Stevie & the Hi-Stax, and Tim Flannery. Now one of the city’s most in-demand producers, he still frequently records and performs, both with Berkley Hart and with solo projects such as his 2022 Jeff Berkley & Friends album Under the Covers, featuring local guest stars such as Rebecca Jade, Lauren Leigh Martin, Veronica May, Back To The Garden, Cathryn Beeks, Cici Artemisia, Allegra Duchaine, Shawn Rohlf, Heather Marie, Astra Kelly, Barbara Nesbitt, and Marcia Claire. Berkley will take the stage in La Mesa to debut his new solo album A Buffalo Trace.
September 7
Sutton James (Neighbors to the North, Shaggin Wagon) relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona in December 2015 and began recording solo within the indie-folk/alt-country genres, though the spirit of rock 'n' roll remains alive and well in his songwriting, as well as his live shows. His album High Country Hiatus was released in 2018. After an 18 month coast-to-coast tour supporting its release, he moved back to his home of San Diego. Sutton has earned Diego Music Award Nominations for Best Folk or Acoustic Song (2021), Best Country or Americana Artist (2024), and Best Country or Americana Song (2025). His sophomore LP, Tombstones & Travel Plans, will debut with a vinyl release party at the Casbah on September 7.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Live Five: Hey Chels, Victim, Battalion of Saints, Jeff Berkley, Sutton James
Reunions, sludge pop, metal, and Americana in Little Italy, OB, La Mesa
Live Five: Hey Chels, Victim, Battalion of Saints, Jeff Berkley, Sutton James
Reunions, sludge pop, metal, and Americana in Little Italy, OB, La Mesa
September 4
Hey, Chels was founded by Jacque Mendez (New Way On) on vocals and electric piano, Stephanie Presz (the Newports) on drums, Kevin White (Squarecrow, Londons Falling) on guitar, and Ricky Schmidt (Western Settings, Caskitt) on bass. The debut self-titled EP, released in 2018, was produced by Patrick Ryan Heaney (Cage the Elephant, Cold War Kids, the War On Drugs). Their full-length Everything Goes, recorded by Pat Hills at Earthtone Studios in Sacramento, premiered online for free in advance of its vinyl release. The band will perform their trademark sludge rock on a bill that includes North by North, The White Collars, and Beth & the Baysides.
Victim at the Holding Company
September 5
Victim was a 1980s heavy metal band founded in Spring 1983 by Brian Thoryk (who played with cover band Desire and a punk group called Skullbusters) and members of another cover band named Syndrome, including Mike Pfahler and Junior Solis. Their 1984 debut album Power Hungry included a track called "Victim" that also appeared on a KGB Homegrown compilation. A follow-up album, By the Neck, was recorded in 1984, but the masters were lost during a period of financial difficulty for the band and not recovered until nearly 30 years later. A revised roster recorded a third album in December 1985, DMN, aka Dirty Mean & Nasty, before the group split. This reunion performance in OB will feature founding members Junior Solis, Mike Pfahler, and Brian Thoryk, along with latterday singer Mark Arrington.
Battalion of Saints at the Holding Company
September 6
Formed originally in 1978 under the name the Nutrons, Battalion of Saints achieved both national and international attention, working and touring with British punk bands like U.K. Subs, Discharge, Broken Bones, and the Exploited. Their songs railed against the government, big corporations, televangelism, and police brutality, and they frequently played long-gone local venue Straita Head Sound. By the time they split in 1985, several former members had already died. Ten years later, in 1995, singer George Anthony reformed the band with his friend Terry Bones (of Discharge and U.K. Subs), playing and recording for a few years. They’ve reunited in various configurations, with this latest version set to headline in OB.
Jeff Berkley at the Jazz Lounge
September 6
One half of folk-Americana duo Berkley Hart, Jeff Berkley got his first co-producer credit for a Joel Raphael record. He’s since worked with a roster of talent including such notable locals as Gregory Page, Lisa Sanders, Stevie & the Hi-Stax, and Tim Flannery. Now one of the city’s most in-demand producers, he still frequently records and performs, both with Berkley Hart and with solo projects such as his 2022 Jeff Berkley & Friends album Under the Covers, featuring local guest stars such as Rebecca Jade, Lauren Leigh Martin, Veronica May, Back To The Garden, Cathryn Beeks, Cici Artemisia, Allegra Duchaine, Shawn Rohlf, Heather Marie, Astra Kelly, Barbara Nesbitt, and Marcia Claire. Berkley will take the stage in La Mesa to debut his new solo album A Buffalo Trace.
September 7
Sutton James (Neighbors to the North, Shaggin Wagon) relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona in December 2015 and began recording solo within the indie-folk/alt-country genres, though the spirit of rock 'n' roll remains alive and well in his songwriting, as well as his live shows. His album High Country Hiatus was released in 2018. After an 18 month coast-to-coast tour supporting its release, he moved back to his home of San Diego. Sutton has earned Diego Music Award Nominations for Best Folk or Acoustic Song (2021), Best Country or Americana Artist (2024), and Best Country or Americana Song (2025). His sophomore LP, Tombstones & Travel Plans, will debut with a vinyl release party at the Casbah on September 7.