Blurt: San Diego Music News
Frontman Dave Wakeling is the only original member of the two-tone British ska band that moved from England to Southern California over 25 years ago. He calls all the shots. “The rest of us are …
“I moved to San Diego from Philadelphia, and nothing really changed for me besides the weather,” says classically trained violinist Alex DePue. “I spilled out of the airplane with a suitcase and a fiddle and …
The Blue Guitar has undergone many changes since it was founded in 1961. It appears as if its final transformation may be an upcoming disappearing act. “Yuris Zeltins was our shop founder, he has now …
“The inspiration came from watching a documentary about a little girl with epilepsy who was seizing 300 times a week,” says composer Gary Rich, whose musical Ameriwanica extols the health benefits of the green leafy …
Brian Witkin’s dad performed at Woodstock as a member of Sha Na Na. The son had experienced success running a CD store at the all-ages Epicentre music venue. But a major setback ten years ago …
“We were shooting a documentary about the Beatles and [original drummer] Pete Best’s first journey to Hamburg about a year and a half ago,” says Christopher Leyva of how he came to be outside Best’s …
It’s been 26 years since Joe Flammini opened Java Joe’s, one of the few coffeehouses back then that offered live music with your latte. In 1991, Java Joe’s was located in Poway. The shop moved …
“In some cities, like New York, if you bring the goods they appreciate you for your art,” says homegrown jazz chanteuse Sacha Boutros, who just returned after spending a month in Paris (where she’ll move …
When Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and his buddy Chip Roberts announced their “Cowboys in the Campfire” tour, the idea was that they would play unusual venues — rooms that don’t usually host rock shows. Andrew …
Although there are some decent surf breaks back home, pro surfer Lindsay Perry says Central Florida is nothing like San Diego. “My dad used to catch alligators with his hands,” she says about her upbringing …
With paying gigs becoming scarcer, and the economic outlook not too bright, we asked several current and former locals to share their best “I was so broke...” stories. Marcia Claire (Coyote Problem): “In 1986, I …
Legendary jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe passed away on the morning of December 2 at the age of 95. Lowe grew up in Mississippi and, at 17 years old in 1939, joined Pee Wee King’s western …
The new EP from Miramar-based pop-punk rockers Hard to Hit, Better Than I’ve Been, drops on December 1 at Soma. “This is our first show since March, as we had a lineup change, losing both …
Alma Rodriguez is meeting with city officials to launch a Queen Bee’s in Oceanside. Since 2009, the Puerto Rican–born impresario has hosted bands, poetry slams, and swing, salsa, and samba dance lessons at the 250-capacity …
Meth Breath lead singer Jimmy Rodgers was hoping that by giving his band a tongue-in-cheek name it might help defuse the uptight attitude some have about straightedge bands. Straightedge punks don’t drink, smoke, or do …
Oceanside, San Diego County’s third largest city, has seen a boom in the opening of music venues. Three breweries — Midnight Jack, Black Plague, and Legacy — now host bands on a regular basis. Co-founder …