Rapper XXXTentacion killed in Florida
Told San Diego attacker "Next time make sure you kill me so I can't talk"
Jay Allen Sanford 1 a.m., June 19
Of Note
Part of the grand inventory
Vincent Herring plays it like the music never died
Vincent Herring is a part of the grand inventory of straight-ahead jazz alto saxophone players. His is not a name that leaps out, perhaps, which reduces Herring’s significance not one bit. The trouble with the ...
JD McPherson, keeping the rebellion alive
He perfected that three-chord frenzy that stems from hormonal urgency
What came to mind the first time I heard JD McPherson’s band? My childhood. He reminded me of being four years old and leaving out of Texas in ‘57 with my mom and the music ...
Las Rosas - straight out of the '60s
About as intellectual as a Facebook meme
In 1964, the Kinks invented garage rock. Even though garage was more or less finished by 1968, the concept never really went away. Las Rosas, a Brooklyn trio, knows this. The heart of that ancient ...
Right time, right place, right friends
Madeleine Peyroux is the anti-Billie, the anti-Edith
When Madeleine Peyroux comes around this time, she’ll be travelling light. It’s a trio gig with guitar, acoustic bass, and her voice to support the jazz-and-blues singer’s 20 years of recordings. I think her own ...
The Surfaris know you want to feel good
"Wipe Out" starts with the mother of all drum solos
“Our career was a skyrocket.” It’s Bob Berryhill, the last original member of the Surfaris, phoning the Reader from his home in Laguna Beach. “We started in December of 1962.” The band was Jim Fuller, ...
Hot Snakes slither back to San Diego
"I think I still know all their songs by heart."
“Hot Snakes?” my pal said. “I totally loved that band. Are you going?” That’s been the standard comeback among friends who were club-age back during the 1980s and 90s, when San Diego’s indie punk scene ...
The British Breakthrough Act of 2007 is back
The Fratellis' split didn't last
Just as Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy were not really Ramones, Jon, Barry, and Mince Fratelli aren’t related, and they aren’t Fratellis. It’s an inside joke. Remember the bad guys in The Goonies? That’s ...
Pink Talking Fish nails the tricky Triple Tribute
I half-expected to see flying pigs during their Floyd covers
The name of the band says it all: Pink Talking Fish is three tributes in one. The band re-creates the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish. But not by playing one song at ...
Megadeth metalman captivates classical crowd
"Many of us got into classical guitar because we were listening to all kinds of metal bands."
“Andres Segovia on steroids.” Shred metal guitarist and Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine’s own words, when asked to describe bandmate Kiko Loureiro. That would have been back in 2015, following the announcement that Loureiro had ...
Hipsters with guitars
This is likely the future, music that will not go easily into a simple category
Fruition is a five-piece act that is often labeled a bluegrass-alt country-jam band, and depending on one’s point of reference, the band can fit into any or all of those genres. Fruition’s three-piece vocal harmony ...
The California Honeydrops get a little love
For this band, there was no other choice but to make this music
Livin’ for today / singin’ for tomorrow... Is it safe to say that some of the world’s best New Orleans-style funk and soul bands come from the West Coast? Probably no. But our track record ...
