San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now
Press illo to play the Overheard song!
NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED
IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....
If you wanna see a list of over 1,5000 San Diego bands, with links to full profiles, photos, discographies, articles, MP3s, etc, checkout http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search/
Believe it or not, you can click on ANY LOCAL MUSICIAN'S NAME (around 4,500 musicos listed!) and bring up bios of every notable band they've ever been in! Try it here with Rob Crow ---
AND, if that wasn't cool 'nuff, click on an instrument, say like this here link to "Drums" - BAM, a list of EVERY DRUMMER IN SAN DIEGO!!!
We've been working on this massively cross-linked Local Music Database for over two years now, covering a century of San Diego history --- if you're a local performer who wants to add or edit a page, go to http://www.sandiegoreader.com/band/edit/
More anon!!!! JAS
HERE'S THIS WEEK'S NEW Overheard in San Diego
AND THE NEW Famous Former Neighbors
ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
|
MY PERSONAL HOTPICK FOR TODAY...
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, DJ Robin Roth - Beauty Bar
The industrial dance groove of Chicago's My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult has gone in and out of fashion at least a half dozen times since the band first formed in 1987. Still, nobody this side of the Chemical Brothers does it better, so this is a show well worth checking out. Maybe they'll do one of their songs from Ralph Bakshi's ill-fated animated/live action movie Cool World??? Opening set from DJ Robin Roth, who recently joined the ranks of local radio jocks to lose their on-air jobs.
********************************************************Founded in 1980 as an all-age vegetarian eatery and gathering place for those interested in radical politics, the Ché Café at UCSD quickly became a haven for San Diego’s underground music scene. Though touring bands eventually became a staple of the venue, early shows mostly featured local groups that played punk, garage, mod, and psychedelic sounds.
More than two decades later, the musicians involved in the Ché Café’s early days are scattered around the world, but a new blog (www.cheunderground.com) is keeping their memories alive. Former Noise 292 guitarist Matthew Rothenberg, who first played the venue in 1983, created the site in February '08.
The Ché scene, says Matthew Rothenberg, “…did so much to shape us as people and performers but didn’t leave much of a historical record.”
"I've dubbed the project 'Che Underground,'" says Rothenberg. "Among the other marketing niceties we overlooked back in the day, we never named our scene, but we were instrumental in opening up UCSD's Che Cafe as a rock 'n' roll venue."
On May 29 and 30, the Casbah will host the Ché Underground Reunion, a gathering of bands and fans who frequented UCSD’s student-run co-op Ché Café in the early ’80s. Organized by the online community of Ché Underground’s blog, the event will be two nights of ’80s-era bands, including the Answers, Noise 292, the Wallflowers, Hair Theatre, and Everybody Violet.
Much of opening night’s excitement is being generated by the onetime appearance of a “new” group, the Gay Denny’s. The combo is made up of local music scene vets Ray Brandes, David Klowden, and Eric Bacher (all ex–Tell-Tale Hearts), Mark Zadarnowski (ex-Crawdaddys), and A.J. Croce.
The group’s name is a nod to the nickname given to the Denny’s located at 2445 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park. “[It was] a popular late-night hangout for bands and fans in the scene back in the ’80s,” said Klowden. “Most of us didn’t have our own apartments, so it was a place we could stay up late together, write bad poetry on napkins, and eat french fries with brown gravy.”
The Gay Denny’s formed when it became apparent that various members of the Tell-Tale Hearts and Crawdaddys wouldn’t be available to perform at the reunion gigs.
“[We] decided to put something together for the show that would capture the spirit of the era but without the pressure of reforming any specific band,” Bacher said.
Despite a membership that has produced several albums of original music, the Gay Denny’s will play covers of ’60s-era groups.
“The idea was to get together for just one show,” said Bacher. “Rather than perform a bunch of Tell-Tale Hearts and Crawdaddys songs, we decided to play songs by bands that inspired us to play music back then, such as the Pretty Things, Them, and Dutch Outsiders.”
For Croce, it’s a chance to go back to his early days playing R&B-based ’60s classics. His first band, the Hottentots, which also featured Klowden and Brandes, made their debut at the Ché Café in the ’80s. Despite the appeal of booking further shows for the all-star group, Croce promises this will be a one-off.
“For me, the idea of a spontaneous group like this sounded like fun,” he said. “If we rehearsed it too much or did more shows, it would lose that.”
"I'm currently in the New York area working in publishing," says Matthew Rothenberg (who also played in Three Guys Called Jesus), "and most recently I'm the cheerleader for this reclamation project aimed at salvaging and restoring the work we did in the little scene that centered on the Ché Café in 1983-84 and included the Answers, Hair Theatre, Noise 292, the Rockin' Dogs, and the Wallflowers."
The website’s focus is on those five bands who came together around the Ché Café in the summer of 1983. The site notes the regular performances by Ray Brandes (the Tell-Tale Hearts), Tom Ward (the Nashville Ramblers), and Ted Friedman (the Gravedigger V).
"This is a story I've wanted to tell for a long time; a vibrant SD music scene that brought together punk, mod and art crowds; cross-pollinated North County and downtown; influenced a slew of local musicians; then disappeared without a trace."
"I'm working with the members of the five core gigging bands -- the Answers/Mirrors, Hair Theatre, Noise 292, the Rockin' Dogs and the Wallflowers (not Jakob Dylan's!) -- to reassemble the work we did in the early '80s. We've got a Web presence now, and we have a ton of audio (like, whole lost studio albums!), video, photos and flyers."
Built around reminiscences in postings from the musicians who frequented the venue, the site offers an insiders’ view of the San Diego music scene of the era. Though the emphasis is on bands that performed at the venue, filmed and recorded material done at other venues is included. Highlights include audio of the Morlocks live in San Francisco and a previously unseen video from the Mirrors.
Rothenberg has made attempts to inform the current Ché Café organizers about his website but has thus far been unsuccessful.
“I hope they’re flattered,” he says. “I’ve tried to contact them, but I’m a little confused about who at the co-op might take an interest. We’re thinking of sending an ambassador to their weekly veggie chili dinner.”
The Reader's own San Diego Music Encyclopedia (1,300 bands and still growing - www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search) has been adding entries on Che Underground performers, with help from Rothenberg. "I’ve got our musicians tuning up their biographical notes for submission; they’re all very excited about the prospect of shedding new light on our wonderful old scene."
Below concert flyer is just one of MANY on the site - this 1981 show at the then-booming Adams Avenue Theatre paired hardcore punk bands with local mod groups Manual Scan and the Crawdaddys - note the text "Be there between 9:30 and 10 if you want to miss the mod bands!"
The guy in the photo? “Hahhaa! That’s me in about 10th grade,” posts onetime Wallflowers singer Dave Rinck on the Underground site. "BTW, I lent that t-shirt I’m wearing in that photo to Johnny Thunders, who wore it when he played at the Bacchanal in SD circa 1982.”
Dave Ellison posts his recollection of this show, including singer Lux Interior getting fed up with locals jumping on the stage, especially one guy who tried to steal band equipment. "At the end of the song, he [Lux] took the mic stand, holding it at the top, and put the base of it against the guy’s face. He held it there for several seconds (the guy couldn’t move because of the crowd pushing against the stage), then smashed the guy in the face with it, the heavy metal base of the mic stand."
Ahhhh, good times!
Che Underground site operator Rothenberg, now a resident of Maplewood, N.J., says plans are under way for a reunion concert next summer, though it won’t be held at the Ché Café.
“Everyone’s over 21 and can have a drink now.”
RELATED ARTICLES ON THE READER SITE:
The Wallflowers - Beginning in 1981, the Wallflowers became what has been described as “the most joyfully subversive band in the whole Che Underground circuit”...
Manual Scan - Later evolving into the Shambles, the mod-minded men of Manual Scan have an entire page at the Che Underground site devoted to them, chronicling their Hard Days Night-like exploits and endeavors...
********************************************************Dog Days, the first album from the Journeymen, pairs Ike Turner drummer Bill Ray with jazz keyboardist Neil MacPherson. “We recorded the whole thing without ever being in the same studio together,” says MacPherson. “Bill would email me recordings of himself goofing off on the drums, and I would layer a bunch of keyboards.” For the May 29 release party at the Kava Lounge, “We’re playing the album from top to bottom, with help filling out the songs from Sean Martin [Skirt Alert] and Mike Clairmont [The Riders].”
Iranian-born songwriter Bahman Sarram – who records as Bviolin – performs May 30 to launch his album Stretch Reach, produced by Sven-Erik Seaholm. “It’ll be a real intimate spiritual concert, held at Four Seasons Yoga in
The Predicates release their fourth album Words Teeth Sleep on June 6, with a performance at Lestat’s. “The Turtle Project is also on the bill,” says singer/guitarist Gregg O’Connell, “and we’ll be doing a cover song with them for their last song, to streamline the final two performances so attendees won’t have to wait for the next band.” The album – their second full-length collaboration DJ D-Fab, whose studio recorded it – is self-released. Says O’Connell, “Who needs a record label these days?”
Joey Harris and the Mentals are promoting their new 10-track self-named album with a June 14 release show at Brick by Brick. “Mojo Nixon and Paul and Caren Kamanski will be joining us onstage,” says Harris, “as well as Scottie Mad Dog Blinn of the Mississippi Mudsharks, who produced the album and is releasing it on his Double Barrel label. We’ll also have a special appearance by Slim Crowbar and the I.O.U.s.” Brick by Brick is where Harris was once chatted up by Frank Zappa, circa 1980. “I’d just played with Fingers, [and] Frank said he loved the band’s energy and the songs and asked me to contact his manager in
Jeff Berkley’s 5-piece rock band Citizen Band will appear June 21 at Brick by Brick, to launch their new album Breaker Breaker My Heart. “We’re gonna put our own spin on a Bill Monroe and Peter Rowan bluegrass tune,” says Berkley, best known as half of the roots duo Berkley Hart “CB allows me to do things I don’t get to do in BH, like kick and yell, or have a smoke machine, moody lights, distortion, and tape echoes. Also, there’s more drinking in CB. But BH is just the two of us.”
Experimental rockers Demasiado will launch their new album with a May 31 set at the Casbah, where the freaky-folkies of Astra appear on June 5 for the release of their debut CD The Weirding. On June 21, Sublime-ly groovy jam band Irieside celebrate their full-length debut on Above Ground Records at the Boars Cross’n in
Stranger releases their new album at ‘Canes on June 5. Candye Kane’s new full-length Superhero (Delta Groove Records) debuts with a June 19 appearance at Anthology, her final San Diego appearance until her current world tour wraps up this October in Australia. Summer will also see new albums from Irish rockers Skelpin (The Singing Bird), acoustic blues guitarist Joshua Blatchley, headbangers Wolves of Eden, the Brit-inspired Modlins, and a live set from songstress Anna Troy.
Chuck Schiele’s compilation of Ocean Beach-based performers, Waves, is set for release June 27, with several acts appearing at that weekend’s OB Street Fair. “Everybody knows the jam band thing has a pretty strong foothold here,” says the Grams frontman and operator of StudiOB. “I work counter to that.”
********************************************************TROPHY WIFE DOES IT IN THEIR PJS!
"The pajamas went over well, but the free food and drink was a bigger hit. People were encouraged to make their way to the bounty at the front of the stage. The kids from Paul Green's School Of Rock made several trips, but of course were warned about cavities. One older gentleman found his way to the complimentary breakfast, even after he yelled 'You guys suck'! It was quite a fun show!"
Left to right: Matt Nelson, Jason Lewis, Joe MacAskill. Photo by Jaye Furlonger (of Nautical Disaster)
Formed in 2002, Trophy Wife have released an EP and two full-length albums,
Trophy Wife appears July 26 at Bar Pink.
CATHRYN BEEKS’ WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET
Tuesday 5/26 - The Bare Back Grill Downtown with host Lindsay White and guests. 7:00 Chad Cavanaugh, 7:30 EJP, 8:15 Will Paynter, 8:45 Lindsay White, 9:30 Fly Soup - No cover, great specials!
Wednesday 5/27 - Backstage at The Bitter End with me and 5 fine acts. 8:00 Will Paynter, 8:30 Paul Cannon, 9:00 Miff Laracy, 10:00 Jessie Taylor, 11:00 The Fictional - NO COVER!
Sunday 5/31 - Couch Sessions at Oasis House Concerts near Sorrento Valley. 2 feature spots still open! 6:00 open, 6:20 Crystal Pollard, 6:40 Jeff Bertino, 7:00 open, 7:20 Rod Worth, 7:40 Jeffrey Joe Morin, 8:00 Randy Chiurazzi, 8:20 Reverend Stickman, 8:40 Charlie Imes - Bring your unplugged instruments, small percussion and your voices to play along with featured acts. $5 per person, refreshments available. YOU MUST RSVP to [email protected] to get the address and directions to The Oasis.
MUSIC NEWS
Artist of the Week: Don't miss Paul Cannon this Wednesday night Backstage at The Bitter End, get there at 8pm, easy parking. NO COVER!
Link of the Week: In case you missed the big announcement on The KPRI Homegrown Show last Saturday night, Astra is passing the torch... to me! She's gotten hella busy with her work at Studio West, her new band (just signed!) and some other endeavors so she's handed the show over to me. I'm super honored to be given this opportunity and can't wait to play your songs. I need your CDs! Best way to get them to me is to visit the calendar to find out where I am and drop them off in person. I look forward to hearing your music and to hearing what you think, tune in this Saturday at 9pm for my first show!
Other stuff happening this Saturday, May 30th: Guava Belly Plays the Belly Up Tavern; Kurt Young and Katie Leigh at The Brick by Brick; A.J. Croce at The Oasis; The Mere Mortals at the Beauty Bar; Ashley Matte and The Makepeace Brothers in Del Mar (email [email protected] for details) and last but certainly not least, BViolin CD Release at 4 Seasons Yoga. That should keep you busy...
Link of the Week: The North Park Music Thing is still accepting bands for San Diego's own version of SXSW, which happens the weekend of August 7-9th. All artists interested in performing must submit their music and an online promotional package, along with a $15 submission fee online via Sonic Bids. Apply NOW here. If you would prefer to send a package by regular mail, please click here for the performers application. Please send the registration form along with a non-refundable $25 submission fee to: North Park Music Thing, c/o San Diego Music Foundation, 4876 Mount Royal Place, San Diego, CA 92117. Promo packages, CD, DVDs etc will NOT be returned. Selected artists will be notified no later than July 1, 2009 if they have been selected to perform.
Thanks guys! The San Diego Music Foundation (the crew in charge of The San Diego Music Awards and The North Park Music Thing) just added a page to the Music Award's site which explains eligibility and gives more info about the whole nomination process for the big event in September.
*******************************************************
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC
Mo 5/25: Mel Gibson, Lyle Lovett
Tu 5/26: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dwight Yoakam
We 5/27: Wanda Sykes, Sarah McLachlan
Th 5/28: Billy Crystal, Prince
Fr 5/29: Conan O'Brien, James Taylor
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS
Mo 5/25: Bob Saget, P.W. Singer
Tu 5/26: Chris Isaak, Moon Bloodgood
We 5/27: Madeleine Albright, Amy Smart (R 4/16/09)
Th 5/28: Michael Caine, Matt Baetz (R 4/15/09)
Fr 5/29: Simon Cowell, Erin McCarley (R 4/20/09)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, NBC
Mo 5/25: Eliza Dushku, Joe Talamo, Brett Dennen (R 4/22/09)
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, ABC
Mo 5/25: Chris Pine, Aziz Ansari, Scott Weiland (R 5/8/09)
Tu 5/26: Jamie Foxx, Elizabeth Mitchell (R 4/24/09)
We 5/27: Matthew Fox, Benjamin McKenzie, Ciara (R 5/13/09)
Th 5/28: Channing Tatum, Elisha Cuthbert, Depeche Mode (R 4/23/09)
Fr 5/29: Hugh Jackman, John Cho, Flo Rida (R 5/7/09)
TAVIS SMILEY, PBS
Mo 5/25: J.J. Abrams (R)
Tu 5/26: Dr. Keith Black, The-Dream (R)
We 5/27: Kevin Spacey (R)
Th 5/28: Jaime Pressly, William Cohan (R)
Fr 5/29: Yusuf (R)
More Art Around Adams Events Announced Get a load of these awesome add-ons for the June 6th show - Game Crazy video game tent, GoVavi sports zone, Fern Street Circus aerial rig, Astra Kelly. Yes indeed - this ain't no street fair. Want a lineup refresher featuring a killer tune from The Burning of Rome? Well, here ya go... We'll see you on or before June 6th! |
Here's four upcoming and very different events Walk the Walk is proud to support. Read and attend, compadres. | ||
|
DiscoverSD's Silent Disco, at Kin Lounge - Thursday, May 28 from 5 pm to 2 am
This ultimate happy hour is a party without a traditional speaker system, instead using wireless headphones and an FM transmitter. The first in DiscoverSD's new series DiscoverIT Lifestyle Events, showcasing events that break the mold of conventional socializing (just our sorta thing!), this night will be enhanced with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and discount wine. Email [email protected] to get on the list.
|
Happening at Reading Theaters Gaslamp (701 5th Street/92101) in two separate showings, Treeless Mountain tells the incredibly moving story about the betrayal of children when deprived of the warmth and security of a family home. For more information, including ticket prices and parking, please click here. |
THREAD - Saturday/Sunday, May 30-31 from 11 am to 5 pm San Diego's top independent fashion and design event storms the Wonderhaus Bakery (171 14th Street in East Village). Be the first to revel in the latest work of San Diego's designers, while saving money in eco-conscious surroundings. For details and to purchase discounted advance tickets click here. |
Greetings and Salutations. We just posted the last set of videos from our Live at Luce Loft series. Joel P. West and The Paddle Boat have never sounded so good. Click here to check em out.
This month's site header is courtesy of Andrew Heine, a good friend, amazing artist and one of the more interesting characters we've come across. His interview discusses his distorted faces, machinery and San Diego's best Thai food. Click here to read along.
New York based rock/pop trio, The Virgins, are playing Belly Up Tavern this Friday with one-time San Diegan, Anya Marina.
Also coming up in San Diego:
Tonight - MIX Opens at MCASD, La Jolla
Friday - Art After Dark @ Oceanside Museum of Art
Saturday - Writer w/ Tape Deck Mountain @ Soda Bar
May 29th - Quint Contemporary Art presents Homing In
May 30/31 - THREAD Show at the Wonder Bread Factory
A MESSAGE FROM NARM RE NIGHTTIME BAND LINEUP
NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK
|
Follow the Bouncing Ball by Barnaby Monk This week in local concert news: Remix guru Anthony Gonzalez will bring his electronic-rock road show M83 to Belly Up. Formed in France in 2001, M83 was originally a duo known for slow-burn dance beats ... |
|
Ministerial Cred by Jay Allen Sanford "Our music is very lyric driven," says Eben Brooks. "If I had to choose a genre, I would call it progressive acoustic rock, but by progressive I mean politically and personally progressive. It's ... |
|
Ben Folds by Dave Good In time of relationship meltdown, what man would not want to cop some Ben Folds attitude? "Wish I hadn't bought you dinner," he sings in "Song for the Dumped," "Right before you dumped me ... |
|
Busker in a Red Dress by Dorian Hargrove When acoustic songster and mustache enthusiast Dagart decided to play 30 shows in 30 days at various locations around Southern California, he chose real-time social messaging network Twitter... |
|
Swift Rider by Jay Allen Sanford Before Taylor Swift appears at the Sports Arena on Sunday, May 24, her personal tour bus must be stocked with a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips, three boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese, a bag ... |
|
|
|
Dears by William Crain The Dears have a lot in common with Arcade Fire. Both bands are from Montreal. Both are led by a husband-and-wife team. Both make powerful, emotional indie pop. And both are critics' favorites.... |
|
Karma Can Be Ironic by Jay Allen Sanford "I spent the night in jail after spending the day feeding the homeless," says Joel D. Mutch, aka Point Blank, of hip-hop trio Even Keel. On April 30, Mutch says he and other artists from ... |
|
Cyber Skullduggery by Jay Allen Sanford "Is it really out of line to post your songs for sale on another band's MySpace page?" posits rock trio New Day Mile. "Yes it is!" they say. Singer-guitarist James Brady is all for self-promotion... |
*********************************************************
Light In the Attic Records visiting over 50 indie record stores in 10 days, covering 3000 miles, blogging and twittering the whole way - tour includes 5 San Diego shops on May 26
The team will be headed up by LITA music licensing guru / Black Daisy bassist Sandy Wilson, and filled out with bandmates Troy Nelson (KEXP DJ), and Cody Hurd, along with friend Tyson Pickerel. The quartet will be documenting daily events via the label’s blog (www.lightintheattic.net), Twitter (www.twitter.com/lightintheattic), and video. The footage shot will eventually be posted on the LITA homepage as well as on a number of key blogs.
It's a truly old-school way of doing business, and the cornerstone of how they operate - direct relationships with the people who keep their ship afloat. No label has done this in years, possibly decades ????
List of Stopping Points / Stores:
5/18 Depart Light In The Attic HQ - Seattle
5/18 Hi-Voltage - Tacoma
5/18 Rainy Day Records - Olympia
5/18 CD & Game Exchange - Portland
5/18 Mississippi Records - Portland
5/19 Music Millennium - Portland
5/19 Jackpot Records - Portland
5/19 Everyday Music (Burnside) - Portland
5/19 Everyday Music (Sandy Blvd) - Portland
5/19 Exiled Records - Portland
5/19 Craig Moerer/Records By Mail - Portland
5/19 Ranch Records - Salem
5/20 CD & Game Exchange - Eugene
5/20 House of Records - Eugene
5/20 CD World - Eugene
5/20 Music Coop - Ashland
5/21 Missing Link - Arcata
5/21 The Works - Eureka
5/21 Last Records Store - Santa Rosa
5/21 Backdoor Disc & Tape - Cotati
5/22 Down Home Music - El Cerrito
5/22 Mod Lang - El Cerrito
5/22 Aquarius Records - San Francisco
5/23 Rasputin's - San Francisco
5/23 The Groove Merchant - San Francisco
5/23 Streetlight Records - Santa Cruz
5/23 Metamusic - Santa Cruz
5/24 Boo Boo Records - San Louis Obispo
5/24 Buffalo Records - Ventura
5/24 Salzers - Ventura
5/24 CD Trader - Tarzana
5/25 Freakbeat Records - Sherman Oaks
5/25 Don's Music - Los Angeles
5/25 Amoeba Music - Los Angeles
5/25 Vacation Records - Los Angeles
5/25 Origami Vinyl - Los Angeles
5/25 Rockaway Records - Los Angeles
5/26 Fingerprints - Long Beach
5/26 Lou's Records - Encinitas
5/26 Music Trader - San Diego
5/26 Thirsty Moon Records - San Diego
5/26 Record City - San Diego
5/26 M Theory - San Diego
5/27 Rhino Records - Claremont
5/27 Poo Bah Records - Pasadena
5/28 R5 Records - Sacramento
5/28 Time Tested Books - Sacramento
5/28 Records - Sacramento
5/28 The Beat - Sacramento
5/29 Arrival Light In The Attic HQ - Seattle
FOLLOW THE TRIP LIVE:
www.lightintheattic.net
www.twitter.com/lightintheattic
Blabbermouth and AntiMusic reports: It looks like Megadeth have finished recording their new album. Blabbermouth has the report: On January 7, Megadeth commenced the recording process for its twelfth studio album at the band's own Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos.
The CD is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy "Undie" Sneap, who produced Megadeth's last album, "United Abominations" (May 2007, Roadrunner Records).
Tentatively due in September via Roadrunner, Megadeth's forthcoming LP will be the group's first with guitarist Chris Broderick, who replaced Glen Drover at the end of 2007. - read what Dave had to say
***************************************************
Antimusic reports: In a Rolling Stone piece, some more definitive information has been revealed about Blink 182 's upcoming reunion tour. The blurb confirms that Weezer and Fall Out Boy will provide support on the tour, which hits San Diego's Cricket in September 16. Blink did an unannounced set in L.A. on Thursday, May 14, their first live set in around four years. At a private T-Mobile party with Travis Barker’s band TRVSDJAM on the bill, the other two Blink-ers joined him for a surprise three-song set. They'll appear on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show on May 21 and Fuel TV on May 22 (on The Daily Habit). The band is reportedly "rehearsing more than they have in the past." (more here)
**********************************************************
Stone Temple Pilots/ex-Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland and his solo band recently played a stripped down set in the 98.7 FM Lounge in Los Angeles for a handful of fans. (more including video)
***********************************************************
The latest episode of "Talking Metal" features interviews hosts Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy conducted with Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Dave Lescinski of Autumn Hour.
The Rob Halford interview topics include Judas Priest, the "British Steel" album, Metal God Apparel, the Halford band, Mickey Rourke, and Ray Brown. The 60-minute podcast can be downloaded - (more at this location)
***********************************************************
After tapping three songs this season from Vanguard Recording artist Greg Laswell’s latest album, Three Flights From Alto Nido, the producers of the hit drama Grey’s Anatomy asked the acclaimed singer-songwriter to pen and perform a song specifically for the show’s season finale. “Off I Go,” the resulting composition, was the final song used in the two-hour, two-part season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, which aired on ABC Thursday night, May 14, with millions of viewers tuning in. “Off I Go” is available as an iTunes single now! Trivia fans should take note, the Grey’s season premiere last fall featured “And Then You” in a pivotal scene, which essentially gives Laswell musical bookends to the series.
****************************************
|
||||
The system "listens" to songs it has never heard before, labels them based on the actual sounds in the song, and then retrieves songs, as appropriate, when people type descriptive words—like "mellow jazz"—into the team's experimental search engine.
At ICASSP, UC San Diego electrical engineering Ph.D. student Luke Barrington presented a new model for music segmentation that can capture both the sound of a song and how this sound changes over time. By modeling music in this way, Barrington showed how to automatically segment songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody into homogenous sections such as verses, choruses and bridges. This new approach to training computers to dissect songs into heterogeneous segments and then accurately label each chunk could improve the accuracy of the new music search engine built by engineers from the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. View the paper here: http://cosmal.ucsd.edu/cal/pubs/Barrington-MusicDTM-ICASSP09.pdf
The team's nickname for their experimental music search engine is "Google for music". Users type descriptive words—rather than song titles, album names or artist names—and the search engine returns specific song suggestions. The engine currently works for more than 100 words that cover music genres, emotions and instruments. The Jacobs School engineers are working to expand the search engine's "vocabulary" before opening it up to the public later this year.
|
||||
Teaching Computers to Label Songs
In order to "teach" the search engine new words, the engineers need to show it many different examples of songs that fit that description. Initially, the engineers paid UC San Diego undergraduates to manually label songs that would serve as training materials for machine learning algorithms. But instead of continuing to rely on this expensive option, the engineers built online music games that encourage people connected via the Internet to do the song labeling while listening to music online.
In April, the electrical engineers launched their games on Facebook as an application called Herd It. http://apps.facebook.com/herd-it
To play Herd It, log in to Facebook, open the Herd It app, select a genre of music, and start listening to song clips and playing the games. Some games ask users to identify instruments, while others focus on music genres, artist names, emotions triggered by the song, and activities you might do while listening to a song. The more your answers align with the rest of the online crowd playing the game at the same time, the more points you score.
"The Facebook games are a lot of fun and a great way to discover new music. At the same time, the games deliver the data we need to teach our computer audition system to listen to and describe music like humans do," said Gert Lanckriet, the electrical engineering professor and machine learning expert from the Jacobs School of Engineering steering the project. Lanckriet also leads UC San Diego's Computer Audition Laboratory, housed at the UC San Diego division of Calit2.
For the system to "listen and describe music like a human," it must find patterns in the songs using the tools of machine learning. For example, for the system to learn to identify and label romantic songs, it must be exposed to many different romantic songs during the training period.
|
||||
This exposure enables the machine learning algorithms find patterns in the wave forms of the songs that make the songs romantic. Once trained, the system can identify romantic songs that it has never before encountered, offering the tantalizing possibility of amassing a huge database of songs that can be tagged and retrieved based on text-based searches with no human intervention.
"The more examples of romantic songs our search engine is exposed to, the more accurately it will be able to identify romantic songs it has never heard before," explained Barrington.
Part of Barrington's Ph.D. dissertation will involve demonstrating that data collected from the Facebook games reliably improves the accuracy of the search engine.
"Once enough people play our new music discovery games on Facebook, I'll have the data I need to both improve our search engine and finish my Ph.D.," said Barrington.
The song-word combinations collected by the Facebook games will also enable the researchers to grow their music search engine's vocabulary and increase its coverage in genres and classes of music.
2009 ICASSP (IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing): "Dynamic Texture Models of Music," by Luke Barrington, Antoni Chan and Gert Lanckriet from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering. To appear in ICASSP 2009.
Herd It game on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/herd-it or http://herdit.org
Watch a two minute video about the development of the music search engine at: http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_video/play.sfe?id=28
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded some of the research leading to this publication, as well as some of the students who contributed.
UC San Diego's von Liebig Center provided funding that enabled the researchers to create Herd It's professional interfaces for the music games. The von Liebig Center also provided the engineers with entrepreneurship advisory services and "incubation space". http://www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu/
***************************************
Recording artist Jon Foreman joined the DARFUR FAST FOR LIFE today following activist-actress Mia Farrow and Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson. A longtime activist and front man for multi-platinum selling rock band Switchfoot, Foreman will undertake a water-only fast in order to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Darfur, as well as to encourage long-term U.S. Government actions to bring lasting peace to the people of Sudan. Foreman begins his three day fast today and is joined by U.S. Representative Donald Payne who is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and works tirelessly to end the suffering in Darfur.
Expressing his outrage at the situation in Darfur, Foreman said, “Can it be possible that right now, two and a half million people are waking up in camps and refugee camps having been driven from their homes by violent means? Under the same sun, could it be true that almost half a million people have died of starvation, violence, and disease over the past six years in Darfur? Is this true?! And if this is true, why has the media remained almost completely silent on the issue? Why has our government maintained it’s current stance of inaction?”
Foreman follows Actress-Activist Mia Farrow and Virgin CEO and Founder Sir Richard Branson and others in sharing their experiences during the fast through video and blog posts at www.fastdarfur.org <http://www.fastdarfur.org> .
The Darfur Fast for Life | We are leaders, activists and citizens around the world who fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people. We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur’s defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.
We fast for Darfur’s courageous people —because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child.
For more information, please contact Jaime Rosenberg and Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, [email protected] or [email protected].
***************************************************THE GRATEFUL DEAD IN SAN DIEGO...
5-11-69: The Grateful Dead headlined SDSU's Spring Fling concert at the Aztec Bowl. Held on Mother's Day, the show included Canned Heat, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Lee Michaels, Tarantula, and Tijuana-bred Carlos Santana. Jerry Garcia performed "Morning Dew," and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (four years before he died) sang lead on a 20-minute version of "Hard to Handle." Pigpen also fronted the band for "Good Lovin'," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," and "Turn on Your Love Light," the last highlighted by a jam with Santana's percussionists and singer.
One of Spring Fling's promoters was future mayor Roger Hedgecock, who at the time aspired to create a local concert scene similar to San Francisco's. "There was a lot of opposition from the city," he recalled in a 1980 interview with Kicks Magazine. "But all the predictions of total chaos and calamity did not come true." Hedgecock recruited the local chapter of the Hell's Angels to provide security, sealing the deal with a complimentary case of Jack Daniel's. "I got a note back from them thanking me for the case," according to Hedgecock. "They drank it all at one party."
Space was provided for arts-and-crafts exhibits, as well as a booth for the city's brand-new free clinic. "Even the Black Panthers had a booth," said Hedgecock. Much of the show was aired live on KPRI-FM, and tapes of the broadcast still circulate among tie-dyed and squinty-eyed collectors.
MORE DEAD IN SAN DIEGO...
12-28-78 - The Grateful Dead at Golden Hall: This second of two nights at downtown’s Golden Hall was one of the Dead’s last performances with soon-to-be-fired keyboardist Keith Godchaux. An audience-recorded tape of the show has long circulated – with an much-cursed break during “Eyes Of The World” - but now a soundboard recording of all twenty-one (or so) songs, provided by Dead guitarist Bob Weir, is available to fans online.
Some review excerpts from the trading website Deadbase:
“The Tennessee Jed solo has always fascinated me and this one is in my top twenty percent...[Bob] Weir of course screws up the lyrics to Truckin’…5:01 into Wharf Rat, Jerry yells ‘Quiet!’ I think he was directing it to Keith.” “Nice Sugaree opener, although in the middle, Donna [Godchaux] gets a little too wobble waily [sp].”
“The Shakedown [Street] is tight and super-funky. Bob's rhythmic fills are just fantastic…Check out the transition between Truckin’ and Wharf Rat. Picture perfect.”
“The Estimated Prophet lead, it's a friggin' anthem. One can imagine ancient Irish warriors racing into battle with the bagpipes playing this tune.”
“The Eyes of the World is quick-paced but clean. In the jam coming out of it, there's a short section where Phil [Lesh] and Keith are definitely playing Turn On Your Lovelight, sans Pigpen, alas.”
"Eyes is glorious in its noodley [sp] splendor. What are those, 1/164th notes?”
7-1-80: Grateful Dead fans, however believable their addled faculties may be, usually cite the band's 1980 album "Go To Heaven" as the nadir of their recording career, though "Alabama Getaway" and "Don't Ease Me In" became later concert staples. That year's tour still managed to bring out the tie-dyed and squinty-eyed in big numbers for an appearance at the Sports Arena. Advance press reports made it clear that local police were "on guard" for the expected influx of illicit drugs and illegal activity in the parking lot and audience seats.
Even before the show started, several people were arrested for smoking pot. One bust was witnessed from alongside the stage by Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and band manager Danny Rifkin.
The trio tried to intervene, cajoling onlookers to join them in separating the young potsmoker from police offers trying to effect the arrest. Cops pulled out additional handcuffs and arrested Weir, Hart and Rifkin for "suspicion of inciting a riot."
The three defendants had to return to San Diego several weeks later to face charges. Their offense was reduced to a low grade misdemeanor, fines were paid and everyone walked out of the courtroom with a grudge against the SDPD that lingers to this day. "We couldn't believe what fascists they are down there," Weir told Golden Scarab, a Dead fanzine, in 1999. "We almost never went further south than Irvine after that. We didn't wanna set the kids up to be busted by a bunch of gorillas with no education, who hate rock and roll music."
"Where Have All The Deadheads Gone?" Local flower children, after the head Deadhead was dead.
50 HISTORIC LOCAL CONCERTS: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/29/15-years-ago-today---nirvana-at-sports-arena-plus-/
THE DAY NIRVANA PLAYED OFF THE RECORD: 10-24-91 - Detailed feature on Nirvana playing a tiny local record store, just as their first album was hitting the charts, featuring interviews with OTR staffers, rare video footage of the event, and more... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-nirvana-played-at-off-the-record
THE DAY JIMI HENDRIX CAME TO TOWN - 5-24-69: From my extensive interviews with Hendrix bassist Noel Redding, here's the inside scoop on a legendary (and highly bootlegeed) local concert... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-jimi-hendrix-came-to-town
THE DAY BEACH BOY BRIAN WILSON GOT BUSTED IN BALBOA PARK: In June 1978, Brian Wilson - without telling his wife or fellow bandmembers - decided (inexplicably) to escape his life entirely and hitchhike to Mexico. He wound up in San Diego a few days later, mentally fogged, barefoot, and unwashed. “He was on a binge," according to Stephen Love, brother of Beach Boy Mike Love and sometime-band manager..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/18/the-day-beach-boy-brian-wilson-got-busted
THE DAY THE MONKEES TURNED DEL MAR INTO CLARKSVILLE: 9-11-66 -
WHY MEXICANS HATED ELVIS: May 1959: While Elvis Presley’s popularity in the U.S. was arguably at its all-time peak, Mexico was in the midst of a huge anti-Elvis backlash. Tijuana tabloids called him a racist and homosexual, after the singer reportedly told gossip columnist Federico de León "I'd rather kiss three black girls than a Mexican." A Mexican woman in the same column was quoted saying "I'd rather kiss three dogs than one Elvis Presley”..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/13/why-mexicans-hated-elvi
**********************************************
DO BANDS EVER MOVE FROM
The list of local performers who seek success by moving near
But, once in awhile, it works the other way -------------
“We had so many bad experiences in
“
Dave Madden’s path to
“I lived in Los Feliz, across the street from
So why quit the successful band he co-founded and move to
Here in SD, Madden fronts That '70s Rock Show.
“It’s a theatrical production using lasers, strobes, blacklights, fog machines, and everything you’d expect to see at 1970s concert,” he says of the show, which opens for his former band Wild Child at the Ramona Mainstage on May 22. “It’s a lot less stressful, with a lot less temptations, than touring the world with ‘Jim Morrison.’”
Starting June 28th, That '70s Rock Show hits the stage every Sunday at Winstons in OB.
BEWARE OF BOOTLEG GUITARS!!!
“I’ve heard too many stories of kids who are saving their money for their dream Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul, only to find out later they’ve been burned by a cheap fake,” says guitarist David Szabados. “Counterfeit instruments are being produced in
“I just did searched ‘Gibson Les Paul new’ on the San Diego Musicians Craigslist,” he says, “and right away found one that was certainly questionable, due to the location of the volume and tone knobs.” Szabados mentions other ways of distinguishing fakes, including whether inlays are real or painted on, and number of neck bolts.
“Many fake Gibsons have their pickup cavities painted black inside,” he says of one commonly bootlegged axe. “The counterfeit organizations sell in bulk, ten guitars at a time, shipped direct from China or Korea, and then the purchaser resells them locally…pawn shops might sell them as the real thing without even realizing, [since] they have no expertise, so someone ends up paying $1,000 or more for a guitar that only cost $150.”
To illustrate his point, Szabados created a video called “Destroying a $5,000 Guitar” for his LegendaryTones.com website. “We smashed a counterfeit PRS, complete with Paul Reed Smith logo on the headstock, bird inlays, and other signature PRS details. The guitar came out of a factory in Korea, and looks real enough that people are really shocked to see us destroy it…it seems like a good way to raise awareness.”
At this writing, http://www.zxcmusic.com posts several guitars evincing known bootleg earmarks, advertised as authentic, such as an Epiphone Ace Frehley signature model (normally retailing for $1,000 but selling for $259), as well as a Slash Les Paul Gold Top (missing headstock logo) and a left-handed Zakk Wilde signature edition Gibson (minus legit factory inlay).
Tips on spotting fakes can be found at FenderForum.com, LesPaulForum.com, and Forums.Gibson.com.
One dead giveaway seen in Craigslist ads purporting to be local is a tendency toward foreign-sounding text, as in the suspicious Gibson Les Paul pitch; “Wish we can cooperate happily with and possible do more business in future waiting for you do good news.”
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO...
I came across the MySpace page for local punk rockers The Bugs/Dangerous Dave
Checkout the tune here - The Bugs/Dangerous Dave on MySpace
“I wrote the song when he was on that Rock Star Supernova show,” says “Dangerous Dave” Swain of the Bugs. He used to be in Jane’s Addiction/ Now he’s on TV trying to earn a buck He was so much cooler when he was on drugs/ Dave Navarro’s goatee f-cking sucks “All that makeup and jewelry,” says Swain, “what a jerk. Where the hell is he getting off wearing all that crap? He’s so full of himself. Anyone with any soul would want to tell him to go [screw] himself.” The Bugs may have a problem with their video for the song, which features a couple dozen enlarged photos of Navarro on a screen behind the group as they mock his facial hair. “I keep waiting to hear from his attorney about the video,” says Swain. “I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate us using his pictures without consent. If they do email me, I’m printing it in the insert of the next album.” With tours booked around California, are the Bugs worried about running into the rock star? “I’m really not the fighting type. But if he came at me, he’d definitely get a little chin music. I don’t really want to [meet him]. He may try to French me.” The band’s other songs include “No More Emo Haircuts,” “Meth on My Mind,” “Lesbo Lesbo,” and “Email From a She-Male” (also an amusing video). Clocking in at around two minutes each, the songs will appear on the Bugs’ upcoming Cabana Records seven-inch vinyl album. “Yeah, that’s right, the whole album fits on a seven-inch. And there’s still room for another song or two!” ***************************************************WHAT I’M WATCHING...
So I finally watched one of the new Futurama movies, Bender's Game - I was falling down laughing ---
WHY AL KOOPER HATES LOCAL WRITERS (BUT LOVES SAN DIEGO)
The legendary Al Kooper has been making regular appearance at the old Normal Heights church that hosts the Acoustic Music San Diego series. During one visit, he ran somewhat afoul of music columnist Buddy Blue; on Kooper's return, he took issue with a Reader columnist.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jan/09/why-al-kooper-hates-local-writers-but-loves-san-di/
***************************************************
METALLICA IN SAN DIEGO - LARS LIKES US! HE REALLY LIKES US!
The Metallica San Diego footage streaming on the band’s website is top-notch, pro-shot, and fairly impressive – I can take or leave Death Magnetic, but it looks like they still command and destroy on stage. They’ve been such cartoons of themselves, for too very long now.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jan/09/why-al-kooper-hates-local-writers-but-loves-san-di/
***************************************************
Famous Former Neighbors - The Article: Underground With The Celebrity Dead - Local gravesites of the rich and famous
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/31/famous-dead-neighbors-plus-public-access-mtv *****************************************
Do It Yourself Music Television - A history of local public access music TV shows
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/31/famous-dead-neighbors-plus-public-access-mtv ******************************************
Weird Beatles Merchandise - WTF were these licensors (and bootleggers) thinking... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
***************************************
My Brunch With Yoko - Brunch with a Beatle bride... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
********************************
Yoko Ono Comics and Stories - When Johnny Met Yoko, with dialogue and captions paraphrased from published Lennon interviews. Plus John Lennon: A Life in the Day
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles ************************
Snotley Crue Comics and Stories - spoofing U-know-hooey
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/30/snotley-crue-comix-and-stories *********************************
When Your Love Is Locked Up - On California women's prisons and the families and loved ones of prisoners. Focus is on my good friend Danielle Barcheers, the 2nd youngest female ever convicted of a capital crime in CA state history (now ten years into a 20-to-life sentence). Plus 100 Rockin' Local Lawsuits....
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jul/30/when-kids-go-to-prison-plus-100-rockin-lawsuits ***************************************************
"Before It Was The Gaslamp: Balboa's Last Stand" - Cover story 6-21-07: In the late 70s/early 80s, I worked at downtown San Diego's grindhouse all-night movie theaters, for the owner of the Pussycat Theatre chain, Vince Miranda - this detailed feature recalls those dayz, the death of the Balboa Theatre, etc.
"Battle Of The Peeps" - feature article about a weird gig I had in the mid-'80s, running a strip club called Jolar, for the nation's second biggest pornographer, Harry Mohney (Deja Vu Showgirls founder).
"Field Of Screens" - Cover story 7-6-06: Complete theater-by-theater history of San Diego drive-ins thru the years, including a few which screened X-rated fare for awhile.
"Pussycat Theaters - When 'Cathouses Ruled California" -- for the first time, the detailed inside story of the west coast Pussycat Theater chain of adult moviehouses, which peaked in the '70s but later died out. Told by those who actually ran the theaters!
More Music on the Reader Website:
**************************************************** ***************************************************
Like this blog? Here are some related links:
OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/
FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/
SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic
JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford
San Diego Music Encyclopedia & Database Online Now
Press illo to play the Overheard song!
NEW COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL MUSIC DATABASE IS LAUNCHED
IT'S DONE!!!! And growing every hour....
If you wanna see a list of over 1,5000 San Diego bands, with links to full profiles, photos, discographies, articles, MP3s, etc, checkout http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search/
Believe it or not, you can click on ANY LOCAL MUSICIAN'S NAME (around 4,500 musicos listed!) and bring up bios of every notable band they've ever been in! Try it here with Rob Crow ---
AND, if that wasn't cool 'nuff, click on an instrument, say like this here link to "Drums" - BAM, a list of EVERY DRUMMER IN SAN DIEGO!!!
We've been working on this massively cross-linked Local Music Database for over two years now, covering a century of San Diego history --- if you're a local performer who wants to add or edit a page, go to http://www.sandiegoreader.com/band/edit/
More anon!!!! JAS
HERE'S THIS WEEK'S NEW Overheard in San Diego
AND THE NEW Famous Former Neighbors
ROCK AROUND THE TOWN TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
|
MY PERSONAL HOTPICK FOR TODAY...
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, DJ Robin Roth - Beauty Bar
The industrial dance groove of Chicago's My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult has gone in and out of fashion at least a half dozen times since the band first formed in 1987. Still, nobody this side of the Chemical Brothers does it better, so this is a show well worth checking out. Maybe they'll do one of their songs from Ralph Bakshi's ill-fated animated/live action movie Cool World??? Opening set from DJ Robin Roth, who recently joined the ranks of local radio jocks to lose their on-air jobs.
********************************************************Founded in 1980 as an all-age vegetarian eatery and gathering place for those interested in radical politics, the Ché Café at UCSD quickly became a haven for San Diego’s underground music scene. Though touring bands eventually became a staple of the venue, early shows mostly featured local groups that played punk, garage, mod, and psychedelic sounds.
More than two decades later, the musicians involved in the Ché Café’s early days are scattered around the world, but a new blog (www.cheunderground.com) is keeping their memories alive. Former Noise 292 guitarist Matthew Rothenberg, who first played the venue in 1983, created the site in February '08.
The Ché scene, says Matthew Rothenberg, “…did so much to shape us as people and performers but didn’t leave much of a historical record.”
"I've dubbed the project 'Che Underground,'" says Rothenberg. "Among the other marketing niceties we overlooked back in the day, we never named our scene, but we were instrumental in opening up UCSD's Che Cafe as a rock 'n' roll venue."
On May 29 and 30, the Casbah will host the Ché Underground Reunion, a gathering of bands and fans who frequented UCSD’s student-run co-op Ché Café in the early ’80s. Organized by the online community of Ché Underground’s blog, the event will be two nights of ’80s-era bands, including the Answers, Noise 292, the Wallflowers, Hair Theatre, and Everybody Violet.
Much of opening night’s excitement is being generated by the onetime appearance of a “new” group, the Gay Denny’s. The combo is made up of local music scene vets Ray Brandes, David Klowden, and Eric Bacher (all ex–Tell-Tale Hearts), Mark Zadarnowski (ex-Crawdaddys), and A.J. Croce.
The group’s name is a nod to the nickname given to the Denny’s located at 2445 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park. “[It was] a popular late-night hangout for bands and fans in the scene back in the ’80s,” said Klowden. “Most of us didn’t have our own apartments, so it was a place we could stay up late together, write bad poetry on napkins, and eat french fries with brown gravy.”
The Gay Denny’s formed when it became apparent that various members of the Tell-Tale Hearts and Crawdaddys wouldn’t be available to perform at the reunion gigs.
“[We] decided to put something together for the show that would capture the spirit of the era but without the pressure of reforming any specific band,” Bacher said.
Despite a membership that has produced several albums of original music, the Gay Denny’s will play covers of ’60s-era groups.
“The idea was to get together for just one show,” said Bacher. “Rather than perform a bunch of Tell-Tale Hearts and Crawdaddys songs, we decided to play songs by bands that inspired us to play music back then, such as the Pretty Things, Them, and Dutch Outsiders.”
For Croce, it’s a chance to go back to his early days playing R&B-based ’60s classics. His first band, the Hottentots, which also featured Klowden and Brandes, made their debut at the Ché Café in the ’80s. Despite the appeal of booking further shows for the all-star group, Croce promises this will be a one-off.
“For me, the idea of a spontaneous group like this sounded like fun,” he said. “If we rehearsed it too much or did more shows, it would lose that.”
"I'm currently in the New York area working in publishing," says Matthew Rothenberg (who also played in Three Guys Called Jesus), "and most recently I'm the cheerleader for this reclamation project aimed at salvaging and restoring the work we did in the little scene that centered on the Ché Café in 1983-84 and included the Answers, Hair Theatre, Noise 292, the Rockin' Dogs, and the Wallflowers."
The website’s focus is on those five bands who came together around the Ché Café in the summer of 1983. The site notes the regular performances by Ray Brandes (the Tell-Tale Hearts), Tom Ward (the Nashville Ramblers), and Ted Friedman (the Gravedigger V).
"This is a story I've wanted to tell for a long time; a vibrant SD music scene that brought together punk, mod and art crowds; cross-pollinated North County and downtown; influenced a slew of local musicians; then disappeared without a trace."
"I'm working with the members of the five core gigging bands -- the Answers/Mirrors, Hair Theatre, Noise 292, the Rockin' Dogs and the Wallflowers (not Jakob Dylan's!) -- to reassemble the work we did in the early '80s. We've got a Web presence now, and we have a ton of audio (like, whole lost studio albums!), video, photos and flyers."
Built around reminiscences in postings from the musicians who frequented the venue, the site offers an insiders’ view of the San Diego music scene of the era. Though the emphasis is on bands that performed at the venue, filmed and recorded material done at other venues is included. Highlights include audio of the Morlocks live in San Francisco and a previously unseen video from the Mirrors.
Rothenberg has made attempts to inform the current Ché Café organizers about his website but has thus far been unsuccessful.
“I hope they’re flattered,” he says. “I’ve tried to contact them, but I’m a little confused about who at the co-op might take an interest. We’re thinking of sending an ambassador to their weekly veggie chili dinner.”
The Reader's own San Diego Music Encyclopedia (1,300 bands and still growing - www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/search) has been adding entries on Che Underground performers, with help from Rothenberg. "I’ve got our musicians tuning up their biographical notes for submission; they’re all very excited about the prospect of shedding new light on our wonderful old scene."
Below concert flyer is just one of MANY on the site - this 1981 show at the then-booming Adams Avenue Theatre paired hardcore punk bands with local mod groups Manual Scan and the Crawdaddys - note the text "Be there between 9:30 and 10 if you want to miss the mod bands!"
The guy in the photo? “Hahhaa! That’s me in about 10th grade,” posts onetime Wallflowers singer Dave Rinck on the Underground site. "BTW, I lent that t-shirt I’m wearing in that photo to Johnny Thunders, who wore it when he played at the Bacchanal in SD circa 1982.”
Dave Ellison posts his recollection of this show, including singer Lux Interior getting fed up with locals jumping on the stage, especially one guy who tried to steal band equipment. "At the end of the song, he [Lux] took the mic stand, holding it at the top, and put the base of it against the guy’s face. He held it there for several seconds (the guy couldn’t move because of the crowd pushing against the stage), then smashed the guy in the face with it, the heavy metal base of the mic stand."
Ahhhh, good times!
Che Underground site operator Rothenberg, now a resident of Maplewood, N.J., says plans are under way for a reunion concert next summer, though it won’t be held at the Ché Café.
“Everyone’s over 21 and can have a drink now.”
RELATED ARTICLES ON THE READER SITE:
The Wallflowers - Beginning in 1981, the Wallflowers became what has been described as “the most joyfully subversive band in the whole Che Underground circuit”...
Manual Scan - Later evolving into the Shambles, the mod-minded men of Manual Scan have an entire page at the Che Underground site devoted to them, chronicling their Hard Days Night-like exploits and endeavors...
********************************************************Dog Days, the first album from the Journeymen, pairs Ike Turner drummer Bill Ray with jazz keyboardist Neil MacPherson. “We recorded the whole thing without ever being in the same studio together,” says MacPherson. “Bill would email me recordings of himself goofing off on the drums, and I would layer a bunch of keyboards.” For the May 29 release party at the Kava Lounge, “We’re playing the album from top to bottom, with help filling out the songs from Sean Martin [Skirt Alert] and Mike Clairmont [The Riders].”
Iranian-born songwriter Bahman Sarram – who records as Bviolin – performs May 30 to launch his album Stretch Reach, produced by Sven-Erik Seaholm. “It’ll be a real intimate spiritual concert, held at Four Seasons Yoga in
The Predicates release their fourth album Words Teeth Sleep on June 6, with a performance at Lestat’s. “The Turtle Project is also on the bill,” says singer/guitarist Gregg O’Connell, “and we’ll be doing a cover song with them for their last song, to streamline the final two performances so attendees won’t have to wait for the next band.” The album – their second full-length collaboration DJ D-Fab, whose studio recorded it – is self-released. Says O’Connell, “Who needs a record label these days?”
Joey Harris and the Mentals are promoting their new 10-track self-named album with a June 14 release show at Brick by Brick. “Mojo Nixon and Paul and Caren Kamanski will be joining us onstage,” says Harris, “as well as Scottie Mad Dog Blinn of the Mississippi Mudsharks, who produced the album and is releasing it on his Double Barrel label. We’ll also have a special appearance by Slim Crowbar and the I.O.U.s.” Brick by Brick is where Harris was once chatted up by Frank Zappa, circa 1980. “I’d just played with Fingers, [and] Frank said he loved the band’s energy and the songs and asked me to contact his manager in
Jeff Berkley’s 5-piece rock band Citizen Band will appear June 21 at Brick by Brick, to launch their new album Breaker Breaker My Heart. “We’re gonna put our own spin on a Bill Monroe and Peter Rowan bluegrass tune,” says Berkley, best known as half of the roots duo Berkley Hart “CB allows me to do things I don’t get to do in BH, like kick and yell, or have a smoke machine, moody lights, distortion, and tape echoes. Also, there’s more drinking in CB. But BH is just the two of us.”
Experimental rockers Demasiado will launch their new album with a May 31 set at the Casbah, where the freaky-folkies of Astra appear on June 5 for the release of their debut CD The Weirding. On June 21, Sublime-ly groovy jam band Irieside celebrate their full-length debut on Above Ground Records at the Boars Cross’n in
Stranger releases their new album at ‘Canes on June 5. Candye Kane’s new full-length Superhero (Delta Groove Records) debuts with a June 19 appearance at Anthology, her final San Diego appearance until her current world tour wraps up this October in Australia. Summer will also see new albums from Irish rockers Skelpin (The Singing Bird), acoustic blues guitarist Joshua Blatchley, headbangers Wolves of Eden, the Brit-inspired Modlins, and a live set from songstress Anna Troy.
Chuck Schiele’s compilation of Ocean Beach-based performers, Waves, is set for release June 27, with several acts appearing at that weekend’s OB Street Fair. “Everybody knows the jam band thing has a pretty strong foothold here,” says the Grams frontman and operator of StudiOB. “I work counter to that.”
********************************************************TROPHY WIFE DOES IT IN THEIR PJS!
"The pajamas went over well, but the free food and drink was a bigger hit. People were encouraged to make their way to the bounty at the front of the stage. The kids from Paul Green's School Of Rock made several trips, but of course were warned about cavities. One older gentleman found his way to the complimentary breakfast, even after he yelled 'You guys suck'! It was quite a fun show!"
Left to right: Matt Nelson, Jason Lewis, Joe MacAskill. Photo by Jaye Furlonger (of Nautical Disaster)
Formed in 2002, Trophy Wife have released an EP and two full-length albums,
Trophy Wife appears July 26 at Bar Pink.
CATHRYN BEEKS’ WEEKLY LISTEN LOCAL HOTSHEET
Tuesday 5/26 - The Bare Back Grill Downtown with host Lindsay White and guests. 7:00 Chad Cavanaugh, 7:30 EJP, 8:15 Will Paynter, 8:45 Lindsay White, 9:30 Fly Soup - No cover, great specials!
Wednesday 5/27 - Backstage at The Bitter End with me and 5 fine acts. 8:00 Will Paynter, 8:30 Paul Cannon, 9:00 Miff Laracy, 10:00 Jessie Taylor, 11:00 The Fictional - NO COVER!
Sunday 5/31 - Couch Sessions at Oasis House Concerts near Sorrento Valley. 2 feature spots still open! 6:00 open, 6:20 Crystal Pollard, 6:40 Jeff Bertino, 7:00 open, 7:20 Rod Worth, 7:40 Jeffrey Joe Morin, 8:00 Randy Chiurazzi, 8:20 Reverend Stickman, 8:40 Charlie Imes - Bring your unplugged instruments, small percussion and your voices to play along with featured acts. $5 per person, refreshments available. YOU MUST RSVP to [email protected] to get the address and directions to The Oasis.
MUSIC NEWS
Artist of the Week: Don't miss Paul Cannon this Wednesday night Backstage at The Bitter End, get there at 8pm, easy parking. NO COVER!
Link of the Week: In case you missed the big announcement on The KPRI Homegrown Show last Saturday night, Astra is passing the torch... to me! She's gotten hella busy with her work at Studio West, her new band (just signed!) and some other endeavors so she's handed the show over to me. I'm super honored to be given this opportunity and can't wait to play your songs. I need your CDs! Best way to get them to me is to visit the calendar to find out where I am and drop them off in person. I look forward to hearing your music and to hearing what you think, tune in this Saturday at 9pm for my first show!
Other stuff happening this Saturday, May 30th: Guava Belly Plays the Belly Up Tavern; Kurt Young and Katie Leigh at The Brick by Brick; A.J. Croce at The Oasis; The Mere Mortals at the Beauty Bar; Ashley Matte and The Makepeace Brothers in Del Mar (email [email protected] for details) and last but certainly not least, BViolin CD Release at 4 Seasons Yoga. That should keep you busy...
Link of the Week: The North Park Music Thing is still accepting bands for San Diego's own version of SXSW, which happens the weekend of August 7-9th. All artists interested in performing must submit their music and an online promotional package, along with a $15 submission fee online via Sonic Bids. Apply NOW here. If you would prefer to send a package by regular mail, please click here for the performers application. Please send the registration form along with a non-refundable $25 submission fee to: North Park Music Thing, c/o San Diego Music Foundation, 4876 Mount Royal Place, San Diego, CA 92117. Promo packages, CD, DVDs etc will NOT be returned. Selected artists will be notified no later than July 1, 2009 if they have been selected to perform.
Thanks guys! The San Diego Music Foundation (the crew in charge of The San Diego Music Awards and The North Park Music Thing) just added a page to the Music Award's site which explains eligibility and gives more info about the whole nomination process for the big event in September.
*******************************************************
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC
Mo 5/25: Mel Gibson, Lyle Lovett
Tu 5/26: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dwight Yoakam
We 5/27: Wanda Sykes, Sarah McLachlan
Th 5/28: Billy Crystal, Prince
Fr 5/29: Conan O'Brien, James Taylor
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, CBS
Mo 5/25: Bob Saget, P.W. Singer
Tu 5/26: Chris Isaak, Moon Bloodgood
We 5/27: Madeleine Albright, Amy Smart (R 4/16/09)
Th 5/28: Michael Caine, Matt Baetz (R 4/15/09)
Fr 5/29: Simon Cowell, Erin McCarley (R 4/20/09)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY, NBC
Mo 5/25: Eliza Dushku, Joe Talamo, Brett Dennen (R 4/22/09)
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE, ABC
Mo 5/25: Chris Pine, Aziz Ansari, Scott Weiland (R 5/8/09)
Tu 5/26: Jamie Foxx, Elizabeth Mitchell (R 4/24/09)
We 5/27: Matthew Fox, Benjamin McKenzie, Ciara (R 5/13/09)
Th 5/28: Channing Tatum, Elisha Cuthbert, Depeche Mode (R 4/23/09)
Fr 5/29: Hugh Jackman, John Cho, Flo Rida (R 5/7/09)
TAVIS SMILEY, PBS
Mo 5/25: J.J. Abrams (R)
Tu 5/26: Dr. Keith Black, The-Dream (R)
We 5/27: Kevin Spacey (R)
Th 5/28: Jaime Pressly, William Cohan (R)
Fr 5/29: Yusuf (R)
More Art Around Adams Events Announced Get a load of these awesome add-ons for the June 6th show - Game Crazy video game tent, GoVavi sports zone, Fern Street Circus aerial rig, Astra Kelly. Yes indeed - this ain't no street fair. Want a lineup refresher featuring a killer tune from The Burning of Rome? Well, here ya go... We'll see you on or before June 6th! |
Here's four upcoming and very different events Walk the Walk is proud to support. Read and attend, compadres. | ||
|
DiscoverSD's Silent Disco, at Kin Lounge - Thursday, May 28 from 5 pm to 2 am
This ultimate happy hour is a party without a traditional speaker system, instead using wireless headphones and an FM transmitter. The first in DiscoverSD's new series DiscoverIT Lifestyle Events, showcasing events that break the mold of conventional socializing (just our sorta thing!), this night will be enhanced with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and discount wine. Email [email protected] to get on the list.
|
Happening at Reading Theaters Gaslamp (701 5th Street/92101) in two separate showings, Treeless Mountain tells the incredibly moving story about the betrayal of children when deprived of the warmth and security of a family home. For more information, including ticket prices and parking, please click here. |
THREAD - Saturday/Sunday, May 30-31 from 11 am to 5 pm San Diego's top independent fashion and design event storms the Wonderhaus Bakery (171 14th Street in East Village). Be the first to revel in the latest work of San Diego's designers, while saving money in eco-conscious surroundings. For details and to purchase discounted advance tickets click here. |
Greetings and Salutations. We just posted the last set of videos from our Live at Luce Loft series. Joel P. West and The Paddle Boat have never sounded so good. Click here to check em out.
This month's site header is courtesy of Andrew Heine, a good friend, amazing artist and one of the more interesting characters we've come across. His interview discusses his distorted faces, machinery and San Diego's best Thai food. Click here to read along.
New York based rock/pop trio, The Virgins, are playing Belly Up Tavern this Friday with one-time San Diegan, Anya Marina.
Also coming up in San Diego:
Tonight - MIX Opens at MCASD, La Jolla
Friday - Art After Dark @ Oceanside Museum of Art
Saturday - Writer w/ Tape Deck Mountain @ Soda Bar
May 29th - Quint Contemporary Art presents Homing In
May 30/31 - THREAD Show at the Wonder Bread Factory
A MESSAGE FROM NARM RE NIGHTTIME BAND LINEUP
NEW MUSIC STORIES THIS WEEK
|
Follow the Bouncing Ball by Barnaby Monk This week in local concert news: Remix guru Anthony Gonzalez will bring his electronic-rock road show M83 to Belly Up. Formed in France in 2001, M83 was originally a duo known for slow-burn dance beats ... |
|
Ministerial Cred by Jay Allen Sanford "Our music is very lyric driven," says Eben Brooks. "If I had to choose a genre, I would call it progressive acoustic rock, but by progressive I mean politically and personally progressive. It's ... |
|
Ben Folds by Dave Good In time of relationship meltdown, what man would not want to cop some Ben Folds attitude? "Wish I hadn't bought you dinner," he sings in "Song for the Dumped," "Right before you dumped me ... |
|
Busker in a Red Dress by Dorian Hargrove When acoustic songster and mustache enthusiast Dagart decided to play 30 shows in 30 days at various locations around Southern California, he chose real-time social messaging network Twitter... |
|
Swift Rider by Jay Allen Sanford Before Taylor Swift appears at the Sports Arena on Sunday, May 24, her personal tour bus must be stocked with a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips, three boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese, a bag ... |
|
|
|
Dears by William Crain The Dears have a lot in common with Arcade Fire. Both bands are from Montreal. Both are led by a husband-and-wife team. Both make powerful, emotional indie pop. And both are critics' favorites.... |
|
Karma Can Be Ironic by Jay Allen Sanford "I spent the night in jail after spending the day feeding the homeless," says Joel D. Mutch, aka Point Blank, of hip-hop trio Even Keel. On April 30, Mutch says he and other artists from ... |
|
Cyber Skullduggery by Jay Allen Sanford "Is it really out of line to post your songs for sale on another band's MySpace page?" posits rock trio New Day Mile. "Yes it is!" they say. Singer-guitarist James Brady is all for self-promotion... |
*********************************************************
Light In the Attic Records visiting over 50 indie record stores in 10 days, covering 3000 miles, blogging and twittering the whole way - tour includes 5 San Diego shops on May 26
The team will be headed up by LITA music licensing guru / Black Daisy bassist Sandy Wilson, and filled out with bandmates Troy Nelson (KEXP DJ), and Cody Hurd, along with friend Tyson Pickerel. The quartet will be documenting daily events via the label’s blog (www.lightintheattic.net), Twitter (www.twitter.com/lightintheattic), and video. The footage shot will eventually be posted on the LITA homepage as well as on a number of key blogs.
It's a truly old-school way of doing business, and the cornerstone of how they operate - direct relationships with the people who keep their ship afloat. No label has done this in years, possibly decades ????
List of Stopping Points / Stores:
5/18 Depart Light In The Attic HQ - Seattle
5/18 Hi-Voltage - Tacoma
5/18 Rainy Day Records - Olympia
5/18 CD & Game Exchange - Portland
5/18 Mississippi Records - Portland
5/19 Music Millennium - Portland
5/19 Jackpot Records - Portland
5/19 Everyday Music (Burnside) - Portland
5/19 Everyday Music (Sandy Blvd) - Portland
5/19 Exiled Records - Portland
5/19 Craig Moerer/Records By Mail - Portland
5/19 Ranch Records - Salem
5/20 CD & Game Exchange - Eugene
5/20 House of Records - Eugene
5/20 CD World - Eugene
5/20 Music Coop - Ashland
5/21 Missing Link - Arcata
5/21 The Works - Eureka
5/21 Last Records Store - Santa Rosa
5/21 Backdoor Disc & Tape - Cotati
5/22 Down Home Music - El Cerrito
5/22 Mod Lang - El Cerrito
5/22 Aquarius Records - San Francisco
5/23 Rasputin's - San Francisco
5/23 The Groove Merchant - San Francisco
5/23 Streetlight Records - Santa Cruz
5/23 Metamusic - Santa Cruz
5/24 Boo Boo Records - San Louis Obispo
5/24 Buffalo Records - Ventura
5/24 Salzers - Ventura
5/24 CD Trader - Tarzana
5/25 Freakbeat Records - Sherman Oaks
5/25 Don's Music - Los Angeles
5/25 Amoeba Music - Los Angeles
5/25 Vacation Records - Los Angeles
5/25 Origami Vinyl - Los Angeles
5/25 Rockaway Records - Los Angeles
5/26 Fingerprints - Long Beach
5/26 Lou's Records - Encinitas
5/26 Music Trader - San Diego
5/26 Thirsty Moon Records - San Diego
5/26 Record City - San Diego
5/26 M Theory - San Diego
5/27 Rhino Records - Claremont
5/27 Poo Bah Records - Pasadena
5/28 R5 Records - Sacramento
5/28 Time Tested Books - Sacramento
5/28 Records - Sacramento
5/28 The Beat - Sacramento
5/29 Arrival Light In The Attic HQ - Seattle
FOLLOW THE TRIP LIVE:
www.lightintheattic.net
www.twitter.com/lightintheattic
Blabbermouth and AntiMusic reports: It looks like Megadeth have finished recording their new album. Blabbermouth has the report: On January 7, Megadeth commenced the recording process for its twelfth studio album at the band's own Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos.
The CD is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy "Undie" Sneap, who produced Megadeth's last album, "United Abominations" (May 2007, Roadrunner Records).
Tentatively due in September via Roadrunner, Megadeth's forthcoming LP will be the group's first with guitarist Chris Broderick, who replaced Glen Drover at the end of 2007. - read what Dave had to say
***************************************************
Antimusic reports: In a Rolling Stone piece, some more definitive information has been revealed about Blink 182 's upcoming reunion tour. The blurb confirms that Weezer and Fall Out Boy will provide support on the tour, which hits San Diego's Cricket in September 16. Blink did an unannounced set in L.A. on Thursday, May 14, their first live set in around four years. At a private T-Mobile party with Travis Barker’s band TRVSDJAM on the bill, the other two Blink-ers joined him for a surprise three-song set. They'll appear on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show on May 21 and Fuel TV on May 22 (on The Daily Habit). The band is reportedly "rehearsing more than they have in the past." (more here)
**********************************************************
Stone Temple Pilots/ex-Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland and his solo band recently played a stripped down set in the 98.7 FM Lounge in Los Angeles for a handful of fans. (more including video)
***********************************************************
The latest episode of "Talking Metal" features interviews hosts Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy conducted with Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Dave Lescinski of Autumn Hour.
The Rob Halford interview topics include Judas Priest, the "British Steel" album, Metal God Apparel, the Halford band, Mickey Rourke, and Ray Brown. The 60-minute podcast can be downloaded - (more at this location)
***********************************************************
After tapping three songs this season from Vanguard Recording artist Greg Laswell’s latest album, Three Flights From Alto Nido, the producers of the hit drama Grey’s Anatomy asked the acclaimed singer-songwriter to pen and perform a song specifically for the show’s season finale. “Off I Go,” the resulting composition, was the final song used in the two-hour, two-part season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, which aired on ABC Thursday night, May 14, with millions of viewers tuning in. “Off I Go” is available as an iTunes single now! Trivia fans should take note, the Grey’s season premiere last fall featured “And Then You” in a pivotal scene, which essentially gives Laswell musical bookends to the series.
****************************************
|
||||
The system "listens" to songs it has never heard before, labels them based on the actual sounds in the song, and then retrieves songs, as appropriate, when people type descriptive words—like "mellow jazz"—into the team's experimental search engine.
At ICASSP, UC San Diego electrical engineering Ph.D. student Luke Barrington presented a new model for music segmentation that can capture both the sound of a song and how this sound changes over time. By modeling music in this way, Barrington showed how to automatically segment songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody into homogenous sections such as verses, choruses and bridges. This new approach to training computers to dissect songs into heterogeneous segments and then accurately label each chunk could improve the accuracy of the new music search engine built by engineers from the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. View the paper here: http://cosmal.ucsd.edu/cal/pubs/Barrington-MusicDTM-ICASSP09.pdf
The team's nickname for their experimental music search engine is "Google for music". Users type descriptive words—rather than song titles, album names or artist names—and the search engine returns specific song suggestions. The engine currently works for more than 100 words that cover music genres, emotions and instruments. The Jacobs School engineers are working to expand the search engine's "vocabulary" before opening it up to the public later this year.
|
||||
Teaching Computers to Label Songs
In order to "teach" the search engine new words, the engineers need to show it many different examples of songs that fit that description. Initially, the engineers paid UC San Diego undergraduates to manually label songs that would serve as training materials for machine learning algorithms. But instead of continuing to rely on this expensive option, the engineers built online music games that encourage people connected via the Internet to do the song labeling while listening to music online.
In April, the electrical engineers launched their games on Facebook as an application called Herd It. http://apps.facebook.com/herd-it
To play Herd It, log in to Facebook, open the Herd It app, select a genre of music, and start listening to song clips and playing the games. Some games ask users to identify instruments, while others focus on music genres, artist names, emotions triggered by the song, and activities you might do while listening to a song. The more your answers align with the rest of the online crowd playing the game at the same time, the more points you score.
"The Facebook games are a lot of fun and a great way to discover new music. At the same time, the games deliver the data we need to teach our computer audition system to listen to and describe music like humans do," said Gert Lanckriet, the electrical engineering professor and machine learning expert from the Jacobs School of Engineering steering the project. Lanckriet also leads UC San Diego's Computer Audition Laboratory, housed at the UC San Diego division of Calit2.
For the system to "listen and describe music like a human," it must find patterns in the songs using the tools of machine learning. For example, for the system to learn to identify and label romantic songs, it must be exposed to many different romantic songs during the training period.
|
||||
This exposure enables the machine learning algorithms find patterns in the wave forms of the songs that make the songs romantic. Once trained, the system can identify romantic songs that it has never before encountered, offering the tantalizing possibility of amassing a huge database of songs that can be tagged and retrieved based on text-based searches with no human intervention.
"The more examples of romantic songs our search engine is exposed to, the more accurately it will be able to identify romantic songs it has never heard before," explained Barrington.
Part of Barrington's Ph.D. dissertation will involve demonstrating that data collected from the Facebook games reliably improves the accuracy of the search engine.
"Once enough people play our new music discovery games on Facebook, I'll have the data I need to both improve our search engine and finish my Ph.D.," said Barrington.
The song-word combinations collected by the Facebook games will also enable the researchers to grow their music search engine's vocabulary and increase its coverage in genres and classes of music.
2009 ICASSP (IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing): "Dynamic Texture Models of Music," by Luke Barrington, Antoni Chan and Gert Lanckriet from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering. To appear in ICASSP 2009.
Herd It game on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/herd-it or http://herdit.org
Watch a two minute video about the development of the music search engine at: http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_video/play.sfe?id=28
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded some of the research leading to this publication, as well as some of the students who contributed.
UC San Diego's von Liebig Center provided funding that enabled the researchers to create Herd It's professional interfaces for the music games. The von Liebig Center also provided the engineers with entrepreneurship advisory services and "incubation space". http://www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu/
***************************************
Recording artist Jon Foreman joined the DARFUR FAST FOR LIFE today following activist-actress Mia Farrow and Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson. A longtime activist and front man for multi-platinum selling rock band Switchfoot, Foreman will undertake a water-only fast in order to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Darfur, as well as to encourage long-term U.S. Government actions to bring lasting peace to the people of Sudan. Foreman begins his three day fast today and is joined by U.S. Representative Donald Payne who is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and works tirelessly to end the suffering in Darfur.
Expressing his outrage at the situation in Darfur, Foreman said, “Can it be possible that right now, two and a half million people are waking up in camps and refugee camps having been driven from their homes by violent means? Under the same sun, could it be true that almost half a million people have died of starvation, violence, and disease over the past six years in Darfur? Is this true?! And if this is true, why has the media remained almost completely silent on the issue? Why has our government maintained it’s current stance of inaction?”
Foreman follows Actress-Activist Mia Farrow and Virgin CEO and Founder Sir Richard Branson and others in sharing their experiences during the fast through video and blog posts at www.fastdarfur.org <http://www.fastdarfur.org> .
The Darfur Fast for Life | We are leaders, activists and citizens around the world who fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people. We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur’s defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.
We fast for Darfur’s courageous people —because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child.
For more information, please contact Jaime Rosenberg and Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, [email protected] or [email protected].
***************************************************THE GRATEFUL DEAD IN SAN DIEGO...
5-11-69: The Grateful Dead headlined SDSU's Spring Fling concert at the Aztec Bowl. Held on Mother's Day, the show included Canned Heat, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Lee Michaels, Tarantula, and Tijuana-bred Carlos Santana. Jerry Garcia performed "Morning Dew," and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (four years before he died) sang lead on a 20-minute version of "Hard to Handle." Pigpen also fronted the band for "Good Lovin'," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," and "Turn on Your Love Light," the last highlighted by a jam with Santana's percussionists and singer.
One of Spring Fling's promoters was future mayor Roger Hedgecock, who at the time aspired to create a local concert scene similar to San Francisco's. "There was a lot of opposition from the city," he recalled in a 1980 interview with Kicks Magazine. "But all the predictions of total chaos and calamity did not come true." Hedgecock recruited the local chapter of the Hell's Angels to provide security, sealing the deal with a complimentary case of Jack Daniel's. "I got a note back from them thanking me for the case," according to Hedgecock. "They drank it all at one party."
Space was provided for arts-and-crafts exhibits, as well as a booth for the city's brand-new free clinic. "Even the Black Panthers had a booth," said Hedgecock. Much of the show was aired live on KPRI-FM, and tapes of the broadcast still circulate among tie-dyed and squinty-eyed collectors.
MORE DEAD IN SAN DIEGO...
12-28-78 - The Grateful Dead at Golden Hall: This second of two nights at downtown’s Golden Hall was one of the Dead’s last performances with soon-to-be-fired keyboardist Keith Godchaux. An audience-recorded tape of the show has long circulated – with an much-cursed break during “Eyes Of The World” - but now a soundboard recording of all twenty-one (or so) songs, provided by Dead guitarist Bob Weir, is available to fans online.
Some review excerpts from the trading website Deadbase:
“The Tennessee Jed solo has always fascinated me and this one is in my top twenty percent...[Bob] Weir of course screws up the lyrics to Truckin’…5:01 into Wharf Rat, Jerry yells ‘Quiet!’ I think he was directing it to Keith.” “Nice Sugaree opener, although in the middle, Donna [Godchaux] gets a little too wobble waily [sp].”
“The Shakedown [Street] is tight and super-funky. Bob's rhythmic fills are just fantastic…Check out the transition between Truckin’ and Wharf Rat. Picture perfect.”
“The Estimated Prophet lead, it's a friggin' anthem. One can imagine ancient Irish warriors racing into battle with the bagpipes playing this tune.”
“The Eyes of the World is quick-paced but clean. In the jam coming out of it, there's a short section where Phil [Lesh] and Keith are definitely playing Turn On Your Lovelight, sans Pigpen, alas.”
"Eyes is glorious in its noodley [sp] splendor. What are those, 1/164th notes?”
7-1-80: Grateful Dead fans, however believable their addled faculties may be, usually cite the band's 1980 album "Go To Heaven" as the nadir of their recording career, though "Alabama Getaway" and "Don't Ease Me In" became later concert staples. That year's tour still managed to bring out the tie-dyed and squinty-eyed in big numbers for an appearance at the Sports Arena. Advance press reports made it clear that local police were "on guard" for the expected influx of illicit drugs and illegal activity in the parking lot and audience seats.
Even before the show started, several people were arrested for smoking pot. One bust was witnessed from alongside the stage by Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and band manager Danny Rifkin.
The trio tried to intervene, cajoling onlookers to join them in separating the young potsmoker from police offers trying to effect the arrest. Cops pulled out additional handcuffs and arrested Weir, Hart and Rifkin for "suspicion of inciting a riot."
The three defendants had to return to San Diego several weeks later to face charges. Their offense was reduced to a low grade misdemeanor, fines were paid and everyone walked out of the courtroom with a grudge against the SDPD that lingers to this day. "We couldn't believe what fascists they are down there," Weir told Golden Scarab, a Dead fanzine, in 1999. "We almost never went further south than Irvine after that. We didn't wanna set the kids up to be busted by a bunch of gorillas with no education, who hate rock and roll music."
"Where Have All The Deadheads Gone?" Local flower children, after the head Deadhead was dead.
50 HISTORIC LOCAL CONCERTS: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/dec/29/15-years-ago-today---nirvana-at-sports-arena-plus-/
THE DAY NIRVANA PLAYED OFF THE RECORD: 10-24-91 - Detailed feature on Nirvana playing a tiny local record store, just as their first album was hitting the charts, featuring interviews with OTR staffers, rare video footage of the event, and more... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-nirvana-played-at-off-the-record
THE DAY JIMI HENDRIX CAME TO TOWN - 5-24-69: From my extensive interviews with Hendrix bassist Noel Redding, here's the inside scoop on a legendary (and highly bootlegeed) local concert... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-jimi-hendrix-came-to-town
THE DAY BEACH BOY BRIAN WILSON GOT BUSTED IN BALBOA PARK: In June 1978, Brian Wilson - without telling his wife or fellow bandmembers - decided (inexplicably) to escape his life entirely and hitchhike to Mexico. He wound up in San Diego a few days later, mentally fogged, barefoot, and unwashed. “He was on a binge," according to Stephen Love, brother of Beach Boy Mike Love and sometime-band manager..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/18/the-day-beach-boy-brian-wilson-got-busted
THE DAY THE MONKEES TURNED DEL MAR INTO CLARKSVILLE: 9-11-66 -
WHY MEXICANS HATED ELVIS: May 1959: While Elvis Presley’s popularity in the U.S. was arguably at its all-time peak, Mexico was in the midst of a huge anti-Elvis backlash. Tijuana tabloids called him a racist and homosexual, after the singer reportedly told gossip columnist Federico de León "I'd rather kiss three black girls than a Mexican." A Mexican woman in the same column was quoted saying "I'd rather kiss three dogs than one Elvis Presley”..... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/13/why-mexicans-hated-elvi
**********************************************
DO BANDS EVER MOVE FROM
The list of local performers who seek success by moving near
But, once in awhile, it works the other way -------------
“We had so many bad experiences in
“
Dave Madden’s path to
“I lived in Los Feliz, across the street from
So why quit the successful band he co-founded and move to
Here in SD, Madden fronts That '70s Rock Show.
“It’s a theatrical production using lasers, strobes, blacklights, fog machines, and everything you’d expect to see at 1970s concert,” he says of the show, which opens for his former band Wild Child at the Ramona Mainstage on May 22. “It’s a lot less stressful, with a lot less temptations, than touring the world with ‘Jim Morrison.’”
Starting June 28th, That '70s Rock Show hits the stage every Sunday at Winstons in OB.
BEWARE OF BOOTLEG GUITARS!!!
“I’ve heard too many stories of kids who are saving their money for their dream Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul, only to find out later they’ve been burned by a cheap fake,” says guitarist David Szabados. “Counterfeit instruments are being produced in
“I just did searched ‘Gibson Les Paul new’ on the San Diego Musicians Craigslist,” he says, “and right away found one that was certainly questionable, due to the location of the volume and tone knobs.” Szabados mentions other ways of distinguishing fakes, including whether inlays are real or painted on, and number of neck bolts.
“Many fake Gibsons have their pickup cavities painted black inside,” he says of one commonly bootlegged axe. “The counterfeit organizations sell in bulk, ten guitars at a time, shipped direct from China or Korea, and then the purchaser resells them locally…pawn shops might sell them as the real thing without even realizing, [since] they have no expertise, so someone ends up paying $1,000 or more for a guitar that only cost $150.”
To illustrate his point, Szabados created a video called “Destroying a $5,000 Guitar” for his LegendaryTones.com website. “We smashed a counterfeit PRS, complete with Paul Reed Smith logo on the headstock, bird inlays, and other signature PRS details. The guitar came out of a factory in Korea, and looks real enough that people are really shocked to see us destroy it…it seems like a good way to raise awareness.”
At this writing, http://www.zxcmusic.com posts several guitars evincing known bootleg earmarks, advertised as authentic, such as an Epiphone Ace Frehley signature model (normally retailing for $1,000 but selling for $259), as well as a Slash Les Paul Gold Top (missing headstock logo) and a left-handed Zakk Wilde signature edition Gibson (minus legit factory inlay).
Tips on spotting fakes can be found at FenderForum.com, LesPaulForum.com, and Forums.Gibson.com.
One dead giveaway seen in Craigslist ads purporting to be local is a tendency toward foreign-sounding text, as in the suspicious Gibson Les Paul pitch; “Wish we can cooperate happily with and possible do more business in future waiting for you do good news.”
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO...
I came across the MySpace page for local punk rockers The Bugs/Dangerous Dave
Checkout the tune here - The Bugs/Dangerous Dave on MySpace
“I wrote the song when he was on that Rock Star Supernova show,” says “Dangerous Dave” Swain of the Bugs. He used to be in Jane’s Addiction/ Now he’s on TV trying to earn a buck He was so much cooler when he was on drugs/ Dave Navarro’s goatee f-cking sucks “All that makeup and jewelry,” says Swain, “what a jerk. Where the hell is he getting off wearing all that crap? He’s so full of himself. Anyone with any soul would want to tell him to go [screw] himself.” The Bugs may have a problem with their video for the song, which features a couple dozen enlarged photos of Navarro on a screen behind the group as they mock his facial hair. “I keep waiting to hear from his attorney about the video,” says Swain. “I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate us using his pictures without consent. If they do email me, I’m printing it in the insert of the next album.” With tours booked around California, are the Bugs worried about running into the rock star? “I’m really not the fighting type. But if he came at me, he’d definitely get a little chin music. I don’t really want to [meet him]. He may try to French me.” The band’s other songs include “No More Emo Haircuts,” “Meth on My Mind,” “Lesbo Lesbo,” and “Email From a She-Male” (also an amusing video). Clocking in at around two minutes each, the songs will appear on the Bugs’ upcoming Cabana Records seven-inch vinyl album. “Yeah, that’s right, the whole album fits on a seven-inch. And there’s still room for another song or two!” ***************************************************WHAT I’M WATCHING...
So I finally watched one of the new Futurama movies, Bender's Game - I was falling down laughing ---
WHY AL KOOPER HATES LOCAL WRITERS (BUT LOVES SAN DIEGO)
The legendary Al Kooper has been making regular appearance at the old Normal Heights church that hosts the Acoustic Music San Diego series. During one visit, he ran somewhat afoul of music columnist Buddy Blue; on Kooper's return, he took issue with a Reader columnist.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jan/09/why-al-kooper-hates-local-writers-but-loves-san-di/
***************************************************
METALLICA IN SAN DIEGO - LARS LIKES US! HE REALLY LIKES US!
The Metallica San Diego footage streaming on the band’s website is top-notch, pro-shot, and fairly impressive – I can take or leave Death Magnetic, but it looks like they still command and destroy on stage. They’ve been such cartoons of themselves, for too very long now.... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/jan/09/why-al-kooper-hates-local-writers-but-loves-san-di/
***************************************************
Famous Former Neighbors - The Article: Underground With The Celebrity Dead - Local gravesites of the rich and famous
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/31/famous-dead-neighbors-plus-public-access-mtv *****************************************
Do It Yourself Music Television - A history of local public access music TV shows
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/31/famous-dead-neighbors-plus-public-access-mtv ******************************************
Weird Beatles Merchandise - WTF were these licensors (and bootleggers) thinking... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
***************************************
My Brunch With Yoko - Brunch with a Beatle bride... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles
********************************
Yoko Ono Comics and Stories - When Johnny Met Yoko, with dialogue and captions paraphrased from published Lennon interviews. Plus John Lennon: A Life in the Day
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/06/my-brunch-with-yoko-plus-weird-beatles ************************
Snotley Crue Comics and Stories - spoofing U-know-hooey
... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jan/30/snotley-crue-comix-and-stories *********************************
When Your Love Is Locked Up - On California women's prisons and the families and loved ones of prisoners. Focus is on my good friend Danielle Barcheers, the 2nd youngest female ever convicted of a capital crime in CA state history (now ten years into a 20-to-life sentence). Plus 100 Rockin' Local Lawsuits....
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jul/30/when-kids-go-to-prison-plus-100-rockin-lawsuits ***************************************************
"Before It Was The Gaslamp: Balboa's Last Stand" - Cover story 6-21-07: In the late 70s/early 80s, I worked at downtown San Diego's grindhouse all-night movie theaters, for the owner of the Pussycat Theatre chain, Vince Miranda - this detailed feature recalls those dayz, the death of the Balboa Theatre, etc.
"Battle Of The Peeps" - feature article about a weird gig I had in the mid-'80s, running a strip club called Jolar, for the nation's second biggest pornographer, Harry Mohney (Deja Vu Showgirls founder).
"Field Of Screens" - Cover story 7-6-06: Complete theater-by-theater history of San Diego drive-ins thru the years, including a few which screened X-rated fare for awhile.
"Pussycat Theaters - When 'Cathouses Ruled California" -- for the first time, the detailed inside story of the west coast Pussycat Theater chain of adult moviehouses, which peaked in the '70s but later died out. Told by those who actually ran the theaters!
More Music on the Reader Website:
**************************************************** ***************************************************
Like this blog? Here are some related links:
OVERHEARD IN SAN DIEGO - Several years' worth of this comic strip, which debuted in the Reader in 1996: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/overheard-san-diego/
FAMOUS FORMER NEIGHBORS - Over 100 comic strips online, with mini-bios of famous San Diegans: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/
SAN DIEGO READER MUSIC MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/sandiegoreadermusic
JAY ALLEN SANFORD MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jayallensanford