Staff blogs | San Diego Reader

"Surf" — Swarmius takes Orchestra Nova to the Beach

May 14, 2012 · Dave Good

Surf: A Double Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Violin, & Orchestra May 12, Swarmius, with Orchestra Nova, Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall (Five out of five stars) "I wanted to see how things sounded under water." This is how it starts …

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Jam Session

Six Minutes. Then We Pull the Plug

May 12, 2012 · Dave Good

Ernie Becquer sees trouble ahead for salsa music in San Diego. "It has been brought to my attention that a certain venue (he will not say which) is going to put a six-minute blockade on songs. No band will be …

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Jam Session

Indie Fertility: Five Local Bands to Listen To

May 8, 2012 · Dave Good

Montalban Quintet Who is this band, and what were they thinking? No matter - fans are talking. Bright tones, driving rhythms, mildly dark and pensive at times. They say: post- punk, minimalism, jazz, new music, 50′s schmaltz and field recordings. …

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The Tallest Man in Elfin Forest

May 7, 2012 · Dave Good

"I grew up in a place called Elfin Forest. It's kind of between Stagecoach Park in La Costa and the Escondido Auto Park." Josh Ottum, 34, is on the phone from the campus of UC Irvine where he is completing …

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The Full Monty

May 1, 2012 · Dave Good

While Monti Rock, 73, recuperates from heat exhaustion in a Las Vegas hospital his television likeness is at the center of a small controversy brewing in the East County. Last week, a San Diego drummer named Jim Daugherty found the …

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Jam Session

Letter from Nashville: Alyssa Jacey on Southern cooking, personal improvement, and flying insects

April 30, 2012 · Dave Good

"Let me just tell you what I'm looking at." Alyssa Jacey calls late on a Saturday morning from her new digs in Madison County, in Nashville Tennessee. "I'm on the patio and there are these beautiful trees blowing in the …

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Jam Session

Danny and the Tramp Go to Vegas

April 23, 2012 · Dave Good

When Danny Tatulli and John Langan head up to Las Vegas this week they hope their band Danny and the Tramp will hit the jackpot. But the action won't be at the slots or on the tables. Instead, the gaming …

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Jam Session

Kelsea Rae Little: Rocking the Harp

April 20, 2012 · Dave Good

Kelsea Rae Little, indie rock harpist: "I love the expressions on sound guy's faces. Most of them have never miked a harp before." Little phones from the road; she and her boyfriend and her band, the 78s (drummer Jose Guerrero …

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Alive! in San Diego!

April 13, 2012 · Dave Good

In January, on their web site, Kiss declared an overwhelming response to their own Kiss tribute contest. Over 200 bands from around the world had entered. They included: Kissexy from Italy, Spain's Kiss of Death, Kiss Czech Company from the …

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Jam Session

Free Barbershop Quartet Lessons at the Church

April 4, 2012 · Dave Good

"Smile and you'll chase Mr. Trouble away." They are singing which makes them not hard to find on this otherwise quiet evening. Barbershop quartets have a sound all their own, a cloying four-part harmony premeditated to draw listeners. In this …

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Jam Session

Dazed in the Desert

April 3, 2012 · Dave Good

It's gonna be like a Burning Man sideshow," says Tim Hines. "There's gonna be a lot of stuff going on, not just music." Hines, of La Mesa, is referring to an event being billed as the first annual Desert Daze …

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Jam Session

Dancing with the Red Headed Stranger

April 2, 2012 · Dave Good

There's trouble on the stage at Winston's. The sound guy has boosted the drums to full arena sound. The electric bass likewise thunders. The only place left to set Willie Nelson's guitar in the mix is at full gain, which …

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Jam Session

Jazz: Alive and Kicking at San Diego State University

March 29, 2012 · Dave Good

"This," Bill Yeager says, "will probably be the biggest event in the history of the SDSU Jazz Studies Program." Yeager plays jazz 'bone, and he's an educator. For the past 27 years he has been the director of jazz studies …

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CD Review: Euphoria Brass Band's "Coast to Coast"

March 26, 2012 · Dave Good

**** stars out of five 1,815.7 miles from the mother ship of New Orleans the NOLA revival continues here on the West Coast. The Euphoria Brass Band, a San Diego group steeped in the traditional sounds of the second line …

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Jam Session

Rick Sparhawk: Not a Low Budget Rock Star

March 24, 2012 · Dave Good

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21524/ Low-Budget Rockstar By Scott Ibex Orange Moon Press, Costa Mesa, CA Tip #4: Keep a Malleable Mind and Hone Your Crazy Alarm Rick Sparhawk, co-founder of the '70s band Montezuma's Revenge meets me at Cosmos in La Mesa. We …

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Jam Session

Blues to the Rescue

March 23, 2012 · Dave Good

John Pack Skypes early this morning from Baja California. He lives there year round. "After this call, I have to go up and chaperone about six bands through Mexicali and make sure they have a good experience." Pack checks his …

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Jam Session

Leroy Zeke: The Coolest Band in High School

March 20, 2012 · Dave Good

Reach your peak with Leroy Zeke!! There's a basketball hoop in many of Leroy Zeke's photos and for good reason: school gymnasiums were their first arenas. A San Diego band based out of Lemon Grove, they were active from 1969 …

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Jam Session

Scott Paulson: Making Stylophone Hip Again

March 12, 2012 · Dave Good

If you listen carefully you can hear the one note on David Bowie's "Space Oddity," a glissando followed by a squawk that constitutes possibly the most famous sound in Stylophone history. Kraftwerk would come along later and play more Stylophone …

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Jam Session

The Stick: When Six Strings Aren't Enough

March 8, 2012 · Dave Good

"Right now I have 12 paid admissions, which is exactly my target." It's Tom Griesgraber talking about the upcoming series of Stick seminars and concerts he's hosting in conjunction with the Mira Costa College Music Department and the Museum of …

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Jam Session

East County Murder Club: Coming to a Nightclub Near You

March 7, 2012 · Dave Good

"This happened by accident. It sort of fell into our laps." Raymond Raye is on the phone and he's excited about plans to host a series of psychobilly/rockabilly shows in an old school neighborhood lounge set deep in the East …

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Staff Blog Entries

"Surf" — Swarmius takes Orchestra Nova to the Beach

Six Minutes. Then We Pull the Plug

Indie Fertility: Five Local Bands to Listen To

The Tallest Man in Elfin Forest

The Full Monty

Letter from Nashville: Alyssa Jacey on Southern cooking, personal improvement, and flying insects

Danny and the Tramp Go to Vegas

Kelsea Rae Little: Rocking the Harp

Alive! in San Diego!

Free Barbershop Quartet Lessons at the Church

Dazed in the Desert

Dancing with the Red Headed Stranger

Jazz: Alive and Kicking at San Diego State University

CD Review: Euphoria Brass Band's "Coast to Coast"

Rick Sparhawk: Not a Low Budget Rock Star

Blues to the Rescue

Leroy Zeke: The Coolest Band in High School

Scott Paulson: Making Stylophone Hip Again

The Stick: When Six Strings Aren't Enough

East County Murder Club: Coming to a Nightclub Near You

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