Election endorsements from the San Diego music scene
We asked some people in the music scene what races and measures they’re following closely in the midterm election.
View ArticleWhy San Diego musicians should care about the election
The upcoming election could have large implications for artists and musicians. This is especially true on a local level, as state and city legislators have the power to directly affect the lives and...
View ArticleNatasha Kozaily crafts pure, poppy gems as Natula
Natasha Kozaily is arguably one of the most prolific and underrated musicians in San Diego. In addition to being the owner of the Kalabash School of Music + The Arts, she’s also the leader of the Kate...
View ArticleMC Flow wears the crown
For most queens, coronations are once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, but local hip-hop artist MC Flow wants to keep her special, cannabis-infused party going for as long as she can.
View ArticleNite Lapse revel in nostalgia
While Nite Lapse’s music is certainly rooted in the past, there’s a futuristic or, at the least, a present-day approach to the songs.
View ArticleTijuana punk up close and personal
Since that show in 1990, Brady has seen hundreds of shows in Tijuana venues, most of which have since been shut down. At the age of 19, he began playing in Tijuana venues himself with his band Swing Kids
View ArticleMusic scene pays tribute to Lou Curtiss
The best we can hope for at the end of our lives is that we touched enough people to be remembered. And perhaps, that we will die peacefully in our sleep. Lou Curtiss did both.
View ArticleShoulda Been There: Billie Eilish at SOMA
So what do these young fans see in Eilish? For one, the singer is close to their age and has been open about her struggles with depression.
View ArticleThe Casbah turns 30
Iconic rock club The Casbah is turning 30 years old in January and the venue has been steadily rolling out show announcements for its anniversary month.
View ArticleIt’s all dark at the San Diego Goth Swap
The holiday season is filled with indie shopping events showcasing any number of local artisans and crafters, but for Charlie Garia, there was a market that he felt just wasn’t being tapped into.
View ArticleDaytrip, Pocket Hole and the “California sound”
Local indie-rock bands Daytrip and Pocket Hole encompass the "California sound" in beautiful ways.
View ArticleEarthless gets even more psychedelic
Still, rather than rest on their laurels, the band has recently been playing shows with help from Mad Alchemy Light Show.
View ArticleThe scene is ready for the return of Demasiado
The time seems ripe for the music of Demasiado.
View ArticleConcert resolutions to live by in 2019
Below is a list of resolutions for local concertgoers. Please note that the list is merely suggestive. However, if it touches a nerve, it might be because it’s hitting too close to home.
View ArticleThe 10 best local albums of 2018
1.) Tulengua - Baja Funk: This group needs national attention now. The cross-border, co-ed hip hop trio made one of the most head-bobbing statements of the year with this amazing, bilingual mixtape.
View ArticleMossy Nissan jingle gets new voice
It just might be the most iconic local jingle in San Diego history and while it was created to sell cars, its hard to find a local who can’t recite or even sing it from memory.
View ArticleExasperation and the arbitrary nature of post-punk
What is post-punk music if not a bunch of musicians who are jaded, but just not that jaded?
View ArticleThe Sorcerer Family takes the ukulele to a strange place
“Although I still consider myself a noise artist, I feel that The Sorcerer Family is folk music and music that speaks for the earth,” says Lopez.
View ArticleVia Satellite return with beautiful, eulogistic new album
Recorded just before the death of drummer Tim Reece of a rare form of glandular cancer, the album could be seen as both a lamenting farewell and a eulogistic celebration of Reese, although it’s...
View ArticleLocal art curator Johnny Tran releases surprise album
Just as is the nature of pop-surrealism and lowbrow art, Tran’s music is a statement on the zeitgeist, as well as a tribute to it of sorts.
View ArticleBonnie Wright is back with a new Fresh Sound
For over two decades, Bonnie Wright has been curating the Fresh Sound concert series, but even she’ll admit that devoting all of her free time to showcasing experimental musical artists can sometimes...
View ArticleJay James makes beautiful, atmospheric jams
Jay James released his debut LP, when all is said and done, in March of last year. Listening to it now, it’s hard not to kick myself.
View ArticleMove over reggae and yacht rock… It’s time for groove rock
According to Lucas Rohm and Brendan McCourt of local party-rockers Chugboat, more and more musicians have been straying from the reggae path in pursuit of other feel-good sounds.
View ArticleSlow Death IV a lesson in musical extremes
Back in the 1980s, hardcore punks gave San Diego the nickname “Slow Death” because it was the scariest place you could go to see a show.
View ArticleVolcano erupts on ‘The Island’
As a child of the ’80s, I can testify to the fact that there used to be a time when saying that a band sounded like Santana was a huge compliment.
View ArticleBad Vibes are now Drug Hunt
The ghost of controversial rapper XXXTentacion has come to haunt a local band.
View ArticleJake Najor and the Moment of Truth get loose
At the very end of “High Costa Living,” the blistering blast of funk that opens drummer Jake Najor’s debut long-player, singer Mixmaster Wolf mutters what could be a bit of a mantra for the rest of the...
View ArticleRecord Store Day is back
God bless Record Store Day. At a time when many retail shops are struggling due to online shopping, this annual event—now in its 12th year—keeps customers interested in local, brick-and-mortar record...
View ArticlePharlee joins the ranks of excellent psych-rock scene
The instrumentation is tight, the vocals are soaring and the solos are epic.
View ArticleDream ’19 festival coming in May
Mario Orduno's bringing some of his favorite groups together for Dream ’19, a two-night showcase of post-punk and synthwave happening at The Casbah on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11.
View ArticleSIXES craft sonic blasts of pissy garage-rock
It’s four sonic blasts of bouncy, pissy garage-rock that, given enough people enclosed in a small space, has the capacity to get people moving. A few listens and each song has the capacity to get stuck...
View ArticleMinority Xplosive throw open-minded, underground parties
Two South Bay friends, Daniel Peña and Aaron Sillas, are on a mission to change San Diego’s party culture one underground rave at a time.
View ArticleBuck-O-Nine return with first album in 12 years
It’s an odd experience to listen to ska in the year 2019.
View ArticleNakatani Gong Orchestra makes a helluva noise
Tatsuya Nakatani has become something of a legend among fans of noise music in San Diego. A percussionist and sound artist from Osaka, Japan, he plays with gongs, drum toms and other percussion...
View ArticleOhCult come out swinging on new EP
Now, brace your sunburnt selves, because OhCult joins the ranks of San Diego’s darkest bands with their new four-song EP, Occult.
View ArticleTil-Two changing hands again
In the bar industry, the only constant is change. So it is with City Height’s Til-Two Club (4746 El Cajon Blvd.), which just changed hands again after coming under new ownership in August 2018.
View ArticlePsychic Graveyard debut is loud and weird
Basically, every song feels demonic invocation, but there’s a pitch-black vein of humor that runs through the album and keeps it from feeling pretentious.
View ArticleWonderfront Music & Arts Festival coming to downtown
San Diego is set to host another large-tier fest. The lineup for the inaugural Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival was announced last week and includes dozens of big-name acts.
View ArticleTalia Ceravolo releases an incredible debut
I’ve been listening to Talia Ceravolo’s debut album, 'Dirty Seeds,' for a few months now and I’m here to say it’s as beautiful, nuanced and dulcet as it was when I first heard it.
View ArticleShades McCool goes for the jugular (and funny bone)
Shades McCool, however, strikes that near-impossible balance between rock and comedy on their first full-length album, 'Pretty Good Guy'.
View ArticleShoulda Been There: Paul McCartney at Petco Park
Nearly 54 years later, Paul McCartney, looking as svelte and sounding nearly as crisp as he did in the ’60s, opened his sold-out show at Petco Park with “A Hard Day’s Night."
View ArticleGuitars in the Classroom receives NEA grant
Jessica “Jess” Baron can hardly contain her excitement when asked about the recent news that the nonprofit she founded in 1998 recently received a coveted grant from the National Endowment for the Arts...
View ArticleChula Vista’s Jackie Mendoza breaks out on new EP
The title of Jackie Mendoza’s recently released solo EP, LuvHz, manages to be both a misnomer and a clear designation.
View ArticleDrug Hunt’s music transcends their story
Drug Hunt are no strangers to heaviness, and within the first track of their EP, it becomes clear that the music can carry whatever weighty conceit they stack on top of it.
View ArticleRecords & Rhymes showcases local hip-hop scene
Local arts organization Art Unites has teamed up with three other organizations to host Records & Rhymes, a new hip-hop showcase that they hope will become a regular event.
View ArticleWarsaw’s new EP is black ‘Magick’
The EP is evidence that Warsaw is growing as a band and expanding their sound.
View ArticleF#!kin' in the Bushes turns 10
Club nights come and go, but Whistle Stop Bar (2236 Fern St.) in South Park is getting ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Britpop night, F#!kin’ in the Bushes, on Friday, Aug. 16.
View ArticleNew music docs screening around town
Two new documentary screenings from local artists are happening in August, both of which deal with music and the international community.
View ArticleLocal music community pays tribute to Jeff Walls
Jeff Walls wasn’t a local musician, but the guitarist of bands such as Guadalcanal Diary and The Woggles left an indelible mark on the San Diego scene.
View ArticleSingled out: Angels & Airwaves, HIRIE and more
A semi-regular feature where we listen to some new songs from notable local bands and report back.
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