The last stop on my Art Around Adams tour was to see Mittens back at the library stage. I had seen the band play about a month ago at The Kava Lounge so I already knew how much fun they were. Mittens play a style of indie-pop that looks back but still has a modern feel to it. Their band bio mentions being inspired by groups like Rilo Kiley, The Cranberries and The Cardigans – and I can certainly hear the influence of those bands in their sound – but there’s also no mistaking their love of early ’60s girl groups like The Ronettes, The Shirelles and Martha & the Vandellas. Throw in some surf-rock licks and well-timed blistering guitar solos, to go along with their 3-part harmonies and big hooks, and you have Mittens! Continue reading →
My father was 26 years old when the Beatles‘ Please Please Me came out. I used to tell him that he was still young enough then to have followed the Beatles and the Stones instead of staying on the path that lead to Andy Williams and Glen Campbell. But the die was cast by that point, and rock ‘n’ roll was not going to be my dad’s thing. However, it turns out there was a section of his record collection that I would eventually come to fully appreciate. For as the British Invasion was in full swing, my dad was listening to The Lonely Bull, South of the Border and Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. It turned out my dad was much cooler back then than I ever gave him credit for! Continue reading →
I made it through the first 55 years of my life without ever seeing The Schizophonics and now I’ve seen them four times this year already. I was doing it wrong! The first time I saw The SchizophonicsI had no idea what to expect. It was a crowded night at The Casbah and I was near the back craning my neck looking for the second guitarist. I turned around to say something to my friend and he was doing the same damn thing! Continue reading →
Next up on this perfect day for local music was Cardinal Moon. The last time I saw this band was at their debut performance at the Redwoods Revue at the Music Box in early May. The creative duo behind this new San Diego band is singer/guitarist/songwriter Dawn Mitschele and Al “another band? sure, why not” Howard. Continue reading →
There were so many great bands to see at last weekend’s Art Around Adams festival but fortunately whoever scheduled this event managed to have all my favorites playing at different times.
First up was Imagery Machine. I imagine the beginning of this group to have gone something like this: “Hey, we should start a band!” – “Good idea, what kind of music should we play?” – “Let’s play all kinds.” – “Ok, I’m in!”
That’s an exaggeration of course but Imaginary Machine does have an expansive sound that draws on many different influences. Just check the two videos posted below. The first clip is of “Lyon”, a summery rock song with a gorgeous vocal melody by Jennie Lynn and intertwining guitar leads. The second is “Drum Winds”, a full blown reggae jam that gives everyone in the band a chance to shine, including the two backup singers, Kristin Jennings and Daechelle Hernandez. It’s a highlight of the song when they switch from providing harmonies for Jennie to becoming co-lead vocalists for a chorus in the middle of the track. And check out the solos by James Howard (Retra) on guitar, Tyler Shimkus (Mittens) on drums, and Will Mino and bass – these guys can flat out play plus you can easily tell just how much fun they are having throughout the performance.
Imagery Machine bills itself as a rock/reggae/prog band – and that’s an interesting combination already – but even that doesn’t fully describe the scope of their sound. This is a relatively new band, having formed just last November, yet already they have performed on some of San Diego’s best stages like The House of Blues and The Belly Up Tavern. As nice as those venues are, on this day a sun-splashed stage next to the Kensington Library was the perfect setting and a great start to a day of art and music on Adams Avenue.
Here’s “Lyon” and “Drum Winds” at Art Around Adams:
MaxSoundsMusic 