I was 21 years old when MTV started back in 1981 and it was pretty awesome back then. Before that all we got was Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and Burt Sugarman’s Midnight Special. Those were great shows but only filled 2.5 hours per week on Friday and Saturday nights. We all know that MTV doesn’t really do music videos anymore and the format went relatively dormant for a long time. Then YouTube, Vimeo, Vevo and others came along and music videos have once again become an important part of presenting and marketing a song.
That’s a lot of words to say that this song and video by wimps, a 3-piece punk rock band out of Seattle, is pretty fucking rad! Check out the video and then go see wimps play the Soda Bar Wednesday night when they open for Katie Von Schleicher...
I know everyone is wondering, “what show should I go to Wednesday night this week – there’s no one playing that I’ve heard of…”
The answer is easy – get to the Soda Bar to see Katie Von Schleicher, wimps and Gravyyard. This will be one of those shows that you can’t believe you saw at a venue like the Soda Bar (and don’t get me wrong – I LOVE the Soda Bar, but it is astonishing that bands like this, especially together, are playing such a small venue).
There – problem solved. See you there!!
In the meantime check out this video from Katie’s new album Bleakspoitation on Ba Da Bing! Records…
San Diego – May 6, 2016 The next band up, after Retra, was Mittens. I had heard quite a bit about Mittens and now I know what all the fuss was about. Mittens’ blend of ’60s girl group sounds, ’90s alt-rock (think Cardigans not Smashing Pumpkins – though I have no doubt that Paul Mitten could unleash some great Billy Corgan riffs!), and modern indie pop really was just as good as I was warned it would be. Continue reading →
San Diego – May 6, 2016 On a recent Friday night I was in the mood for new music and this show at The Kava Lounge looked interesting. I had heard of Mittens and The Fresh Brunettes but didn’t really know anything about them and I had no idea who Retra was. But I love checking out new bands so I headed on down to Kettner.
First up was Retra, who I soon found out is a relatively new band featuring Haven Blue on vocals, James Howard (Imagery Machine) on guitar , Chris Gorrie (Boychick, Giant Surprise) on bass, Carmen Martinez (Boychick) on drums, and Martin Sohikish (who didn’t play this night) on keys and guitar. Continue reading →
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 →
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:
La Luz –Weirdo Shrine. La Luz (Spanish for “the light”), are an all-female quartet based out of Seattle, WA. After forming in 2012 they quickly released their debut, It’s Alive, in 2013. Over the course of two albums now, the band, led by singer/guitarist Shana Cleveland has created a sound that deftly mixes girl-group sounds, indie rock, doo wop and of course the predominant element of their sound: surf rock. This is indie music for surfers that don’t care about indie rock; just as it is surf-rock for indie scenesters that don’t care about surf music. This turns out to not be a problem for me at all since I love both Surf and Indie rock. The music goes from languid to upbeat between and within many of the songs, but always there are reverb drenched guitars and girl-group vocals. If you’re feeling a little down in the dumps one day – grab a cup of coffee, or maybe a beer, and pop this record on. Problem solved!
Opening for Frightened Rabbit at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, was Caveman, an indie rock band from Brooklyn. Like a lot of Brooklyn bands that have emerged recently, their song-craft is superb, with interesting vocal and instrumental melodies, vocal harmonies and creative drum patterns. I was reminded of a couple of “chill-wave” bands, also from Brooklyn, that I saw at TheCasbah a couple of years ago: Small Black and Snowmine and thought that they would fit well on a bill together. Really though, I would go further back to describe Caveman’s sound. With their strong melodies and infectious hooks, the band reminded me of an updated Hall & Oates – but only if Daryl and John could also stretch out and really rock a la My Morning Jacket.
MaxSoundsMusic 