Thursday, September 8, 2011 – The Great Southern California Power Outage.

Black Thursday

I was home when the lights went out, lost a little bit of work, but not a big deal. W. and I hung out by candlelight and listened to the transistor radio. It was pleasant and peaceful. Turns out we were fairly prepared. Lots of candles, lots of water, lots of batteries and flashlights and alternate sources of lighting. We even had internet. I have battery powered modem so, when W. went to bed, I watched Netflix on my iPhone. It was a thriller called House of 9 which I watched all the way up to the last 15 minutes of the dramatic conclusion, when the internet finally died.

So, there I was, awake and amped from the climax of a horror-thriller at about 10:30pm with nothing to do. So, I decided to take a walk down Newport Avenue just to see what was going on and maybe, with any luck, find a bar that was open. (more…)

Well, it’s that time again – time for another vicious bloodletting known as a spoken word performance. Whose blood will be spilled is to be determined – could be yours, could be mine.

Regardless, it is my honor and pleasure to read at the fabulous Ducky Waddles Emporium, located at 414 N. Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas (760-632 0488). The show is part of the ”Poetry Ruckus” series sponsored by Ruthless Hippies. Open mike begins at 7:15pm and I go on at 9pm. Tickets are free if you purchase a book, but if you don’t, well, it’s still free. (Clearly I need a new marketing plan).

Looking forward to drawing blood. Hope to see you there.

Ed

Barzilla image by David Lonteen

For those who have been following the House of Blues New Music Nights competition (powered by Sonicbids), the results are in: L.A.’s Brian Buckley Band took the most pledges. Congrats to them. All that’s left now is the best part – the showcase. Each of the participating House of Blues Venues (L.A., Las Vegas and San Diego) are showcasing three local bands followed by the Brian Buckley Band as a reward for receiving the most pledges. The San Diego showcase is going to be spectacular. It’s on July 11. We’ve got three excellent bands, hand-picked by the organizers of San Diego IndieFest, and me.

Here is my impression of each, based on their Sonicbids electronic press kits (EPKs).

theBREAX

San Diego is not really known for its hip-hop scene, but believe me, there is vibrant one bubbling just beneath the surface. And rising to the top of that scene is hip-hop and spoken word specialists, theBREAX, which has a sound, style and quality of production that set them above the rest.

Consisting of two former Baltimoreans and an Armenian refugee, theBREAX is instantly identifiable as the real deal. I couldn’t tell you who their influences are since I’m not—you know—them, but atop the ice cream sundae that is their music I hear plentiful sprinkles of Jurassic 5, Saul Williams, Black Sheep, Boogie Down Productions and Michael Franti.

What I like best about theBREAX—aside from their incandescent beats and the different cadences of the various lead vocalists— are the lyrics, which are smart and genuine and range between funny, serious, uplifting and angry–sometimes all in the same song (though not in the bad way).

On their EPK, they write that they, “decided to make music that could help change the world.” I find that choice of words to be refreshing because, unlike many hip-hop bands with “socially conscious content,” theBREAX are not so full of themselves as to believe their music will change the world, only that it could “help” change it, that it is part of a movement toward change and not the movement itself. I like that: high goals, moderate ego. I don’t often make lofty predictions, but I think these guys might go big, as in nationally big, which would be excellent because it would finally put San Diego hip-hop on the map.

P.S. The spoken word is kickass too! (more…)

Hey all, good news regarding the House of Blues New Music Nights competition. As many of you know, House of Blues is running a three-city music showcase competition (If this is the first you are hearing about this, click here). What you didn’t know is that San Diego’s premier hip-hop outfit, theBREAX, is currently in first place, with Los Angeles’s Brian Buckley Band in hot pursuit at second.

So those of you who haven’t already, we implore you to jump over to the New Music Nights site and push theBREAX over the top with your pledge. They’re great and they deserve it. Deadline is June 8 so hip-hop to it.

Ed

Hey all! I’m happy to announce that Danielle, Alicia and I have selected the three bands for House of Blues New Music Nights and that the pledge drive for these bands has officially opened.

For those in the dark, last month, House of Blues issued a call for local bands to apply (using Sonicbids) for an upcoming concert series called New Music Nights.

This was done in three cities: Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego. For the San Diego chapter, they charged Danielle LoPresti, Alicia Champion (of SD IndieFest fame)  and me to read and listen to the submitted press kits and choose the best three. Well that process has been completed and the three bands we selected are featured on the New Music Nights Website (along with the six bands from the other two markets).

Here’s where you come in. If you are a fan of any of these groups, or simply a fan of San Diego music in general, you can visit the website, listen to the three bands, and “pledge” to see them play at the House of Blues on July 11. By pledging, fans will receive a $5 coupon off the $10 show. The band with the most fan pledges wins the right to play at all three, previously mentioned HOB venues, plus a $1000 dollar travel stipend. The deadline for pledging is June 8 so hop-to-it. The more San Diegans we can inspire to pledge, the higher the chance a San Diego band will win. Deadline for pledging is June 8. As further incentive, Danielle, Alicia and I will be at the July 11 show giving away tickets to upcoming House of Blues shows.

Voting is simple. . . (more…)

Attention San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas musicians, it is your last chance to submit an electronic press kit (EPK) for the House of Blues New Music Nights presented by Live Nation and powered by Sonicbids.

In case you didn’t know, House of Blues is looking for hot, local bands to enroll in New Music Nights, a program that provides an opportunity for up-and-coming groups to rock-out in one of America’s most famous concert venues.

Consider it a contest of sorts, which works like this:

If you are a band, of any genre, that resides and regularly performs in (or within 50 miles of) San Diego, Los Angeles or Las Vegas, you may submit – entirely FREE of charge – an electronic press kit to Sonicbids. These submissions will be reviewed by members of their respective, local music communities and House of Blues booking agents, who will narrow the submissions down to three bands from each city.

These nine bands will then be prominently featured on the House of Blues New Music Nights website, where fans can logon and “pledge” to see their favorite band play at the House of Blues. By pledging, fans will recieve a coupon for $5 off their $10 ticket to the show. The band with the most fan pledges wins the right to play at all three, previously mentioned House of Blues locations sometime at the end of summer.

This is a golden opportunity to gain exposure in three big music markets. It is also a chance to embark on long-term relationship with House of Blues and Live Nation talent buyers. As I said, the EPK submission is free, just be sure to submit by April 29 and the rest… well the rest is up to the Rock Gods.

As for my involvement – well, I’m one of the people deciding which three San Diego bands advance. I’ll also be blogging about the process — you know, writing about why we chose the bands we chose, why we didn’t choose the bands we didn’t choose, and all that fun stuff in the middle — which is sure to please some bands and aggravate the rest. Stay tuned for that deliciousness. In the meantime, get those submissions in pronto! It won’t take but a minute to sign up, but a lifetime to regret you didn’t.

Operation Santa 2010:

My wife, Willow, and I have been spending the holidays in New York where most of my family lives. Around the second day of the visit, my little nephew, James, (who is my sister Barbara’s youngest son) said that some of his friends at school were telling him there was no Santa Claus and he intended to prove they were wrong by providing video evidence.

I told him it was a swell idea, but that it was difficult to catch Santa on film because kids are always trying that sort of thing and he’s gotten pretty good at rooting out hidden cameras. My reasoning for crushing James’ dream like this was because I didn’t want his hopes to get too high, then shattered when no Santa appeared on camera.

However, the following day I got to thinking. Wouldn’t it be great if we staged a visit from old Kris Kringle, caught it on film, and then left it for James to find on Christmas morning?  I talked to Barb and Aunt Willow about it and  loved the idea so much they bought a Santa suit that same day. (more…)