In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- Old-school punk's popping off here tonight (info)
- If you aren't a jersey-wearing, trash talking football fan on Monday nights, you must be a drunk poet. (info).
- Free nail care for all at Beauty Bordello (info)
- No Gossip Girl tonight? Aaak. At least there's the comfort in Lady Dottie. (info)

MORE: TODAY, TOMORROW and WEDNESDAY

by T. Michael Crowell at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

College Night at Legends is the restoration of a dying strain of nightlife. The kind where college students can do the unthinkable act of acting like ... college students ... at a bar. It's a naive and almost utopian thought, but a small San Marcos sports bar is making a bold and daring move, opening its doors once a week to students in the area interested in redefining the social landscape.

Located right across the street from Cal State San Marcos inside Grappa, you can hardly tell Legends is a sports bar and grill when College Night rolls around. There are no frills or gimmicky themes, just cheap drinks and an upbeat atmosphere. Running from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. (the night ends at 10 if you're not 21), College Night at Legends has become an instant hit.

The crusader for college students in attendance is bartender/promoter/CSUSM student Greg Reese. Known for his magnetic personality behind the bar and stiff drinks popular with the crowd, it's easy to forget the guy is at work. Drink deals hover in the $1 to $5 range so students should have little problem equating drinks to dollar menu items.

Continue reading "The STUFF OF LEGENDS: College Night at Legends Bar" »

by Ben Roffee at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Music festival season may be over, but it's never too late to start planning for next year.

Dates for the 2009 Coachella Music and Arts Festival have been announced: April 17, 18 and 19.
Please note the mid-April dates, which are two weeks earlier than usual. Hopefully that means it won't be so blazing hot during the day. But then again, perhaps this bikini moment wouldn't happen, either.

Stay tuned for band and ticket information. Or you can check here obsessively.

And keep in mind that this is Coachella is celebrating its 10th year, so there may be some pretty cool reunion shows. (Pavement?? Please??)

by Nina Garin at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Artist: A revitalized version of Deerhoof
Album: "Offend Maggie"
Label: Kill Rock Stars
Cover art: Andy Worhol's worst nightmare.
Album characteristics: Cute and crunchy in all of the right places. Deerhoof's 10th album proves to be its most balanced. This new release is freewheeling, energetic and well-orchestrated. The cloying sloppiness that has plagued the band's previous efforts isn't completely absent though, it's just toned down this time.
Sounds like: A Sonic Youth Easter party.
Noteworthy tracks: "Chandelier Searchlight," "My Purple Past" and "Fresh Born"
Overall: The San Francisco-based noise-rockers Deerhoof seems to have done its homework. Satomi Matsuzaki's and her band mates finally found the perfect balance of brain-numbing guitar riffs, ambient sounds and introspective melodies in their new release. Deerhoof purists will love "Offend Maggie," and this time, so will everybody else. Tenth time is the charm for these Bay Area art-rock sweethearts.

by Alexander D. Garin at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- The sweaty sounds of the '60s by Black Lips at BUT (info)
- The Mars Volta at SDSU (info)
- Are you a low talker, high talker or close talker? Find out at USD (info)
- And you may find yourself at Humphrey's (info)

MORE: TODAY; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The stage is set for one of the most anticipated vice presidential debates in memory to be held at Washington University in St. Louis (6 p.m. PST) between Joe "Obama's not qualified to be president" Biden and Sarah "I'll get back to you on that" Palin.

This will be one of the first significant challenges on the national stage for Palin, whose qualifications are increasingly being questioned. Biden needs to prove he can get through a public event without stammering for words or forgetting the name of the guy at the top of his ticket.

Wading through the morass of contradictory statements, blubbering and outright misinformation requires a serious filter. It so happens alcohol is just the thing.

Street's VP Debate Drinking Game Rules:

1. Every time Palin mentions a member of her family (Todd, Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper or Trig), or "family values," stand up, interlock arms in a circle, sing "We Are Family" and drink.

2. When Biden says "Scranton," "blue-collar" or "working-class," drink a Budweiser, slap your burly buddy on the back as hard as possible and crush the empty can against your forehead.

3. Drink a Labbat Blue when Palin calls herself a "hockey mom."

4. Take an Alaskan Pipeline shot when either candidate mentions domestic drilling.

5. If Biden criticizes "Washington insiders," or attacks Palin for being inexperienced, take a sip for every year he's been a U.S. senator (that would be 35).

6. Chug a cosmopolitan when Palin mentions the "liberal" or "mainstream" media.

7. When Biden says "malarkey," clandestinely pour some coffee grounds into your neighbor's glass, then point and shout, "what's all that malarkey in your drink?!"

8. Every time Palin says "musn't," take a shot of Jim Beam, mutter something about how "grammar ain't dat important anyways," and then pray for the children.

9. Every time Biden says "literally," drink an Absolut Suicide.

10. Drink a mindbender if Palin completely flubs a question.

If at any point during the debate you forget whether this is the actual Sarah Palin or Tina Fey playing Palin, finish all the drinks on the table. Don't forget to tune back to Street on Tuesday, Oct. 7, for the drinking rules for the next presidential debate.

Photo: Associated Press

by Tovin Lapan at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The apocalyptic guitar surges, the twinkling toy piano melodies, the pounding drums, the haunting chanting of singer Jónsi Birgisson. It's arguable that no other man-made sound possesses the power to terrify and soothe simultaneously better than the music of Sigur Ros. The ethereal rush leaves you curled up in the farthest corner of your mind, drenched in your emotions, sucking both thumbs, smiling and sobbing at the same time. Listen for yourself here.

It was during one of the band's dramatic mid-song pauses at their Copley Symphony Hall performance Wednesday that the instrumental storm came to a halt, the lullaby was hushed and for 30 seconds or so time stood still. Or at least it was supposed to have stood still. And it probably stood still at that moment in every other show the band had ever played up until that moment in time. And it will most likely continue to stand still at that moment in every other show the band will play in the future. But not last night.

Someone broke the silence with a "woo." Which in turn inspired someone else to go "WOO!" And then another. "WOOOOO!" And finally someone actually shouted "SEEEEXY!" as if it were a bachelorette party and the four skinny Icelanders were hired strippers. It almost seemed as though Birgisson refused to resume until he achieved at least 10 consecutive seconds of quiet.

I wanted to hurl my shoe at all of you, but especially you, "SEEEEXY!" shouter, more than I have ever wanted to hurl anything at anyone ever before. But not before smearing it in whatever happened to be floating in any of the toilets in the men's room. And I bet I wasn't the only one.

by Derrik Chinn at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Are you really, truly looking for a recap of last night's totally deflating episode? The one where nothing happened, where all four designers got a pass to Bryant Park? That one?

It hurts me too much to go into detail, so here you have a list of all that went wrong:

1. Heidi's leopard-print dress.
The hideousness should have been a foreshadowing.

2. Kenley not smiling.
Kenley not smiling is even more annoying than Kenley smiling. Though it did inspire the short little ditty by Leanne, "I'm not going to smile today," sung in a high-pitched, Bob Dylanesque drone.

3. The bees attacking Leanne at the New York Botanical Garden.
It was the site of this week's challenge. Pretty flowers and evening gowns. Gee, how inspired.

4. Kenley leaving her bag of tulle at Mood.
This actually could have been the greatest thing to ever happen. Jerell and Korto wouldn't share their tulle because, why would they share it with evil Kenley? And then there'd be some super dramatic awkward tension and fighting and tears. But no. Tim said Kenley could go back to the store and pick up her tulle. End of story.

5. Learning that Kenley was brought up tough and on a boat.
Don't try to pull our heart strings by showing us baby pictures of Kenley on a boat and then let her blame the sea life for her stinky attitude problem and overall disrespect.

6. Korto's lace. Blech. Kenley's fish scales. Double blech. Leanne's purple fruity mess. Vomit.
The only interesting look was Jerell's. I thought this dress (pictured) was my favorite of the season. But looking at a close-up photo, I take it back.
Which leads me to my next point . . .

7. The runway show.
Is this a program about clothes? Then why can't we ever see much of them?

8. The question: Who would you take with you to Bryant Park?
Yes, Kenley deserved to be called out. But watching her getting picked on by everyone felt too much like the worst day of high school.

9. The cop-out ending.
Jerell won the challenge. But he didn't actually win at all, did he? Because all four designers got sent through to Bryant Park and one will be cut next week. And it could include Jerell. So the point of this episode was? NOTHING.

10. Having to suffer for two weeks more of this.
The finale isn't until Oct. 15. But it's too late. We've stopped caring. And really? Who cares. I mean, what will become of the winner? They design a tacky outfit inspired by a Saturn car?

by Nina Garin at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Social outings in the near future that you should be aware of: the sweaty, twangy sounds of the '60s by Black Lips at BUT; bleepy, bloopy Norwegian pop by Datarock at the Casbah; and "Hell's Kitchen" tryouts at Hard Rock. Press play and we'll explain.

by Derrik Chinn at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone's well aware of the jukebox celebrities that reign over this town, which is why you won't find Turf Club, the Liars' Club, the Whistle Stop or Live Wire in this foursome. The following is by no means a best-of catalog, but merely a cross section of music vending machines around San Diego that deserve the occasional George Washington. We've dubbed them the following:

1. "So Cheap it Probably Prefers Pesos"
2. "The Lone Non-Red Object in the Place"
3. "The Box that Just Wants Everyone to Get Along"
4. "The Wave of the Future"

Their true identities and where they reside here.

by Derrik Chinn at 06:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- Jason Voorhees haunts the Birch North Park Theatre (info)
- Who knows when Sigur Ros will trek so far away from Iceland again (info)
- Gogol Bordello does Soviet bloc rock like none other, but we hear Kal may steal the show (info)
- The Burning of Rome: perhaps the craziest music you will ever hear (info)

MORE: TODAY; TOMORROW; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The queen of bar room Blues, Lady Dottie and the Diamonds
Album: "Lady Dottie and the Diamonds"
Distribution: Hi-Speed Soul
Album art: The picture of front woman, Dorothy Mae Whitsett, perfectly captures the spirit of this high-energy band.
Personal style: Blues diva and the indie-rock boys who worship her.
San Diegoness of sound: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds won Best Blues at the San Diego Music Awards last month. The group's revived a brand of sexy bar Blues that, yeah, sounds like early Rolling Stones, but with a loose San Diego vibe.
As big as the Rolling Stones?: Now that's just not fair.
Best song: "I Ain't Mad at Ya" and "Fuel to Burn."
Overall: So is Lady Dottie and the Diamonds just as good when you're sober and at home? Hells yeah. I was worried the disc would be all slick and studio sounding. But the recording captures the gritty and raw dance party feel.
Our advice: Please Ms. Whitsett, give me singing lessons.
See here for a show schedule.
Or here to listen.

by Nina Garin at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- Experience the therapeutic effects of laughter at Lestat's Coffeehouse.(info)
- Everyone loves Swim Party and so will you. (Info)
- Get your Zydeco on (info)
- The man is a legend (info)

MORE: TODAY, TOMORROW and THURSDAY

by T. Michael Crowell at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Less than 100 feet south of the U.S./Mexico border sits la Casa del Tunel, a house that once contained the entrance to a subterranean passageway through which drugs and undocumented migrants traveled north. It now serves as an international art center, with galleries, a live-work studio and a rooftop performance space and community cafe, thanks to Consejo Froterizo de Arte y Cultura, the border region nonprofit responsible for the house's transformation.

Read more about the Tunnel House here and here.

See a map of how to get there here.

by Derrik Chinn at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Washington Street Skate Park is a killer place to skate. No really, I'm not kidding, the place is lethal.

Carnage is commonplace under the renovated Pacific Highway underpass.

Some random dude split his head open while I was taking notes for this, and someone else took a nasty spill as I was leaving the park. On top of that, everybody kept running into one another other at break-neck speeds the whole time I was there.

This place is nothing like a suburban skate park. No way, those parks are smooth and mellow. Old ladies walk their dogs there. This one is rough and tumble. Only the local Hessians can manage to skate it with any kind of finesse.

The local Hessians, who rule the park, work a lot like an outlaw biker gang. They keep to themselves, seldom make eye contact with visitors and skate their turf as fast and as recklessly as they possibly can.

Parents, this isn't the skate park you'd want your kids to be hanging around in, but it is the place your kids might wander off to anyhow. The trolley station across from the Washington Street park makes sneaking away to the other side of the tracks a breeze.

Weirdly enough, the locals don't seem to mind the extra company. Sure they ignore the kids, but the two converging groups seem to get along pretty handsomely.

The unkempt locals just recently put up a "children crossing" sign in the most squalid, industrial part of town. How cute. Plus, the nonprofit organization that runs the place looks to have recently jettisoned alcohol from inside the park -- wait a second, but those guys love beer.

Continue reading " CARNAGE FOR KIDS: Crossing the tracks to Washington Street" »

by Alexander D. Garin at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)