WEEKENDER: Group Think

1. More often than not, high schoolers have much more interesting ideas than adults. See this year's group of budding playwrights.
2. "Mean Streets" in a junk shop.
3. Jasper Johns' reception.
4. Catch trans superstar Candis Cayne's amazing, traffic-stopping routine at Urban Mo's Friday.

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SEND-OFF: Just keep repeating to yourself: 'One more day' (36)
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BARONA POWWOW: Revisiting tribal traditions (3)
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OBAMA'S JOURNEY: Win a documentary DVD (1)
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STREET PEOPLE: Buckeye, Charger and husband (18)
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THE PENETRATORS: Pioneering punk band guests Monday on "Fill In The Blank" (3)
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January 16, 2009
THE PENETRATORS: Pioneering punk band guests Monday on "Fill In The Blank"

W_Penetrators_Hot-Spot-Mag.jpg In 1977, four pioneering San Diego punk bands -- The Penterators(shown at left), The Zeros, The Dils and The Hitmakers -- performed together at the Adams Avenue Theater, although three of those four bands soon moved on to seek fame and fortune in Los Angeles, San Francisco and even London.

The Pentetrators, who will guest Monday on Fill In The Blank, my weekly live Web radio music interview show on AmplifySD.com, stayed put in San Diego and spent the next seven years spearheading the punk scene here, opening shows for The Ramones at SDSU in 1978, sharing bills with X and headlining countless gigs at such now much-missed venues as the Skeleton Club, the North Park Lions Club and Abbey Road. By 1980, The Pens were big enough to sell out Golden Hall; by 1984, the band was no more, although its former members went on to play in such fabled area bands as the Beat Farmers and The Jacks.

Penetrators drummer Dan McClain, who gained greater notoriety as Country Dick Montana in the Beat Farmers, sadly died in 1995. The Pens reunited in 2005 to play five songs in his honor at a memorial concert at the Casbah, then reunited once more a few months later. The Pens have not performed again since, which makes their pending Saturday reunion gig at the Casbah really special (lead singer Gary Heffern is flying in from Finland.) We'll have a feature on the band in this Thursday's Night&Day.

Heffern and his fellow Pens -- Chris Sullivan, Joel Kmak, Chris Davies and Jim Call -- will, I'm happy to report, all be guests on my Monday show. You're invited to phone in your questions and comments for them at our handy toll-free number: (866) 818-6384.

EL VEZ: Ayy, it's the Mexican Elvis

Two things that always blow my mind about Elvis:

One: He was addicted to Feenamint, a laxative chewing gum I had the misfortune of knowing as a little kid. The King and I both battled constant constipation (he probably needed more ruffage, less fried peanut-butter-banana sandwiches).

Two: One of the most popular Elvis impersonators is the former San Diego punk star (from The Zeros) Robert Lopez, aka El Vez.

Catch El Vez's mix of Chicano power and "Hound Dog" tonight -- hopefully that includes his version of "You Ain't Nothing But A Chihuahua" -- as part of the Casbah's 20th anniversary jailhouse rock party.

OBAMA'S JOURNEY: Win a documentary DVD

Obama-DVD-Blog.jpgJust in time for Inauguration Day comes the release of a new documentary entitled "President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey," which chronicles the rise of the 44th president of the United States. The DVD features exclusive election night footage from Chicago where Barack Obama accepted the nomination for president.

Street has 20 copies of the DVD that we're itching to give away to true Obamaniacs. The first 20 people who email us with the correct answer to all three parts of the Obama trivia question below will take home the DVD. Include "Obama DVD" in your subject line.

Blair Underwood narrates the story of Obama's rise in U.S. politics, and the DVD also features interviews with Martin Luther King III, George Lopez, Hill Harper, Roland Martin, Linda Johnson Rice and Congressman Jesse Jackson, as well as other prominent national personalities. It explores the post-election and the significance of this moment in U.S. history. "Journey" also features a previously unreleased original song by Brian McKnight.

Trivia Question: It is well known that Obama enjoys basketball and is a solid athlete. Which high school did he attend, what year did he graduate and what was the basketball-related nickname he earned while playing there?

REVIEW: From Cuchi Cuchi to Honey Glaze

W_IMG_6776.jpg This (left) is Cristina Rivera.

She and her husband, Luis, run their own health supplement company. And in the 90s, she owned Cafe Chabalaba.

But last night, at the Casbah's 20th anniversary show, she transformed into Charo.

She had the deliciously gaudy dress, the poufy hair, a bunch of maracas and shakers, and of course, the accent.

Instead of playing Charo classics like "Cuchi Cuchi," however, Rivera and a band of boys unleashed the best of hard rock on a crowd of adoring fans.

They performed lots of Led Zeppelin classics as the show was called "Stairway to Charo," afterall.

There were some Van Halen hits. And even Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

And all the while, Rivera shimmied, shaked and posed despite several comments that being on stage, with so many lights, wasn't easy on her menopause.

That set was followed by the Honey Glaze reunion.

Continue reading "REVIEW: From Cuchi Cuchi to Honey Glaze" »

WE ARE ONE: Beyonce, U2 to perform for Obama Sunday

W_Beyonce--.jpg President-elect Barack Obama has already made history, but the all-star musical lineup that is set to salute him Sunday at We Are One: The Obama Inauguration Celebration at The Lincoln Memorial may make a little history on its own.

Among the artists who will perform are, in alphabetical order: Beyonce (at left), Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Jennifer Nettles, U2, Usher, Shakira, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.

They'll be joined by a host of Hollywood celebs ands sports stars, among them Jack Black, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Tiger Woods, Rosario Dawson, Laura Linney, Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.

HBO, which is exclusively televising the three-hour extravaganza, has invited its television servie providers to make the conxert available for free to all their customers," which means you should be able to tune in for free. In addition, NPR will air the concert live and stream it on its Web site.

BIG BOSS MAN: New Springsteen album streams free on NPR

W_People_Springsteen_NYET84.jpg You won't have to wait until Jan. 27 to hear "Working on a Dream," Bruce Springsteen's new album with his well-oiled E Street Band. The album will stream, for free, beginning Monday night at 8:59 p.m. San Diego time, on NPR's Web site.

But you won't even have to wait until Monday for a preview, since all 13 songs on the album can now be heard by clicking onto this link on Springsteen's Web site. At least they can in theory -- when we tried, the songs didn't come up, possibly because the traffic was too heavy with other fans wanting to hear the same songs at the same time.

According to the Boss' Web site, "Waiting on a Dream" can be pre-ordered from iTunes and amazon.com. However, while his Web site notes that the album, his 24th to date, will be released Jan. 27, it makes no mention of the fact that the only retail chain that will be selling physical copies of the album is Wal-Mart.

Given Springsteen's long record as a supporter of the working men and women of America, and of unions, his move to Wal-Mart (whose labor policies have often been attacked as unfair to its employees) is an intriguing one that he has yet to explain. Yet, considering how there are fewer and fewer record stores in this country, he may have felt he had little alternative but to follow in the footsteps of AC/DC and The Eagles, both of whose most recent albums were exclusively sold at Wal-Mart.

Continue reading "BIG BOSS MAN: New Springsteen album streams free on NPR" »

January 15, 2009
BIG MAC ATTACK! Fleetwood Mac due here May 31

Fleetwood Mac is back -- and headed our way. The Anglo-American band will bring its Greatest Hits "Unleashed" tour to the San Diego Sports Arena for a May 31 show, which will mark its first San Diego performance since a 2004 date at Coors (now Cricket Wireless) Amphitheatre.

The band currently features four of the five members of its best-known and most popular lineup from the 1970s, specif8ically, singer Stevie Nicks and singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, along with charter members John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums. (Singer-keyboardist Christine McVie has not worked with the group since its 1997 reunion tour.)

Tickets for the May 31 Sports Arena show here range in price from $49.50 to $149.50 each. They will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Jan. 26 at Ticketmaster.

However, American Express card holders can buy pre-sale tickets, which will be available between Jan. 22 and Jan. 25. Fans who really want to splurge will be able to buy "5 Star" VIP packages, which include a ticket in the first 10 rows, a meet-and-greet with drummer Mick Fleetwood, parking and more, including a pre-show dinner. The cost? $695 to $820, per person.

That's less, incidentally, than the $549.50 it would cost you to get a VIP ticket for Britney Spears' upcoming "Circus" tour, although Brit is only selling VIP tix in pairs, which means you'd have to fork over $1,099 for a pair.

Still, we're curious: How much are you willing to pay to meet your musical idol(s) and get a primo seat near the stage? $300? $500? $5,000? Let us know -- and please tell us why, or why not, you'd pay big bucks to do so.

SEND-OFF: Thursday

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REUNION: Honey Glaze rocking it like its 1990

>A look at some of the local bands reuniting for the Casbah's 20th anniversary.

Honey Glaze with Stairway to Charo.
When: 10 tonight

Years active: 1990 to 1993
Members: Gary Shuffler; Mike Abdelnour; Josh Higgins; Dave Kopler
Known for: Being ridiculously popular. The grunge-inspired group helped kick-start the whole 1990s local scene.
Catching up: Higgins is a graphic designer; Abdelnour lives in L.A. and works in the music industry; Kopler works for the forest service in the Bay Area; Shuffler does stage production and still performs locally as Ziggy Shuffledust and in other projects.
A tale of two bands: Because Honey Glaze was always selling out its shows, their friends, the emerging Stone Temple Pilots, used to open for them. (Years later, STP took Honey Glaze on one of its tours.)
Reuniting: "None of us has seen each other in years, but we're all excited to get back together in honor of the Casbah," Shuffler said.

TOP CHEF: Chefs sharpen their knives

ariane-blog.jpgNow that the lower tier of chefs has been eliminated, the competition has, as expected, gotten fiercer in the Top Chef kitchen. You can learn a lot about Top Chef, the competition and group dynamics from watching Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer. Last night, when it was time for the cheftestants to step up their games while working in groups of three, was a perfect example of this. As Cesar would tell you, the dog (or human) who puffs their chest out the furthest and commands respect gets it. It's not about being aggressive; it's about being dominant. Some people took charge and were better off for it, while others who followed ended up taking the brunt of the judges' verbal stick.

None worse than Ariane of course, who went home last night after consciously succumbing to the will of her teammates, the canoodling Hosea and Leah. Leah herself was pushed around by Hosea, and, along with Radhika, was chastised for not contributing enough. Ariane went home though because she allowed Hosea and Leah to control the team, and was left with the difficult charge of butchering and cooking the lamb. It seemed like half the problem was the substandard tying of the lamb roast, which Leah did. Of course she didn't step up at the judge's table and let Ariane take the hit, so you can blame Leah. But if Ariane had been dominant and barked back a little bit in the planning stages, she wouldn't have been in that position in the first place.

This week's rankings reflect the developments in the last episode, rewarding those who took leadership roles and demonstrated a competitive desire. Just like last night's quickfire judge, Season Three winner Hung Huynh, can attest, this isn't a popularity contest. The ones who can channel the butcher inside will make it to the finals.

Top Three (in no particular order):

Stefan: Of course editing makes him look like a jerk, and there's a strong possibility he is one. But he is clearly a confident, skilled chef who wants to win.
Hosea: He led his team to a loss this week, but was one of the top three in the quickfire challenge. He has performed well so far, and Stefan is fueling his competitive spirit.
Jeff: Made some mistakes last night, but his fried green tomatoes saved his team from losing. He was in the top three for the quickfire, and has had moments of inspiration this season.

Pack Your Knives:

Carla: A lot of people didn't perform well this week, but I'm sticking with my pick from last week. Carla's pastry got good reviews, but you don't win Top Chef with pastries. She still hasn't won a single challenge, and she continually takes the back seat when working in a group.

STAND & DELIVER: John Legend wants to make a diffference

W_John_Legend_293525_PUB1.jpg The Dixie Chicks and Linda Ronstadt both became national pariahs in recent years for using their concerts to voice - however briefly - a political opinion some people found very controversial.

But don't tell that to John Legend, who believes that being engaged in civic discourse and speaking one's mind is a right that shouldn't be shirked, on stage or off.

"It's not a requirement or an obligation. But I think every citizen in America is a participant in democracy, and in how our society works, and I don't think musicians should be looked down on if they are saying something that merits being said," noted the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter.

Accordingly, Legend's ongoing concert tour includes nightly performances of "If You're Out There," a heartfelt song of hope and inspiration hope that he also performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver last summer. It includes such uplifting verses as:

If you're ready, we can shake the world / Believe again, it starts within / We don't have to wait for destiny / We should be the change that we want to see.

He also sings out for "no more broken promises" and "no more call to war," while lamenting that time is running out if today's daunting challenges are to be met with any hope of success.

"We make introductory remarks to 'If You're Out There' and there are some visuals that go with it that make it more powerful," said Legend, who performs here tomorrow night at UCSD's RIMAC Arena with his 10-piece band. "I won't spoil it by saying more, but the way we present it really makes an impact."

Continue reading "STAND & DELIVER: John Legend wants to make a diffference" »

REUNION: Stairway to Charo

charo-b.jpgA look at some of the local bands reuniting for the Casbah's 20th anniversary.

Tonight: Stairway to Charo with Honey Glaze
Where: The Casbah
When: 10 p.m.





Stairway to Charo's story starts back in '93 or so at the Casbah's original locale (now the Kava Lounge), when Tim Mays launched a night for local bands to cover their favorite big names, be it Lynyrd Skynyrd or the New York Dolls. Cristina Garcia called dibs on Led Zeppelin, and even though she wasn't in a band, Mays agreed.

Then, while walking back from brunch at Casa Sanchez on Adams (which, in those days, was where the young and heartburn-immune went to down coffee, salsa and champagne in one sitting), Cristina happened to stroll by a box of vinyl outside a record shop. And who happened to catch her eye from atop the pile? Charo, the shoulder-shaking Spanish singer, actress, dancer and flamenco guitarist, wearing a wet T-shirt (of course) bearing her nonsensical trademark one-liner "cuchi-cuchi" (of course). After hearing the first track, a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together," Cristina was in love. If Charo can cover the Stones, she thought, she could cover Charo covering Zeppelin.

She rounded up her jam band neighbors ("the stoners who lived around the corner"), who were more than thrilled to play the Casbah, and Stairway to Charo was born. What was only supposed to be a one-time gig led to several, and soon bands began approaching her to do other covers: Charo Trick, Charvana, Charo Smith, Jefferson Charship.

Here (see unassumming gray player above) Cristina talks about meeting the real Charo, meeting the real Cheap Trick and the one Charo show she just couldn't do because it would have involved more than one woman on stage. Oh, and having to find a new wig for Thursday's show because she donated her original head of faux hair to the dog's Halloween costume long ago. One needn't be a man to be a drag queen, you know.

charotrick.jpg

PLAYLIST: R&B Weekend

johnlegend-blog.jpgOne group has been around for the over a decade, and has sold more R&B albums than anyone in history. Hot on their heels, a fresher soul singer with five Grammy awards in his name comes to town just a day later. Wrapping it all up is a mid-week bash where people are sure to sing for joy.

To find your route to rhythm and blues click play below:





January 14, 2009
STREET PERSON: Margaret Noble

W_NCnoble293233x002.jpg There's no place like home for electronic music composer, teacher and former DJ Margaret Noble, who grew up here and then spread her wings far and wide.

After living in Hawaii, Chicago, Seattle, Santa Barbara, England and Austria,, she has returned to San Diego, where she graduated from Mission Bay High School in 1991 and later earned a degree in philosophy from UCSD. "I swore I'd never come back here, but this is where I'm supposed to be," said Noble, 36, who is now a film and art teacher at High Tech High School's Media Arts campus at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

When not teaching, she spends her time creating richly layered musical soundscapes. You can hear her work on her Web site. Or you can experience it in person at downtown's Sushi, tomorrow night through Sunday, when she provides the musical score for "Incidental Fear of Numbers," which is choreographed by Leslie Seiters for the little known dance theatre and Tijuana's Lux Boreal troupe.

Are your students at High Tech High aware of your previous life as DJ Margaret Noble, jet-setting Chicago house DJ? "They are. That's the reason I got the job, because of my previous life as a professional DJ. I don't have a formal teaching credential, but all of these DJ gigs and other things I did added up. Now, I have an ROP (Regional Occupational Program) credential, based on my work experience."

It's a very enlightened approach to education. "It's pretty cool that there's this new movement in education, where instead of only getting people who studied a subject to teach it, they also get people who worked in that field -- like a chef who opened and operated a restaurant -- to teach students."

That's quite a DJ rig you have here in your living room. Among other things, you have an autoharp and a turntable, side by side. "Yes, digital and analog, together!"

Your rig also includes a small silver disc that makes very interesting sounds that you can manipulate as it spins on a small mirror, to which you have connected a contact microphone. "It's an Euler's disc, pronounced Oiler's disc, and it's a physics toy that teaches an important principle about physics. I'm always on the quest for unique toys and instruments. It sounds really good with a microphone on it as it goes through a distortion pedal. It's like a coin, and the mirror is completely flat, too. Listen what happens when I add reverb and gain."

It sounds like the helicopters in Apocalypse Now. "I wrote the person who created the Euler's Disc, J. Bendic, and he tells me they used it for the helicopter sounds in the movie 'Platoon.' "

How do you use it in your composing and performances? "Well, for one, just to build up tension. It's interesting to have just before, or after, something happens, musically. I really like to do that with a drum machine as well; when you speed things up, I think it builds the audience's anticipation and ropes them into following the composition more. Something getting faster and faster seems to wind people up. And I like to use it for textures, stretching it as an ambient sound that mixes in with other things."

So, going left to right, what specifically does your rig contain? "I have my lo-fi turntable, a Vestax Handy Trax. I'm missing my Techniques turntables, but I sold them when I moved back here and I'm not really DJ-ing anymore. Then, I have an Oscar Smith autoharp, with a built-in pickup. I have it feeding into the mixer, which is what I feel the real instrument is. I also have an EBow (an electronic bow for guitars, that is used in place of a pick), which plays the autoharp pretty nicely. Then, I have two little music boxes; one is happy sounding and one is sad. I ordered one online and Leslie Seiters, the choreographer I'm collaborating with at Sushi, found the other."

Continue reading "STREET PERSON: Margaret Noble" »

SEND-OFF: Summer in the city

There's more to do than tweeting ...

- Cheap fun galore with Get Back Loretta at the Casbah (info)
- Hot weather calls for some Louisiana "swamp pop" (info)
- Assortment of dances, free lessons, $1.75 drinks (info)
- Catch up with Bartenders Bible at Bar Pink (info)

MORE: TONIGHT; TOMORROW; WEEKEND

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