By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
June 21, 2007
It's a Wednesday afternoon at the Casbah in Middletown. Sunlight spills through a propped open door, illuminating the usually dark interior of the legendary San Diego club as owner Tim Mays and DJ/talent booker Talkin' trash with The National's Bryce Dessner sit and discuss the club's upcoming schedule.
Since January of this year, Mays and Pyles – a DJ with local radio station KBZT/94.9 FM – have been collaborating on a new series of shows combining local talent booked by Pyles and the diverse national bands booked by Mays. They call it the Anti-Monday League.
“The basic idea is this: You can go out on a Monday night and see a decent show,” explains Mays, who has been booking concerts in San Diego since the early 1980s. “There is no genre that we're aiming for, no group of people we're aiming for. Most of the time, especially for the local shows, it's five bucks.”
DATEBOOK
Anti-Monday League, with The National and The Broken West
8:30 p.m. Monday; The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown; $12; (619) 299-BLUE
Monday night events are traditionally a tough sell in the San Diego market, as people rest up after any given weekend's festivities. The Anti-Monday League hopes to create an event people will attend even if they don't know the bands filling the bill: “It's something people can look forward to. They may not know who's going to be playing, but they know it's going to be good.”
Chances are Mays and Pyles will not steer you wrong.
Past Anti-Monday Leaguers include national bands like Stellastarr, Meat Puppets and Sebadoh along with local bands like Fifty on Their Heels, Kite Flying Society and a.m. vibe. Pyles plays host, DJing between sets and generally meeting and greeting the crowd.
After booking shows at the Whistle Stop and The Beauty Bar, Pyles feels right at home at the small club on Kettner with the big reputation: “This is the best rock 'n' roll club in San Diego. I grew up here, so I've been a kid who supported Tim when he used to do shows at Carpenter's Hall or Wabash Hall. I was a kid who went to the Pink Panther when I got of age, and then the old Casbah down the street before he moved here.”
Adds Pyles on the Anti-Monday League: “You're going to hear everything from punk rock to dance music on any given night.”
Flash-forward five days to Monday night.
Tampa hip-hop crew Yo Majesty has just exited the stage, leaving the crowd amped and ready to dance. The Casbah dance floor is packed with music fans of all shapes, sizes and styles as DJ Diplo starts his set of mash-ups of old favorites by Paul Simon, The Beatles and Technotronic. The floor vibrates with thumping dance music and frenetic revelers spill out onto the outdoor patio.
It's hard to believe this is a Monday night.
The scene couldn't be any more different from the indie rock of The National (this coming Monday) and the dark drone metal of Sunn 0))), with Earth, Weedeater and Wolves in the Throne Room (July 2), proving Mays and Pyles aren't shy about mixing genres in the series.
“To me, the Casbah is the epitome of what makes San Diego great,” says Pyles (you can check out his DJ gigs and shows at the localpyle.com). “It's our CBGB's. It should be considered more iconic around the world, kind of like CBGB's. A lot of people love and respect this place.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Talkin' trash with The National's Bryce Dessner
June 21, 2007
On the heels of the critically acclaimed album “The Alligator,” this Brooklyn-based quintet recently released the follow-up “Boxer,” a disc brimming with the crisp rock production (a la Spoon), angelic string and horn arrangements and the atmospheric brooding of Matt Berninger's deep baritone croon.
With two sets of brothers in the band, The National is definitely a family affair. Guitarist Bryce Dessner took time recently to talk about “Boxer” and brotherly co-existence during a recent tour stop in Louisville, Ky.
Question: Given that you're playing as part of the Anti-Monday League at the Casbah, are Mondays any different for being a professional musician or do the days run together for you?
Dessner: Honestly, when you're a musician you kind of forget when the weekend is. We played in St. Louis (on a Monday recently) and it felt like a Saturday night. The people were really rowdy and fun. So, we'll be there on Monday ready to have a good time.
Q: I wanted to find out a bit more about the new album, “Boxer.” Can you tell me about the timeline of the recording, how the album came together and if the process differed from previous albums?
Dessner: We started recording in June of last year. For us, touring after “Alligator” was a big step up in terms of the crowds we were playing to and the amount of touring we did. It was almost a year and a half of touring behind “Alligator” so we took our time actually writing the songs and recording for this new record. We took about three months to record the album, both at home and in the studio. So “Boxer” is really a patchwork of home recordings and studio time.
Q: The horns and string arrangements on “Boxer” give the album a lot of depth. How did the compositions develop on the albums?
Dessner: His name is Padma Newsome. He's a touring member of the band. He's a longtime collaborator. He's done arrangements and strings on our last three records. Padma and I have another band together called Clogs, which is an instrumental band. He and I are more classically trained, so we do more concert hall shows (in Clogs). So Padma is an integral part of what we do.
Q: I have to ask you about having two sets of brothers in the same band. Does it help or hurt that you have bandmates that you know so well and that you've grown up with?
Dessner: I think it's a really healthy situation. We have a lot of history with each other. My brother (Aaron Dessner, bass and guitar) and I have been playing with the drummer (Bryan Devendorf) since we were 14. So it's not difficult to communicate with each other musically, which makes writing easier and makes performing a better experience for us and the audience.
The thing about brothers: There is probably more fighting in this band. But we don't fight in the intense way bands do, when bands break up over money or weird business stuff. We're family, so you have bonds with other people in the band. You have a stronger friendship there.
– CHRIS NIXON
DOWN THE ROAD FOR THE ANTI-MONDAY LEAGUE
DJs and punks, Goths and mods. Almost everyone can find music they dig on the Anti-Monday League schedule. Here's a quick look ahead:
July 2: Southern Lord 777 Tour, with Sunn O))), Earth, Weedeater, Wolves in the Throne Room
Dust off your hooded cloaks. Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson – aka Sunn O))) (pronounced “sun”) – returns to the Casbah to practice dark ambient music. Think Black Sabbath in reverse without drums.
July 9: Dr. Dog, Delta Spirit, The Teeth
Retro pop from Philadelphia keeping the spirit of The Beatles alive. Each band member carries a nickname: Scott McMicken (Taxi), Toby Leaman (Tables), Zach Miller (Text), Juston Stens (Trouble), and Frank McElroy (Thanks).
July 16: Manganista, Mighty Six-Ninety and The Hi-Lites
Local show booked by Pyles featuring ska band The Hi-Lites, nu-wave group Six-Ninety and locals Manganista. Pyles on Manganista: “Almost like a localized version of Oingo Boingo. There were all band kids in high school. They're kind of like a cross between Talking Heads and Oingo Boingo.”
July 23: The Cribs, Sean Na Na
British power pop trio of brothers (Gary, Ryan, and Ross Jarman) joins clever wordsmith Sean Na Na (also known as Har Mar Superstar and his real name, Sean Tillman).
– CHRIS NIXON
