No Trans Am-bush

As you can read below, I was worried that my piece on the hyper-political band Trans Am was killed because of content too strong for the minds of Union-Tribune readers. Not so. They just spaced...which says my writing isn't that memorable I guess. Now I know how that red-faced guy screaming at an editor feels when his Letter to the Editor doesn't get printed. Somehow our puny monkey minds always suspect a conspiracy behind each slight, sling or arrow. No conspiracy, just some overworked schmuck forgot to put it in the paper. Fishbone said it best with their awesome album title: "Give a Monkey a Brain, and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe." Cheers, cn

Trans Am nixed

Last week I was scheduled to write a piece on Washington, DC trio Trans Am for Night&Day. I did the interview and wrote the piece, but for some reason the U-T didn't print it. I think it probably had to do with space. I hope they didn't shy away from the band's political views. Either way, here's a peek at what I handed in. I'd be interested to hear anyone's thoughts.

Here's the story:

Over an ominous, minor-key synthesizer riff and a simple drum machine click track, the voice of President George Bush echoes: "Our commitment to weapons of mass destruction is America's tradition. In the battle of Iraq, we destroyed hospitals and schools. In this battle, we have fought for the cause of war…”

The quote does not represent the president’s actual words but a spliced speech reassembled on “Uninvited Guest,” a track from Trans Am’s latest album “Liberation.” The song’s 2:12 minutes reveal the album’s political subtext. The majority of “Liberation” remains a claustrophobic electronic diatribe on the current state of foreign affairs.

“Hearing Bush’s voice just makes people have knee-jerk reaction: a lot of people just cringe instantly,” said Trans Am guitarist/keyboardist Phil Manley during a recent cell phone conversation form the band’s home base in Washington, D.C. “Most of the people who respond to us certainly agree with our politics. In Europe, we’ve gotten a lot of positive response for this song, because this administration is so universally hated.”

The song splices together segments of President Bush’s speech on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s deck, in the rolling Pacific just off San Diego’s shores. Delivered on May 2, 2003, critics have attacked Bush’s address, since titled the “Mission Accomplished” speech. For Trans Am, the address provided the perfect opportunity to have its voice heard.

“Basically, we found the speech online, then we loaded it onto our computer and we painstakingly reassembled it,” said Manley about the making of “Uninvited Guest.” “We tried to recreate the pacing in his voice, which I think we succeeded in doing. It’s so easy to turn those speeches on their end. It was our interpretation of what’s really happening.”

But is taking someone’s voice and manipulating it digitally a legal activity?

“That’s a good question,” said Manley. “Yeah, I think it is. But the best thing that could happen to Trans Am right now if we were to get sued by the government. We don’t sell enough records. People aren’t going to know. But if it were to happen, go for it. Sue the pants off us. I don’t care. It’d be one thing if they were playing it on the radio everyday…but they’re not. They’re not playing it on major networks anyway. It’s not on Clear Channel, that’s for sure.”

Since Sept. 11, 2001, many among America’s music community have written songs about the United States and its political role in the world. From Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (The Angry American)” to Steve Earle’s “John Walker’s Blues,” musicians use the language of music to express their political opinions. While country music habitually represents America’s clear-eyed mainstream conscious, indie rockers often take the easy route using sly cynicism and tongue-in-cheek sarcasm to express political views.

In stark contrast to Trans Am’s eight previous full-length albums on Thrill Jockey Records since 1996, “Liberation” takes a more overt political stance.

“In the past, we may have been dabbling in politics, but certainly only in abstract and obtuse ways,” said Manley, who will perform at the Casbah Wednesday with drummer Sebastian Thomson and bassist/keyboardist Nathan Means. “Both ‘Surveillance’ and ‘Future World’ both have undertones of politics and dystopian societies. But this new one is definitely a full-on assault.”

Often associated musically with the prog-rock/post-punk scene along with Chicago hipsters Tortoise, Trans Am’s sound combines ‘80s synth pop, electro funk and artsy dance tunes. The trio comes by “Me Decade” noise honestly.

“(Our music) stems from being children of the ‘80s,” said Manley. “We were born in the ‘70s, but we really came of age in the ‘80s. I think the first electronic music I was exposed to was probably Herbie Hancock ‘Rockit’ and then also Kraftwerk’s ‘Tour de France’ and New Order’s ‘Blue Monday.’ I remember there was something called ‘Friday Night Videos.’ I remember being totally blown away when I first saw (the video for) this band Houdini. It was all break dancing and a brand new sound.”

But Trans Am’s main mode of communication comes through its music. Manley simply states: “Our lives are mostly consumed by music. That’s pretty much where we make our statements.”

Chris Nixon is San Diego writer.

Datebook
The Casbah
2501 Kettner Blvd
8:30 p.m. Wednesday
$12. Information: (619) 232-4355.

Roots rock ska

Here's the Hepcat piece:

'Ska is not just a fad'
Actor-singer Alex Desert of Hepcat makes the case for the music
By Chris Nixon
May 20, 2004

It's 102 degrees on the steamy freeways of Los Angeles, and Alex Desert is lost. On the way to another possible acting gig, the busy performer doesn't have time to stop for 10 minutes.

Like most lost Southern California drivers, he's multitasking: maneuvering, navigating and talking on his cell phone. Luckily, he's also listening to good tunes to keep himself sane.

"You got me on my way to a voice-over audition – and I'm listening to Tom Jones," says the sincerely upbeat Desert (pronounced "Dez-air") as assorted highway noises zoom by his window. Turning up the Welch crooner's hit "What's New, Pussycat?" on his car stereo, Desert bursts out: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." He adds, "What a great day, man."

Despite the withering weather and the snarl of L.A.'s highways and byways, the New York City native derives joy from his life's numerous directions. Desert's burgeoning acting career includes credits on the television series "Becker" and prime roles in the cinematic cult classics "Swingers" and "P.C.U." He will also take part in the ABC television series "Harry Green and Eugene" debuting in the fall. And, after a hiatus, his ska band Hepcat is dusting off the cobwebs and touring once again, including a stop at 'Canes Bar & Grill in Mission Beach Sunday night.

For the past 15 years, Hepcat led the West Coast contingent of classic ska purveyors. After four full-length albums and thousands of miles on the road, the eight-man collective continues to layer smooth vocals over skipping ska rhythms and a classic full-horn section. The band's music harks to timeless 1950s and '60s ska music (often called the First Wave), holding true to the traditional Jamaican style.

Even though originally Desert hails from Haiti, he didn't listen to Jamaican or Caribbean music in his formative years. He grew up listening to Motown soul as a child in New York.

"Honestly, I'm the kid that sang in the shower," said the 33-year old actor and singer. "I always liked doo-wop. The Temptations are my idols. In high school, I was actually in a doo-wop band. That's how I made money, singing in the subways. Then I came out to L.A. I got my first acting job. I met (Hepcat vocalist) Greg Lee and (keyboardist) Destin Berry and we became thick as thieves. So we decided we'd start a band."

Like the Motown and doo-wop groups almost 50 years ago in the United States, ska artists Prince Buster, the Skatalites and the Wailers (which included Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh) serve as the backbone for Jamaica's storied musical history.

With subjects like love and love lost, ska music represents the innocence of Jamaica's mid-century music much like Motown and rockabilly symbolize a simpler time in American culture. Both rock steady (slightly slower tempo than ska) and reggae (slower than rock steady) sprouted from ska's bouncing beats and soulful vocals.

Ska's development has three distinct periods, reflecting the style's ebb and flow in popularity and its growth to new parts of the world.

Prince Buster and the Wailers belong to ska's First Wave. An influx of Jamaican immigrants to Great Britain brought ska to the UK in the 1970s and '80s, spurring on Second Wave bands like the Specials and acts on the Two-Tone record label.

Ska's Third Wave represents the music's most recent incarnation. With bands like the Toasters, the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble and Hepcat leading ska's resurgence, more Americans tuned into the classic island music. Following a trend started by the Clash in the 1970s, punks like Rancid and Sublime began incorporating ska into their sound.

"Don't get me wrong: I don't knock the new stuff," says Desert on ska's mutations in the past decade. "I think it's great, we're keeping the music alive. Ska is not just a fad. It's reggae's granddaddy. If it wasn't for ska, you wouldn't have Beanie Man. You wouldn't have Boujou Banton."

With Desert and Hepcat starting to tour again, ska fans can look forward to new songs at shows and a possible new album in the next year or two.

Epitaph Records re-released Hepcat's debut album "Out of Nowhere" in March of this year, so the band seems to be pushing toward its own resurgence, its own second wave. But first Desert needs to find his way to the voice-over audition.

"Cool, I know where I'm going now," says Desert. "I've been driving in circles since we've been talking. I'm in a good mood, so it's all right. You caught me on a good day."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

About Hepcat
Hometown: Los Angeles
The lineup:
Greg Lee – vocals
Alex Desert – vocals
Deston Berry – keyboards, vocals
Kincaid Smith – trumpet
Dave Fuentes – bass
Efren Santana – tenor sax
Aaron Owens – guitar
Scott Abels – drums

Discography:
"Out of Nowhere" (1993)
"Scientific" (1996)
"Right On Time" (1998)
"The Swing Session" (1999)
"Push 'N Shove" (2000)
"Out of Nowhere" re-release (2004)

– CHRIS NIXON

San Diego is Burning

I just started a job at REI. The hours were supposed to be part time, but they've been keeping me running between training and working the cycling/paddling department. So I missed last week's transmission. Apologies on my part.

May 13 was a huge week for me in the Union-Tribune. I had three pieces in the entertainment section: my Localese column, a preview on songwriter Ben Kweller and a nuts-and-bolts logistics story on the Vatican exhibition currently running at the San Dieog Museum of Art.

Here's the Localese column (scroll down for the other stories):

Localese
By Chris Nixon
FOR THE UNION-TRIBUNE
May 13, 2004

Feel alone? Lost? Isolated from music-industry meccas like Los Angeles and New York City? Can't seem to connect with local bands you like? Despair at being stuck in the bottom corner of the Left Coast? We have just the compilation for you. ...

If you suffer from the symptoms listed above, Loud+Clear Records can give you the help that you need. Dial in "San Diego Is Burning" (Loud+Clear Records), a compilation of local bands released in April.

Beginning with the bombastic "Double Barrel Breakfast Cereal" from Comfortable for You (formerly Prizefight), the 19-track disc's strength lies in its diversity. Sonic pastiche, blurry guitars dominate Kill Me Tomorrow's "Xerox My Hand," while bouncy oom-pah-pah tuba balladry and singing saws ooze from Black Heart Procession's "From the Shores of a Washed Up Heart." The album also packs two songs from the No Knife camp: a cool remix of "Riot for Romance!" (which comes off sounding a bit like the Cure's classic "Mixed Up" album) and a sweet acoustic solo track by Ryan Ferguson titled "Wait for Me There."

All in all, "San Diego Is Burning" serves as a road map to San Diego's punk and indie-rock bands. And the best thing: Even if you don't like the music, half the profits go to a good cause. Fifty percent of the compilation's proceeds benefit the San Diego Humane Society. Your purchase supports local music and helps the Humane Society give aid to the area's animals. You too could help kitties and puppies. For just a one-time fee of $5.99 (plus tax), you get much, much more than just a CD.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Mr. Kweller rising

And the Ben Kweller piece:
On his way
Despite looming stardom, Ben Kweller remains a humble guy – 'I'm just really lucky'
By Chris Nixon
May 13, 2004

Tearing through a noisy version of his latest single "The Rules" on the "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" show on April 14, Ben Kweller and his band ripped it up with a nationally televised, all-out performance.

Emanating a relaxed joy and a confident strut, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter proved his perfect garage-pop packages deserve their current attention and praise. Despite his demeanor onstage at "Late Night," performing on TV still freaks Kweller out a bit.

"It's never an old hat," says Kweller, during a concert stop in New Orleans. "Each show, you get more experience doing them, but I'm always just as nervous as the first time I stepped on a TV set. I've done Conan three times. His dressing room is full of guitars. Last time we were there, he was working on the (Beatles') 'Let It Be' guitar solo. So this time I asked him, 'Did you get the guitar solo down?' He said: 'Yeah, I got it down pretty good, but I can't sound like (George) Harrison.' "

Even though he's mingling with the lanky, red-haired comedian and other stars, Kweller remains down-to-earth and humble. Oddly enough, young Kweller, growing up in Greensville, Texas, listened to "Let It Be" constantly, drawing on the Beatles' ability to excel in a variety of settings.

After a stint as grunge rock's savior in his band Radish (which only released one album, 1997's "Restraining Bolt"), Kweller struggled to find himself as a solo artist. Basically forgotten by his label, the songwriter started his career from scratch to rebuild it his own way.

"You want to talk about the start of Ben Kweller, it all starts with me moving five years ago to New York City," says Kweller. "I didn't have any friends. I moved there with my girlfriend Liz Smith. We didn't know anybody. We moved into an apartment in Brooklyn. I made a record on my computer. I looked around the room and I didn't have a band. So I said to myself, 'I guess I'm a solo artist now.' "

Slowly, Kweller remolded his career. While playing solo acoustic gigs around New York, his self-produced album "Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller" found its way into the hands of Evan Dando, and the Lemonheads singer loved "Freak Out." On his next East Coast tour, the two hopped into Kweller's car and hit the road: "We put two guitars in my Volvo, and I drove him up and down the East Coast. And I opened up for him every night."

Experiences like touring with Dando and opening for Juliana Hatfield and Jeff Tweedy started a buzz around the young artist.

"There was this snowball effect. I'm just really lucky," says Kweller. "There were all these people and musicians who I loved so much taking me under their wing. There was no label hype. I was just doing it out of the trunk of my car."

Touring with his mentors gave Kweller enough exposure to hook up another record deal, but he wouldn't just sign with any company. O's Michael McDonald – who started the record label with Dave Matthews – approached Kweller after one of his gigs. The fledgling label's unconventional attitude and McDonald's personable style convinced Kweller to sign with ATO. The arrangement has proven to be a good decision for both label and artist.

"I was so set on building my own thing on my own. After the whole Radish experience, I wanted to be responsible for myself," says Kweller. "I just signed on the dotted line. I didn't look anywhere else. I just knew these were my kind of people. It really is a family."

The critics raved about the Brooklyn-based singer's ATO debut "Sha Sha," catapulting Kweller into indie rock singer-songwriter stardom. Mixing humor and heady lyrics, 2000's "Sha Sha" is an album of beautiful pop songs. Kweller sings: Don't bother me / When I'm watching Planet Apes on TV on title track "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" and Lately I'm finding / I am the book and you are the binding on "Wasted & Ready." Not bad for a 20-year-old kid. Not bad for any songwriter.

After touring for two years, Kweller's act had morphed into a semi-collaborative band setting. The live shows set the stage for recording Kweller's follow-up album, pushing the band to recapture genuine off-the-cuff energy.

"I was on the road with my boys for two years, touring for 'Sha Sha,' and we got so tight onstage and so intuitive," says Kweller, who will perform at 'Canes Bar & Grill in Mission Beach tonight. "I would show the guys a new song every once in a while at sound check. We'd run through it once or twice and it would sound perfect. I would say to myself: 'Why aren't we in the studio right now?' We had one song we started playing live a lot and it lost that first-time spontaneity. Every one starts to learn their parts and it gets tight, but it can lose its soul sometimes."

So, Kweller decided to keep the songs a secret from his band until the day of recording. Producer Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams) also put the band in a room with no headphones. The result is 2004's "On My Way," 12 tracks of retro rock and soaring harmonies (see review on Page 22). With a live visceral feel and stellar songwriting, Kweller's album is an early candidate for best albums of 2004 lists.

On "The Rules," Kweller sings: Show me all the rules, girl / I just want to get 'em wrong / Show me all the rules girl, I just want to belong. From phenom to forgotten and back again, Kweller has learned the rules the hard way and he's better for the experience.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Vatican at SDMA

Here's the Vatican piece:
The Lives of the Popes
'Saint Peter and the Vatican' chronicles 2,000 years of history, and bringing it to San Diego was a massive undertaking
By Chris Nixon
FOR THE UNION-TRIBUNE
May 13, 2004

Approximately 3 feet high and 5 feet long, the rectangular wooden crate, painted blue, seemed unimportant – then Monsignor Roberto Zagnoli began pulling priceless artifacts from it.

The largely ceremonial uncrating of "Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes" only hinted at the hard work, political maneuvering and careful planning done behind the scenes to bring this exhibit to life at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.

The simple crate belied its extravagant contents and the request for vigilance seemed an understatement: 391 works of art, insured for $60 million, traveled thousands of miles from Italy to San Diego – the exhibit's only West Coast stop.

Once installed, the exhibition's quiet beauty can say little about the thousands of hours invested by the museum to bring the Vatican's largest exhibit to ever tour North America here.

The 15,000-square-foot exhibition follows the Catholic popes' roles through 2,000 years of European history, from St. Peter through Pope John Paul II, in the gathering of these religious icons.

Following the uncrating and press conference last week, Zagnoli, a curator at the Vatican Museums and the man chiefly responsible for exhibit in San Diego, sat outdoors at the museum's Waters Cafe and explained the motivation behind mounting an unprecedented exhibition of this size.

"We tried to address two characteristics or answer two questions," said Zagnoli through Italian interpreter Elizabeth Hiel. "First, we tried to respond to people who think that the Vatican is a mysterious place. We wanted to open the doors of the Vatican and show people inside the Vatican through this exhibition.

"The second thing was to show the intentions of the pope throughout the centuries and to focus on this aspect of dialogue: the dialogue between humankind and culture, the dialogue of the church with itself, the dialogue of the church with other religions, the dialogue of the church with other cultures and finally, the dialogue between the church and the modern era.

"This is how the exhibition is broken up thematically. You basically follow the life of a pope."

How does an exhibition of this scale make its way from the Vatican to North America and back again, safe and sound?

First, the Vatican had to decide on which items would be making the trip to America, a process that sounds rather bureaucratic at its best.

"We gave a list of works of art to the (Vatican's) secretary of state," said Zagnoli. "Then, we had to talk with the different entities within the Vatican, because the Vatican isn't just one big entity. There are different jurisdictions within the Vatican. We had to discuss with all these heads of the different jurisdictions regarding which items should be included in the exhibition.

"This doesn't mean we were fighting," said Zagnoli with a smile. "It's just a part of the dialogue going on within the Vatican."

Once the necessary discussions were resolved, the objects were flown from Italy to the United States in 106 wooden crates. Each crate holds multiple items; the artifacts are packed with foam, reinforced with an inner crate and surrounded by another layer of foam.

From the first exhibition spot in Houston, and then on to the other museums schedule to host the exhibition in the States, the objects travel by ground transportation. After stops at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Museum Center, the exhibit reaches San Diego via 15 trailer trucks, each 53-feet long.

In each city, a lengthy installation process is needed to set up the thematic environments. In San Diego, the installation will ultimately take three weeks according to Jeffrey Wyatt, vice president of production for Clear Channel Exhibitions and the person responsible for the design, setup and breakdown of the exhibit in each city.

Installing all of the objects, building environments and focusing the lighting takes a staff of about 30 craftsmen, scenic painters and lighting technicians.

"Every time the objects travel, we have to look at every object, check it out and document its condition," said Wyatt during the San Diego setup. "At the same time, we're putting together all these cases, over 100 cases and moving all these environments and walls and theaters in a short amount of time. It's quite an operation."

According to Wyatt, approximately 500,000 people have seen the exhibit already in Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Cincinnati. He expects 250,000 more to visit the San Diego Museum of Art installation, its last stop. At $18 a person – although some discounts are being offered – that's a lot of money.

"Generally, earned income (earned income is defined by admissions, door sales, general membership, fees for classes and lectures) accounts for approximately 30 percent of our (annual) revenue," said Heath Fox, the museum's acting executive director. "For this exhibition, we should make what we would with any reasonably successful summer exhibition. There will be no windfall.

"Revenues from this exhibition will be used to support future exhibitions and education programs, and allow us to continue to provide high-quality programming for the community."

Fox, however, would not say how the revenues from the show will be divided between the three presenting entities – the Vatican, Clear Channel and the museum.

"An exhibition of this size, with nearly 400 objects, coming from as far away as Rome, and requiring the high level of care necessary for the number of historical objects it contains, is expensive," he said. "Special ticket prices are applied in order to make it possible to bring this exhibition to our Southern California audiences."

Dealing with an exhibition consisting of irreplaceable religious icons, the final and maybe most important aspect of "Saint Peter and the Vatican" remains security.

"Contractually, (Clear Channel was) obliged to take certain measures," said Wyatt, a San Diego native who now lives in San Antonio, Texas. "It comes down to the object's security, involving alarms, cameras, etc. The museums we chose have a record for high security and no losses.

"The other aspect was climate. The museums we chose also had very good climate-control systems, controlling not only temperature but also humidity. We had to put those in the plan for the Vatican. There is a multilayer security plan to insure the safety of the objects."

Steven Kern, San Diego Museum of Art curator of European art, added his perspective on the museum's ability to handle a large-scale exhibition such as "Saint Peter and the Vatican."

"This exhibition receives the exact same attention that all of our other exhibitions, as well as pieces in our permanent collection, receive," said Kern. "We don't differentiate between something that's worth $10 or something that's worth $10 million. All of these are priceless objects.

"Nothing that we deal with on a daily basis can be replaced, at least that's my approach as a curator. .. . Each one of these objects shouldn't be looked at for any type of financial value, but for their cultural and historical importance and the stories they can tell."

In it's final sojourn before heading back to Italy, "Saint Peter and the Vatican" will touch many people: art connoisseurs, European history enthusiasts and, especially, religious folks who may never get a chance to go see these pieces in Italy at the Vatican.

"There has been a desire by John Paul II as a pope to let people appreciate the Vatican's artifacts, understand them and learn more about the history," said Wyatt, summarizing both the impetus and the public's reaction to the exhibition. "For Christians and non-Christians alike, this is history that is important and these are objects that are talking about that history.

"For Catholics, it's about learning about their history and growing closer to their faith. For non-Catholics, you can look at the art for art's sake and also the tremendous historical value."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Anya Marina, PB Block Party and Slipknot

The past few weeks were a blur. April turned out to be a slow month for me freelance-wise, but in May things are definitely picking up. Also started a part-time job at REI selling bikes, kayaks and canoes, so I'm learning about all the gear too.

I had two stories in this week's Night&Day (which is the Union-Tribune's entertainment section), and I have two more coming out next week (including a huge piece on an exhibit on art from the Vatican stopping in San Diego). But first this week:

The Pacific Beach Block Part is a free, annual festival in party central: P.B. Here's the Night&Day cover story I wrote last week. The cover art is great (see above). I actually hung out for the photo shoot. Ernie Grafton from the Union-Tribune shot photos of Anya under the Crystal Pier in P.B. during a sunny afternoon. Good stuff:

Good Day Sunshiny!

Anya Marina multitasks her way to the Pacific Beach Block Party

By Chris Nixon
May 6, 2004

Anya Marina's sweet sunshiny songs and breathy vocals reflect her sweet sunshiny personality. But by a simple twist of fate, the local singer-songwriter and radio DJ almost didn't get to sing her sunshiny songs in sunny San Diego.

"I moved down to San Diego and two months later I'm out of a job with a studio apartment I have to pay rent on in P.B," said Marina over a coffee at the Starbucks on Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach. "I started playing gigs in my unemployment, doing open mikes at Java Joe's.

"I was able to get a little foothold in the great nurturing San Diego music scene. Everybody was so helpful. Mike Halloran has pretty much kept me employed over the years at different radio stations: 92.1 FM, Y107 in L.A. and now FM 94.9."

Marina's patience with San Diego paid off. Balancing her full-time radio gig at FM 94.9, her acting career and her life as musician, the slight singer carves a creative existence out of the local music scene. She DJs Monday through Friday from 6-10 p.m. at the local station, while also holding down the San Diego music show the Local 94/9 on Sundays from 8-10 p.m.

Among the radio gigs, Marina's songwriting career seems about to take flight.

Her debut EP, "Exercises in Racketeering" – recorded with help from Unwritten Law's Scott Russo – won her great local press. CityBeat named Marina as one of the "Best Unsigned" acts in San Diego. She looks to release her follow-up full-length album "Miss Halfway" this summer.

But she's still looking for a label to release the disc. What do you have to do to get music critics and label pundits to help a sister out?

In the meantime, Marina prepares for her first gig at the Pacific Beach Block Party: "I just went to Kono's for the first time, because I'm trying to immerse myself in P.B. culture," said Marina. "I lived in P.B. when I first moved to San Diego. Kono's has an amazing view and pretty greasy, awesome food."

She'll perform on the Local 94/9 Stage at Gresham Street and Garnet Avenue from 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Anya Marina's 10 favorite albums:
1. Beatles' "The White Album"
2. Elliot Smith's "XO"
3. Sinead O'Connor's "The Lion and the Cobra"
4. Nirvana's "Nevermind"
5. The Pixies' "Doolittle"
6. Liz Phair's "Exile In Guyville"
7. Stephen Malkmus' "Stephen Malkmus"
8. G. Love and Special Sauce's "G. Love & Special Sauce"
9. Rugburns' "Taking the World by Donkey"
10. Sheryl Crow's "The Globe Sessions"

– CHRIS NIXON

And here's the Slipknot story:

Slipknot promises to 'offer a dose of reality'

By Chris Nixon
May 6, 2004

Gut-splitting. Severe. Massive. Fearsome. These words articulate the crux of Slipknot, an irate metal collective from Iowa set to detonate on an unsuspecting mainstream America.

Full of rolling farmland and desolate plains, the unlikely breeding ground of Iowa spawned one of modern music's most fierce combos. From their hometown of Des Moines, Slipknot rose out of the Midwest prairie in 1996 like a nine-man revolution against insular God-fearing, family friendly life.

When you think about it, a band like Slipknot – with its vitriolic metal railing against ignorance and conformity – could only come from a bastion of family values. Despite developing a hardcore grassroots following affectionately referred to as "maggots," Slipknot remains outside the musical mainstream of America. And that's just fine with lead singer Corey Taylor and his tribe.

"I think a lot of the popular music that's out there today is very slick, very packaged and very plastic," said Taylor via his cell phone during the band's current tour. "We offer a dose of reality in a world that lives in illusion. We pull back the rug and show what's going on underneath. As long as we're on that level, I don't think we'll be on the level where we're playing the Super Bowl or anything. But you know what? We can live without that."

Like a Halloween party gone awry, this collective dons menacing masks and matching red jumpsuits. Band members – simply using monikers numbered from zero to eight – burst out of the late-'90s rap-metal explosion.

Rougher than Limp Bizkit and more musically deft than Korn, Slipknot rose above the metal glut with haunting turntable samples, dense percussion, hard guitars and Taylor's angst-ridden lyrics. The band's music struck a chord with America's disaffected youth, but the brutal nature also pushed away certain demographic groups.

"Not everybody is going to like this music," said Taylor, who also goes simply by the numeral "#8." "As much as I would love to be embraced by everybody, it's just not going to happen. It makes you appreciate the people who are really into your music even more. It's a really good feeling, to know that we started in a basement in Des Moines, Iowa, and basically worked our way to (playing) pretty much all over the world. How many people can say that?"

With a mind-shattering live show and two bombastic studio releases ("Iowa" in 2001 and 1999's self-titled debut), Slipknot exudes a frenetic energy. The band's high-profile slots on Ozzfest (1999, 2001 and 2004) have afforded Slipknot a taste of notoriety.

After building up metal cred for the past five years, Slipknot might be poised for surprising success. Reason No. 1: Legendary knob-twister Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash) produced the band's upcoming release, "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)" due May 25. Rubin delved into the band's psyche by adding more atmospherics and more contemplative passages.

"(Rubin) basically told us, 'Look, you're really good at what you do, but now it's time to expand on that. Now, it's time to break out of the box and show people there are so many sides to you guys,' " said Taylor. "And that's basically what we did. I think this is our best album yet."

With Rubin's help, the new album will certainly open up new avenues and audiences for Slipknot. But the band hasn't forgotten it core constituency: kids dealing with the frustrations of growing up, looking for any release from the pressures of modern life.

"We're saying what every kid wants to say, but maybe they haven't found their voice yet," said Taylor, who takes the SOMA stage Sunday with the rest of his band. "We're saying it to the individual, but we're saying it to the world as well: There is a way to get through it and go on with your lives.

"Being a teenager these days is even worse then when I was a kid. It's brutal and it has scarred a lot of people. (Our music) lets you know you're not alone. You're not going through this alone."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Cracked rearview mirror

I wrote my first show review for the Union-Tribune this week. The Von Bondies played the Casbah Sunday night. The concert finished up at 1 a.m. and the story was due at 9 a.m., so it was a challenge to write this one. Hopefully it makes sense. Here's the result:

POP MUSIC REVIEW
Von Bondies' bluesy rock a blast

Heartaches, Dance Disaster Movement rev up revelry at Casbah

By Chris Nixon
March 30, 2004

'Not since the Strokes have I seen a show like this, man," said a tattooed music fan with a shaved head, shaking his head in disbelief after the Von Bondies won the hearts of the Casbah crowd Sunday night. "Not since the Strokes."

While the Motor City seems brimming with bands loaded with hype and lacking in substance, the Von Bondies proved themselves worthy of praise and proselytizing during their Sunday performance. Led by guitarist/singer Jason Stollsteimer (who cites Screamin' Jay Hawkins as one of his influences), the Detroit-based quartet put a spell on the sold-out Kettner Boulevard venue with its loud brand of bluesy, garage rock 'n' roll.

The evening's three-band lineup brought three hours of loud, brash performances, each adding its own voltage to the night.

With twangy guitars revving to full growl and a lanky lead singer spurring the crowd on, the Heartaches opened the show with Ramones-style rock: short, quick three-minute blasts of unbridled intensity. The San Diego-based five piece didn't "warm up" the show as much as tenderize the onlookers, yielding the stage after a 30-minute set to the enigmatic duo known as the Dance Disaster Movement.

Garbed in white T-shirts, white jeans and white Converse high-top sneakers, Kevin Disco and Matt Howze took the stage after 10 minutes of wrestling with the complicated circuitry of Disco's synthesizer and guitar setup. DDM proved to be worth the wait.

Once under way, the Long Beach-based two piece launched into a 35-minute collage of spastic synth funk. Keyboardist, guitar player and vocalist Disco recorded each instrument for a few seconds, looping the instrumentation. The slight Disco would then grab a microphone and sing with abandon, dancing wildly like some body-rockin' robot engaged in an erratic herky-jerky break dance.

The Heartaches brought the tenderizer and DDM infused the audience with twitchy energy, setting the stage for the headliners.

Touring in support of its recently released "Pawn Shoppe Heart," the Von Bondies tore down the house with its 45-minute set and 10-minute, two-song encore.

Kicking of its show with "Hello San Diego, we are the Von Bondies," Stollsteimer led his three band mates through 17 thundering rock songs. Whether crooning or bolting around the stage during a guitar solo, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter radiated charisma and a deep devotion to the music.

But the Von Bondies aren't a one-man show. The quartet felt like a coherent whole: All band members shared vocal duties and pushed the music forward with their instruments. Churning out favorites like "C'mon C'mon," "The Fever" and "Cryin'," the band's cohesiveness resulted in tight, explosive rock tunes; the show held no trace of clichéd, drawn-out endings.

During the encore, the Von Bondies urged the Casbah crowd to clap along, and San Diego's hipsters complied. For a brief three-hours, the 175 attendees reveled in total abandon, heading home with ears ringing, heads buzzing and not a thought to Monday morning.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Flogging a sleepy Nixon

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind: four pieces in the U-T, nine band profiles for SignOn and a Padres spring training
feature for the Web site as well.

Here's a link to the Padres feature

Sleepy Jackson, Union-Tribune (3/11/04):

POP MUSIC
Wake-Up Call

The Sleepy Jackson mines country, rock and ballads for 'Lovers' everywhere

By Chris Nixon
March 11, 2004


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DATEBOOK

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The Sleepy Jackson, with Earlimart, On the Speakers
8:30 p.m., Saturday; The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown; $10; (619) 226-7662

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The Australian quartet the Sleepy Jackson unleashed the consummate melancholic pop album from last year, "Lovers." There are always stories that define an album's direction and the tone of the songs included, so how did a relatively unknown band on the international scene create an instant classic?

One of the clues to deciphering the story of "Lovers" reveals itself in the cryptic liner notes. The notes of the Sleepy Jackson's first full-length album contain all the necessary components: lyrics, credits, "shout outs."

One graphic element sticks out, just a blank business card with the name "Michael" and the digits "0418869998" jotted on it. In sloppy (yet different) handwriting, the card also reads "R.I.P., XO, Luke."

"Michael" is Michael Lock, a journalist-writer friend of the Sleepy Jackson's. The number refers to Lock's phone number, which, during the recording of "Lovers," singer-songwriter Luke Steele was going to call after he made a quick trip to Europe.

"I only knew him for two years before he died," said Steele from his hometown of Perth, Western Australia. "We became really good mates. He was one of those friends who challenges you every second you are speaking with him.

"You could never let a comment slide with him. He's probably the most intelligent guy I ever met. We were just finishing up the album, and the band went to Europe. While we were gone, he died. He overdosed on pills. You can still hear his voice on the answering machine."

The Aussie singer said Lock had a major influence on the lyrics of "Lover," a sweeping panorama of sad country tunes and breathy sing-along choruses. The album is dedicated to him.

After reading the lyrics to "Lovers," Steele sounds more like a blues songwriter rather than a writer of dreamy pop, and he comes by the blues honestly.

Steele grew up in a musical family. His dad, a respected blues player Down Under, held weekly jam sessions that featured musicians such as the internationally known harp player Charlie Musselwhite. With the lessons of his father fresh in his mind, the young Steele set out to conquer the music world in his own fashion.

"Growing up as the son of my dad – who was the president of a blues club – I would hang out there every Tuesday for like 10 years," said Steele. "I kind of got turned off blues, like the 12-bar blues. And I've kind of tried to make a distinct change through writing complete pop tunes. I think I was at a point then when I distinguished between styles a bit more. And now I'm coming back to (the blues)."

Named for a narcoleptic drummer in Steele's former jug band, the Sleepy Jackson combines country music, indie rock and acoustic balladry. After serving time in rock groups and jug bands, Steele fostered his own songwriting style: equal parts psychedelic pop and country twang with a touch of acoustic balladry.

Since releasing several EPs in Australia, the Sleepy Jackson released "Lovers" last year to critical acclaim. The disc reflects the geography it grew out of: It's a quiet pop album from the sleepy town of Perth on Australia's western coast.

Despite Steele's central role as main songwriter, the Sleepy Jackson becomes more like a band as time progresses.

"The drummer, Malcolm Clark, has been in the band for three years, so he's just as much a member of the band as I am," said Steele, who will perform at the Casbah Saturday. "I guess I'll always be kind of the captain, 'cause I know what the songs need to have.

"So, in a way, I guess I had to do it my way. Now we have two brothers playing bass and guitar, and Malcolm like a brother as well. It's more of a band than it's ever been."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

Flogging Molly/St. Patrick's Day in the U-T (3/11/04):

POP MUSIC
'You Can't Go Wrong with Family, Music and Sing-alongs' . . .

. . . as long as, like Flogging Molly, you've got the right mix of 'weird people' in the band

By Chris Nixon
March 11, 2004


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DATEBOOK

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Flogging Molly

7:30 p.m. Saturday; SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. Suite I, Midway area; $20; (619) 226-7662


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Accordion player Matt Hensley has reason to pour his road rage into his music: He's currently commuting almost daily from Carlsbad to Los Angeles and back.

The San Diego native finds appropriate therapy in the City of Angels, where his band, Flogging Molly, is currently recording a new album. And his rage finds a good home in the band's music, a potent brew uniting Irish balladry and punk rock aggression.

"At the end of the day when I'm driving home, it feels like we're doing something special," says Hensley from his cell phone during one of his commutes back from Los Angeles, the hum of his speeding vehicle providing background noise. "Right now, it's Tuesday through Friday: I drive about four-and-a-half hours a day and practice five or six hours a day. So I'm basically a truck driver who plays accordion."

A truck-driving accordion player fits in with Flogging Molly, a band melding sweet acoustic sentimentality with sweaty, blue-collar brawn. The band's story begins appropriately at a pub, Molly Malone's on Fairfax Boulevard in Los Angeles.

After a few pints of Guinness, impromptu jam sessions would break out and often a rambunctious Dubliner named Dave King would initiate the festivities. Born out of merry sing-alongs and Harps-soaked lullabies, King and the Flogging Molly crew have exuded the same exuberance in their many shows since.

"If you pay attention to the music, it's very fast groovin' music," says Hensley, who doesn't try and hide his love for traditional acoustic music despite being raised on Southern California punk. "In every culture, people sit around and play music. But it seems specific to a couple of cultures: people get together, bring their kids and sing and play music together. You can't go wrong with family, music and sing-alongs."

In the past four years, Flogging Molly has progressed a long way from Molly Malone's, releasing two critically acclaimed albums: "Swagger" (2000) and "Drunken Lullabies" (2002).

While Flogging Molly came from traditional Irish music jam sessions, the band contains enough punk rockers to give it an edge.

"We're not a band full of Irish people," says Hensley, a former professional skater who started playing accordion at age 24. "I'm an American and I've lived in Southern California almost all my life. I've always surfed and skateboarded.

"The songs we're singing, all the lyrics are completely done by Dave (King), who is from Dublin, Ireland. He's singing about the harshness and the beauties of living in that country while he was growing up.

"Half our band is old punkers and skaters from different parts of California. So you just put all these weird people together: half the band are punks and the other are playing traditional instruments. And it's like, 'Let's do it, man.' "

St. Patrick's Day brings bread-and-butter gigs for Irish bands, so Flogging Molly will be taking a break from recording to play a series of shows. This Saturday, Hensley will be driving south instead of north, heading to a Flogging Molly show at SOMA to help San Diego celebrate.

But after the dates are done, it'll be time for the accordion-playing truck driver to hit the road once again until the album is finished. We'll have to wait to hear the album, but you can bet it'll be full-on Flogging Molly.

"We're always trying to ... make better music and make people smile more. That's what this is about," says Hensely. "We're trying to experiment with new things, but it will always be Flogging Molly."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

The monthly Localese column for the Union-Tribune (3/11/04):

ALBUM REVIEWS
Localese

March 11, 2004

This month's column focuses on three drastically different discs, giving credence to the growing diversity in San Diego's music scene.

Sunny afternoon at PB: Originally from Hawaii, now hanging in San Diego, ska-punk trio Pepper unleashes its third album on Volcom Entertainment, "In With the Old" (two and a 1/2), on March 30. Beginning with a rock vibe before easing into a few mellow ska/dancehall tunes, the varied album evokes a pleasing blend of ska, punk, country-tinged ballads and melodic rock. Recorded at 311's studio in Burbank, Pepper connects with its ska offerings, but comes off a bit weak on the "harder" tunes ("Keep Your Head Bangin' "). The acoustic "Your 45" showcases the band's ability to switch gears.

High speed through the desert on I-8: Hyperbole aside, John Reis is a high-quality San Diego musician putting out high-quality music: Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes, Swami Records and the Sultans. Going under the nom de guitar Slasher, Reis joins forces with his brother Dean (aka Black Velvet) and RFTC drummer Tony DiPrima for a straight-ahead rock trio setup in the Sultans. The band's second release, "Shipwrecked" (four stars), finds the Reis brothers and DiPrima firing on all cylinders with 14 stripped-down, two-minute rock tunes. Simply put, "Shipwrecked" is one of San Diego's best '04 moments captured on tape.

Dark Gaslamp lounge: Equal parts downtempo, jazz chanteuse and neo-soul, San Diego vocalist Minga oozes sensual R&B on her debut EP, "Flipside" (three and 1/2 stars). When jazz and electronica are mixed, it's easy to slip into ill-guided smooth-jazz territory. Under the excellent guidance of producer Danny de la Isla, the five-song disc comes off sounding more like Everything But the Girl's electronica explorations than any cheesy elevator fodder. It's available to everyone online at Amazon.com and in local record shops. For fans of loungy downtempo, file "Flipside" under "must have."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.

A CD review for the Union-Tribune (3/11/04):

ROCK
The Push Stars

"Paint the Town"

33rd Street

Two and a half stars

This Boston-based trio follows in the footsteps of matchbox twenty and Train, producing pleasing pop harmonies and easily digested songs. Singer-songwriter Chris Trapper, backed by bassist Dan McLoughlin and drummer Ryan MacMillan, plays it safe on the Push Stars' fourth full-length album.

From the orchestral overtones of the opening track, "Claire," to the jangly guitars of the album's first single, "Outside of a Dream," the Push Stars nail the pop-rock formula but fail to take lyrical and musical chances. The remainder of "Paint the Town" floats by almost without notice.

Method to the madness

From a crackling intercontinental phone stretch from my couch in San Diego to Scott Kirkland's Berlin hotel room, I spoke with the half of the Crystal Method recently. Apparently, my voice kept cutting out, but I could hear everything he said fine. It really makes normal conversation impossible when you are forced to repeat yourself two or three times. He was a nice fellow and we made it through the interview, albeit with more stops and starts than 1-5 northbound traffic on a Friday afternoon. Here's the result:

POP MUSIC
'Boom' Years

The Crystal Method hit its stride following a simple credo: 'We basically make music we like'

By Chris Nixon
March 4, 2004


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DATEBOOK

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The Crystal Method, with DJ Hyper

9 p.m. Saturday; 4th & B, 345 B St., downtown; $20; (619) 231-4343


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With the addition of 2003's "Legion of Boom," the Crystal Method epitomizes the best of American techno, giving us a future beyond simply repetitive dance music.

This Las Vegas-bred, Los Angeles-based duo blends raucous block-rockin' beats with its brand of metallic, gritty guitar work and hip-hop swagger. From their early Vegas days formulating a pan-dance-floor sound, the Crystal Method's Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland have always maintained a keen sense of balance between rock, metal, hip-hop, down-tempo and mainstream electronica.

For Kirkland, the unique balance of genres results from the bevy of influences he experienced as a teen.

"Growing up in the '80s, the edgiest music was heavy metal and rock, so I listened to Judas Priest, AC/DC and Metallica," said Kirkland, speaking from a hotel room on a tour stop in Berlin, Germany. "Then, I discovered New Order and Depeche Mode.

"Later, I listened to Public Enemy and EPMD. The L.A. rave scene in the late-'80s and '90s also played a part. All of those influences drive what we do in the studio and contribute to what we like to hear in the studio. As simple as it sounds, we basically make music we like."

After a move to the City of Angels in the mid-'90s, the duo burst onto the national scene with 1997's "Vegas." The thundering beats and infectious rock guitar riffs of that debut gave the Crystal Method well-deserved recognition in pop and electronica. The Crystal Method followed in 2001 with "Tweekend," with a complex jungle of vocals by Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) and guitar wizardry by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine). The next year found Jordan and Kirkland doing "Community Service," an excellent DJ remix disc with tracks from Rage Against the Machine and Orbital.

But 2004's "Legion of Boom" might be the duo's best release yet. The Crystal Method has refined its careful tightrope act between genres, and the album exudes a consistent party vibe throughout.

"We took about seven or eight months to make this album, so it actually came together a lot quicker than previous albums," said Kirland. "I think we were more conscious of not letting ourselves get carried away, and not spending too much time on a track.

"We took much time tweaking the album on 'Tweekend.' We labored over it too much and it turned out to be a very dense album. For this album, we made a conscious effort to strip things down a bit. We wanted to listen a little bit better, in the sense of knowing when to move on, knowing when something is right and not second-guessing it. I think that helped push us along at a better pace for this album."

The Crystal Method's journey has taken Kirkland and Jordan further than they ever dreamed, and they plan to continue on the journey as long as people will listen.

"As someone who started out almost 10 years ago now, we had no idea that we would have a career in music," said Kirland, who along with Jordan will perform at 4th & B Saturday. "At the time, American electronic music was pretty below the radar as far as attention and record sales.

"We were hoping we would have some success in Europe and the UK, and maybe produce and do remixes. We just kept putting out 12-inch (recordings), which turned into a record deal, which turned into a great opportunity for us in Vegas, which turned into two records and a million and a half record sales.

"Now, we're on our third album. So it's a dream come true to be able to make music for a living and be able to have success doing it. I want to keep doing it as long as people are into it and we have fun doing it."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.