Roots music from a different root

Nortec Collective adds a new dimension to annual Adams Avenue Street Fair

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
September 22, 2005

'The writer Andre Breton basically said Mexico is the most surreal country in the world. If that's the case, then Tijuana is the entry point to most surreal country in the world," says Jorge Verdin, aka Clorofila, a member of the Tijuana-based electronic music cooperative known as the Nortec Collective.

Verdin and the rest of the Nortec Collective find inspiration in Tijuana's surreal back alleys and the bright lights of Avenida Revolución, their music representing the past and future of northern Mexican all in the same breath.

Saturday night, the Nortec Collective brings its distinct sound from Avenida Revolución to Adams Avenue, as the group headlines the Park Jazz & Latin Stage of the 2005 Adams Avenue Street Fair.

Based around the work of five electronic musicians – Bostich (Ramon Amezcua), Fussible (Pepe Mogt), Hiporboreal (Pedro Beas), Panoptica (Roberto Mendoza) and Clorofila (Verdin) – the collective melds the booming tuba of traditional northern Mexican musical styles with the cutting-edge beats of electronic dance music into its own surreal style of music.

Brought to northern Mexico by German immigrants, norteño and tambora resemble a Latino-influenced polka music. Substituting the tuba for traditional stand-up double bass, along with brassy arrangements and marching drum snare, tambora represents a slamming together of cultures: Germanic and Mexican. Add to the mix Tijuana's border culture, and you find Nortec's distinctly urban sound.

"If you grew up in Tijuana, you grew up listening to (norteño and tambora) whether you wanted to or not," says Verdin during a lunch break from his day job, where he works as an art director in an advertising department in the Los Angeles area. "That's what's on the radio, that's what the cab drivers listen to, that's what the neighbor listens to really loudly. You don't really give it much thought, because that's what the masses listen to. Later on, I started realizing the worth of it."

With the release of 2001's "The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1," Clorofila, along with the rest of the Nortec Collective, burst onto the international dance scene. The music's highly percussive nature resembles Latin-tinged drum 'n'bass, with ambient keyboards and horns added on top of churning beats.

After the album's release on the trendy World Music label Palm Pictures, the five musicians found themselves as unwilling poster children for the Tijuana art scene and unwitting representatives of border culture.

"We've been given this role of 'cultural ambassadors of the Tijuana arts scene,' but we're really not that involved in the arts scene," said Verdin, commenting on the sudden exposure granted the collective in 2001. "And we're not ambassadors, because if you're an ambassador you're putting a good face on the city.

"You're selling Tijuana as this great, wonderful place. We really don't do that. We show a lot of the gnarly side of Tijuana. There're a lot of cultural issues that you can't synthesize down into a soundbite. It's a really complex situation, and often it's a disagreeable, nasty situation."

After a legal tangle with Palm Pictures, the scrapping of "Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 2" and a five-year hiatus from releasing discs as a collective, Nortec returned this year with "Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3." The album sounds as fresh as the original 2001 release, with the added bonus of more live musicians this time around.

"Everyone wanted to use live musicians more this time to round out the sound a little bit," said Verdin. "Using samples was a cool place to start, but after a while you get sick of manipulating samples and being restricted by what's already been recorded. It was just more natural to have a musician play something instead of twisting samples to sound the way you want."

With the addition of Nortec Collective to the historically acoustic and rootsy Adams Avenue Street Fair, some traditionalists might cringe at the inclusion of electronic music. But Verdin disagrees: "The source of where we get our sound is mainly a traditional regional music of Mexico. So to me, it's not that far of a stretch."

The free festival stretches across two days, with 70 bands on six stages drawing thousands of Americana, roots rock and traditional music fans to Normal Heights.

Just for the day, Normal Heights might prove more surreal than Tijuana itself.

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

Graham Parker in Night&Day

Parker is still battling against the 'agenda'

By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
July 28, 2005

'You've got to own every channel, if you want to own every mind," rails Graham Parker in his trademark gravelly voice on "Vanity Press," the opening track on his 2005 album "Songs of No Consequence."

The latest barrage in a career full of sharp literate lyrics, "Vanity Press" takes a sardonic look at an overbearing media.

Parker's been cutting to the chase with his songs for 30 years. On his 1976 debut album ("Howlin' Wind"), he sang: War mongers laughing loud behind a painted face / Throwing tidbits to the crowd then blowing up the place. On 1988's "Don't Let It Break You Down," he sang, Some people are in charge of pens that shouldn't be in charge of brooms / They have the nerve to rip up a man's life in a paragraph or two.

"I think there was so much pent emotion and rage when I was young," said the 54-year-old songwriter from his home in upstate New York. "There are very intense songs like 'Don't Ask Me Questions'; people have described it as political in a way. It's railing against establishment and 'war mongers' and all that stuff. But I'm doing it in a way that isn't literal.

"'Vanity Press' is much more literal because it mentions current events and the current media (environment), but it still doesn't put it in a bland folk singer kind of way," continued Parker in his gritty British accent. "Right now, basically (the novel) '1984' is here. It's all fake news. Basically, Jon Stewart is more accurate than what you see on most of these networks. There's very little real reporting that gets through now. People are too scared. There is too much agenda going on."

After recording 16 full-length albums, songwriting has always been Parker's strength. As a lad growing up in London, he listened to underground ska and American soul music. After a brief interlude into '60s psychedelia, Parker rekindled his love for Motown and ska legends like Desmond Dekker. And that's when he found his voice as a songwriter,

"I think I wrote my first song when I was 13; it was a sort of Beatles rip-off," remembers Parker. "But I couldn't play guitar. I'm a very slow learner in everything, and I'm still learning. It's probably the reason my career has such longevity, because I'm still figuring it out."

By immersing himself in the soulful pop hooks of the Supremes and the Four Tops while staying true to the edgy British music of the '70s, Parker found widespread fame with his band Graham Parker and the Rumour. With his 1976 release "Howlin' Wind," British critics discovered Parker's ability to turn a phrase and stick a chorus in your head for weeks. But the band's fourth studio album -– 1978's "Squeezing Out Sparks" -- is a portrait of a songwriter and a band hitting their stride. The group went their separate ways after 1980's "The Up Escalator," but the experience of working with the Rumour helped Parker's abilities as an arranger.

"The songs that became my first album, they were skeletal. The Rumour werevery experienced musicians, so they basically taught me through osmosis what arrangement was and how to make a song full of detail," said Parker. "So that comes naturally to me now."

This year, Parker teamed with Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based trio the Figgs for "Songs of No Consequence," 12 tracks that highlight the songwriter's words in tight rock packages like "Vanity Press," "Bad Chardonnay" and "Chloroform." He's currently touring the West Coast with Figgs guitarist Mike Gent as the Graham Parker Duo, playing acoustic sets.

"Everything I do is a rock 'n' roll record," says Parker, who performs with Gent Tuesday at the Casbah. "Even if it's very acoustic oriented, it still rock 'n' roll, 'cause rock 'n' roll is an attitude not a tempo."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

From Fela to Femi, Afrobeat lives on

Femi Kuti carries on, and expands, a family tradition

By Chris Nixon
FOR THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
July 22, 2005

'Fe-la," "Fe-la."

Traffic is stopped on the crowded streets of Lagos, Nigeria. It's 1975, a time of political and social unrest. Musician and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti walks from his home to his nightclub, the Afrika Shrine. People stand on their cars to catch a glimpse of the man: small in stature but large in presence. Fela – rarely seen in more than just Speedo shorts – struts to his club, where his band, Afrika 70, will perform its high-octane African funk into the wee hours.

The crowd chants his name, over and over: "Fe-la," "Fe-la."

Much like the meaning of his name Anikulapo – "the one who holds death in his pouch" – Fela Kuti's musical and political vision lives beyond his time on Earth.

Today, 30 years later, Fela's son walks in his footsteps. Much like his dad, Femi Kuti rails against oppressive governments. He blows his sax sweet and hard, like an African Maceo Parker setting forth an inferno of pelvic thrusts and gyrating, sweaty bodies. And he plays a funkified form of African music created by his father: Afrobeat.

Melding the joyous prolonged sounds of African high-life music with the down-dirty grit of James Brown and the Horny Horns, Fela created politically charged music. Femi Kuti has taken the mantle laid down by his father when he passed away in 1998 (from AIDS complications), moving Afrobeat into the modern era.

But it's not easy to fill the shoes of a man who was practically worshipped as a god in his homeland of Nigeria.

Femi seems comfortable with the comparisons: "It is a thing that is natural and a great honor for me," says the prodigal son recently. "But my music I feel now stands by itself."

Emerging from his father's shadow, Femi's music and message deserve to stand on their own. His two studio releases – "Shoki Shoki" in 1999 and 2001's "Fight to Win" – paint a picture of a man struggling with abject poverty and a corrupt government.

Much to Femi's chagrin, the plight of Nigerians has not improved much since the days of Fela Kuti. Mixing traditional Afrobeat funk with electronic beats and a touch of hip-hop, Femi's music uses songs as a podium to inform the world. Femi tries to raise consciousness of everyday trials and tribulations in Nigeria with every note.

Since his father's death, Femi has rebuilt Fela's Afrika Shrine in the Nigerian capital of Lagos. Part music venue and part community center, the Shrine also serves as Femi's home when he's not on tour. He holds weekly jam sessions called "Sunday Jumps," where Nigerians gather and dance away their daily strife.

In a combo DVD and live CD release titled "Live at the Shrine" released this year, Femi allows cameras into his life, giving a tour of the Shrine along with combined footage from a series of electric live shows at the venue. Complete with a full horn section, a troop of African dancers and a legion of musicians, Femi's band plays an epic set of his Afrobeat tunes in the 87-minute documentary.

"In the Shrine in Lagos, everyone knows my music and comes week after week," Kuti says. "But audiences everywhere are getting to know the music now also."

Whether in Lagos or at San Diego's new House of Blues, where Femi and his band will perform Saturday, audiences come away from a Kuti show with an evening of dancing and plenty of food for thought.

"I want people to have a good time but to also think about the message," Kuti muses.

Like the opening words by Kuti on "Live at the Shrine," the House of Blues crowd can expect a dance-happy, politically infused performance from Femi and his large African orchestra: "We are here to make you happy and give you all the good music you deserve."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

Classic cruisin through the county

Taking it to the streets

Thousands of S.D. classic-automobile owners participate in cruise nights across the county – 'We enjoy the cars together'

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
June 30, 2005

"I met my wife through owning this car," says Dave Keetch as he leans out the window of his baby-blue 1955 Thunderbird convertible during a recent Cajon Classic Cruise in downtown El Cajon.

Keetch purchased the car in 1966, but needed a little help to tow the car in 1974. The rest is history.

"The first date with my wife was to go pick up the tow bar and our second date was to actually tow the car to the garage," says Keetch about the passion for classic cars he shares with his wife, Cindy. "And she's been with me ever since. We'll be celebrating our 30th anniversary this June."

The Keetches aren't alone in their passion: They are part of a growing community of San Diego classic-car owners joining clubs and attending cruises. Keetch – a member of the Car Club Council of Greater San Diego – estimates there are 4,000 to 6,000 members in 97 clubs countywide.

El Cajon has a rich history of attracting gearheads and classic-car collectors. The city plays host to the Cajon Classic Cruise, the largest weekly car show in Southern California. Escondido, La Mesa and Chula Vista are among other county spots joining the fun.

The common theme? The cars, the camaraderie, the community.

"We're all trying to do the same thing: We're all reliving an era that's gone past," says Keetch of the different events around San Diego County. "We enjoy the cars together. You step out onto the street and it's almost like you're stepping back in time."

In El Cajon – as with many other S.D. cruises – organizations work with the city to close off Main Street. Cars are usually arranged by type and era. Owners park their cars and set up lawn chairs. They reminisce and reacquaint themselves with their fellow enthusiasts.

It all has a small-town feel to it: "The people are nice, and everybody has a common interest," says Keetch. "You talk about old times and what you used to do."

"Here's the way I look at it: It takes you back to an easier, more gentler time," says Keetch. "Things weren't quite as hectic as they are today. Traffic

wasn't as bad. I love the music. You could leave your house unlocked. It was nice era, people were more friendly then. So it's kind of a sentimental thing more than anything else."

Keetch has been involved in San Diego's classic car scene for decades, and he sees more people each year discovering the simple pleasures of car restoration.

"My wife and I founded the Pontiac club here in San Diego about 16 years ago," says Keetch. "I'm also a charter member of the Classic Thunderbird Club here in San Diego. In '81, I helped found the Convertible Club. So I've been in a few different clubs that I helped found and I've watched them grow. It's been very satisfying."

From lovers of lowriders to vintage Harleys, Southern California provides a perfect home for vehicle revivalists, combining a mild climate and a bevy of classic vehicles to choose from: "It could not be better because of the weather. Where else can you cruise with the top down year-round?"

Chris Nixon is a San Diego freelance writer.


'IT REALLY DRAWS A CROWD'
Marc Henry's 1953 Flexible Clipper bus stands out in a crowd. The 33-foot-long renovated classic has the sleek lines of 1950s vehicles and stands a good 5 feet above most cars on the highway. But the color – lime green, deep purple and coral mixed with chrome – draws more attention than a 10-foot-tall neon "Diner" sign on a dark, lonesome highway.

"It really draws a crowd, so I kind of hide it," says the El Cajon resident during the first Cajon Classic Cruise of 2005, who dubbed the bus "Creamsicle" after the orange ice cream pop. "I like to cruise with it. I get all the TVs going and's nice."

When Henry purchased the vintage bus 18 years ago, the interior consisted of basic bench seats with an aisle down the middle, the standard bus layout.

"It was just an old bus," says Henry. "It had 27 coats of paint on it. I traced everything back: It started out as purchased by the Marine Corps, then the San Diego State baseball team used it, then the basketball team. MGM used it for pictures after SDSU. Then it went to a private owner out in Wynona. When I saw it, I said 'I've got to fix it up.' "

Henry did more than just fix it up. He made it into a state-of-the-art motor home, complete with couches, three TVs, a bed and gadgets galore to make every road trip into a cruise. The bus runs on an International 466 BTE diesel turbo engine, and Henry uses the vehicle to take trips to Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev.: "I'm totally self-contained."

Henry has other classic cars in his garage, but on trips it makes sense to ride in style. "I have a '63 Bonneville convertible with a white top, but I get better gas mileage with the bus."

– CHRIS NIXON


WHERE TO GO TO GET REVVED UP OVER CAR CLASSICS
TUESDAYS

East County Cruisers, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Tyler's Taste of Texas Barbecue, 576 N. Second St., El Cajon. Information: www.eastcountycruisers.com.

WEDNESDAYS

Cajon Classic Cruise, 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays through September with a Halloween cruise on Oct. 26. Southern California's largest weekly classic car cruise. Information: (619) 401-8858 or www.downtownelcajon.com.Blast From the Past Car Show, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesdays through Sept. 17, more than 125 classic cars and motorcycles on display as well as music, food and vendor booths. Third Avenue in downtown Chula Vista. Information: Downtown Business Association, (619) 422-1982 or www.cvdba.com.

THURSDAYS

Back to the '50s Car Show, 5 to 8 p.m., Thursdays through Aug. 25, La Mesa Boulevard between Date Avenue and Fourth Street, La Mesa. Information: www.lmvma.com.Fridays

Cruisin' Grand, 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, Grand and Second avenues, Escondido; through Sept. 30. Pre-1974 American-made hot rods, vintage, classic, custom cars and trucks, with awards. Information: (760) 745-8877.

SATURDAYS

Saturday Nite Invite, hot rods and classics, 1976 and older, presented by Clairemont Neighborhood Cruisers and Woodies Chili Dogs, 5 to 8 p.m., second Saturday of the month through Oct. 11, 4250-D Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont Town Square Shopping Center. Information: (858) 270-6412 or www.clairemonttownsquare.com


CRUISE THE WEB FOR CAR CLUBS
Dave Keetch of the Car Club Council of Greater San Diego says there are 97 car clubs throughout the county. If you don't find the right club here or don't have access to the Internet, Keetch suggests you contact the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park, (619) 231-AUTO or

www.sdautomuseum.org.

Alfa-Romeo Owners Club San Diego – www.arocsd.org

Austin-Healey Club of San Diego – www.sdhealey.org.

BMW Car Club of San Diego – www.sdbmwcca.com.

BMW Z Club, for all BMW Z cars – SanDiegoZ.com

Camaro Club of San Diego – www.camaroclubofsandiego.com.

Classic Chevys of San Diego, for 1955-57 Chevys – clubs. hemmings.com/classicchevyssd/

Heartbeat Classic Chevys, for 1955-1957 Chevys – www.heartbeatclassicchevys.com

Corvette Owners Club of San Diego – www.cocsd.com

North County Corvette Club – www.ncocc.com

North Coast Vettes – www.northcoastvettes.org.

Cougar Club of San Diego – clubs.hemmings.com/cougarsd/

Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego – home.att.net/~NCSDCA/EVAoSD/

East County Cruisers – www.eastcountycruisers.com.

Ferrari Owners Club, San Diego region – www.ferrarisd.com

Impala Club of San Diego, 1991-1996 – www.impalaclubofsd.com.

Jensen Owners Club – www.jentlefolk.com.

Model A Restorers Club of San Diego – www.sdmodelaclub.com.

San Diego MG Club – www.SanDiegoMGClub.org.

San Diego Miata Club – www.sandiegomiataclub.org.

West Coast Mini, –

www.westcoastminiclub.org.

San Diego Mustang Club – www.sdmustangs.com.

Over the Hill Gang, San Diego, 1948 and earlier vehicles – www.overthehillgang.com.

Packard Club –

www.PackardSanDiego.org.

Pontiac Club – www.sdpoci.com.

Southern California Shelby Club – www.socalsaac.org.

Studebaker Drivers Club – www.studebakerclubs.com.

SVT Owners' Association – www.svtoasandiego.com

Triumph Sports Car Club – clubs.Hemmings.com/sandiegotriumph

Volvo Sports America, San Diego – www.sdvsa.org

Z Club – www.supportedhosting.net/~zcsd/

Warped view on Warped Tour

Power to (all) the people

Women are making inroads on the still-male-dominated Vans Warped Tour

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
June 30, 2005

Siouxsie Sioux, Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth, Patti Smith and bassist Kira from Black Flag waved the punk banner back in the day. A few newcomers – Agent M from Tsunami Bomb, Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Melissa Auf Der Maur – carry on the tradition.

But with few exceptions, guys have historically dominated the punk scene since its birth in the '70s. Even though the stage has been tough to crack for the ladies, punk draws tons of female fans. From thrash to pop punk, women make up a good percentage of punk's fan base.

The savvy people from the Vans Warped Tour realize women want to buy tickets to punk shows, too. In the 2005 version of the tour, organizer and founder Kevin Lyman has included a single stage devoted to female artists (Shiragirl Stage) and a female-focused extreme sports exhibition (the All-Girl Skate Jam).

"All of a sudden, we have a bunch of ladies stepping up, everyone from Shiragirl to the girls in the Girlz Garage," says Lyman from a Vans Warped Tour stop in Kansas City. "Shiragirl with her crazy pink stage: I hope it makes it across the desert and doesn't burn up. The ladies are out there, and there's a good presence of them out there. I don't think people realize that our audience is equal parts boys and girls coming to the show."

Shira (www.shiragirl.com) is setting up her own stage; Girlz Garage (www.girlzgarage.com) is setting up a tent full of everything girl-centric; and the All Girl Skate Jam (www.allgirlskatejam.com) features the top female skaters along with a two-hour skating lesson for female fans. Skaters include Cara-Beth Burnside, Jessica Starkweather, Nicole Zuch, Heidi Fitzgerald, Kim Peterson, Mimi Knoop, Holly Lyons, Vanessa Torres, Apryl Woodcock and Sasha La Rochelle (visit the AGSJ Web site to sign up for a skate lesson).

Along with the shifting demographics, the Warped Tour makes an effort to include old school punkers, like former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, along with the young lions. After 21 years of running the touring "punk summer camp," Lyman realizes the need to include bands for everyone.

"If it was just my tour, it would be just Rancid and Pennywise and NoFX," says Lyman. "Every year it would be just us hanging out in the parking lot playing poker and getting older.

"You're always going to see those roots involved in the tour. I think that's important. Our average audience is 13 to 18. Being 44 (years old) now, I need to pay attention to wht's current, to what everybody is listening to. It's good because you can mix in the big bands like the Transplants and The Offspring with more new sounds, like Atreyu and My Chemical Romance."

The tour has always fostered a "come let us gather and beat each other up in a mosh pit" mentality. So you'll have hip-hop guys from the Code of Tha Cutz stage hanging out with the Dropkick Murphys and punk rock pioneers like Watt passing along hard-earned advice to young guys like Tim Armstrong and Travis Barker from The Transplants.

"I think it's really important to get the young guys talking with some of these older bands who've been around," says Lyman. "Maybe they'll realize (success) doesn't just depend on radio. You gotta go out and work hard and tour."

This balancing act between musical genres, boys and girls, young and old keeps the Warped Tour true to its roots while looking to the future.

"I think nowadays, punk is a frame of mind, whether you're doing hip-hop or any other type of music," said Lyman. "I see the punk mentality in everyone that's out here: getting out here everyday, excited about their jobs and everyone feels like part of a big family out here.

"It's more like a punk tribe now. There's the hip-hoppers, there's the girls, there's the reggae guys. It's not just defined by the music anymore."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.


Who's on tap at the Warped Tour
Don't miss these bands at today's Vans Warped Tour at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista:

The Transplants (North Stage): After the turn of the millennium, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong enlisted MC/vocalist Rob Aston and drummer extraordinaire Travis Barker (blink-182, Box Car Racer) for a new project: The Transplants. Experimenting with hip-hop, retro rock and thrashy mid-tempo punk, the trio's wildly diverse 2002 eponymous release found fans and favor outside of the bastions of punk rock. With guest appearances by the Boo-Yaa Tribe, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, B-Real and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, the Transplants new album "Haunted Cities" (Atlantic, 2005) looks to turn up the hip-hop quotient.

Mike Watt & Peter DiStefano (Hot Topic Stage): Former Minutemen bassist Watt and Pornos For Pyros guitarist DiStefano team up for a series of Warped Tour shows (DiStefano's brother, Carl, joins on drums). San Diego is the first of five stops as the tour rolls up the California coast. These old schoolers should teach the young lions on the tour the meaning of punk. In keeping with his D.I.Y. punk ethics, Watt still travels from gig to gig in his own Chevrolet Econo van. Why is touring in the van important? " 'Cause I can keep more control, and I have fewer people to blame if things do go wrong," said Watt. "I can keep things Econo. It's easy to park. I got the wheel in my hand. I'm kinda incognito." Says Warped promoter Kevin Lyman: "It's cool to have a couple of legends."

The Art of Safecracking (Hot Topic Stage): The members in L.A.'s the Art of Safecracking – Lance Webber (vocals, guitar), Melanie Webber (bass, synth), Garey Snider (drums) and Farzad Sharif (guitar, percussion) – make tangled, complicated rock complete with loud vocals and growling guitars. The band's influences include San Diego bands like Drive Like Jehu, the Locust and Hot Snakes.

Bedouin Soundclash (Maurice Stage): The inclusion of bands like Bedouin Soundclash represents the Warped Tour's ever-evolving, inclusionary attitude toward different genres. This Canadian trio seamlessly blends punk, reggae, dancehall, world, dub, jungle and two-step. Said Lyman: "They have more reggae roots. They played the after party last night, and the next thing you know everybody is talking about getting together and jamming."

Shiragirl (Shiragirl Stage): Shiragirl is an all-girl electro punk crew from L.A. led by singer Shira and D.J. Lava. Said Kevin: "Shira's this nutty girl I met a few years ago. Last year, she just barged the tour in her pink and black motor home. They had a little P.A. out the back and they would get out and do their thing. They live in this motor home. They travel around the country. They play shows. They play parties. They play anywhere. I like that. I like a person that's taking control of their own destiny."

– Chris Nixon

Reggaetón mirrors early hip-hop

Reggaetón at crossover crossroads

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
June 10, 2005
During the past three decades, hip-hop has shifted focus from the party (using fun-loving, almost nonsensical rhyming words) to the paycheck (the accumulation of status symbols like expensive jewelry, fast cars and beautiful women).

Now, to some extent, hip-hop seems the soundtrack of capitalism, spreading hope of a better life to underprivileged people across the world. If you could dial-flip through the world's radio stations, the word "bling-bling" would be heard in French, Italian, Russian and Swahili.

In Puerto Rico's reggaetón, the language of preference is Spanish, and bling-bling gets translated as blin-blin. Reggaetón – a music form combining elements of hip-hop, reggae, salsa and merengue – is equal parts Puerto Rican party music and street-savvy hustler talk.

The record label Machete Music – a leader in signing and distributing reggaetón artists in the United States – pushes the genre in Latino markets but may soon realize crossover mainstream popularity. (Saturday, for example, the San Diego County Fair will host a Reggaetón Fest, featuring artists including Puerto Rican Zion y Lennox and the Dominican-born LunyTunes.) For artists from these nations and other Caribbean countries, reggaetón represents access to a world of entitlement, a world away from gritty street life.

"The songs talk about street struggles, but you could also have a romantic song," says Jehova Chavez of L.A.-based Machete Music. "They're talking about street knowledge. It's about what they experience growing up and what it takes for them to become recording artists. Living in the 'hood, it's very tough. Music is your way out. Every day is a struggle. You're limited in your resources, and you have to survive with what you got."

The imported Latino rap music provides infectious reggae dance beats and infuses it with hip-hop attitude, making reggaetón popular in Latino markets throughout the U.S.

"I see reggaetón as a new form of hip-hop," says Chavez, whose employer label was created five months ago by Universal Music to produce and promote Latino hip-hop and reggaetón. "Basically, it's reggae sounds over hip-hop drum beats with a little bit of influence from salsa and merengue. It brings all those sounds together into one sound, which is the reggaetón sound. On top of that, you have the artists rapping over the beats, which gives it that hip-hop feel that people enjoy."

The trend started in Puerto Rico just over a decade ago, then migrated to East Coast cities including New York City and Miami. Now cities such as Houston and Chicago have adopted reggaetón. The West Coast is next in the music's groundswell of popularity, according to Chavez.

"A lot of people on the West Coast are just discovering reggaetón," says Chavez, whose label represents reggaetón stars Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Ivy Queen and producers LunyTunes. "It's been a word-of-mouth thing, growing from Puerto Rico to New York to Chicago. In Texas, it's just amazing what's going on over there, in Houston and in Dallas. We're trying to bring this music to the youth. We're trying to take this new genre and take it where hip-hop was when it was first starting."

According to Walter Meneses, publisher of a San Diego-based monthly guide to Latino dance clubs and events called La Sonrisa Latina, reggaetón is taking over salsa and merengue clubs and gaining ground with the younger Latino audience in San Diego.

"About a year ago, I started hearing reggaetón in the clubs in San Diego," says Meneses, who cites the Blue Agave (on Mission Gorge Road, just east of Mission Valley) and Club Caribe (in Bonita) as venues to hear reggaetón music. "People are enjoying this type of music more and more; it's growing tremendously. When people go out, they are demanding reggaetón songs to dance to. The clubs that are playing salsa, meringue and cha-cha are seeing the popularity of reggaetón and adding it (to their playlists)."

Latino hip-hop station Blazin' 98.9 (98.9 FM) is reggaetón's purveyor on local radio waves. The station's playlist features reggaetón artist Daddy Yankee alongside 50 Cent, the Ying-Yang Twins and The Game. Blazin' 98.9 (formerly More FM) also is sponsoring the Latino Summer Fest 2005 at Southwestern College June 25, featuring reggaetón artist Don Omar.

How big can reggaetón get? Very big, believes Machete Music's Chavez.

"I see reggaetón being what hip-hop was 20 years ago," he said. "When hip-hop started coming out, there was no radio for hip-hop. The only outlet that it had was the streets and word of mouth from the kids everywhere you went."

Word of mouth seems to be working. Daddy Yankee's 2004 album, "Barrios Fino," currently sits atop Billboard's Top Latin Album chart, with the hit "Gasolina" fueling the success. Albums by Don Omar and LunyTunes & Baby Ranks (along with a few reggaetón compilations) also have dominated the Latino charts.

At tomorrow's Reggaetón Fest, Zion y Lennox are the headliners, but Chavez suggests checking out LunyTunes, too: "They are the No. 1 producers of the whole movement. They produce practically every hit that you hear in reggaetón."

"It's amazing to see how hip-hop has grown," says Chavez. "If you're 35 or under, hip-hop is around you and it's in you. Reggaetón is a part of the same culture; it's just a new form of hip-hop that the kids can grab on to."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

Fischerspooner in the U-T

POP MUSIC
Fischerspooner's lab test: A live show

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
June 2, 2005

The cracks and pops of vinyl vs. the crystal-clear reproduction of compact disc; live drummer vs. drum machine; live musicians vs. Digital Audio Tapes. From hip-hop to electronic dance music, many artists these days seem to be looking for a more human sound between the ones and zeros of digital music.

Enter the multimedia, performance-art rock of New York City's Fischerspooner. After finding success with their digitally produced debut disc "#1," the New York-based duo decided to incorporate live musicians and songwriting collaborations with such varied artists as pop songwriter Linda Perry and activist Susan Sontag.

It's 1999 and a couple of art-school grads – Casey Spooner and Warren Fischer – start writing digital, synthesizer-based dance music. Fischer writes the music, Spooner sings. Over the next three years, the duo creates complicated stage productions to go along with each song. They write the music, map out choreography and wardrobe changes and then perform the song live, one song at a time.

"When we started it, we didn't even know we were making a record," says Spooner from New York. "It was a very nontraditional approach. There was no label involved. There was no management. And we knew nothing about the music business when we started working. So the first record was self-financed and completed before we met anybody from a record label."

Hype swirls through the ultra-hip New York music scene faster than a Kansas tornado. Spooner and Fischer play the roles of Dorothy and Toto, swept up in a maelstrom of fawning press releases and intense media attention (intense for indie rock anyway). The band signs with Capitol Records, which releases "#1."

The timing is perfect.

Electroclash – a form of 1980s New Wave revivalism spliced with punk rock attitude – is gaining popularity. Fischerspooner joins the ranks of the Faint, the Postal Service and Ladytron as leaders in the new/old genre. But their live stage productions set them apart: a dance troupe, multiple wardrobe changes for Spooner, fog machines and theatrical lighting.

Spooner and Fischer faced a new challenge with 2005's "Odyssey": How to make a cohesive album?

"I wanted to put the focus on the music, because I feel like in a lot of ways that was really lost on the first record," says Spooner. "I love the first show and I love everything about the way we approached it, but it was a little irritating that people didn't want to pay attention to the music."

In an effort to get fans past the theatrics and focus on the music, Fischerspooner will be bringing a full band on tour when it plays the House of Blues downtown tonight: Adrian Hartley (back-up vocals), Ian Pai (drums), Sam Kearney (guitar), Ben Bromley (bass) and Adam Crystal (keyboards). Fischer does not tour with the band: "He does the writing of the music and helps in the recording of it," according to the band's publicist.

"We're in New York and we've been doing a monthlong residency at a small club here to start developing a live show," says Spooner. "So, it's been all about performing in a small room, getting the band up to speed and performing the new songs. We've been experimenting with different wardrobe and lighting. We've been treating it like a little laboratory to test different ideas."

While expecting long improvised jams from an electroclash band might be a little much to ask, Fischerspooner fans can expect a more organic experience than tours in the past.

"Before, the live shows were so rigid; now, everything is so much more flexible," says Spooner. "Before, the live shows were about illustrating the ideas of the music and staging a visual interpretation. And now, it's exciting to really be playing the music.

"Initially, the focus is to perform the music and for people to appreciate the music before I start distracting them with visual spectacular freakeries."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

Lucy's Fur Coat in the U-T

Lucy's Fur Coat set to rock the house again

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
May 19, 2005

On Sept. 21, 1991, Nirvana released its seminal recording "Nevermind," sending shock waves throughout the music industry. The subsequent explosion of bands hailing from the Northwest sent music company executives scurrying for "the next Seattle."

Desperate to catch wind of young bands, the eyes of the music world for one brief moment turned to San Diego. Local groups (Rocket From the Crypt, fluf and Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver) garnered interest from major labels. Expectations ran high for local scenesters.

San Diego's Lucy's Fur Coat found itself swept up in the frenzy, its brand of gritty riffs and melodic choruses convinced record execs at Sony to pen a deal with the band. For a band that just wanted to play live and rock crowds, the attention was welcomed and a little odd at the same time.

"We were a bar band," says lead singer Charles O. Ware, speaking via phone from his home in San Diego. "We were trying to say: 'Sweat, rock 'n' roll, have some drinks, shake your (butt).' That's all we ever wanted to say."

The five guys in Lucy's Fur Coat saw the band as a fun diversion to their "real" careers, which lay in waiting as the group toured the United States and released a couple of albums.

"We all had different career paths laid out for us that we were able to fall back on," recalls Ware. "We had these careers that we didn't want to partake in yet. We were young. We could afford to act out our rock 'n' roll fantasy and not be losers at the end of the day.

"(Bassist) Rob (Brown) and (guitarist) Tony (Sanfilippo) were full computer heads. Rob, if I recall, was working at Solar Turbines running a CAD program. Tony had just gotten his computer science degree. (Guitarist) Mike (Santos) was studying for his CPA exam. I was in law school at the time."

So Lucy's Fur Coat put the serious jobs on hold to jam at bars and carouse rock-star style. In 1994, the band released "Jaundice" on Relativity Records and distributed by Sony.

The album's 12 tracks document the band's ability to strip down guitar riffs to simple, earnest rock. Ware howls and croons, the guitars rage and the songs rock but are catchy, too. The pressure of producing a hit record and the constant touring made what was once a fun ride into the kind of job they were trying to escape from in the first place.

"The touring with Lucy's became such a grind," says Ware. "The first two weeks is boy's club rock 'n' roll party. Three months later, the same scratch you have from climbing on the bus the first day of the tour hasn't healed. It doesn't matter how much money you have in your pocket: you're in Lubbock, Texas, on a Tuesday night and there's nothing good to eat. Three out of five of us were married, and it just becomes a grind."

After getting off the road, the band released one more album – 1998's "How to Survive an Aircrash" – before calling it quits for good. The band has reunited for a few shows since the late-'90s, but Ware and the rest of guys resumed the lives they put on hold to be in the band.

Ware eventually left his work as a lawyer, and now works as a lifeguard on San Diego's beautiful beaches. Brown worked for MP3 before his present gig with Napster. The rest of the band is pursuing their lives after Lucy's Fur Coat.

But this weekend they get back together for three shows three nights at the Casbah and Brick By Brick.

"I think we play (rock) with more sweat and energy and altruism maybe than some other bands," admits Ware. "We're all pleasantly surprised that people want to come and desire to be a part of it."

"I can't personally look at it like a reunion. We're friends. We don't having burning desires to be stars or to be who we once were. I just love rock 'n' roll and I know we can still bring it."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.

J.E.W.: Investing in 'Futures'

Jimmy Eat World changed producers for new work, new approach

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
May 12, 2005

Talking via cell phone, Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind sounds exhausted, bored and frustrated with his job. The Mesa, Ariz.-based quartet is slogging through three months of touring in support of its new album, "Futures." He graciously answers questions about the record and the band and the tour. But he really lights up when we start talking about San Diego bands.

Given Jimmy Eat World's long association with the San Diego music scene, it's suggested that Lind's band is a de facto member of the San Diego scene. "That's probably the biggest compliment I'm going to hear today," Lind says.

Growing up in Arizona with no local indie-rock scene to connect with, the guys in Jimmy Eat World felt closest with the San Diego bands in the 1990s. Groups like Tanner and Drive Like Jehu helped mold Jimmy Eat World's sound, and Jehu's drummer Mark Trombino would go on to produce the majority of the band's albums.

"It's tough to answer questions about the (Phoenix) music scene when you're talking to someone who is kicking it in San Diego," says Lind on a recent tour stop at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. "You guys are spoiled, man."

With the help of Trombino, Jimmy Eat World crossed over from indie rock band to mainstream success. Lind – along with Jim Adkins (vocals, guitar), Tom Linton (vocals, guitar) and Rick Burch (bass) – scored huge with their self-titled 2001 album. Originally titled "Bleed American" (but changed after 9/11), the band's fourth full-length studio disc produced singles "The Middle," "Bleed American" and "Sweetness."

Such radio stations as 91X and FM 94/9 seemed to press repeat on Jimmy Eat World's songs, playing the tunes incessantly throughout 2002. After cycling through a few major label deals, the sudden success created a complete change of scenery for the young band. Since 2001, Lind and his band have learned tough lessons about "the culture of the music business" and "the expectations of the music industry."

"Overall, just in terms of being a band, it just becomes more complicated more than anything," laments Lind. "The positive is that we don't have to work second jobs and we can focus on making music all the time. It's all about playing good shows and making good albums, that's the beginning and the end of it. So I think we're trying to learn that again. It's just a totally (messed up) business."

Jimmy Eat World
The lineup:

Jim Adkins – voice, guitar
Tom Linton – voice, guitar
Rick Burch – bass
Zach Lind – drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

"Futures" (Interscope, 2004)
"Jimmy Eat World" (Dreamworks, 2001)
"Singles" (Big Wheel Receration, 2000)
"Clarity" (Capitol, 1999)
"Static Prevails" (Capitol, 1996)
"Jimmy Eat World" (Wooden Blue Records, 1994)

Now signed with Interscope, Jimmy Eat World worked with highly respected Pixies producer Gil Norton for "Futures." After working with Trombino for so many years, the band wanted to try something different.

"Gil is really great at arrangements," Lind reflects. "If you listen to any of the Pixies albums, you can tell. There is not one dead arrangement on any of those albums."

The main difference between Trombino and Norton came down to their characters: "Personality-wise, they are polar opposites. Mark is reserved and a little bit more introverted. Gil is an extrovert and he really communicates a lot. In terms of approach as far as making an album, it's not that much different."

Despite the pressure of following up the successful 2001 release, "Futures" continues Jimmy Eat World's legacy of multilayered, accessible rock songs complete with nice harmonies and well-crafted tunes.

"I think there always is (pressure)," admits Lind. "We tried to ignore it. But there always is, whether there is pressure from outward (sources) or from within the band to make a really good record.

"It was definitely harder for us on this record," says Lind, who plays Sunday at Cox Arena along with Taking Back Sunday and Mates of State. "I'm hoping we learned how to make a record in our circumstances of being a band that's well known. Hopefully, the next record will be really easy to make."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.


JIMMY EAT WORLD'S TOP 5 SAN DIEGO BANDS
Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind has worked and toured with a lot of San Diego bands, musicians and producers. So the Arizona band's close association with our music scene raised the question: Who are your Top 5 San Diego bands? Lind's picks were:

Rocket From the Crypt: Probably the best San Diego band ever. Period. Full-on horn section. Suave showman John Reis on vocals. Amazing live shows. The band still plays live (the next being 94/9's Independence Jam on June 18) and records sporadically, but many folks feel their chance at mainstream success has come and gone. It doesn't matter: there is more Rocket for San Diego.

Drive Like Jehu: The aforementioned Reis teamed with Tanner drummer Mark Trombino (who would later produce Jimmy Eat World, blink-182 and No Knife and a cast of thousands) in this classic San Diego band. You'll hear a lot of people name-dropping Jehu, and for good reason. Its brand of angry, sweaty indie rock influenced a huge group of smart punk rockers nationwide who later would start their own bands.

Tanner: Singer-guitarist Gar Wood, bassist Matt Ohlin and drummer Prescott (also of No Knife) teamed with Drive Like Jehu drummer Trombino (the producer) to produce vicious, intelligent rock. Wood would later play with Reis in the Hot Snakes and produce the lion's share of good San Diego releases in the last five years. Are you starting to see an incestuous theme here?

No Knife: San Diego's No Knife takes a more calculated approach compared to Drive Like Jehu and Tanner. Instead of thrashing about, Mitch Wilson (guitar and vocals), Ryan Ferguson (guitar and vocals), Brian Desjean (bass) and Chris Prescott (drums) choose more sharp, crystalline guitar lines over fuzzy punk-rock tones. The quartet re-emerged after a long absence with 2002's excellent "Riot for Romance!" Jimmy Eat World has toured with No Knife several times.

Jejune: After years of wondering, this reporter looked up the word "jejune" in the dictionary. It's a real word: "Lacking in nutritive value, or displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity; childish." Question answered. Guitarist-singer Joseph Guevara, drummer Christopher Mendez Vanacore and bassist-singer Arabella Harrison created pretty indie rock with boy-girl harmonies before disbanding before the release of their final disc in 2000 "R.I.P." Jimmy Eat World and Jejune did a split 7-inch (each contributing two songs), recorded in 1997.

– CHRIS NIXON

P.B. Block Party: Robert Walter

CENTERPIECE
Put an extra fish taco on the barbie for him

The 30th incarnation of the P.B. Block Party should be a nice homecoming for Robert Walter

By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
May 12, 2005

As a founding member of the San Diego-based Greyboy Allstars, Robert Walter helped establish the acid-jazz mainstay as one of the best jam bands in the country. Now, with his 20th Congress, Walter returns to San Diego from his new home in New Orleans for a performance at this year's P.B. Block Party.

Say you have to move away from San Diego. Housing prices are high. You can't find enough work to get by. What's the one thing you'll miss the most? The beach? The sun? The Mexican food?

"I miss the Mexican food for sure," says former San Diegan and jazz-funk organist Robert Walter from his new home in New Orleans. "There's nothing even close here, although there is a lot of great food. I was raised on taco shop food and Mexican restaurants in San Diego."

This Saturday, Pacific Beach will offer its typical charms – the beach, the sun and the Mexican food – at the 30th annual Block Party. But P.B. also will present Robert Walter's 20th Congress and more than 40 other bands – both local and nationally recognized acts – for free. So you can enjoy the beach, the sun, a great plate of tacos and great music.

The line of musicians who developed their style here before moving on to other locales and greater notoriety is long and illustrious: Jewel, Jason Mraz, jazz pianist Bill Mays and DJ Greyboy. Walter hopes to add his name to the list.

Before migrating with his family to NOLA last July, Walter had co-founded the Greyboy Allstars with Karl Denson, then headed out on his own with Robert Walter's 20th Congress. As Walter describes it, the relative seclusion of San Diego allowed the Greyboy Allstars and other musicians to develop their own sound.

"It's never been a real thriving scene to the point where everyone is looking over their shoulder and trying to compete," Walter says about his days in the local music scene. "It's a good place to develop your own ideas and your own identity because you're in your own world. We developed our own little scene with the Greyboy Allstars and everything coming out of the Casbah, Black Heart Procession and all that stuff. The music gets to develop in its own world and be different."

The Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and Robert Walter's 20th Congress forged their own version of jazzy funk sounds. Inspired by James Brown's Horny Horns and 1960s and '70s improvisational funk, these San Diego bands updated the sound to create dance-floor jazz.

But without steady work at home, Walter and his cohorts felt they had to go out on the road to spread the good word.

"The blessing of San Diego for me was it forced me to get out on the road and create a national presence to get my career going. I had to leave to make a living," says Walter. "Had I been in a city with more local music, I might have never left. I might have been playing in bar bands for the rest of my life. If you really want to have longevity in your career as a musician, you need to get out there and tour."

With the move to New Orleans, Walter continually creates new music with new collaborators. He's currently touring with Frequinox, consisting of members from Galactic, the Headhunters and T.J. Kirk. The organist will release a new album in late summer titled "Super Heavy Organ" with the help of New Orleans funk pioneers past and present.

For the upcoming 30th annual Pacific Beach Block Party, Walter will take the stage with longtime 20th Congress collaborator Cochemea Gastelum on sax and Greyboy Allstars drummer Zak Najor.

One of the knocks on the local music scene is the "fair-weather fan" syndrome: "It's beautiful out all day and everyone goes to the beach during the day and goes home at night. So it's a difficult town as far as getting a real nightlife scene going. It's always had creative people. It's difficult to get people to come out."

Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.


BEST BETS *
BENEVENTO-RUSSO DUO (Karl Strauss Stage, 1:45-2:25 p.m.): Drummer Joe Russo and organist Marco Benevento manage to create a joyful cacophony. Embraced by the jam-band crowd, this duo combines elements of jazz and funk in a prog-rock package.

TRUCKEE BROTHERS (Mojo Sounds Acoustic Stage, 2:10-2:50 p.m.): Self-dubbed as "evil Everly Brothers," Peat Truckee (Patrick Dennis) and Cady Truckee (Christopher Hoffee) have taken the local scene by storm since their six-song 2004 EP "Wall to Wall." The band's 2005 release, "It Came From the Speakers," ranges from dirty rock 'n' roll ("Billy Club") to loungy 1960s pop (title track).

HOLIDAY & THE ADVENTURE POP COLLECTIVE (Mojo Sounds Acoustic Stage, 12:05-12:35 p.m.): Strumming guitars, singing strings and twangy pedal steel fill the music of Derric Oliver (vocals, violin, strings) and Louis Caverly (acoustic guitar, trumpet, tuba), aka Holiday & the Adventure Pop Collective. The Encinitas-based band recorded their excellent debut "Become" at Big Fish Studios in 2004.

STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS (Sycuan Mardi Gras Stage, 2-3:30 p.m.): It's not Mardi Gras and we're not on the bayou, but Steve Riley will serenade P.B. with the sweet sounds of Cajun music. Hailing from Mamou, La., in Evangeline Parish, Riley and his band play old-timey Cajun music like it should be played.

YOUNG DUBLINERS (San Diego CityBeat Stage, 4:20-5:30): Grounded in both Irish traditions and mellow contemporary rock, the Young Dubs have grown a devout audience here in San Diego. This Los Angeles quintet is less punk than Flogging Molly and not quite as traditional as the Chieftains.

– CHRIS NIXON