Sessions Fest Review & Explication, Part the Sixth and Final: iSociety!

So here we are at the end- labor day weekend. it's a time to reflect on the summer. a summer that featured some great shows: the soon-to -be -legendary first Chicken! with Atoms, Power Chords & Fifty on Their Heels(JUNE). The great sports club show with Grand Ole Party, MC Flow and Fifty on Their Heels(JULY). This is a strong period for local music in san diego, particuarly if you like punk rock. If you combine 31G/Art Fag with what's going on with us and other bands, you have a significant thing. Inevitably, this will lead to corporate recogniition and co-option, and if history teaches us anything, it's that this co-option is inevitable. so let's enjoy the innocence while it lasts.


joey guevara & molly approach stage via crowd iSociety! @ Sessions Fest 2006

iSociety! is awesome. Not only are they talented as individual musicians, they have a cohesiveness as a band. Perhaps it's the combination of having alot of people who have been in other bands, bands that have played alot and done well? And, you know, they play afro beat. It's great outdoors, in the san diego night. There's an energy to it that connects to the spirit out here; a spirit belied by the negative stereotypes about southern californians and their culture.


back up singers approach stage- hotness!

Come for the back-up singers; stay for the music... Mollie- pictured above used to play in a band with... the red head from the glossines? I'm blanking on her name- and the name of the band. anyway- the iSociety! is interesting to watch.


alot of people were there- 250 or so. Sessions Fest 2006

We had a good turn out. The response among the larger (i.e. non myspace) community was quite positive and offers of corporate sponsorship are "pouring" in. The Golden Hill Block Party will be a smaller, more inimate affair. It is on October 28th- saturday. Confirmed acts include iSociety! and Fifty on Their Heels. More will be confirmed shortly.


iSociety!(myspace)

The Habitat Sound System is Some Cool Shit

This shit is where it's at, man.
Habitat Sound System(myspace)

Sessions Fest Tales 5: FIFTY ON THEIR HEELS

Everyone who's read this week should have a fair idea of what we're trying to do here. Your next opportunity to experience the magic will come at the 2006 Golden Hill Block Party, on October 28th(that's a Saturday) on 21st between B & C. We will announce the confirmed acts... later. Oh- maybe i'll give that information as an exclusive to one of the other music gossip columns. Ha! that would be fun.


Junior Metro is, in fact, the riot. @ Sessions Fest 2006

So now we're into the co-headliners: Fifty on Their Heels & iSociety! we all agreed that iSociety! had to play last. They are the shit. Also, they don't sound like any other local band, which is a plus. Diversity is positive. Also, Joey(Lady Dottie/iSociety! and Molly live on our block, across the street, basically- so, i mean-- it's OUR neighborhood. But Fifty on Their Heels? They're awesome. I expect major, major things from them, but in a good way. What's awesome about Fifty on Their Heels is that they have a sound that appeals to many different people, but they have an ethic/ideology that is fiercely d.i.y. those d.i.y. values are what drives everything Fifty on Their Heels/Cat Dirt Records does- even when it involves compromising the values!



We consciously embrace lessons, music and style from d.i.y. punk scenes of the past, not because anyone is closing their eyes to the future, but because those people had & have the right ideas. And you should know what i'm talking about by "d.i.y/punk scenes of the past."



Junior Metro's performances have been compared to (and not by me, but by others, in writing) to Johnny Rotten and Iggy Pop. That is to say, it INSPIRES COMPARISONS. Not is "better than" or even "equivalent to". OK? "in the vein" of. Junior Metro is just a sweet, innocent rock and roll pup- but he's got great moves and real energy and that's why YOU need to check Fifty on Their Heels out if you have the chance.

"Rush Press" and Nicky Shingles have rock solid timing BECAUSE THEY'RE COUSINS and have been playing together since childhood. So they're good. It's tight. Do you know it only took 2 days to record the Fifty on Their Heels cd? One day for the drums and bass and one day for guitars and vocals. More like three hours. Because they're tight- and what you hear on the record is produced on the stage without having a lap top computer helping out(guess who i'm talking about for a prize!)

Anyway- you should click the icon to the right- in the links- of the Album cover so you can BUY THE CD. Get it from CD Baby. If you aren't buying five cds a week from CD Baby you suck- every single band on that site is helped every time you buy a cd from them. Seriously-- get in the habit of buying bands who sell their stuff on cdbaby.

You'd feel sorry if they happened to sell out and you didn't have one... Woudn't you? If that happened? Probably. Owning more then one is a good idea, too. It's a "collector's item".

Fifty on Their Heels(myspace)

The show on September 10th with the Roots and Mudhoney is FREE! Fifty on Their Heels goes on at 6:15 to 6:45 in the SoCo Lime Tent/Area. Mudhoney and the Roots play after- Spank Rock plays before. That's a SUNDAY night.

After that is the Adams Avenue Street Fair with the Power Chords and Grand Ole Party- that will be a good bill!

Sessions Fest Review 4: New Collapse(Los Angeles)

New Collapse are from Los Angeles, California

The biggest, most pleasant suprise of the whole day is how well New Collapse was received by the San Diego crowd. It's obviously no secret how much Fifty on Their Heels frontman/international playboy Junior Metro likes New Collapse- on Saturday I learned for the FIRST TIME that Junior had "discovered" the New Collapse on one of his rare ventures to the creative backwater that is Los Angeles, California. Kudos to Junior for that AMAZING find.


Sophia, singer for New Collapse, at dusk.

I'll admit that I was concerned that New Collapse would be received poorly by the crowd but I was totally wrong- people were into it. Sophia, the lead singer, is a powerful, unique presence and the sound- a drummer and keyboardist, are unique enought to draw attention. Sophia has a powerful voice and her lyrics- full of themes of chaos and redemption, are worth listening to.

And they had to change a flat on their van to get to the gig in time- which makes their appearance at twilight all the more special.

Check out the new collapse on myspace- and if you want a cool cd- get that gsl comp that they're on- you can buy it from the link below.
New Collapse(myspace)Buy the Golden Grouper Compilation on GSL Records

New Band Alert: Roxy Jones (san diego)

do you have any idea how happy i am now when i google a band name and CAN'T find a myspace profile. Granted, I probably wouldn't be putting out cds without myspace, but still. every morning i peruse the flyer area at my great local coffee shop INFLUX cafe. Odds are roughly 100% that if a flyer has been left there, I've studied it carefully as I wait for my morning cappuccino.

In that vein:

Roxy Jones
is having a comming(sic) out party!
come see their debut show

Thurs. 8/31/06 @ The Ken Club
w/ Sus Hijos
FREE- of course, because the Ken Club doesn't know how to charge someone at the door. Here's a hint- you put a bouncer right outside to check id's, then they pay inside.

Fri. 9/1/6 @ Scolari's Office("The Office"?)
w/ Aryn Grusin(san diego's most beautiful voice).
FREE

I'm sure "San Diego' Most Beautfiul Voice" will be MOST appreciated by the receptive Scolari's audience. How did MC Flow's show at Scolari's go- Flow?

At lunch time I'll do a post on Los Angeles band New Collapse- who were GREAT at the Sessions Fest.

Sessions Fest Review Part 3: Jezebel & The Sess with Two Appendix: Squiddo & Edgartronic (a borderline MEGAPOST)

Cat Dirt Records fucking cares about the community & positive change. And money, glamor and suicide. All those things- and more. We're complicated that way.

This "community mural" was the idea of the golden hill community development corp.
I love this quote- "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it." -maya angelou(not on the photo).

So, that's cheesy- but that quote speaks to the power of culture- change the way you THINK about it. OK. Moving on.


Jezebel @ Sessions Fest

I'll tell you what- Jezebel keeps growing on me. More people need to hear this band. They certainly have an accessible sound, good vox, tight playing. What's up with the lack of love, San Diego? Have you heard Victim on their myspace? That is a great song! Despite the crowd apathy I thought Jezebel played a great set. More people need to get into Jezebel. Fans of Joy Division, Interpol- hell, She Wants Revenge? SHE WANTS REVENGE? Are you kidding me? They were made up by Fred Durst. And yet people ignore Jezebel. Tragic.

Jezebel(myspace)


"Relax & Enjoy the ride.....sess!"

The Sess were a highlight. Everyone agreed. Everyone also agreed their set was way... too... short. And I agree to- not sure what's up with the sess. They're kind of...mercurial- or taking mushrooms or something. The Sess are so awesome I hestitate to even describe it. LOVE THE SESS. Please pronounce it "SESH". OK- whenever I hear someone pronounce it "sess" i feel embarassed. I only correct people if i like them, so don't take it as an insult, but rather a compliment.

Can I spend just a moment here promoting the show @ HOB Sidestage 9/4/6 21+ $5 8 PM. Bam
The Prayers(the new hotness)
Vinyl Radio(appeared @ Casbah show for Local 94/9
Delta Spirit(appeared @ SDSC show)
The Sess(Sessions Fest, SDSC, upcoming show in LA w/ Fifty on Their Heels)

Bam! Bam! Monday night. Attendance is mandatory. That's all I'm going to say. House of Blues Brand Hurricanes on Cat Dirt(yum- full of juice)!

Anyway- The Sess fucking rock. They had their legion of fans- including that dude up in front there with the big hair- and there is Joey from the Atoms. The Atoms totally represented, which was great. Did you hear "Format" the new atoms song on their myspace profile? Check that shit out.

The Sess(myspace)

Interlude 1: Squiddo Stages a Drive By


Squiddo Sessions Fest Drive By

OK this was unplanned, which is why it is in an appendix. It happened between jezebel and sess, which is why it's placed AFTER today's review. Basically what happened is that Squiddo loaded themselves into the back of an el camino and played whilst circling golden hill park. Then some... park ranger... got all up in their business... even called the cops(who laughed about it and decline to issue a citiation). Then the park ranger came back and accused us of being in cahoots with Squiddo, which wasn't true. Then... she stood around the park issuing tickets to everyone for smoking. Which was a bummer... Then... she reported us to her supervisor in the parks department- who originally told us that our chances of having the festival were "0%" because of a "pre existing moratorium" on events in balboa park.

Let's make something clear: The city is very supportive, but the parks department seems more concerned with preserving the status quo. Wow- a bureaucratic entity that fails to appreciate individual initiative and community spirit. WHAT A SUPRISE! But the city has been great, and they've scheduled a follow up meeting, so I'm sure it will all work out for the best. Still it was REALLY COOl when it happened.

Squiddo(myspace)

Interlude 2: DJ Edgartronic is a Gentleman and A Scholar

Edgartronic? Shit. What a classy gent. Bringing his turntables, coping with the blasts of wind that moved the need across the record, djing in the sun, fixing his turntables on the fly, letting Aaron(ex-Viewmasters) use his turn tables. How awesome. Cat Dirt Records hearts Edgartronic- and invited him to dj the golden hill block party on October 28th. And he's doing Monday night at San Diego Sports Club, so you should check that out.

Edgartronic(myspace)


Edgartronic capably mans the 1's & 2's.

Sessions Fest Review, Part II: The Boyish Charms & MC Flow

Let me start by thanking everyone who showed up. Historically, change is the result of small numbers of people working together and caring about stuff - the rest of the population just follows along. It's true in politics and in culture. In a cultural milleu, this includes both performers/artists and spectators/audience. One does not exist without the other, both are prerequisites for change, but the total number does not have to be that large - 100 or 200 really passionate people can be enough. With that said...



Hey look at me I'm avant photographer Ryan McGinley (specifically referencing the cover of Volume 10, Number 11 of Vice Magazine "Nature").


The Boyish Charms

We asked The Boyish Charms to play because Cat Dirt wife is a pretty big fan of their sound and, in part, they run The Habitat - a recording studio/performance space one block away from us on 21st St - between Broadway and C St. Cat Dirt Wife and I have been to one show there and it was super cool - just very indie rock/freak folk kind of situation. Mellow, nawwhatimean?

So we thought they'd be perfect to open because they have a mellow indie pop sound that harkens back to Elephant 6 - one of the Charms, Cam, was wearing a neutral milk hotel t-shirt - so you get the sound - perfect for a warm summer day in the park, really. And they were great!! Robbie brought sugar cookies with "Boyish Charms" or "BC" written on them. They had a good size posse of fans who showed up in support, although no twirling hippie as Robbie noted - next time, next time (Cat Dirt wife will grow her hair out if she has to). We threw the frisbee around before the set - and people really liked them. And that's great - since they do their own shows right here in Golden Hill and offer recording services - So check them out on myspace: The Habitat.
The Habitat brings cool bands from out of town too so keep an eye on their shows.

Oh holy shit - they have a dub act... and they've worked with the mad professor? Sweet.
The Habitat Sound System

That is so awesome - I didn't even know about them. They have a song called "Golden Hill Dub". Awesome. Can you say Golden Hill Block Party? Or sooner, even?

Befriend The Boyish Charms on Myspace right now, so you know about all their cool shows! You might also want to check out Red Pony Clock - who are in their top 24 or whatever.
The Boyish Charms(myspce)


It's no secret that I'm a huge MC Flow fan. I just think what she's doing is so cool and authentic - and she's a great MC to boot! The best part? No incomprensible british accent to prevent you from appreciating the clever lyrics!


MC Flow for President!


MC Flow brought her own, huge posse. I'd never thought about the hip hop posse, so well noted in popular culture, as a kind of portable audience, but I think it's kind of useful in that sense. I mean, if you're some underground hip hop audience, and you can bring 50 people into a club in some city, that's a significant following. It really dovetails with "the guest list" concept in rock/club culture. But my point is that MC Flow is popular - people really like her and come out to see her perform. She would be a good headliner at a Beauty Bar show - especially on a Friday or, i dunno - Saturday night? I'm just saying. If there was a Saturday night free unexpectedly or something.


MC Flow with Special Guest/Birthday Girl Lauren DeRose

She brought birthday girl/guest star Lauren DeRose onto the stage to do a number. I'm almost...almost...tempted to go see MC Flow at all acoustic event she's doing at Twiggs. So close! I know she's playing the Casbah on Wednesday, September 6 with: Sir Splendid, Hazard County Girls, bill, MC Flow- $7. And well worth it! bill! Sir Splendid!

Be MC Flow's myspace buddy- i love her profile.
MC Flow (myspace)

And vote MC Flow for best hip hop! Because it will be mayhem when she wins! A vote for Flow is a vote for chaos (so it's very punk rock).
San Diego Music Awards(click "vote" tab on left)

Session Fest Summary, Part One of a Multipart Series

OK- I'm going to do something a little different for the Sessions Fest Reveiw(s). That is- I'm going to post a different piece of the review once a day on monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday & friday. That way I'll be able to talk a little bit about each band (and dj edgartronic) without lumping them all together in one big "mega post" i think the mega posting is something that needs to be avoided.

Anyway- there was a great turnout yeaterday- maybe as many as 650 total, with about 250 there for the bands at the end of the day. Thanks to everybody who turned out- you all rock. Especially the small children and the adults. I was expecting a higher proportion of hipsters- but you know what- i'd rather have the old people and the small children. I get plenty of hipster action at the beauty bar san diego and the san diego sports club.

The next event that I'll be focusing on is the September 10th day of the Southern Comfort Music Exprerience- The Roots, Mudhoney & Fifty on Their Heels, among others- that's free- 21+. Also Adams Avenue Street Fair is coming up- with Fifty on Their Heels, The Power Chords & Grand Ole Party on the same stage on saturday. Oh- and UV Tigers are playing Sports Club on Friday- that should be a rad show- it's a benefit for Abattoir magazine. More on that next week.

So check it out on monday at lunch time for the first sessions fest review: the boyish charms & mc flow.
tuesday: jezebel & the sess
wednesday: the new collapse & dj edgartronic
thursday: fifty on their heels
friday: iSociety!