It’s a rare thing to have a song covered, the ultimate compliment from another performer. Interestingly, though there are more musicians then ever, only a handful of artists currently performing in San Diego would qualify for this series. A few local performers have had one or two songs covered, but only a select handful have […]
It is frustrating to see marginally talented singers showcased on TV programs such as “American Idol,” “The X Factor,” and “The Voice” when there are so many versatile, accomplished, multi-dimensional performers who have been laboring for years without the recognition and commercial success they deserve. Jeff Larson is an example. Larson is a critically acclaimed […]
Ah, San Diego. The sun, the fun, the surf, and the numerous young dudes with single-cutaway acoustic guitars and sunglasses writing soft rock about the beach life. The success of Ben Harper and Hawaiian Jack Johnson playing music that at its heart is just a guy with a guitar, a voice, and an idea has […]
Dave Stamey represents a rare breed. Some think, like the genre of cowboy music itself, it’s a dying breed. He’s a singer-songwriter who also happens to be a cowboy and writes about what he knows. Born in Montana and raised in the ranch country of central California, he’s writes mostly original songs that sound like […]
Hello Troubadourians. Welcome to the first installment of “Ask Charlie…” Our purpose here is to provide a forum for performing musicians — and musicians who want to become performing musicians — where they can ask questions about equipment, stagecraft, gear purchases, or just about anything else that they might want to know about as it […]
At big family gatherings Aunt Sally always prepared a ham. As her older sisters watched, she would carefully cut a large chunk off the end of the ham before placing it in her over-sized roasting pan. Being gracious house guests, none of her sisters said a word, deferring to their host’s culinary wisdom. After many […]
Special Consensus is coming to San Diego. Special Consensus is a top notch band out of the Chicago area, celebrating its 35th year of national touring with the release of its new album, 35. The album, the group’s 10th release, features band founder Greg Cahill, Rick Faris, David Thomas, and Ryan Roberts on a high-powered […]
Great bands often come from great cities and great eras of musical history. L.A., San Diego, New York City, and San Francisco have seen their share of pop music history during the late ’60s in bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, and the Velvet Underground. This turbulent time produced bands that reached for something greater […]
The life of an independent musician can be limiting, an all-consuming pursuit of what ultimately registers as a paradoxically avaricious dream with few if any tangible rewards for most of its pursuers; so few break through as to make the amount of sacrifice seem absurd for the other 99.9%. Even the inherently enjoyable creative tasks, […]
