“It is hard not to focus a lot on Johnny; he was very connected to me and still remains connected to me. Although my life is beautiful and I have so much more to it, it’s been hard to get healthy and move toward the future without my buddy… he made such a mark on […]
Dawn Mitschele’s last offering, The Lehrman Sessions, was a 2011 EP recorded in LA, with plenty of studio trimmings building up “Jump In” and other catchy pop tunes. Mitschele is back with another EP, Love Remains. She wrote all five tunes herself this time, but local producer Gabe Lehner opted for a similar sound with […]
I love to play the game of poker. Of all the card games (except Uno, of course), I’ve always been particularly fascinated with and/or mystified by it. I most specifically mean the No-Limit Texas Hold ’em variety, but there are welcome variations that come into play during our weekly $20 game. Pictured here for example, […]
Columbus Day by San Diego’s Mike Bowman fits very comfortably on the soft pop-rock, guitar/vocal, singer-songwriter shelf that won commercial favor with Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and the lighter efforts of John Mayer. The shelf may be getting a bit crowded, but worthy additions are always welcome. On his debut EP, Bowman sings about personal […]
In Woody Allen’s 1999 film, Sweet and Lowdown, set in the ’30s, Sean Penn plays a fictional jazz guitarist named Emmett Ray. He regards himself the second greatest guitar player in the world. The number one spot is reserved for Django Reinhardt. In the story Ray’s usual swagger and musical virtuoso evaporates in the presence […]
The brain-child of monster movie buffs Rick Sparhawk and Jim Soldi, Lullabies for the Cursed is an homage to classic horror films set to groovy blues rock. On paper that might sound like a far-fetched and hare-brained creative endeavor. But this is no comedy album or Dr. Demento Halloween Special re-hash. It’s a self-described “Sonic […]
The Riders built up a sizable repertoire of roots music and a local fan base (releases included 2010’s Crown City Sessions). The sound of front man Tom Cusimano and drummer Jimmy Olsen, violinist Devin Shea, and keyboard player Neil MacPherson showed a heavy influence by The Band. Now, the Riders are no more, but these […]
“I’m very satisfied when I sing, because I know it makes a difference.” Those are the words of Lisa Sanders, songwriter, vocalist, and musician. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sanders last month at Lestat’s, a cozy traditional European-style coffee house with an emphasis on supporting live entertainment in San Diego. Sanders has performed there […]
Hello Troubadourians! I wrote at the end of the December column that many of the topics I write about come from conversations with folks who come up to me after gigs and want to talk about “things” that are on their minds. Lately, a lot of those conversations have been from people asking me about […]
