The Drabs are a trio of local rockers who bill themselves as a “slack rock/ clandestine pop band.” Whatever that is, what they sound like on their holiday-themed EP Here Comes the Joy is a loosely based update on post-punk artists like Pavement and Paul Westerberg—edgy guitar, bass, drums, and Lou Reed-vibe spoken/sung vocals by […]
In 1950, there were 5,600 people in El Cajon, which means “the box” in Spanish. By 1970, there were 52,273 and one of them was this author. Another was Raul Sandelin. The journalist, educator, and documentary film director and producer feels a special connection to both the city in the valley, rock music—and the way […]
At first glance singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams and legendary country-gospel blues singer Blind Willie Johnson have little in common. But, there is more that ties these two artists together than meets the eye. The works of both artists have gained the attention of today’s music industry with Grammy nominations and awards. Lucinda Williams has won three […]
Local jazz fans likely know about Anna Danes, from her appearances at various venues including her Jazz on Cedros shows. The songstress is originally from Poland before the communist collapse, and she has a fascinating story, including a mid-life reinvention as a singer. Her first CD release was 2013’s Longing, and she is back with […]
Terry Daktyll’s pale, flute-thin arm reaches up to put another cassette into the empty mouth of the VCR. It’s a recent set-closing performance of David Bowie’s “Rock and Roll Suicide,” shot in early June at a very in spot on the Sunset Strip. The camera work is quite good, the two-camera setup well edited, and […]
Music may be many things to many people, but it is primarily an emotion delivery system. When you throw a disc upon the turntable and press “play,” what sort of experience are you expecting? Since context is crucial to understanding anything in this world, it all depends upon where you’re standing at any given moment. […]
“As a young child, I’d never harbored any musical ambitions beyond just being a passive, avid listener—a fan. I occasionally look back on that simpler time and the unbiased lad I was with envy, wishing I could return to just being the pure listener that I was before my head got filled up with the […]
….in which we learn the fate of San Diego’s G Burns Jug Band as they travel to the historic homeland of jug band music. Louisville, Kentucky is a special place to me. It has always been a town I knew and explored primarily through music. I grew up in a small community nearby where, like […]
