When you sit down with Liz Ajuzie it becomes very apparent, very quickly, that she has a clear understanding of what matters most. Family is first; music, a close second. But Liz’s love and respect for both seem so intertwined it could very well be the other way around. When pressed, she just smiles, “My […]
“Art is the one thing that speaks to everyone. Art has this long history, predating even language, of expressing nonverbal information. Art is really a series of evolutions.” These are one of many words of wisdom and depth from celebrated artist Patrick Carney, a San Diego County resident since 2001, whose acrylic work can be […]
Local vocal coach Francesca Valle describes an interaction with a San Diego booker for a popular local venue. The booker, who happened to have been a man, couldn’t remember to give her a call because she had the same name as another woman he didn’t like. She describes this as “subversive sexism”…he didn’t have a […]
It was mid-morning, a Sunday in Ocean Beach. Sunlight shimmered through the large windows of O.B. People’s Organic Food Market. I think I was somewhere along the aisle with the fair trade coffee when I heard a voice, clear, and a bit soulful. I can’t remember the song, but it was a jazz song, an […]
It is rare to cite any musician playing any instrument that can truly hold his own on stage performing in a multitude of musical genres. San Diego County native, violinist Chris Vitas, fits that bill. A professional since 1969, Vitas has graced every stage from the Old Globe Theater and the San Diego Chamber Orchestra […]
One measure of success must surely be the number and quality of people who appreciate you. By that metric, the Troubadour has reached a pinnacle in the San Diego music community. When I took the assignment to write about the first 20 years of the magazine, I quickly realized that more voices than mine were […]
Charles Burton is by far one of the most versatile blues guitarists in Southern California. His talents reach well beyond the traditional 12 bars. From his earliest memories he was educated in the works of Bach and Beethoven, but it was the Beatles that struck a chord. With forays into Cajun, country, and roots rock, […]
I remember first hearing the piano phenomenon Irving Flores about ten years ago in a band led by trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos at his weekly jam session at the bustling (and profoundly loud) nightclub El Camino on India Street down by the airport. Flores comes at you like a freight train, both hands fully loaded and […]
Records are like photographs in that they capture a moment in time, except with sound instead of light. You listen to music all the time, made by people who died, dissipated, or just dropped off the map decades ago, yet left those records behind as the torch of their legacy. For the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, […]
