It’s not that the Rolling Stones have suddenly become “woke” and aware of social injustice, but it did make news that the aging Bad Boys of British rock have dropped the tune “Brown Sugar” from the playlist of their current tour. With the recent death of drummer and founding band member Charlie Watts, there appears […]
I left San Diego 1963; I was drafted into the armed services. (The Vietnam war was just in its beginning stages.) In 1963, San Diego was a “naval officers’ retirement town,” so to speak. There wasn’t much jazz. The little jazz that was there, we nourished it. When I returned, things had changed quite a […]
When Michael Nesmith died last month, on December 10, the world lost not only a figure who was loved for his contributions to popular music over many decades, we also lost one of the primary musical visionaries of the last 50 years. If his short time with the Monkees as a television star assured his […]
We hope that this new year brings a seismic shift to what the life of musicians and music lovers has been over the last two years. For that second group, being able to enjoy live music where it’s happening is something that means so much to you—for those of us in that first group, you […]
“It feels less like a street fair and more like a party.” Brijet Meyers, SoNo Fest Chairperson, is explaining the annual chili cook-off that comes around on Sunday, the 5th of this month. “It’s unique. It’s intimate, not overproduced. It’s a community event, and you’ll see your neighbors there.” This year marks the 12th year […]
He was the sense of calm quiet in the midst of the rock ‘n’ roll circus we’ve called the Rolling Stones for the last near-60 years. But his low-key focused concentration was ironically and deceptively covered his pacing, timing, and rhythmic heart beat that gave the life blood to one of the greatest and most […]
I just finished Steven Van Zandt’s new memoir, Unrequited Infatuations, and my personal biases aside, I believe it’s one of the most captivating books I’ve ever read. It’s almost certainly the most amazing life story I’ve ever encountered. Steven has been an integral part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band over the past fifty years […]
Native New Yorker Chuck Schiele initially came to San Diego for college in 1979 but ended up staying for over three decades. By 2008, he had America’s Finest City by the cojones, working from an owned home with a rehearsal/recording studio out back in Ocean Beach, where he was so well connected he was widely […]
I was lucky enough to witness Pat Metheny’s first national tour as a leader some 43 years ago when I was 19 years old. Since that evening, it is much easier for me to account for the few gigs he’s played in San Diego that I have missed (about three by my reckoning.) That first […]
