On a moonlit strip of highway in Colorado, the van Astra Kelly was driving hit some black ice. She was finishing up a solo tour that had taken her around the country a few times. In almost two years, she’d logged 85,000 miles on the conversion van that skidded, rolled, and landed upside down on […]
I have a distinct memory of the first time I heard Charlie Arbelaez play the saxophone. I had been invited by a band member (bassist Antar Martin, I believe) to witness the debut performance of a new San Diego-based band, (Coast Bop) at the sadly moribund 98 Bottles at the north end of Little Italy. […]
She’s hard to miss. Platinum blonde hair and a presence that pleads for those watching to have fun, to jump around, to get lost in the music just like she does. When you catch Jules Whelpton live on stage or in any of her live music videos, or even just check out any photo of […]
Greetings, Troubadour readers, friends, and supporters. With everything shut down for the time being, there is no print issue for the month of April—there aren’t any locations to deliver to, for one thing! And imagine an empty calendar page! We’re going to continue with this online version. We’ll bring you new articles and columns and […]
San Diego is well known for its rock and jazz scenes, but of late country music has also begun to receive a bigger share of the spotlight. While there have been plenty of great local musicians who play in the genre, it’s likely no coincidence that the current resurgence began right around the time guitarist […]
Being a jazz musician can be hard on your romantic relationships. Dating, let alone marrying a musician is no picnic and, in the tradition of Valentines Day, I salute anyone who has had the guts to even try. People who make it work have earned my highest respect. Relationships between two musicians seem doubly fraught—but […]
I’ve known Chris Fast for too many years to remember and he’s always been funny. You know that dry funny? A gift he shares with surgical precision in every blues bar, club venue, house party, and festival stage across Southern California. On this night, with a full bar and a rowdy crowd, Chris fills between […]
“‘If you want to be a successful musician, you’ve got to be versatile.’ That’s what one of my teachers told me.” Jodie Hill was not yet in high school, but she clearly remembers this musical career advice. And if her schedule is any indication, she has taken that advice and applied it every day of […]
It’s been said that siblings make great music together. One need only look at the Everly Brothers, the Kinks, the Black Crowes, and Oasis to see that factoid to have some merit. It makes sense that shared influences and family life combine to make musical magic. Slightly rarer are siblings that are part of different, […]
