The Acoustic Alliance is back!

The Acoustic Alliance, San Diego’s finest “in the round” showcase, is back baby. Started in 2004, this multi-set songwriters showcase features 3 sets of 4 performers and was born in the candle lit darkness of the legendary rock club The Brick by Brick, taking place every 2 or 3 months.

 

We would scrape up the unidentified substances from the dance floor and Dennis Driscoll would bring his chairs and there was never an empty one. Adam, Erica or Myrna would greet you at the door and the cover was only $5. The sound was pristine (thanks to Mick Kinner and later Jon Edwards) and Tim Flack donated his time to film multi-camera video of most of our events. In between the featured sets we would showcase ensembles and newly discovered talent in the lounge area, and we always ended up at Denny’s with Dr. Dave after the show.

 

We moved it to Canes in Mission Beach, and it jumped around to a few venues before returning to The Brick, which seemed to be the perfect fit. The AA shows continued on a regular basis until around 2012, then we produced a few more in 2014 to celebrate 10 years of service to our songwriting community, continuing them once a year after that. I think the last one was held at The Heritage Ranch when Jonny and I were caretaking the museum in 2018.

 

My plan is to bring them back every quarter in 2024, venues TBD. Although they always took place early evenings on a Sunday (and will continue on Sundays after this one), we’ll be celebrating the Acoustic Alliance in its 20th year on a Friday, February 9th to accommodate Tim Flack’s schedule. He’ll be flying in from Texas, and this time he’ll be a performer, celebrating the release of his brand new CD. But don’t worry, we’ll get this event on film thanks to my pal Lori Bannon from TheStation.tv and it will air sometime after on Roku TV for all the world to see.

 

Because it’s so dang hard to leave beautiful Ramona, this AA is being held at Ramona Town Hall so we can help with restoration fundraising. Doors will open at 5:30, your seat will be waiting. The first set starts promptly at 6pm and will feature Ramona residents Miranda Ramos w/ Bryan Willson, Mark Torpey and me! The 2nd set starts at 7pm where you’ll hear songs by more of my Ramona and back country neighbors: Haywire, Dana Duplan and Leah Keane. At 8pm we’re proud to feature Christopher Dale, Tim Flack, Bug Guts and Jeff Berkley. All performers will play 3 songs “in the round”. It’ll be quiet, peaceful and full of stories about the songs.

 

In between sets you can meet and chat with your favorites over by the merch table where you can purchase their wares. Additionally, I’ll be offering my famous Vegetarian Chili and Grilled Cheese sammies and the lovely folks from Smoking Cannon Brewery and Pamo Winery are sponsoring our event, offering delicious and award-winning beer and wine. Tickets are $22 and MUST BE PURCHASED PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 9TH as this is a “private” event so that we can offer food and drinks to our guests. Sorry, NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. Ticket info is on the poster and if you don’t do digital, you can always reach out to me for alternative payment methods at Cathryn@ListenLocalRadio.com. Learn more about The Acoustic Alliance, peep videos from the past and check out the Alumni list at ListenLocalRadio.com/AAAlumni and here are some photos by Steve Covault from over the years. Another anniversary? Yes. We were dang busy in 2004. THE GAME is also celebrating 20 years of good times this month with a special event, location TBA, on February 25th. Do what the poster says and stay tuned to The Game | ListenLocalradio.com for location information. Here’s the rest of what’s doing in February. I can’t express to you how much fun we have at our song circles, bring your pick’n chair and instrument and join us for some fun up here in Ramona! If you like a more intimate experience, I’ll be singing to you table side at Ramona Ranch Winery on February 19th and HOPEFULLY you have the day off to come up and enjoy some spectacular views!