In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- RADIOHEAD! (info)
- And if you didn't score tix, commiserate (info)
- Who knew? Toad the Wet Sprocket comes out of the woodwork (info)
- Apple pie, poolside (info)
- Vintage VW surf buses, brah (info)

MORE: TONIGHT; TOMORROW; WEEKEND

by Jennifer Croshaw at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Checked Frontgate's site lately? No? Here's what's going on:

"$65.00 2-Day Pass: SOLD OUT!
$75.00 2-Day Pass: SOLD OUT!
$85.00 2-Day Pass: SOLD OUT!
$95.00 2-Day Pass: Available while supplies last!"

Single-day tickets are up for sale now, too, at $65 a pop. Be prepared to be slapped with a $9 service charge.

by Derrik Chinn at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The heartfelt songs of Greg Laswell

Album: "Three Flights From Alto Nido"
Distribution: Vanguard
Album art: Wimsical and subdued art of a bird nest in a big city.
Personal style: A guy so pretty he hides behind facial hair and neck ties.
San Diegoness of sound: Greg Laswell is part of the city's singer/songwriter elite. Meaning he's friends with Steve Poltz and Gregory Page and Anya Marina but has his own, more poppy style.
As big as Poltz&Page? With Laswell's music featured on TV shows and in commercials, it looks like he's on his way to surpassing them.
Best songs: All of them.
Overall: Laswell may come from the Lestat's circuit, but his album has a much grander feel than you'd expect from a guy with a guitar. The music is sophisticated and beautiful, mostly thanks to Laswell's voice. The album's filled with piano melodies layered over heartbreaking harmonies. Sure, it's on the mellow, adult contemporary side but you can't always listen to punk rock, right?
Our advice: Dating Hollywood actresses always leads to trouble.
Listen and buy.

by Nina Garin at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mark Kersey had an easier time in his presidential election than McCain or Obama or Clinton. Mark was the ultimate, inevitable, presumptive nominee back in February 2008, when he ran unchallenged for president of the San Diego Young Republicans.

And what makes the Young GOP prez see red? Not much. The Solana Beach resident handles living in a blue state (led by our Republican governor Arnold, whom Mark campaigned for in 2003) and needling from Street reporters (about being young in the party of McCain) pretty well. See for yourself.

How old are you? The limit for Young GOP is 40, right?
I'm 32, and yes, our official age range tops out at 40. We do have some honorary members who are over 40, though, and we really appreciate their wisdom and involvement.

You know the adage, "When you're young, you're a Democrat; when you're older, you're a Republican." You're disproving it.
Actually, I think it goes something like "If you're not a Democrat when you're young, you have no heart. If you're not a Republican when you're older, you have no brain."

I don't know if that's true, but I've been a Republican for as long as I can remember. My mom has an old "Star Wars" calendar of mine from 1984. On Election Day that November, I wrote in "Vote Reagan." I was 8.

How would you describe your chapter's events, on a scale of kegger to wine tasting?
We're somewhere in between those two extremes. Our [recent] happy hour theme [was] "In Search of San Diego's Best Margarita," which has been a lot of fun.

You drink domestic beer mostly at these events, I hear. Is that because you're patriots?
We're patriots, and we are also fiscally conservative.

Continue reading "STREET PEOPLE: The Young Republicans' Mark Kersey" »

by Keli Dailey at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Those of you in the North and South counties are probably already sick of Anthropologie.

But for the rest of us, the thought of being able to buy all those ruffly blouses and girly dresses without having to drive 50 miles is so very exciting.

So here's the news: the Fashion Valley Anthropologie store opens on Friday!

Like the other stores in Carlsbad and Chula Vista, the Fashion Valley location has plenty of luxurious clothes - sweaters and skirts and trousers and the most unique dresses.

And you can also find those vintage-looking housewares. Everything from retro aprons and oven mitts to plates and cookbooks.

The new store is located upstairs, next to J.Crew (where Brooks Brothers used to be). And after peeking through the window, it looks wonderfully extravagant.

Because as any Anthropologie fan knows, the clothes are pricey. Not, like, Chanel pricey, but don't think you can find a complete outfit for less than $100. The sweater on the left, for example, is $128.

Still, Anthropologie definitely has its share of fans. The clothes are cut to flatter many body types and the look is definitely distinct.

And don't worry, they tend to have amazing sales.

by Nina Garin at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- She's happy now, and has a new release out soon (info)
- When conventions attack (info) or...Nevermind (info)
-The opportunity to dress in Courtney Love drag is knocking (info)
- Remember when Sebastian Bach was a regular on the "Gilmore Girls?" He was. But now he's back to singing. (Info)

MORE: TODAY, TOMORROW and THURSDAY

by T. Michael Crowell at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aren't you glad you blindly handed your email over to the folks at Street Scene so that they may do with it whatever they please in exchange for their newsletter so that you could "get the scoop on Stet Scene updates!"? We are, too. Because that's exactly how we found out which bands were playing on Friday and which are playing on Saturday.

Just kidding. There was no newsletter. But we happened to swing by their site earlier this afternoon and found that they finally divided the bands over the two days.

Friday: Beck, Spoon (above), Justice, TV on the Radio, Cat Power, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Hot Chip, the New Pornographers, GZA, Diplo, Antibalas, Devotchka, Foals, Nortec's Bostich & Fussible, the Films, the Muslims, Chester French

Saturday: The Black Crowes, the National, Atmosphere, Tegan and Sara, the Hives, X, STS9, Cold War Kids, Ghostland Observatory, Eagles of Death Metal, Spiritualized, the Mother Hips, Tokyo Police Club, Man Man, Del tha Funky Homosapien, The Night Marchers, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, the Whigs, Dengue Fever, West Indian Girl

by Derrik Chinn at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EPAZOTE
1555 CAMINO DEL MAR
DEL MAR
858-259-9966
(Chapter two of our three-week adieu to the '08 races.)

Rundown: Finding Epazote involves worming your way through the maze of faux ancient stone that is Del Mar Plaza, past hoity art dealers, toity jewelers and adult contemporary beachwear vendors, all the way to the third floor. It's a worthwhile journey, you decide, when your plate arrives and you catch the food actually grinning at you. With fried crab nuggets for eyes, field greens for a mustache and half a sliver of a red onion for a mouth, it's the grownup version of the bacon-and-eggs smiley face breakfasts Mom used to deliver bedside on Valentine's Day when you were a kid. The small meal, while brief, makes for a bout of nostalgia that lasts long enough to watch the sun slip behind the water.

The deal: Five plates (spicy barbecue pork lollipops, grilled steak skewers, crispy corn floured calamari, mini crab cakes and beef carpaccio) and five drinks (margarita shakers, Trinchero chardonnay, Hess Cabernet, well cocktails and lemondrop, cosmo or traditional martinis) at five bucks a pop from 3 to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Not to be missed: Tuesdays. Happy hour stretches until last call.

by Derrik Chinn at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In which we nudge you from your laptop and into the night ...

- Get your nails done at Free Manicure Monday. (Info)
- Matthew Sweet and The Northstar Session (info)
- Dear Seventh Grade Diary, where, oh where did I find the nerve to read you aloud at the Whistle Stop in front of a bunch of strangers? What's that? At the bottom of my cocktail cup? Oh. (info)
- Debaser at 9, adults read their teenage journals (info)

MORE: TODAY, TOMORROW and WEDNESDAY

by T. Michael Crowell at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Flipping through the New York Times' fashion magazine, I saw an ad for Bochic bracelets and I immediately wanted one.

These pieces mesh retro Bakelite plastic with gold and diamonds and all sorts of other fancy gems. It's a little over-the-top and Gothic, but totally gorgeous. It's a definite must-have for anyone who likes statement jewelry.

So I popped onto the Bochic site hoping to see how much something like this costs. Well, there aren't any prices listed anywhere, which is the fashion world's way of saying: if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

OK. But if I can't buy one, at least I can go look at them somewhere? Try one on just for kicks?

Nope. It seems there aren't any San Diego stores that sell Bochic, either.

It turns out, Angelina Jolie wore Bochic to some awards shows and now it's the Hollywood jewelry of choice. Halle Berry, Eva Mendes, Hilary Swank, Penelope Cruz and Rihanna are among its latest fans.

And now that all signs point to me never having a Bochic bracelet, I want one even more. Who knows how long it will be before this stuff trickles down to San Diego. Or maybe it already has and I don't know it?

Has anyone seen Bochic around the local boutiques?

by Nina Garin at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We totally see Obama in Jeff Woods, a sales director at the San Diego Marriott, Del Mar. In the paper today, Woods said even his own baby girl mixes him and the O up in photos.

But c'mon, does Jimmy Ramsey (far right), a local model and two-time "Rage Monthly" coverboy look anything like the Democratic presidential nominee?

Jimmy, 24 and Texan, says he gets it all the time. Obama, Obama, Obama. "And he's ugly," the model says incredulously.

In a non-election year, people tell him he looks like Tiger Woods.

Seeing a little bit of Obama in other mocha-colored males reminds me of that Tootsie Roll commercial.

Rage Monthly July 2008 cover courtesy Cesar Reyes.

by Keli Dailey at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From TV's "The Love Boat" to the world of high finance, Leucadia singer-songwriter Alex Woodard brings an unusually varied background to his music, which he'll play and discuss on today's episode of "Fill In The Blank," my weekly Monday interview show on SignOnRadio.com.

Alex will perform a few songs from his fourth and latest album, the self-titled "Alex Woodard." He'll also play a few of his favorite recordings by Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Shawn Mullins. As a preview, you can watch Alex's video of "Beautiful Now" (his co-star, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, sadly, will not be joining us for the interview).

"Fill In The Blank" airs today from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can phone in your questions for Alex on our handy, toll-free number: (866) 818-6384.)

by George Varga at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are those musicians, like the John Mayers of the world, who enjoy cavorting with the audience. At concerts, they name off each song even if everyone in the crowd seems to have the chorus down by heart, share funny stories and tell jokes in between songs.

In the case of the Dave Matthews Band, the motto was more music, less talk last night following the death of the band's sax player and co-founding member LeRoi Moore Tuesday.

Playing to a packed house at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, the band seemed to best communicate through the music.

But then again, it's songs like "Everyday" and "Two Step" (the song to hear them play live according to my friends) that have made the band one of the most successful.

Continue reading "THE BEAT GOES ON: Minus one, the Dave Matthews Band takes the stage" »

by Kate Stanhope at 01:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the highlights at last year's Coachella festival was the chance to watch Manu Chao perform in front of a large audience that, for the most part, was not familiar with him.

The fact that thousands of fans had gathered hours earlier -- specifically to stake out good vantage points for Rage Against the Machine's subsequent reunion show on the same stage -- made his challenge all the greater. Ditto the fact that Chao sings primarily in Spanish, French and sometimes Arabic, with just one or two English numbers sprinkled into his set.

That he won over a substantial amount of new listeners at Coachella is a testament to his borders-leaping music, which combines hard-core punk fervor with elements of alt-rock, World Beat, funk, salsa, reggae and flamenco.

Moreover, Chao and his band inject their work with such infectious energy that you don't need to understand a word to be swept up by the resulting surge of excitement. Even when his songs are ordinary, his performance of them can be transcendent in concert (his albums, including last year's "La Radiolina," are more inconsistent).

Continue reading "MANU CHAO RETURNS: Maverick performs Sunday in Tijuana" »

by George Varga at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Rocker
Rated: PG-13
Grade: D
Tickets

The journey from "School of Rock" to "School of Schlock" took just five years, which is nearly as long some of the more interminable scenes in "The Rocker" seem to last.

In 2003's 2003's "School of Rock," a well-intentioned but slight comedy, Jack Black starred as a slobbish, wannabe rock star who uses his job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher to form a young band -- the better to further his dreams of fame and guitar-shredding glory.

Now comes "The Rocker," a well-intentioned but even slighter comedy, in which Rainn Wilson (pictured at far right in the photo at left)stars as a slobbish-wannabe rock star who uses his lack of a job to join his teenage nephew's garage band -- the better to revive his dreams of fame and drumstick-twirling glory.

Wilson, best known for his sidekick role as the bungling Dwight Schrute on TV's "The Office," is a reasonably competent comedian. But he spends so much of "The Rocker" winking, mugging and leering like a lobotomized Black on a bender that Wilson seems like the result of a Hollywood studio genetics experiment gone wrong.

Continue reading "SCHOOL Of SCHLOCK: Rainn Wilson falls flat in "The Rocker"" »

by George Varga at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)