(Dave Fleminger revisits the sights and sounds of this cornerstone of the early-’80s San Diego scene.)
2012 still sounds to me like a year from the future (or perhaps a Rush album). But here it is, and here we are, and 2012 will contain the 30th anniversaries of many happenings already chronicled on this blog. In the spring of 1982 the North Park venue known as the International Blend was re-named The Kings Road Cafe.
Within an unassuming building on 30th St., an incredible stew of various musics were served up to an all-ages crowd. There were even after-school shows that felt like a continuation of some grand afternoon dance-party tradition.
Whether it was the Iblend or the Kings Rd., the decor inside of the club was pretty much the same: bare-bones and all about the music. The stage was immediately on your left as you walked in the door and in the back of the room was a pinball machine that would shout “The … Black … Knight …
We have club manager and impresario Peter Verbrugge (who acquired the club from Ruben Seja) to thank for making the Intl Blend/Kings Rd the happening spot that it was. Along with the name change, the emphasis moved away from jazz coffeehouse to rock club, but the calender of events always remained diverse and varied. People from different scenes could wander in on any given date and get exposed to something new … No wonder it was called “The ‘Blend.”
Read more: Opening Kings Road Cafe
Thankfully there was a cassette deck in the soundbooth, so some of the shows were recorded.
Manual Scan plays “Hanky Panky” at Kings Road: Listen now!
Manual Scan plays “Secret Agent Man” at Kings Road: Listen now!
Manual Scan played a lot of great shows there in 1982, sharing the stage with The Bangs (before they became better known as the Bangles), Salvation Army (later The Three O’Clock), The Crawdaddys, The Vertebrats and numerous other bands, so when the Reader wanted to do a photo shoot for a summer ’82 article about the San Diego mod scene, what better place than to take a picture of ‘Scan than on the King’s Road stage? Of course that meant hoisting Kevin Ring’s scooter up there so we could stand around it …
Not sure whose parka I borrowed for the shot, but I know it wasn’t mine.
Thanks to Bart Mendoza for music/video and Heather Vorwerck for image scanning/editing.
— Dave Fleminger
More by Dave Fleminger:
so many memories of iblend and kings road… mostly of dancing and being goofy with monica, shawna, tamara, and jodi (cricket). the shows i saw, wow. and the great friends, people i still know now… unbeatable and forever. it’s beyond me, though, that i was 13 when i first went in. my son is 13 now. i would lose my mind if he were doing even a fifteenth of the stupid crap we did back then. walking from shawna and jodis place all the way down off fern to downtown DAV for clothes for the shows or to the shows themselves (when we couldn’t find a ride)? swiping eyeliners from thrifty down the street? drinking cheap ass wine in the back alley and smoking cloves? leaving iblend/kings road after shows at 12 and walking home? holy crap. talk about taking risks. we thought we were unbreakable.
i love memories like kevin lyons picking me up for a show, and hanging with him, monica, pat, and brendan. seeing manual scan for the first time and becoming instant pals with kevin. having john nowell rescue me from some creeptastic perv who followed me outside. dancing until my shoes broke. we were just silly teens being silly. goofing off and enjoying ourselves while our fantastic friends played music for us. we thought we were the coolest, and maybe we were.
i think if i had to pinpoint when i came of age it would be then. with my friends there at kings road. that era. and as far as coming of age stories go i think it was pretty okay.
Hooray for Kings Road and for Peter! So many fond memories: DJing that Bangs / Manual Scan show, the Vertabrats (still have the 45 I bought there), The Crawdaddys on a school afternoon so all the younger Mods could come (every Mod girl at the time, ha!), Battle of the DJs night (Keith Fisher won), first time seeing Salvation Army, Husker Du, Bad Brains, and so may other great bands.
Wait, or was it Ray “Animal” Brandes that won? In any case, we need a rematch!
I am toying with the idea of a 30th anniversary IB/KR party later this year- possibly at Club Pink in North Park…Any takers? Lets talk!
Peter -- I would like to DJ a little if it’s a time that I can make it (I’ll be out of the country in April).
The Jab is in the house!!!
Peter, I’d love to be part of a 30th anniversary IB/KR shindig as 1/3 of the Answers and 1/5 (or 1/4 depending on lineup) of Manual Scan. Can’t speak for the remaining 2/3rds and 4/5ths (or 3/4ths) but I’ll put the word out to them immediately! Any chance we could coax one of the illustrious bands from LA that played their (possibly) first SD show at the ‘Blend to reunite for this occasion?? A Che Underground -- Paisley Underground exclusive??
Way to evoke those memories, Dave. An enjoyable read!
I can speak for another fourth or fifth of Scan — I’d love to be part of it! Knowing how much Tim and Jarrod want to play, that’s most of the band. We can, ah, “talk” Bart into playing if he’s hesitant…
All hail “The Kings Road Cafe’/International Blend”! Thank you Dave for you story, and Ava for all your great ramblings and memories on this! i can echo a lot of what you remember. For me, I knew I had taken a step up from the new girl on the scene at Headquarters when I was actually with the “in croud” at Peter’s International Blend. I still remember my first wet, fall night walking down University Avenue toward the club and seeing the pack of Mods outside-huddled about their scooters. I think I was with my friend Tammi Martin at the time (don’t know where she is now). I knew Louis, Steve, Dennis, Dean and some other North County Mods…including Ava-who was always a hoot. I remember being a bit intimidated by the queen of the Mods, Robin; and seeing a ton of handsome young men in suits! Eye Candy! And fantastic music! it must have been 1982. I know i loved Manual Scan, because i booked them to play at Torrey Pines High School for one of our dances in my Sophmore year!
BTW-I’d probably be down for a reunion party for International Blend, especially if Peter makes the trek down from Seattle and DJ’S & live bands are involved. I would do my best to be there and lend my support and have a good time!
Salvation Army at Kings Road? Anybody remember a Punker walking in and kicking the crap out of the Salvation Army drum set at Kings Road?
Then Danny just walked out.
I loved SA and I was with Danny that night as we walked in / I watched in horror and made the shameful walk out.
Paul, I DO remember this, when a punk kid attacked The Salvation Army stage set and Danny’s kit on 30th Ave in San Diego. What a black-mark. I think that was the April 10, 1982 show at the iBlend with Manual Scan and The Rockin Dogs, before Peter Verbrugge took over the booking full time. The gig is linked here:
https://www.sceneroller.com/events/international-blend-saturday-april-10-1982-salvation-army-manual-scan-rockin-dogs
The drum incident was both awful, but also one of those incidentals that we faced so often during the early 80’s in America’s Finest City.
I was at all their appearances as Salvation Army and Three O’Clock in this venue and UCSD. The April ’82 show was a big deal, and the first time I stretched-out the “Mod limitation” in a black Nehru frock coat, with matching turquoise socks and ascot. Jason Petteway gifted me a long, gabardine coat and I’d altered the facings and collar myself. Dennis Borlek was the other local who began to take cues from “Going Underground” era Weller, and looks that hearkened to The Move and Small Faces. This was the beginning of a separation between social groups of Mod stylists and “scooter boys” that had been brewing. It led to some altercations that weren’t always as violent as the kicking of Troy’s drums, but fraught with scene tensions. Over bullshit! Dennis had a serious fight with a group from LA, who’s conformity began and ended within the confines of Quadrophenia’s production design.