Artifacts | The Che Underground

The Amazons make Rolling Stone! (Thanks, Vedder)

March 5, 2016February 23, 2016 by Mmrothenberg

After all the blood, sweat and tears secreted over the years by the musicians in our combo, a Joe Jackson cover and shambolic version of “Roadrunner” got us national press on Monday in Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound and Pearl Jam’s site. I believe a couple guest turns by our old high-school theater buddy Eddie Vedder had something to d0 with all the to-do. But hey, while we’ve caught the buzz, I might as well tell the story.

The Amazons were an acoustic guerrilla rock trio we put together in San Francisco in 1997: me; my fellow San Dieguito High School Theater alum Todd Barker on drums; and on bass, Jason Brownell, a friend of mine who went all the way back to fifth grade in Milwaukee before I moved to San Diego.

Listen now: The Amazons play “Brother P-Touch”

Get your copy! ‘Getting Nowhere Fast’

January 2, 2016 by Mmrothenberg

I’m overdue commemorating an important milestone for the San Diego scene: the release of Ray Brandes’ Getting Nowhere Fast, the long-awaited first volume of band biographies by this talented musician, historian and author.

Featuring an introduction by lead Penetrator Gary Heffern, the book includes unrivaled accounts of Glory, the Zeros, the Penetrators, the Crawdaddys, the Dinettes, the Unknowns, the All-Bitchin’ All-Stud All-Stars (the birthplace of Country Dick Montana), Manual Scan, the Nashville Ramblers, the Gravedigger V and Ray’s own Tell-Tale Hearts.

RIP Cyndie Jaynes

December 11, 2017December 31, 2015 by Mmrothenberg

Today brings sad news about Cynthia Jaynes Omololu, née Cyndie Jaynes, 18 months after her cancer diagnosis.

Her husband Bayo reports:

“Dear friends and family, tried to figure out how to let everyone know without putting a damper on your holidays, but it is with a broken heart that I have to tell you that the love of my life Cyn passed away this morning on her sleep. The last month and a half were extremely painful for her, but the one consolation was she died peacefully.”

CU Video Jukebox: We’ve got you covered

January 30, 2022May 25, 2015 by Mmrothenberg

(In the first installment of a series, San Diego musician and impresario Bart Mendoza selects unexpected covers of local bands.)

The ultimate compliment for a band? It has to be having your songs covered – it’s a clear sign you’ve made an impact. It is a rare thing indeed, but percentage-wise, San Diego’s bands circa the late 1970s through the mid 1980s actually have fared quite well, with new generations of musicians taking up inspiration in their songs. Here are 10 examples:

1. Brandywine Road – What Do All The People Know? (originally by the Monroes) This song is well on its way to being a standard, and this is a terrific version.

The Mirrors play UCSD Rec Gym

May 9, 2015May 9, 2015 by Mmrothenberg

Jeffrey Luck Lucas — veteran of the Answers and the Morlocks and current solo artist — offers up these photos from the band he calls his favorite from his days in San Diego.

The Mirrors were formed by Jeff and Dave Fleminger in late 1983 and played their last show in May 1984. Artifacts are rare, but these images shot by John Nee capture the band playing the UCSD Rec Gym April 14, 1984 with The Unclaimed, the Odds and Noise 292.

Pictures of Jerry

May 5, 2019October 18, 2014 by Mmrothenberg

Thanks to Jeremiah Cornelius for providing this portrait of himself as “Romulus Johnson”, ca. 1988, after many of us had relocated from San Diego to San Francisco and a year or so after the dissolution of the original Morlocks.

As anyone familiar with our scene knows, Jerry Cornelius was the indefatigable trend-setter, flyer-maker, lyricist, MC, band manager and catalyst behind myriad San Diego adventures.

“What Would Jerry Do?” Read all about it!

Transplanted to San Francisco, Jerry continued his cultural explorations via music and fashion.

In the cards: The Tell-Tale Hearts and Gravedigger Five

October 4, 2014 by Mmrothenberg

Two small pieces of paper tell a story: When I noticed Dylan Rogers had posted to Facebook a photo of a Gravedigger Five business card, I asked him if I could share it on Che Underground: The Blog, along with the back story on where he acquired it.

“Ron Rimsite gave the card around 20 years ago while I was living in New York,” Dylan replied. “He knew I was big fan of GDV and they had a big influence on my music, so he gave it and a Tell-Tale Hearts card to me.”

Both cards completed a round trip to San Diego when Dylan returned there, and he’s provided photos of both. Like other ephemera from those days, they each include contact information for members of their respective bands: The Gravediggers card provides phone numbers for rhythm and lead guitarists John Hanrattie and Ted Friedman, and the Tell-Tale Hearts card directs recipients to call bassist Mike Stax and keyboardist Bill Calhoun.

Hair Theatre: ‘Phantom of Delight’

September 14, 2014September 14, 2014 by Mmrothenberg

More than 30 years later, here’s a performance of a Hair Theatre staple at the Che Cafe Nov. 17, 1983. “Phantom of Delight” was part of a set that featured the debut of Dave Fleminger on lead guitar. The rest of the lineup was original Hair Theatre, if memory serves: Sergio (vocals); Sergio Castillo (bass); Cesar Castillo (rhythm guitar); Howard Palmer (drums).

Watch Hair Theatre perform “In Obscurity” at Che Games for May, 2009!

Followers of the Che Underground may recall that this gig also featured Eleven Sons (a last-minute replacement for Guy Goode and the Decentones) as well as my own band, Noise 292. There’s plenty more where this comes from, if we can sort out the song titles and other vital information!

The Tell-Tale Hearts on ‘It’s Happening’

August 31, 2014August 31, 2014 by Mmrothenberg

During its run from the mid-’80s to early ’90s, Audrey Moorehead’s and Dominic Priore’s cable series “It’s Happening” hearkened back to an earlier era of music television. The show featured clips from Priore’s video library as well as a cavalcade of the era’s garage bands.

“Priore and Moorehead choose the bands, design the Spartan sets, and write and edit the show, which is financed by Priore and grants from various cable companies,” the Los Angeles Times described in a 1990 article. “The equipment and crews are provided at no charge through the companies’ local access departments.

“The most striking element about the 30 low-budget segments that have been produced is their glaring, and oddly endearing, roughness. There are no jump cuts, computer-generated special effects or other MTV slickness.”

Gravedigger V from the Bacher Collection

October 28, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

Befitting their short, colorful career from the summers of 1983 to 1984, souvenirs of the Gravedigger V have been in short supply on Che Underground: The Blog. Now, Tell-Tale Hearts guitarist Eric Bacher steps up with two new additions to the set.

“We just did some ‘fall’ cleaning, and I found a few old pictures,” Eric writes. “The one of Leighton and Chris Gast was given to Denise by Leighton some time in the 80’s, I’m not sure of the provenance of the other.”