Che Games for May | The Che Underground

The Wallflowers: “Funland” at the Casbah

January 1, 2011June 8, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

For those who missed Che Games for May in San Diego May 29-30 or just want to relive the magic: Good news! Thanks to modern technology, the event was captured from every angle in photographs, audio and video.

Exhibit A: The original San Diego Wallflowers raise the roof of San Diego’s Casbah with “Funland,” the band’s hypnotic paean to the city’s seamy underbelly, now lost to gentrification. (For memories of the original Funland, check out Kristen Tobiason’s “Then and now” feature.)

The May 30 performance marks the Wallflowers debut of Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison and features original Wallflowers David Rinck on vocals, Paul Howland on bass and Matt Johnson on drums. (Che Underground jack-of-all-trades Dave Fleminger added keyboard stylings to the set.)

So … Whaddya wanna do now?

March 30, 2019June 2, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

Wow. Just … wow. The Che Games weekend was an emotional, artistic and spiritual triumph — throw in a few adjectives of your own there! I’m grateful that so many other people feel so energized and fulfilled by the time we spent together.

I think most of us need at least a little while to digest (and for those of us heavily involved in prep, to reclaim our schedules). But hey: While the iron’s hot, I want at least to hear what new worlds you want this blog and this community to explore next.

Here are a few items on my personal menu … Please chime in with more!

Che Games: Mission accomplished!

January 1, 2011May 31, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

A quick one, while he’s away: I’m tying up some loose ends before my flight back from San Diego to New Jersey after Day Two of the Che Underground’s Che Games for May reunion event at the Casbah Club.

Thanks to a crack team of documentarians, we’ve got audio, video and photos to share and enjoy — and those will be making their way onto the site in the coming weeks.

But for now, a simple “Thank you!” and an open invitation to talk about what our quarter-century reunion did to or for you.

You’re all very, very important to me, and easily my biggest regret is that I couldn’t be everywhere at once to talk to you and share time. But please: Let’s come together here and swap a few stories for each other and for our friends who couldn’t be with us this time out.

Dubstep Mixed CD available at the Che Underground Shows

March 30, 2019May 29, 2009 by Paul.Howland

(Wallflower Paul Howland puts in the plug for his current audio goodies.)

Wallflowers David Rinck, Paul Howland I’ll be hawking new product at the show. I made a new Dubstep and Grime mix (heavier on the Dubstep side of things). It’s continuously mixed by me the old fashioned way, with turntables and a mixer. 26 Tunes, all vinyl, were selected to provide a wide range of styles from within the Dubstep and Grime continuum from 2007 right up until some of the very latest releases. Lovingly rendered in gorgeous CDR audio and available at the shows this weekend in a limited numbered edition of 50 for a scant $10 US. For those that don’t want to shell out for the CDR, there’s also plenty of free Dubstep goodness available here.

Get your Che Games poster!

December 11, 2017May 27, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

What’s an iconic concert without an iconic poster? In honor of Che Games for May, the 25th anniversary tribal gathering slated for May 29-30 at San Diego’s Casbah, Ray Brandes and artist Kevin Diamond have created this handsome memento so participants near and far can own a piece of music history.

Enjoy this commemorative gift, and we hope to see you there!

Then and now: San Diego!

January 1, 2011May 8, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

(Kristen Tobiason rolls out the red carpet for Che Games for May.)

With the reunion happening at the end of this month, many of you will be trekking back to your original stomping grounds after many years of estrangement. Much like the sweetheart you were squeezing 25 years ago, time has changed the landscape.

I vividly remember the car ride to the grand opening of the Wild Animal Park in 1972. The drive north to Escondido was unfettered with the suburban sprawl that congests it today. There were cows grazing, clusters of eucalyptus trees, a checkered water tower. For years we looked to the north as Los Angeles spread like a virus, choking the groves of Orange County with highways and strip malls. “Thank god for Camp Pendleton,” we’d say.

The government-owned coastal stretch from Oceanside to San Clemente seemed like a fortress, like a desert between Sodom and Paradise. But with the real-estate Gold Rush of the ’90s, we were no longer an oasis. San Diego’s population skyrocketed to over 3 million. Those cows are long gone, and in their place, a Target, a Starbucks and many Olive Garden-type feeding troughs.

So when you come back to San Diego, you may notice some big changes:

Let the games begin!

March 27, 2019April 26, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes lays the table for May’s audio feast.)

The Che Underground Weekend Showcase:
Celebrating more than 25 years of San Diego’s underground music history

An incredible opportunity to reconnect, reminisce and rediscover will unfold as 25 years and thousands of miles of distance disappear in a single weekend — May 29 and 30 at the Casbah in San Diego.

The lineups have been set, the bands are rehearsing, and the drinks are on ice. Here’s what to expect:

Che Games for May: Take your best shot!

December 11, 2017April 24, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

Attention all shutterbugs: The Che Underground’s quarter-century reunion weekend is on track for May 29-30 (advance tickets at the Casbah Web site). Besides the fun of getting the bands back together (not to mention our oldest, dearest friends), some of us are excited about do-overs for the historical record.

Between the primitive technologies of the early ’80s and a youthful lack of focus, many great performances went unrecorded. We’re hoping to capture some high points in May, and we’ve got videography and audio pretty much nailed for the events.

But we’re still hoping skilled photographers will volunteer for the Che Army.

Question line: Che Games for May

December 11, 2017March 17, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

The Che Underground’s quarter-century reunion weekend is taking off like a rock-‘n’-roll Hindenburg! Here are some updates and an opportunity to ask additional questions about the greatest May 29-30 event since Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848.

First, a couple of hot topics that have already arisen:

Impresario Tim Mays informs us that tickets for Che Games for May will go on sale March 21 27 via the Casbah Web site. Tickets are $10 in advance for a single night, $16 for a two-day pass. Buy early and often!
Some out-of-town visitors have inquired about sharing hotel accommodations the weekend of the show. If you’re anxious for someone to sleep with, cheap, I’ll be happy to make qualified introductions offline. (If you’re bashful, e-mail the Che Underground address privately.

Other burning issues to raise — logistical, rhetorical or existential? Float ’em here!

Che Games for May: Extended play!

March 27, 2019February 23, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

Set the controls for the heart of the sun: The Che Underground’s quarter-century reunion looms ever larger — so large, in fact, that one night just couldn’t contain it.

Now scheduled for May 29 and 30 at Tim Mays’ legendary Casbah Club in San Diego, the event will comprise: