Reviving San Diego's Rock Renaissance
Discuss the gigs of our misspent youth!
It’s always fun to see a piece of our mutual history surface in an unexpected location. Viz. this video compilation from “stev1963hit,” an old-school British audiophile who included an illustrated version of “Prison Walls” from San Diego punk pioneers the Injections in a series of YouTube posts dubbed “Anarchy in the U.K.”
“Prison Walls” is the first in a trio of songs in this edition, along with “Cold Eyes” by the Reactors and “No Passion” by the Vice Creems.
You asked for it, you got it: “Then and Now” reporter and Che Underground veteran Kristen Tobiason has obliged us with downloadable PDF versions of the flyers she prepped for the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend July 30 and 31!
Just click on the thumbnails below for pure, print-ready chewing satisfaction:
Here’s a recap of the weekend’s haps:
(Charisse Sciuva and Dave Rinck describe hot times at Lestat’s Coffee House. The featured act: a warm-up for the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend July 30-31 and a Che Underground supergroup that will feature San Diego music legends Dave Doyle, Dave Fleminger, Dave Klowden and Dave Rinck.)
On July 19, the DaveFest Four (actually two, Dave Rinck and Dave Fleminger, plus an “honorary Dave” — Lou Damian on harmonica), shut down a packed house at Lestat’s Coffee House on San Diego’s Adams Ave. after just two acts. The occasion was the second weekly night of the Monday night warm-ups at Lestat’s, the venue for Night One of the upcoming Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend on July 30 and 31. Due to an unplanned event that could be called a “mishap” by some, their performance set the standard for what is certainly going to be the event of the year!
Why “DaveFest Four”? Read Patrick Works’ history of Dave Fest!
After an intro by the master of ceremonies, the DaveFest combo took the stage in what was truly a Che Underground moment. Upon pulling in, a painfully loud intermittent reverb-laced blast was heard!
Dave Fleminger — veteran of San Diego’s Answers, Mirrors and Manual Scan and a chief architect of our Che Underground events — is down from San Francisco for the month to prepare for the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend July 30-31.
Among the first-night acts at Lestat’s Coffee House: the Comeuppance, Dave’s current collaboration with cellist Heather Vorwerck. The duo last week made its San Diego debut at a Lestat’s open mic, and I asked Dave what it was like playing his new material on our old turf after so many years away.
It’s not just for bands any more: The pending Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend will also celebrate two photographers whose work has captured San Diego music for decades.
The first night of the event — Friday, July 30, at Lestat’s Coffee House in San Diego — will feature a joint exhibit of concert photos by Dave Doyle and Sean McMullen. I caught up with each of them to learn a bit more about their respective photographic visions and how San Diego has shaped them.
(In preparation for the band’s July 31 reunion at the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend, founding Answer Dave Fleminger unvaults a historic track and the story behind it.)
Contrary to what this post’s title implies, the Answers did indeed exist; it was just too tempting to suggest that here was a band that never existed in order to introduce a recording few knew existed of a song entitled “Never Existed.” Enough of that …
During the summer of 1982 the Answers had the pleasure of performing a number of times at the Kings Road Cafe, previously known as the International Blend. Among the audience at some of these shows was Terry Marine, who enjoyed our noise enough to mention us in his mag Be My Friend, referring to us as “tight, nervous new stuff.”
I asked Club Zu founder Kelsey Farris to update us on the long-awaited fourth installment of his renowned boat parties, scheduled for August 21, 2010, aboard the Hornblower Adventure in San Diego Harbor.
“The event has sold 150 tickets so far,” Kelsey responds, “and we’re capping it at 400. (The boat holds 500 plus a staff of 75.)
“There are the amazing DJs, FYI – David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) and DJK (Robert Kaechele) have 10 entertainers in ‘The Departure Lounge,’ Jesus! Dub, Shoegazer, Downtempo with live percussionists and digeridoo players on the ship’s bow.
Among the highlights of our Che Underground event Jan. 30, 2010, at the Casbah was “Manual Penetration.” This collaboration brought Chris Davies and Chris Sullivan of San Diego’s legendary Penetrators onstage with the equally storied Manual Scan to perform a mini-set of Penetrators songs.
Scan co-founders Bart Mendoza and Kevin Donaker-Ring talk about the origins of this matchup, captured here on video shot that night by Eric Rife with sound engineered by Dave Fleminger.
(David Rinck cuts the ribbon on a late-July musical extravaganza in San Diego!)
How could we let a year go by since the Che Games for May? It is high time to do it again!
Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts and get ready to experience the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend. Here’s what we have in store for you:
Friday, July 30, at Lestat’s Coffee House (3343 Adams Avenue; $10; doors open at 9pm)
Plus a photo retrospective of San Diego Underground Rock ‘n’ Roll by Dave Doyle and Sean McMullen.
Saturday, July 31, at Bar Pink (3829 30th St.; free; doors open at 9pm)
Plus, dubstep deejaying by the P Man
The wave of reunion gigs continues as San Diego music vets the Cardiac Kidz announce their “Last Chance Tour,” featuring an appearance in Ramona, Calif., July 10.
The band’s triumphant return, supported by Doggy Daddy and the Fry Catz as well as French Vampires, runs 7:30-11pm at Ramona Mainstage (626 Main St., Ramona, Calif. 92065).
To warm up for the show, here are a couple of covers by the Kidz, separated by more than 30 years.