Che Underground: The Blog

The return of the Unknowns

December 11, 2017July 7, 2011 by admin

(Last chance to see: Ray Brandes reviews why this San Diego reunion of the band’s classic lineup is a very big deal indeed.)

Labor Day Weekend is approaching fast, and tickets are selling briskly for the Che Underground’s long-awaited showcase featuring historic reunions by San Diego hometown heroes the Crawdaddys and the Unknowns.

The Crawdaddys have received some recent critical acclaim in both the domestic and international press for their shows in Los Angeles, Toledo and Madrid, while interest in the Unknowns reunion is heating up quickly.

The Unknowns’ reunion will mark the first time Bruce Joyner has sung with the group in 21 years, and the first time all the members of the group’s classic lineup have played together in nearly three decades! I spoke to the members of the band about the historical significance of the show and what it means to them personally.

Elvis Christ at the Che Cafe!

September 4, 2011July 2, 2011 by admin

(Drummer and rabble-rouser Jack Gamboa recalls a memorable performance at our namesake venue.)

The Che Cafe was an island of freaky, funky freedom in the otherwise cold, institutional-strength rigidity of the mostly cement UC campus. They used to serve a bowl of brown rice and pinto beans with a giant glass of iced tea for less than two dollars. I survived on that chow when I was an art student. I also flirted with the hippie-honeys who worked there and smoked a lot of weed out back.

I played drums for Elvis Christ in those days, and it seems like half our gigs took place at the Che. We also used to practice there, and when Isabelle Tihanyi shot photos of us naked for a Guardian interview (Vol.60 #38), it happened there.

The Tell-Tale Hearts: From the vaults

August 31, 2014June 29, 2011 by admin

(Ray Brandes shares a long-lost track from his formative San Diego band, created with some production wizardry from Unknowns sonic prodigy Mark Neill.)

Towards the end of 1986, as the Tell-Tale Hearts were heading toward an inevitable break-up, we headed back into Mark Neill’s Swinging Studios in Dulzura, Calif., to cut what would be the band’s final recordings with its first edition. Neill had produced the band’s highly acclaimed six-song EP earlier that year, and we hoped we might be able once again to pick up a little of his studio magic.

The band’s line-up included Mike Stax; Bill Calhoun; David Klowden; Peter Miesner (who had taken over guitar duties from Eric Bacher); and myself. Three songs were recorded: The Scorpions’ “Too Many Lovers”; “Promise” (Brandes); and “Nothing You Can Do” (Brandes). The first two were released as a single on Australia’s Cavern 7 label the following year, but “Nothing You Can Do” stayed in the can. (Bart Mendoza’s Sound Affects magazine included the song on a giveaway cassette with one of its issues.)

I recently discovered a rough mix cassette recording of “Nothing You Can Do” and rescued it with a little help from Audacity. I hadn’ heard the song in more than 20 years. Listening to the recording brought back vivid memories of the sessions, which were held on a rainy Saturday in November, 1986.

Welcome home, Dave Fleminger!

September 4, 2011June 21, 2011 by admin

(Lou Damian salutes Dave’s relocation to San Diego after a 25-year absence and cuts the ribbon on a groovy summer night in the city.)

Che Underground presents SOUNDS of the SUNSET STRIP: Saturday night 9pm on July 30, 2011, at Lestat’s Coffee Shop.

We always wanted to pay tribute to the bands we dug from this era … And now with the return of Flem to San Diego, the scene is set and we can move forward on this idea … We also decided to call ourselves The CIROS in honor of nightclub where the BYRDS made their debut.

Frank Zappa vs. Jerry Herrera!

December 14, 2017June 16, 2011 by admin

(San Diego scene veteran Gary Ra’chac, singer-songwriter and radio personality and current producer of “Vince Martell Rocks America,” shares photos and memories of an encounter between two notable personalities.)

Here are some photos (by legendary soundman Bill Blue) from the golden days of San Diego’s Community Concourse’s Exhibit Hall concerts. Shows by groups like Country Joe and the Fish, Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and Cream were quite inexpensive, and given the fact the security was less than tight, I was able to finagle my way backstage on a regular basis. It was in fact where I first met The Who, and ironically The Vanilla Fudge ( with Vince Martell). (Editor’s note: These photos of Country Joe and the Fish and the Mothers of Invention date from April 12, 1969, according to the San Diego Concert Archive.)

The last time I saw Frank Zappa was 10 or 11 years later, on April 4, 1980. A friend of mine brought him to a “Scene” promotions party club owner Jerry Herrera and I threw at the Spirit Club. Frank had just finished a show at the Sports Arena when I got a call at the club from journalist Larry Skuse, who told me he and Frank wanted to come down. I said, “Cool” and hung up.

The Penetrators in August:
SDMA lifetime kudos, Casbah gig

September 4, 2011June 13, 2011 by admin

August 2011 is a momentous month for San Diego hometown heroes the Penetrators, when lead singer Gary Heffern returns from Finland in time for the band to receive a recognition for lifetime achievement at the 2011 San Diego Music Awards August 8! The event will also occasion another Penetrators reunion performance at the Casbah August 13.

“As a child, I was told, ‘You will never amount to anything,’ ” Heff recalls. “Still that voice in the back of my head repeats that over and over again. It’s a mantra I fight against on a daily basis.

“When I first heard the Ramones’ ‘Beat on the Brat,’ the New York Dolls’ ‘Trash’ and the Sex Pistols’ ‘No Future,’ they weren’t just words but anthems to me, something that was personal, and all mine … People who understood those songs and what they meant to me became instant friends … It was us against the world …

Crawdaddys/Unknowns Labor Day gigs:
Buy your tickets now!

December 11, 2017June 9, 2011 by admin

What could be hotter than the triumphant return after 30 years of two famed San Diego bands? The tickets to the event, which just went on sale on the Casbah Web site!

Here are those details again of this can’t-miss event:

Read moreCrawdaddys/Unknowns Labor Day gigs:
Buy your tickets now!

The Crawdaddys at Rhino Records!

December 11, 2017June 4, 2011 by admin

(Crawdaddys Redux: Joe Piper channels his inner Andrew Loog Oldham to write this eyewitness account of the Crawdaddys’ long-awaited return to the stage last Sunday.)

What was originally intended to be a “low-key warmup gig” for the reunited ’81-model Crawdaddys prior to their jetting off to Spain for a prestigious appearance alongside The Nashville Ramblers at a bullfight or somesuch (actually “Go Sinner Go!! 2011”), quickly turned into The Event Of The Summer one whole day before summer even officially kicked off.

A capacity crowd crammed into the Rhino Records pop-up store on Santa Monica Blvd. last Sunday evening to raise money for a most worthy cause (MusiCares, providing a safety net for music people in times of need — feel free to contribute any time) and get their Rave Up R&B groove thangs righteously refurbed.

Backstage, West Coast Gnurl Music Festival

December 18, 2017June 2, 2011 by admin

While we’re in a Buffalo Springfield frame of mind: San Diego music stalwart, songwriter and radio personality Gary Ra’chac has generously shared backstage photos of Poco at the West Coast Gnurl Music Festival, October 12, 1969.

This event, which drew more than 10,000 people to Balboa Stadium, also featured Country Joe and the Fish, San Diego’s own Framework, Merryweather, and Chicago.

Gary describes the back story on the photos: “Gary Ra’chac (yeah, that’s me!?!) with the great Richie Furay (and what appears to be drummer George Grantham and Gram Parsons standing directly in back of us.

Unknowns, Crawdaddys revisit San Diego!

December 11, 2017May 30, 2011 by admin

Where were you 30 years ago? If you were hanging with San Diego’s cool kids, chances are a gig featuring the Crawdaddys and/or the Unknowns was on your social calendar. And since a few decades hardly matter among friends, Che Underground: The Blog is proud to present a Labor Day weekend featuring both these legendary bands at San Diego’s Casbah!

Here are the deets:

What, when: Che Underground presents the Crawdaddys (Friday, Sept. 2) and the Unknowns (Saturday, Sept. 3)

Where: The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101

How much: $20 per night, $35 for a two-night package (on sale soon via the Casbah site)

Here’s what’s cooking with our headliners: