Che Underground | The Che Underground

We are all Blues Gangsters

January 1, 2011June 26, 2009 by admin

(Wallflower David Rinck introduces a new project by old friends.)

Here’s our new record. As far as we know, this is the latest project by musicians associated with the Che Underground.

We wrote the music over the Internet, since we now live in various far-flung corners of the globe (Africa in my case). One of us would write a riff and a few lines of lyrics and then send it on. Pretty soon it added up to a song, and then the eight on the record (actually more, but we could only record eight ’cause of time limitations).

But we all used to be in bands in San Diego and play shows together, so we were used to working together, and the distances were easily overcome.

Che Games poster from Kristen Tobiason

January 1, 2011June 24, 2009 by admin

Besides her manifest talents as the author and photographer of the blog’s popular “Then and now” series, Kristen Tobiason has long enriched the Che Underground with her illustration and graphic-design skills.

Exclusive to Che Underground: The Blog is this stunning poster for Che Games for May, now available as a high-resolution, downloadable PDF file. This handsome keepsake is ready to print at 11 by 17 inches.

Download the poster now!

Thanks to Kristen for her tireless support of the site … This show would not have been the same without her!

Playing through the changes

December 11, 2017June 15, 2009 by admin

Detail: Dave Fleminger at the Casbah, May 29, 2009 (photo by Sean McMullen) Now it can be told: When we concocted the idea of the Che Games for May reunion show at San Diego’s Casbah Club, I was very apprehensive about what it would sound like.

After all, we were bringing together bands that for the most part hadn’t played together since the mid-’80s. Plus, we were asking these folks to practice more or less on the fly. The Che Underground diaspora dispersed us geographically for many years; for most of the acts, opportunities for full rehearsals were few and far between.

I was amazed by the results: The bands were so tight, and I daresay many of the musicians are better now than they were in 1984!

It makes me want to learn more about how all our players keep themselves musically active — not just the people who performed at the Casbah, but the rest of the musicians on the blog.

Me and my monkey: Guilty pleasures

January 1, 2011June 10, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes puts out a call for your dirty laundry!)

We call them “guilty pleasures,” those indulgences we secretly enjoy but are embarrassed to admit. Unlike moral guilt, the shame we feel is really just a fear of others discovering our “low-brow” or “uncool” tastes.

I have a friend whose name, for the sake of confidentiality, will remain anonymous. He is a connoisseur of ’60s music, particularly garage punk, and has earned himself quite a reputation as a “cool” guy. He rarely takes off his sunglasses, plays in a ’60s punk band, and for all intents and purposes has committed himself to a total garage-punk lifestyle. Under his bed, however, lies a dark secret which would bring his carefully contrived image tumbling down if discovered by the rest of the world: the “Titanic” original motion-picture soundtrack. He doesn’t want you to know, but “My Heart Will Go On” brings him to tears each time he hears it.

The Wallflowers: “Funland” at the Casbah

January 1, 2011June 8, 2009 by admin

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 admin

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 admin

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.

Get your Che Games poster!

December 11, 2017May 27, 2009 by admin

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!

Gigs that hooked you

January 1, 2011May 13, 2009 by admin

Hey! Let’s talk about music, and San Diego, and San Diego music …

A long, long time ago, Che Underground: The Blog hosted a thread about our musicians’ first times on stage. Let’s reach even further back into the collective memory banks and talk a bit about those formative shows that made you feel like part of a scene of interesting people listening to interesting sounds.

We’ve talked about many local bands and a slew of notable visitors at venues ranging from the Skeleton Club to the Zebra Club to the International Blend/Kings Road Cafe … Adams Ave. Theater to the North Park Lions Club et al.

Now, which ones came first for you, and why?

A very Che Mother’s Day!

January 1, 2011May 10, 2009 by admin

While waiting for the crème brûlée French toast to finish baking and the coffee to drip, I realized I was remiss in not prepping a little shout-out to the mothers among us … and perhaps to our own moms as well.

From what I’ve read on these pages, we’ve got some pretty rockin’ mamas participating here — and many of the rest of us are lucky enough to have hooked up with one.

Not a new subject for us by any means, but one that deserves its own thread: Whether you’re a parent yourself or just the product of one (or more), what’s your adult perspective on this whole child-rearing business?

And for the breeders/rearers/crazy aunts and uncles in the audience: What have the children in your lives taught you about yourself — and your own parents?

Happy Mother’s Day!