Club Zu | The Che Underground

Birth of the Nephews!

December 25, 2021December 25, 2021 by Mmrothenberg

A Che Underground exclusive: San Diego legends The Nephews revisit four decades of music ahead of their Feb. 18 appearance at The Casbah San Diego for A Che Underground Midwinter Masque. Book your tickets early and often!

The Nephews began as a comedy act in middle school around 1980. The original name was Ceilings and Floors, but we changed it to The Nephews (which has the same amount of meaning as “Ceilings and Floors”) around 7th grade.

We were very heavily into music, started playing as a rock band in high school, and were able to start playing club shows fairly quickly. Actually, our very first show outside of inland North County where we grew up was at the Che Cafe in 1984. We supported Manual Scan at Club Zu pretty early on.

Eric Cullen (Nephews keyboardist, 1989): “The first memory I have of The Nephews is of them playing during lunchtime at Poway High School. The
thing that immediately hit me about their music was how sophisticated their sound was, considering this was high school and all. Their harmonic language was dense, their chord progressions rather abstract, the lyrics obtuse. The Nephews’ music seemed advanced and not really belonging to the time, which was 1984 or ‘85. They were mining their own sound, and to this 17-year-old it sounded great. They had an air of ’60s psychedelia but were in touch with current underground bands like R.E.M., Minutemen and Pere Ubu. They also had a slight Zappa/Beefheart side about them, as well.”

Steve Griggs: A life well lived

September 4, 2011May 28, 2011 by Mmrothenberg

(Tony Suarez offers photos and memories of another San Diego stalwart gone too soon.)

We lost another good guy recently in San Diego. Stephen Griggs passed away on May 17, 2011.

Steve didn’t play in a band. He was the guy that got all of us to go see the bands, and got people up front and dancing. If it weren’t for guys like Steve, most of us playing music would not have had an audience. He was a ringleader, and got people together to go to shows. His involvement with the Secret Society Scooter club led to many shows at Club Zu, Rock Palace and most of the New Sounds of the 6ts, and many of the early SD scooter rallies (I got Dogged, the rallies to Bad Manners, the Who show, et al.).

I hope these photos attest to his far-reaching love and friendship … not only in the mod and scooter communities, but to his love of Little League (he was an umpire for many years) and the the SD rockabilly scene through most of the late ’90s. I look at his Facebook, and Steve had more friends than most bands and celebrities!

Club Zu reunion: Don’t miss the boat!

December 14, 2017July 12, 2010 by Mmrothenberg

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.

Club Zu Boat Cruise IV

January 6, 2011April 25, 2010 by Mmrothenberg

Ahoy! Club Zu founder Kelsey Farris re-christens a seminal San Diego soirée.

OK GURL! I know you’re coming to my party, and if you wanted to invite friends, it’s great.

Here is a little background: Long-ass story, but when I was 17, I owned a club in San Diego called Club Zu for a few years and chartered these private parties on the San Diego Harbor.

Read Kelsey’s history of Club Zu!

Facebook has reconnected me with so many people who went to Club Zu in the early ‘80s and attended one if not all three of our Club Zu boat parties. Their requests to throw another started me asking around, and this event came together.

The insane invitations are photographs of friends from the era, and the incredible graphics are courtesy of Rodney Rodney in Los Angeles.

New Sounds Festivals 1985-1991

March 27, 2019April 10, 2010 by Mmrothenberg

(Bart Mendoza describes the arc of an important San Diego music festival he co-founded.)

Helmed by myself and, at first, Ron Friedman, and later Matt Fidelibus (with huge help from Secret Society Scooter Club, Dimitri Callian and many others), there were seven New Sounds Festivals in all, always one big blowout event surrounded by a week of gigs by the touring acts.

I had been bringing groups to town for awhile anyway, so the idea of focusing efforts appealed; the chance to do these events as a benefit for SDSU’s student-run radio station, KCR, was even better. The motive for the New Sounds Festivals was simply to promote and showcase music influenced by Mod / ’60s/ Garage, in particular local groups like the Tell-Tale Hearts, the Nashville Ramblers, Donkey Show, the Trebels and the Event. With short sets and a backline, it was like a really, really cool jukebox.

Bandmates/other friends 1982-1990 (+1)

January 1, 2011June 6, 2009 by Mmrothenberg

(Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles — San Diego music historian extraordinaire — shares some highlights from his stacks.)

Some call it being a pack rat; I prefer the tag “archivist”! The dream is to put together a DVD/book with the rooms full of stuff I’ve accumulated in 30 years of collecting San Diego music memorabilia.

But in the meantime, in honor of the recent Che Underground reunion shows, here are 20 relevant vintage photos from my archive. For this fifth picture post, I’ve included a little bit of everything: random photos from 1982-1990 (+1), including bandmates and other friends.

1) Dean Curtis at Club Zu. You know it’s a good show if Dean is in attendance.