Dave Ellison | The Che Underground

Old Dogs, new tricks

December 31, 2010December 10, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Lori Stalnaker-Bevilacqua continues to enrich our historical understanding of the Rockin’ Dogs with priceless artifacts. Here’s a pre-Jane Bunting photograph of the Dogs — ca. 1982 — when Scott Harber was the bassist.

“I loved this shot from the series,” Lori writes. “I love the fact that you got two lookin’ at the camera and two turned to the side. I don’t think I directed them to that, just spontaneous. Nevertheless, it works!

“That is one good-lookin’ band! ;)”

“I remember the photo, but I don’t remember much about it other than the fact that the red plaid scarf belonged to a girl I was dating,” writes Dave Ellison. “Scott didn’t play with the band for very long. I remember he was planning a long trip somewhere … to another country, I think … so he was more or less filling in for a while.”

The Wallflowers: “TV Eye”

December 31, 2010December 4, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

The night I met the Wallflowers, the Stooges’ “TV Eye” was playing on the stereo. I know it was the summer of 1983, when I met so many of you, and I believe my introduction was brokered via Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison.

That moment forged a lasting connection in my mind between the Wallflowers and the Stooges, an impression that was reified by the Wallflowers’ blistering interpretations of the older band’s oeuvre — including “TV Eye,” presented here in all its synapse-rattling glory.

Per vocalist Dave Rinck, “‘Walldrugs’ and ‘TV Eye’ were recorded in a ‘studio’ at Music Power; ‘Raw Power’ was, too, but not until a little later than the other two.”

Rockin’ Dogs around town

January 1, 2011November 18, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

A long-sought contribution from recent blog arrival Lori Stalnaker-Bevilacqua: a flyer that puts a date (Feb. 10, 1984) to the legendary Saigon Palace gig featuring the Rockin’ Dogs and Noise 292.

This show (which found Sam Wilson covering all Rockin’ Dogs vocals while Dave Ellison recuperated from laryngitis and 17-year-old Wendell Kling evading ID inspection in the men’s room until Noise 292’s appearance) was also photographed by Ms. Stalnaker-Bevilacqua. But this is the first time we’ve been able to put it on the calendar. Mystery solved — thanks, Lori!

Bonus artifact: an ad featuring a July 29, 1983, appearance by the Rockin’ Dogs at the Headquarters (with the Ripsaws and Jimmy & the Vandals). I’m afraid I didn’t catch this show; the Answers, Noise 292 and Hair Theatre were playing the Che Cafe that night.

The Rockin’ Dogs: “Bye Bye Bye”

January 1, 2011August 26, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

“OK, now we’re diggin’ into the archives!” writes Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison of “Bye Bye Bye,” the latest stellar Dogs single and earliest Dogs recording to join our hit parade.

“This is from the historic Rockin’ Dogs San Marcos Sessions, featuring the earlier lineup of Sam Wilson on guitar/vocals; Dave Ellison on bass/vocals; Jim Meisland on guitar; and Scott Nichols (a k a Scott Slob) on drums.

“In 1982, we had a rented practice room in a metal building in San Marcos, which was owned by Vietnam vet auto mechanics. They used to work on cars in that building all night long. We used to practice until late at night, and they gradually grew tired of our racket and evicted us.

The rise and fall of the Town Criers

March 27, 2019August 9, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

(Excerpts from the story of the pioneering late-’80s alt-country band by founder Ray Brandes. Read the full version in our Related Bands section!)

The Town Criers was a country-rock band that featured many of San Diego’s Che Underground musicians, including myself and Dave Klowden of the Tell-Tale Hearts, Peter Miesner and Mark Zadarnowski of the Crawdaddys, Tom Ward of the Gravedigger V, and Dave Ellison of the Rockin’ Dogs. The group predated the alt-country movement of the 1990s by several years.

The last few months of the Tell-Tale Hearts’ existence were contentious times. Eric Bacher had quit the band in 1986, and many of the original San Diego scenesters had either left town or simply moved on. By the time guitarist Peter Miesner of the Crawdaddys arrived to save the day, the rest of the band members had begun to feel the effects of nearly four years together, and relationships were further strained by meddling outsiders and substance abuse.

Introducing the Rockin’ Dogs

January 1, 2011August 7, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Here’s a very early artifact from the Rockin’ Dogs’ oeuvre: a flyer introducing the band to Pacific Beach’s Headquarters club in August 1982.

“This was when we just started out, when we were in high school,” guitarist/vocalist Dave Ellison writes. “What an embarrassing flyer … haha! For one thing, we spelled ‘Headquarters’ wrong.

“For another, we didn’t play rockabilly or r&b. We were probably trying to attract fans of the Paladins and Crawdaddys … and we probably didn’t care which, so long as someone showed up. (I can’t imagine anyone did on a Monday night!)

The Rockin’ Dogs at Saigon Palace

January 1, 2011July 18, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Here’s a photo set from a memorable night in late 1983/early 1984 when the Rockin’ Dogs — guitarists/vocalists Dave Ellison and Sam Wilson; bassist Jane Bunting; and drummer Cole Smithey — took the stage with Noise 292 at Saigon Palace in what is now call the Gaslamp Quarter.

“The live color pics with Jane were the Saigon Palace!” Ellison recalls. “I was really sick, I had a fever and laryngitis really bad … to the point where I could do nothing but whisper for two weeks … so Sam sang all the songs that night.”

The Rockin’ Dogs: “Always on the Run”

January 1, 2011June 24, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

We’re spinning another sizzling Rockin’ Dogs hit requested by the Wallflowers’ Dave Rinck, this one from early in the band’s extraordinary collaboration.

“‘Always On the Run’ was one of the first songs we did,” writes Rockin’ Dogs co-founder Dave Ellison. “I’m pretty sure Sam wrote it before we started the band. It was always a part of our set … at least for as long as I was in the band.

“I always liked playing the lead on this one, but I think I screwed it up a little here. Oh, well … no time to do it over when you’re a young musician on a budget!”