Reviving San Diego's Rock Renaissance
Another artifact from the legendary band’s Jan. 30, 2010, Che Underground showcase at San Diego’s Casbah. This is the second-to-last song in Manual Scan’s 13-song set before being joined by Chris Sullivan and Chris Davies of the Penetrators.
This sequence was culled from Eric Rife’s video and Dave Fleminger’s audio, and features l-r: Dave Fleminger, Kevin Donaker-Ring, Bart Mendoza, Morgan Young and Tim Blankenship.
(Manual Scan co-founder Kevin Donaker-Ring talks about a cool new club in San Diego and a turning point for this enduring band.)
I’ve been working security for over four years now. Last September, I started working at Small Bar, owned by the same people that run Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park.
Dennis Borlek, the first person in San Diego I ever met who had a scooter, and who continues to be a San Diego music scene fixture, is the general manager there. Small Bar’s owners recently purchased the Radio Room (formerly the Zombie Lounge) on El Cajon Boulevard, just east of 35th St., and renamed it “Eleven.” (Yes, that’s a direct Spinal Tap reference.)
They improved the sound system and the acoustics (not to mention expanding the beers on tap by an order of magnitude). But anyone who has been into the San Diego music scene will want to visit this place — they wallpapered large sections of the bar with reproductions of vintage San Diego show flyers.
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.
Manual Scan has returned to the studio for the first time in 22 years and emerged with five new tracks that will debut on San Diego radio Sunday, March 14, at 9:30 p.m.
Scan (last seen tearing it up with members of the Penetrators at the latest Casbah Che Underground showcase Jan. 30) will be the featured band on FM94.9’s “The Pyles Sessions,” hosted by DJ Tim Pyles. The songs were produced and engineered at Signature Sound Studios by Alan Sanderson, who has worked with such luminaries as the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Paul Westerberg and Weezer. Listen live at www.fm949sd.com!
Going into the final stretch before next Saturday’s Che Underground showcase at the Casbah, here’s a handsome commemorative flyer created by David Klowden, suitable for framing or Scotch taping!
The roster of special guests is growing, as San Diego music history is revisited and made on Saturday night.
To recap the lineup so far:
(Heads up! The next Che Underground-sponsored reunion gig is officially on the Casbah roster, with tickets due to go on sale this week. Ray Brandes opens the booth.)
On Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, country-rock pioneers the Town Criers (Ray Brandes, David Klowden, Peter Miesner and Mark Zadarnowski) will reunite for the first time in 20 years as the Ché Underground presents its second musical event at the Casbah in San Diego.
By popular demand, returning to the stage after a blistering set in May, will be legendary San Diego mod band Manual Scan, led by sharp-dressed men Bart Mendoza and Kevin Donaker-Ring and featuring the rhythm section of Tim Blankenship and Morgan Young.
To open the evening, the all-star Blues Gangsters (Kristi Maddocks, Dave Rinck, Dave Ellison, Dave Fleminger and Matt Johnson) will make their San Diego stage debut. It’s a fresh opportunity to watch a new project by members of the Wallflowers, the Rockin’ Dogs, the Answers and Everybody Violet.
DJ duties will be performed by Louis Mello, a k a DJ Dirty Bird.
Read moreMark your calendars! Start your engines!
Jan. 30 Che Underground showcase
(Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles counts off drummers he’s worked with.)
No doubt about it: Kevin Donaker-Ring and I have worked with a lot of drummers over the decades, keeping in mind that we first began our team-up in 1976.
Here are a few of the incredible musicians who have spent time behind a drum kit with Manual Scan or the Shambles over the past 30-plus years. Not pictured: Paul Brewin, Morgan Young, Terry Moore, Rob Wilson, Trace Smith, Brad Kiser. … There’s a future post there.
1) “I was a Shambles drummer” pin. People have sat in with the band for one song to obtain one of these.
(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes lays the table for May’s audio feast.)
The Che Underground Weekend Showcase:
Celebrating more than 25 years of San Diego’s underground music history
An incredible opportunity to reconnect, reminisce and rediscover will unfold as 25 years and thousands of miles of distance disappear in a single weekend — May 29 and 30 at the Casbah in San Diego.
The lineups have been set, the bands are rehearsing, and the drinks are on ice. Here’s what to expect: