Ray Brandes | The Che Underground

Glory reunited!

December 11, 2017April 30, 2010 by admin

Readers of Che Underground: The Blog who thrilled to Ray Brandes’ history of Glory will have an extraordinary chance to see the legendary San Diego band in action.

Glory (which dissolved in 1978 after a storied 11-year run) will reunite on May 26 to raise funds for the California Music Project and raise funds for music education in public schools. The event will feature Glory alumni Jerry Raney, Jack Butler and Jack Pinney as well as their current musical projects: the Farmers, Private Domain and Modern Rhythm, respectively.

The Morlocks between the covers

January 6, 2011March 28, 2010 by admin

More video from the original Morlocks has emerged on YouTube, including covers of songs by the 13th Floor Elevators, Q65 and the Count Five.

Exhibit A is a video by Eric Predoehl of the Morlocks performing the 13th Floor Elevators’ “You Don’t Know.” According to the post, it’s from an event produced by KFJC Radio and I.B.S. at the Works Gallery in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 22, 1985:

Gary Heffern + the Town Criers
+ benefit raffle = Jan. 30 fun!

December 14, 2017January 25, 2010 by admin

Attention, San Diego scenesters: To cap the run of special guests at at the Casbah’s Che Underground showcase Jan. 30, Penetrators vocalist Gary Heffern is coming in from Finland to join the festivities!

Heff will be singing with the Town Criers (while his Penetrators bandmates Chris Sullivan and Chris Davies join Manual Scan onstage). He’s also helping Che Underground: the Blog jump-start a San Diego underground retrospective exhibit and raise money on behalf of Unknowns vocalist Bruce Joyner.

Get your poster: Jan. 30 at the Casbah!

December 18, 2017January 22, 2010 by admin

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:

Everybody Is a Star: The ideal supergroup

December 11, 2017January 15, 2010 by admin

(Ray Brandes holds auditions beyond this veil of tears.)

In their 1974 comeback hit, the Righteous Brothers speculated on the existence of a rock-‘n’-roll heaven, which of course had a “hell of a band.” The song expressed the sentimental hope that somewhere in the universe Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Bobby Darrin and Jim Morrison were singing together in a celestial choir.

This notion is, of course, patently absurd. One can only imagine the drunken, chaotic jam session which would occur if these egomaniacs found themselves sharing a microphone onstage in a celestial amphitheater. It is fun, however, to speculate on this supergroup idea.

Radio days

January 6, 2011January 1, 2010 by admin

(In which Ray Brandes channels frequencies of our youth.)

The recent announcement of bankruptcy and sale of San Diego radio station 91X has had many of us here at the Che Underground reminiscing about rock-‘n’-roll radio in San Diego.

The events of my own formative years were accompanied by a soundtrack that emanated from a small transistor radio. Powered by those little rectangular nine-volt batteries that are nowadays are only used to power smoke detectors and guitar tuners, mine had a tiny two-inch speaker and a wrist strap for easy portability. Late at night, under the covers, I listened to pop and soul hits like Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” and The Three Degrees’ “When Will I See You Again,” interspersed with “oldies” like the Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard” and the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.”

“Puberty Principle”: First sonic crushes

December 31, 2010December 17, 2009 by admin

(Ray Brandes asks how your first musical love looks in the stark light of adulthood.)

In an essay in Esquire, celebrated rock and roll historian Ben Fong-Torres once formulated “the Puberty Principle,” which holds that the music we listen to in young adolescence is the music that informs our tastes throughout our lifetime. Why not test this idea using ourselves as subjects?

What was the first record (cassette, eight-track tape or CD) you ever purchased? What was the first concert you ever attended? How good of a predictor of your tastes was that “first” experience?

Mark your calendars! Start your engines!
Jan. 30 Che Underground showcase

December 14, 2017November 29, 2009 by admin

(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.

Che Underground at the Casbah, Jan. 30!

December 17, 2017November 1, 2009 by admin

If you enjoyed (or missed) Che Games for May in 2009, here’s another chance to join us at San Diego’s Casbah for the first official Che Underground event of 2010, featuring the Town Criers, Manual Scan and the Blues Gangsters.

This Saturday night event will feature historic performances by some of San Diego’s finest sons and daughters. Jubilation guaranteed!

Read moreChe Underground at the Casbah, Jan. 30!

Three spirits of Halloween

October 29, 2009 by admin

It’s hard to believe the earth has already circled the Great Pumpkin completely since Ray Brandes reviewed hip-and-spooky Halloween music and his sister Claudia recalled her 1984 Halloween party featuring some of our favorite boys and ghouls.

But indeed, Samhain is here again … and I realize that I experienced the holiday in three distinct modes: