Reviving San Diego's Rock Renaissance
(Ray Brandes provides a brief history of a new band with a long San Diego history.)
The Secret Squares: pleased to make your acquaintance!
The Secret Squares is a musical project that has its origins in Gary’s Kids, a band assembled to back Gary Heffern on a solo performance at the Casbah in January 2019, and The Wrecktangle, which performed once at the Che Underground’s Leap Year show at the Riviera Supper Club, mere days before the world went into quarantine in March 2020.
Mark ye well: A neat two years since “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase,” the tribes will gather again in February 2022 for an effervescent weekend of mirth and music.
“A Che Underground Midwinter Masque,” Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at The Casbah San Diego, will feature legends of the San Diego scene and beyond.
Fancy dress is highly encouraged but not required. (Stay tuned for costume contest details.)
And check out this boffo lineup (with more names to come)!
Read moreMark your calendars for ‘A Che Underground Midwinter Masque’!
When do you celebrate the first anniversary of an event that happened on a Feb. 29? Che Underground: The Blog is jumping the gun with its birthday salute to “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase,” which transpired Feb. 29, 2020, and featured performances by The Wrecktangle; Jerry Cornelius & The Cooler Heads; and P-Touch All Stars.
On offer today: JC & TCHs’ cover of The Answers classic “Electric Flowers,” along with some liner notes by Mr. Cornelius himself!
“Memories, they have no place/They take up precious time and space.”
Read moreJerry Cornelius & The Cooler Heads: ‘Electric Flowers’
Scholars of San Diego music agree: The Che Underground might have happened without Jerry Cornelius, but it wouldn’t have been happening.
Jerry was a catalyst, MC, artist and style guru associated with The Answers, The Wallflowers, The Morlocks, and related acts. On Feb. 29, he returned to a San Diego stage for the first time in 35 years. The event was “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase,” and he deftly led San Diego supergroup The Cooler Heads.
This video presents the Heads’ slinky and sizzling version of Magazine’s “Shot by Both Sides.”
Read moreJerry Cornelius’ Cooler Heads: ‘Shot by Both Sides’
Remember the pre-pandemic days when a few hundred close friends could pack together into a crowded club and make music?
Che Underground remembers: Viz. the collective manifestation of musical solidarity that transpired on Feb. 29 at La Mesa’s the Riviera Supper Club & Turquoise Lounge under the name “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase.”
The gig featured a trio of Che Underground supergroups that brought special guests back onto a San Diego stage for the first time in more than 30 years.
As we prepare our Che Underground family reunion for Leap Night 2020, a highlight of this magnificent evening is a musical set fronted by by none other than Jeremiah Cornelius — back on a San Diego stage for the first time in decades.
Jerry Cornelius was a legendary presence on the scene: writing, illustrating, managing, MCing and otherwise setting the tone of the entire Che Underground. His taste was impeccable, and his influence extended across the bands of the era.
Check out the details of ‘A Che Undeground Leap Night Showcase’!