In the past ten years, screenwriter Alan Ball has given us two of the most scathing examinations of the frailty of human nature in general, and American life in particular.
Ball’s screenwriting debut, American Beauty was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon when it was released, and though the film doesn’t quite hold up under close scrutiny, its strongest moments likely remain etched in the minds of viewers. His HBO series Six Feet Under benefited from having five years rather than two hours to examine human nature in all its contradictory glory, and its insights into what makes people tick tended toward subtle incrimination and unbearable heartbreak. In Towelhead, his film directing debut, Ball once again tries to walk the razor’s edge of placing flawed but sympathetic characters in shocking but realistic circumstances.
Continue reading ‘Towelhead’
As we mentioned last month, Grand Ole Party singer/drummer Kristen Gundred recently started a record label called Zoo Music. The first group she signed was San Diego’s Crocodiles, and Kristen urged other musicians to submit their music for consideration. Now Zoo Music has announced that LA’s melancholic pop band Dum Dum Girls have been selected, and will release a five-song EP through the label this winter.
Continue reading ‘Zoo Music To Release Dum Dum Girls EP’
^^ The New Pornographers ^^
San Diego’s annual Street Scene festival was truly a sight to behold. A large section of San Diego’s downtown and West Village was sectioned off and made home to four stages, forty bands, and thousands upon thousands of voracious music lovers. From bros rolling joints to cute hipster chicks with flasks taped to their thighs, the surroundings were cramped, but everyone was in such a good mood that no one seemed to mind the lack of breathing room.
Continue reading ‘Review: San Diego Street Scene; September 19, 2008′
Oakland rockers Man/Miracle have released a new 7-inch entitled “Pushing And Shoving/You’ve Got A Hold On Me”. The song “Pushing And Shoving” was previously included on the band’s supergood self-titled full-length album, and “You’ve Got A Hold On Me” is previously unreleased. You can listen to the A-Side at their MySpace, the B-Side here, and buy the record and other merch here.
Continue reading ‘Man/Miracle Release “Pushing and Shoving” 7-Inch’
^^ TV On The Radio ^^
The showtimes for next week’s massive Street Scene festival have been released. People with great taste will have the agonizing task of choosing between staying at The New Pornographers’ show or defecting to TV On The Radio halfway through, and dance fans will have to choose between MGMT and Hot Chip, but for the most part things are spread out pretty well. The festivities start one week from today, so be sure to snatch up some tickets if you haven’t done so already.
Showtimes after the jump:
Continue reading ‘San Diego Street Scene Releases Schedule’
2008, Evil Cherise
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. But sometimes it goes the other way, and you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you finally get it. Some bands strike a chord with fans because they fill a void that the fan hadn’t even realized was there. Whether it be in the form of Fleet Foxes’ ethereal harmonies, Cut Copy’s intense synth-pop, or the Adam-Duritz-on-spin-cycle vocals of Frightened Rabbit, sometimes a band will just feel immediately, intimately familiar. The same sensation can be felt when hearing San Francisco band The New Up—the scratching of an itch you didn’t even know you had.
On their new five song EP, Broken Machine—the first in a series of three EPs by the band set for release over the next year—The New Up bring their moody dance-rock to a boil and keep it there. From the first moments of lead track “Ginger Tea”, the EP oozes smoky atmosphere, as if Metric and My Bloody Valentine had collaborated on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film.
Continue reading ‘The New Up - Broken Machine’
For the scant few who haven’t heard yet, San Diego’s annual Street Scene festival will once again be rearing its enormous head on September 19th and 20th.
The colossal all-ages event brings a whopping forty bands on four stages to downtown San Diego, including Beck, Spoon, TV On The Radio, MGMT, The New Pornographers, The National, Cold War Kids, Justice, X, and longtime Owl&Bear favorites/interviewees Man Man. And for anybody who feels overwhelmed by the sheer number of great bands performing and would like to introduce a little suckiness into their diet—and would like that suckiness to sound like Paul Simon vomiting—have no fear, because Vampire Weekend will also be performing.
Continue reading ‘San Diego Street Scene Lookin’ Awfully Pretty’
A beer- and sweat-soaked crowd of thousands gathered at the Del Mar Race Track on Saturday to watch iconic New Wave oddballs Devo preach their theory of de-evolution. Scheduled to play at seven, the group didn’t actually start until eight, but the annoyed grumbling that had begun to crescendo amongst the tightly packed sardines in the crowd immediately subsided once the band took to the stage.
Though their yellow jumpsuits might have been a size or two larger than the ones they wore in the eighties, the band’s gleeful enthusiasm showed no signs of old age. Their energy proved contagious as the sweaty young whippersnappers in the crowd repeatedly danced, moshed, and crashed into indignant baby boomers.
Continue reading ‘Review: Devo; August 30, 2008 at Del Mar Race Track; San Diego’
^^ Broken Social Scene ^^
FRIDAY:
Toronto rock throng Broken Social Scene will be bringing their amiable brand of baroque pop to the House of Blues this Friday. Those following the antics of the prolific Canucks over the past year know that there have been two “Broken Social Scene Presents” solo albums so far, Kevin Drew’s Spirit If… and Brendan Canning’s Something For All Of Us.
Continue reading ‘Weekend Concert Lineup: August 22nd – 24th’
^^ The Black Keys ^^
The folks behind the annual Southern Comfort Music Experience, to be held in the Ace Parking Lot at the corner of Imperial and Park this Saturday, have finally seen fit to declassify its set times. A five dollar “donation” grants you access to the event and its eleven musical acts.
Continue reading ‘SoCo Music Experience Schedule Released’
2008, Single Screen Records
The debut record from power-pop band The Powerchords has been a long time coming.
The band released their demo back in 2005, a seven song EP of finely crafted songs that immediately brought them to the forefront of San Diego’s music scene. But despite a rabid following and a reputation for excellent, charming live performances, the subsequent years saw only one Powerchords release—the Unattached Strings/Dream Girl 7-inch. Now, at long last, we have …Think I’m Gonna, a proper fourteen song collection of propellant punk and pop that will satisfy old fans and recruit new ones.
Continue reading ‘The Powerchords - …Think I’m Gonna’
As a token of our undying love* and appreciation, we scholarly gentlemen at Owl&Bear are offering free passes to an advanced screening of Focus Features’ Hamlet 2 at the AMC La Jolla at 7:00 PM on Thursday, August 21st.
Continue reading ‘San Diegans: See Hamlet 2! For Free! On Us! (AMC La Jolla)’
Kristen Gundred of Grand Ole Party fame has started her own record label, to be known as Zoo Music. Gundred has signed one band so far, San Diego’s own Crocodiles, with the band’s Neon Jesus/Neon Autobahn 7-inch set to be the label’s maiden release.
If you’re wondering what the label’s second release is going to be, well it just might be by your band. Gundred is inviting musicians to send their “crap” to her for consideration, so polish off those demos and rush on down to the post office. Submissions can be sent to the following address:
Continue reading ‘Grand Ole Party’s Gundred Starts Record Label’
^^ The Muslims ^^
THURSDAY:
It’s the first Thursday of the month, which means it’s time for TNT, the downtown Museum of Contemporary Art’s bi-fortnightly event that features everything from DJ lessons to poetry readings to artists talking about why they do all those artistic things that they do. This month’s TNT is called Optimal Illusion and it’s got photographic and video works from actual lady artists. Kelly and Maren from Wild Weekend will also be on hand to spin some 60’s girl group and 70’s girl punk. Guys, here’s your chance to impress the fairer sex by appearing to be sensitive and cultured, as well as to practice pronouncing the word weltanschauung.
Continue reading ‘Weekend Concert Lineup: August 7th - 10th’
^^ Bunky ^^
North By North Park is a strange and maddening beast. Boasting over a hundred musical acts spread across fourteen different venues in just over five hours, it is a bold attempt to showcase local music, but it sags and ultimately collapses under the weight of its own bloated excess.
As the event’s name implies, most of the bars and cafes that take part in the festivities are in North Park, though venues in other neighborhoods like South Park, Normal Heights, and Kensington are also included. To help concertgoers move between venues without tempting the DUI gods, shuttle service is included in the price of admission, but exactly where or how often these shuttles can be expected to show up is apparently closely guarded information.
Continue reading ‘Review: North By North Park; Lanterns, The Glossines, & Bunky; August 2, 2008′
