Interview: Slow Club
If you need a little more U.K. folk-pop in your life, join the club.
Sheffield, England duo Slow Club are currently touring to support the stunning Yeah So, an album that would’ve been a shoo-in for our Best of 2009 list if I hadn’t discovered it too late. Over the course of the record’s twelve tracks, bandmates Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor masterfully walk the line between sincerity and playfulness. As far as adorable rock duos go, they just might be Britain’s answer to the White Stripes. (more…)
Review: Scout Niblett with Manuok; February 28th, 2010; Bar Pink, San Diego
Scout Niblett
With a name like a doggy treat and wearing an awesome pair of clogs, Scout Niblett took the stage at Bar Pink on Sunday in front of a few dozen people. To me it was satisfying to see that the singer, mousy and demure, actually does look and act like a “Scout Niblett,” if anyone ever could. (more…)
Can You Say Styletones?
http://www.myspace.com/thestyletones
Late on Monday nights a few years back, I would always get an increasingly agitated series of texts from a friend:
you coming to tower?
you said you would come this time
if you don’t come to tower one of these times I will pluck out your eyeballs with a toothpick and garnish my martini with them
Review: The Silent Comedy; January 17, 2010; Bar Pink, San Diego
Few bands in San Diego inspire the kind of rabid devotion that the Silent Comedy enjoy. From their Prohibition-era wardrobes and Old West mustaches to lead singer/bassist J. John’s manic ramblings, the band have struck upon a winning combination of musical chops and good-natured theatricality that has earned them a passionate following. Celebrating their return to San Diego at Bar Pink after a brief but hectic West Coast tour, the Silent Comedy were greeted by a characteristically packed house. And, from the raucous opening song “Poison” onward, the band had the crowd exactly where they wanted them. (more…)
Bar Pink Turns Golden Red
Golden Red will be treating the patrons of Bar Pink to their dark, rugged, yet mysteriously sweet folk stylings tomorrow night. Since bursting onto the music scene a few months ago, the band has been steadily building a reputation as one of San Diego’s most intriguing live acts. Head down to the North Park watering hole and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
When not charming audiences with their rugged, lyrical Americana, band members Gregory Michael Theilmann and Lilly Frances can be found lending pictures and words to their new San Diego blog Melodygeek, which we at Owl and Bear like to think we inspired.
Golden Red have also just recorded a new song, entitled “Near Dark”. While we’re not sure if the song gets its title from the 1987 vampire Western of the same name, it definitely seems to occupy the same ominously lonesome landscapes as that film. Stream the song here, and be sure to catch them live with Friday Mile tomorrow.
Stream: “Near Dark” by Golden Red
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Review: The Powerchords; September 27, 2008 at Bar Pink; San Diego
A large crowd of power-pop fans filled Bar Pink on Saturday to celebrate the release of The Powerchords’ red-hot full-length …Think I’m Gonna.
Review: North By North Park; Lanterns, The Glossines, & Bunky; August 2, 2008
^^ 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.
Review: The Loons; July 19, 2008 at Bar Pink; San Diego
Saturday’s “Hipsters Revisited” at Bar Pink Elephant was a ‘60s themed event that promised music of the garage, psychedelic, and freakbeat varieties, all while making assurances that there would be “no weird shit or flutes”. They made good on these promises with some trippy mood-lighting and an assortment of DJs spinning appropriately obscure tracks from the period, but the real draw was a live performance by local retro-rock band The Loons.
Long blond hair hanging in his face, Loons lead singer Mike Stax commanded the stage with all the raw power of an anachronistic Iggy Pop as the band blazed through a set that recalled garage acts Love, The Sonics, and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators. After grabbing everyone’s attention with “Red Dissolving Rays”, Stax joked that, in honor of Gay Pride week, he was dedicating the song “My Time” to Texas, “the gayest state of all”.
