All posts by chris maroulakos

Illuminauts Give You Swine Flu

If listening to Illuminauts makes you feel like you’re on drugs, that’s because it’s supposed to. Comprised of locals Santino Romeri and Nicky Castañeda, the electronic band weaves trip-hop beats and psychedelic samples into moody sonic tapestries designed to expand your mind. Continue reading

The Metric System

The last time Metric came to town, it was for the 94/9 Independence Jam in Oceanside. The Canadian quartet had third billing at the outdoor festival, overshadowed by big-name groups the Black Keys and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But that didn’t stop them from blowing those bands away with their infectious, moody synth-pop.

Now, Metric are set to wow us again. The band is playing San Diego Indiefest on March 27th, and this time they’re at the top of the bill. Continue reading…

Review: Quasi with Explode Into Colors; March 14, 2010; Casbah, San Diego

Nobody really likes seeing opening bands. Unless the band in question is someone you already know and/or like, sitting through an opening act is usually something people do to be polite or because they got to the show too early. Openers can be awful, boring, or, at worst, awfully boring. In their slot as opener for indie rock heroes Quasi, fellow Portlanders Explode Into Colors could have been just another in that mediocre tradition. Instead, the unassuming trio upstaged Quasi. Continue reading

The ‘Gong’ Show

Photo credit: Myspace

In the all-too-fleeting world of indie rock acclaim, Quasi are as close to an institution as it gets. The Portland-based trio have been around since 1993, and their music has remained refreshingly wrinkle-free. Led by Sam Coomes on vocals, keys, and guitar, and ex-wife Janet Weiss—of defunct rock goddesses Sleater-Kinney—on backup vocals and drums, Quasi have been quietly releasing loud music for almost two decades. Continue reading

Poetic Memory: Judgement Day (List)

Photo credit: Riki Feldman

Everyone worth talking to agrees that Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the best action movies ever made. It can be no coincidence, then, that Oakland cinephile musicians Judgement Day chose the name they did. With rapid-fire drumming and laser battle synths, their music is the perfect soundtrack for your post-apocalyptic uprising against the evil machines.

Judgement Day are no strangers to action films. In fact, the string metal band spent years sifting through everything the genre has to offer, and have kindly compiled a list of the absolute worst for us.

You can check the band out live this Saturday, March 13th, at Soda Bar. They’ll be playing alongside The Burning of Rome, Battlehooch, and Boyscout in a special show curated by San Diego: Dialed In. It’s rare for San Diego: Dialed In to put together a show themselves, but the prospect of assembling such an action-packed lineup proved irresistible.

Now, without further ado, here are Judgement Day’s Top 5 Favorite Bad Action Movies of All Time… Continue reading