All posts by owl and bear staff

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SoundDiego Sessions vol. 1 – Little Hurricane

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MP3: Little Hurricane – “Sun Sets West” (SoundDiego Session)
MP3: Little Hurricane – “Lies” (SoundDiego Session)
MP3: Little Hurricane – “Sun Sets West (Alternate take)”
MP3: Little Hurricane – “Lies (Alternate take)”

Anybody who has seen Little Hurricane play knows that the band’s impending yearlong adventure away from San Diego is a reason to be sad. In the past year, they’ve established themselves as one of our city’s fastest rising and most dynamic acts, and their absence is sure to create a void in the local music scene.

Luckily, there’s still a chance to give them a proper sendoff. The blues-rock duo will play a farewell show at Bar Pink this Saturday, November 27th, and you don’t want to miss it. In addition to Little Hurricane, two great opening acts will be on hand — first, the always-amazing Erika Davies will enchant with her velvety voice, then The Brothers Grimm (aka Josh and Jeremiah Zimmerman from The Silent Comedy) will get things cooking with their fraternal folk.

In anticipation of the show, Little Hurricane were kind enough to perform an exclusive session for us at NBC Studios. Check out the video and MP3s above, then head out to Bar Pink on Saturday to see them off in style.

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Poetic Memory: Rumspringa (List)

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MP3: Rumspringa – “Criminal Love”

L.A.’s Rumspringa just released Sway, their debut full-length. Produced by Mannie Nieto (The Breeders, Los Lobos), the album works well to showcase the band’s brand of psychedelic-surf-garage-punk. And though Sway is reminiscent of David Bowie, T-Rex, and the Stones — with a little bit of The White Stripes thrown in for good measure — Rumspringa’s sound is wholly their own. With an abundance of original melodies, great lyrics, and solid musicianship, they are clearly going places.

MTV News has called Rumspringa “One of the best LA bands […] in a really long time,” and RCRD LBL has commended them for “running feverish, fast-paced rock-n-roll trails in our head.” We saw them at The Rumble back in August and had a hell of a good time.

Rumspringa will play the Soda Bar on 11/15, and Bar Pink on 12/4. In anticipation of the shows, lead singer Joey Stevens sent us a list of influences. Check it out below.

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Contest: Win Tickets to see Clinic at the Casbah (San Diego)

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U.K. post-punks Clinic are coming to San Diego, and we have a pair of tickets to give away.

The band is on a rare fourteen-city tour in support its excellent sixth album, Bubblegum, and the November 21 show at the Casbah will be the final stop. Revered by fellow musicians, Clinic have a wholly original sound, and since the late ’90s, they’ve beamed their brand of psychedelic pop into stereos across the world.

San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys will open the show, along with San Diego’s Lights On and The Loons. This year, the Fresh & Onlys released a handful of 7-inch singles, an EP, and — to cap off the year — a new LP called Play It Strange. DJ’s Mikey Face and Cory Casey will also be on hand to spin vinyl between sets.

This show will almost certainly sell out, so if you’re not a gambler, you can get tickets here.

Otherwise, to enter the contest, just comment below and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on November 19, 2010.

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The Rumble Gives Thanks

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MP3: Raw Moans – “You’ve Got Mail” (Crypt Thing remix)
MP3: Ume – “The Conductor”
MP3: Shapes of Future Frames – “Gallows”

This Saturday at Bar Pink will be the last chance this year for San Diegans to gorge themselves on the Rumble’s smorgasbord of free music.

To mark the occasion, our friends at Future Sounds have cooked up a great lineup for Rumble-goers — including Shapes of Future Frames, Ute, and Raw Moans.

First, San Diego’s own Shapes of Future Frames will tantalize the crowd with their special brand of space rock. Featuring members of Scarlet Symphony and The Old In Out, Shapes of Future Frames fuse elements of prog and glam into something otherworldly and unique. The band released its debut seven-inch last year, and is currently at work on its debut full-length. For more information, check out our February 2010 interview with Shapes of Future Frames.
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Mavis Staples Plays the Belly Up Tonight

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MP3: Mavis Stapes – “You Are Not Alone” (with Jeff Tweedy)

The R&B legend just released You Are Not Alone, a collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. She plays the Belly Up tonight, November 4. Continue reading…