San Diego’s Lanterns might have a luminescent name, but they have yet to enjoy the spotlight.
Despite high-profile gigs with bands like Matt and Kim, …And You Will Knows By the Trail of Dead, and These Arms Are Snakes, the four-piece has operated mostly under the local radar. But, thanks to a critically-acclaimed EP and two crucial shows on the horizon, all of that is set to change for the band. Continue reading
When it was announced that indie darlings Clay Your Hands Say Yeah would be going on hiatus, fans clasped their hands and screamed no. Such breaks rarely bode well for a band’s future, and assurances from the group that the split would only be temporary did little to assuage concerns. Though the Brooklyn-based band’s future remains uncertain, fans can at least take comfort in following frontman Alec Ounsworth‘s new solo career. Continue reading
The first thing Thao with the Get Down Stay Down ever saw in San Diego was a pair of dangling balls.
Last November, the band came to town to play a show and, upon entering the city’s limits, were treated to a memorable sight. The pair in question was hanging off the back of a pickup truck—I’m just going to go ahead and assume it was a Ford F150—and the image of the swinging Bumper Nuts™ quickly burned itself into the unsuspecting band’s retinas. San Diego may be known worldwide for its beaches and burritos, but it is our balls that Thao with the Get Down Stay Down will forever remember us for. Continue reading
San Diego’s music scene offers plenty of options. Want gorgeous jazz vocals shimmering with old-timey charm? We’ve got Erika Davies. Need a mainlined dose of fast, endlessly catchy powerpop? We’ve got The Powerchords. Have a hankering for exquisitely depressing tales of heartache, complete with eerie saw-playing? We’ve got Black Heart Procession. But if you’re looking for a band that rocks so hard they’ll shatter your pint glass, you need look no further than The Old In Out.
Blending the raunchiest elements of blues, garage rock, and psychedelia, The Old In Out are a hailstorm of loud guitar, sledgehammered beats, and sneering swagger. We recently had the opportunity to pick drummer Christopher James Carroll’s brain about what inspires him:
“I’ve found that inspiration comes from within and without. Everything and anything from a cool movie to seeing a great art show to watching the sun set, or reading a good book on a rainy day afternoon. The things that truly influence me are the things that create whole new worlds to peer into: worlds of mood, color, and shape that challenge and unlock new doors of understanding.â€
We’ve been fortunate enough to obtain Poetic Memory lists from lots of musicians in the past, but his is definitely one of the more eclectic ones we’ve seen. Carroll’s multifaceted nature is also apparent in his music; in addition to his work with The Old In Out, he also drums for up-and-coming prog monster Shapes Of Future Frames. Carroll’s Poetic Memory can be found below. Continue reading
San Diego is a great place to see live music, but there isn’t always a synth-heavy, eccentric, Japanese spaz-punk band around when you need one. In a gracious effort to fill that void, Tokyo natives Polysics will be playing the Casbah on January 30th.
Citing Devo as a major influence, Polysics are truly a sight to behold. With their orange jumpsuits, science fiction glasses, and synchronized robotic movements, the hyperactive quartet put on one of the most bizarre and exciting shows around. The band’s self-described “technicolor pogo punk” is a thrilling spectacle, made all the more enthralling by front man Hiroyuki Hayashi’s boundless enthusiasm and slippery grasp of the English language. Continue reading