Category Archives: san diego

listen, music news, san diego

The Moviegoers Want You to Be a Man (MP3s)

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The Moviegoers
Soulful San Diego cinephiles The Moviegoers have released a new digital EP, entitled Be a Man, and they’d like you to have it.

The three-song release takes some of the sweetest elements of the 90s—Pavement, The Breeders, Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo—and fuses them into a deliciously caramelized rock and roll concoction. Clocking in at an all-too-brief 12 minutes, Be a Man is so heartfelt and catchy you may find yourself listening to it 10 times in a row. At least that’s what happened to us.

You can experience the sugary goodness by downloading the EP—miraculously free of charge. We dare you not to love it.

san diego

Bar Pink Turns Golden Red

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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
[audio:goldenred-neardark.mp3]

listen, reviews, san diego

Review: Elvis Perkins in Dearland; March 15, 2009 at M-Theory Records; San Diego

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There are worse fates than being compared to Jeff Mangum. As the frontman for Neutral Milk Hotel, Mangum spearheaded one of the most influential and revered bands in indie rock history, finally creating an album—1998’s In An Aeroplane Over The Sea—that was so perfectly realized even Mangum himself never dared attempt a follow up. So, nearly a decade later, after everyone had given up hope, a guy named Elvis Perkins quietly stepped up to the plate and did the job for him.

Perkins’ 2007 debut, Ash Wednesday, established him as a brilliant artist with a penchant for crafting songs of poignant sadness and profound beauty. The son of Anthony Perkins (Psycho‘s Norman Bates) and Berry Berenson, Perkins channeled his much-publicized real life tragedies into a soul-baring masterpiece of catharsis. For his newly-released sophomore album, he added a backing band and adopted the moniker Elvis Perkins In Dearland.

And somehow, local record shop M-Theory Music was able to lure the band into their store for an exclusive, free performance on a beautifully sunny San Diego afternoon.

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music news, san diego

Cloud Cult Coming to San Diego, Releasing DVD

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If you read our Best of 2008 list, you may have noticed a little band called Cloud Cult on there. The prolific Minnesota collective has already released eight wildly creative albums—including the highly recommended The Meaning Of 8—so you have no excuse for not knowing/loving them yet. The band will soon be heading out on a tour which will take them to Coachella and, more importantly, to San Diego’s beloved Casbah on May 14th.

In conjunction with the upcoming tour, the band will also be releasing a career spanning-documentary on April 21st, entitled No One Said It Would Be Easy. According to our friend Gary:

No One Said It Would Be Easy is an intimate, inside look into the origin and development of the ethereal and epic Cloud Cult. The film envelops viewers into the story and people behind Cloud Cult. Serving as both an introduction and introspection meant for newcomers to the music and fans of the band alike, the film explores the emotional and philosophical underpinnings on which Cloud Cult was founded and continues to operate, namely those of love and hope.

Cloud Cult truly are a special band, and you should be sure to check them out, whether it be in concert or on new-fangled digital video disc. To help seal the deal, we’ve got a live video and tour dates for you after the jump.

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music news, san diego, video

Elvis Perkins – “Shampoo” (Video)

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Just in case you’re not yet excited about Elvis Perkins In Dearland’s fast approaching show at M-Theory Music, here’s something to help whet your appetite. It’s Perkins and his band performing “Shampoo”, the opening track off their new album, and they sound terrific. How they’re going to fit the entire band inside the tiny Mission Hills record store remains to be seen, but it should be a blast. Don’t miss it.