Category Archives: san diego

Leonard Cohen to Build a Tower of Song in San Diego

Leonard Cohen has seen the future, and it is busy. The legendary singer/songwriter/poet/novelist has recently emerged from a fifteen-year absence to embark on a North American tour that includes a stop at San Diego’s Copley Symphony Hall on April 7th.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 2nd, and can be bought here. They’re a little on the pricey side, but how often do you get to see a living legend perform?

Mr. Cohen will also bring his songs of love and hate to this year’s Coachella festival, where he’ll be playing alongside Paul McCartney and Morrissey, who are no slouches either. But if you can’t make it to any of his tour dates, you can console yourself with the forthcoming double-CD and DVD set Live In London, set for release on March 31st.

You can also listen to his recent Beacon Theatre performance here, thanks to NPR’s All Songs Considered.

The remarkably active 74-year old has also been making the media rounds lately. The New York Times recently wrote a nice piece about Cohen and the unfortunate circumstances that prompted his new tour, and The New Yorker just published a great new poem of his, which you should read right now.

Tour dates after the jump.
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Elvis Perkins to Play In-Store Show at M-Theory

The great Elvis Perkins will be bringing his heartbreaking songs of staggering genius to San Diego on March 15th for an in-store set at M-Theory Music.

Surely you’re wondering why someone who created an album as unrelentingly amazing as 2007’s Ash Wednesday—probably the closest thing the world will ever get to a follow-up to In An Aeroplane Over The Sea—would be playing at the admittedly cool but nevertheless tiny Mission Hills record store.

We’re not exactly sure either, but the answer almost certainly has something to do with Elvis Perkins In Dearland, the singer-songwriter’s forthcoming sophomore album, set for release on March 10th. Those who pre-order it will be treated to an instant 128k stream of the entire album.

The brilliance is set to commence at 4pm, so shake off that hangover, grab a burrito at Santana’s, and head on over. The show is one of Perkins’ first stops on an expansive tour that will take him all over America and Europe before culminating at Bonnaroo. Dates and a stream of “Shampoo” from Elvis Perkins In Dearland after the jump.

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Review: The Builders and the Butchers; February 19, 2009 at The Casbah; San Diego

It takes a lot to work the crowd at the Casbah into a frenzy. Most nights, crowd members can’t be bothered to unfold their arms—let alone dance—regardless of their affinity for the band that’s playing. Whether you chalk it up to the laid back Southern California vibe, or to scenesters who care most about how apathetic they seem, San Diego’s hipsters aren’t exactly known for cutting loose. But maybe that’s just because they had never seen The Builders and the Butchers before.

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The Paddle Boat – The Paddle Boat (Review)


2009, Single Screen Records

As a live band, San Diego’s The Paddle Boat have built a reputation not only as excellent performers, but as a rare alternative in an oftentimes homogenized music scene. Drawing from, among other things, early 20th century folk and jazz, the eccentric trio can’t help but stand out in a sea of rock and rollers. Now the group is bestowing their first release upon the public—a 7-inch single aptly titled The Paddle Boat—but does the record capture the many facets that make the band a diamond in the San Diego rough?

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Audrye Sessions to Play Casbah Feb. 24

Audrye Sessions are going to play the Casbah tomorrow. Our friend Lauren tells us:

The unnaturally attractive rockin’ foursome hail from the Bay Area and they have been garnering praise for their powerfully sincere live performances. Their debut LP just came out last week – so this is great time to catch them.

Click here to check out their cover of Elliott Smith’s “Waltz No. 2”. And for people who prefer to take in their music audio-visually, we’ve got a video from the band after the jump.

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