The Dead Weather may be known as Jack White’s band, but make no mistake — the real draw is
lead singer Alison Mosshart.
Much like White’s other side project, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather can feel like just a fun way for White to get his classic-rock geek on. Similarly, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence’s guitar and bass work seems to exist only to plop out schlocky, metal-inspired riffs. But it is Mosshart who injects the band with some much-needed soul and, at the House of Blues show on Monday night, she brought enough for everybody. Continue reading…
Mark Olson co-founded The Jayhawks with Gary Louris back in 1985, and even though he split from the band 10 years into its 25-year existence, he left an indelible mark on one of the first great alt-country bands — and on lots of great bands that followed in the Jayhawks’ footsteps.
Olson hasn’t stopped working, either. Between 1995 and today, Olson has released seven albums with The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, a celebrated 2008 reunion album with Gary Louris called Ready For The Flood, and (soon to be) two solo albums.
Olson will release Many Colored Kite, his second solo album, on July 27. The album was produced by Beau Raymond (engineer for Devendra Banhart) and features collaborations with Jolie Holland, Vashti Bunyan, and Neal Casal of Ryan Adams’ band the Cardinals. For a sample, check out “Little Bird of Freedom†(MP3), the Jolie Holland-collaborated first single from the album.
In anticipation of Many Colored Kite, we asked Mr. Olsen to send us a list of his influences. He obliged, and even though it’s not exactly a list, it’s still awesome. Check it out below.
Every July the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my heartbeat quickens. I can sense the gathering of nerds from all over the globe. It’s a mecca for the most hardcore geeks. I’m talking about San Diego Comic Con. It is the Super Bowl for the sci-fi/fantasy/horror/pop-culture fan in all of us. Between the days of July 22-25, the San Diego Convention Center houses thousands of vendors selling toys, statues, costumes, video games, movies, memorabilia, and of course comic books. Continue reading…
Last month’s inaugural Fluxx Live event was a bold addition to San Diego’s music scene. Presenters Daydream Nation used local ringers Scarlet Symphony and Dirty Sweet to lure indie fans out of their comfort zones and down the road less traveled — to Downtown’s glitzy Gaslamp district. Here’s what we said about it:
Overall, the night proved an unsuspected success, and a nice change of pace for the commingled Gaslamp and hipster crowds. The monthly event seems like just the type of shake up that San Diego’s music scene needs. If future Fluxx live events are handled as deftly as this one, we’ll wonder how we ever got by without them.
People hungry for a second taste, or newcomers curious as to what the fuss is all about, can head down to Fluxx this Thursday, July 22nd, for the second installment of the monthly event. Mix Master Mike of The Beastie Boys is headlining, and groovy dance band Hyena will be on hand as well. DJ sets from Shark Attack and DJ Leif will keep the turntables dizzy, and Tim Pyles will MC over the proceedings.
As you can tell from the lineup, this month’s Fluxx Live event is decidedly more dancey than the previous installment. It will be interesting to see whether future iterations adhere to the indie-centric, fish-out-of-water vibe that worked so well at the first event, or veer toward the clubby, typically Downtown vibe of this week’s bash. Tickets for Thursday’s event can be purchased at the door, or online. There is no dress code for the festivities, so all you Comic Con attendees are encouraged to stay in your Slave Leia costumes.
In May, Texas songwriter Sarah Jaffe released Suburban Nature, her excellent sophomore album. She also just completed tours with the likes of Norah Jones and Lou Barlow. Now, she’s heading out on her own.
Jaffe’s brand of stripped-down introspection is a breath of fresh air in an age of muddy music. Her well-developed, resonant lyrics and songwriting are reminiscent of old Moon Pix and Knock Knock-era Cat Power and Smog, respectively. When I saw Jaffe open for Barlow in June, her set might’ve been the highlight of the night.
It doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping in San Diego this time around, but there is a conspicuous gap between her stops in Phoenix and Los Angeles, so you never know. If you get a chance, check out her show. In the meantime, download “Tour dates are below.
