Seeing New Mexico play is like walking into a tornado. No matter how much you brace yourself or tell yourself you can withstand the force, you’re still going to get knocked on your ass. The San Diego trio’s explosive garage rock assails and enchants the listener with serrated guitar lines and rapid-fire drumming. And, at the eye of the storm, Rob Kent’s tipsy vocals exude danger and rock and roll bravado. Continue reading…
For San Diego’s music scene, 2010 has been a good year. Bands like Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls found national acclaim, Wavves made an unexpected comeback following their much-publicized 2009 meltdown, and upcoming acts like Cuckoo Chaos and Tape Deck Mountain are poised to make their own waves next year, thanks to some freshly inked deals with Lefse Records. It’s fitting, then, that the Casbah has lined up three of San Diego’s finest bands to help ring in the new year. Continue reading…
This month’s Fluxx Live lineup is its best yet. Sure, this is only the fourth outing in the fledgling monthly event’s history, but that doesn’t make the bands any less formidable.
Fresh off their Best New Artist win at this year’s San Diego Music Awards, local duo Little Hurricane will open the show. They haven’t been around long, but their sweaty, ominous brand of blues has already made quite the splash around town, and they’ve got the award to prove it.
Next, Portland’s Jared Mees and The Grown Children will represent the Pacific Northwest with some sunny, acoustic ditties. Since they’re not from here, they obviously weren’t eligible for any San Diego Music Awards, but we’re sure they would have won a couple if they had been.
Then it’s back to the local acts with a set by homegrown heroes The Silent Comedy. The folky five-piece recently won some SDMA gold of their own — their LP, Common Faults, took away Best Pop Album honors. The nomination was a bit unexpected, considering that The Silent Comedy are about as close to being pop as they are to being polka, but that doesn’t make the recognition any less deserved. Continue reading…
English folk band Mumford & Sons seemed to come out of nowhere last year, capturing people’s attention and hearts with their sweeping debut, Sigh No More.
Blending the homespun sincerity of The Avett Brothers with the Celtic stomp of Flogging Molly, the London four-piece are an unlikely phenomenon. But thanks to the cathartic, pint-waving choruses of songs like “The Cave,” “Winter Winds” and “Little Lion Man,” the band are now the subject of adoration from both sides of the pond. Continue reading…