Learning to rock, the classic way

June 17, 2011Sara 5 Comments

I was born in 1979. Just in time to actually remember the eighties, but quite a bit late to catching anything from the years of pure rock greatness.

It’s just a shame you missed out on rock ‘n’ roll. It’s over. You got here just in time for the death rattle. Last gasp. Last grope. – Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Almost Famous

I even missed that. The synth of the electronic drums and keyboards became the ruling sound on the airwaves for a decade of hot pink and leg warmers.

But I have always had a strong affiliation with the seventies, and more than just the attire. The music was known to me great. Names such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Cream, Aerosmith and more are legends in their own right. They influenced so much more from their work in during that decade. But I always felt I knew of them more than really knowing them, more like an acquaintance than a long time friend. I took a Rock since the 1960’s class in college where I found a deeper respect for producers and Brian Wilson, but other than that, I didn’t gain much else.

So Saturday, Roger and I will be going to see RUSH. Less than a month ago, my only comment would have been, “Yeah, they are one of those hair metal bands from the late seventies/early eighties, right?” I wouldn’t be incorrect, but the depth of my knowledge was only at the surface, barely making a scratch.

Since then, I have had some hard-core training of the best kind. The initiation started with the RUSH documentary. Music documentaries are not foreign in our abode. I feel like we see at least one a month if not more. As documentaries go, this one was pretty comprehensive talking to the band members as well as family and friends. The skill is evident. Mind blowing, in fact (I might be forced to use that term several times in this post). I was amazed by their focus… no after parties, just on to writing the next song/album. Did I mention their skill?

After the documentary, I was ready to take on the catalogue. I loaded all of the albums on my iPod and just listened. Well, I was listening and working. Not the same, at all. It was like I was doing my due diligence. It never reach the veins or the marrow.

Last weekend, I took a trip to Phoenix, driving all the way… solo. Desert road trips solo seem to constitute finding myself. This time, I wanted to find the deeper connection to the music that only had skin deep meaning from the era of true rock n’ roll. I had Roger stockpiling my car with recommendations on where to begin. So here are the bands/albums, that reached my ears…

Black Sabbath: Paranoid
Rush: 2112, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings
Heart: Greatest Hits
Alice Cooper: Love it to Death
The Who: Who’s Next
Led Zeppelin: III and IV (to be fair, I already knew and love these albums)
Creedance Clearwater Revival: Not sure which, might be a hits album
Aerosmith: Toys in the Attic
Cheap Trick: Greatest Hits

I covered a lot of ground, both musically and literally. Listening to these albums straight on the open road is a similar experience to strapping on headphones and just listening, no distractions. Rush’s 2112 took my ears by storm. Seriously, it may have just knocked Jeff Buckley’s Grace right off the pedestal. I was surprised to find out how much I liked Black Sabbath’s Paranoid. Maybe I’m turning into a 13-year-old boy for my new-found love for these albums, I don’t care. I know that I will be soaking it all in on Saturday, praising to the drum god Neil to send some of that skill to my boy.

School of Rock all grown up: Lua

June 1, 2011June 1, 2011Sara 1 Comment

Those School of Rock kids seem to be growing up fast. Meet Lua, one of the bands that arose out of friendships made at San Diego’s School of Rock. Previously (as in only a couple of months ago) called Pitchfork Perfection, Lua is composed of Emily Anne James-Kanis on vocals, Jordan Krimston on drums, Sarah Linton on Guitar, and Karter Rosner on bass. Influences of Yeah, Yeah Yeahs and Avril Lavigne are evidenced in their music.

Lua will be playing Sunday, June 19 poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley with several other former School of Rock kids who have now formed their own bands. Here is a video of them doing “Try it Again” at a house party in March.

My apologies to Emily for this not going out sooner.

My bedroom awakens

May 24, 2011Sara 1 Comment

Being sick sucks. In bed most of the day leaves your body more sore than a PX90 workout. Without the full ability to have sustainable conversations due to my Harvey Pekar/Tom Waits sounding voice, writing and painting seem to be the only things getting me through these days… oh, and a bit of homemade roasted veggie soup and the occasional Words With Friends play (my user name is karmiclife if you are looking for a good game).

So lying here in bed, I decided to do a little writing exercise describing my bedroom in 300 words. Well it’s only 298 words, but who’s really counting. I almost posted this on my More than a Dwelling blog, but decided to post it here instead. I guess I feel that it is a more fictionalized piece. Well, now I’m just blabbering.

Good Morning

Faded, red suede curtains slightly parted reveal the warm glow of the morning sun. The cave slowly comes to life after its slumber in the darkness. The full-length mirrored closet doors begin to reflect the light, bouncing from picture frame to picture frame. Pale, white walls encourage light to spread, echoing the sentiment, “It’s time to get up!”

Disregarded books and clothes scattered on the floor are less like mines in a minefield during daylight hours, but more like added character to a usually tidy affair. Each object nestled in its place still sleepy from a night of sleep. A white bra snuggled up to a brown tank, curled up next to the striped slacks worn the previous day occupy the corner next to the bookcase.

Clothes hung in the closet peer out, urging the stragglers folded on the dresser to get up, come home. Stacks of hats and loose jewelry taking comfort in the shade of the lamp, cozy up to the piles of folded clothes declaring, “They are home.”

The clock on the nightstand silently stands in solidarity with the sun next to the indifferent stereo, who hadn’t slept much after being left on from the night before. Lights blinking exhaustively, the stereo never truly tires due to its unlimited source of energy, ready at anytime to create the mood. Right now he’s poised for a bit of The Beatles, Here Comes the Sun.

Center stage, the queen takes her rest. No one in the room knows sleep like the bed, happily sedentary all her life and this morning was no different. Piles of crimson blankets and pillows upon her belly keep in warmth allowing the crumpled sheets to sleep in a little bit longer. No need to stir them. Let them rest. No work today.

Back to reality

May 18, 2011Sara Leave a comment

My life is slowly getting back to normal as is my over-taxed body. The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind so much so that I just realized that I forgot to press “publish” on the last post I did for a band. Now I need to update it with new show information (Sorry, Emily).

If you have been in a cave, you may not know that last weekend was the North Park Festival of Arts… the festival I work on with a team of awesome, committed individuals including Liz and Amy from North Park Main Street, Rosey from San Diego: Dialed In, Dang from Bar Pink, Kathryn from Stage 7, Anna and David from A7D, Natalie from McFarlane Promotions and Svea from San Diego North Park Craft Mafia. Also we had a great media partnership with FM94.9 for the Craft Beer Block that allowed us to expand the block by about 100 ft. I hope you made it out to see the incredible diversity of art, dance or music. The weather was perfect and drunkenness was kept to a manageable level. Good responsible drinking. Even Mayor Jerry Saunders and his wife Rana Sampson made it out for some beer tasting. Apparently, SoundDiego has photos, but I have yet to see them posted. Anyhow, overall the event was a success and I look forward to doing it again next year (after some rest).

Another event that happened in the last couple of weeks as the TEDx Amercia’s Finest City at the Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla. It was an awesome opportunity to meet people who are seeking to drive change and make a difference in the world. The theme was “Get Your Fix” which each speaker took at from a different angle. Barbarella hosted the as 15 speakers as they each had 12-18 minutes to share their point. Despite technical difficulties, the event ran well and it made me want to get moving on making a positive impact for social good. Yes, I realize the festival qualifies as a positive impact to the North Park community, but I feel like I could do more. And I might just get my chance. One of the event organizers of TEDxAFC wants to collaborate with me on developing a follow-up event with the same sort of theme to continue the momentum of bringing people together creating positive change. We shall see what becomes of that, but it shows promise.

Oh and there is an exciting derby bout this weekend that you do not want to miss. I will be there, but no skates. Skating has taken a back seat to all of my community and family work. Trading love for love. So that is the world of me right now. I hope to be seeing you around!

Local Music Review: Inspired and the Sleep

May 4, 2011Sara Leave a comment

Artist: Inspired and the Sleep

Songs: The following songs are available to stream on their Soundcloud page:

“Chops”: Beats, that will likely case you to stumble on the pavement if you attempt to jog along, surprise you with their innovative stylings. You can definitely hear the influence of Rafter in this one.
“The Claw”: Slightly reminiscent of a one of my favorite New Zealand band’s, Zed with oddities that include sound effects and the use of the word, “serotonin,” twice.
“Garden of Your Affection”: Sweet little love song. Toe-tapping drum beats with nothing real obscure.
“So Great”: The title says it all.

Overall: Off to a great start, these boys won 1st place at the Cal State Uni San Marcos Battle of the Bands in March of this year. Max Greanhalgh, of Tan Sister Radio leads on vocals and the reins of marketing and promoting. Bandmates, Hayden Stewarton drums and Bryce Outcault on guitar rounds out this trio giving the band the opportunity to truly experiment beyond one individual’s capabilities. Inspired, but no room for sleep. Take a look at what they have been up to:

Albums: Kaleidoscope Years EP (2011), recently recorded with Chris Hoffee at Chaos Records, to be released this Saturday.

Calendar: Currently, they have two dates listed to release their EP: