Category Archives: o&b

Jamuel Saxon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to Crash September’s Rumble

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This month’s Rumble at Bar Pink features indie up-and-comers Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and local musical hitman Jamuel Saxon, and will be held on Saturday, September 11.

Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott are the Detroit-based duo behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.. They are known for incorporating many styles and substances into their music — they like samplers and drum machines, but they’re also not above playing to the indie-folk crowd.

Epstein and Zott describe their debut EP, Horse Power, as a “quasi-psych mix of folk, hip-hop inspired drum programming, and effervescent pop within which Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. machines a series of chicanes, straightaways, washboards, and u-turns that when assembled make for quite the interesting ride.” Additionally, Epstein and Zott like to wear Nascar outfits onstage. For a sample of their sound, we’ve got the video for “Nothing But Our Love,” and two MP3s — one of which was remixed by Jamuel Saxon — below.
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Stop, Drop, and Rumble at Bar Pink – This Saturday

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To quote our friends at Future Sounds, “Whatever show plans you have for Saturday night, get rid of them.”

August 7 marks the next Rumble, the multi-band, multi-drink, multi-month music showcase at Bar Pink. Last month’s event featured indie up-and-comers Harlem, What Laura Says, and San Diego’s own Sunday Times. Our friends Indigenous also celebrated their birthday, so it was quite the shindig. There aren’t any officially associated birthdays this time around but, if the lineup is any indication, attendees will still find plenty of cause to celebrate.

Opening the show will be Lesands, America’s Finest Cityâ„¢’s favorite electro-synth rockers. They’re relatively new to the local scene, but they’ve already received positive feedback from KCRW and elsewhere.

Next will be Brooklyn-based Dinosaur Feathers, a band that has exploded in popularity and won’t be playing places like Bar Pink for long. Future Sounds call them “Beach Boys meet Animal Collective,” a band that boasts “amazing vocal harmonies coupled with tropical beats.” Since Animal Collective are already half Beach Boys, that should make Dinosaur Feathers at least two-thirds Beach Boys, and that’s never a bad thing. Paste magazine has praised their use of harmonies “like instruments, stacking and weaving them into a textured sonic tapestry that drips with 60s nostalgia.”

After all that beachy, boyish goodness, Rumspringa will take the stage. They’re headlining the Rumble through August, and will carry it through to Las Vegas. Their upcoming full-length, set to be released on Cantora (not to be confused with Cantore) Records, and live shows have put audiences in “sacrificial trance-like states.” Cool. Click here for downloads and additional info…

Fluxx Live Returns

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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.

July Rumble: Birthdays, Beers, and Bands

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It seems like only yesterday that San Diegans gathered at Bar Pink for the June installment of the Rumble to watch Maren Parusel, Chasing Kings, and Drug Wars. The truth is, it’s been a month, which means it’s time once again to lace up your stampeding shoes and direct yourself toward the North Park watering hole.

Saturday’s lineup starts strong and get better from there. Tempe-based three-piece What Laura Says will set a high bar with their bluesy, poppy Americana. Next up will be San Diego’s Sunday Times. Not much is known about this enigmatic group, but the few videos on their MySpace page show promise. Texas trio Harlem will headline, fresh off the release of their Pitchfork-acclaimed sophomore album, Hippies. Described by the bipolar music mag as “bubblegum…flavored with booze and cigarettes,” Harlem will undoubtedly put on a Rumble-worthy set. Finally, FM 94/9 music director/DJ Michael Halloran will keep your toes tapping between sets.

July 10 also commemorates the birthday of Rumble sponsors Indigenous, so it’s an extra-special event. Instead of three-dollar Trumers and free Trumer tastings, this time there shall be free Trumers for all (while supplies last)!

The San Diego Rumble collective includes Future Sounds, Indigenous, San Diego:Dialed In, M-Theory, Bar Pink, artists-rights organization BMI, Trumer Pills, and — oh yeah — Owl and Bear. To make your intentions known, RSVP on this month’s Facebook event page. See you there!

MP3: Harlem – Friendly Ghost
MP3: What Laura Says – I’d Dance With You

Photos from last month’s Rumble:

Downtown Gets Hip

Photo credit: Bo Cross

Hey scenesters! Do you spend most of your time frequenting bars like the Casbah and the Whistle Stop, but long for something different? Do you wish you could dance to Flo Rida and Katy Perry un-ironically? Do you find your gaze drifting toward Downtown’s glittering club scene, but stay away for fear of sacrificing your hipster cred?

Well, on Thursday, June 24th, your American Apparel-clad heart will finally get what it desires when San Diego’s indie scene invades FLUXX, the chic downtown nightclub named for its ever-changing decor and layout. Continue reading…