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…
Given that our website is called Owl and Bear, we’re generally partial to any band whose name contains the word “Owl” (also “Bear,” and, to a lesser extent, “and”). So naturally our eyes perked up when we first came across Owl Eyes. But once we started listening to the San Diego band’s exotic mix of garage, indie, and folk, it was our ears that were doing the perking.
The four tracks of Owl Eyes’ 2010 EP, O RLY?, clock in at a breezy 10 minutes, but thanks to the band’s catchy hooks and assured execution, the small songs make a big impression. You can get a live dose of all the sonic goodness this Friday, December 10th, when the trio plays the Ruby Room. In anticipation of the show, Owl Eyes let us peek into their Poetic Memory. You can check out their influences below. Continue reading…
Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls sold out the Casbah on Friday, thanks to their respective brands of scuzz rock. Continue reading…
Dum Dum Girls should never have gotten big.
The band began as just a side project for Kristin Gundred, who released a demo under the Dum Dum Girls name for her fledgling Zoo Music label in 2008. The songs raised some eyebrows, but no one ever expected the band to overtake Gundred’s main gig: San Diego’s fast-rising Grand Ole Party.
It was after 11 on a Saturday, but the Casbah was relatively empty. The only people in attendance at the usually crowded venue were those who had stayed in town instead of venturing out to Coachella, but weren’t too tuckered out from excessive Record Store Day vinyl consumption. Continue reading…