Don’t Peggy Olsen us, motherfuckers. The Owl and Bear podcast is back for April, and it’s bringing with it a bevy of musicians who totally knock us out and just happen to be women while doing so. Continue reading…
MP3: Luke Rathborne – “I Can Be One”
MP3: Luke Rathborne – “You Let Me In”
MP3: Mrs. Magician – “Tabloids”
Like clockwork, the Rumble— the monthly musical roadshow that takes place in nine U.S. cities every month — returns to San Diego’s Bar Pink tomorrow.
This month’s event features San Diego surf popsters Mrs. Magician, sludgy shoegazers Colony, and superb singer/songwriter Luke Rathborne. (DJs Pet Rock and Rob Dylan will spin vinyl between sets.)
We at O&B are especially excited to see Luke Rathborne, whose The Dog Years and I Can Be One EPs show a songwriter with a true artistic vision — one that (unlike many of his peers) is not overly fixated on the meaning of life, but about telling its stories.
In anticipation of the show, we asked Mr. Rathborne to provide us with a list of influences. He kindly obliged, and you may find his “10 favorite records of 1977” below. Continue reading…
For music fans young and old, Ray Manzarek needs little introduction. In the late 60s, Manzarek co-founded and played keyboards in The Doors, who to this day remain one of rock and roll’s most influential bands. He’s written novels, directed films, and, at the age of 71, he’s still cooler than you are.
Manzarek’s salad days are the subject of the upcoming, award-winning documentary When You’re Strange, and, on February 28th, he’ll be bringing his roadhouse blues to San Diego for a gig at Anthology.
We sat down with Manzarek to discuss everything from fine wine to YouTube, and from Iggy Pop to Weird Al. Continue reading
It’s been over a year since ragtag teenaged punkers Be Your Own Pet parted ways, and they’ve been missed. Luckily, former front woman Jemina Pearl has just released her first solo album, the aptly titled Break It Up, to help fill the void. The album finds Pearl continuing to imbue her raucous pop ditties with refreshing doses of optimism and heart. Pearl has just released the video for album highlight “I Hate People”, a duet with none other than James Newell Osterberg, Jr., aka Iggy Pop.
Unfortunately, Pop doesn’t appear in the video—except in photographed form—but apparently less is more: Thurston Moore, to be exact. The Sonic Youth front man appears on Break It Up and costars in the video as a haplessly skittish coworker at Pearl’s diner. Pearl and Moore previously collaborated on a cover of The Ramones’ “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” for the edgy CW series Gossip Girl.
We’ve got the video for you, as well as Pearl’s tour dates, after the jump. If you’re lucky, she might spit on you during the show. I speak from personal experience when I say that being spit on by Jemina Pearl ain’t so bad at all. Continue reading
The 19-year-old narrator of Matthew Specktor’s novel That Summertime Sound has two options: return home to L.A. and a family that hardly notices him; or travel to the Heart of the Heart of the Country—Columbus, Ohio—and come of age.
The novel is set against the Columbus music scene of the 1980s, and Specktor is looking to connect with his favorite band. That Summertime Sound reads like an ’80s music encyclopedia, with references to The Feelies, Hüsker Du, Pere Ubu, and others.
To accompany the novel’s release, Specktor’s website features readings by Morgan Freeman (MP3), Jeremy Irons, Gwyneth Paltrow, and other Hollywood icons. Matthew Specktor’s Poetic Memory is below.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. Continue reading