MyWeek in Music April 11th to April 18th
by Scott Zensen
Photos by:
Scott Zensen
Steve Covault (Happy Ron, Me, Dancing)
Happy Daze. Well it has been a daze for me! Trying to get everything working properly on the website making it work with Firefox (recommended) or Internet Exploder (I Mean Explorer) The new IE doesn't work well with CSS which is a standard on the web. Shame on Microsoft for screwing up things once again. But don't worry I took out most of the stuff that would offend IE and still look ok. There are still a few things in CSS that IE will accept. I also got the Gallery working, although there is not much there yet! The idea is if you're new to reading my blog. You'll know pictures are a new thing that started at the beginning of the year. But I wanted to make sure people cannot copy the pics keeping my copyright. If you look at the ones in the new issue each week, they are a size that fits with the design of the page. But if anyone takes those they are only thumbnails and cannot be enlarged without losing so much detail you wouldn't be able to enlarge for print and they also have invisible watermarks embedded in them. Other types of Watermarks usually goes across the picture like in the large picture at the bottom with Brooklyn in the last issue. I think that kind of Watermark works but looks crappy. So my solution for my gallery is to do it as a Flash slideshow. (later I will add the thumbs to those pages as well).
Also new in this issue is that anywhere on the site you go a player will autoplay one song from a randomized list. You can stop the song with the normal controls displayed on the player. You can also use it to listen to examples of some of the artists I talk about here in these pages. Not everybody is represented because I have to acquire the right to play them and eventually just acquire the music. Also since mp3's are so large and the player unfortunately cannot play any other format. I will experiment with the new mp3 format to see if it will work. If it does then I will upload more songs when available. Otherwise I will be adding people but keeping it in an finite number and then rotate ones out as I acquire new ones going into a rotation. Just like radio. So keep checking back and it for changes to the lineup. The player is a player that does not allow downloading the songs. Same thing for the picture I was talking about earlier. If you are an artist reading this and you would like a copy of a picture I have taken just ask and give me your email if I don't already have it and I will send you the large version.
The next steps for me is to complete the other section pages and to implement a blogging software that will look just like my pages but will be a true blog, able to make an RSS feed out of it or to make comments right on the page. Just like MySpace or any other blogging website. In the far future, after I have things where I want and basically down to just me doing the new issue and the gig page. I will maybe implement with the existing software for other artists to be able to blog here as well. A little like MySpace. But that is way down the line. My hope is to make a place exclusively for San Diego Artists to put up their info for the San Diego County patrons and the World Wide Web. I have a few other ideas as well but that can be for a future issue. I also would be extremely happy if there was other people, whether they are like me a non-musician or a musician if they are interested to write articles that would go into the new issue. They would not have to be lengthy. They could be any topic they wanted as long as it is about San Diego's Music Scene. They would get a byline or an anonymous byline if they want. And they would not have to produce one weekly, just when the mood hits them. I only ask they don't write anything vicious or unkind. That is not the purpose of the site. So far everything has been going really well and on schedule and I want to take this opportunity to again thank Doktor Dave Sawyer for all the support and the donation of space for this to happen.
One final thing before I talk about the shows I have seen this week which were few because of the time put into the site. If you look towards the top of the page (nay of the pages) you'll see a paypal donation box. For some of you will ignore this box at all costs. I just ask the people out there to give it some thought. When I switched into high gear to give people what they asked for in my blog by making a site to answer all those questions. I have had to spend a lot of money I don't have and if you would like to help please donate something anything you can little or large to help out with those expenses. I have been trying to keep advertising out but I know now that is impossibility. To keep it to a minimum I need some support. Any support given in anyway will be featured on the upcoming Sponsor's page once someone other than Dave sponsors me. So if you like coming and reading my blogs and you get any benefit out of the info on my site. Please make a donation to the site. I am a non-profit organization. Ok enough of that but it had to be done on with MyWeek In Music!
Well I was working so hard on the website I neglected my duties to go to shows this week. I upped the amount of hours I was working until I did a crash and burn on Sunday night till Monday night. So I made it an imperative to go see a show on Tuesday!
So on Tuesday I walked up to
Desi N Friends a cool new venue that Listen Local SD Presents every other Tuesday. It is on Lytton Street in Point Loma. I got there early and Cathryn was still setting up. We talked for a few minutes and I went to get some refreshments. Desi N Friends provides a free table of veggies, chips, Fruit and Cheese and tonight Buffalo Wings. But Desi N Friends also serves food till 11pm for those who need sustenance before diving into a night of drinking and having fun!
The first part of the evening from 7pm to 9pm is an open mic where people can sign up and play a couple of songs. Later in the evening after 9pm Cathryn presents up to three or four singer/bands she has signed up for the evening! It got off to a slow start and Cathryn and I sat and gabbed about the music biz in San Diego. For a While there it looked like no one was going to show for the open Mic? But Sweet Joyce Ann showed and Cathryn put her right on stage. The atmosphere was light and friendly and there was a little clowning around. Christopher Dale showed up to listen to the music and then we were four. Sweet Joyce sang while I took pics and Chris clowned around a little. He has a great sense of humor. Even Joyce and Cathryn clowned around a little. I like to laugh but I am too self- conscious to let myself go unless I am really drunk. Sven-Eric Seaholm the first of the heading singer/bands showed up and Cathryn started the show early.
Sven-Eric Seaholm has been around the San Diego scene for quite a while and he will be releasing a new CD with Michael Tiernan in a dual CD Release at The Belly Up on the 15th of this month. Sven sang many of his new tunes from that album. I think that my favorite is "Envy in A Minor". I have always really liked Sven's voice it has an easy melodic tone that soothes you when listening. Even when he is singing with his band The Wild Truth and they are rocking it hard those qualities come out. Its not just good songwriting that Sven has going for himself its his voice and demeanor. He is a sometimes funny happy person (at least as far as I know) and when he is around your immediately at ease. He's truly a very cool person to know! If your not doing anything on April 15th show up at The Belly Up and listen to him sing his songs LIVE! Once you do you'll have to buy his CD. And While your there buy Michael Tiernan's CD Too! A prolific writer I have never heard anything but good music from Michael. It should be a great show!
Next up was Happy Ron Hill the comedic singer who has some lessons to teach us about life, love and more life. I once called him Indomitable as a descriptor, which fits him to a tee. But another good descriptor is he's a hell of a nice guy! Happy asked me to use his Video Camera to tape his segment of the show and I was honored to do so. I asked Steve Covault who was also there taking pics (yeah there were 3 photographers there again this week) and I asked him for a couple of Happy since I couldn't ask any while videotaping. Happy was really in a good mood and he sounded great tonight and seemed like he was having fun! Steve got an outstanding picture of him belting out his song!
City fritters came to the stage next with there blues and country styling's from L.A. in Topanga Canyon. Johnny Nation does the guitar work and vocals and Jewels does vocals/Tambourine and Harmonica. They had some wonderful songs and I really like a good harmonica player and jewels did a damn fine job. They did several songs and many of the small crowd were very pleased, with what we got to hear.
Next up was Galt Aureaus a band consisting of a male keyboardist who did the vocals by the name of Saher and two young girls accompanied him. One played guitar and the other played Violin. They were good but the obvious talent of the band was the guy on the keyboard. Now this was an acoustic set but they play in a slightly larger band with drums and electric guitars normally. But you could here the fire in Sahers voice as he sang his songs with a high clean sound. Very reminiscent of the lead singer in Styx but maybe an octave lower. The songs were good but they didn't seem like they were enjoying the session so maybe they get better vibes when playing to a larger audience and with the electric guitars and drums. They will be playing at Epicentre 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd., San Diego on the 14th so maybe they will sound better in a larger venue. At least that's what they said?
The final band of the night was Groove Policy and they played what they call Live Acid Jazz? But they just sounded like a good jazz band to me! I had told Cathryn I was going to take a couple of pics of them once they finished their setup and then I had to leave to get home and finish the New Issue! But after listening to them for a couple of minutes I stayed a little bit longer. They did a Booker T & the MG's Song I hadn't heard in a long time and never live, so I was enjoying their sound. But alas I had to get home and work on this issue, so I said my good-byes and took off. Desi N Friends is a very comfortable venue. The Stage is upstairs in the back of the bar past the grill area. Make a right and go down if you want to play pool or go up a short (6 or so steps) flight of stairs to a medium sized cozy room with a half dozen or so love seats or couches and there are chairs and tables if you prefer. It is a very intimate spot to listen to the music and one of my new favorite venues and shows to go to. Cathryn also bills this as a mixer so there are occasionally people in the crowd who are sponsors and business partners or people in the field of music to help the artist with the other things they need like photographers, accountants and hairdresser's. They are also looking for new customers and you don't have to be in the music business. Nobody bothers you; they place business cards and answer your questions. So come down to Desi N Friends, Say hello to Desi and have a snack. Enjoy yourself on the next mixer and listen to some great music put on by the best promoter in town.
Ciao
Kirin Sushi
4111 Voltaire Street,
Point Loma/O.B
Come have some Sushi while listening to great music and have a few Sake Bombs. Restaurant for all ages. the Sake isn't!
April
- Allegra on Friday April 6th
- Brooklyn on Saturday April 7th
- Ken Rahn on Friday April 13th
- Carlos Olmeda on Saturday April 14th
- Allegra on Friday April 20th
- TBA on Saturday April 21st
- Ken Rahn on Friday April 27th
- Brooklyn on Saturday April 28th
Steve CovaultOne of the premiere photographers around San Diego. Steve has been generously providing photos occasionally that he takes during each week. And sends me a few here at MyWeek In Music to suppplement the photos I take or other's provide me of shows around town.
Check out Steve's Website with his galleries of photos of The Local San Diego Music Scene. Click Here to go to SteveCovault.com
Design