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Concert Preview: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

March 13, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones come to San Diego this week

By Matt Hose

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
The Anthology
1337 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101
March 13 & March 14 at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm
All Ages

Can the return of an original band member after twenty years raise a band to its former glory?

With the 2011 release of “Rocket Science,” Béla Fleck & The Flecktones have definitively answered that question in the affirmative.

Alongside the returned harmonica-virtuoso Howard “Man With Two Brains” Levy, They will showcase the new album and classic jams at The Anthology in downtown San Diego on March 13 and 14.

Levy left the band in 1992 following the release of their third album. The Flecktones then tried out various other musicians but never found the true cohesiveness that marked the original lineup. Following the departure of saxophonist Jeff Coffin, who joined Dave Matthews Band after the tragic death of LeRoi Moore, Fleck asked Levy to rejoin the band. The album that followed was a return to the genre-hopping virtuoso style that has constantly redefined bluegrass, traditional jazz, and jazz-fusion.

Now, the band boasts the moniker “The Original Flecktones” as they hit the stage on their new tour with all four original band members.

Béla Fleck is also sure to bring a new style to the stage. During the group’s hiatus in 2009, he traveled to Africa to discover the roots of the banjo. There, he conquered the boundaries of language through music. Songs such as “Falani” carry hints of this influence on the new album.

Seeming to plea for one more award through the title of his song, Fleck also earned his twelfth Grammy for the song “Life In Eleven” off the band’s new album.

Filed Under: Concerts, Upcoming Shows, USD Radio Tagged With: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Bluegrass, Concerts, Jazz, Preview

Concert Preview: Mat Kearney

February 21, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Mat Kearney returns to San Diego this Saturday for a show at the House of Blues

By Tom Roth

Mat Kearney
House of Blues
Saturday, February 25, 2012

Revisting San Diego for the first time since his performance at the House of Blues in Dec. 2011, folk rocker Mat Kearney is set to turn heads. Coming off a successful run of nation-wide performances as part of his current winter tour, Kearney will be promoting his most recent full-length studio release, Young Love, particularly his singles “Hey Mama”, and “Ships in the Night” which currently sits at #34 on Billboard’s Adult Pop chart.

Kearney’s unique blend of genres, from rock to folk to rap, create a listening experience found only rarely. His numerous popular releases, which date back to 2005’s Nothing Left to Lose, combine with multiple sold-out shows on his current tour to forecast an entertaining live performance. Saturday night’s show, assisted by tour partner Robert Francis, promises to offer a night of quality music and fun the all-ages audience.

Tickets are still available at the House of Blues website. Look there for directions to the venue, parking information, and pre and post show entertainment in the historic Gaslamp neighborhood.

Filed Under: Concerts, Upcoming Shows, USD Radio Tagged With: Concerts, House of Blues, Mat Kearney, Preview

Concert Preview: A.A. Bondy

September 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

A.A. Bondy's newest album, Believers.

By Ryan Coghill

A.A. Bondy
September 28
Casbah

As the electro scene continues to dominate concert and club choices, it is easy to forget there are still musicians standing on a stage, all alone, with nothing but a guitar and vocal chords. A change of pace is often nice, especially when one wants to get intimate and slow it down. A. A. Bondy (Scott Bondy) will be paying the close corridors of The Casbah a visit on Wednesday, Sept. 28. If the fresh workload of this semester has turned into a head full of stress, then take a mid-week break and listen to a man and his guitar.

Bondy released his debut album, American Hearts, in 2007. In its entirety, the album is lyrically dark, more than once questioning God. This sometimes overkill-melodrama is balanced out by the use of mainly major chords and the always-reassuring sound of a harmonica. However, the most comforting aspect of Bondy is his ability to finger pick his guitar mercifully while still extracting the oomph that is needed to rattle the listeners core. “Vice Rag” and “Killed Myself When I was Young” are standouts on the album. The latter was featured on the Emmy-award winning television series, “Friday Night Lights.”

Bondy’s 2009 follow up album When The Devil’s Loose is a much more refined continuation of “American Hearts.” The same gloomy patterns emerge in the subject matter. The instrumental is much tighter in dedication and his vocals have an even more soothing effect than previously. As it may be contrary to the instrumental being tighter, there is much more reverb used on the album.

This reverb comes out much more experimentally in his latest album Believers, which was just released this month. The acoustic guitar has been thrown out of the studio completely and replaced with long-lasting-electric minor notes, and the incorporation of a full band, which includes a heavy emphasis on keyboard usage. This drives many of the songs to a trance-like state, with “Rte. 28/ Believers” sounding like something straight off Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The transition into the following song “Scenes From A Circus,” resembles the transitions one would hear on “Dark Side” as well. The subtlety on “Surfer King” in itself is so calming that the idea of being beach-side becomes evermore appealing with each note.

This album is by far Bondy’s most intricate work to date. Since Believers was just released Sept. 13, San Diego will serve as the starting point for the live material. This is all the more reason to attend this, possibly, historic event. Tickets can be purchased here, and are only $12. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. The age limit is 21 and over. If you happen to fall into this category of having stress and a few extra dollars, and are of age, A. A. Bondy will serve your senses well.

Filed Under: Concerts, Upcoming Shows, USD Radio Tagged With: A.A. Bondy, Casbah, Concert, Indie, Preview

Concert Preview: Sims and Lazerbeak

September 22, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

By Tom Roth

Sims and Lazerbeak
Friday, September 23, 2011
Soda Bar

Back in June when I reviewed Grieves’ new album, On The Rocks, I introduced the article with an inventory of notable emcee-DJ relationships. While discussing Rhymesayers’ wunderkind, I neglected to make mention of another notable pair of performers within the indie-rap community: Sims and Lazerbeak of Minnesota rap-cartel, Doomtree.

The two Minneapolis-born artists will be performing at San Diego’s Soda Bar this coming Friday in what will be a high-energy performance. While their individual careers are well established in their hometown, Sims and Lazerbeak are largely anonymous on the West Coast, save to dedicated rap connoisseurs. Considering this, concert-goers can expect a top-notch set-list, designed to stick in the mind long after the show’s conclusion.

For Sims’ part, uzi-paced raps are all in a day’s work. On his tracks, Sims exhibits the fruits of years of rhyming practice. See “Burn it Down” for a sample of the artist’s proficiency.

Lazerbeak, meanwhile, holds it down with what the Doomtree website bills “catchy, rib-crushing, filthy” beats. The word “anthemic” also crops up in said description. You be the judge. Reference “Salt and Sea”.

Tickets for the show are $10 and available here.

Filed Under: Concerts, Upcoming Shows, USD Radio Tagged With: Concert, Lazerback, Preview, rap, Sims

Concert Preview: Arctic Monkeys

September 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Arctic Monkeys' new album, Suck It And See

By Tom Roth

Arctic Monkeys
SDSU Open Air Theatre
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Ever since their meteoric rise to fame in 2006 following the release of their debut album, Whatever People Say That I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys have enjoyed sold-out shows and packed arenas.

That’s why it is both surprising and panic-inducing that the British indie-punks are taking time to visit San Diego’s SDSU Open Air Theatre this weekend. Coming off of a spate of big European festivals, the Monkeys have gradually been working their way towards San Diego, stopping off at notable venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and the Las Vegas Strip making their San Diego appearance with TV On The Radio a must-see music event this weekend.

Playing tracks off their fifth and newest release, Suck It and See, Arctic Monkeys promise to deliver an energetic performance the likes of which fans have come to expect. Frontman Alex Turner’s shaggy mop of hair matches his unassuming cadence which is amply supported on such tracks as “Reckless Serenade, “Black Treacle,” and the album’s title track. For longtime fans and newbies alike, the Suck It and See tour is a sure bet for quality entertainment.

Tickets are still available from the venue and via ticketmaster.com. Take advantage of 4-pack special pricing and save $11 per ticket.

Filed Under: Concerts, USD Radio Tagged With: Arctic Monkeys, Concert, Preview, USD Radio

Hard Haunted Mansion: Saturday Preview

October 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

So the cool kids already know this, but Hard Haunted Mansion is back this year for one of the best two nights of techno and electro. We’ve already posted the preview for Friday’s headliners, and Saturday’s lineup is just as amazing.

Justice: The French duo is back for their second year in a row at Hard Haunted Mansion. Justice has a solid reputation for putting on amazing shows that keep the beat bumping and the kids dancing. If you didn’t see them before at Street Scene ’08 or last year’s Hard Haunted Mansion, then they should no doubt be the set to see on Saturday night.

“Phantom II (Boys Noize Remix)