Dig This Jive: Christine Pasalo's blog

When it comes to singer-songwriter Josh Rouse, I am admittedly late to the game. Very late.

I stumbled upon the down-to-earth quality of the Nebraska native’s acoustic music via his “Summertime Noisetrade Sampler” about a year ago. His sound is warm. Friendly. The kind I imagine would play out of a transistor radio as I lay on the grass under a Poplar tree on an 82-degree afternoon.

I’ve often craved to see him play a set live. But as he currently doesn’t tour much outside of Europe (he currently lives in Spain), I’ve settled for listening to his recordings. Thankfully, the Universe picked up on my wish and the web-savvy team behind Rouse has found a way to bridge the geographical gap.

Rouse has partnered with Stageit.com to put on his first online show on Sunday, May 20. According to Rouse’s website, it is hoped that the show, which will air from the Valencia apartment of band member Cayo Bellveser, will be the first of a series of shows Rouse is calling “Late Night Conversations.”

The online performance will start at 10:00 p.m. Valencia time, which is 1:00 p.m. San Diego time. To see what this means for the start time in your neck of the States, click here.

You’ll have to buy a ticket to catch the show. If you’re new to Stageit.com like I am, this means that you’ll first need to sign up for an account with Stageit.com, buy some Stageit Notes, and then pay what you can/want for access to Rouse’s show. (”Notes” are Stageit’s form of currency; $1 equals 10 Notes.) Buy enough Stageit Notes and you can also tip Rouse during the performance which is said to include a few new songs, some Rouse oldies but goodies, and live requests.

For more info on the show, including how to get your hands on a handwritten lyric sheet of one of Rouse’s new songs, check out the Stageit.com page for the event.

To quote my favorite song off of Rouse’s latest album, Josh Rouse and The Long Vacations, “Oh, look what the sun did. It made the sky turn blue.”

Record Store Day. Earth Day. You can celebrate both in San Diego this weekend with treks to Mission Hills and Coronado. Plus, you can get full on fine dining in Hillcrest and unplugged music on Adams Avenue. Garnish with a sunny-without-too-much-burn weather forecast and serve.

Saturday, April 21: Happy Record Store Day!

• 10:00 a.m. Celebrate Record Store Day at M-Theory! Exclusive releases, including Common’s latest, a Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. EP featuring two new songs, and a Regina Spektor 45 featuring two unreleased tracks she recorded in Russian are just a few of the wiles M-Theory is pulling out to lure you to their event. There will also be a sidewalk sale featuring 50 cent LPs and $1.00 CDs, free swag and skateboards from Sector 9, free pizza from Lefty’s Chicago Pizzaria, and a live and free 5:00 p.m. performance by The Donkeys.
• 12:00 p.m. Get full in Hillcrest. The 11th annual Taste of Hillcrest takes place until 4:00 p.m. Approach the event with a strategy and you’ll get a quality sample of the over 50 restaurants participating this year. Thankfully, though the event is another year older, the ticket price is the same as it was in 2010: $30 in advance, $35 day of. To buy tickets online and to get a PDF of this year’s event map, visit Fabulous Hillcrest’s event webpage. For an idea of how the tickets for this event work, check out my post on last year’s Taste.
• 4:50 p.m. Watch tUnE-yArDs perform live at Coachella from the comfort of your couch. I had the honor of seeing Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, perform live at San Diego’s House of Blues this past Wednesday. Her creativity humbles me. If you’ve never seen her perform live, I’d hate for you to miss the opportunity. Seize your chance by tuning in on Channel 2 of Coachella’s live webcast. Garbus will amaze you with her ability to layer sounds and beats on the spot. She will take you in with the sweet ferocity of her voice. She will dumbfound you with the way she sings back-up for herself. LIVE. I dare you not to be struck in awe.*

Sunday, April 22: Happy Earth Day!

• 12:00 p.m. Celebrate Spring at the Coronado Flower Show. Though Spring likes to swell up my sinuses the way a brown noser pumps up a manager’s ego, I’ll willingly suppress its effect with a dose of Chlor-Trimetron and spend the day under the tents of the Coronado Flower Show, the largest tented flower show in the nation. General admission is only $5; children under 12 are free.
• 3:00 p.m. An Adams Avenue music festival by any other name DOES smell as sweet. Previously known as the Adams Avenue Roots Festival, the FREE event now known as Adams Avenue Unplugged takes place until 7:00 p.m. on this final day of the weekend. Up to 170 live musical performances ranging from folk, traditional roots music, Appalachian folk songs, bluegrass, Americana, cowboy, Cajun, and rockabilly are scheduled to appear at various venues on the two-mile stretch of Adams between Texas Street in Normal Heights and Kensington. For a list of who’s performing and where they’ll be performing, check out the Adams Avenue Unplugged website.

(Photo caption, from left to right: Record Store Day logo from RecordStoreDay.com; Taste of Hillcrest logo from FabulousHillcrest.com; press photo of Merrill Garbus photographed by Anna Campbell for 4AD; photo of the Coronado Flower Show entrance from Beach Local’s Flickr photostream; Adams Avenue Unplugged poster from NormalHeights.org.)

*CORRECTION: Coachella Weekend 2 will NOT be live streamed per a Pitchfork article posted on April 13. You can, however, see video of tUnE-yArDs performing “Bizness” and “Powa” on Coachella’s YouTube channel. Apologies for the misinformation!

During this first weekend of February 2012 in San Diego, get out of your comfort zone before settling in for the gluttony that is Super Bowl. Consider catching a music showcase put on by the San Diego Youth Symphony. Check out an art show and dance performance in North Park. Visit a San Diego Museum for half-off what you normally have to pay. I promise: These three ideas offer a pleasant respite before the storm of Budweiser and Coors commercials.

Saturday, February 4, 2012:

• 2:00 p.m. Take in orchestral music played by teens and not-yet-teens. The kids that make up the San Diego Youth Symphony (and any youth symphony) are inspiring not only for their talent but for the hard work they put towards obtaining, maintaining, and improving that talent. This Showcase Concert takes place at Copley Symphony Hall in Downtown. Tickets run the range of $10-$35. To get your tickets, call The Copley Box Office at 619-235-0804. If you can’t make this performance, then consider the 7:00 p.m. Ovation Concert at Copley (tickets run the same range for the later show).
• 8:00 p.m. Celebrate the lives of six courageous women. North Park’s Art Produce Gallery collaborates with Eveoke Dance Theatre in its latest exhibit, Reflections. The combination visual and dance show is a portrait of six women you might not have already ever heard of but will be glad that you finally did. General admission tickets are $24; for seniors and students, $18.

Sunday, February 5, 2012:

• 12:00 p.m. Check out a San Diego Museum at half-off admission! February is Museum Month in San Diego. In terms of your wallet, that means if you pick up a FREE Museum Month Pass from any Macy’s in San Diego, you can use it to enjoy half-off admission at participating San Diego museums until February 29. (As with last year, I’d recommend hitting a Macy’s customer service center or Visitor’s center.) If you don’t know which museums to hit, the San Diego Museum Council lends their two cents to help you make an informed decision. For my part, I’d recommend checking out the San Diego’s Craft Revolution exhibit at the Mingei in Balboa Park, the Phenomenal: California Light, Space, and Surface exhibit at MCASD Downtown, the TRASH exhibit at the New Children’s Museum in Downtown, and the Natural History Museum’s exhibit of Titanic artifacts (which opens on February 10).
• 3:30 p.m. Watch Madonna jump the shark. Super Bowl XLVI. For those of us who don’t remember our Roman numeral lessons of yore, that’s “46.” This repeat of 2007’s match-up takes place in Indianapolis. Elder Manning hosts younger brother and Tom Brady. Yada, yada, yada. I’m more curious about halftime. Hip-Hop choreo icon Tabitha D’umo of Nappytabs headed up the choreography for the performance. And, you read right: Madonna has signed on as the main act of a triple-M music offense (pun unintended) that also stars Minaj (as in Nicki Minaj) and M.I.A. (I’ve honestly lost track of her since “Paper Planes,” which makes her stage name ironically relevant). I’m sure jokes abound that speculate a Madonna wardrobe malfunction, one that would trump Janet Jackson’s 2004 gaffaw; just not here. Too easy.

(Photo caption, from left-to-right: Photo of young musicians from the San Diego Youth Symphony’s website; flyer image from Art Produce Gallery’s website; image from Macy’s Museum Month website; photo of Madonna from the NFL’s Super Bowl web page.)

After a week of fashioning Holiday Gift Guides that promote charitable gifts, local businesses, and independent musicians, I’m burnt out. So, this weekend’s prix fixe menu of recommended things to do in San Diego is whittled down to three courses and topped off with the Chargers game.

Saturday, December 17:

• 12:00 p.m. Tis the season of sweet charity. Ruben Torres presents the 2nd annual “Love Thy Neighbor,” a toy and clothing drive for kids and families in Tijuana, Mexico. Hosted by Beto from 92.5, the FREE event takes place at The Spot in Barrio Logan until 6:00 p.m. There will be live tattooing and an art show with artists from Nittis Tattoo, a live performance by Karlos Paez of B Side Players, and more! Click here to see the YouTube video promoting the event.
• 9:00 p.m. Attend a belated Grand Opening.. Submit yourself to day three of Tiger!Tiger!’s grand opening safari in North Park. Peer upon the Firestone Walker 14th and 15th anniversary beers that will be tapped side-by-side. Scope saucers of salivation-worthy food like Tiger!Tiger!’s Oyster Po’ Boy ($11) and Wood-Fire Banh Mi ($9). Then POUNCE! No pith helmet required.

Sunday, December 18:

• 1:00 p.m. Hone your last-minute-shopping prowess. Need to stuff those stockings? Still looking for something to get your sister (or brother)? Then, head to the North Park Independent Bazaar taking place at Queen Bee’s until 6:00 p.m. Admission is FREE and there will be clothing, accessories, photography, bags, jewelry, cards, art, and more available for purchase from a variety of San Diego’s independent artisans and businesses. Gift one-of-a-kind; shop local!
• 5:20 p.m. Chargers take on the Ravens at the Q. NBC’s Sunday Night Football is hosted by The Bolts and, somehow, there might still be a chance we can pull off a division title. If watching the game at home is too mellow for your taste, then consider amplifying your Yeahs and Ughs with tens more voices and catch the game at either Regal Beagle in Mission Hills or True North in North Park.

(Photo caption: Flyer for “Love Thy Neighbor” from the Connected with Ruben Torres Facebook page; photo of Tiger!Tiger! from the restaurant/bar’s website; flyer from Queen Bee’s website; Regal Beagle brand for the bar’s Facebook page; photo of True North Tavern from Pedal Pretty Cycle Chic’s website.)

To end this week’s blitz of gift ideas, I present a list of singer/songwriters who don’t produce their music on one of the Big 3 labels—Universal, Sony, Warner Brothers—or on any of the Big 3’s affiliates. As a result, when it comes to shopping at a big-box store, it’s easier to stumble upon a copy of The Situation’s book touting tips on “Creeping on Chicks” than it is to find the CDs of these independent melodious scribes.

Help take the turvy away from the topsy this holiday season and consider gifting an album from an independent musician!

This alphabetized-by-first-name list is also pictured above from left to right (album cover photos are from each respective musician’s website):

• April Smith & The Great Picture Show. Spunky Americana dialed up with a 2010 wink. | website
• Clara C. Acoustic pop that’s as lovely and warm as a hot hibiscus tea on a frosty morning. | website
• Dirty Gold. After a listen, you’ll want to wipe the beach sand off your feet. | website
• The Donkeys. If Kerouac’s On The Road had a soundtrack, it would include their songs. | website
• Jane Lui. An artisan quilt of acoustic, electric, dixieland, choral, pop and Broadway. | website
• Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations. Straw fedoras, cobblestone streets and breezy afternoons. | website
• Katie Herzig. 2011’s Waking Sleep is cooler than Brad Pitt and Antarctica put together. | website
• Lisa Hannigan. The playful pitter-patter of rain drops on windowsills, drains and asphalt. | website
• Mattson 2. A dimly lit jazz lounge where the ashtrays always seem to need emptying. | website
• Peter Bjorn & John. Indie rockers who prove that there’s more to Sweden than ABBA. | website
• Real Estate. The flicker of old family films. Napping on grandma’s paisley-pattern couch. | website
• tUnE-yArDs. Imagine Twlya Tharp’s choreography interpreted as music. | website

Need to save time? Don’t hesitate to buy an indie musician’s MP3 album since they’re all readily available on iTunes and Amazon. Just keep in mind that, unlike their physical counterparts, MP3 albums are sent to the gift-getter in a jiff. Maybe too jiffy, actually—the album is likely to appear in the gift recipient’s inbox before Christmas. So, should you go the MP3 album route, be sure to time the purchase just right (eg. “Send” the album(s) on either December 23 or December 24).

Got some time to spare? Consider calling one of your local, independent record stores to ask if they have the album you’re interested in giving in stock. If they do, well, you’ve just upped the ante on your independent business support. (Psst! If you live in San Diego, consider reaching out to M-Theory Music in Mission Hills, Cow Records in Ocean Beach, Off The Record in North Park, and/or Lou’s Records in Encinitas.)