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Silverbird revives an old genre

Before overdosing in 1973, Gram Parsons made country music cool. He created his own style of Americana by blending traditional country sounds with the rock ethos of the '60s and '70s, calling it “cosmic American music.” He despised the label “country rock,” but without him there may not have been The Band or Neil Young or today's Wilco and Ryan Adams, to name a few.

“He's a big influence for a lot of us,” says Silverbird frontman Justin Rodriguez, who grew up in a Bridgeport, Conn., household filled with '60s rock and folk music-Dylan, Donovan, Nick Drake, Parsons.

Cosmic American music, now filed under alt-country, is characterized by soulful rhythms and folky guitar fused with good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. Silverbird falls within these parameters but leans more toward folk rock and away from the weepy vocals and Southern twang of more traditional country.

“I love country, folk and Americana music, but there's a lot of pop and indie in [what we do],” says the 29-year-old Rodriguez. “But it always comes back to cosmic American music.”

They spare listeners the banjo-for-the-sake-of-banjo many new indies force into their routine, and nobody sings with a drawl. It's a good thing, since too much country from a band in a city of 1.2 million people might come off a tad artificial.

Pedal steel guitarist Bubba Lee is at least partially responsible for Silverbird's country influence. Lee moved here in 1997 from a farm in Southern Indiana. “I played trombone for 10 years in a jazz band, but I wanted to play pedal steel,” he says. “I just figured it was gonna be [with] a honky-tonk band doing George Jones and Johnny Paycheck stuff.”

It was in 1999 that Rodriguez made the drive to San Diego as singer and bassist for the post-hardcore band Counterfit. After amassing a respectable local following, the band split up in 2004. But Rodriguez didn't walk away empty handed. “I had been writing music while I was in that band that they were never gonna use. It was more my speed,” he says. After a two-year hiatus from music, he decided to do something with his songs. He just needed a band.

In walks keyboardist Robin Eisenberg. Literally, she walked into the vintage clothing store where he worked looking for a job. She wasn't hired, but days later, she found herself writing keyboard parts and harmonizing with Rodriguez's vocals. With years of piano lessons and an international tour of jazz festivals already under her belt, the petite 23-year-old is an undeniable force behind a keyboard.

Convinced they were onto something, Rodriguez recruited local drum machine Morgan Young, who, having backed more than 100 bands in his 16-year career, has become a fixture in the San Diego music scene.

“We always talked about playing together,” says Rodriguez. “I always just assumed he was in other bands.” The three clicked instantly and with Young came bassist Forrest Seguin, a North County native who grew up on local indie giants like Boilermaker and Three Mile Pilot.

The five became Silverbird in September 2006. They recently finished recording with Rodriguez's roommate, Mitch Wilson of No Knife and Moonlife, serving as producer in their North Park home studio. They are self-releasing the album later this month.

-David Small

Silverbird plays with Bella Vista (ex-members of Vue) and others at the Ken Club on March 24. www.myspace.com/silverbirdmusic. 619-284-2848.

New (old) home for hardcore punk

Mid-city has finally awakened and realized there's a market for this rock 'n' roll stuff. During the last year, San Diego Sports Club and Beauty Bar opened their doors to live music. As well, live-band nights increased at Scolari's Office, The Zombie Lounge, Brick by Brick, Tower Bar and O'Connells. And The Ken Club finally started booking bands that people want to hear.

Now Chasers (3615 El Cajon Blvd.) is stepping up its game. The venue has been booking live music for five years now, but only sporadically. In recent months, however, shows have been lined up four to five nights a week, with three to five bands per bill.

Talent booker Chris Hvezda said the club's owners have spent roughly $2,000 to add a stage and a new sound system. Hvezda formerly worked for True Mecca Entertainment, which promoted local reggae band Lights of Zion. At Chasers, however, he's booking hardcore punk.

“I'll book all kinds of shows, not just hardcore-it's just worked out that way,” he said, attributing Chasers' increased activity to MySpace. “I've booked over 100 bands to play since I started a MySpace page for Chasers two months ago, and it's gone off ever since.”

The venue is booking a lot of local acts like The Homeless Sexuals, The Filthy Fuks and Fuzz-Huzzi along with touring acts.

“I don't see anything changing soon,” Hvezda said.

-Troy Johnson

Notables

Deadline Friday holds a CD-release show for their new album, Days Gone, at the Belly Up on March 22. They'll be joined by Cathryn Beeks, Barbara Nesbitt, Jeff Berkley and former Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford. Ford will play his own set but also join the band for a selection of songs from the new album. The connection to the Crowes is through Deadline Friday bassist Earl Schreyer, who builds custom amplifiers, one of which Ford owns.

The Nashville Ramblers' song “The Trains” was listed at No. 4 in the “Readers' Top Ten” in the April issue of Mojo magazine. It's accurately described as “a heartbreaking slice of reverb-drenched power-pop perfection.”

The March issue of British magazine Classic Rock has a feature on Iron Butterfly called “The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal.” The band is currently touring and is reportedly working on their first album in more than 30 years.

“Bro-Am,” the charity surf contest and concert sponsored by Switchfoot, will be held June 2 at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The list of additional performers (besides Switchfoot) has yet to be announced. www.switchfoot.com/bro-am.

Americana trio Action Andy and His Haunted Honky-Tonkers will give up the ghost with a farewell show at The Zombie Lounge on March 21. Guitarist Kevin Manuel will dedicate his full time to Johnny Cash tribute group Cash'd Out, guitarist Jerry Rig will continue with his band Butterface and frontman Andy Rasmussen is looking to reunite with '90s-era L.A. garage rockers The Bomboras.

WE SUCK: Last week we reported that The Truckee Brothers' Christopher Hoffee is producing the new album by The Low Standards. Actually, he's engineering and recording the album, not producing.

CLUB LOVE

San Diego dance floors have become more like battlegrounds in recent weeks. Those of you who witnessed the inebriated girl who made herself into a projectile two weeks ago during Ben Annand's set at Kava Lounge-hurtling her body across the sea of sweaty dancers and taking half of them down with her-know exactly what I mean. With each trip to the dance floor now infused with a titillating hint of danger, San Diego's club scene has gained a renewed sense of excitement. Make sure you complete your combat training before you head out to this week's events.

March 21 brings Boys Noize to Club Montage (2028 Hancock St., Middletown) as part of the Z-Channel Electro Series. Boys Noize mastermind Alex Ridha, the man behind recent remixes of indie-elite bands Kaiser Chiefs, Shiny Toy Guns, Bloc Party and Tiga, will be shaking things up with his beat-heavy fusion of raw rock and grungy electro. Superstar DJs Atari, Wero and Monchis represent the local turntable talent.

On March 22, Maurice Fulton is headlining at Dos Tres inside Modus (2202 Fourth Ave., Bankers Hill). As one half of Sheffield, U.K., band MU-the duo behind last year's glitchy dance floor hit “Paris Hilton”-Fulton has been producing mixes on every end of the electronic spectrum, from Hot Chip to Freeform Five. Expect to hear anything from fuzzy techno bleeps to spacey experimental jazz samples-Fulton has it all. San Diego's sexiest DJ in plastic-framed glasses, Mark E Quark, will be opening.

RE:UP magazine's monthly night at Kava Lounge (2812 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy), 3 The Hard Way, goes down on March 23 with the hip-hop and psychedelic breaks of C-Mon & Kypski from the Netherlands. Best known for their 2004 release, Static Traveller-which was created after the band rented an RV, stocked it with recording equipment and drove through Morocco to capture sounds and samples-C-Mon & Kypski will be performing live with a four-piece band, fresh from their appearance at South-by-Southwest.