Notes from the smoking patio

"He used to live at my house when we were kids growing up together in Palm Desert. We've been friends all these years since, but I hardly ever saw him anymore-until a Dwarves show at The Casbah last year, when we met up and he asked, 'Ya wanna go play Europe with us?' And I said, 'Yeah, let's go,' right away. 'Hell yeah.'"

That's ex-Furious IV frontman Ian Flannon describing his unlikely role as the newest guitarist and backing vocalist for Mondo Generator, the spin-off fronted by ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri.

Flannon's been on two whirlwind tours of Europe since joining the Generator lineup. He says if it weren't for the desert roots he and Oliveri share, he might still be toiling in the day-job drudgery of his post-Furious IV days.

Oliveri was in Kyuss (along with future Queens founder Josh Homme) when Flannon's band Unsound co-ruled the Mojave Desert's post-metal, stoner-rock scene of the early 1990s, according to Flannon. But, he says, touring with Mondo is a whole new experience-especially in Europe.

"Poland, Romania, Estonia, Croatia-they're so starved for rock, especially American hard rock. They don't label or divide guitar rock so much over there as they do here, so it's much more enthusiastic, no matter if we're playing little clubs or these huge, huge festivals with dozens of big bands."

Flannon says going from the tiny rock clubs to the sprawling festivals is an adjustment that only enhances the surreal experience: "We'll play on a bill with The Exploited one night and then one with, like, the Scorpions and The Cult. We just played in Spain with Pearl Jam.

"But we're the only non-metal band on some bills-like tomorrow, we're the only non-metal band at Ozzfest. So that oughta be a real interesting day. We'll see what all the metal fans in Seattle think of us then. It could be a highlight and a lowlight all in one gig."

Mondo Generator, with Flannon and ex-Sprung Monkey drummer Ernie Longoria in their lineup, play at Brick By Brick on July 22. MS/mondogenerator.

-Will K. Shilling

Streets on lock

This is a new nook for underground hip-hop in CityBeat, on a trial basis for now but hopefully dishing out info on new artists and upcoming events on a regular basis. So let's get started.

Listening to hundreds of CDs and MP3s a week I find a few gems, and right now it's all about 12 Gauge Shotie. He has a single that's about to bubble called "Dancin On Me," featuring local R&B artist Tommy Redding (who's a distant, distant relative of Otis Redding). This track is produced by the Batkave and is worthy of major radio play. Shotie drops his full-length How I'm Livin this fall on his own independent label, Yze Guyz Entertainment. MS/12gaugeshotie, MS/tom myredding, MS/batkavestudio.

Female rapper Kitty has a song called "Stinky Face" that's getting love in the streets and on radio. With a clubby feel and a West Coast vibe, the catchy, repetitive hook and solid verses will get your head bobbin' in no time. She'll perform at Brick by Brick on July 21. MS/kittykatmeooow.

On July 19, check out the "Toast to the West Coast" party at 'Canes in Mission Beach. The event will bring together some of San Diego's top hip-hop artists, including Tony Da Skitzo and newcomers SL500, E-Mez and big-time outta-towners like Aceyalone and Grouch & Eligh from The Visionaries. The night will be hosted by WC of Westside Connection and-full disclosure here-features a DJ set by yours truly. It's also sponsored by my clothing line, named (omitted so this column doesn't turn into a kiosk). However, CityBeat's music editor Troy Johnson let the shameless plug slide because he agrees that this is the show to be at. MS/tony daskitzo, MS/sl5hunid.

If you know a San Diego hip-hop artist with music or news that needs to be heard, hit me up at FingKong2005@aol.com or MS/djfingaz.

-DJ Fingaz

Notes from the smoking patio

On July 16, city officials responded to a noise complaint at downtown venue Honey Bee Hive. The individual who made the complaint claimed the venue was throwing "illegal, crazy parties in a basement," according to general manager Richie Belperio. When officials arrived, they found no basement (the venue doesn't have one), but they did notice that the Hive's new live-music stage wasn't up to code. As a result, the club was forced to close immediately. Ideally, Belperio said, they'll be closed for less than a month while they hire a structural engineer to redesign the stage and get city approval. A person close to the situation said the venue has received a few noise complaints from neighbors lately. As for a rumor that the adjacent San Diego City College wants to take control of the building, Belpario said, "I haven't heard that. We're good friends with the person who owns the property, and if that were true, I know he would have told us. We've always been in compliance with the city. We overlooked something, and we'll take care of it." MS/the_honeybeehive.

Local rock band Vinyl Radio has split. Keyboardist Andrew Bernhardt made the decision to concentrate on fronting his own band, The Swedish Models. No word at press time if a farewell show will happen, but the other band members aren't itching to jump back into another band. "It's just too disheartening to put that much effort into something only to have it taken away from you," said frontman Matt Binder. MS/vinylradio.

Americana songstress Sara Petite has won the Country/Americana category of the Portland Songwriting Contest with her song "Coming Home." The track will be included this month on a European compilation, Country Music, out on Universal. The song will also be included later this summer on a second comp, The United States of Americana, on Shut Eye Records. Petite will tour Europe in October to promote the release. MS/sarapetite.

Cullen Hendrix has announced he'll be leaving one of San Diego's top punk bands, The North Atlantic. His final local show with TNA will be at Black Box Studios on July 27. As for the rest of the band, Hendrix says they're planning to add themselves to the list of ex-pats and move to Chicago in August. So that most likely makes the July 27 show TNA's last area show as a local band. MS/thenorthatlantic.

Glossines guitarist Kristin Warnken has hooked up with Blondie drummer Clem Burke and singer Sisely Treasure as part of the band Sisely & The Safety Pin-Ups. The group's first single is "Do the Robot," a cover of a classic from Australian punks The Saints. It's due out this month on Teenacide Records. MS/theglossines.

Music video historians Reelin' in the Years Productions will release the second batch of DVDs in its "Jazz Icons" series on Sept. 4. The project will unearth footage filmed in Europe between 1958 and 1966-tapes that, for a long time, were thought to be lost. The seven discs include concerts by John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon. www.reelinintheyears.com.

Opting for a strength-in-numbers scenario, singer-songwriters Sven-Erik Seaholm, Michael Tiernan and Peter Bolland have formed a new group, Allied Gardens. Work has begun on their debut album, set for fall release, with Seaholm producing. MS/svenseaholm.

The San Diego Music Foundation continues its series of workshops for musicians at the Lafayette Hotel (2223 El Cajon Blvd.) on July 21, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. This weekend's topic is Building Your Brand, which will teach musicians how to build a fanbase and handle merchandising, publicity and touring. Guest lecturers include John Pantle (United Talent, ex-Tijuana No!), Josh Higgins (fluf), Miles Doughty (Slightly Stoopid), Jon Pebsworth (Side One Dummy Records, Buck-O-Nine), Petey-X (merch lackey, ex-Rocket From the Crypt) and Tim Mays (The Casbah). CityBeat is a sponsor of the free event. www.sandiegomusicfoundation.org

-Bart Mendoza and Troy Johnson

Got tips? E-mail our music editor at troy@sdcitybeat.com.