Notes from the smoking patio
Local. Music. Gossip.
By Bart Mendoza , Troy Johnson
Nominees for the 17th Annual San Diego Music Awards have been announced, and local music fans can now vote online. Tickets are on sale for the award ceremony on Sept. 17 at Viejas Concerts in the Park, with performances by Jason Mraz, Reeve Oliver, Buck-O-Nine, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, The Truckee Brothers and Pierce The Veil. www.sandiegomusicawards.com.
Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood is producing tracks for Anna Troy and her band's upcoming EP at Jason Mraz's studio. In related news, while no release date has been set for Mraz's third album, the title is reportedly Touch Your Tongue to Mine. Saucy. MS/jasonmraz.
Before Grand Ole Party embarks on a national tour with Rilo Kiley, vocalist-drummer Kristin Gundred will sing backup with the Rilo on a European tour that kicks off Aug. 12. She will also appear with the band when they perform on NBC-TV's Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Sept. 22. MS/grandoleparty.
Accident Prone Records is giving Cattle Decapitation's album, Karma Bloody Karma, the "deluxe" treatment. The re-release (limited to 500 hand-numbered copies) will be in picture-disc format with an embossed gatefold sleeve. The label is also re-issuing North County punk band Tiltwheel's album, Battle Hymns for Recluse Youth, on vinyl. MS/cattledecapitation, MS/tiltwheel.
--Bart Mendoza
Locals to watch
TheBreax (MS/thebreax)
With a live drummer and a flair for the past, TheBreax is a strong hip-hop trio--that is, if you can handle a little Jesus in your rhyme. It's not all Sunday school, but there's a good dose of father, son and the holy ghost. White-boy MC Ruslan has a strong percussive flow, gruff-voiced as he toasts positive things and disses his superficial counterparts. DJ Beleaf puts the old-school Philly soul samples to good use, even if copyright hawks might eventually have their lawyers get in touch. But the strength of their recent self-titled album got the attention of Rawkus Records, which proclaimed them one of the "50 Next Important Hip-Hop Artists." TheBreax play at Mira Costa College on Saturday, Aug. 11.
The Syndicate (MS/syndicateus)
Thank you for smoking. Or at least sounding like a smoker, with wheezy gaps in your voice and that raw, asthmatic realness. That's a large part of The Syndicate's allure--the vocalist's ravaged pipes. And while their piercing guitars and boogie bass lines may be a few years behind the hip curve (which shape-shifts every time a Montreal band forms), it's good enough and energized enough to elevate them past a Rapture-esque also-ran. The Syndicate plays at Scolari's Office on Friday, Aug. 24.
-Troy Johnson
Published: 08/15/2007
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