North Park Festival of the Arts
In a move that caught the local music scene by surprise, John “Swami” Reis announced last week that he’s done with Swami Sound System, his Saturday-night show on FM 94/9.
“I’m doing my last SWaMiSounDsYStem on fm949 tonight,” he announced in a brief message on Facebook shortly before the show started. “[I]t was an awesome 7 years of ear bashing!”
It’s unclear why he’s ending the show. Reis didn’t respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment. Garett Michaels, the alt-rock station’s program director, said he wasn’t warned about the announcement and hasn’t decided how to fill the empty time slot.
The show isn’t necessarily over yet, Michaels says. He’s meeting with Reis this week and hopes to convince him to continue doing the show after taking some time off. But he acknowledges that the legendary local rocker has a busy schedule. Reis co-owns Bar Pink, plays in The Night Marchers and recently reunited the legendary indie-rock band Hot Snakes.
“I get it. There’s a lot of demands,” Michaels said. “I could see how he’d want his Saturday nights back.”
A longer version of this story appeared on our music blog, Check 1, Check 2.
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Cory Stier played drums with New York City-via-San Diego buzz-band Cults when they made their late-night-TV debut last Friday, performing their single “Abducted” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In coming weeks, Stier will perform with the band at St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Australia and at shows in New Zealand, Singapore and Tokyo.
Soul-funk band The Styletones will celebrate the release of their self-titled new album at Winstons on Friday, Jan. 27. The Lucky Lonely will also play.
