Fish & Chips: Using High-Tech Tools to Learn More About FishThe Nov. 2 show at the Che Café featuring Phobia and Cripple Bastards has been cancelled due to so-called “punk and disorderly” conduct following last Friday night's show (Bread and Water, Garuda, Detrimental Greed, Gluttony).
“The dance studio just west of the Che was broken into and the alarm went off, so cops, fire department and UCSD physical plant people all had to come out,” said Spencer Gooch, a core member of the collective that operates the Che. “The police weren't sure if [the suspects] panicked and ran or were just in there messing with stuff, because a lot of expensive equipment was moved around.”
Though other shows haven't been cancelled, Gooch said the Phobia show was canned because it was expected to draw a large crowd. Gooch denies the problems are related to punk or any specific type of music.
“It's just the same kids that show up to certain shows and fuck shit up, drink in the woods and cause problems,” he said, noting that the troublemakers hurt the Che's relationship with the university and need to be stopped.
Gooch says the main troublemakers are young kids and that older people tend to understand that their behavior impacts Che and the music scene. In his six years at the Che, Gooch says he's been swung at, spit at and regularly assaulted and insulted by underage kids drinking in the woods surrounding the venue.
“I'm not about to fight some 14-year-old drunk assholes,” he says. “The answer isn't more security. That's just passing the buck. People really need to take responsibility for their own actions and stop this.”
Gooch and other fans are looking for an alternative venue for the Phobia and Cripple Bastards show. People who bought tickets ahead of time can return them after Nov. 1 for a full refund. Gooch says anyone with ideas is welcome to voice their opinions at the collective's meetings, held every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (except Oct. 23).
Free Radio survives first year
Free Radio San Diego, the pirate station broadcasting on 96.9 FM, celebrated one year of broadcasting on Oct. 13. The station's anniversary comes as the international pirate community reels from the loss of San Francisco Liberation Radio, which was raided by FCC-led authorities last Wednesday.
In 2002, FRSD first transmitted its signal from a van parked atop Mt. Soledad and FCC agents zeroed in on the signal within minutes. Broadcasts were intermittent until March of this year, when the station moved into a fixed position east of downtown and began broadcasting 24 hours a day (except for occasional equipment failures and intentional shutdowns to upgrade).
FRSD DJ/ morning talk show host Bob Ugly cited several accomplishments this year, such as upping power from 30 to 100 watts with a new transmitter purchased with funds raised from the community and raising the antenna by about 25 feet. Both actions have broadened the station's signal.
The station also added streaming web audio, allowing for listeners outside the broadcast range and enabling other stations to pick up the signal for rebroadcast (which many have, the most recent being the 600-watt pirate giant 96.9 FM “The Edge” in Minneapolis/St. Paul). FRSD has also started holding monthly meetings open to the public on the last Wednesday of every month; the next is on Oct. 29 at the Golden Hill Community Center.
Perhaps the station's most notable accomplishment is that it has yet to receive a single interference complaint.
In a statement posted on the station's website (www.pirate969.org), the station's original founder (the collective is now two-dozen members strong) writes: “FRSD 96.9FM has surpassed my expectations, and we've faced a lot of challenges in our first year of operation.... The FCC made the law, which we completely disregarded, quite openly. The actions of the FCC, and whatever enforcement they choose to employ has been, and will continue to be, completely unable to deal with the heart of the issue, which is the will of the people.... For the thousands of loyal listeners, supporters, and fellow San Diegans, I want to personally thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
One of the FRSD's most immediate goals is to expand the station's diversity to include more women and minorities. Applicants of all races and both sexes are urged to apply, and details are available on the FRSD's website.
Notables...
British re-issue label Rev-ola has just released a pair of previously ultra-rare albums from '60s-era San Diego rock groups. This month will see the release of the Hard Times' Blew Mind from 1968, followed by the folk-pop act Deep Six's eponymous 1966 album, both with copious bonus tracks and liners. Other recent reissues on the label with a San Diego connection include a self-titled bluegrass compilation from the Hillmen, a project by future Byrds' bassist Chris Hillman. Two late-'60s rarities are also recommended: Collection, an album by seminal country rockers Hearts & Flowers, which featured ex-Scottsville Squirrel Barker Larry Murray, and Without Earth and Moon by psychedelic popsters The Moon, which included Matthew Moore, father of local producer extraordinaire Ben Moore. On a recent tour, Oasis used the album as pre-show music.
Blink-182 is embarking on a 10-date “Dollar Bill Tour,” which will set admission price at $1. Running from Nov. 6 in Boston and closing with a show at Soma on Nov. 23, the band will underwrite all tour expenses themselves. The series of concerts coincides with the band's release of their as-yet-untitled new album on Nov. 18. In the meantime, you can see the debut of their new video, “Feelin' This” on the Oct. 31 episode of MTV's Making The Video.
Look for “Summer Can't Come Too Soon,” a track from AJ Croce's Transit album (co-written with Dave Howard), to be included in an upcoming episode of UPN TV's Jake 2.0.
Over on Ebay, Jason Mraz is auctioning the shirt off his back, in this case the shirt he was wearing when he met Dave Matthews, as seen in the pages of Rolling Stone. All proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation, and the lucky winner also gets an autographed Polaroid of Mraz wearing the garment.
According to their website, veteran rockers Iron Butterfly are looking for a permanent keyboard player. You can get more info at auditions@ironbutterly.com.
Off the Record is the title of a new book and CD combo released earlier this month that details the creation of many classic tunes. Graham Nash interviews John Gummoe of National City's Cascades at length on the subject of Gummoe's 1962 hit, “Rhythm of the Rain.”
Upcoming CD-release parties include singer-songwriter Dan Connor & Little Big Men, Oct. 24 at Dizzy's, with guests guitarist Peter Sprague and singer Cici Porter. And Oct. 29, quirky rockers Trophy Wife will release their new album at The Casbah.
