LOCALS ONLY

Local enough?

Can someone who's lived in San Diego for less than two years know enough about the local music scene to host a radio show dedicated to it? Area music fans will find out soon, as radio station KPRI (102.1-FM) has chosen Chicago native and singer-songwriter Astra Kelly to host a new local-music show. While there's no launch date yet, the show will air Saturday nights from 9 to 10 p.m., following the station's live concert series.

“I met the program director, and he liked my voice,” explained Kelly, who has no previous on-air experience. “When he offered to put me on the air, I countered with the possibility of making such a show a ‘locals only' proposition. I've been touring through San Diego for a year and a half, so I am familiar with the clubs. Also, having met people such as Cathryn Beeks early on, I've actually had contact with or played alongside many area artists.”

Kelly-who's released four solo EPs-has teamed up with Beeks, plus Citizen Band bassist Marcia Claire and Bernie Gallegos, to form an “all-girl” band called Not Your Mom.

The catalyst for the new radio program is a pending two-disc, all-local compilation album that KPRI will release next spring. The disc will feature up to 30 San Diego artists, and listeners will be able to vote on which of the bands played on Kelly's show should be included. Kelly is open to playing all music, though she advises that “we can't do a lot of hard metal,” and there will be no live segments from the artists.

Any radio programmer knows it's tough to get listeners to stop clamoring for yet another spin of “Knights in White Satin” and listen to original music by local musicians. As a compromise, Kelly and the station are actively courting cover tunes by San Diego artists-a move that will undoubtedly be met with mixed reactions.

“There is a lot of great, original music in town,” Kelly noted. “But we'd also like to play some songs from area artists that might be familiar to listeners through other versions. It keeps things fun, and the radio audience enjoys this sort of thing.”

Until the launch, Kelly can be heard on the station weeknights from midnight to 5 a.m. Submissions for KPRI's local music show can be made at www.myspace.com/kprifm. Not Your Mom performs at Winston's on Nov. 9. www.myspace.com/astrakelly.

A decade of occasional torture

Sitting through four hours of amateur musical stylings and bad poetry once a week would drive many of us batty, but San Diego native and Mt. Carmel High alum Isaac Cheong is clearly not your average music fan. On Nov. 10 at Lestat's, the singer-songwriter will celebrate his 10th anniversary as the host of a local open-mic night-the longest-running of such shows in San Diego.

“There have been some interesting performers, such as an erotic poet-that made people pretty uncomfortable,” Cheong said. “But the worst? There was a guy that played violin really poorly. Ten minutes of that can seem like a lifetime,”

Cheong originally hosted his show at the now-defunct Mikey's in Poway, and has helmed the regular Monday night event at Lestat's since 2001. His dedication is especially impressive when you consider he only gets gas money plus tips for his work.

Over the years, he's noticed a lot of trends come and go. But one recent trend is that local music fans prefer to see and not be seen.

“People are accustomed to watching TV or sitting in front of a computer, so they're not as into human interaction as they used to be. I find myself having to say ‘Make some noise' a lot, but then it's part of my job to get things going.”

Look for a “who's who” of local coffeehouse performers to take part in the salute to Cheong, including Gregory Page, Erika Davies, Dave Howard, Derek Duplessie, Aaron Bowen, Pete Thurston, Hot Rod Harris, Jane Lui, Kyle Phelan and Zosia. www.myspace.com/lestatswest.

Notables...

The new album by The Downtown Money Wasters was put on hold when vocalist/frontman Thomas Lee signed on as keyboard player for American Idol Bo Bice. But now Atomic Bar will finally get a low-key release this month. Taking a break from touring with the heartthrob, Lee will regroup with the Money Wasters for club dates in November. www.myspace.com/thedown townmoneywasters.

Due Dec. 5, The OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks-the latest in a series of soundtracks from the Fox-TV soap opera, The OC-will feature elfin indie-pop kings Pinback covering Black Flag's classic hardcore song, “Wasted.” In related news, The Ladies, yet another project by Pinback frontman Rob Crow, have their song “Trapped in the Hobbit” included on Thankful, a new compilation from Temporary Residence Records. www.myspace.com/pinback.

South Bay punk-rockers The Power Chords have released their debut 7-inch single, “Unattached Strings” via Mean Buzz Records. For those who hawked their turntable in an ill-advised garage sale, “Unattached Strings” will also appear in January on a compilation put together by the San Diego Music Foundation. www.thepowerchords.net.

While acoustic troubadour Jason Mraz's most recent album Mr. A-Z didn't sell very well, he continues to rake in the soundtrack appearances. In cute-as-puke animated film Happy Feet (due out Nov. 17), he'll team up with Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde for a mashup of Steve Miller's “The Joker” and Bread's “Everything I Own.” www.jasonmraz.com.

+44, featuring former blink-182 members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, will release their debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, on Nov. 14. The band makes an appearance that same night on CBS-TV's Late Night with David Letterman. The group's Oct. 13 show at Soma-postponed when Barker injured his arm-has been rescheduled for Dec. 11. www.plus fortyfour.com.

San Diego's music community suffered another loss on Oct. 18 with the death of saxophone and keyboard player George Gonzalez. Most recently a member of The Straight Six, Gonzalez had played in local bar bands for decades, including Inside Moves and Island Fever. Most musicians will remember him best for his time at Gary Music Co., where he taught and fixed instruments during the late-'80s.

Nu-grass trio Nickel Creek release their final album, Reasons Why: The Best Of, on Nov. 14. www.nickel creek.com.

Dizzy's will be the site of a tribute show dedicated to the music of Canadian rocker Neil Young. On hand to croon a trio of songs each will be The Coyote Problem, Gregory Page, Berkley Hart, Lisa Sanders, Peggy Watson, Sven-Erik Seaholm, Joe Rathburn, Shawn Rohlf, Christopher Dale, Cathryn Beeks, Matt Silvia and The Mark Jackson Band. www.dizzyssandiego.com.