LOCALS ONLY

If rap music's proven anything over the last few decades, it's that there's nothing like a good homicide to drum up some press. Japan's Wizzard-in-Vinyl has included the 1997 song “Phil Spector's Birthday” on the new album by pop vixen Rachael Gordon. (Spector's been accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson in 2003.) Gordon was a member of The Sleazybeats, and a new video has even been made for the song. Spector's murder trial starts in March 2007. www.myspace.com/rachaelgordon.

If you haven't heard, U.K. music rag NME is crossing the pond and starting a U.S. edition-hardly a surprise, since Rolling Stone is in a heated battle with the dude from Toad the Wet Sprocket for the “Man, Those Were the Days” award. With its Dec. 9 issue, NME appears to know where San Diego is by packaging a free CD that includes “Girlkillsbear” from The SoftLightes. The SoftLightes are the indie-pop brainchild of Hillcrest's talented wus, Ron Fountenberry, who formerly fronted Incredible Moses Leroy. www.myspace.com/thesoftlightes.

Radio DJs are leaving the Beauty Bar at such a pace lately it makes you wonder if jock-hating Jack FM is chuckling in a vintage hair-dryer nearby. First Robin Roth took her “Pussy Galore” night to the San Diego Sports Club. Now that 94/9 DJ Tim Pyles has pulled out as the host of “Pop Rocks” to start the “Anti-Monday League” at The Casbah on Jan. 8. “It's nothing personal,” said Pyles, noting that “Anti-Monday” will focus on local bands. “It's more to do with [Casbah owner] Tim Mays reaching out and wanting to do shows that spotlight new artists like this. I think of [these nights] as a kind of local farm team for the club.” www.myspace.com/thelocalpyle.

He sounded 60 when he was 20, and in Denzel Washington's new film, Déjà Vu, radio icon “Shotgun” Tom Kelly is, like, 60 and sounds at least 100. Not surprisingly, Kelly is typecast as a disc jockey. www.shotguntomkelly.com.

The new Sony Mylo-a handheld personal communicator and music-player thingy that wishes it were born an iPod-comes pre-loaded with four songs. Apparently unable to afford the licensing for K-Fed's new smash single, they've chosen two from San Diegans-J Turtle's “Taking It On” and “Still Believing” from Kyle Phelan. www.jturtlemusic.com, www.my space.com/kylephelan.

Lindsey Troy-a former singer-songwriter turned teen-pop experiment by Elektra Records who's now been reborn as a singer-songwriter-holds a CD-release show at Lestat's on Dec. 21 for her debut EP, Bruises. www.myspace.com/lindseytroy.