Shot on Scene By James Norton

DJ and Lindsay Lohan main squeeze Samantha Ronson managed to find time to strike a pose with a friend during her Sunday-night appearance at Stingaree—which is surprising, considering her initial shyness (see below). Lohan was nowhere to be found, but the throngs still packed in to listen to Ronson play an eclectic set that included ’80s dance staples and a mash-up of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” and Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’.” So much for that whole day-of-rest thing.

The Enrique Experience

Up until last Sunday night, DJ Samantha Ronson had never met a carpet she didn’t like.

It was her plan to arrive incognito at Stingaree (as incognito as one can be in a bright orange Hummer limo) sans arm candy Lindsay Lohan after the two had a very public spat in New York on Friday that ended with the Herbie Fully Loaded star yelling Ronson’s full name and chasing her down the street, according to the New York Post. A scheduled South Florida Valentine’s Day appearance by the two was canceled because they were deemed too ill to travel. But, by the grace of God, the turntable pixie managed to show up at the Downtown club. A look of sheer terror came over her gaunt face when she realized there was a press line set up on the red carpet. She turned to her handlers and said,

“I’m not doing media. Is there another entrance? Get me outta here.”

“She looks like a 12-year-old boy,” one onlooker said.

“Yeah, a chain-smoking 12-year-old boy” added another.

Contrary to form, I was not intending to ask if she preferred smooth double-headed dildos or their realistic veiny counterparts, nor if her set list was going to consist exclusively of Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls. Instead, I did my research and learned that she comes from a musically inclined family (her stepfather is Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones). Also, Ronson hearts Jack Daniels and American Idol.

Michelangelo behind his brush, the octuplets’ mom behind the turkey baster—these are masters of their craft, as is Ronson behind the ones and twos. Between checking her BlackBerry and sipping on Red Bull, she, dare I say it, managed to pull off a very decent set.

When her two-hour-long stint concluded, she was whisked away via the inconspicuous side door, where yours truly was waiting. “Samantha Judith Ronson,” I shouted, taking a page from Lindsay’s book. “How was the San Diego crowd?”

“Awesome” she replied, before boarding a more unassuming black Town Car. That, my friends is called journalism. Awesome, indeed.

Locals Only

For those anxiously awaiting the next Swedish Models show, well, you may be waiting a long, long time. As in forever. Despite some buzz-worthy shows and a promising EP, singer/guitarist Andrew Bernhardt said the band basically fizzled out while recording a debut full-length. “We somehow forgot to finish the record. We have all been playing music with each other in a few bands over the past several years, and I think we got to a point where we took our music connection for granted, Bernhardt explained. “The thing is, what we had was killer, and we got lazy.” For those eager for some sort of sonic document of the band in action (a CD perhaps), hope may be on the horizon. “The album is a mastering away from being complete,” Bernhardt said. “Any of our supporters that slipped into any of our shows or our grungy Niagara house [in Ocean Beach] should be expecting a copy by St. Patrick’s Day. The tunes will make you want to see the band again. I want to see the band again.”

A band that did break up but are back together is Scarlet Symphony, who will release their new CD, Foundation, on Saturday, Feb. 21, at The Casbah before heading out on a West Coast tour.

Improvisational-jazz duo Mattson 2 will perform a benefit show for their parents, Jan and Arlene Mattson, at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at Encinitas’ Elks Lodge. Jan and Arlene have both undergone surgery recently to remove malignant tumors, so donations are strongly encouraged.

It’s been packing in the hipster elite since its soft opening in November, but East Village’s El Dorado Bar has finally gotten around to hosting its grand-opening party at 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. The party features music from DJ/entrepreneur Ikah Love, who’ll premier his weekly residency, “Grown Folk Shit,” and co-hosts Yelp will hand out 40 VIP guest spots for e-newsletter subscribers.

—Seth Combs, Dryw Keltz and Todd Kroviak

View from a Stool

I was all ready to hate on The Bloodflowers. After all, they have a member who also plays in Louis XIV and an awful name that makes me think of a Cure album that nobody bought. So, needless to say, I was not optimistic walking into their Friday-night show at hipster den U-31.

But here’s the thing—they were actually pretty damn good. Led by Rey Hoover on guitar and vocals, the trio plays a bombastic blast of hard rock in the vein of Eagles of Death Metal and AC/DC. While they may wear their influences on their sleeves, I found it hard to dismiss how excited they got the crowd. It’s rare that you see San Diego music fans uncrossing their arms, much less dancing along to a live band, but the U-31 masses seemed as debauched as the music’s subject matter. Maybe that had more to do with the crowd than the band, but there was no denying that this is a band hellbent on having fun. As one frenzied fan pointed out, “Fuck that art shit, man—that was bad ass!”

Whether or not the band takes the bravado and machismo of their music seriously could lose them some points in the local indie scene, but bespectacled music geeks need not apply. This is music for the single-scenester set desperately looking for that killer soundtrack to drunkenly make out to.

True: New North Park bar opens

The nice thing about True North, the new spot on 30th Street next to Urban Solace, is that it doesn’t smell like piss and puke and you won’t find a character from a David Lynch movie sitting next to you at the bar.

The bad thing about True North is that it doesn’t smell like piss and puke and you won’t find a character from a David Lynch movie sitting next to you at the bar.

True North was packed Monday night as it held a soft opening, luring in its North Park neighbors with two free-drink tickets. Early in the evening, the music, syncronized with videos on flat screens located in all viewing directions, ranged from ’80s-era Madonna, Bobby Brown and Poison to the cooler side of current mainstream: Foo Fighters, Weezer and Cold War Kids. Comfy booths line the joint’s sides, surrounding a large, rectangular, enclosed bar area; a single pool table occupies a back corner. According to the website (www.truenorthtavern.com), “resident DJs” will handle the music daily—“funk, 80s, urban beats and billboard favorites.”

Purists who lament the loss of North Park’s gritty nightclubs will hate True North; those who like a more inviting, cleaner place to drink and hang with friends will love the place, the first of its kind in the neighborhood. Co-owner Eric Lingenfelder noted that he felt some hipster backlash long before True North even opened. Undeterred, he said he and partners Mark Cirillo and Joe Vaught simply wanted to create a nice “neighborhood bar.” The trio, which operate under the name Verant Group, also own The Tavern at the Beach in Pacific Beach, Sandbar Sports Grill in Mission Beach and Offshore Tavern and Grill in Bay Park, plus bars in Arizona and Georgia.

In any case, patrons Monday night at least found out the place is well-equipped to handle a fire. A patio heater reportedly triggered the sprinkler system, dousing those underneath and prompting an automatic shutdown of the music and videos inside.

“What a way to open the bar!” commented Lingenfelder. “The sprinkler company installed the wrong head, and when the heater warmed it up, it went off.  All better now!”