No place like home

The Donkeys have a ‘California sound’ all their own

The Donkeys just don’t get it. In fact, they’re getting kind of tired of it.“I think it’s slacksploitation,” says singer / drummer Anthony Lukens over the phone from the

{after 1st article on article listing}

Wednesday, May 25,2011
Music Feature

Blue-collar blues

Accessible and unpretentious, locals Black Hondo play working-man’s rock

By Seth Combs

These aren’t snotty, young punks who scream and play the same chords over and over again. Nor are they a bunch of middle-aged vets who use a garage band as an excuse to drink beer, get away from the spouse and channel the rock ’n’ roll dreams they left behind.

Wednesday, May 11,2011
Music Feature

Should they stay or should they go?

A year after Arizona’s anti-illegal-immigrant law was passed, local musicians are divided over a boycott

By Seth Combs

High-profile acts like Los Lobos, My Chemical Romance and Kanye West boycotted tour stops in the state; former Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha started an organization called Sound Strike, a coalition of artists committed to boycotting the state; and a number of local musicians also joined the boycott.

Wednesday, May 4,2011
Music Feature

Lord almighty

You might guess otherwise, but Lord Huron is not a metal band

By Seth Combs

It wasn’t until I saw Lord Huron’s gorgeous video for “The Stranger” (off their second EP, Mighty) that I realized how unfairly dismissive I had been.

Tuesday, April 12,2011
Music Feature

Out there

Innerds channel parallel dimensions and reptilian telepathy for a sound that’s unheard-of

By Seth Combs

You’re probably not going to like Innerds. I’m not going to sit here and write about how you’ll love their music and how you simply must go see them live. It’s just not fair.

Wednesday, March 30,2011
Music Feature

Learning to cry

Former Demasiado singer Jon Piotrowski just wants to get the butterflies back

By Seth Combs

Jon Piotrowski might not be a household name, but he just released a greatest-hits record. Well, kind of.

Tuesday, March 15,2011
Music Feature

Grow in the dark

Esben and the Witch and the return of goth-rock

By Seth Combs

Whether you noticed or not, goth-rock has made an impressive return despite the genre being often shunned by critics and musicians. Consider the elements of the genre—heavy keyboards, tribal drumming, introspective lyrics and dense guitars.

Wednesday, March 2,2011
Local Music Issue

Gayle Skidmore runs deep

Local chanteuse’s emotional volatility creates compelling art and nearly derails an interview

By Seth Combs

I’ve just made Gayle Skidmore cry. “Stop the tape,” she requests, pointing to my voice recorder.

Wednesday, February 16,2011
Music Feature

Endangered species

San Diego record stores struggle for survival

By Seth Combs

Barely a minute into a conversation with Lou Russell and you can hear melancholy in his voice. When asked to describe the state of Lou’s Records, the iconic Leucadia record store that Russell’s owned and operated for more than three decades, he uses words and phrases like “descent,” “decline” and “downward slope.”

Wednesday, February 9,2011
Sex Issue

How to score with a hipster girl

A quick list of pickup techniques

By Seth Combs