Thanks to X-Large for the plug. Appreciate the love.

(yes.. we did sell out.)

those crazy fools knew how to build shit.

more 28 second concert reviews to come.

After a long week of evacuations, feelings of anxiety, boredom, and for many — fear, it was time for something a little more uplifting. Enter Gwen Stefani. She went on with her scheduled show Tuesday night (Oct 30th), putting smiles on several San Diegans with the newly priced tickets of $9.33 (courteousy of Channel 933) and donating the proceeds of the show towards San Diego Foundation’s After-the-Fires Fund 2007.

But what about the many fans who were just not feeling Gwen’s glitter parade (don’t get me wrong, I would have been there had I known about the $9.33 price and donations)? Not to feel left out, many San Diegans made their way to Spreckels Theater for another scheduled show: Tegan and Sara.

Despite the melancholy topics heard on many of their songs, the crowd was extremely enthusiastic — to the point of Tegan saying you could hardly tell San Diego went through a tragedy (and if you are wondering, the girls did donate through poster sales). The identical sisters went on to play many songs off their recent album “The Con,” a few oldie but goodies, and told stories of ice-storms v. our firestorm, a stupid pet bird named Nicolas Cage, and childhood days singing along to Phil Collins.

The highlight, for myself personally, was the encore. After applause, hoots, and hollers from the crowd, Sara emerges with her guitar and begins to play acoustically. No amps, no mikes, no nothing. It takes awhile for the crowd to shut up (Sara threatens that she will stop if the crowd ruins it), but once all is quiet, she begins to play “Walking With the Ghost” — encouraging the crowd to sing along. It’s a bumpy ride, but the crowd knows the song by heart and every person in the multi-leveled room has a smile on their face.

After “Walking With the Ghost,” Tegan and the rest of the backing band make their way on stage and performed the most covered song of 2007, “Umbrella” (yes, that same “Umbrella” recorded by Rihanna). It was loud, it was upbeat, it was kind of ironic — but it was awesome.

With all that has been going on in San Diego for the past week and a couple of days, it was nice having a great band to listen, dance, and sing along to. If I had a choice, bands and artists would be coming into San Diego everyday just to perform and cheer us up for whatever reason. Music is a great release, and Tegan and Sara certainly did a great job helping us release our anxieties and momentarily forget about the fires that put our lives on hold. Tegan and Sara did not disappoint, and for that I am happy.

Tegan & Sara’s video for “The Con” (in case you were wondering who they were)

I went to the Troubadour yesterday night to get some footage for an upcoming interview… BTW doesn’t it suck that hollywood venues won’t let you bring camcorders in? Even if it’s for your OWN band, they’ll try to make you pay to film!

Anyways, I gotta admit, I hadn’t heard too much of Single File till a week ago but they put on a solid performance. The audience was dead still, but it was a sold out night for Saves the Day (which was an acoustic set) so maybe the crowd wasn’t ready to dance. Regardless of how the crowd may have looked, Single File gave it their all… I like that.

As for Saves the Day - I was never a fan - and in fact the last thing I read about them was the singer talking about how he was getting hated on (a couple of years back). So when Saves the Day took the stage, I wasn’t prepared for their set. The Troubadour was packed wall to wall with fans - and you could tell they’ve stuck with Saves the Day for years now. Even before singer Chris Conley could strike a chord or sing a note, fans were letting him know how much they appreciated him. When the set actually started, everyone sung every word from beginning to end. I just kind of stood there, camera in hand enjoying the experience. Really amazing. Despite what I may have thought prior to the show the set felt like a big reunion, joining fans and band into a huge sing-a-long. I guess this vid would sum it up best:

San Diego Scene Best of number 1:

San Diego may not have the best hip hop scene, but there are still some groups that are worthwhile. Check out Deep Rooted at

http://www.deeprootedent.com/

highly recommended.

Everyone has a “soundtrack” to their life. These days…mine is kind of all over the place. But let me tell you about when I was 17…

When I was 17, I was one of those sad, angry teenagers. I was going through a phase of losing trust in people, constantly fighting with my parents about everything, and just having a self-esteem issue. I went through this state of teenage angst / depression from the end of high school to the beginning of college. During this phase of my life, I embraced the sounds of anger and jadedness as portrayed through rock.

A few years later, and past the days of adolescence, I’m here to reflect on a mix CD that I made back when I was angry at the world. I called this compilation “The Rocky Road of 17″…and yes, with 17 tracks. My masterpiece music compilation? To this day, perhaps.

THE ROCKY ROAD OF 17

1. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
what a perfect way to start my compilation.

2. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
haha, I just recently sang this at karaoke…”Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.” Who else felt this song?

3. Bush - Machinehead
I was really into Bush beginning in junior high…guess this song just really stuck (actually, same with the above tracks).

4. Alice in Chains - Man in a Box
kinda like that rat in a cage…I either wanted to die or be saved.

5. Matchbox 20 - Bent
wow, I remember being able to relate to this song well in high school…I really wanted certain things to be undone.

6. Linkin Park - One Step Closer
I think I was just getting into Linkin Park at the time…they expressed so much angst. It was good stuff.

7. Godsmack - Keep Away
Ohh yah…this was pretty different from what I was listening to, but I remember really feeling this song, especially the chorus, “Do as I tell you, KEEP AWAY FROM ME.” Heavy, heavy.

8. Lunatic Calm - Leave You Far Behind
Got this from The Matrix, which I was really into (first one only).

9. Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
Rage. The end. (btw, this song is pretty fun to play on Guitar Hero) They were another band that an angry teenager could grasp.

10. Sugar Ray - Falls Apart
Ah yes. A little on the poppier side, but I totally related to the girl being sung of. I almost felt like they were singing about me.

11. Papa Roach - Last Resort
“Suffocation. No breathing…” hmm…yah, there’s kind of a theme going on with being contained in an uncomfortable space.

12. Metallica - I Disappear
I don’t even understand the lyrics for this now. Maybe I was just digging the sound and wanting to disappear…

13. Stone Temple Pilots - Plush
I LOVED Stone Temple Pilots back in in junior high. This just fed into my sad mood…

14. Prodigy - Breathe
I just thought this sound was cool and angry at the same time.

15. Deftones - My Own Summer
Another from the Matrix soundtrack. I don’t remember too much about this one…

16. Rob Zombie - Dragula
Hmm…I could write a whole ‘nother blog about my near-gothic days…but yes, this song was and is pretty kick ass.

17. Goo Goo Dolls - Slide
You know what? I liked the Goo Goo Dolls starting in junior high. They were a lil’ poppier, so maybe that’s why I ended the compilation with this…something a little more uplifting. Ha, I’m not really sure. But it’s definitely a weird song to come after Rob Zombie…

So, I didn’t really get to go in-depth with my reflection–if only I had kept a journal of what all these songs meant to me back then! But there you have it…17 tracks that had some sort of meaning to me circa the time I was a jaded and ready-to-get-outta-the-cage 17 year old.

Click on the above for this week’s feature article!