
The Che Underground
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The Che Underground is a site and blog that is home to the inside story of the vibrant scene that flowered in San Diego in the 1980s and performed many of its most crucial shows at UCSD's Che Cafe.
The Che Underground
2y ago
Among the San Diego legends slated to play “A Che Underground Midwinter Masque” Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at The Casbah San Diego, The Unclaimed stand out as honored guests and faithful friends of the SD scene.
A musical force in their own right, the Los Angeles garage-rock pioneers also inspired and mentored successive generations of musicians, including the set of LA-area bands that came to be designated the “Paisley Underground” as well as San Diego bands that shared their ethos and aesthetic.
The Unclaimed put out their first EP in 1980 and played memorable (and occasionally infamous) shows in ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
(Ray Brandes provides a brief history of a new band with a long San Diego history.)
The Secret Squares: pleased to make your acquaintance!
The Secret Squares is a musical project that has its origins in Gary’s Kids, a band assembled to back Gary Heffern on a solo performance at the Casbah in January 2019, and The Wrecktangle, which performed once at the Che Underground’s Leap Year show at the Riviera Supper Club, mere days before the world went into quarantine in March 2020.
The group comprises five friends who have played together in many different agglomerations over the years. Rhino ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
As The Loons prepare for their Feb. 19 appearance at The Casbah San Diego for A Che Underground Midwinter Masque, lead singer Mike Stax reflects on how he and the rest of the band — Chris Cancelliere, Chris Marsteller, Marc Schroeder and Anja Stax — have kept their collaboration fresh despite pandemic pressures.
Navigating the lockdown as a band was strange.
I know some other bands were anxious to stay “relevant” and felt the need to release new music or new videos to remind people of their existence. We never felt compelled to do that.
We figured that everybody was preoccupi ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
A Che Underground exclusive: San Diego legends The Nephews revisit four decades of music ahead of their Feb. 18 appearance at The Casbah San Diego for A Che Underground Midwinter Masque. Book your tickets early and often!
The Nephews began as a comedy act in middle school around 1980. The original name was Ceilings and Floors, but we changed it to The Nephews (which has the same amount of meaning as “Ceilings and Floors”) around 7th grade.
We were very heavily into music, started playing as a rock band in high school, and were able to start playing club shows fairly quickly. Actual ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
David Rinck shares a recent interview about the etymology of his band The Goldfingers. Featuring Eric Bacher (guitar), Kinch Degrate (keyboards), Dave Doyle (bass) and Matt Johnson (drums), The Goldfingers will rip it up at Casbah San Diego Feb. 19 for A Che Underground Midwinter Masque.
AMR Reporter Doug Faride caught up with Goldfingers rhythm guitarist and vocalist Dave Goldfinger in his native San Diego. What he learned about the origins of the band and their plans for the future are revealed here in this exclusive interview. These guys are definitely shaken, but not stirred in the ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
During its short-but-storied run in 1983, The Mystery Machine brought together some of San Diego’s most talented young musicians — but left little audio evidence in its wake. That historical record has just been corrected: A freshly pressed Mystery Machine EP is available now at the Ugly Things webstore!
The limited-edition run comprises 500 copies: three hundred pressed on black vinyl and priced at $10, and 100 each in green and orange, priced at $12 for either color. The EP features a remastered version of “She’s Not Mine,” an original written by singer/guitarist Carl Rusk that was first re ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
Mark ye well: A neat two years since “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase,” the tribes will gather again in February 2022 for an effervescent weekend of mirth and music.
“A Che Underground Midwinter Masque,” Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at The Casbah San Diego, will feature legends of the San Diego scene and beyond.
Fancy dress is highly encouraged but not required. (Stay tuned for costume contest details.)
And check out this boffo lineup (with more names to come)!
Friday, Feb. 18
The Nashville Ramblers. The legendary partnership of Carl Rusk, Ron Silva and Tom Ward will top the bill Friday night ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
A fabulous gift arrived just arrived for Che Underground: The Blog, and ultimately the San Diego Punk Archive!
Skeleton Club founder Laura Devlin (née Fraser) sent along a trove of photos, flyers, ‘zines and other ephemera of the San Diego punk scene in the late ’70s.
“I painted that sign myself, with some leftover house paint.” (Photo D. Reutter)
Her contribution comprises many posts’ worth of seminal rock-‘n’-roll history. Today, we’ll start with Laura’s own account of the rise and fall of the Skeleton Club (which operated from 1978 to 1980 at 202 Market St., then 921 Fourth Ave.). He ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
While his musical roots lie deep in the sandy soil of San Diego, Leighton Koizumi has spent recent decades thousands of miles up and to the right, rocking venues from Spain to Sweden (with side trips to China and other ports of call).
Now, the legendary frontman for The Morlocks and The Gravedigger V has crafted a double album in collaboration with Italy’s Tito and the Brainsuckers — and you don’t want to miss these 24 tracks of pure chewing satisfaction.
Due out August 13, Power Hits comprises covers from the Stooges, Love, Moving Sidewalks, Kinks, Eyes, Banshees and even Gordon Lightfoot.
L ..read more
The Che Underground
2y ago
When do you celebrate the first anniversary of an event that happened on a Feb. 29? Che Underground: The Blog is jumping the gun with its birthday salute to “A Che Underground Leap Night Showcase,” which transpired Feb. 29, 2020, and featured performances by The Wrecktangle; Jerry Cornelius & The Cooler Heads; and P-Touch All Stars.
On offer today: JC & TCHs’ cover of The Answers classic “Electric Flowers,” along with some liner notes by Mr. Cornelius himself!
“Memories, they have no place/They take up precious time and space.”
When I first saw David Fleminger and The Answers in their ..read more