June 9, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

FOR NICE DAY’S JEREMIAH, IT’S BACK TO THE BASICS WHEN MIXING GENRES

Murrieta, CA – With the demise of Cuppy’s and The Vault, the scene splintered. Music shows and the vibe from having them spread however, to more places around the valley than ever. Now it seems everywhere except Ralph’s is putting music on the menu. So I decided to scout out just where the old scene might have gone. Last week we swung by Bob’s Murrieta Pizza, located in the strip mall at Jefferson and Kalmia, and found a large remnant of Cuppy’s regs ‘aplaying and ‘asipping while talking election results. Bopping over to It’s A Grind in the Guitar Center mall, we found some more friendly faces but from The Vault days, and even Keenwild has played Perk’s coffee shop in T-town. But where was the butt-bouching crunch you get from a real rock show? Nice Day’s drummer Jeremiah had the answer for that question this past Saturday night at a little old bar called The Corner Pocket, the third oldest bar in Murrieta. “You know in this economy (the recession) people want something to take their mind off things, and with the price of gas being what it is, they want something ‘free’. You have to give them something free. We approached some sponsors who were also looking to get their names out there more, got MTV involved, and called some bands,” said Jeremiah, who added, “I’m stressing!” So it was back to the basics of music show promotion, bar, bands, and sponsors for Jeremiah. Personally I was hooked when I saw the flyer showing a nun in a latex habit, holding a lit cigarette, with a scowl looking into the camera that says, ”You’re on the mike, what’s your beef?” But then I remember my first rock-a-billy show at Madlins, when a ‘hi, saw you at the show’ fan letter appeared at my front door written on a (clean) panty liner. You have to admire the punk/sexual attitude of the genre which could explain why I wound up in the company of a tatted Betty Paige look-alike at the after-after party, but I digress in skipping ahead.


While the show started a bit late, the crowd (the most I’ve seen at ‘The Pocket’ since the Kobe-Shaq days of the playoffs) was enthusiastic and the bar busy when sponsors Mezger, Explosive (clothing), Sideshow Artwork (tattoos), and Active (board shops) presented the first band, Violent Eden, who warmed the crowd up nicely. Filming started with the stage appearance of Nice Day, and Vince, Ian, and Jeremiah taking their musicianship to the next level as the Lustful Luxuries circulated through the audience, proving that Spandex does expand, especially in a woman’s chestal area. Though Humans As Pets would put on a single song jam set so intense that the film crew would unpack their equipment just to film them at the end of the show, it was The Elm Street Rockers that filled the ‘Pocket’ with Rock and Roll Damnation. They brought the crunch in a bunch. Girls bounced and jumped as a music milkshake hit the 21+ crowded stage/dance area. I was reminded of the long past nights when you danced with foxy strangers and met new artists, saw old friends and helped out backstage. When the load-out was done, Jeremiah received the good news, he would be putting on a show a month at the bar, ushering in a new era of entertainment at The Corner Pocket. Now there was a reason for the after party, as if a reason was needed.

Sources for this story include Jeremiah, Kaven the Kaveman, Chase, Captain Kirk, & J.J.

Posted in Food, Music, News | Print | No Comments »

June 4, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

GRAND OPENING IS SET FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 11TH AT THE PROMENADE MALL’S FARMERS MARKET

When is a burrito not just a burrito? When it’s got SOUL. In February of 2008, local rock musician Paul Bahou (26) from the band INVERSE and area concert promoter and “Voice of the Temecula Rock Scene” Ivan McClain (24) were thinking of ways to help and save Temecula’s struggling music scene. With the recent closure of both local hot spot Cuppy’s Coffee in Murrieta in February and Temecula’s indie music showcase The Vault last August, area bands were at a loss of local places to play, network, and make new fans. Then, the answer came… Breakfast Burritos!


An unconventional answer most certainly, but that was the point. For years Paul had always wanted to open up a breakfast burrito stand at the Temecula farmers market, and with Ivan’s desire to establish a new hub for local music, the idea to combine the two made perfect sense. Mr. Pete’s would sell premium breakfast burritos made fresh from Temecula’s farmers’ ingrediants while establishing “The Hub,” a local destination point for bands to put up fliers, network with other musicians and sell merchandise. With the concept set, the young entrepreneurs decided to emphasize their musical roots and lighthearted nature by naming it after local scene legend/historian Mr. Pete, who, as a 62 year old teenager with a ubiquitous presence at local shows, seemed like the perfect namesake.

Opening for business on June 11^th at the Promenade Farmers Market, Mr. Pete’s Breakfast Burrito Extravaganza will be a destination for Breakfast Burrito fans, Music fans, Artists, and People just looking to get funky, because after all, with menu items like “The Wake’n Steak”, “The Man Burrito” and “The Vegetable Monologues”, Mr. Pete’s isn’t just a breakfast burrito stand, it’s a State of Mind.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview w/ Ivan McClain, Paul Bahou, please call Paul Bahou at (562)708-2168 or e-mail Ivan @ MrPetes@live.com; also become a friend www.Myspace.com/MrPetesBreakfastBurritoExtravaganza

Posted in Family Attractions, Food, Music, News | Print | 2 Comments »

May 19, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

WARM NIGHTS PRODUCE HOT, SHIRTLESS ROCKERS AGAIN IN T-TOWN

Temecula, CA – It seemed almost like they would never return, but raw rock fueled by warm nights and hot live sets played by sweaty shirtless musicians are back. Let me explain. In my review about Michael Paulo’s Jazz Fest, there was a smooth, cool scene packed with civil cultured music lovers oiled by tasty wine, an uptown crowd. With the end of Madlins, The Vault, and Cuppy’s, and the rise of ‘coffee shop acoustics’, the pure passion of underground indie rock bands had taken a holiday. Seeing some rock bands of the Temecula Music Fest perform with shirtless drummers usually, but also sometimes a with guitarist too, brought back memories of shows from as far back as Madlins with shirtless drummers from groups like Bobby Breakdown. When a music performer removes his shirt because he’s worked up a sweat*, the crowd always amps up a notch as does his band’s music. That explosive atmosphere, usually coupled with the youth music scene and bands under the radar playing to get their music out, not to ‘get paid’, is the real appeal* of the youth rock scene. It’s addictive and it felt good to be ‘back home’ with ‘real’ music from the person who started it back in the day, Bill Gould and Full Value Entertainment. This year’s 3-day Temecula Music Fest had it all.


For a rundown of all the bands that played please see the last posting about this Fest, but for me it was great to see and hear the power of Burke, a singer/guitarist from the Madlins days who now tours by bicycle. “It took me 16 hours to pedal down from Hollywood, but I got this motor now (pointing at the yellow contraption mounted over the rear tire), and I can go about 25 miles an hour. Of course I couldn’t get over ten miles an hour up in LA with all the (stop)lights. I hate to pollute but the motor is so small and I get about 200 miles to the gallon so it’s not too expensive.” A brand new studio CD is due out soon and we all hope that Burke will have his CD release party here in the valley. Speaking of CD releases, On Being Human, a Temecula band and the group who first told me of Invisible Children, did release their new four song EP at the TMF. It shows the song writing sophistication and musicianship found in such abundance around these parts that is totally missed by the out-of-touch “it suck to be” mainstream. Starving For Gravity and 15 North were both fresh off of recent shows so their sets were polished crowd pleasers that picked up new myspace fans from the audience. Iggy and the Rough Riders, a family band from just the road, was also being mentioned about in the groups of young people milling about between set changes, but closing Friday night’s show was rising up-and-comers, another local group from Murrieta, Cetus Aspire, being recorded for posterity by Torri, sister to a band member on one of the dueling guitars, and Ivan Promotions, who have geared back up into the movie mode. From SD, the TMF fans were introduced to Jordan Reimer, a smooth sounding lass (with another good CD to pick up), while another Jourdan danced to Peachcake, my favorite dessert band, joined by the Anarcat Collective’s mascot and T-town’s Food Not Bombs organizer, Bridget D. Jupiter also kept the dancing groove going while inside on the acoustic stage local talent from the Java Joz daze like Chuck D (no kin to Bridget), Phil Locash, and Wayne Cameron rocked the house. Chuck D performing as a trio with Wayne on beat box particularly drew rapt applause from the inside crowd. Vendors this year were also joined by artists such as painters and crafters, along with a big booth table highlighting activists issues like animal rights (PETA), recycling, and addressing pollution. For those who missed this year’s TMF, mark your calendar’s for next year’s event usually hosted around this time every year.

(ed note: Our PETA rep advised us against running photos of shirtless performers as teasing and provoking wet dreams in cougars is cruelty against animals*. Sorry ladies, you’ll have to make a TMF in person.)

Posted in Family Attractions, Food, Music, News | Print | No Comments »