Reports from the scene

Locals Only

Since losing its insurance provider at the end of 2008, the past two months have been trying times for Che Café, UCSD’s vegetarian eatery and concert venue. But fear not, DIY enthusiasts—the Che has finally sorted out its insurance woes and begun booking acts again. On Wednesday, March 11, Portland-based avant-folk combo The Robot Ate Me will perform with Carlsbad’s The Gift Machine, who recently relocated from the Pacific Northwest.

A new event at O’Connell’s bar called Versus is scheduled for 9 p.m. Saturday, March 14, and pits two bands from S.D. (d*frost and Behind the Wagon) against two from L.A. (Andy Clockwise and Ragsy), with the crowd and a panel of judges determining which city “rocks the hardest.” (Full disclosure: CityBeat columnist Edwin Decker coordinated the show.)

The song “Milwaukee’s Beast” by Imperial Valley punks Slab City was chosen to be the opening theme of VBS, Vice magazine’s online television show, which airs on MTV2.

Crocodiles recently landed a gig opening for Ladytron and The Faint on their upcoming U.S. tour. They also posted a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Outlaw Blues” on their MySpace site, then pulled it, claiming Dylan had complained. That ended up being a fib—nice try, guys.

Garage-rockabilly act The Embalmers will release their new CD on Friday, March 13, at a show at The Royal Dive in Oceanside. Braaiins!! and Gantez Warrior are also scheduled to perform.

Fuzz-rockers Wavves received a three-star review (out of five) in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone. The album will be re-released on Tuesday, March 17.

View from a Stool

There are three common sayings when it comes to larger women, and all were pleasantly revealed to be true when I caught plus-size British phenom Adele on Monday night at House of Blues.

1. Big girls need love, too. And America is in loooove with Adele. Her debut album, 19, has been steadily climbing the charts after a “Best New Artist” Grammy win and radio rotation of her singles, the über-catchy “Chasing Pavements” and the already over-covered Bob Dylan song “To Make You Feel My Love.” The HOB show had been sold-out for months, and most of the crowd (which, naturally, leaned toward the ladies) were a little pushy about letting people in front of them, lest their view be blocked. But when Adele came out, all was forgiven and the crowd’s adoration was palpable, as they sang along to every word.

2. Big girls don’t cry. There had been rumors that the show would be canceled. Posts on craigslist warned potential buyers not to plunk down $100 a ticket because Adele was reported to be sick after canceling an appearance on Sophie 103.7. But she hardly looked or sounded sick, moving as she did through the majority of her album with a gorgeous, booming voice that puts all the other British wannabe-divas to shame.

3. Big girls have more fun. While I’m not a huge fan of 19, I have to say that Adele gave an amazing performance. Solemn songs like “Hometown Glory” had many in the crowd openly crying while up-beat kiss-offs like “Cold Shoulder” had even the dragged-out boyfriends bobbing their heads. Talented, spunky and a natural presence onstage, Adele may hardly look like your average, major-label chanteuse, but sometimes the people get it right. She made a believer of me.

The Enrique Experience

A sea of lifted trucks with bumper stickers sporting messages like “I’d rather be at a Neil Diamond concert” filled the parking lot of Santee’s Sonrise Community Center, a former-supermarket-turned-church, last Friday for the Miss La Mesa and Miss Santee combo pageants, in both teen and standard editions.

Once inside the main hall and not a minute behind schedule, the lights dimmed and the 30 aspiring misses gave the stage a good beating, thanks to a choreographed routine set to Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” Family and friends looked on, as did a panel of judges that included Joni Schlumm, Miss Lemon Grove 1987, and KOGO News Radio traffic reporter Marsi Latimer, a former Miss La Mesa herself.

“We try to honor several of the participants, whether they are crowned or not, to showcase their individual strengths and talents as youth ambassadors. This is also a way for them to learn about city government and local businesses,” pageant director Alexandra Kuty told me moments before the evening-gown and Q&A segments. One by one, the bevy of beauties—including aspiring dolphin trainers, x-ray technicians, crime-scene investigators and bilingual tap dancers—shared their views on such topics as the appropriate age for teens to have a cell phone (15), the best female role model (Tyra Banks), promoting board games as a healthy alternative to drinking and wanting to visit Europe “because it’s a beautiful country.” In the end, Sierra Billock and Nicole Ehlke were named Miss Santee and Miss Santee Teen, respectively, while Stephanie Packard and Katarina Schweitzer took the La Mesa titles home to the so-called “jewel of the hills.”
“I’m always impressed by the grace under pressure displayed by all these girls,” La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid told me after the show. Madrid, who in February 2008 was quietly escorted home by La Mesa police officers after being found extremely intoxicated, then joked about a “special” police escort provided to him by his Santee counterpart. “I told Randy [Voepel] that in my town they usually drive in front of you, not in the back, with their sirens and lights off—and they usually don’t issue you tickets.”

Board game anyone?

Text Confessions

What’s a text confession, you ask? Well, if CityBeat’s Will K. Shilling happens to have your cell-phone number, you’ve likely received a text or 10 from him asking random music-related questions. Shilling has some of San Diego’s biggest musical names on speed dial, so we thought: Why not print some of their answers? This week’s subject: ’80s hair-metal band Skid Row, who are playing without original lead singer Sebastian Bach at House of Blues on Monday, March 16.

Will’s text: What’s a harsher sentence: “18 & Life” or seeing Skid Row@House of Blues?
Responses (unedited):

Jen Correia (X1FM radio host): Getting 18 to life after seeing the band Skid Row!

David Perloff (Pacific San Diego publisher): Depends. You a groupie?

Eric Howarth (M-theory Records owner): 18 and life. that show has major entertainment value. are they playing tonight? if so, ill bet the youth are going wild!

Michael Hernandez (Lualta singer): At least w/ 18 & Life you still have a chance of getting laid.

Derek Plank (photographer): I still have my skid row tape.

Julia Lillis (comedian): I have them both beat - a gig in spokane in front of 12 people

Morgan Young (drummer, DJ): I dunno. Skid Row w/o Seb is weak. Ive seen it!!

Mitch Wilson (No Knife): Roses are red violets are blue, i like peanut butter–can you swim?