Reports from the scene

Locals only

Rick Lyon has been playing piano and singing at Imperial House for close to a decade, and throughout his tenure, his signature sign—which features his name and lion logo—has been on top of the piano. But on Oct. 30, someone stole the sign from the Bankers Hill bar and restaurant, and Lyon is distraught. The sign was made more than 30 years ago by a friend who has since died. “My suspicion is that somebody who adores the Imperial House took it as a souvenir and that it is now sitting in their living room,” says Kendell Klein, a friend of Lyon’s, via e-mail. “I also suspect that they have no idea how sad Rick is and how disrespected he feels. Since losing his sign, Rick has contemplated quitting his gig at the Imperial House, and for a man who is usually full of life, his energy is now lost.” Anyone with any information about where the sign is should contact the Imperial House, the police or CityBeat.

Indie-rockers The Transit War will reunite on Saturday, Nov. 28, to play their first show in more than two years, at The Casbah, along with Spell Toronto and The Stranger’s Six, both of whom are also reuniting for the first time in years. There are no plans yet for a full tour.

A benefit concert will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Tango Del Ray for musician and artist Steve White, who recently had throat-cancer surgery. Artists scheduled to perform include The Baja Blues Boys, Ruby and the Red Hots and West of Memphis. The show starts at 4 p.m., and a $12 donation is encouraged. www.stevewhiteblues.com.

Stoner-rockers Weatherbox will celebrate the release of their new album, The Cosmic Drama (only available for download or on vinyl) on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Bar Pink. Lovvers will also perform. 

Jason Mraz has released a double-CD / DVD live album called Jason Mraz’s Beautiful Mess—Live on Earth, which was recorded and filmed in August at Chicago’s Charter One Pavilion. In other Mraz news, the singer is scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show on Thursday, Nov. 12, and was recently nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.

Rocker Lauren DeRose will premiere her new music video for the song “Me & My Earthquake” at The Ruby Room on Saturday, Nov. 14. Bitter Sober, Saucy Monkey and Kera & The Lesbians will also play. The video was directed by Kevin and Rebecca Joelson, who have previously done videos for The Burning of Rome, MC Flow and Metric. 

—Seth Combs

The Enrique Experience

I’ve professed my love for strip-mall dives before, but The Canyon Club also sits alongside an 805 off-ramp, counts a no-name gas station as one of its neighbors and has a behemoth outdoor flag pole rivaled only by the one at Fort Hood, so this place just rose to the top of my dive-bar heap. 

Here, patrons are rowdy—thanks in part to impromptu arm-wrestling matches and a punching-bag arcade game—women are scarce and theme nights like “Kill the Keg Tuesdays” and “Feelin’ Good Fridays” abound. 

Inside the bar (421 Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista, established in 1962), a canary-yellow popcorn ceiling is sprinkled with hanging beer pulls. The walls are adorned with a hodgepodge of treatments ranging from plyboard to a festive checkerboard-pattern cinderblock. And an abandoned buffet table sports toilet paper rolls, an old cash register (circa 1989) and a huge jug of lavender Fabuloso, giving the locale unique charm. An automated lottery-scratcher machine by the door and a bevy of personalized beer cozies behind the bar with regulars’ names Sharpie’d on them help seal the deal.  

Last Sunday, Charger fever was in full force and bar-goers were in full celebratory mood. The best part is, unlike other bars, where the juke is disconnected during games, here the tunes were loud and free flowing and a duo of girls were out to mess with the bolt heads by providing an unlimited supply of bubblegum pop, which included Black Eyed Peas’ “I’ve Got a Feeling” playing on what seemed like a never-ending loop. 

“That’s fucked up!” exclaimed a guy who claimed to be Saved by the Bell star Mario López’s cousin. But by night’s end, the old adage “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” had taken over.

“Lucky Bug” lottery scratcher: $1. Personalized cozy forever securing my spot in the dive’s hall of fame: $3.50. Having a cluster of sauced-up brawny men chant “L’chaim!” in unison with Fergie, with 21 seconds left on the clock? Pretty damn priceless.

—Enrique Limón

View from a stool 

Along with Dum Dum Girls, The Soft Pack and maybe blink-182 (you know, if that’s your thing), Beaters will probably put out one of next year’s most anticipated local records. A garage-rock brainchild of Andrew Montoya and Jeremy Rojas, the band has garnered a lot of national buzz and become the two main members’ primary focus despite playing in other bands, including Ale Mania and Dum Dum Girls. 

But what do the two seemingly inseparable buds do for fun? They keep playing music, of course. Billed as their “only show ever,” the two debuted their new punk-rock side project, Whorio Goes to Clown School, last Sunday night to a crowd of a dozen or so at Soda Bar. Accompanied by two Craigs (Powerchords bassist Craig Barclift and Christmas Island guitarist Craig Oliver), Whorio played a 10-minute, six-song set that was entertaining despite Montoya repeatedly having to read the lyrics out of a composition book and Rojas making superfluous use of a bass drum.

“Let me see what song is next,” Montoya said as he flipped through the book. With that, he launched into “Pushing, Pusher, Pushes” with so much piss and vinegar that the band resembled a ragtag version of early Scott Walker or The Misfits, without the self-seriousness. The sparse crowd seemed into it, yelling and teasing the band in between songs and throwing Rojas’ broken drumstick back at him, narrowly missing his head. Punk rock, indeed.

After the show, Montoya confessed that there will, indeed, be more Whorio shows in the future. And while I certainly hope it doesn’t distract the two from Beaters, they could be onto something else with Whorio. Sure, it’s derivative and disposable, but even when these guys are just dicking around, it still sounds cool as hell.

—Seth Combs

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