MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh, and you're listening to These Days on KPBS. So, you didn't get your tickets for Comic-Con and it's too late now and you're sad and you don't know what you're going to do this weekend. Well, don't despair, there are lots of interesting things to do around San Diego that have nothing to do with Comic Con...although most of them actually do have something to do with it. Anyway, weโre โ here to give us the fabulous Weekend Preview are my guests. Liz Bradshaw is curator at The Loft at UCSD, and, Liz, welcome.
LIZ BRADSHAW (Curator, The Loft, University of California San Diego): Hi, Maureen.
CAVANAUGH: Nina Garin is features and entertainment reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune. And, Nina, welcome.
NINA GARIN (Features/Entertainment Reporter, San Diego Union-Tribune): Thank you. Hello.
CAVANAUGH: Hello. Now, as we know, weโve just been talking about Comic-Con 2010. But one thing that people may not realize is that there are plenty of parties happening outside the convention walls this weekend. Youโve both looked into all the offerings. You have a few highlights. Liz, the Icon Party is happening on Saturday, I believe it is. What can you tell about โ us about this and it goes on all day?
BRADSHAW: Yeah, it does. And so if Coachella and Comic-Con had a child, they would call it Icon. And so what I wanted to say about Icons is itโs more than just an after party thatโs going on. Itโs local promoters, Jon Block Creations and West Coast Club Life have actually taken over about 30,000 square feet of Horton Plaza where a department store used to be and they are hosting a full-on pop culture experience. So this is especially great if you donโt have tickets to Comic-Con butโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Right.
BRADSHAW: โฆyou still want to get some of the vibe of all the weird and wonderful things that are going on there. Theyโre going to be from 11:00 โtil 5:00, itโs an all-ages event. Itโs only five dollars and thereโs going to be fashion, film, music and art. And thereโs a movie theater in there thatโs been curated by a local company, Mental Eclectic, and one of the films being featured will be a popular web series filmed in San Diego called โThe Universal Dead.โ D.B. Sweeney, the actor, will be there, thatโs in the series, and heโll be doing a Q&A panel afterwards. Thereโll be a fashion show. Thereโs live music and performances from the Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, which is definitely a sight to behold if youโve not caught him. And a group called the Canton Mudders, who Iโm particularly excited about, and you can expect tongue-in-cheek musical performances with lyrics about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek versus Star Wars, and then deejays like DJ Skullcrusher and Thierry Jean and things like that.
CAVANAUGH: Tell us โ tell me, I believe that fashion show you mentioned is called a Geek Fashion Show?
BRADSHAW: Yeah, so the Geek Fashion Show is actually happening in the evening portionโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Ahโฆ
BRADSHAW: โฆof the event that kicks off at 9:00 p.m. and is expected to go 3:00 until about 4:00 a.m. actually. So, yeah, itโs a huge day for these guys, it really is. And so itโs worth sort of saying that, you know, I think a lot of people actually find geeky really sexy. Itโs only a small part of the word geek thatโs derogatory. I think, you know, most people think itโs pretty cool. And so you can expect kind of sexy-geek called geek-chic from this fashion show, think high fashion meets comic strip fashion. Harley Quinn from โBatman,โ Lara Croft, that kind of thing.
CAVANAUGH: I see. I see.
BRADSHAW: And then one of the locals schools will be over there styling the models and thereโll be a super hero part. Thereโll be things like snakes, latex body paint, fire-throwers going down the runway. Theyโve got circus acts and hula-hoopers and all sorts of stuff. Itโs going to be a real specialโฆ
CAVANAUGH: One important point in that is the night portion of the Icon party, itโs 21 and up, right?
BRADSHAW: It is 21 and up, yeah.
CAVANAUGH: Okay. All right.
BRADSHAW: So itโs a bit more adult than the daytime.
CAVANAUGH: It sounds it.
BRADSHAW: Yeah.
CAVANAUGH: Nina, you want to recommend the red carpet at the Entertainment Weekly party. Why is that?
GARIN: Well, thereโs a lot of parties happening and itโs hard to kind of figure out which one you want to go to. But if you really just want to see the stars, the Entertainment Weekly party is where the stars go, and these are real stars that people even outside of Comic-Con have heard of.
CAVANAUGH: What people are we talking about?
GARIN: We have actors like Ryan Reynolds, Blair Underwood, Aubrey Plaza, whoโs on โParks and Rec,โ my favorite show, Seth MacFarlane, who does all the animation on Fox, pretty much. So you can โ you canโt go into the party but you can go to the red carpet and you can watch them go in.
CAVANAUGH: I see, just like a real red carpet.
GARIN: Yeah, like a real red carpet.
CAVANAUGH: And where is this happening?
GARIN: That is at Hotel Solemar, which is on Sixth Avenue, and the red carpet begins at 8:30.
CAVANAUGH: Okay. All right. So if you want to just line outside of the ropesโฆ
GARIN: Yeah.
CAVANAUGH: โฆand just look at the rich and beautiful people go into the party.
GARIN: Itโs a watch them party. Then go there.
CAVANAUGH: Now, Liz, thereโs a lot of clubs and bars downtown throwing parties with Comic-Con themes. Can you recommend a couple?
BRADSHAW: Yeah, I would say โ I would imagine that pretty much every single bar downtown is going to beโฆ
GARIN: Yeah.
BRADSHAW: โฆby default some sort of Comic-Con theme. One thing that really caught my eye, one of my favorite deejays from LA, DJ Franki Chan, who has a record label thatโs actually aptly named I Heart Comics, will be coming down to this yearโs Comic-Con for the 8th year running and along with having a booth at the expo theyโre going to be running a Pop Cult party which starts at 9:00 p.m. at the Voyeur. Also features Franki Chan and Holy Ghost as well and Mike Relm deejaying at that one. I think itโs ten bucks to get in. Not bad. Goes from 9:00 until late. Ought to be a great one. The Onyx Roomโs going to be throwing themed after parties on Friday and Saturday, and then media company The Tweet House will be throwing a party on the USS Midway on Fridayโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Ahhโฆ
BRADSHAW: โฆwhich I thought sounded quite interesting. A ton of special guests and celebrity video mashup artists whoโll be kind of spinning tunes and videos throughout the night.
CAVANAUGH: And how much is that one?
BRADSHAW: Thatโs $25.00.
CAVANAUGH: Okay.
BRADSHAW: So that oneโs going to set you back a few more but I would imagine thatโll be like a whole night. Youโll probably go there and stay there and enjoy that full-on experience. And then the Hard Rock Hotel has a rock star media suite lounge thatโs happening Thursday, Friday and Saturday and itโs rumored or itโs likely that youโll see people like Seth Green and Mark Wahlberg as expected guests, hanging out by the pool up there.
CAVANAUGH: Be still my heart. Now, Nina, thereโll be films screening in the convention parking lot, is that right?
GARIN: Sort of. Well, not actual films but preview screenings. Tomorrow, I donโt know if I can say this on the air. Thereโs a sneak peek at โJackass 3-D.โ
CAVANAUGH: You did.
GARIN: Okay. Itโs, you know, the movie about juvenile stunts and pranks.
CAVANAUGH: Yes.
GARIN: So that is happening in just like a random parking lot behind Stingaree and so I just expect to see a lot of bruises happening after that event. That address is 416 Sixth Avenue, so I donโt know exactly where it is butโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Okay.
GARIN: And then thereโs one tonight that you can see. Robert Rodriguezโs upcoming movie โMachete.โ
CAVANAUGH: Is in preview.
GARIN: Yeah, itโs just like a short preview of it.
CAVANAUGH: Okay, and thereโs a rumor that tacos will be served at that?
GARIN: Yes, theyโre setting up a โMacheteโ taco cart and apparently the director, Robert Rodriguez, and Michelle Rodriguez, the star, theyโre supposed to be the ones serving the food.
CAVANAUGH: Oh.
GARIN: So weโll see.
CAVANAUGH: And where is that again?
GARIN: This one is in the 5 Star Parking lot on Fifth Avenue and J Street. The food is from five to eight, and the movie screeningโs at nine.
CAVANAUGH: Well, itโs just absolutely going to be a panic down there this weekend. Thereโs no doubt about that.
GARIN: Yeah.
CAVANAUGH: Letโs move on to something that doesnโt really have anything to do with the Comic-Con, I think. Nina, thereโs a Yacht Rock party at the Whistlestop Bar. What is yacht rock?
GARIN: Iโm going to give you two definitions.
CAVANAUGH: Okay.
GARIN: Technically, yacht rock is the soft music that was popular in the seventies and eighties, like Michael McDonald and Toto, Loggins & Messina, stuff that yuppies listened to while they were cruising on their sailboats enjoying a sweet time. So, but a new generation is embracing it and now thereโs these Yacht Rock Nights that are hosted by a local deejay, DJ Claire. That is one yacht rock. Another series of this is that they are videos. They are kind of like terrible but hilarious spoofs about the fake Kenny Loggins trying to write music for a fake Michael McDonald, and thereโs 12 of these. Theyโre online and theyโre hosted by a guy named Hollywood Steve.
CAVANAUGH: And Hollywood Steve is going to be at the Whistlestop Bar?
GARIN: Yeah, apparently he got word of this and is coming down for it.
CAVANAUGH: Now how popular is this? Do we have any idea, Nina?
GARIN: Well, the first two were โ they drew a lot of people. The bar was full and it was great fun and listening to Doobie Brothers on a Saturday at sunset is pretty ideal, so it brought a lot of people.
CAVANAUGH: Now do you have to dress up in any way? Like a seventies garb orโฆ?
GARIN: Well, actually they encourage nautical soโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Nautical, okay.
GARIN: โฆstripes, topsidersโฆ
BRADSHAW: Deck shoes.
GARIN: Yeah.
BRADSHAW: Sounds great, that.
GARIN: White pants.
CAVANAUGH: So thatโs DJ Claireโs Yacht Rock Party Saturday night at the Whistlestop Bar on Fern Street. Liz, Swedish singer/songwriter Robyn is in town. Tell us about her sound.
BRADSHAW: Wow, pop, fun pop, dance pop, electro pop, party pop. Itโs just great. Great, great pop music. A bit of a Euro sound there. Robynโs actually from Sweden and has been recording since the nineties. In the late nineties she actually broke into the U.S. Billboardโs Top 10, I believe, with a couple of hits and then had a real kind of international comeback in 2006-2007 with her last self-titled album. Went into the Top 10 in the UK. She was nominated for a Swedish Grammy, has toured with Madonna, is currently out with Calise and is visting the Bellyup tonight. For me, Robyn is definitely one of those really cool pop artists who manage to kind of transcend that bridge between kind of teenyboppers and then the hipster crowd.
CAVANAUGH: Right.
BRADSHAW: So, you know, everybody loves her. Sheโs something for everyone.
CAVANAUGH: Well, sheโs has this longevity now. She has a new album out called โBody Talk, Part 1.โ What do you think of it?
BRADSHAW: You know, it makes me want to have my own iPod party.
CAVANAUGH: Oh, why canโt you?
BRADSHAW: Well, I can. I can, you know, bop around at my desk while Iโฆ But, honestly and seriously, the beat is almost like a, you know, a Casio keyboard demo beat behind it, certainly not meaning that in a derogatory way, itโs so fun. It just makes you want to get up and dance. Sheโs got great videos, too. And actually โBody Talk Part 1,โ thereโs also going to be Body Talk Part 2 and 3. Part 2, expected release I thinkโs around September and Part 3 is December this year. So she obviously has so much material and she just feels the need to get it out there and get everybody going.
CAVANAUGH: Well, we can hear a little from the new album. This is Robyn with โDancing on My Own.โ
(audio clip of Robyn performing โDancing on My Ownโ from the album โBody Talk Part 1โ)
CAVANAUGH: Weโve all been to parties like that. Robyn with โDancing on My Ownโ from her album called โBody Talk Part 1.โ What can you tell us, Liz, about Robynโs opening acts?
BRADSHAW: Well, youโve got Dan Black on this concert and also the Far East Movement. Similar kind of fun, electro-pop and even some hip-hop tones that are coming through there. Dan Blackโs based out of Paris and London. Heโs very, very cool. He has a single out right now featuring Kid Cudi and so thatโs got much more of a hip-hop vibe to it and then the Far East Movement, again, slightly a bit more kind of beatโs laden in hip-hop. And I think seriously the theme of the night is going to be dance, dance, dance.
CAVANAUGH: It sounds like it.
BRADSHAW: I would not be surprised if you see, you know, wannabes from โ for Americaโs Best Dance crew kind of busting some moves on the dance floor. Maybe Iโll be there doing that, I donโt knowโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Watch out for Liz.
BRADSHAW: โฆbecause it sounds like fun but I did want to say quicklyโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Yes.
BRADSHAW: โฆthat I think this showโs nearly sold out so if youโre interested in going you better move quickly and get your tickets. Soโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Thatโs Robyn playing the Bellyup Tavern in Solana Beach and that is tonight. So, Nina, Del Marโs free summer concert series kicks off this Friday, a local favorite indie band Pinback is going to be featured. Give us a background on this band.
GARIN: Pinback is basically two guys, Zach Smith and Rob Crow, and together these two have been in pretty much every good local band that we have, like Black Heart Procession, Three Mile Pilot. Pinback, however, is one of these guysโ most successful bands.
CAVANAUGH: Well, what have they been up โ what has this band been up to lately?
GARIN: Actually, not much.
CAVANAUGH: Oh.
GARIN: Why not, guys? But they have been touring lately, and theyโre touring without a full band, so they are kind of playing their songs by themselves and new interpretations of what weโre used to hearing is what kind of we will hear when theyโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Sort of like an unplugged kind of a thing?
GARIN: Like an unplugged but their musicโs very complex and so they kind โ they have to re-imagine what they do and, you know, normally when they have a live band. So what weโre going to hear probably wonโt sound like what we hear on the record.
CAVANAUGH: Ah.
GARIN: So thatโs pretty cool.
CAVANAUGH: Well, we have โ we actually have a cut from a record. Letโs hear a song from Pinback. This is โGood to See.โ
(audio clip of Pinback performing โGood to Seeโ)
CAVANAUGH: Thatโs the group Pinback playing โGood to See.โ And Pinback is going to be playing the Del Mar Racetrackโs Four Oโclock Friday concert series. Now they played Del Mar before and Iโm wondering, Nina, what are their shows like? High energy or more mellow?
GARIN: Well, theyโre a mix. The music isnโt very high energy but the guys themselves are pretty silly and playful. In other bands, Rob Crow has come out practically naked or wearing a tutu. They donโt really do that in Pinback but they have that tendency. Soโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Certainly not at Del Mar.
BRADSHAW: Big hats.
GARIN: So itโs not really people with their arms crossed like at normal indie shows but thereโs a little bit of that.
CAVANAUGH: Now tell us more about the Del Mar concert series. Who else is playing this year, Nina?
GARIN: This happens every Friday after the last race.
CAVANAUGH: Right.
GARIN: And it brings some really good bands through. Like we also are getting The Soft Pack, which is another one of San Diegoโs super buzz bands. Then thereโs the ones that, you know, a lot more popular like B-52s, Ozomatli, Common Sense and the English Beat, theyโre all up on the schedule.
CAVANAUGH: Wow, thatโs great. So, just to reiterate. Pinback plays the Del Mar Racetrack Four OโClock Friday concert series at four this Friday. We move on, more music, Liz. The Black Seeds are in town this weekend. Tell us about this band.
BRADSHAW: Umm-hmm. So the Black Seeds are from New Zealand and I actually have a bit of a thing for bands and comedians from New Zealand.
CAVANAUGH: You do?
BRADSHAW: The Black Seeds are one of them and an amazing group called Fat Freddyโs Drop are another. And thereโs this excellent soul dub reggae funk big beat sound that comes from bands like the Black Seeds, from Fat Freddyโs Drop, from Salmonella Dub. Theyโre a big group. Thereโs 8 of them in the group. Theyโre led on vocals by Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman and the musicโs really, you know, it โ lyrically, theyโre pretty much about peace, love and positive vibes. I mean, they do cross over into the darker side sometimes but itโs good, feel good, summertime reggae vibe soul music. They put their first album out in 2001 actually, and havenโt toured all that much over in North America, so this is definitely, you know, a really good time to check them out.
CAVANAUGH: Now, you know, when you say the word reggae, New Zealand does not automatically pop to mind. Do we know anything about how this band came to be?
BRADSHAW: You know, theyโre from Wellington, New Zealand and, you know, part of a collective of, you know, just a lot of musicians that would kind of play together. Thereโs a great kind ofโfrom what I know about New Zealand, unfortunately I havenโt beenโthere seems to me like thereโs a great kind of community, a collective vibe with the folks that play music and create art and stuff like that. So, you know, as far as that goes, I can also tell you that Brett McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, one of my favorite New Zealand comedic duos, actually used to be in the Black Seeds as well, and heโs played with, you know, other groups like the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra. So they definitely, you know, all play together and collaborate on different projects and stuff.
CAVANAUGH: We have a cut from the Black Seeds. Hereโs a song from them called โCool Me Down.โ
(audio clip of the Black Seeds performing โCool Me Downโ)
CAVANAUGH: Thatโs called โCool Me Down.โ The Black Seeds. What kind of live show do they put on, Liz?
BRADSHAW: You know, I think by nature when you get that many musicians on stage, youโre going to get a unique experience when you go to one of their shows. Theyโre going to mix things up. You know, theyโve got a percussion section, a brass section, a couple of vocalists, and so I would expect, you know, a few extended versions of songs and long jams and kind of, you know, mood lighting. I think people in the audience are going to be dancing in a different kind of way than theyโre going to be dancing at Robyn. I would imagine less franticly and less fist-bumping and more kind of swaying and head-bumping but itโs โ itโll be a super fun kind of mellow good summertime show.
CAVANAUGH: But, still, dancing going on as the Black Seeds play the Bellyup Tavern in Solana Beach this Sunday evening. Nina, the Childrenโs International Film Festival starts on Sunday. It runs all this month. What kind of films are shown at this festival?
GARIN: All kinds of films.
CAVANAUGH: Umm-hmm.
GARIN: They have โ theyโre films from all around the world and thereโs everything from animation, live action, even documentary but theyโre made for young viewers.
CAVANAUGH: And what kind of ages? Are they broken down by ages, these films?
GARIN: No, theyโre not. Theyโre just made for all ages, though I havenโt seen them so I donโt know if theyโre scary or good for sensitive kids. But theyโre shown in one-hour blocks, which is perfect because thatโs the amount of time that it takes for kids to get squirmy.
CAVANAUGH: Attention span, yes.
GARIN: Yes.
CAVANAUGH: What kind of launch of the festival is taking place this weekend?
GARIN: Well, theyโre being shown for free at Comic-Con. And if you have tickets for Comic-Con, you can see them and theyโll be there. Otherwise, you have to wait until next weekend when they screen at the new Childrenโs Museum and after that you can find them at the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Carlsbad Library and San Marcos Civic Center Plaza, and thatโs running through mid-August.
CAVANAUGH: Oh, thatโs great. Okay, so you get a lot of opportunity.
GARIN: Umm-hmm.
CAVANAUGH: Are you looking forward to any of the films being screened throughout this whole month-long festival?
GARIN: Well, honestly, Iโve not heard of any of them. So, no. But I think thatโs part of the fun of going to a film festival.
CAVANAUGH: Discovering.
GARIN: Yeah, just going in with no expectations. There is a full length screening of โDiary of a Wimpy Kid,โ however, which is popular and thatโs on August 7 at MOPA. So I think people might be excited about that one.
CAVANAUGH: And, you know, if you take your kids out to see a show or a movie, you know, it can be pretty expensive. What kind of price range are we talking about?
GARIN: Well, theyโre all free.
CAVANAUGH: Oh.
GARIN: So, that isโฆ
CAVANAUGH: Great.
GARIN: โฆgreat. There are places like the Childrenโs Museum where you need to pay to get into the museum.
CAVANAUGH: Right.
GARIN: But on top of that, thereโs no added cost.
CAVANAUGH: And tell us again where you can see them, starting at Comic-Con this weekend.
GARIN: Starting at Comic-Con then the new Childrenโs Museum downtown, Museum of Photographic Arts, the Carlsbad Library, and San Marcos Civic Center Plaza. And I have the website if you need that.
CAVANAUGH: Sure, yeah.
GARIN: sdchildrensfilm.org and thereโs a complete schedule on there and it even has the names of the films that you can see.
CAVANAUGH: Terrific. Thatโs the San Diego Childrenโs International Film Festival. It runs from July 25th to August 15th. Thank you. There are things to do that donโt have anything to doโฆ
GARIN: There are.
CAVANAUGH: โฆwith Comic-Con.
BRADSHAW: All sorts of things going on.
GARIN: Yeah.
CAVANAUGH: Liz Bradshaw, Nina Garin, thank you so much.
GARIN: Thank you.
BRADSHAW: Thanks.
CAVANAUGH: I want to tell everyone that These Days is produced by Angela Carone, Hank Crook, Megan Burke, Pat Finn, Julien Pearce and senior producer Natalie Walsh. Production Manager is Kurt Kohnen, with technical assistance from Chris Maue. Our production assistant is Hilary Andrews. Iโm Maureen Cavanaugh, and I hope youโll enjoy the rest of the week. Youโve been listening to These Days on KPBS.
