Secret Apollo, Kite Flying Society and Swim Party @ The Ken Club, 4-28-07

Secret Apollo, Kite Flying Society and Swim Party (all S.D. bands) certainly don't sound alike, but they complemented each other perfectly Saturday night to make for a great overall concert.

Secret Apollo kicked out a fun set of their keep-it-under-two-minutes pop songs and enticed the crowd with a tub of Red Vines, free for the taking. (Note to other bands: Candy and booze go surprisingly well together.)



I hadn't seen Swim Party in a while and had forgot how tight and heavy they are (much more than my photo suggests).


Claps and cheers cajoled them into an encore, where they played Yo La Tengo's "Sugarcube," a great cover choice.

The video for Sugarcube, in which the band's label sends them to rock school, is one of the funniest videos out there. David Cross wears a hot pink wig.



But the highlight of the night was Kite Flying Society, which played six songs from their upcoming second album, which frontman Dustin Illingworth said will be called "The Aviary." Just a couple of months ago, their new material still sounded raw; Saturday night, even though the songs were live and unknown, the nuances came through on tracks like "The Balloon Peddler" and "Hollow Bones." An exciting follow-up to their debut album is obviously taking shape.





People in and out of San Diego: Don't sleep on Kite Flying Society. If you're into indie pop at all, check out their first album, "Where Is the Glow?" If you're nearby, check them out a week from today, May 7, when they play the Casbah. With a combination of talent and downright fun, they deserve a wider audience.

A weekend in the city

For those not heading to Coachella, there's a don't-miss local show happening Saturday night. Swim Party, Kite Flying Society -- one of the best indie pop bands (period) -- and Secret Apollo are playing at the Ken Club. Starts 9-ish.



Rufus Wainwright is also playing Saturday at the Belly Up. Show's sold out, though.

Not much time to write or post MP3s, so just Myspace links for all

Swim Party
Kite Flying Society
Secret Apollo

A great weekend for music (and I'm going to miss it!)

Two of my favorite San Diego bands (a lot of San Diegans' favorite bands, actually) are playing this weekend. Sadly, I'm going to be back home in Portland and will miss both. But if you're around, they're absolutely worth checking out.

On Friday night. Grand Ole Party return from their SXSW trip for a hometown show at the Casbah. If there can be such a thing as hype or buzz in the San Diego music scene, GoP certainly has it. But their music — sounding vaguely like something you'd hear coming out of CBGB circa 1978 but not like a rip-off — is tight enough to warrant the attention.

(I do say lose the mustache and get a permanent drummer so Kristen can command the stage as a frontwoman, but that's just me.)

Grand Ole Party on MySpace

On Sunday, one of San Diego's great indie pop bands, Swim Party, plays an opening set at the Casbah. I've actually only seen Swim Party once. Every time they play, something seems to happen or come up to keep me from going. Good to see the streak will continue. Seriously guys, I'll get out to your next show. I'd promise, but, well, you know. In the meantime, go and fill in for me.

Swim Party on MySpace