Into the Great Outdoors - Psydecar & Gov't Grown Rock PB Block Party

report filed 5/20/01 8:35 am - Buenos nachos and hot fish tacos! Spent an enjoyable afternoon at the Pacific Beach 'Block Party,' last weekend. Must've been at least six blocks of festivities with multiple stages, over 100 vending booths, and thousands of people. Wasn't even too sunny, but there was still a huge turnout.

Of the 35 or so bands playing, I had my eyes and ears focused on two in particular - our old buddies from Psydecar and Government Grown. Had the pleasure of crossing paths with both at the recent Area 51 Sound Test and was definitely ready for another double dose from two of San Diego's finest bands.

First up was Government Grown. Although the emcee kept pitching GG as a reggae band, and being moderately obnoxious in the process, the crowd knew better. Way too much goin' on here for such a narrow label... all original, afro-tinged psy-kind-elia is a more accurate description of their music.

Mixing strong new material and a few time tested crowd pleasers, GG had folks rockin' from the opening tune. Quite a few people in attendance were GG hardcores, uninhibited as they sang along and grooved with playful abandon under the hazy, early afternoon sun... this was a fun set, but way too short.

Scuttlebutt around the coffee dripper says GG will soon take their act on the road for another cross country tour. We'll keep ya posted as information becomes available.

Psydecar also played to a large, enthusiastic crowd. Maybe it was the mix, the acoustics, or a combination of barometric pressure, partial sunshine and backstage refreshment, but Psydecar's sound was just phenomenal!

Sure, these guys have always been good, but right now they're on fire - exceptional material, stunning musicianship, compelling vocals and a very entertaining onstage vibe! In addition to all that, front man Tim Pacheco is one of the most creative and soulful players on the scene. During a lengthy instrumental jam, Pacheco called up a couple of his friends from the 'Able Minded Poets' for a little spoken word improv on top of the music... great stuff!

Meanwhile back at the word factory - been busy with interviews for upcoming articles. Look for features on Lake Trout, and Soundstream from Las Vegas, as well as a batch of CD reviews, in our next update.

In the mean time, we posted -Future Shock - Media Coverage of High School Shootings Reawakens the Angry Young Man Snoozing Peacefully In a Mellow Old Guy’s Forgotten Fears - our recent column from Jambands.com, as well as a few new and exciting links for your cybersurfing pleasure.

A quick look at the local rock & roll calendar reveals that Particle, a hot, new groove generator from Los Angeles, as well as our favorite seven headed rhythm monster, Wise Monkey Orchestra, will be playing Winstons next week. If all goes smoothly, we'll have words and images from both close encounters of the musical kind, when our adventure in music journalism continues...

mrlee.com is happy to be a sponsor of: