Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tales from the Trenches

Bill, a musician, says he didn't take part in a December 3 "battle of the bands" at Mira Mesa's all-ages Epicentre. He's been down that road, though. "If you were standing in line for a big concert somewhere like Rimac, this guy would come up to you and ask kids in line if they were in a band. If you say you were, he tells you he can help you get bookings. He gives you a flyer, but he doesn't tell you it's for a battle-of-the-bands thing."

Bill participated in the last battle of the bands (in 2002) held by Toronto promoter Gary Gottlieb. The December 3 event, organized by the same promoter, "went from noon to midnight," Bill says. "There were 30 bands. It's a nightmare with 30 bands."

Sponsored
Sponsored

No judges were evident at the competition, but the band that won, Repulsed, says there were judges.

"We got to choose between 15 hours of studio time at Track Star Studios [in La Mesa] or $600 cash," says Brian Tyranski, vocalist for Repulsed. "We took the studio time. We're used to this thing where promoters take all the money. But we do it so we can get our name out there."

Bill says, "Whoever sells the most tickets wins. If you sell the most tickets, you get the best time slot and you also win. They say it's all about audience response."

Tyranski, whose band sold 75 of the $12 tickets for Gottlieb, doesn't agree with all of Bill's statements.

"We know another band called Our Ivory Tower," Tyranski says. "They also sold 75 tickets. Two other bands sold all 100 of their tickets.... The bands who sold the most tickets got to pick their time slots."

Epicentre assistant manager Albert Zaloga says Gottlieb rented out the Epicentre.

"We didn't seem to have any issues with him," says Zaloga. Gottlieb did not respond to a request for comment.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob

Bill, a musician, says he didn't take part in a December 3 "battle of the bands" at Mira Mesa's all-ages Epicentre. He's been down that road, though. "If you were standing in line for a big concert somewhere like Rimac, this guy would come up to you and ask kids in line if they were in a band. If you say you were, he tells you he can help you get bookings. He gives you a flyer, but he doesn't tell you it's for a battle-of-the-bands thing."

Bill participated in the last battle of the bands (in 2002) held by Toronto promoter Gary Gottlieb. The December 3 event, organized by the same promoter, "went from noon to midnight," Bill says. "There were 30 bands. It's a nightmare with 30 bands."

Sponsored
Sponsored

No judges were evident at the competition, but the band that won, Repulsed, says there were judges.

"We got to choose between 15 hours of studio time at Track Star Studios [in La Mesa] or $600 cash," says Brian Tyranski, vocalist for Repulsed. "We took the studio time. We're used to this thing where promoters take all the money. But we do it so we can get our name out there."

Bill says, "Whoever sells the most tickets wins. If you sell the most tickets, you get the best time slot and you also win. They say it's all about audience response."

Tyranski, whose band sold 75 of the $12 tickets for Gottlieb, doesn't agree with all of Bill's statements.

"We know another band called Our Ivory Tower," Tyranski says. "They also sold 75 tickets. Two other bands sold all 100 of their tickets.... The bands who sold the most tickets got to pick their time slots."

Epicentre assistant manager Albert Zaloga says Gottlieb rented out the Epicentre.

"We didn't seem to have any issues with him," says Zaloga. Gottlieb did not respond to a request for comment.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Next Article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.