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

Bert's Fan

If given a chance for an alternate profession, Brenda Xu would work for Sesame Street, “writing skits for Bert and Ernie. Bert’s such a great ‘square’ character. I love his mundane sensibilities.”

The San Diego resident and UCSD grad — originally from Harbin, China — has been busy recording and playing guitar in local venues on weekends. When we last talked to her in November 2007, she had just started out, paying her dues and gaining experience at the acoustic and open-mike nights at Lestat’s, Swedenborg Hall, Vinbladh’s Swedish Fusion Cafe, Ocean Beach Farmers’ Market, and artgallery openings.

“There is no right way to do things, and you just have to learn by trial and error what venues suit your style of music,” she says. “How you should promote your music, who can really help you, and who is just telling you things you want to hear. It seems like everyone has advice to offer about how you should go about doing things, but I’ve found that my gut decision often tends to be the right one.”

Playing out has been a test of her confidence. “It took me about a year to really believe that I had something to offer people in terms of music,” says Brenda. “That I wanted to and could possibly do it as a career. I still question if I can.”

Brenda Xu released a CD in 2007 called It’s True. Out of 60 songs that she wrote for it, 6 made the final cut. Her next release, A Little Illusion, will be full-length and is due out this November.

HISTORY OF YOUR GUITAR?

“I bought it from my friend, who purchased it off craigslist. It is a Taylor 310CE and retails for $1500, but he got it and sold it to me for $450 because it has a crack in the back and was Super-Glued together. I am slightly fearful that it will split open one day while I’m playing.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

WHAT ELSE IS TRICKY WHEN PLAYING?

“Trying not to trip on a cable in heels.”

FUNNY GIG STORY?

“It was in a small coffeeshop, and there were about six people there. I left my purse on a chair in the back, and during the second song I heard my phone ring. I pretended not to notice and kept on playing. During my third song, the phone rang again — this time continuously — until one of my friends took it out of my purse and then said, ‘It’s your mom.’ ”

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

“I believe in lust at first sight.”

BEST THING DONE WHEN DRUNK?

“Singing karaoke.”

WORST?

“Singing karaoke.”

RECURRING NIGHTMARE?

“My day job. Oh wait, it’s not a dream!”

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

“Gregory Page’s All Make Believe. There’s one song that I listen to on repeat: ‘Sleeping Dogs.’ I love everything about it. And Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine. She’s one of the few artists who has consistently put out great albums. I love her style and candor.”

THE WORLD IS ENDING — YOU HAVE FIVE CDs TO RUN AWAY WITH…

1. Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. “I listened to this album religiously and read all the liner notes when it first came out…I bought it on cassette. They were an amazing band back then.”

2. Tori Amos, Boys for Pele. “It has everything an album needs to make you feel satisfied after listening to it all the way through.”

3. Aimee Mann, Bachelor No. 2. “This album changed the way I thought about songwriting. The characters in her songs are so poignant, and her melodies are beautiful.”

4. Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. “She explores relationships and internal dialogue like no one I’ve heard before.”

5. My album, It’s True. “So I can remember what it’s like to create music and be inspired to continue creating [after the world ends].”

FAVORITE SAN DIEGO HANGOUTS?

1. Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. “Because of all the yummy Asian restaurants.”

2. Forever 21. “I like to be a girl sometimes.”

3. Torrey Pines. “Fresh air is good for the soul.”

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

“Seeing the colors of M&Ms as they melted in my palm.”

BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED?

“ ‘Do something that makes you happy.’ — My mom.”

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY?

“Please refer to my songs.”

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

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

If given a chance for an alternate profession, Brenda Xu would work for Sesame Street, “writing skits for Bert and Ernie. Bert’s such a great ‘square’ character. I love his mundane sensibilities.”

The San Diego resident and UCSD grad — originally from Harbin, China — has been busy recording and playing guitar in local venues on weekends. When we last talked to her in November 2007, she had just started out, paying her dues and gaining experience at the acoustic and open-mike nights at Lestat’s, Swedenborg Hall, Vinbladh’s Swedish Fusion Cafe, Ocean Beach Farmers’ Market, and artgallery openings.

“There is no right way to do things, and you just have to learn by trial and error what venues suit your style of music,” she says. “How you should promote your music, who can really help you, and who is just telling you things you want to hear. It seems like everyone has advice to offer about how you should go about doing things, but I’ve found that my gut decision often tends to be the right one.”

Playing out has been a test of her confidence. “It took me about a year to really believe that I had something to offer people in terms of music,” says Brenda. “That I wanted to and could possibly do it as a career. I still question if I can.”

Brenda Xu released a CD in 2007 called It’s True. Out of 60 songs that she wrote for it, 6 made the final cut. Her next release, A Little Illusion, will be full-length and is due out this November.

HISTORY OF YOUR GUITAR?

“I bought it from my friend, who purchased it off craigslist. It is a Taylor 310CE and retails for $1500, but he got it and sold it to me for $450 because it has a crack in the back and was Super-Glued together. I am slightly fearful that it will split open one day while I’m playing.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

WHAT ELSE IS TRICKY WHEN PLAYING?

“Trying not to trip on a cable in heels.”

FUNNY GIG STORY?

“It was in a small coffeeshop, and there were about six people there. I left my purse on a chair in the back, and during the second song I heard my phone ring. I pretended not to notice and kept on playing. During my third song, the phone rang again — this time continuously — until one of my friends took it out of my purse and then said, ‘It’s your mom.’ ”

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

“I believe in lust at first sight.”

BEST THING DONE WHEN DRUNK?

“Singing karaoke.”

WORST?

“Singing karaoke.”

RECURRING NIGHTMARE?

“My day job. Oh wait, it’s not a dream!”

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

“Gregory Page’s All Make Believe. There’s one song that I listen to on repeat: ‘Sleeping Dogs.’ I love everything about it. And Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine. She’s one of the few artists who has consistently put out great albums. I love her style and candor.”

THE WORLD IS ENDING — YOU HAVE FIVE CDs TO RUN AWAY WITH…

1. Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. “I listened to this album religiously and read all the liner notes when it first came out…I bought it on cassette. They were an amazing band back then.”

2. Tori Amos, Boys for Pele. “It has everything an album needs to make you feel satisfied after listening to it all the way through.”

3. Aimee Mann, Bachelor No. 2. “This album changed the way I thought about songwriting. The characters in her songs are so poignant, and her melodies are beautiful.”

4. Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. “She explores relationships and internal dialogue like no one I’ve heard before.”

5. My album, It’s True. “So I can remember what it’s like to create music and be inspired to continue creating [after the world ends].”

FAVORITE SAN DIEGO HANGOUTS?

1. Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. “Because of all the yummy Asian restaurants.”

2. Forever 21. “I like to be a girl sometimes.”

3. Torrey Pines. “Fresh air is good for the soul.”

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

“Seeing the colors of M&Ms as they melted in my palm.”

BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED?

“ ‘Do something that makes you happy.’ — My mom.”

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY?

“Please refer to my songs.”

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

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
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.