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

Loony in La Mesa

Look out for the Loons, London

Psychedelia contributes heavily to the Loons’ flavour — yes, flavour. - Image by Daniel Harrison/Harrison Photography
Psychedelia contributes heavily to the Loons’ flavour — yes, flavour.

When it came time for the Loons to decide the title track of their new album, they relied on some pre-K market research, according to lead singer Mike Stax.

“Chris Marsteller, who plays guitar along with Marc Schroeder, has two young daughters — like, 5 and 3 [years old] — and they always want to hear what they call ‘the rock ’n’ roll song,’” Stax tells the Reader. “And the ‘rock ’n’ roll’ is a song called ‘Inside Out Your Mind,’ and they sing along with it to the point where Chris is kind of sick of it.”

Band songs

Loons

More

He better not get sick of it. Inside Out Your Mind is being released by Bomp Records March 27. It’s the band’s fourth release since 1998 but is more studio-influenced than the Loons’ previous recordings.

“Compared to some of the other albums, it’s not that road-tested,” Stax said. “Because we practice at Earthling Studios [where the album was recorded], we’re able to record whenever we feel like it. If we write a new song, we might record it a week later.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

The Loons, "Miss Clara Regrets"

Inside Out Your Mind was produced by band drummer Mike Kamoo and contains 11 songs ranging in age from a month young to two to three years.

Some have been played live but others haven’t worked their way into a set yet — and may not ever.

“There’s one song, ‘As the Raven Flies,’ and it has mellotron, piano, and all those different instruments, so we have to find a way to do it live — we built it up layer by layer,” Stax said.

The Loons, like Stax’s earlier bands (the Crawdaddys and the Tell-Tale Hearts), are heavily influenced by mid-1960s psychedelic punk. But he’s quick to point out that his band is not a retro band.

“We like the aesthetic of how things were recorded in the ’60s, how the records sounded, the tones of the instruments, but as far as creating the music, that’s new. That’s all now. It’s not a historical reenactment,” Stax said. “What you always bring to the music is your life experience and musical experience.”

The Loons’ decision to sow the same rocking soil as mid-’60s bands such as the Who, the Kinks, or Pretty Things is because they feel those bands’ musical blueprints can still be plumbed to new depths.

“The bands from the 1960s evolved based on the technology,” Stax said. “We ignored the technological advances...the evolutions are personal.”

Stax’s wife, Anja, the Loons’ bass player, said there’s a reason why the ’60s looms large in the Loons’ legend — and with the culture at large.

“Everything in the 1960s — cars, fashion, hairstyle, furniture, architecture, everything — was so amazing because everyone was just opening their minds and thinking about different things, and I think everything now is just going backwards,” she said.

Mike Stax is from England, Anja is from Germany, but they have settled in La Mesa and recorded Inside Out Your Mind in El Cajon.

The Stax are quick to say that regardless of their country of origin, the Loons are definitely reflective of their current home.

“Our music definitely reflects the environment,” Mike said. “We have a song on the new album called ‘Moon and Tide’ that, for me, is very evocative of the vibe at night down at the beach.

“Even without trying, you reflect where you’re from. We’re essentially a California band with some European flavor.”

Past Event

The Loons and Glenn Campbell

  • Saturday, March 28, 2015, 8 p.m.
  • Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

The Loons will get a chance to reacquire some of that European flavor in April. A week after their March 28 record-release party at the Casbah, the Loons will be in London playing the Beat Bespoke Festival both as the Loons and as the backup band for Glenn Campbell, a psychedelic steel guitarist who has become a cult hero, thanks to his work in the mid-’60s band the Misunderstood.

“We played the first festival back in 2005 and so we’re back for the tenth,” Stax continued. Anja says the band could tour more widely in Europe if they chose.

“I lived in the mod scene,” she said. “I have contacts in every country.”

However, Mike said that the band’s goals are different now that many of the members have children.

“Two to three weeks in Europe is not practical,” he said. “We have a following, but we’re not about to get a big record deal or a big Warped Tour.”

“Even if we did,” Anja added. “We’d still live here. It’s just a nice place to live.”

“It’s fun. It’s part of our social life,” said Mike. “I can’t imagine ever stopping doing it, but we’d never move to L.A. to make it big. We’d lose what makes us special.”

The Loons’ record-release for Inside Out Your Mind is Saturday, March 28 at the Casbah, with the Misunderstood, featuring Glenn Campbell, and fellow San Diego psych-rock stalwarts the Schitzophonics.

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

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance
Next Article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts
Psychedelia contributes heavily to the Loons’ flavour — yes, flavour. - Image by Daniel Harrison/Harrison Photography
Psychedelia contributes heavily to the Loons’ flavour — yes, flavour.

When it came time for the Loons to decide the title track of their new album, they relied on some pre-K market research, according to lead singer Mike Stax.

“Chris Marsteller, who plays guitar along with Marc Schroeder, has two young daughters — like, 5 and 3 [years old] — and they always want to hear what they call ‘the rock ’n’ roll song,’” Stax tells the Reader. “And the ‘rock ’n’ roll’ is a song called ‘Inside Out Your Mind,’ and they sing along with it to the point where Chris is kind of sick of it.”

Band songs

Loons

More

He better not get sick of it. Inside Out Your Mind is being released by Bomp Records March 27. It’s the band’s fourth release since 1998 but is more studio-influenced than the Loons’ previous recordings.

“Compared to some of the other albums, it’s not that road-tested,” Stax said. “Because we practice at Earthling Studios [where the album was recorded], we’re able to record whenever we feel like it. If we write a new song, we might record it a week later.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

The Loons, "Miss Clara Regrets"

Inside Out Your Mind was produced by band drummer Mike Kamoo and contains 11 songs ranging in age from a month young to two to three years.

Some have been played live but others haven’t worked their way into a set yet — and may not ever.

“There’s one song, ‘As the Raven Flies,’ and it has mellotron, piano, and all those different instruments, so we have to find a way to do it live — we built it up layer by layer,” Stax said.

The Loons, like Stax’s earlier bands (the Crawdaddys and the Tell-Tale Hearts), are heavily influenced by mid-1960s psychedelic punk. But he’s quick to point out that his band is not a retro band.

“We like the aesthetic of how things were recorded in the ’60s, how the records sounded, the tones of the instruments, but as far as creating the music, that’s new. That’s all now. It’s not a historical reenactment,” Stax said. “What you always bring to the music is your life experience and musical experience.”

The Loons’ decision to sow the same rocking soil as mid-’60s bands such as the Who, the Kinks, or Pretty Things is because they feel those bands’ musical blueprints can still be plumbed to new depths.

“The bands from the 1960s evolved based on the technology,” Stax said. “We ignored the technological advances...the evolutions are personal.”

Stax’s wife, Anja, the Loons’ bass player, said there’s a reason why the ’60s looms large in the Loons’ legend — and with the culture at large.

“Everything in the 1960s — cars, fashion, hairstyle, furniture, architecture, everything — was so amazing because everyone was just opening their minds and thinking about different things, and I think everything now is just going backwards,” she said.

Mike Stax is from England, Anja is from Germany, but they have settled in La Mesa and recorded Inside Out Your Mind in El Cajon.

The Stax are quick to say that regardless of their country of origin, the Loons are definitely reflective of their current home.

“Our music definitely reflects the environment,” Mike said. “We have a song on the new album called ‘Moon and Tide’ that, for me, is very evocative of the vibe at night down at the beach.

“Even without trying, you reflect where you’re from. We’re essentially a California band with some European flavor.”

Past Event

The Loons and Glenn Campbell

  • Saturday, March 28, 2015, 8 p.m.
  • Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
  • 21+

The Loons will get a chance to reacquire some of that European flavor in April. A week after their March 28 record-release party at the Casbah, the Loons will be in London playing the Beat Bespoke Festival both as the Loons and as the backup band for Glenn Campbell, a psychedelic steel guitarist who has become a cult hero, thanks to his work in the mid-’60s band the Misunderstood.

“We played the first festival back in 2005 and so we’re back for the tenth,” Stax continued. Anja says the band could tour more widely in Europe if they chose.

“I lived in the mod scene,” she said. “I have contacts in every country.”

However, Mike said that the band’s goals are different now that many of the members have children.

“Two to three weeks in Europe is not practical,” he said. “We have a following, but we’re not about to get a big record deal or a big Warped Tour.”

“Even if we did,” Anja added. “We’d still live here. It’s just a nice place to live.”

“It’s fun. It’s part of our social life,” said Mike. “I can’t imagine ever stopping doing it, but we’d never move to L.A. to make it big. We’d lose what makes us special.”

The Loons’ record-release for Inside Out Your Mind is Saturday, March 28 at the Casbah, with the Misunderstood, featuring Glenn Campbell, and fellow San Diego psych-rock stalwarts the Schitzophonics.

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

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

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

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
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.