Biscuits Lives!

As far as I can tell, Chuck Biscuits is not actually dead. It was an evil hoax, perpetrated by an unknown entity. It looks like he doesn’t even have cancer.  Though, like many others, I bought it like a bag of bagels at the dollar store, the whole occurence wasn’t totally without merit. It prompted [...]

Goodbye, Chuck . . .

In less than a month, yet another key figure in the early ’80s So-Cal punk scene has passed away. Chuck Biscuits, the bombastic, powerhouse drummer who played for D.O.A., Circle Jerks (in video above), Black Flag, Danzig, Social Distortion and surprisingly, Run DMC, passed away Oct. 24 from throat cancer. He [...]

Legendary L.A. punk promoter is mourned by many

“When Brendan started the Masque, it was a pure act, creating a place for people he liked, to do their thing, have fun and get wild, no salesmen allowed.”– Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flea’s is just one of a rapidly growing collection of memories and tributes popping up in newspapers [...]

VCReporter one year later . . .

It’s been one year since I returned to VCReporter to reprise my role as arts editor. It’s a labor of love and I’d be loath to find a more perfect fit.  I feel I’ve accomplished much of what I hoped to, yet there’s so much I wish I could do with the section (art & [...]

BEST OF: the subjectivity of hierarchy and a few of my favorite things in Ventura County

We just put our annual Best Of Ventura County issue to bed after a long but mostly painless labor (depending on who you talk to.) This was not the first time I’ve been involved with the issue but it was my introduction to the back-end/inner workings of the voting process.
I am currently working on an [...]

“Don’t you wish Ventura County had more to offer culturally?”

Someone asked me this yesterday and my answer was “no.” I find Ventura County to be culturally wealthy. I think much of it is a bit below the radar, maybe that’s why it’s perceived as lacking.
The subject got me thinking a bit about the definition of “culture” and if we’re really clear as to its [...]

CNN at Zoey’s Cafe

The video is courtesy of Missy Ellis. Thanks Missy!
Technically CNN’s Headline News taped a segment at Zoey’s Cafe in Ventura this week to spotlight the venue’s popular “bluegrass jam” that’s been held twice a month for seven years. Why is little ol’ Zoey’s getting attention from CNN? Because Phil [...]

New Art City vs. New Bar City

In the midst of decreased funding for the arts in Ventura (the “New Art City”) and the subsequent slow death of ArtWalk, the local music scene is, as I’ve reported previously, exploding. At the same time, the bar scene–if you can call it a scene–has recently been plagued by violence which has led to what [...]

To the idiot in the Hawaiian shirt and his equally vacant girlfriend who nearly ruined my moment with Gregg: a quick etiquette lesson.

Dear Concertgoer:
Last night at the Gregg Allman concert I stood to the right of, and slightly behind, you and your date during “Dreams.” If you’d read my letter to Mr. Allman in the most recent VCReporter, you would know that there is a little nook in my heart where he resides, and being 10 feet [...]

bandwagonesque

It seems that every week I receive one or two new requests from restaurants to be added into our After Dark section because they have live entertainment. This presents a conundrum similar to what I’ve experienced with gallery listings: restaurants with live music are like retail stores with art. The restaurant is not a nightclub, [...]