San Diego Troubadour

07/17/2025

It’s all about context and semantics, people! Read what Josh Weinstein has to say about that!

I initially thought of calling this monthly column “A New Yorker in California.” There are multiple differences in communication style between the country’s two farthest edges, and they are exactly and comically at odds with each other. This often makes each coast feel like a foreign land to f...

07/16/2025

Here she is! Our August cover girl, Gayle Skidmore! She's beautiful, she's talented, she's interesting, and she has a style all her own. Stay tuned!

07/16/2025

Hey, San Diego Troubadour music people! It's that time of month!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PmpZ1I_A3yPwhGU6fmy0yGVYOG4pV2aPu18jKSU-zZI/edit?ts=6877e6b5

07/14/2025

Celebrating Pride month today with a wonderful article by Lindsay White. Thank you, Lindsay! Reminder: the Gay Pride Parade is happening in Hillcrest coming up on Saturday, July 19!

It’s Pride month, San Diego! Well, last month was officially Pride Month, but for some reason San Diego celebrates in July, so the Troub tapped everyone’s favorite (or least favorite, depending on where you stand geo-politically) loud-mouth le***an songwriter to say a few words on the subject. C...

07/12/2025

Bluegrass Music Festival Season is upon us. Read about how these festivals saved bluegrass music in Dwight Worden's column this month!

Have you ever wondered why bluegrass music is not readily available on terrestrial radio, or why it is so prominent in festivals? Here’s the short answer. Bluegrass music originated in the 1940s with the founding of Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys by Bill Monroe, who is considered the father of...

07/10/2025

Welp, Frannie Valle is still at it this month, building stuff. She's a do-er and a gal that makes things happen. Go, Frannie!!!

I make things. I always have. I don’t wait until I have the “right” skills. I usually have little more than the audacity to start (see last month’s article on the audacity to start). I’ve made kick drum mics (fun project), guitar pedals (despite having been electrocuted—twice), and a dra...

07/09/2025

We all lost a little piece of our childhood when genius legend Brian Wilson passed away several weeks ago. Ted Burke has written a lovely tribute to the man, whose music will never be forgotten. Read here:

Brian Wilson died on June 11. It’s not a bold statement to say he was one of the indisputably great artists of rock ‘n’ roll. Any rock pantheon that lacks his name is no pantheon at all. His work featured the most graceful and intricate melodies wedded with choir-boy vocal harmonies, a worldvi...

07/08/2025

This is a concert not to be missed! I mean Alex Bergan and Jesse Ray Smith, come on! This is happening this Sunday, July 13. Please help us spread the word!

07/07/2025

San Diego Troubadour's Monday Music Spotlight shines a light on Ron Houston & the Berry Pickers. They are a wonderful band. Read here:

Possessed of an instantly identifiable voice with impressive range, San Diego-by-way-of-Louisana singer Ron Houston and his band, the Berry Pickers, have a new album out that blends country, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll, and swamp blues into an alluring mélange. Houston’s voice has more gravel th...

07/06/2025

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas are coming to the Rady Shell next Saturday, July 12. It's a reunion show of sorts, celebrating a their first album together after 14 years. She sings like an angel and her band is great. Read all about it here:
https://sandiegotroubadour.com/alison-krauss-and-the-union-station-a-reunion-made-in-bluegrass-heaven/

Thanks, Terry Roland, for the wonderful article in this month's San Diego Troubadour!

“It’s Scottish bagpipes and old-time fiddling. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound.” These are Bill Monroe’s comments about bluegrass music. Bluegrass as a genre can be dated back to 1939 when Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys ...

07/01/2025

The July Troubadour is here! Today we spotlight the cover story on Jon and Cat Hasz, an amazingly accomplished couple who play happy happy music. Sande Lollis did a wonderful job with the story. John Hancock captured their essence in the cover photo. And Chuck Schiele's design is off the charts! It is a wonderful thing to have these two part of our ever-growing music community. Read here!