Electric Waste Management

Electric Waste Band celebrate 25 years at Winston's

If I asked you what the best music venue in San Diego was, I bet you’d say something predictable like Casbah or Soda Bar -- maybe even Belly Up. Chumps. The answer is clearly Winston’s in Ocean Beach. Between the ‘70s seaside ambiance, the “Twin Peaks”-esque red, velvet curtains and the oft-attempted but rarely actualized infinite reggae loop, it’s one of the only venues in San Diego to have truly captured that quintessential Southern Californian -- what’s the word I’m looking for? Atmosphere? Culture? Personality?

Vibe.

On Monday nights, from the sparkling rubble of leftover body glitter and chakra-depleted crystal shards, Electric Waste Band materialize like ghostly apparitions in the seaweed mist. For the past 25 years, EWB -- not to be confused with ELO, ENT or FWB -- have been playing Grateful Dead covers for aging hippies of all ages, and they’ll be celebrating that accomplishment tomorrow and every Monday night in February.

EWB have headlined the OB Street Fair and OB Oktoberfest, and they’ve even been joined on stage by basketball -- and San Diego -- legend, Bill Walton. According to bedheads and deadheads (although, honestly, what’s the difference?), EWB are one of the top Grateful Dead tribute bands in the nation.

So, while La Jolla might be the jewel of San Diego, Ocean Beach’s EWB are most certainly the jewel of the San Diego music community.

Rutger Rosenborg was almost a Stanford neuroscientist before he formed Ed Ghost Tucker. He now plays in the Lulls and makes music on his own when he's not writing. Follow his updates on Facebook or contact him directly.

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