To program tonight's SoundDiego LIVE on May 26 at downtown's hip, hot Fleetwood lounge -- that's XI, for those of you keeping score at home -- we turned to a longtime friend and fan of the blog, Lauren Scheff -- aka Scheff, aka ScheffXP -- who quickly locked in his partner on his latest project -- producing and performing with San Diego singer/songwriter Kevin Martin.
Click HERE to Get on the Guest List for SoundDiego LIVE XI on May 26 at the Fleetwood
Martin is a scruffy nova of creativity -- musical, comedic and otherwise. Just when you think you have the former Get Back Loretta keyboardist (the band raked in six -- six! -- San Diego Music Awards during Martin's stint) figured out, he rolls down the sonic road less taken. The songs on his new album, due out later this month, share the Beatle-esque aura of his previous output but there are hints of new directions for the Vista native as well. Martin calls his style "throwback pop -- which takes his modern flair for performance and combines it with his love of vintage piano-pop stylings," his Facebook profile boasts.
"Kevin's been on the music scene for the last 10 years with successful bands like Jack the Original and, most recently, Get Back Loretta," Scheff said. "The guy's got a great sound and I just thought San Diego needed to hear what he had to say -- they needed to hear Kevin the solo artist."
As we said, Martin enlisted Scheff to produce his eponymous solo debut, marshalling Scheff's pop production and arrangements with Martin's melodies to create a hook-filled heartbreaker.
To support Martin, Scheff turned to a pair of local electronic artists known as the Illuminauts. Last year, OwlandBear's Chris Maroulakos had this to say about the band: "If listening to Illuminauts makes you feel like you’re on drugs, that’s because it's supposed to. Comprised of locals Santino 'Sonny' Romeri and Nicky Castañeda, the electronic band weaves trip-hop beats and psychedelic samples into moody sonic tapestries designed to expand your mind."
"The thing that's cool about the Illuminauts is that Sonny was in Get Back Loretta forever, and we like to support family and friends," Scheff said. "We wanted to program the night in a way that would support the former bandmates in their solo endeavors."
San Diego music fans will be able to get the best of two music worlds, a unique experience showcasing electronic music and pop rock that shares a common vein, Scheff said.
And, they can do it with a little help from the Fleetwood's kitchen, some free craft brews from Iron
Fist and some goodies from Jack Daniels to boot. See you there, boys and girls!
