52 San Diego Reader September 1, 2016
Waves in space. Before he started working at NASA, Casey Turner played in a punk band while studying mechani- cal engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. “Our band was called Liq-
uid Image because we played punk and we all surfed,” Turner
He ended up leaving
Florida, aerospace, and punk. “I realized life was good and
I ran out of angst.” For work, Turner took a job
at a Poway company that devel- oped some of the first fuel cells for cars and buses. When that firm folded in 2010, he says, “I
the inside track
did not make him rich, it got him radio airplay at 70-plus stations in Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and the Philip- pines. “And it helped me book shows in Hawaii and Florida.” But it was his time at NASA
that led to his music getting launched into outer space. His former NASA col-
leagues convinced astronaut Robert “Shane” Kimbrough to take Turner’s latest single “Waves on the Ocean” with him into space. The song will be played on the International Space Station. Turner says it will be the
says about his former band of tech students. “After I got hired on [at NASA] we were still playing. We coined the term ‘punk rocket science.’ “I actually knew Jack John-
wanted to record an album and do music full-time.” And like Jack Johnson,
Turner made a musical U-turn, segueing from punk to a mel- low groove.
first island-reggae song to be debuted in space. “It’s a complete honor,”
says Turner. “I immediately contacted the astronaut and thanked him. I hope I can get them to make a video of it when they play it.” Turner says when he
played the Eureka restaurant/ bar at UTC August 18 he got another surprise. “Four of the chief NASA
technology officers were in town for a conference. They dropped by to see me play and give me an autographed picture from [astronaut] Shane.” Turner leaves today for a
Ukes in space! Former NASA engineer Turner will have his tropical tune “Waves on the Ocean” played on the space station this year.
son before he got big. Jack had our album Molotov Cocktail Party.” Turner worked at NASA “at
the tail end” of the space-shut- tle program, testing propul- sion systems.
Turner’s attraction to the
ukulele drew him into his own “island beach rock”/reg- gae vibe that enveloped his self-produced debut album No Stress Express. While he said that album
two-week recording session in Hawaii with producer Noah Cronin (the Green, Anuhea, Sammy J) and returns for a September 17 show at the Helix Brewing Company and for a Chargers pre-game warm-up on September 18 at Quallcom Stadium’s club level.
The local outer space
“launch party” is September 23 at the 710 Beach Club, the same day Kimbrough heads off into outer space, launch- ing from Russia aboard the Soyuz rocket.
— Ken Leighton
Punk dreams come true. Greg Hetson cut his punk-rock teeth playing in Redd Kross and the Circle Jerks before embarking on a nearly 30-year run with Bad Religion. Hetson recalls shows at the local Jackie Robinson YMCA as being “just crazy.” “The stage was falling apart
and you’re trying to keep play- ing and all hell’s breaking loose, and somehow it all ends up okay in the end,” Hetson says. These days Hetson plays
guitar in Punk Rock Karaoke, where he gets to be in several different punk bands. “That’s the fun thing about
Punk Rock Karaoke, even if you’re in a band like we are, we get to be in the Sex Pistols for three minutes and then the Ramones for another two. It’s a win-win for the people who play it and for the crowd... everybody’s dreams are coming true!” Hetson explains with a laugh. Punk Rock Karaoke started
in 1996 when a restaurateur friend of Hetson’s was looking to stage a party for the first anniversary of his establish- ment, Vida. He called Hetson and said that he wanted to do a punk-themed karaoke.
Hetson thought it was a great idea since there were no punk karaoke machines available at the time. According to Hetson, the
song list from their Facebook page reveals 64 selections by the likes of the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Green Day, Rancid, Dead Kennedys, and Wire.
Punk Rock Karaoke’s Greg Hetson (second from left) says he likes the gig because “we get to be in the Sex
Pistols...and Ramones.”
owner corrected him and said, “No, I’m talking about a live band. You think you can put together a live band and we could have people come up and sing?” Presto, Punk Rock Karaoke
was born. The line-up has been a revolving door of musicians since its inception, due to the fact that most of the players are drafted from long-standing (and often still-touring) bands. In the past, Mike Watt (Min- utemen), Eric Melvin (NOFX), and Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion) have all played with the outfit. The line-up for the group’s September 3 appearance at the Casbah will be Hetson, two Dickies on bass and guitar (Eddie Tatar and Stan Lee, respectively), and Darren Pfeiffer (Goldfinger) on drums. A cursory look at the band’s
“We try to get a nice
overview of the different eras of punk and hopefully there is something for everybody,” says Hetson. Punk Rock Karaoke song
sign-up is first come, first serve, so get there when the doors open if you want the best odds at snagging your fave Good Charlotte song. — Dryw Keltz
How many does it take to run a Blonde? “End of an era. The neon sign is up for grabs. If interested email,” @ BarDynamiteSD tweeted on August 10. A couple of weeks later, the new construction dust had barely settled inside the dance club formerly known as Bar Dynamite, now called the Blonde Bar, when Allen Colaneri talked to the Reader (continued on page 54)
Friday September 2
Acoustic Happy Hour w/ Ross May
The Room Downstairs Irieality • Robie Rose (no cover)
Saturday September 3 Sika
Melvus (no cover)
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