All that is night

From a bloody party involving an NFL player and fake blood to the 2008 HAT awards, we've got the local music and nightlife scene covered

By  Jim Ruland 

Unsettled business

Ah, Halloween in San Diego. Where else can you find musicians dressed like mad monks, a former NFL great in nothing but jeans and a bottle of fake blood, and sluts dressed like, well, sluts?

Such was the scene at Brick by Brick for the CD-release party for Unset, a hard-driving power-punk band with a metal edge. The release is the band's first for Gridiron Records, a small, independent label formed by former guitarist Mikey Doling (Snot, Soulfly) and NFL defensive end Kyle Turley (Saints, Rams, Chiefs).

Unset, who've been playing since 2004, took the stage dressed as Inquisition-era monks with vocalist Frank Torres emerging from a coffin to kick off a blistering set of radio-friendly songs that ran the gamut from screamo to melodic power ballads.

Turley, whose interest in the San Diego music scene dates back to when he was a bouncer at SOMA during his days as a football player for the Aztecs, is optimistic about Unset's chances. "I think they can make it. They're as good as any band I've ever seen, and they're hard-working."

It's that last quality that appeals to Turley the most. In the NFL, he saw lots of athletes who had plenty of talent but lacked the work ethic to turn it into success on the field. Turley clearly had a good time hyping his band as he posed for pictures and bought tequila shots at the bar.

Unset seemed unfazed by all the attention. If anything, they upstaged their larger-than-life label owner and held nothing back during the show. If their performance on Halloween was any indication, Unset appears poised to succeed.
—Jim Ruland