ListenSD Exclusive with Auz Fontaine on their 4th Legendary Soda Bar Residency

We’re halfway through Auz Fontaine‘s 4th Annual Monday Night Residency Spectacular, a yearly January series of events held at Soda Bar. Mr. Monday Night and the boys have been door busting since 2022, bringing San Diego’s finest to share the stage every Monday in January. We caught up with ’em to find out what’s in store for the final two nights!

ListenSD: Auz Fontaine goes backaways, what’s the origin story of the current lineup featuring producer Vic Fontaine and vocalist Captain Auzmo backed by legendary stick man Danny King?

Auzmo: I guess it all started in the spring of 2016 when I reconnected with Vic Fontaine at a Gulls AHL Hockey Game. I was in between projects at the time and Vic asked if I wanted to come over and check out some of the music he had been working on. We instantly got to work and cut 3 singles that month (Ghost Hotel, Warm Days Hot Nights & 11 Hundred Reasons). I like to work fast and sometimes use automatic writing while in the booth and let whatever I have inside flow, and Vic’s production style really resonated with me. I’ve personally known Danny for years and was a huge The Burning of Rome fan. We had similar friends and always chatted about the playback tech and band life while passing our music back n forth. It wasn’t until 2021 when I asked Danny to sit in on some sessions to see how we could integrate his abilities and knowledge to take Auz Fontaine to the next level.

LSD: We’re coming up on one year of Trauma Tricks (now available on fresh cassettes from Styrofoam Records), any new hotness due for release soon?

Auzmo: We’ve been working on new music since early 2024 and we are about to hunker down and finish the full length. Maybe we do our first self title? It’s very exciting times for the Auz Fontaine Camp.

LSD: The Soda Bar residency got started right when local music fans needed it most coming out of the pandemic, what helped get it going?

Auzmo: Auz Fontaine’s relationship with Soda Bar is very magical and important to us. In 2018 we decided it was the only club in SD we would work to play at for many reasons, some personal & some professional. When the clubs reopened summer 2021 we were on the short list of bands to hit the stage and bring the people back. Later that year, Robbie (Butler, manager) & Cory (Stier, booker) hit us up to do their Legendary January Residency. Needless to say that was what really made us approach Danny to quarterback Auz Fontaine.

LSD: Night three comes up Monday January 20th, featuring Ric Scales, Joe Dreamz, and Keon Forbes. What are these guys bringing to the club and how are y’all gonna keep that fire flowin’?

Auzmo: Since our sound is very viscous and bleeds into lots of genres, we always make sure to have a hip hop and rap night for the residency. Ric Scales is a LEGEND in SD and I’m honored to share a stage with him, I’ve followed him for years and have finally gotten our residency momentum strong enough to warrant someone of his artistic caliber. Joe Dreamz needs no introduction: easily one of the hardest working artists in San Diego, just walk to any event in SD and you’ll see Joe doing his thing. I couldn’t look away once I saw him and really needed to add him to the rogues gallery of residency acts. Keon Forbes is a rapper based in Lemon Grove and was brought to my attention by Residency Alum Sadie Hellfire. Keon hosts a podcast @livefromthegrove where he features artist and rappers to foster community building and shines a light on their talent. I reached out to him to share my admiration and asked if he could help find acts for me and he requested to join the bill, I was so stoked for this because it checks multiple boxes. It’s a sticking point for me to bring new acts into Soda Bar and to keep that life blood feeding the machine.

LSD: The final night of this year’s residency falls on Monday January 27th with Ryan Blue, Zane Alexander SB, and Chet Harrison. Who’s going all out for the finale and what can we expect?

Auzmo: Man, all three of these acts just have that X factor. I came up with this idea for the closing night after Ryan Blue reached out to us to play the Lestat’s Stage for Adams Avenue Street Fair 2024. He curates the entire weekend for Lestat’s which primarily showcases folk/singer songwriter/country acts. Building the night around his band, I knew the only two dudes in SD that would fit perfectly were Chet Harrison & Zane Alexander S.B. Chet is a 20+ year Balboa Park busking veteran whose soundscape can only be described as psychedelic classical guitar. Zane Alexander S.B. is my vocal coach and has really helped me get my screams and breathing under control. I view him more as a contemporary visual artist musician, if that makes any sense. He has perfect pitch and crazy musical chops. I’ll be honest, they are all gonna go all out. But I’d say get there at doors 7pm and bust ’em, because Chet is on first and there’s nothing like his guitar playing on the planet!