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One of SD's most beloved "not-a-dive-bar" bars celebrates three decades of music, craft beer, and being weird
Livewire, exterior
Credit: Madeline Yang
When Sam Chammas pulled up to our interview in his signature lime and Kelly green Volkswagen bus (big Scooby-Doo vibes), wearing a polo shirt bearing an embroidered Jabba the Hutt in place of the iconic swinging equestrian, I instantly recognized a fellow nerd. He’d asked our interview be conducted in a comic book store. An odd but telling environment to talk about Live Wire, North Park’s beloved bar he opened with Joe Austin in 1992. This month, it celebrates 30 years.
In the late ‘80s, Austin and Chammas worked at San Diego State’s college radio station KCR, a.k.a. “The Live Wire,” playing good and weird music that mainstream radio stations ignored.
After graduation, they went their separate ways—Austin pursuing careers in hospitality and education, Chammas in engineering—until 1991, when Chammas called Austin with an opportunity to lease a recently shuttered bar at the corner of Alabama Street and El Cajon Boulevard.
“The Boulevard was a train wreck,” Austin laughs. But it was the start of the “microbrew revolution,” whose counter-culture attitude meshed with their indie music inclinations. It was a rare chance for two friends in their mid-20s to launch a “home-away-from-home,” he explains, where the jukebox only played what they wanted.
Live Wire staff meeting from the mid-2000’s (partner Thaddeus has hand on chin)
Courtesy of Livewire
Their eclectic decor spans everything from year-round Christmas lights and jackalope taxidermy to ephemera collected from bands like Rocket from the Crypt or funk nights curated by DJ Ratty. It’s less bar, more basement—exactly the unpretentious vibe they wanted to recreate from KCR. They just had to convince the neighborhood and police they wouldn’t carry on the unwelcome traditions of the previous tenants.
“We promised to be different,” says Chammas. And they have, despite being designated a dive bar by many patrons and publications. “Live Wire isn’t a dive bar!” he insists. Austin agrees. “I’ve never kicked the dive bar denotation, but frankly, ‘dive bar’ implies you don’t care about it. And we clearly do care.”
Despite an impressive three decades as a bar being slandered as a dive bar, there have been struggles. Like when a windstorm knocked a branch through the roof, destroying the women’s bathroom. Or when “the bureaucracy” tried to shut them down for allowing dogs. (Dogs are still allowed and encouraged.) Strangely enough, what nearly ruined them was craft beer’s growing popularity that started around 2008.
Livewire, pool
Credit: Madeline Yang
“[2008-2012] wasn’t our busiest time,” admits Chammas, pointing to the proliferation of nearby breweries and tasting rooms that siphoned business away from bars. “I thought, ‘Maybe it’s time to sell.’ But Joe said, ‘Let’s do the 20th [anniversary].’ And 20 was a big rediscovery. That marked a revival.”
In 2018, they made longtime bartender and GM Thaddeus Robles a partner. Austin says the move was “a no-brainer,” especially as he and Chammas get older and North Park continues to change. “I used to find bullet shells—now, it’s an empty kombucha can,” Chammas laughs. “That’s a real tell.”
But he’s grateful they were, and continue to be, able to connect with a mix of people: hipsters, industry folks, craft beer fans, indie musicians, the kids of kids who came to Live Wire at the very beginning, and big nerds like us. Anyone who abides by the “cold beer, warm friends” way of life is welcome. Chammas doesn’t see any of them stepping away anytime soon.
“I don’t see myself letting go of Live Wire,” he says. “We bring joy to people.”
PARTNER CONTENT
Live Wire’s 30th-anniversary celebrations kick off at 7 pm on Saturday, October 1, at the Lafayette Hotel’s Mississippi Room (the same space where they celebrated their turnaround 20th).
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The DJ, entrepreneur, and WorldBeat Cultural Center founder brought a new kind of music and art to the city with a little help from Bob Marley
“Music, art, and dance are the weapon of the future,” says DJ and cultural leader Makeda “Dread” Cheatom. She would know, having witnessed their power firsthand as a collaborator of some of the most legendary stars in reggae music—and as the founder of San Diego’s Bob Marley Day and the World Beat Cultural Center in Balboa Park.
“I grew up in Linda Vista, and it was where all the people from the South and the Midwest came, ’cause they were working at the defense plants,” she recalls. “I got into reggae music, and I met Bob Marley. Later on, I produced [a show with] him. They weren’t playing his music on the radio, and I would go to the radio stations, and I would say, ‘Hey, you know, reggae music, Bob Marley.’ [They’d say,] ‘I’m sorry, we don’t know him.’
“So, I went back to school for telecommunications at City College. I got on 91X—I had a show with Demaja Lee, and we started producing reggae music, and we brought it to the clubs. Women didn’t DJ back in the day like that, but there I was. I produced Peter Tosh’s last show in California, here in San Diego—The Mama Africa Tour.
“I realized when I was very young that I was from Africa, and I wanted to learn everything about my African heritage. We didn’t have any Black or African cultural centers in San Diego. [In the late 1980s], there was a hearing [to pitch use ideas for] the House of Charm, which is now the Mingei Museum. My mother died that day, and everyone told me not to go to the meeting. But I remember my mother scrubbed all those floors—you know, she was a maid. I knew I had to win this building for my mother, my father, and all the African descendants in San Diego.
“They were arguing over this house, and I stood up there, and I knew I wasn’t gonna get that building. So, I said, ‘I just want that dilapidated old water tower [in the park],’ and everybody laughed. But I kept going to city council, and I finally got the building. It had all kinds of junk in there, asbestos. They just left me a construction dumpster, and we got the place cleaned, and we had a cultural center. All cultures are here, from Brazilian to African to Mexican, Cuban, and Japanese. That’s what World Beat is about—all of us in oneness. It’s about humanity.”
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
Catch The Crow Show, dine on an Afro-Filipino feast and see the brand-new play Straddle at Diversionary Theatre
Plan your perfect San Diego weekend with plenty of cultural festivals, live sports and unique art exhibitions to experience. All can celebrate the Vietnamese and Chinese lunar new years during the San Diego Tết Festival and the Chinese New Year Fair. Local sports fans can catch San Diego FC’s season opener or the Harlem Globetrotters’ 100th anniversary tour. Plus, stop by the one-day-only Collaborators and Friends exhibition and the opening of The Studio Door’s 12th annual Crow Show.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Grab salt, lime and a cold cocktail to embark on a mini vacation this Sunday during National Margarita Day at Gaslamp’s Margaritaville Hotel. The celebratory festivities will include a traveling mariachi band, a live DJ dining specials and $5 margaritas at 5 p.m. Plus, stroll around the hotel during the margarita tasting crawl from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for frozen, classic and prickly pear margaritas (plus non-alcoholic options). Online reservations can be made for LandShark Bar & Grill and the 5 o’Clock Somewhere rooftop bar, but walk-ins are welcome.
435 Sixth Avenue, Gaslamp
Secure a spot at chef Spencer Hunter’s Afro-Filipino Kamayan Dinner this Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at the San Diego History Center. One-half of the duo behind Lia’s Lumpia, Hunter’s culinary style is a tasteful fusion of his Filipino and African-American heritage. Sunday’s feast will include dishes like mac and cheese lumpia, adobo fried chicken and coconut cornbread with calamansi butter. Reservations are $85 for the general public ($75 for History Center members) and come with appetizers, dinner, complimentary beverages and after-hours entry to the SDHC.
1649 El Prado, Balboa Park
With each new project, Sudan Archives adopts a singular identity, pushing her electro-driven R&B into fearless directions whilst bridging classical and cutting-edge. On her third studio album THE BPM, released last October, she adopts the persona of Gadget Girl, ushering in a world of dance, technology and romance, including her trademark violin. Feel the energetic beats of THE BPM when Sudan Archives performs this Thursday (8 p.m.) at Music Box, with an opening set from genre-bending artist Cydnee with a C. Tickets are $41 for the show.
1337 India Street, Little Italy
WorldBeat Cultural Center ensures the spirit, substance and legacy of reggae’s most illustrious heroes lives on through its annual Tribute to the Reggae Legends/Bob Day. This Friday (7- 11:55 p.m.) and Saturday (3-11:05 p.m.), Worldbeat will present a lineup of up-and-comers and musical greats, led by Julian Marley and the Uprising, Johnny Clarke, King Yellowman, and Marlon Asher. Ticket options include weekend passes ($95) and single-day tickets ($48 for Friday and $64 for Saturday), with ticket prices increasing an additional $10 the day of.
2100 Park Boulevard, Balboa Park
Usher in the Vietnamese New Year during the San Diego Tết Festival, happening Friday (5-10 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at NTC Park. Enjoy carnival rides, a petting zoo, a trading card show and an array of music and dance performances. The festival will also include competitions for freestyle and group dance (Friday), a kid’s spotlight talent show (Sunday) and the Miss Vietnam of San Diego Pageant (Saturday). Festival admission is free and carnival ride tickets can be purchased in-person or online (36 tickets for $28).
2455 Cushing Road, Point Loma
Before the Oceanside International Film Festival rolls out the red carpet next Wednesday, OIFF Executive Director Lou Niles will host Surf Saturday, a showcase for surfing as a cinematic artform. Catch four film blocks beginning this Saturday at noon, with a range of local and international documentaries—including Glass, a short film about Oceanside surfboard shaper Isaac Cluphf—at Sunshine Brooks Theater. Blocks 2-4 will conclude with Q&As featuring the block’s attending filmmakers. Tickets are $17 each for blocks 1 & 2 and blocks 3 & 4.
217 North Coast Highway, Oceanside
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
Ring in the Lunar New Year, watch the world premiere of The Recipe and stop by Cupid’s Skate Party in Gallagher Square
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, romantics of the hopeless, hopeful and cynical variety can all find ways to embrace love in San Diego. Fans of live music and fine art can check out the Songs for Lovers jazz concert or the Love, Always and Love Letters 3 exhibitions. Those looking for a date idea can dine on wine and chocolate at Hearts & Vines or share Champagne and bites forty stories up during Valentine’s at the Top. Plus, find romance while running via the Coronado Valentine’s Day 10K, 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run. Whatever you choose, there’s plenty to keep you busy in San Diego this weekend.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Emily Towe and Jody Brix Towe of J. Brix Wines will be joined by Christophe Rull Patisserie owners Christophe and Wilma Rull for a culinary pop-up at North City this Friday and Saturday from 4:30-8 p.m. During Hearts & Vines, guests will receive curated wine selections, paired with handcrafted chocolates made exclusively for the event. VIP tickets are $50 per person and come with three unique pairings and the chance to converse with the Towes and Rulls and learn about their processes; a $35 walk-in experience is also available.
250 North City Drive, San Marcos
Looking for a lofty Valentine’s experience for you and your special someone? This Friday-Sunday from 3-5 p.m., couples can take a trip to the 40th floor of the Manchester Grand Hyatt for Valentine’s at the Top. Patrons will receive a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and have their choice of artisanal flatbread, calabrese sausage or vegetable, as well as two dessert options: a strawberry red velvet heart cake or two chocolate-dipped long-stem strawberries. Reservations are $125 per couple.
1 Market Place, Embarcadero
Black San Diego’s free annual culinary festival, Daygo Eatz, returns for year two this Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. This all-ages event in Encanto highlights local Black-owned businesses and includes games, yoga, an art walk, face painting, live performances, community resources and food from over 40 vendors. The delectable spread will include barbecue, burgers, soul food, homemade desserts, sweet drinks and more. RSVP for this free event on Eventbrite.
6785 Imperial Avenue, Encanto
Ahead of the Year of the Fire Horse’s arrival on Feb. 17, welcome in a new Lunar New Year across a free three-day festival, taking place Friday (5-10 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park. The 16th annual SD Lunar New Year Festival promises Southeast Asian culinary vendors, an expansive cultural village, children’s art murals and an array of traditional entertainment, including lion and dragon dancers. The festivities will also include contests for pho eating, dumpling wrapping and bubble milk tea drinking, as well as crafts, carnival games and complimentary red envelopes.
4455 Wightman Street, City Heights
San Diego trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos and master alto saxophonist Charles McPherson will lead a jazz ensemble this Saturday (7:30 p.m.) during Songs for Lovers at Jacobs Music Center. Part of the Jazz @ The Jacobs series, this concert will feature romantic renditions of songs by a handful of legendary artists, including Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker and Dinah Washington. There will also be a pre-show performance by Castellanos’ Young Lions Jazz Conservatory at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $42 to $96 for this performance.
1245 Seventh Avenue, Downtown
Dare to dream this weekend alongside Jason Mraz and five local performing arts nonprofits at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. DREAM marks The Jason Mraz Foundation’s third annual community concert to promote inclusive arts education, with this year’s event spotlighting Art of Elan, Arms Wide Open, San Diego Young Artists Music Academy, Culture Shock San Diego and PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company. Joining Mraz and various youth performers will be MILCK, Raul Midon and Albert Posis. Tickets are $31 online and $26 at the CCAE box office, with performances Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.).
340 North Escondido Boulevard, Escondido
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
The annual event honors middle market companies creating jobs, scaling up, and investing in the region
San Diego is known for its startup culture and innovation economy, but what happens when the company moves beyond its early-stage years? The San Diego Business Impact Awards aim to answer that question, spotlighting the middle market businesses helping drive the region’s economy.
Hosted by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and JPMorganChase, the second annual awards celebration takes place on Thursday, July 23, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Scripps Research Auditorium. More than 200 executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders are expected to attend the networking and cocktail event honoring some of San Diego County’s fastest-growing companies.
Businesses headquartered in San Diego County that have operated for at least two years are encouraged to submit their nomination by Thursday, June 18 at 4 p.m. Companies across industries—from technology and life sciences to tourism and consumer products, as well as pre-revenue startups—are eligible for recognition.
For EDC President and CEO Mark Cafferty, the event is as much about building connections as celebrating success. “We’ve had a longtime partnership with JPMorganChase; their work aligns with our efforts to support underserved communities and drive talent development,” says Cafferty. “And the networking was invaluable last year. I’m still in touch with people I met at last year’s awards.”
EDC is an independently-funded nonprofit that works directly with San Diego companies to help them grow the local economy, make the region as a whole more competitive, and attract and retain top-tier talent with quality jobs. Through EDC, companies can get help starting or expanding their business with support for things like site selection, permit navigation, and regulatory guidance, plus connections to local resources and potential business collaborators.
The San Diego Business Impact Awards began as an idea with one of EDC’s longtime strategic partners, JPMorganChase. The two organizations share a commitment to San Diego and are dedicated to bolstering middle market businesses.
“We’re blessed with a robust innovation economy and startup community,” says Aaron Ryan, San Diego Region Manager for JPMorgan’s Commercial and Investment Bank and vice chair of the firm’s’ San Diego Market Leadership Team. “But one of the segments of the business community we felt was overlooked was emerging middle market companies—the businesses that are no longer small but not yet large.”
Ryan says supporting those companies is critical as they scale and decide where to invest, hire, and grow.
San Diego’s high cost of living remains one of the region’s biggest business challenges, making talent recruitment and retention increasingly competitive. But local leaders point to the region’s quality of life, climate, and collaborative business community as advantages that continue to attract employers and workers.
“In order to support thriving households, there has to be enough high-quality jobs for people to be able to afford to live here,” Cafferty says. “Once a company grows and excels past that middle market point in their growth cycle, they become much more likely to pay higher wages and compete globally.”
Both Cafferty and Ryan proudly tout the unique collaboration that exists among San Diego County businesses. Bringing together top universities producing high-quality talent, cutting-edge research institutions, a robust military and defense presence, leading ocean science and environmental organizations, and a binational, cross-border identity creates a distinct business ecosystem that defines and strengthens the San Diego region.
Last year’s San Diego Business Impact Awards celebrated nearly 60 honorees from 49 industries, representing a total of 8,232 jobs across eight sectors, including: software and technology, healthcare and life sciences, consumer goods, professional services, finance, construction and manufacturing, defense, and hospitality and tourism. On average, honoree companies doubled their revenues over the previous year, employed more than 145 San Diegans each, and offered an average annual compensation of $192,415.
Top honorees included defense contractor Innoflight, environmental consulting firm Bancroft Construction Services, life sciences startup Element Biosciences, defense technology contractor GALT Aerospace, organic grocery store chain Jimbo’s, and biopharmaceutical company LENZ Therapeutics. During the event, Innoflight Founder and CEO Jeff Janicik held a fireside chat offering his insights on investing in the community and embracing San Diego culture.
This year, organizers hope to continue highlighting the middle market players driving economic impact across the region. Nominations are now open through June 18 at 4 p.m. Get your tickets to the San Diego Business Impact Awards celebration to enjoy drinks by Snake Oil Cocktail Co., light bites, live music, and networking.
After 18 years and 20 Broadway-bound premieres, the artistic director leaves behind a lasting legacy
Christopher Ashley is a failed child actor, a former computer programmer, and a Yale alum. He’s also San Diego’s Hal Prince. In 18 years as one of the most acclaimed artistic directors in the history of La Jolla Playhouse, he produced 20 world premieres that went on to Broadway, including Jesus Christ Superstar, The Outsiders, and the Idina Menzel–led Redwood. Now, he’s saying goodbye. It’s a formidable loss for the city’s underrated theater scene.
Following a lifetime of acting (poorly, he claims) in summer theater programs, Ashley switched to directing in high school. A successful New York theater career (the programming stint was just to pay off those Yale loans) eventually brought him to LJP in 2007. His tenure transformed the institution into a nationally acclaimed proving ground for fresh, fearless works.
“In the earlier incarnations of the playhouse, there was much more of a mix of revivals and new work. I have really leaned us into new work. We’ve done [57] world premieres in my time here,” he says. “Everybody at the playhouse really takes seriously the idea of the new and the next. Being a doula to new projects is really satisfying—I get to run a theater during a golden age of American writing for the theater.”
Central to that mission is the 12-year-old Without Walls (WOW) Festival, an annual spring showcase of site-specific and immersive performances. “We were on the leading edge of a kind of work that is starting to really take hold in America,” Ashley adds. “These shows really challenge the relationship between audience and artist. People go because they know it’s going to happen only tonight and never again. Theater offers community—[an opportunity] to come together to experience a story—and that feels more powerful in this moment than it ever has before.”
The sentiment is especially poignant in light of Ashley’s imminent return to New York as artistic director of Roundabout Theatre Company. But he’ll never forget his time here. “It’s the main chapter in my life,” he says. “I don’t know that San Diego gets quite the credit it deserves for what a great city for the arts it is.” Thanks to Ashley, though, it’s begun to receive its fair share of star billing.
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
See dazzling holiday parades, browse local makers markets, and kick off the season with festive fun
December is somehow already here, and San Diego is closing out the year with one last festive hurrah. As 2026 peeks around the corner, the city is glowing with holiday theater productions, twinkling light displays, cheerful concerts, and end-of-year celebrations. From Santa Runs and over-the-top boat light shows to local makers markets and family-friendly festivals, there’s no shortage of fun things to do in San Diego this month. Whether you’re chasing holiday cheer, planning weekends with visiting family, or looking for the best festive events in San Diego this December, you’ll have no problem filling your calendar before the ball drops.
Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Latin Grammy nominee José Hernández leads Mariachi Sol de México for a festive, family-friendly fiesta featuring classic mariachi tunes and beloved holiday hits at the Balboa Theatre in downtown.
Watch bands, floats, horses, and community groups march through La Jolla Village, then take little ones to meet Santa, try their hands at holiday crafts, and get into the spirit of the season at the free La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival.
In the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, the floats literally float—80 boats will traverse the bay, decked out in dazzling lights and Christmas décor, for the viewing pleasure of more than 100,000 attendees.
Score serious romantic brownie points by treating your sweetheart to a Christmas concert by candlelight. A string quartet at the Star Theatre in Oceanside will serenade audiences with instrumental versions of “O Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” and other favorites.
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Master Chorale, and Children’s Choir will all take the stage at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park for Noel Noel, three nights of Christmas tunes and cheerful sing-alongs.
Enjoy free access to the Mingei International Museum and the Japanese Friendship Garden, paint mini figures at the Comic-Con Museum, pick up handmade ceramic gifts at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and meet Santa Claus at the Automotive Museum as part of Balboa Park December Nights.
Spend an evening in a magical world of sugar plum fairies, leaping nutcrackers, and villainous mice with the Golden State Ballet’s breathtaking performance of The Nutcracker at the San Diego Civic Theatre.
Action movies not quite high-stakes enough for you? Head to Pechanga Arena for Nitro Circus, a heart-pumping display of gravity-defying tricks from fearless motocross, skateboard, and scooter athletes.
Think of the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ Coastal Christmas as winter’s answer to the county fair—the family event features a sparkling holiday light trail, an ice-skating rink, a wine walk, a kids’ zone, and more.
If St. Nick needed a few doppelgängers to help him hit every house on Christmas Eve, he’d simply need to head to Pacific Beach, where more than 40,000 participants will don his iconic suit for the San Diego Santa Run, the city’s silliest 5K.
Get your furry family members outfitted in ugly sweaters or elfin attire and join the annual Gaslamp Pet Parade. Afterward, animals and their owners can head to the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter for free photo ops, fun games, and a costume contest awards ceremony.
Maya Santiago is a junior at NYU and a Carlsbad native. She finds balance through yoga and is always searching for new book recommendations.
Scripps study shows that some patients may be able to taper their dose and maintain results
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
