POP MUSIC : North Park Man’s Album Is a Grammy Contender

Tickets to tonight’s Grammy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles are hard to come by, but at least one San Diegan will have a choice seat. For the first time in recent memory--perhaps ever--a local boy is among the nominees.

Last June, North Park singer-songwriter Peter Rubalcava’s debut recording of Spanish-language religious and inspirational music, “Amanecer” (Daybreak), was released by North American Liturgical Resources of Phoenix and distributed to Catholic bookstores throughout the country.

In late January, Rubalcava learned that his cassette-only recording had been nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Mexican-American Performance” category, along with the latest releases by Los Lobos, Los Tigres del Norte and two other Latino pop acts.

“I didn’t even know it had been submitted,” Rubalcava said. “The day the Grammy nominations were announced in the newspaper, I got a phone call from a friend, and I thought he was joking.

“I went out looking for a newspaper, and only when I saw my name did I believe him. I was thrilled, overwhelmed.”

Rubalcava, 31, was born and raised in Barstow. As a teen-ager, he sang in church and with a high school vocal group, the Madrigals; when he was 16, he was put in charge of his parish music group.

He subsequently sang and played guitar with several Barstow bands, including Latin-dance troupe Los Continentales, traditional Mexican folk group Sombras del Valle and Top 40 cover band Breezin’.

In 1983, Rubalcava moved to San Diego to study for the priesthood at St. Francis Seminary and temporarily put his musical career on hold.

A short time later, he left the seminary to get married and returned to music, singing at St. Columba Catholic Church in Serra Mesa and coordinating the parish’s youth and liturgical ministries as pastoral associate.

Rubalcava came to the attention of North American Liturgical Resources during a brief tour of the Southwest with future label-mate Daniel Consiglio. He cut a demo, got signed and began working on his first album; in the meantime, he took a job with the Catholic Diocese of San Diego as associate director of young-adult ministries.

As excited as he is about being nominated for a Grammy, Rubalcava said he doesn’t really expect to win.

“Just look at who I’m up against,” he said. “I’ve listened to all the other nominated albums, and I think Los Lobos will probably win--they’re much better-known, and their record is really a wonderful production.

“As for me, well, I doubt that anybody’s ever even heard of who I am or what I do.

“The fact that I’ve been nominated is an honor enough--a very big honor as far as I’m concerned.”

Musicians Who Care, a benevolent association of San Diego musicians, has just come out with the prototype of San Diego Music, a new monthly magazine covering the local music scene.

The four-page sampler includes an article titled “San Diego Goes Big Time,” consisting of interviews with Red Flag, Darius and The Voices--three San Diego pop acts with nationally released records. The premier issue of San Diego Music is scheduled to hit the streets early next month, according to the group’s Steve Saint. The free publication, with an initial press run of 1,000, will be distributed through local record stores and music shops.

On tap for the March issue are profiles on deejays Jim McInnes and Marco Collins, who host weekly home-grown music shows on radio stations KGB-FM (101.5) and XTRA-FM (91X); a first- person report on tonight’s Grammy Awards presentation by San Diego musician--and nominee--Peter Rubalcava, and a guide to local original-music nightclubs.

Regular features include reviews of local album releases, demonstration tapes and club shows; reports on music scenes in other cities around the country; updates on local bands and their recording activities; charts on who’s getting played on local radio stations, and free classifieds for musicians looking for bands or gigs.

The primary objective of San Diego Music, according to Saint, is to instill a sense of pride in the local music scene by trumpeting its triumphs--much like Music Connection magazine has done in Los Angeles.

“A lot of people use the word local as if it were a put-down,” Saint said. “But hey, every successful band in the country is a local band to somebody.”

LINER NOTES: The Dave Edmunds Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue has just been tapped for an April 4 appearance at the California Theatre downtown. The veteran British pub-rocker’s touring buddies include Graham Parker, Dion, the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Kim Wilson and the Miami Horns. . . . The first confirmed booking in this year’s annual Del Mar Fair grandstand concert series: the Oak Ridge Boys, at 7:30 p.m. July 4. The country vocal quartet’s performance will conclude the 1990 fair’s 19-day run. . . .

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Bo Diddley returns to San Diego on Saturday night for two shows at Smokey’s in Mission Valley. The 61-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist, whose syncopated “hambone” beat is the foundation for such classic rock tunes as The Who’s “Magic Bus,” Bruce Springsteen’s “She’s the One” and his own “Who Do You Love?” and “I’m a Man,” is hot on the comeback trail. He’s been touring extensively throughout the country, recently taped a series of TV spots for Nike footwear and is the featured guest on tonight’s “Tonight” show. . . .

Best concert bets for the coming week: The Tailgators with Skid Roper and the Whirlin’ Spurs, tonight at the Casbah; Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, Thursday at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach; NRBQ, Friday at the Bacchanal in Kearny Mesa; The Bonedaddys with Drums of Fire and The Primal Pulse Dancers, Saturday at the Belly Up Tavern; Stray Cats, Sunday at the Bacchanal; and J.J. Cale with Jerry McCann, Sunday at the Belly Up Tavern.