Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 17-Sunday, October 22, 2017

Ok, so I told you I would get these done, and thankfully after a full day at Magic Mountain with Darrren, Nova, and Jo, Darren drove home so we could sleep and I could get my work done upon our return. Six Flags was fun, but I realized I'm in a new demographic: moms who hold stuff. I didn't go on a single roller coaster because I just couldn't psych myself up for that dizzy, spinny, nauseous feeling. So I held stuff while everyone else did the rides and I was totally okay with that. It was fun just to be there and see the kids faces light up before and after each ride. This week is pretty busy, too. I might still try to weasel a ticket for Cafe Tacvba, and we're going to Arcade Fire, and I'm working at the Cody Simpson show and The Bronx in the same night, and then working at JR JR on Friday, and maybe going to Ye Scallywag on Saturday if I can score a photo pass, and then Saturday night we'll check out Tei Shi at Soda Bar. So much good stuff. Wednesday through Sunday listings are after the jump.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017:

• Café Tacvba, Flor de Toloache @ The Observatory
• The Black Angels, Ron Gallo @ House of Blues
• Torres, The Dove & the Wolf @ Casbah  
• Spaceface, Spencer Yenson and the Squatters, Love Glow @ Soda Bar
• Mason Jennings, Emily Afton @ Belly Up 
• Jonatha Brooke @ Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Theater, USD
• AJ Froman, Weep Wave, Kimmi Bitter & the Night Howls @ The Merrow
• Tiki Tuesday with Alvino & The Dwells @ Bar Pink
• Horror Movie Night @ Space (7pm)
• Rubén Albarrán ( Cafe Tacvba ) No DJ Set @ Space 
• T is 4 Techno @ Blonde
• Line Dancing Lessons @ Moonshine Flats
• Mercedes Moore @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
• Jefferson Jay Band, Shakedown String Band @ Winston's (9:30 pm)
• Reggae Tuesdaze with Tunnel Vision, Crucial Blend @ The Holding Company 1502
• ASCE: You at the Loft @ The Loft, UCSD
• Karaoke @ The Bancroft
• Karaoke with Christine @ Navajo Live
• American Idol's Anthony Fedorov and Shelley Segal @ Martini's Above Fourth
• Think n Drink Trivia @ Winston's (5pm)
• Trapped Tuesdays with DJ Ramsey @ The Office
• Robin Henkel @ Crossroads, House of Blues (FREE)
• DJ Lexicon Devil @ Pour House (Oceanside)
• 31 Flavors @ U-31
• Lyrical Exchange Open Mic @ Queen Bee's
• Karaoke @ Riviera Supper Club
• Sue Palmer @ Tio Leo's
• Goodvivbe Youtopia Pre-Party @ Kava Lounge
• Videodrome @ Whistle Stop
• Comedy Night @ Lestat's
• 50s/60s Dance Party @ Henry's Pub
• Karaoke with Christine @ Navajo Live 
•  The Shakes @ 710 Beach Club

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, October 16

Things have been really great, but really, really busy. On top of work and soccer coaching, last week I got to see Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile, The National, worked at Nothing But Thieves, did Taste of North Park, shot Jason Mraz, went to Dirty Sweet & John Meeks, and sold merch for Oh Wonder where I worked a six hour shift (I think we sold over $15k in merch!!) and we're going to Magic Mountain for the day, so I hate to break it that I only have it in me to do Monday listings at the moment. I'll try to get the rest of the week up as soon as I have the time. Archives after the jump.

Photos: The National at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10.12.2017

The past few weeks I've had a ton of photo passes which means I'm backlogged with gigs and gigs of photos. In three songs at The National, I shot 405 photos. And I've been a little shy about posting because I'm slightly intimidated by the far more talented photographers in this town and their amazing gear that isn't filled with scratched mirrors and spotty sensors and image dust bunnies, but Darren gave me a pep talk, and I get some incredible access to shows that not a lot of people get, so I promise as things start to slow down as we get deeper into fall, I'll get around to posting more photos. I'm on such a high from Thursday night that I wanted to get these pics of The National up right away.

Thursday nights are tough because we have soccer practice in PB until 6, which means by the time we pack up and leave the area, it's 6:30 and the 5 south is in rush hour. Jeff and I made arrangements to meet at Tribute before the show. I should've studied the menu and pre-planned my order, because that place is busy. It was delicious, but not somewhere to go if you're in a rush. As it was, we had to take my pizza to go when it was finally ready, dropped it at my house, then made our way to SDSU. I had a photo pass, but arrived during the fourth song from Daughter, so this was the best I could get from my point and shoot from my seat. They sounded fantastic and were a solid choice as an opener.

Oh. This is a funny little side note about the photo pit. I haven't shot at OAT in several years but I have a pretty great relationship with Casey from LiveNation. I'd texted her that I wouldn't make it for the opener because at the venue, everyone has to meet at the top and get escorted into the pit. Except when we got to the pit, the band had dead cases piled and taped to the part where we get in. So imagine a dozen photographers, climbing up the cases and jumping the four feet down into the pit. One girl was seven months pregnant and wearing a dress! It was pretty funny and I was super glad that I always opt for comfy and sensible clothing choices. Getting out was even more hilarious because there was no step up, so you had to be an acrobat climbing out, unless you're flexible yoga girl Kaitlyn from 91X who basically vaulted over in one beautiful, graceful motion, making all the rest of us look like assholes.

I don't know what to say about The National. All told, I've seen them live about half a dozen times, they're always amazing, and I have nothing but love for Matt Berninger. We've been dealing with Nova being sick, girls from our soccer team being sick, and hearing that hacking cough everywhere you go, so when I saw him coughing during the first song, even at times into the mic, I couldn't help but feel sad for him, but also what a superhero to power through when you feel like shit. The setlist was a beautiful mix of new stuff and favorites. Matt had his bottle of wine to help him get through it, but his throat and voice were definitely strained where you'd expect them to be. You can see eight videos here. 

Still, raspy voice and all, it was a beautiful night in San Diego. Matt was charming and funny at moments, and had a few "Fuck Trump" moments, as well as attributing "Walk It Back" to Karl Rove, "but he keeps refusing the royalties." On my way out of the pit, while waiting for everyone to climb out, I got a lingering high five/handshake from Matt and I felt like a girl whose junior high crush finally said hi to her. Toward the end of the night, Matt joked about playing Eminem, so the band finished the show and walked off stage, the stadium lights came up, and the snarky soundguys played "Lose Yourself" which brought Matt back out onto the stage as stagehands all around him worked, and he pantomimed Em while shaking hands of fans and giving out setlists. Matt Berninger. He's just like us. A man of the people. Swoon. Tons more photos after the jump.

#SaySomething Week: October 16-20

Next week is national Say Something week, so let's start off with some video of James from 2012 at the House of Blues. I wanted to share Say Something Week with my readers because hopefully you're as sick of senseless gun violence as I am. I wish we'd go the way of Australia to be honest, but until the day the NRA's deathgrip on the balls of the rich white men who run this country ends, sometimes just doing something is better than doing nothing. So below is a message from Sandy Hook Promise. Nova is only in fifth grade, so perhaps too young for the campaign, but if yours are old enough, you should reach out to their schools and administrators to spread the word.

SAY SOMETHING WEEK

During the week of October 16 - 20, 2017, thousands of schools and youth organizations from across the United States will participate in Say Something Week. Say Something Week raises awareness and educates students and the community through training, advertising, public proclamations, media events, contests and school awards. Say Something Week reinforces the power young people have to prevent tragedies and save lives when they Say Something to a trusted adult.

What is Say Something?

Did you know that when it comes to threats of violence or suicide, most are known by at least one other person BEFORE the incident takes place? Imagine how much tragedy could be averted if these individuals said something?

Say Something teaches students, grades 6-12, how to look for warning signs, signals and threats, especially in social media, from a peer who might be planning to hurt themselves or someone else and to say something to a trusted adult to get help and save a life.

How does Say Something work?

Say Something is a no cost, easy-to-implement, life-saving program that can be delivered digitally, in the classroom or through assemblies. The initial presentation takes 50 minutes or less and the program offers a wide range of activities to ensure sustainability and integration into the school culture year-round through SAVE Promise Clubs. To sign up or recommend a school's participation, check out this link.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, October 9-Sunday, October 15, 2017

As I mentioned in my weekend update, I've been on a serious music streak with very few nights off in between, so I thought I'd stick in this pic from last Monday when Middle Kids played the Casbah. The show was attended enough to be awesome, but after hearing the band's set at Austin City Limits over the weekend, I gotta say, you really missed out if you weren't there. It was kind of that last push of summer into fall but I gotta warn you, touring shows seriously start slowing down, so don't miss out when you have a chance to see a good one.  That gnarly cough and cold is back in our house so we're trying to take it easy. Our girls tied their soccer game 0-0 which for us was an accomplishment against a La Jolla squad. I worked at the Irenic on Saturday night for Léon, and Sunday we spent the afternoon at Santa Clara Rec for my niece's 8th birthday. Nova is on fall break, so assuming we can knock out the cold, we hope to catch some museum month stuff, get at least one trip in to Magic Mountain, and enjoy a little less rushing in our lives, even if for just two weeks. Monday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do in San Diego: Saturday, October 7-Sunday, October 8, 2017

Yikes. This week has been crazy. Sunday was The Shins, Spoon, and Day Wave, Monday was Middle Kids, Tuesday was Gillian Welch then Low Volts at Casbah, Wednesday was Archons, Thursday was Father John Misty, and Friday was Pinegrove. Among that is soccer and work and sleep and my cough coming back. Someday I'll post more of the photos of my adventures. The weekend is going to be amazing if I can get enough sleep. I decided to repost the listings because there's so much going on. Saturday and Sunday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, October 2-Friday, October 6, 2017

I didn't expect when I went to the Office for Guns n Roses Undercover and Bar Pink on Monday that I'd end up sick. And not like hangover sick, but sleep all day in jammies, my eyes are too hot to stare at a computer screen, pass the tissues and please bring me soup kinda sick. Darren was a champ and got me zinc lozenges and I was able to take it easy so by my actual birthday on Thursday I was able to make it to work at the Irenic then went to Rabbit Hole/Sycamore Den/Ken Club for birthday drinks. I worked at the Irenic again on Friday and aid low after so we could be ready for our Saturday morning soccer game. The girls lost, but it was a perfect San Diego day, so I enjoyed walking to Adams Avenue Street Fair after the game and then going to Oktoberfest at the German-American Societies and then closing down the Ken Club with a hang with Jake. I ended the weekend by going to OAT for The Shins, Spoon, and Day Wave. The 2nd row ticket was a birthday gift from Jeff and it was an excellent show. These listings took extra effort this week but I'm so glad they're done. I'll try to catch up on some posts this week. We'll see how that goes...Monday through Friday archives are after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, September 25-Sunday, October 1, 2017

I don't know about you, but I had a crazy busy week. I went to the Casbah with Pyles on Monday to catch The Heavy Guilt, on Tuesday I shot Glass Animals at Humphrey's while Darren and Nova canoed to the show. On Wednesday I spent the day catching up with tons of work to be ready for the rest of the week. On Thursday I got to shoot Fleet Foxes at the Observatory, then went to see Zola Jesus at the Casbah after, Friday I went to U2, Saturday our girls won their soccer game in the morning then Nova went to a slumber party while Darren and I went to see The xx at the Observatory and then Hundred Waters at the Casbah afterward, and Sunday I worked at the Irenic for Dan Croll. Needless to say it was a good week, but super exhausting, too. I'll try and catch up with some photo posts and whatnot, but in the meantime, archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, September 18-Sunday, September, 24, 2017

It was a pretty great weekend for sure. On Friday night, I stayed close to home and went to the Ken Club for The Downs Family album release party. On Saturday, we coached our second soccer game and the Blue Dragons won! We got our first win which felt especially great because one of the reasons we decided to coach was because Nova's team was shutout every game last season. Winning isn't everything and all that, but always losing hurts a lot, so we felt a little vindication. After the game, the Juvenile Dollinquents roller derby team had a game versus Southwest (a team of LA and Arizona players) and though Nova is a rostered player, she's still the smallest and youngest on her team and doesn't get a lot of time on the track, but she pulled through in a few jams at the end and the girls held their lead and won. My cousin was down for the weekend, so we all went to my parents' house and just hung out for the night. On Sunday, we went to San Diego Zoo and finally got to check out the awesome new bridge from the treehouse to Elephant Odyssey, and also checked out Africa Rocks, which is open from the bottom with the enclosures open for the African penguins, the fossa, the lemurs, and the honey badger. It's pretty amazing and if you haven't been in awhile, you should definitely check it out. This week has a ton of great shows. Not sure what I'll be at, but The Heavy Guilt, Fleet Foxes, Zola Jesus, and The xx are all in my sights. I'll also be working at Swervedriver and Dan Croll. Plus soccer practices, family visits, and whatever wrenches get thrown at me this week. Archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, September 15-Sunday, September 17, 2017

Some weeks just don't go according to plan. At the beginning of the week I had plans for Quicksand, Ottmar Liebert, and Manchester Orchestra. I went to none of these. Monday I was at home buried in work. On Tuesday I got invited to see Benny & Joon The Musical with Tim Pyles and I try to never pass on shows at the Globe when they're offered to me. On Wednesday, I was on my way to the Observatory and started feeling dizzy and nauseous and couldn't imagine pulling off a three band show so I had to call that one off, too. Then I thought I'd make up for my lack of music with a show on Thursday and we got a desperate call from my mom that my dad wasn't doing well and wanted all of the kids and grandkids to come over to visit, just in case it was time. Fortunately, we all made it (except my brother who is out to sea with the Navy) and even more fortunate, he made it through an is feeling much better today. So I'm getting ready to work the very insane and sold out Cigarettes After Sex show at The Irenic, and tomorrow is stacked with derby practice then coaching a soccer game then a derby bout, so I'm not sure what shows I'll be hitting if any, but I couldn't be more glad that the weekend is finally here. To everyone at KAABOO, have a great time. Maybe one day I'll make it up there. Friday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

SDPD Crashes Through Tower Bar

On Saturday night, Tower Bar had a show including Whining Pussys, Idiot Bombs!, Ghost Town Gamblers, and Hyperactive Slackers. While mid-set and with Davey Quinn (aka Davey Tiltwheel) guesting on drums at approximately 1:20am, an SDPD cruiser was allegedly hit-and-run by a drunk driver who side-swiped the police car, launching it through the wall.

Davey posted to Facebook, "I keep feeling the impact on my back-- like an upright body slam," while Antonio Talamantes posted, "Didn't really sleep at all last night. It was a really close call. I keep thinking about the string of events that happened all week which ultimately put Davey in that location on stage at that time. But he's ok. We're all ok." Later, Davey posted that he did eventually go to a doctor for X-rays and evaluation and while in pain, he is okay.
(Images used are from Davey and Antonio's Facebook pages)

As most people know, a car famously crashed into the Tower Bar in 1964, killing a patron and injuring 7 others. Owners Mick Rossler and Dannielle Cobb were not present at the time of the crash but commented, "Bummer. Cuz we don't have enough going on right now.....Fu**!!," and in explainging the incident,"Someone sideswiped the cop. Pushed him to crash through the bar. Luckily nobody was hurt but our friend was playing drums with his back to that wall when it happened. Luckily he's ok. It's fucked!!"

Like most people in this music community, I love Davey and wish him the best and a speedy recovery. Obviously this could have been far worse and I don't know what we'd do without him around as much for contributions to the scene, but for his sense of humor, and his tech skills that has saved my ass a dozen times. Apparently there will be a gofundme set up to help him cover expenses and lost wages while he heals and recovers. I will post the link as soon as it is made available.

From the San Diego Union Tribune, April 26th, 1964

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, September 11-Thursday, September 14, 2017

It was a pretty intense week of news with Harvey in Houston, Irma off the Atlantic, and 45 continuing his Reign of Horror, but it was pretty great in San Diego. My weeks are occupied with soccer because our two hour practices take nearly four with the commute, setting up, hanging around waiting for all the girls to be picked up but it's been super fun. On Wednesday, Darren and I were able to escape to catch Springtime Carnivore at the Casbah, but I was beat on Thursday after soccer and didn't make it to see Kolars at Blonde. Friday we were running errands all over town to clear for Saturday with derby and our first soccer game (our girls lost 0-3 but played amazingly with only one sub). We had a nice afternoon at the beach after the game with my sister and nieces, and on Saturday night, we caught VÉRITÉ at Soda Bar and Vallis Alps at Space, and then had a nice afternoon on Sunday exploiting the Balboa Park drinking loophole with friends. This week is crazy busy, even without KAABOO in the equations. Monday is Quicksand at Belly Up, Tuesday is Ottmar Liebert at Music Box , Wednesday is Manchester Orchestra, Thursday is James Supercave, and Friday I'll be working at the Irenic for Cigarettes After Sex (and sadly missing Patton Oswalt at KAABOO), and Saturday is Against Me! Yikes. I'm not sure I'll make 'em all but I'm gonna try. Monday through Thursday archives are after the jump.