Celebrate 420: MC Flow Invites You To The Dispensary

I try to steer clear of 420 cliches, but my friend Abby, aka MC Flow, sent me this video last week and to be honest, I can't get the tune out of my head. She's got a new EP dropping today and will be appearing at the inaugural Bayked Festival going down this afternoon at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Flow's press release is after the jump. Click here for tickets and info to Bayked.

Photos: lovelytheband at Music Box, March 27, 2018

I've mentioned that the dumb little jack where my laptop charges hasn't been working, so I had a few days without any charge at all, and now even with two different and new power cables, I still need the whole thing opened up so that little jack isn't all wiggly. That said, I am super far behind in photo posts and with more and more photos just accumulating, I have to get up these pics of lovelytheband, who played the first 91X Inspired By Music show at Music Box on March 27. First, I have to say it was super fun because, as you probably know, Music Box is mostly a 21+ venue, and sometimes they will make a show 18+, but it is super rare for them to host all ages shows, so I let Darren off the hook and took Nova with me to the show.

All ages shows means a little bit tighter security, however, so when we got there the line was quite a line, but we made our way in, and she was able to get a nice little spot up front with a friend of mine and his kid who was about Nova's age. In fact, there were a lot of kids there, and especially lots of teen and tween girls. It was pretty great to watch the show through their lens, and the band engaged the fans, while addressing mental illness, depression, and self-esteem in a meaningful way. It was clear they were elated to be there, and the love was coming from the stage to the crowd and back again.

All in all, it was a super fun night and having the kiddo there made it that much cooler. We shot some video and tons more pics which you can find after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, April 17-Monday, April 23, 2018

Well I certainly had a good week. On Monday we caught Soccer Mommy and Madeline Kenney, then I went to Kevin Morby. On Tuesday, Darren, Nova and I decided to walk to Queen Bee's and caught Frankie Cosmos and Ian Sweet. On Thursday we got to see Angel Olsen and Priests, and watched tons of Couchella through the weekend. I worked at Murder City Devils on Saturday night and on Sunday after celebrating my sister's 40th, I got to shoot The War On Drugs, then went to Peelander-Z at the Casbah then Birdland at Blonde. Phew. I've got a ton of shows on the agenda this week, too, but not until I catch up on some serious sleep. I hope to get a ton of pics up this week, too, just gimme time. Full listings for this week are after the jump.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018:

• David Byrne - American Utopia Tour, Perfume Genius @ San Diego Civic Theatre
• Kali Uchis @ The Observatory (SOLD OUT)
• Miguel, SiR, Nonchalant Savant @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay (SOLD OUT)
• Boogarins, The Kabbs, Takahashi @ Casbah  
• Hey Ocean!, Beginners, Coral Bells @ Soda Bar
• Tank and The Bangas, The Seshen @ Belly Up 
• Alborosie & the Shengen Clan, the Originators, DJ Stepwise @ Music Box
• Mortar, Know Ending, Steeltoe @ The Merrow
• Tiki Tuesday @ Bar Pink
• T Is For Techno @ Blonde
• Michele Lundeen @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
• Sole & Paperback, PVC, Stuntdouble & tenshun, DJ Willy Guttz @ Til-Two Club
• Sneaky Pete & the Secret Weapons @ Winston's (9:30 pm)
• Karaoke @ Bancroft Bar
• Line Dancing Lessons @ Moonshine Beach 
• Open Mic hosted by Bobo Czarnowski 
• Comedy Night hosted by Jaleesa Johnson @ Martini's Above Fourth
• True Bass Tuesdays with DJ Ramsey & Raji Rabbit @ The Office
• Joe Robinson @ Crossroads, House of Blues (FREE)
• DJ Lexicon Devil @ Pour House  
• Beer Pong @ U-31
• Lyrical Exchange Open Mic @ Queen Bee's
• Karaoke @ Riviera Supper Club
• Jukebox Kings @ Tio Leo's
• Videodrome @ Whistle Stop
• Comedy Night @ Lestat's
• Rockabilly and Swing @ Henry's Pub
• Karaoke with Christine @ Navajo Live 
• Introspective Culture @ 710 Beach Club
• Open Mic Night House Concert Series hosted by Ash Foster @ El Dorado

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, April 10- Monday, April 16, 2018

I was in broken computer hell last week but I have at least temporarily solved the problem so I didn't get out for a whole lot of shooting. We had fun seeing Courtship, Coasts, and The Hunna at House of Blues, and Nova came back from Spring Break on Wednesday. That night I went to the Casbah to catch Elise Trouw open for Moonchild. On Thursday, we hung out at Ziggy's benefit at URBN. On Saturday, Nova had early derby and soccer and after getting torched in the sun, I got a nice long nap before working at the Irenic, picking her up from my mom's, then heading to the Casbah for Low Volts, Scott H Biram, and JD Wilkes and Legendary Shack Shakers. On Sunday, Nova had a derby game but had to get there early, so we snuck off to the Jameson Your Neighborhood Block Party at Maverick's before returning for her game. They killed and she only skated three jams, but got the best jammer award anyway. I'm looking forward to some amazing shows this week and hopefully will get some more pics than I've had the past couple weeks. Tuesday through Monday listings are after the jump.

A Ship In The Woods Music and Art Festival Announced In Escondido June 16-17

A new entry in the local music festival scene, A SHIP IN THE WOODS presents their inaugural Music and Art Festvial at Felicita County Park on June 16-17.

Built To Spill, No Age, Bill Callahan(SMOG), and Shabazz Palaces to Headline the Inaugural 2018 A SHIP IN THE WOODS Music & Art Festival at Felicita County Park in Escondido, California.

A SHIP IN THE WOODS is a 501c3 nonprofit.

Tickets are on sale now with Early Bird Weekend pricing until April 20 for just $80.

Get your tickets here, just don't stare at the website too long our you might have a seizure.

91X Announces Beer X Festival on June 23rd at Waterfront Park

Today, 91X announced their 4th Annual Beer X event, taking place at Waterfront Park on June 23rd.

4th Annual

91X Presents BeerX

Saturday, June 23

At Waterfront Park In San Diego, CA

With Performances From Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, Pepper, 

Fishbone, Ethan Tucker Band, Marujah

 Festival Features Extensive Craft Beer Selection

Highlighting Some Of Southern California’s Best Breweries

Over 150 craft beer offerings from the best breweries from So Cal and beyond!

21+ from 1PM-4PM with unlimited craft beer tastings until 4PM.

Pre-sale starts Wednesday, April 4 at 8am

Ends Thursday, April 5 at 10pm

General on sale Friday, April 6 at 10am

Password: 91X

GET TICKETS HERE

BEER • MUSIC • GRUB

Outside Lands 2018 Lineup Announced

 This morning, Outside Lands dropped their 2018 lineup. The festival will take place on August 10-12, 2018, in Golden Gate park. To me, Outside Lands and Sasquatch! are always the most desirable lineups and at the most desirable time of year, so though traveling for festivals isn't in my budget or lifestyle these days, it's still fun to dream a little. There's a whole press release about the whole deal, so I'll post that after the jump with the full lineup. What you really need to know is that 3-Day general admission and VIP passes go on sale this Thursday, April 5 at 10am PT. Info and tickets can be found on the Outside Lands site here.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, April 3-Monday, April 9, 2018

I am a chronic procrastinator. I'm not especially good at dealing with life and adulting and shit. I'd rather just let it all build up, give me some major panic attacks, then hide under the covers until I have to suck it up, bite the bullet, and do whatever it is I was putting off. In this immediate case, it was replacing my computer charger. They're such a pain in the ass and so specific to each model computer that you can get a really good deal on the web but not get it for weeks, or get it right away but blow way too much money on it. So I'm in limbo right now, I ordered one and don't know when it will come, but until then, my laptop is basically a paperweight and I can't retrieve any of my docs or photos or anything. Super annoying. Luckily, we still have a couple older functional ones around the house, so all is not lost, but I'm not gonna get around to posting pics of lovelytheband or Declan McKenna or any others I was stalled on. Apparently I'm not the only procrastinator, however, so this week's listings are missing Sycamore Den, El Dorado, Black Cat Bar, and a few others. Maybe I'll update as they trickle in. Tuesday through Monday archives are after the jump.

Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay Announces 2018 Full Season

On Sunday, Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay announced their 2018 concert season. I'll be busting out the canoe on a couple nights, but apparently housing in San Diego isn't the only thing outrageously priced in San Diego. I included the base ticket prices by show, but obviously you can check their full site for details on dinner or room packages. Shows that have already been on sale or sold out are in italics, the new announces are on sale Saturday, April 7th at 10am online or at the Humphrey's Box Office.

Alt-J

• Tue, Apr 10 7:30 PM Chromeo, Phantoms (On sale. GA. Standing Only. $43.50)
• Fri, Apr 13 7:30 PM Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (On sale. $59)
• Sun, Apr 15 7:30 PM Fleet Foxes, Amen Dunes (On sale. $60)
• Tue, Apr 17 7:00 PM Miguel, SiR, Nonchalant Savant (Sold Out. GA. Standing Only)
• Thu, Apr 19 7:30 PM alt-J, Twin Shadow. (Sold Out. GA. Standing Only)
• Sat, May 12 7:30 PM "Weird Al" Yankovic - The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, Emo Philips. (Sold Out)
• Sun, May 13 7:00 PM An Acoustic Evening with Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness & Friends (On sale. $32.50)
• Sun, Jun 03 8:00 PM The Monkees present The Mike & Micky Show (On sale. $65)
• Mon, Jun 04 7:30 PM Stephen Stills & Judy Collins, Joe Purdy ($70)
• Thu, Jun 07 8:00 PM Michael Franti & Spearhead - Stay Human Tour, Victoria Canal & Dustin Thomas ($58.50)
• Fri, Jun 15 7:30 PM Eric Burdon & The Animals, Edgar Winter Band ($59)
• Fri, Jun 22 6:30 PM Dark Star Orchestra (GA. Standing Only. $35)
• Sat, Jun 23 7:00 PM Trampled by Turtles, Deer Tick (On sale. GA. Standing Only. $45)
• Mon, Jun 25 7:30 PM Violent Femmes, Blaise Garza, John Sparrow. ($45)
• Fri, Jun 29 7:30 PM The Go-Go's ($66)
• Tue, Jul 10 8:00 PM Straight No Chaser ($59)
• Thu, Jul 12 7:00 PM Happy Together Tour 2018 ($59)
• Sun, Jul 15 8:00 PM Pink Martini ($62)
• Tue, Jul 17 7:30 PM Chris Isaak ($85)
• Fri, Jul 20 7:30 PM Big Bad Voodoo Daddy ($40)
• Mon, Jul 23 7:30 PM George Thorogood and The Destroyers Rock Party Tour 2018 ($58)
• Tue, Jul 24 7:30 PM Supertramp's Roger Hodgson - Breakfast In America World Tour ($60)
• Thu, Jul 26 8:00 PM Joe Bonamassa - The Guitar Event of the Year (On sale. $149)
• Fri, Jul 27 8:00 PM Joe Bonamassa - The Guitar Event of the Year (On sale. $149)
• Sun, Jul 29 7:30 PM Adam Ant: The Anthems Tour ($50)
• Mon, Jul 30 7:30 PM The Decemberists, Whitney (On sale. $64)
• Fri, Aug 03 8:00 PM Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons ($105)
• Sun, Aug 05 7:30 PM The Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes & Tonino Baliardo ($87.50)
• Tue, Aug 07 7:30 PM Toto - 40 Trips Around The Sun (On sale. $67)
• Wed, Aug 08 7:00 PM Hippiefest 2018 ($50)
• Fri, Aug 10 7:30 PM Willie Nelson & Family, Alison Krauss ($185)
• Thu, Aug 16 7:00 PM Brandi Carlile ($66.50)
• Thu, Aug 23 8:00 PM Rodriguez ($50)
• Fri, Aug 24 8:00 PM The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute ($47)
• Sun, Aug 26 7:30 PM George Benson ($79)
• Mon, Aug 27 8:00 PM YES - 50th Anniversary Tour featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman ($75)
• Fri, Aug 31 6:30 PM Lost 80's Live ($67)
• Fri, Sep 07 7:30 PM The Australian Pink Floyd Show - Time 2018 (On sale. $58)
• Sat, Sep 08 8:00 PM Jake Shimabukuro ($50)
• Sun, Sep 09 7:30 PM The Stylistics, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, Eddie Holman ($55)
• Tue, Sep 11 8:00 PM An Evening with Lyle Lovett & his Large Band ($65)
• Wed, Sep 19 7:30 PM Kenny G ($55)
• Fri, Sep 21 7:30 PM Air Supply ($63)
• Wed, Sep 26 7:30 PM Boz Scaggs ($100)
• Thu, Sep 27 8:00 PM Ringo Starr & his All Starr Band ($148)
• Fri, Sep 28 7:30 PM A Bowie Celebration: The David Bowie Alumni Tour ($52)
• Fri, Oct 05 7:30 PM America ($70)
• Sat, Oct 06 7:30 PM The B-52s ($80)
• Fri, Oct 12 8:00 PM Jesse Cook ($45)
• Sat, Oct 20 7:30 PM Allen Stone, Nick Waterhouse. ($34.50)
• Tue, Oct 30 7:30 PM Joan Baez - Fare Thee Well...Tour 2018 (Sold Out)

Team Ziggy: Fundraiser for Epilepsy

My brother-from-another-mother Kristian, his beautiful wife Carrie, and their little boys, Ziggy, Ozzy, and Jonze are once again raising money for Team Ziggy and their participation in Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk. To join in the fun, they're hosting a night at URBN Pizza in North Park on Thursday, April 5th from 4-7pm, with a suggested donation of $10 per person. We love this family so very deeply and whether you know them or not, no doubt this is a worthy cause and worth supporting. Besides, Kristian is pretty much the most awesome person ever and pretty much has the most amazing and beautiful network of friends, so it'll be a veritable who's who in San Diego.  If you can't make the event, you can donate directly to Team Ziggy right here. If you want to take it a step further, join the team and walk on April 15th at De Anza Cove.

From Carrie:

It's been a little over a year since our Zig was diagnosed with Partial Epilepsy (Dec. 2016) and over that year we have had our share of challenges, as well as breakthroughs when it comes to Ziggy’s epilepsy.  I’m happy to say that he’s doing really well!  I wish that I could say that we’ve found all the answers and solved the riddle that is Ziggy’s condition but that is just not the case.  We have only begun to scratch the surface of what is going on inside his 6 year old body and there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t wonder if we’re doing all we can for him and have made the right choices for him.  This is the never ending battle of having a child with epilepsy.  You can’t trust anything will stay the same, that another seizure won’t happen when you least expect it or that these new behaviors are part of he epilepsy.  You just don’t know.  

Photos: Flogging Molly, Jon Snodgrass, Scott H Biram @ The Observatory, March 14, 2018

I always mean to post photos the day after a show, but stuff comes up and then I feel like nobody really cares anymore anyway, but real people go out of their way to make it possible for me to be able to shoot, so eventually I acknowledge the photos deserve to see the light of day, even if they're spotty and hazy from my dirty camera. That said, I hadn't intended to go to the Flogging Molly show, and then I realized Jon Snodgrass was opening and though I knew it was sold out, I had to ask anyway, and so I got to be one of the lucky ones in the photo pit. I've been missing the openers at the Observatory a lot lately because they tend to come on at 8 and I always feel bad heading out before Nova's bedtime, but I made an exception for this one.

Scott H Biram opened the show and he's always great to see. He plays the Casbah a few times a year, so I feel like I see him often and I'm fully onboard with the scruffy punk guys doing the twangy outlaw country-tinged singer-songwriter thing. He'll be back at the Casbah on April 7th with JD Wilkes and The Legendary Shack Shakers, where he and Low Volts can have a duel of the best one man band.

Hopefully Jon Snodgrass comes back soon, too He was next onstage and I love his voice so much and he played a few of my favorite Drag The River tunes among his set and made some relatable dad-rock comments throughout the show, too. I've also included an embed (shot with my phone) when O came out to play with him. He has a long history in San Diego and with Cargo Records and gave a nice shout out to Larry Munroe and O and others.

Finally, Flogging Molly hit the stage. It's hard to say anyone is energetic after Gogol Bordello just the week before, but Flogging Molly is certainly up there when it comes to onstage energy. The last time I saw them was at Street Scene what seems like forever ago. I was on the 9th floor of the Clarion watching the street below and a thousand bros in a massive circle pit, and at no fault of the band, having that feeling that Street Scene was over, it had grown too big while downtown open spaces were diminishing. I wasn't wrong, but that's why seeing the band in the contained space of the Observatory felt both nostalgic and hopeful, that all good things come back around. I took hundreds of pictures but have trimmed it down after the jump.

Local Radio News: 98/9 TJ-SD To Launch March 31 and other radio tidbits...

You may or may not have heard that More-FM is modifying their format to be a multilingual and 'Borderless' station branded 98/9 TJ-SD. As much as it pains me to link to a KL penned article, The Reader primarily focuses on the fact that Cesar Gonzalez--owner of the now defunct Mama Testa (home of the best salsa ever but never served without attitude)--will be the first on-air personality at the station, then digs in a little on Halloran, who will be playing three hours of cross-border local artists every weeknight from 9pm-Midnight. As someone who has known Hal for years, and worked with station owner Mario Mayan and sales director Randy Phillips for several years back in the day, I'm super excited about a new radio format to stir the San Diego pot.

From a local music perspective, Halloran and crew are trying to build their local music catalog. Bring CDs to Pitbull Audio in National City 2 pm on Saturday, March 31, or April 7 at 2 pm at Secret Garden [Jardin Secreto] on Manuel Doblado in Tijuana. If you plan on submitting music, note that they are specifically requesting CDs. Don't email links or MP3s. If you don't have CDs, burned ones are usually acceptable, but LABEL them. The CD itself and the case should both include your Band Name, a contact phone number and/or email, web address and track titles. On the case, you might suggest one or two "singles" from the record, bio, band photo, and other pertinent or more specific info. (Perhaps my old San Diego Music Thing notes might help in this situation.)

In other radio news, 91X recently launched a new morning show...The Moug Show...and you know I'm not commuting or listening to radio in the mornings (or even awake) to have an opinion about it. Meanwhile, Woods is back on the air at The Mighty 1090 with the Ben and Woods show, offering up morning sports talk weekdays from 6-9am.

 And on Monday night, I was made aware of the disgusting, tacky, and insensitive photo posted on social media by the new Kevin Klein Live show on 97.3, which has flipped from Energy 97.3 to The Machine 97.3, which will be a classic rock format and taking the Padres broadcasts from Alt 94/9.  The dude's morning show starts today. I'm not posting his shit photo here, but I'm sure you've seen it, and you can see the backlash on NBC, the U-T here  and HERE  and even the Padres. If what he wanted was attention, mission accomplished. I'm not the demo so my not listening doesn't mean shit to them, but for the record, fuck that guy and all the assholes defending the post.

If radio news interests you, you should always keep up on SanDiegoRadio.org and you can see press releases, news, and quarterly radio ratings, and marvel at the fact that country is the 3rd ranked station in San Diego, and more people listen to Christian Radio than to your favorite alternative station. Gag.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, March 27- Monday, April 2, 2018

It was a bit of a rough week, I have to be honest. The night of the Music Awards I was already feeling a little sick, enough that I'd almost given up my ticket. It ended up being a long and crazy night and has left me with a hacking cough, achy body, and more jacked up sleeping hours than usual. I rallied enough to catch Lucy Dacus and And The Kids on Wednesday then laid low the rest of the week. I missed the march, but caught Sure Fire Soul Ensemble at Soda Bar then L.A. Salami at Casbah on Saturday, and wasn't up for working a whole Casbah shift but did catch Rhett Miller's set on Sunday, and then Monday was hell because I was feeling better but Darren got some bug or food poisoning so we were tied home. Fortunately Nova was off with my nieces, getting some time in before she leaves to Missouri so hopefully we can at least keep her germ-free before her trip. Supposing Darren's thing is just a quick blip, this week should be a whole lot better.