Things To Do In San Diego: April 30, 2012

(These were supposed to post at 7am today. Apologies that they did not.)

Forgive me if I fall off the radar for a bit. It might be for a week, it might be a couple weeks, I can't really say. I'm hoping that this potential new place works out this week, and if so, I'm going to be moving as quickly as possible to get out of this place which is gonna come with a whole shit-ton of physical and emotional baggage that I am not looking forward to. If it doesn't work out, I'm on the mad hunt for something to get outta here before the end of May. Hate is a really strong word, but I've never hated someone more than I hate my neighbor and my landlord for this major interruption in my life. It is just absolutely astonishing that after 11 years, my dog is suddenly a problem.  Hopefully my contributors will pick up the slack while I bury myself for awhile. Anyway, Monday archives are after the jump.

Coachella 2012, Weekend 2, Sunday

I realize that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to be writing about Coachella four days one week after it is all over, especially when everyone is already talking about Bonnaroo and such, but I might as well finish what I started last week. To read all about it, click the jump. If not, you can just watch the rad videos that FM 94/9 shot in their mud hut last weeekend instead.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 28-29, 2012

I'm sorry I didn't get these up earlier this week, I had a little too much fun this week and didn't motivate early enough. I still have so much to post from the past couple weeks and I don't really know when I'm gonna be online and get it all posted. Be sure to check out the lineup for ArtWalk this weekend because it's always such a good time. I'll be down on Sunday while I'm spending my Saturday judging a Battle of the Bands. Archives after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 27, 2012

I really have nothing to say today. I will be posting my final Coachella wrap-up later tonight, hopefully when I'm selling merch for Jello Biafra. This week was supposed to be chill but was anything but and I suppose I'll catch you up on all of that, too. In the meantime, here are Friday listings. Archived after the jump.

FM 94/9 Announces Sandy Parts Festival - June 3 at Oceanside Pier

FM 94/9 has announced a new event at the Oceanside Pier. Given the title the Sandy Parts Festival (SPF), the event is taking place on June 3rd with Santigold, The Naked and Famous, Imagine Dragons, and Electric Guest. The show will only set you back $20 (or $25 the week of the show) and the general admission tickets will go on sale this coming Monday.




This event is taking place the same day as 91X's X-Fest and is an interesting way to go head to head with the station. It is my understanding that the two-stage Independence Jam, which normally takes place in the middle of summer at the Oceanside Pier, will instead be held sometime in September.

Jeff's Weekly Pick: Caveman @ The Casbah Friday April 27, 2012

Caveman, a five piece indie rock band from Brooklyn, will be making their San Diego debut Friday night at the Casbah. What makes this group stand out is the vibe they create with their atmospheric songs. Thrown in are African drum beats and fuzzy guitars, but not to the point of upsetting the overall effect the music has. CoCo Beware

was the band’s initial full length released last year. Formed in January 2010, Caveman has gained a growing audience by playing CMJ, opening for larger bands, and a live show that is a must see(from what I have read). By combining elements of experimentation and straight forward indie rock the result is a sound that is easy on the ears. I am eagerly anticipating the quintet’s San Diego appearance at the Middletown club. Note: the show has an early start time of 7 pm due to a later show also booked for the same night. Henry Wolfe sets the stage. Watch a video of Easy Water below.

Andrew Bird Announces Tour: Spreckels August 11

Andrew Bird has announced a tour and lucky for us, the whistling troubadour will be making a stop in San Diego. The show will be at Spreckels Theatre on August 11 at 7pm. Tickets for the show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

Andrew Bird's 2012 tour will take place in July and August in support of his 12th record, Break It Yourself. For more information on the tour and the record, check out Andrew's site here.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 24-26, 2012

I arrived home from the desert on Monday morning, but after sleeping three nights on floor pillows and  doing the Coachella thing as hard as I could, I needed to honor my own Monday off rule. I slept the greater part of the day, and then Chase and I got restless and walked (reminding me that I jacked my hip from the weekend) to Triple Crown then Eleven then back home again. As I told Dustin on Saturday, "I'm toast." With that, here are your listings. Plan on spending some serious time at the Hard Rock Hotel for the free show tonight with Best Coast at 207, tomorrow for the free show at Mary Jane's, and then on Thursday for SoundDiego Live back at 207 with Republic of Letters and The Heavy Guilt. Be sure to RSVP for that one here. Tuesday through Thursday archives after the jump.

James at Coachella (Weekend 2) & House of Blues San Diego

I thought I was going to come home from Coachella and relax and such, and I definitely attempted to get caught up in daytime sleep, but poor Chase felt like house/dogsitting was a sentence for house arrest, so on Monday night we walked over to Triple Crown for some foosball (he won 2 of 3) and ping pong (I won 2 of 3) and then meandered over to Eleven and finished the night there. My computer froze, which made editing these videos more time consuming, but I felt it was worth it to post them. I still need to post a bunch of other stuff and upload photos and such, but in the meantime, this is the video I captured of James at Coachella. I hear they're being strict on things, so it is quite possible that these videos might be pulled from YouTube, but I hope not because even though I couldn't even see what I was shooting, I'm pretty proud that they came out so well considering how far I was from the stage and how I couldn't see a goddamn thing in my viewfinder as I was recording, and I'm going to maintain that even though there were several great performances over the weekend, for me, James was the best performance of the whole shebang.

The youtube playlist below is as follows:

Born Of Frustration
Ring The Bells
Out To Get You
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)
Sometimes
Sound
Laid




For good measure, check the playlist from the House of Blues San Diego from the night before (with even shoddier camera work). After the jump.

Coachella 2012, Weekend 2: Saturday

I wish there was a way to write this without mentioning the blazing heat, but the entire day seemed dictated by it. From delayed arrival at the festival to spending too much time trying to find shade, shelter, fans and a/c, and even band gear overheating (which may have been the cause of such horrific sound issues for The Big Pink), the heat ruled the day.

I'll give the short rundown because I hardly took phone photos so I can't upload anything until I'm home. (Did I mention this is the first time I've ever traveled without my laptop??)

Our day started at the pool of the MiraMonte. I ordered lunch and the boys had cocktails. At noon they had a $5 Heineken special, which is only important to mention because too many day beers meant a very lazy night for my friends. They also had 10 minute massages for $10. Pure heaven.

We caught our shuttle to Coachella, but the treatment is so ridiculously awesome that they had us wait on the Heineken party bus to have beer so they could cool down the van before transporting us. The shuttle drop off and pickup was in the artist parking lot, with an easy access to the back of the main VIP area. Like I said, completely ridiculous and amazing. You have no idea how lucky I felt.

We arrived during We Are Augustines and since we were already a few beers deep, we just kept it going. Perhaps a mistake in the heat, but we were certainly enjoying ourselves. We stayed through part of Childish Gambino. I really don't understand the appeal, but whatever.

We crossed the field to the Mojave tent for The Big Pink but the sound was terrible. I mentioned gear overheating and perhaps that was part of the problem, but something was off, which was disappointing because you could tell they were giving their all to the set. Disappointed, we decided to chill in the Rose Garden VIP area which had a large air conditioned beer tent, and a large group of people sprawled out in a corner watching Grace Potter on a flatscreen TV, so we joined them.

After some reprieve from the sun, we returned to the Mojave tent where we all agreed that The Head and The Heart gave the best set of the day (that we witnessed). "Sound Like Hallelujah" literally gave me chills and I had my first "Coachella moment" where the collective enthusiasm was overwhelming. I understand that this is why people return to festivals year after year, event after event, but it isn't really my thing, so when it does happen, it is pretty special.

When they finished, we returned to the main VIP area and caught part of the Kaiser Chiefs before deciding that we needed to break from the sun. We returned to the party bus until a shuttle arrived to take us back to the MiraMonte. Eli and I made a food run to Rubio's while the boys napped, and after a couple hours and everyone freshening up, we shuttled back and pretty much stayed in the VIP section for the rest of the night.

We found a spot in the grass and didn't move. I loved The Shins, and I thought James Mercer did a great cover of "Helpless" which was nice since I'd been watching "The Last Waltz" just a couple nights before. (RIP Levon Helm) I also really loved Bon Iver who are so exceptional at commanding an audience through all of their quiet to thunderous instrumentation, and Justin, though a superstar at this point, just seems like a regular guy you'd wanna chill with at a neighborhood bar on a any night of the week.

Radiohead closed the night and maybe diehard Radiohead fans (Radioheadheads?) loved it, but I was hot and cold on their set. I got that "Coachella moment" thing a bit with The Shins and Bon Iver but it never hit with Radiohead which was just a little disappointed since I'd definitely felt that communal elation at their last San Diego show. Doesn't matter really, because it was still a great day.

We caught our shuttle home and Dustin and I decided to keep drinking our stash of Heineken, so we found a hammock on a lawn and gossipped like teenage girls. We heard loud talking and splashes and realized some people were in the hot tub after hours. We joined them and it turns out several of them work for RedLight Management, so we chatted a bit until I was toast and had to call it a night. Dustin, on the other hand, had a crazy night, but he'll have to start his own blog for those details.

It is now 1 am on Monday and Coachella is all wrapped up. We're leaving at 6 am so I'll have to catch you up on Day 3 later. This has been so amazing, sometimes I feel like I'm living someone else's life. I guess this weekend I was. Back to reality in the morning.

Coachella 2012

A week ago I had no sights on going to Coachella, but after catching up with my friend David and joking about not having an "in", he called me back and offered me a wristband. I swear I wasn't fishing. You all know my life is in serious shambles at the moment and I should be aggressively searching for a new home, but thanks to a bunch of people (namely David, Chase, Elliott, Mike, and Jenn), Coachella 2012 (weekend 2) became a reality for me. I should also mention I got sick this week, so between not finding dogsitters and feeling like shit, I almost called the whole thing off as late as Thursday. I am surrounded by awesome people who really came through for me.

So because I didn't really plan on Coachella, I never really even thought about who I would want to see. And an obvious perk of doing what I do is getting to see/work shows, so in the past two weeks alone I worked at the Rapture and Yuck and saw Housse De Racket, Band of Skulls, James, The Big Pink, M Ward, and Squeeze, and also passed on a significant amount of shows. So blah blah, stop bragging. Really all I knew was my group wasn't coming until late Friday, so while at the James show at the House of Blues, I took to Twitter and found an early ride with Jen (@JennyJenJen). I got to sleep at 3:30 am, David dropped off my wristband at 7, and Jen and I were on the road by 7:15, she checked into her air BnB around 10:30, we grabbed some Wendy's and got to Coachella early enough to get beat down by a full day of desert sun.

Since I'm not here with any press credentials, I didn't feel obligated to do or see or shoot anything specific, so my day kicked off with Other Lives, Givers, and James. Actually, that is not entirely true. I spent almost my whole first hour of Coachella between the "charging station" trying to charge my phone and waiting in the water filling lines.

Other Lives were awesome as ever and the crowd seemed to love it, with people around me associating the band with Radiohead and Bon Iver, since they've supported both on tour. When I'm home I'll post more video to add to my growing Other Lives archive. Sadly I think in the Josh's eyes I've turned into SuperGroupie and he couldn't be bothered to chat after the show, so I was on my way to Givers.

Givers were nearly done by the time I got to their tent and it was packed. It was pretty obvious from the first time I saw them at Sunset Sessions that they would be a band to watch with a big future ahead, so it's great to see them doing so well just a little over a year later. It was also great to see them maximize the use of their stage with their usual high energy.

I thought I was going to see Yuck, but the crowd was large and mostly I just wanted to say hi to their tour manager, so I moved along to get a spot for James.

I know I still owe you photos from Thursday (see videos on my YouTube channel), but you should know this is one of my top 5 all time favorite bands of all time. Anything I say comes with great bias because their music soundtracked so many personal ups and downs, loves and out-of-loves, great friendships and great friendships lost. I don't remember the setlist off the top of my head, but I do know it was a different set than last week and also different from Thursday. It kicked off with "White Boy" and followed with "Born Of Frustration", during which Tim Booth came into the security pit and jumped on the rail just by me (see photos). I'll have to go through my video for the rest of the setlist. They played "Sometimes", "Tomorrow", and of course "Laid". I'll upload those on Monday, but be warned...the sun was so bright and even though I was "front row" along the railing, I was still about 25 feet from the stage. The further I am, the closer I have to zoom, and thus the shakier the video becomes.

The rest of my day isn't really worth talking about because I totally crashed. I finally explored the VIP area, found an outlet and some grass, and I was in my own world. I listened to Jimmy Cliff and Arctic Monkeys and Pulp from the little VIP oasis, visiting with Kristian who is bartending here, as well as Vito, a friend and fellow SoundDiego contributor.

When I finally charged my phone and ate and cooled down a bit, I decided to catch Mazzy Star. I love Hope Sandoval and remember my best friend playing a demo of She Hangs Brightly that she somehow acquired from a cousin and "Halah" being one of my favorite songs to sing-along to. She started the set with old songs, but requested near darkness onstage. I already couldn't see the band and you know I cannot stand a lightless stage, so after about 6 songs, I left to meet up with David and Dustin who had finally arrived. We had some Heineken then roamed, catching some Black Keys, some M83, more Heineken in the Rose Garden VIP area, laughed at the dance tent, then met up with Eli back at the main VIP area before we caught the shuttle to our resort.

Oh yeah...did I mention that? We're staying at this plush resort called the Mira Monte. There's a shuttle to and from Coachella and when we wait for the shuttle, there's a party bus stocked with Heineken for the taking...and we were taking. Me, the girl who might be homeless in a month, is doing it super fancy at Coachella 2012. Don't think that I don't know how lucky I am.

I guess I better charge up this phone and get ready for day two. Cheers!

Adams Avenue Unplugged Lineups

I know these are difficult to read, but if you click on the images, you should be able to see them. The schedule is also in last week's CityBeat and I'm sure you can grab one along the way. Enjoy!

SD@140bpm Recommends....

Tonight Friday April 20th make sure to check out Glitch Slap: Four, Two, Oooh!!! w/ Wyatt Purp, Misk, Wala, and urBn:LgNd. The event takes place- not in the main bar at "Kava Lounge"- instead the event is hosted right next door at Kava's Center for the Arts.  The larger space is great for the amazing art exhibits that will be on display including: S E A N D I E T R I C H presenting art, illustrations comics, live painting and whiskey; VIsUaLs by Owns One; and Circus Mafia Presents special guest STRYDER THE JESTER.  


In addition this is a great lineup for underground electronic dance music.  The headliner Wyatt Purp is a bass music outlaw from Boomstone, Arizona, whose crunkadelic bangers will heat up the dance floor. More after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: April 20-23, 2012

I'm off to Coachella and I have never felt so ill-prepared for a trip, but whatever. I hope you all take advantage of Adams Avenue Unplugged this weekend, and I'm a little bummed I'm gonna miss it, especially since it is the last event on the street while I live in this place. Friday through Monday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 18-19, 2012

I just thought I would update the listings in case you're out and about and need to find them quickly from your mobile device. As far as I've been told, Band of Skulls is the only show that sold out, so you still have time to get to the Casbah or Belly Up, though House of Blues is probably too late. I was told that over at the Griffin, We Are Augustines will play at 9:45 and Band of Skulls at 11, which means I'm gonna leave mid-set to catch The Big Pink at the Casbah. Boo. Wednesday and Thursday archives after the jump.

Best Thing Ever: Rob Crow Reads Children's Stories

Rob Crow posted this amazing gem on Facebook and commented, "To be clear, this is the first in a monthly series of musical stories for children called STORYTIME WITH ROB CROW." The man just never stops creating.

X-Fest 2012 Lineup Announced

This press release comes straight from 91X. I guess I got it this morning, but you know my funny sleep hours and I didn't think that anyone was dying to get this information from me. For those of you interested, Outside Lands was announced today, too.

91X “X-FEST 2012” CONCERT LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

91X today announced on-air the artist line-up for “91X X-Fest,” happening on Sunday, June 3 at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista. This year’s line-up brings Jane’s Addiction, Garbage, Angels & Airwaves, P.O.D., Rebelution, Neon Trees, Of Monsters and Men, Grouplove, Eve 6 and Walk the Moon to San Diego. (more after the jump)

New San Diego Show Announcements

I added some shows on the Casbah calendar, and while I was going through the weekend listings, I noticed a couple adds at Humphrey's, too.

The tickets all go on sale Friday, April 20, at 10am. Humphrey's tickets will be on Ticketmaster. The Casbah shows are linked to Frontgate below.

• Gillian Welch @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay- May 30, 2012
• Motion City Soundtrack, The Henry Clay People, The Front Bottoms @ Casbah - June 14, 2012
• Friends @ Casbah - June 29, 2012
• Ledisi, Eric Benet @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay, July 18, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: April 17, 2012

Yesterday I told you that I was going to try to get the weekend listings done early this week, and since Jeff already did next week's, below are all of the show listings through next Thursday. Just don't get used to it, because it is a total pain in the ass. I'll be at Yuck tonight slinging merch and there are plenty of tickets available as of now, but I'll let you know if it starts getting closer to a sell out. Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 16, 2012

I am pretty sure that this week is gonna go down as one of the best week's for live music in San Diego . We get the benefit of our proximity to Indio so tons of bands have been here in the past week and will be filtering down throughout the week. Of course, it means tough choices, too. Keep in mind that the Casbah is closed tonight. Since I'll be out every night this week and heading to Coachella on Friday, I'll try to get your weekend listings up sooner than usual. ("Try" being the operative word here.) Monday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 14 & 15, 2012

I feel like a complete hypocrite that I stayed home last night, but at that critical window of time to leave the house to get to a show on time (8:30-10pm), it was pouring in Kensington and I had company so instead we watched "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "How To Train A Dragon". It was   a pretty nice day today, so perhaps you got out and enjoyed the Mile of Music or took care of household duties as I attempted. I'm dreading the physical act of moving and am still on the hunt for a new place, but I got yet another bitchy text from my landlord so I can't wait to never have to speak to her again. So on to the shows.  The Rapture is SOLD OUT, so you're gonna have to find something else. There are still tickets to the 2nd Face To Face show, so if you want to check that out, grab tickets here. Saturday and Sunday archives are after the jump.

Couchella 2012 & Housse De Racket

I didn't attempt to request a press pass for Coachella this year, and I regret that now because it appears they were much more generous since the festival expanded to two weekends. Live and learn, I guess, but it turns out a friend of mine has a pass for me, so I'll be making the trek next weekend. In the meantime, I'll be working for and seeing a bunch of bands in San Diego, like The Rapture tonight at the Irenic, Face To Face at the Casbah on Sunday, M Ward at the Belly Up on Monday, a three night stand at the Casbah with Yuck (Tuesday), The Big Pink (Wednesday), and We Were Promised Jetpacks after I see James at the House of Blues on Thursday.

If you're at home, you can catch many of the Coachella bands live on YouTube. Call me a prude, but Azaelia Banks uses the N word about 8000 times per song and that is not okay with me. Don't need to stay on that channel so I flipped over to We Were Promised Jetpacks. Additionally, there were some funny memes, clips, and links that went viral this week, so if you missed them, here's a couple for you.

Texting Guy Almost Runs Into A Bear

Animals Who Are Extremely Disappointed In You

7 Types of People At Coachella (Funny or Die)

And while I'm at it, ChristWire is like The Onion for Christianity, but in case you missed it last year, "Coachella is a Festival of Disease and Sin. Your Children Most Likely Will Die."

Last, I just wanted to say that I know things are tough economically for everyone, and most of you have real jobs, but there have been some amazing shows in town and you should try to get out of your comfort zone a little. Housse De Racket are from France and playing Coachella this weekend, but they stopped by the Casbah on Tuesday and were unfazed that they played to about 25 people. There are some bands that you see live and you just suspect they're going to be huge, and Housse de Racket is one of those bands.

What Is The Irenic? (Version II)

photo by James Lienhard

This is an update from a post I wrote back in December. Apparently The Irenic's site is down, but you can find them on Facebook. I promise, for those of you going to The Rapture on Saturday, you're going to dig the space. As of this post, there are only 32 tickets left to the show, so buy them now. I hosted an acoustic show at the venue in December, and since there have been a few others, including at least one put together by the Soda Bar. Below is the stuff from December. 

For anyone who has been confused about The Irenic...Is it a club? Is it a venue? Is it a church?, CityBeat's Peter Holslin wrote about it in Notes From The Smoking Patio back in 2011, when I was hosting a holiday acoustic show at the venue.

"The venue is the same space used for the church’s Sunday services, but Missiongathering Executive Director James Lienhard says the shows won’t be Christian-themed. There are no rules against non-Christian music or profanity, and they plan to serve beer and wine, he says. What’s more, a retractable cross hanging over the stage can be moved out of view of concertgoers.

photo by James Lienhard

The church invested $300,000 to renovate the 450-person capacity space, he says, which is outfitted with sound and lighting systems and flat-screen TVs. The space also has a balcony, a green room and an overflow room for merchandise and art openings."

Things To Do In San Diego: April 13, 2012

So I'm sure you're probably already out for the night (or most likely staying in because it's so cold and ugly out and San Diegans are terrified of rain), but I thought I'd update these anyway. At this point in time there are only about 30 tickets left to The Rapture tomorrow, so if you're planning on going, I'd recommend buying tickets online now. They're $16 + service charge, but they go up to $18 the day of show (whether you buy them online or at the door) so you have a few hours to save $2. I am trying to get information on the Mile of Music to find out if the event happens rain or shine, so I'll keep you updated. Also, tickets for the second Face To Face show at the Casbah on Sunday are still available, so buy those tickets now. Friday archives are after the jump.

SD@140bpm recommends: I Love This City

A great event has just been announced for all of the EDM fans happening Sunday, May 27, of Memorial Day Weekend at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater. LED in association with Live Nation have teamed up to create the I Love This City Music Festival.  Tickets prices range from $25 - $75 dollars with the prices cheaper the earlier that they are purchased.  The $75 ticket gets you access to the pit on the main stage as well as private bathrooms and private bar. The cheapest early bird tickets go on sale today Friday the 13th at 10:00am and can be purchased through live nation here.  The lineup includes some of the biggest EDM acts on the planet including: SKRILLEX, A-Trak, The Crystal Method (DJ set), Dirtyloud, 12th Planet, The Twelves, Cookie Monsta, Brodinski, Nadia Ali, Lucky Date, MiMOSA, JDevil(Jonathan Davis of Korn), SOFI, Jaguar Skills, AC Slater, TJR, Flinch, The M Machine, No Body, and Deth Hertz on multiple stages.  SAVE MONEY and get your tickets today before the price goes up.

For full press release, keep on reading.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 12, 2012

For those of you not heading to the desert this weekend, there are plenty of options here at home that should keep your need for live music satiated. I'll be all over town, with my loose plans to check out Chairlift tonight, The Propagandist on Friday for Martin's birthday, and the Mile of Music on Saturday. I'll also be selling merch for The Rapture at the Irenic on Saturday night and for Face To Face at the Casbah on Sunday. Note that the Casbah added a second Face to Face show on Sunday and tickets are onsale now. Thursday archives are after the jump.

Face To Face Add 2nd Acoustic Show at the Casbah, 4.15.2012

On Sunday, April 15, Face to Face will be performing their seminal album, Ignorance Is Bliss at the Casbah. Due to the strong demand and quick sell out of this all-acoustic show, the band has added a second show.

This is important!! If you have tickets to the first show, doors will be at 8:30pm and the show will start promptly at 9pm.

If you would like to attend the second show, tickets are on sale now. Doors will be at 10:30 pm with the show starting promptly at 11pm.

Tickets are $18 advance and $20 day of show (if it is not sold out.) Get your tickets here.

San Diego Lampooned By 'South Park'

In this week's South Park episode (Season 16: Butterballs), the kids learn about bullying by a bunch of bullies (including a really mean grandma) and make several references to San Diego, which eventually leads to a musical number called "Jackin' It In San Diego", a reference to the bizarre behavior of Jason Russell, the filmmaker and CEO behind Invisible Children's Kony 2012 campaign, who was hospitalized for what was eventually identified as a "psychotic break". I have to say, it made me slightly uncomfortable to watch because I support Invisible Children and I think what happened to Jason was incredibly sad, but then again, it's South Park, which has always taken national headlines and made them completely exaggerated and ridiculous. In the episode, they also make the important point, alluding to "Bully", the film currently in theatres, that if every kid should see it, why isn't it available for free on the internet?

Anyway, here's San Diego, done South Park style. Even Mayor Jerry Sanders and the tortillas of Old Town get some props.

Butterballs
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PARKLeopold "Butters" Stotch,Mr. Mackey,more...

Things To Do In San Diego: April 11-12, 2012

Sorry about the Youth Lagoon news earlier, but you should come down to the Casbah for Big Black Delta instead. I'm gonna be offline for the night, but tweet me if ya need me. Wednesday/Thursday archives are after the jump.

Canceled: Youth Lagoon at Porter's Pub

Tonight's Youth Lagoon show at Porter's Pub has been canceled due to illness. A message on the band's Facebook page reads, "CA, so many apologies..at the hospital for some treatment, hoping to b good soon." Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

Colin & Fiona Clyne Welcome Newborn Catherine Clyne

So there was awhile there where I was hanging out with Colin Clyne a whole bunch and he was gigging all over. Well, I don't know if you've wondered where he's been, but besides travelling a whole lot with his wife over the holidays and then for work much of the past three months, Fiona and Colin recently welcomed their new daughter, Catherine Clyne into the world. She was born on March 31, 2012 at 5:14pm at UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest. Catherine weighed in at 8lbs 10oz. She was actually a few days late, but clearly she's like her Pops and wanted to make a big bang on the weekend. I know it should not have taken me over a week and a half to post about her birth, but I wanted to make sure Colin and Fiona with okay with me sharing these photos.

Needless to say, Colin and Fiona have their hands full, but Colin will naturally be travelling less for work and has some gigs coming up that I thought I'd share with you.

First, Colin will be busking in the Port's "Mile of Music" along the Embarcadero this weekend. You'll have to follow him on Twitter to know where and when he's playing, but he'll have at least three 20-minute sets between 2 and 5 pm on Saturday, April 14.

On Monday, April 16, Colin returns to the Lincoln Room. If you still haven't been down there, they have free music several nights of the week, great happy hour specials, and one of the cutest bartenders in town. Plus, I haven't seen Hades anywhere else in town and it's a damn tasty beer. Colin will play around 9:30.

Lastly, next weekend, April 21-22, is Adams Avenue Unplugged, which has replaced the Adams Avenue Roots Festival. Colin will perform at the Ken Club (21+) at 4:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway, big congratulations to Fiona and Colin and a huge welcome to Catherine. Make sure you check him out around town.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 10, 2012

OK, I'm back. Thanks for letting me (mostly) take a day off. I wish I could say I was productive and started organizing my life, but alas, I did not, just a couple loads of laundry and a whole lot of lounging, though I did call on a lead on a house, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm still looking, however, so please continue to keep an eye out for places for rent in your neighborhoods. I've been so grateful to all of the people who've sent me leads so far. I know a lot of you are looking forward to Coachella, and if you haven't heard, they're actually expecting a storm this weekend, so I recommend hitting up Dollar Tree or 99cent Only Stores where they sell 2-packs of rain ponchos. They have great snacks, too...perfect if you're roadtripping and/or camping. Anyway, Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Heartless Bastards w/ Brian Lopez & David Vandervelde @ Belly Up- 04.02.12

Last week the Belly Up played host to a triple header of guitar based rock and an enthusiastic Monday night crowd.  Tuscon native Brian Lopez brought the Latin influenced folksy singer-songwriter tunes before Nashville-via-Michigan/ Chicago/ NYC's David Vandervelde and his three piece supporting band kicked it up a notch.  Headliners Heartless Bastards finished up the night with an generous set, leaning heavily on their exceptional new album Arrow.  More words and pix below...

Things To Do In San Diego: April 9, 2012

What a weekend! I worked three nights of merch and one night at the door at Soda Bar, plus went to the Citybeat Festival of Beers. I'm taking today off so if you need to reach me, send carrier pigeons because I don't plan on emailing or answering the phone today. Seriously. Monday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 5-8, 2012

I meant to post these 2 hours ago but got distracted. Weekend archives are after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: April 4, 2012

It is amazing how a day can change. Some go from good to shit, and quite unexpectedly, but on the flip, there are days, like today, where dread sets in as soon as the alarm goes off, but you face the day and things just get good. Today's Casbah meeting was quite productive and we met with some friends with the San Diego County Fair, so expect to see some partnership opportunities there, and then I had a great afternoon in my neighborhood of Kensington. Despite my pending eviction, I went to lunch at Ponce's and had some QT with my friends there (by the way, if you're at opening day tomorrow, be sure to hit up Tivoli for the great food), paid my rent (should I be paying rent if I'm getting kicked out anyway?), and then hung out at the Ken Club to talk about Acoustic Adams and a lineup that I helped book at the bar. We also met Shane, who is the assistant manager at The Underbelly, and chatted about bars, restaurants, and all of the good things happening in this town. On top of all that, it is my parents' 42nd Anniversary, and if that isn't something worth celebrating, I don't know what it. So yes, I'm feeling good right now and about to head to the Casbah for Bear In Heaven and all of the bands playing tonight. Should be a good one and there will be tickets available at the door in case you're looking for last minute plans for Wednesday. Wednesday archives after the jump.

Halloran Takes Over Afternoons At 91X

Hot out of the inbox oven:

91X LOCKS IN HALLORAN ON AFTERNOONS

SAN DIEGO – Halloran is back hosting afternoons on 91X, 2:00 to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

This makes him the permanent host of the day-part he has filled since the departure of Capone in late February. Halloran will also remain the host of 91X’s show dedicated to local music “91X Loudspeaker,” which airs Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

91X is owned and operated by Local Media San Diego, a privately held San Diego-based company. LMSD also operates Z90.3 (XHTZ-FM) and Magic 92.5 (XHRM-FM).

New Rocky Votolato "Television Of Saints" Out Today

You know that for ages, I've been a huge fan of Rocky Votolato. He and Barsuk records parted ways and he used Kickstarter to fund his latest record. That album, "Television of Saints" is out today. You can buy it on CD & Vinyl, at iTunes, or on Bandcamp.

Rocky will be back at the Casbah on May 7. You can buy tickets here at Frontgate or try the new Frontgate Facebook app here. Full European and US Tour Dates after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 3, 2012

The Casbah is closed tonight and my night is wide open...though for some reason I've been up since 6am, so maybe I'll just take it easy tonight, or maybe I'll head to the North Park Business Mixer over at Caffe Calabria (6pm $5 association members/$10 for non, entry includes a beer and pizza). Not really sure, but I feel like I've been productive today, so I'm gonna get offline for a while and let my brain veg for awhile. Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Morrissey To Perform Birthday Show at Valley View Casino Center

After a sold out show at the Escondido Center for the Performing Arts in November, six months later (to the day) on May 22, Morrissey will return to San Diego to play at the Valley View Casino Center. Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, April 6 at 10 am via Ticketmaster, but you can use the same link for presale tickets available on Thursday from 10am-10pm with the promo code: AEG2012

White Rabbits at The Casbah, 3.29.2012

On Thursday night, White Rabbits performed at the Casbah, with Gull, the one-man project of Nate Rappole. The show was sold out and I definitely enjoyed the music and hanging out with friends, though that one guy...if you were there, you know who I'm talking about, was so freaking obnoxious I  kinda let it ruin some moments for me. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you can watch the videos. He's the bro with the distinct voice that sounds like the gutteral utterance of a burping Neanderthal. I didn't shoot too many photos because I had to squeeze up with Jeff who was kind enough to hold some space. Unfortunately, my camera was shooting from the guitar monitor, so the sound balance isn't great, but the videos are in a playlist. If you want to leave comments with titles on videos, be my guest. Photos and video after the jump.

Henry Rollins @ San Diego Woman's Club, 3.31.2012

On Saturday night, the Casbah presented a show at the San Diego Woman's Club with Henry Rollins.  Whenever we have outside events, I usually help work the door, and this was no exception. What made it really easy was that the 400 capacity show was sold out, so it was just a matter of ripping tickets and Barb checking names off will call.  There were people waiting in line as early as 3pm for the show, though we didn't open doors until a little after 6.
You can read all about it and see more photos after the jump.

The Polyphonic Spree at the House of Blues, 4.1.12

On Sunday night, The Polyphonic Spree performed at the House of Blues. Photos, video, and text after the jump.

Eviction: 53 Days To Find A New Home

Yesterday I was fuming about my landlord, my neighbor, and a stupid text message and I let it take over so much that it nearly ruined my whole day. I wrote a tirade here, but thought better than to actually publish. Not only because of legal reasons, but because I have little people in my life and now that they're all up in my business on Facebook, it is important that I try and maintain some decorum. Just because the powers that be are behaving crazily doesn't mean I have to stoop to their level. Plus, seeing The Polyphonic Spree was uplifting and I realized I can't give this woman and this neighbor any more power to ruin any more of my days.

What I can tell you is the simple part. Last week, I got an eviction notice and have 60 days to get out of the place I've called home for 12.5 years. According to the paper, my dog Pascha, whom I adopted with the landlord's permission in 2000, is suddenly (miraculously?) a nuisance. She's not, of course, anyone who has been near her for more than 3 minutes, including my landlord, knows that she is a sweet, loyal, and loving dog. Regardless, I'm tired of the constant harassment by my landlord and the feeling that we're hostages in my own apartment, not allowed to let the asshole neighbor see us, that I'm gonna have to just move. It isn't worth a fight anymore. A lot of you have known about this ongoing saga for months now and have offered to help me however possible. If you were serious and you really want to help me, click the jump.  Or if you're just curious as to what kind of help I would ask friends and strangers for, click the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: April 2, 2012

Sometimes I really relish the fact that I'm getting older. Granted, I was nose to the grindstone and doing the whole corporate thing in my twenties and thus didn't quite have the financial uncertainty I have in my thirties, but this age gives me a certain peace. Like yesterday when I wrote an explosive tirade about my living situation, I had the sense not to hit 'publish', after also having the strength not to respond to my landlord's textual harassment. I will fill you in on my whole situation soon enough, but this sense of peace also means that I'm comfortable in who I am. So you can rub it in my face that Heartless Bastards are the most amazing band and I can say that I'm happy for you and enjoy the show, but I'm gonna opt for the solo dudes with their guitars, pianos, and whiskey tears and head to the Casbah tonight. Tell David Vandervelde I said hello. And when you're at Sleigh Bells tomorrow, I'll probably be at home starting the process of analyzing my inevitable move to a new home. Growing older means I don't always have to go somewhere just to keep up with my friends, and that is just fine by me.
Monday archives are after the jump.

Win Tickets to Sleigh Bells @ 4th&B Tuesday Night

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

A couple of months ago we showed you some original Sleigh Bells art work to announce the band's latest release, Reign of Terror. Now they are coming back to  San Diego (21+) and I recommend you get your tickets soon (sorry).  If you feel like gambling we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Sleigh "F" Bells and if you win congratulations  you are welcome, enjoy.

Seriously please follow the DIRECTIONS or you may not be a winner.

Here's how to win. Since FACEBOOK made us switch to timeline, LIKE san diego:dialed in on Facebook, and leave a comment in which you mention (1) you want Sleigh Bells tickets (2) anything else. You can tell me why you love or hate the new timeline, advice on how to customize Facebook with cool tricks, why you love Sleigh Bells, or 4th&B, or Goldenvoice (supplier of the tickets for giveaway), whatever. Let's face it, it's hard to pick a "random" winner, so the better the post, the more likes your comment will get, and the higher consideration you'll get for tickets, but I'll try to make it as random as possible. *You must be 21+, you must be available to attend the show on Tuesday night, tickets are non-transferable. I'll pick a name on Monday evening at 6pm. If I message you and don't hear back within an hour, I'll pick someone else. If you don't have Facebook notifications on your mobile device, I dunno what to tell you.

Check out Sleigh Bells' performance on SNL after the jump.

Media Newsy Bits

Sophie flipped! Christy gets perm! Lefsetz Quits Being Mean!

Last week, I read that Sophie was changing formats and posted about it (thanks to sdradio.net and radioinsight.com for the scoop), but there was no word as to how soon it would happen. The very next morning, Radio Sophie sent a newsletter notifying their listeners to get ready for new Energy 103.7 which would launch at 5pm that afternoon. Now flipped (or expanded as they might sell it), the station, which is owned by CBS networks, is rumored to be modeled after their sister station, AMP 97.1, in Los Angeles, under the guidance of Kevin Weatherly, Senior Vice President, Programming, CBS RADIO. You can see their dreadful playlist here. The station press release also says a whole lot about a "360 degree audio and visual experience" using social media to complement the station and that Chàrésë Frügé, current program director, will remain, but with Kevin, I suspect she'll maybe have more of a media platform oversight role or will be let go at some point, as radio nationalization and delocalization seems to be the radio strategy du jour. I'm not trying to bust anyone's balls and I hope that the station retains staff, many of whom I consider friends, after their 10,000 songs commercial-free play through, but realistically, the station will probably move to voice-tracking as so many stations across the country (and plenty in this city, too) have already done.

In other station news, since Garrett Capone left his post as Program Director at 91X, there was a lot of speculation about who would step up and fill his shoes. Christy Taylor was acting as the interim PD and from the many loud rumors in town, there were plenty of submissions from all over the map, and in range of experience and qualifications. It was announced on Friday that Christy Taylor was officially named Program Director for the station, a promotion from her previous post as Music Director.