Monday, December 31, 2012

NYE @ The LaFayette #LFNYE

OK kids, last minute scoop for The Lafayette New Year's Eve Party:

The event is SOLD OUT.

Hotel guests can begin check-in at 7pm. All room guests must be present for wristbands.

General will-call/guest list opens at 8:30. Have your ID's ready for security and keep them out to expedite will-call check in. Your entire group should be together for faster check-in.

SET TIMES:

Essex Room:
The Creepy Creeps 11:45
Shake Before Us 10:30

Mississippi Room:
Little Hurricane 11:45
Get Back Loretta 10:30
Blackout Party 9:30

Lobby/Veranda:
Creepxotica 9:15
The Heavy Guilt Trio 10:15
The Amandas 11:30

Hashtag for the event is #LFNYE. Follow me on twitter @sddialedin for updates.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Things To Do In San Diego: December 31, 2012-January 1, 2013

It is the last day of 2012, and I don't know about you but I have SO.MUCH.TO.DO today before heading over to the Lafayette Hotel for the SOLD OUT party. I'll catch you up on a bunch of other stuff later, but for now will just say once again, thanks to everyone who made 2012 such an amazing year. It started off pretty shady but every reader, friend, family member, venue, and contributor to this site helped things turn around in a big way and I'm forever in your debt. Darren and I will both be working tonight, but we'll get our fix on New Year's Day and I can't even begin to guess what 2013 will bring. Love to you all. Be safe tonight. (Archives after the jump)

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Rock n Roll Circus at the Che Cafe!


Clear your calendars for January 5th! help us start the new year right!
A special message from Tan Sister Radio!

We are Tan Sister Radio and, with the help of our friends at Clever Void, this is our rock and roll circus.This is the first of a monthly series of festivals celebrating the underground arts culture of San Diego, curated by your friends at Tan Sister Radio. We've grown up in the city's culture and seen some of the amazing artists, musical and otherwise, who go unnoticed. We're putting them all under the same roof, for all to notice.Saturday, January 5th. 2013$5
LINEUP:Tan Sister Radio (https://www.facebook.com/tansisterradio)Requiem for the Rockets (https://www.facebook.com/RequiemfortheRockets)Big Bad Buffalo (http://www.facebook.com/iwasamanonce)Meraki (http://www.facebook.com/merakimusic)
also featuring:Sledding With Tigers acoustic set (https://www.facebook.com/sleddingwithtigers)the art of Bleu Avina (http://www.bleuavina.com/murals.html)the photography of Andy Siannthe culinary talents of Andrew Velascoand more!
On the first Saturday of every month, we will be banding together the best of San Diego arts culture, in our humble opinion. We're not bounding it by genre or scene. We're trying to unite all the best of San Diego under a single roof, the roof of the Che Cafe. It is a circus of San Diego talent, a band of like and right minded humans, our Rock and Roll circus.-Tan Sister Radio




Thursday, December 27, 2012

Alt-J w/ Wildcat! Wildcat! @ Casbah- 12.13.12

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Fresh off of their Mercury Prize award for 2012 Album of the Year, Leeds natives Alt-J made a stop at the Casbah in benefit of the exceptional An Awesome Wave.  Second time in SD, first as headliners and they did not disappoint.  The toned down yet exquisitely performed set included the entirety of their debut album as well as a new track- Buffalo- which was a sure sign of more good things to come.  Continue below for a few more select photos from their set, as well as some of opener Wildcat! Wildcat! (or click here for the full set).

Things To Do In San Diego: December 27-30 2012

I spent the day after Christmas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with Darren and his family. It was raining in the morning, but I'd studied the Doppler radar on Weather.com and was convinced that by the time we got there around 10 or 11, that the rain would mostly be gone and we'd have an enjoyable day at the park, while Darren was convinced the park would be packed wall to wall with people. We were both right in a way, though the crowds came later in the afternoon after we were able to enjoy the wide open spaces of the park and  eventually took a late afternoon tram without a wait. Mostly I was happy to escape the post-Christmas mayhem at malls and stores and just have some fun times meeting his mom and nephews, acting like a kid and splashing puddles with Nova, and eventually taking a night off from shows and bars and enjoying some Pinot Noir in my pajamas as I got around to ignored emails and looking over the next week of listings, courtesy of Jordan, Tennessee, and Jeff. It has been a great relaxing week and though I feel compelled to write some deep and lengthy year end wrap-up, I think I'll save a diary post for another time and I really don't have any lists of good, bad, and ugly, mostly because my life is so saturated with great music that to single out the best, I know I would completely omit far too many worthy of accolades. Maybe I'll get around to something of the sort, but for now I'll just say that this year has blown my mind, from the low-lows I experienced at the start of the year to the incredible and unexpected highs I've experienced through the latter half of the year and just say I am grateful for all of it, for all of you, and I hope that we can all get through the crazy shit life throws our way and end up on the other side. It might not all be rainbows and unicorns all the time, but life can be pretty damn awesome if you let it be so.  Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 25-27, 2012

I hope your week has been as awesome as mine was. Friday night was great up at the Belly Up with Dead Feather Moon, The Heavy Guilt, and Trouble In The Wind, on Saturday I hit the tennis courts with Darren for the first time since my crutches, checked out Japandi at Soda Bar, went on a nice bike ride then worked at the X show at the Casbah. Last night was pretty awesome with some family time followed by another amazing Exile On Kettner Boulevard. We're about to have our Christmas feast in a moment, but I wanted to update the listings a little. I generally post bars open on Christmas but didn't get around to it, but I believe that the Ken Club, Bar Pink, and Whistle Stop are all open later this evening, and Mike told me that Local Habit and Toronado are open as well. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Bah Humbug! (Anti-Christmas Music For Your Ears)



You all know how much I love Christmas, but as it gets closer and I realize I've pretty much spent all my money and still have gifts to buy and the thought of going shopping anywhere is pretty much the worst idea ever. I'm pretty lucky to not have any major holiday stress but I know some of you might be pulling your hair out so here's a little gift. Every year, I get a lot of Christmas music sent to me but this is easily my favorite Anti-Christmas song in a long time. It's called "Santa Is An Asshole" by Erin McKeown.
This song comes from Erin's Anti-Holiday Album, "F*ck That!" It’s the world’s first anti-capitalist, pro-queer, suspicious of christmas-as-patriotism, sex-positive, not safe for work, multi-ethnic, radical leftist Anti-Holiday record. There is nothing redeeming about christmas in any of these 10 songs. Please note this album contains adult language and themes completely inappropriate for children. On purpose.

PLEASE NOTE: from now until new years, i’ll be donating 20% of every purchase of F*ck That (cd, digital, hymnal, packaged etc) to Occupy Sandy as they coordinate relief efforts in NY and NJ. here’s your chance to be a responsible scrooge and give to a very important cause.
 I think I will put up the old Christmas tab and maybe this weekend I can add all the Christmas stuff I've received over the past two weeks. Keep an eye out for that.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 20-24, 2012

On Wednesday night I was working at Brick By Brick for the High On Fire show. It was a Casbah presents show, so I was working the door, but as I worked, I had my laptop and had put together all of the listings that Jordan and Jeff provided, but I never actually posted them. Such is December, we get sidetracked so easily, so much is going on and there are so many things pulling us in different directions, but hopefully you take the time to take a step back and enjoy the spirit of the season, whether that's celebrating Christmas or Hannukah or just enjoying friends and family as the temperatures drop and make it tempting to just curl up under a blanket. It's also a good time to reach out to those around you who might be alone for the holidays. There are plenty of ways to engage and enjoy the season, and the music scene is still here for you. If you're still looking for last minute gifts, the Casbah dropped merch prices through Christmas Eve (not valid for online orders). Hoodies are $30, Tees are $12, and our new Koozies are $3.50. Archives Listings through next week are after the jump, supposing we survive the apocalypse.

Weekend Kickoff: Dead Feather Moon @ Belly Up Friday December 21, 2012

The year has nearly come to an end, literally and also when it comes to looking for touring bands to visit San Diego. This happens each and every year but has an upside since local bands bridge the gap until the tour cycle renews itself in 2013. Three of San Diego's best will be gathering this Friday at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Headlining will be none other than North County's alt-rockers Dead Feather Moon. This band has been gathering steam since its formation in 2007, led by guitarist/vocalist Justen Berge. Their debut full length album, Dark Sun, won the award for Best Alternative Album this year at the San Diego Music Awards.

The middle band performing will be The Heavy Guilt, currently in the studio preparing their third album, due to be released next spring. Tireless writer/member Al Howard formed the band as a way of expressing his passion for life and the city in which he lives. All six members form a cohesive unit of folk driven rock and roll. Their performances are always inspiring.

Opening the "locals only" night are Carlsbad based rockers Trouble In the Wind, led by vocalist Robby Gira. This band has a loyal and passionate following, and this becomes clearly evident once one sees them perform. The young quartet recently took home the prize for Musicpalooza's Best Musical Talent at the San Diego County Fair. A great way to start the night, if I do say so myself. There is no better way to support local music than at a show featuring three of San Diego's finest bands.

Watch a video of Lion Heart (The Brother) below.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 17-19, 2012

So I never got around to modifying the weekend listings because they were pretty complete and turns out there wasn't really anything special to add. I personally had a great weekend and I hope that you did, too. Things are gonna slow down a bit as far as touring acts go, but get out and support some of the great local talent that abounds to entertain you through the holidays. Don't forget ticket prices for New Years Eve at the Lafayette are going to keep going up and rooms are running out, so don't wait. Monday through Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Holidays Rule

I hate to disappoint my readers who think I'm always scouring the internet for new music and am on top of everything that comes out. The truth is that when I'm working at home, I'm generally tuned into one of the government access channels on TV (C-Span, California Channel, Local Government Channel), KPBS through MusicChoice, or the Adult Alternative station, also on MusicChoice. I feel it's getting my value out of the nearly $200 I pay for my Cox bundle. To be honest, I only like about 65% of the music on the latter, but it's unimposing and helps me get my work done. Tonight I heard a track, however, that made me pay attention because I recognized the voice as Andrew Bird and love holiday music, in this case, the song was "Auld Lang Syne". Apparently the record is called Holidays Rule and features several artists with their own take on the holidays. It also appears that it was released by Starbucks, so maybe when you're ordering your triple skinny egg nog latte, you can pick it up. Or, you can just stream it on Spotify. This oughta get me in the mood for Jungle Bells at the zoo, which kicked off on Saturday, and means lots of lights and longer hours at the zoo, which will be open until 8pm nightly through January 6, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 14-16, 2012

I came home to a plumbing crisis that I really have to deal with right now, so I haven't combed Facebook and my other sources for anything beyond my standard venue list (thank you, Jordan!). If I missed things, feel free to email me. I don't need any crazy information, just the listing in the format and I'll add it. I already have the first part of next week, too, but I'll post them over the weekend when I have the chance to update everything at once. Incidentally, I think I found a fossilized dead mouse while investigating my plumbing. I cannot wait for my superhero to arrive in the morning.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

FM 94/9 Session with Alt-J @ Iacon Sound Studio, 12.13.2012

 I have been looking forward to tonight's Alt-J show at the Casbah for some time. Tickets were selling well, but the day after the band won the coveted Mercury Prize the show sold out and I have to say I haven't seen so many old friends come out of the woodwork, all to ask if I have some magical hook-up for the show. Sorry, kids, the list has been full for a long time and I can't help ya. Unfortunately, I found out yesterday that I will be working tonight, which is cool because The Sword at Brick By Brick will be awesome, too, and that one just sold out, so it will be a fun night, but still, I'll be missing Alt-J.

That's why when Pyles asked me if I wanted to come to an Alt-J session at Iacon Sound Studio in Golden Hill, my face totally lit up. It isn't a full show with the full band, but it will have to do because, well, it's Christmas and this girl has to work when I can. 

Iacon Sound was formerly Black Box, and Sulo King has taken over and it is beautiful and open for business, by the way. They have six rehearsal rooms plus the live room, a vocal room, and if you rent rehearsal space, they're available 24/7, which means when you get the inkling to rehearse at 3:30 in the morning, you can do so. 


Anyway, today's session was attended by a bunch of FM 94/9 folks as well as some listeners and it was pretty damn awesome. We were told that this was the first time they had ever done something like this for radio, so it made it all the more special. The three video playlist is below.  (The station shot much better photos and video, so be sure to check out their site here.)

Photos: Paul Banks w/ The Neighbourhood @ HOB

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Rosey got a jump on the review already, so here's a few more pix to go with the evening.  After The Neighbourhood cleared the stage, Paul Banks and his accompanying three-piece powered through a mix of songs from the new LP Banks and a few from the Julian Plenti era including crowd favorites from Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper. Musically, it was a great performance.  However, he won't be winning any awards for his stage presence any time soon (though when you have a voice like his, maybe jumping all over the stage isn't high on the priority list).  That, no photo pit and the lowest lighting I've experienced at HOB didn't make for very dynamic photos, but there were no complaints at the end of the night, especially considering the show ended with rocker 'Games For Days'.  Click here for a full set from the show and here for other concert photography.

The Neighbourhood:

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Paul Banks:

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Wednesday Night: Public Enemy @ House of Blues - TICKET GIVEAWAY

We just rolled out of our weekly Casbah meeting and my phone rings. My buddy Chuck D is calling to tell me that Public Enemy is in town tonight and and he's busting my balls to try and drum up some awareness of the show since it was moved from 4th & B and asks if I want to give some tickets away. Of course, I say, I'd be happy to!!

Okay, so hopefully it is obvious that Chuck D is not my buddy and did not call me and did not bust my balls, but I did get an email from a friend and I DO in fact have tickets to giveaway to the show tonight. So here's the skinny:

Public Enemy at the House of Blues with X-Clan, Monie Love, Schoolly D, Leaders of the New School, Wise, Son of Bazerk & No Self Control, Awesome Dre, Davy DMX, DJ Johnny Juice

TONIGHT! 12/12/12 
7pm
21+ 
TICKETS: $27.50 + service charge BUY NOW
(or buy at the box office)

Things To Do In San Diego: December 12-13, 2012

Last night I was thinking about getting out a diary post, but as I was looking over the past month (my last entry ended on 11/12), I realized that I have been keeping up to date in each of my headers for the listings. So maybe I'll write one later and cram way too much stuff that nobody cares about into a post, but for now, here's some Casbah stuff you should care about: besides Alt-J, there aren't currently any sold out shows, but X tickets are almost gone, we expect both shows with The Growlers to sell out, and tickets to The Sword on Thursday at Brick By Brick are selling swiftly, too.  The most important thing I need to tell you is that the Lafayette Hotel is already 50% sold out for room packages. If you plan on getting a room, or hanging out with friends who get a room, YOU MUST buy your NYE tickets through the hotel reservation desk. Last year sold out a couple weeks in advance of the party and we expect the same this year. Save money and buy tickets/reserve hotel packages now. Click that little banner at the top of the page (or if you're on mobile, click here). Wednesday and Thursday archives are after the jump.

Video: Kopecky Family Band @ Soda Bar

A week ago the Soda Bar was alive with the sounds of Kopecky Family Band. The Nashville based group was in San Diego a year ago, opening for GIVERS at the Casbah, and it was great to see them again. Jeff wrote a great piece last week, but in case you're unfamiliar, here's their latest record, Kids Raising Kids.



I haven't pulled out my camera at a show in a while, so I thought I'd share some videos. Sorry, they're without titles, but they'd never see the light of day if you had to wait on me to go through and edit all of them. 

Paul Banks X-Session and House of Blues with The Neighbourhood

Photo by Justin McKee, 91X
Last week San Diego was graced with the ultra-cool and charming stylings of Paul Banks, the notable baritone of Interpol who has also recorded under the name Julian Plenti. His latest effort, Banks, released in late October, though largely ignored by commercial radio, is getting plenty of critical praise and play on other outlets like Sirius and Slacker. Still, it is curious to me that Interpol could sell out such massive venues, but those same fans were hardly found at his show at the House of Blues. That was fine by me because the show was awesome and the normally overcrowded venue was comfortable and full of fans devoted to the energy of the show.

Earlier that same afternoon, Banks performed at the 91X Studios for an X-Session and it was pretty cool to be there to check it out. The three songs he performed, "Young Again", "Summertime Is Coming", and my favorite, "Over My Shoulder".



The show at the House of Blues was opened by The Neighbourhood out of Thousand Oaks. Their look defied their sound, and I enjoyed their performance. It was kinda one of those situations where I should've paid better attention to their set because there was one song I particularly loved, but it doesn't look like it's on their EP. You can check out their latest single below.



I had a photo pass for the night, but there was no photo pit, so I took just a few snapshots of the night. You can see more on my Facebook page here.

Paul Banks Setlist:


The Neighbourhood

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It was a totally fun day...thanks Robin Roth for the X-Session invite and to Mike Halloran for letting me hang out in the studio while I waited for my superhero boyfriend to pick me up.

It was pretty great, too, because the show ended early enough to make it to the Casbah for Hot Snakes and Night Marchers. Not too shabby for a Monday night, right?

More photos after the jump. Incidentally, Nate was there shooting, too, so I'm sure he'll be posting much better photos of the night sometime soon.


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 11, 2012

Nesting. That's the only way I can explain my lack of posting lately. Now that it's a bit colder at night and I'm spending time at home, I've been trying, albeit slowly, to unpack boxes that have been laying around since I moved into this place in May. I think it's a bit of a mental somersault to finally call this place HOME, but that also means a lot less time on my laptop. I usually try to compensate for the lack of writing full posts with intermittent tweets and facebook commentary while I'm at shows, but even that can be tedious (and really annoying to the people around me). Or maybe there have just been so many great shows lately that I didn't want to interrupt them with my BlackBerry commentary. Whatever it is, things have been really great and I will get around to oversharing when I have a chance, but there are a bunch of new shows announced at the Casbah so I better get back to updating that calendar before I can even think about sharing videos and photos from the past couple weeks. Wednesday and Thursday listings Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Event Reminder: The Mountain Goats @ The Irenic Monday December 10, 2012

Tonight is loaded with many live music options here in San Diego. I cannot think of a better way to start the evening with none other than the prolific songwriter/performer John Darnielle. He is better known as The Mountain Goats, whether alone or with a band (tonight). It is hard to believe this band, which started as a bedroom project, has been in existence for over 20 years. While professing to be far from a skilled guitarist, John is proficient in a capacity which suits his style, which is a passionate form of story telling with seemingly no subject being out of bounds. The Mountain Goats recently released their second album from Merge Records, Transcendental Youth. This is as good a starting place as any for those unfamiliar with Mr. Darnielle to discover why this band has developed such a rabid and loyal following.

A reminder for those planning to attend tonight's show: This is a Casbah Presents show at The Irenic in North Park, doors are at 7 pm with the opener, Matthew E. White, starting around 7:30. Beer and wine will be on sale for those 21 and older. This is an all ages show and tickets will be available for purchase at the door ($20).

Watch a video of Cry For Judas below.


Thursday, December 06, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 6-10, 2012

It occurred to me that I haven't really posted in a few days. While Elliott and Jeff and Jordan  and Nate have been posting and handling listings, I've been more hands off lately. The Casbah is keeping me busy and I feel myself going into the inevitable nesting mode for the holidays when I'm home, and there are shows galore keeping me busy, so I'll have photos and video to post soonish. My studio is too small for a Christmas tree, but that doesn't mean I'm not in the spirit, so I'll hopefully make a trip to storage (aka mom & dad's house) to retrieve some of my holiday motif this weekend, too. I'm really looking forward to the next few days...with David Bazan tonight, Wrex The Halls tomorrow, hopefully last minute tickets to Metric on Saturday, and O'Death on Sunday. There's all kinds of fun neighborhood holiday stuff, too, as well as Bike The Boulevard and December Nights. I have no idea when I'll actually sleep but I'm sure I'll fit that in somewhere. Friday through Monday archives are after the jump. Let me know if I missed anything.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

ET's Pick: David Bazan @ the Casbah December 6th

David Bazan

Back in my “Christian Rock is the only rock” days, I had a particular fondness for the Christian ska band Five Iron Frenzy. I actually still do, but that’s another story. Anyways, I always loved reading the liner notes of every CD of theirs and they always thanked the band Pedro the Lion. I never made any effort to seek out this band for a while and, by the time I did, Pedro the Lion was long gone. All that remained was David Bazan and that has been more than fine.

Tomorrow night, if you were so lucky to get tickets to the sold out show at the Casbah, David Bazan will be playing Pedro the Lion’s classic album “Control” in its entirety in celebration of its 10 year anniversary. David Bazan has come through San Diego many times in the past few years and has played some wonderful shows with various themes. He has played intimate acoustic sets in living rooms and brought searing jams to the Casbah. All the while playing songs from the prolific songwriter’s back catalog. But tomorrow night, it will be all “Control” and I can barely contain my excitement.

For a taste, check out David Bazan playing “Magazine” at the Casbah three years ago (which, coincidentally, was my first time seeing a show at my favorite venue). Tickets are sold out and Stagnant Pools is opening.

-ET (@phone_home)

 

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 4-5, 2012

It was just brought to my attention that it is 9 in the morning. I've been up all night...after the Paul Banks show at the House of Blues I went to the Casbah in time for Night Marchers and Hot Snakes. But that wasn't enough, so I closed down the night at Eleven, inventing a drink (Knot Vanilla Whiskey + Fireball + Ginger Ale =Rosey Christmas). Then I came home and reorganized my closet, cleaned the house, sorted through 300 email, all while catching up on the new season of Top Chef. The truth is I was just finding excuses to be awake when my boyfriend arrived. He has made me aware that it is 9 am, and I should cringe, but at least I accomplished some things in the time that I was waiting, but now I am going to shut this computer down now so I can get to my Tuesday. (I'll sleep later at some obnoxious afternoon hour.) Seems like a good day to hit Balboa Park and the Zoo. I should mention that the Casbah is closed tonight because we have our employee photo, but if you want to come to Death Grips tomorrow, at this moment there are exactly 35 tickets left. If you want to come to David Bazan, there are 14 tickets left. Seriously. Don't wait. Tuesday and Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Monday, December 03, 2012

Jeff's Weekly Pick: Kopecky Family Band @ Soda Bar Wednesday December 5, 2012

Nashville has become home to countless bands of every musical genre. Six piece Kopecky Family Band bring their brand of folk infused indie rock to San Diego this Wednesday with a headlining gig at Soda Bar. Currently on tour promoting their sophomore release, Kids Raising Kids, the band maintains an upbeat attitude which is readily evident in their music. Playing various instruments and sharing vocals on many songs keeps the music interesting throughout the record (performance). I believe this marks the first time as headliners here, and the reward is well deserved. Five years of hard work seems to be paying off, and there is no telling how far Kopecky Family Band have yet to grow in the future. Be sure to catch them while you still can in an intimate setting. Tickets for the show can be purchased here.

Sir Sly and Sundrop Electric set the stage.

Watch a video of Heartbeat below.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Things To Do In San Diego: December 1-3, 2012

I hope everyone had a great week and jumped on all of those tickets that went onsale at the Casbah on Friday, but don't forget to buy tickets to the Casbah's NYE show at the Lafayette that go onsale today. There will be room packages that we'll be announcing early next week, too, so if you think you might want a room, hold off on tickets until those packages are posted. I don't know about you, but this week was pretty awesome and since I've already tweeted and facebooked and foursquared my adventures, let me just say that next time it is slightly drizzly in the afternoon, do yourself a favor and go to the zoo. Today Darren and I went and it was nearly empty and it isn't often that you get the amazing sound of rain on that beautiful botanical tree canopy. We caught the second to last skyfari back to the front and it was just stunning. Anyway, this weekend is full of family holiday fun as well as great shows, so don't let the rain keep you from enjoying this city. Sunday through Monday archives are after the jump.