Friday, January 30, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 30-February 1, 2015:

This actually turned out to be a pretty great week, despite poor Darren being so sick. I'm starting to scout for the North Park Festival of Arts, so I'm making a greater effort to check out newer local acts when I can. (DON'T SEND E-MAILS- there's a submission form on the website!!) Monday and Wednesday were both good local nights at the Casbah. This week, I also spent a lot of time with Nova in an attempt to give D a chance to rest, so we got a visit in with my parents and my nieces. I also caught Murder For Two at the Old Globe with Tim Pyles, Weyes Blood at the Hideout, and Crash Kings at the Soda Bar. Today I'm going to the Zoo with the second graders at Nova's school, am working at The Irenic for Brooke Fraser, then heading to Casbah for the SoundDiego party with We Are Scientists. Not a bad way to kick off the weekend. Here's to hoping Darren is up for a bike ride on Sunday when the streets of San Diego are completely empty for at least four hours or so.

Saturday and Sunday listings are after the jump.

Friday, January 30, 2015:
  • SoundDiego presents: We Are Scientists, Schitzophonics, Nicky Venus @ Casbah
  • Casbah Presents: Brooke Fraser, Dark Wave @ Irenic
  • CHATEAU, Speaker In Reverse @ Whistle Stop
  • ASCE Presents: Jhameel, Island Boy @ The Loft
  • Paul Wall @ Porter's Pub UCSD
  • John Williams @ Copley Symphony Hall
  • Buddie Roots, Monty @ Bancroft Bar
  • Nothing, Tony Molina, Witness 9 @ Soda Bar
  • DJ Grand Masta Rats @ Bar Pink
  • Philm, Godhammered, Alchemy @ Brick By Brick 
  • Township Rebellion, The Grind, Punkture @ The Merrow
  • Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin w/ The Guilty Ones, Jonah Tolchin @ Belly Up
  • Agua Dulce @ Croce's Park West
  • Nora Germain @ Dizzys
  • Chris Clarke @ San Diego Folk Heritage
  • Kid Wonder @ El Dorado
  • Nothingful @ Low Gallery
  • Happy Traum @ Templar's Hall in Old Poway Park
  • The Indys, Me Gusta, Turtle Turnip, Bandidos, Sean Hiatus @ Epicentre
  • DJ Brett Bodley @ Fluxx
  • Crizzly and K Theory @ Somewhere Loud
  • Cot Damn w/ DJ Dimitri VS Bitch Please (Heavy Hawaii members) @ The Hideout
  • Badfish (Sublime Tribute), Shrub @ House Of Blues
  • Ruby and the Red Hots, Beta Maxx @ Humphrey's Backstage
  • Atomic Groove @ Belly Up (5:00 PM)
  • DJ Beatnick @ Rooftop 600
  • Mike Keneally, Jeff Berkley, Jamie Shadowlight @ Java Joes
  • Brian Lopez, Nick Crook, Sarah Leo @ Lestats
  • Thicker Than Thieves, Rakastep, Perro Bravo @ 710 Beach Club
  • Darlington, Dan Padilla, Idols Plague, Fantasy Arcade @ Til Two Club
  • The Distractions @ Tio Leos
  • Craig Suede @ Wine Lover
  • SUBDVSN, Bang Pow, Taurus Authority @ Winstons
  • Dimond Saint, KMLN, Launchpad Infinity, arkon @ Spin Nightclub

Upcoming Shows at The Observatory North Park



Upcoming shows at The Observatory North Park:


1/31 Wale: SIMPLE Mobile Simply Nothing Tour, Audio Push

2/7 Leftover Crack, Blackbird Raum, Homesick Abortions, Juicy Karkass

2/10 Migos

2/12 Juicy J

2/13 Hepcat, Big Sandy and His Fly-rite Boys

2/14 Logic: Under Pressure World Tour

2/16 Riff Raff, Chanel West Coast
2/21 Lucinda Williams, The Kenneth Brian Band

2/22 El Tri

2/24 Brett Dennen: Solo Acoustic

2/25 Cold War Kids, Eliot Moss (SOLD OUT)

3/7 Nahko and Medicine For The People

3/19 Trampled By Turtles, Honeyhoney

3/24
Talib Kweli & Immortal Technique

3/27 Young Thug & Travis Scott
3/29 IAMSU!

4/1 Punch Brothers, Gabriel Kahae

4/2 TV On The Radio (SOLD OUT)

4/14 Father John Misty, King Tuff

4/15 Toro Y Moi, Mattson 2

4/16 Clean Bandit

4/17 Belle & Sebastian (SOLD OUT)

4/18 Marina & The Diamonds

4/20 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

4/23 Tribal Seeds, Leilani Wolfgram

4/24 Tribal Seeds, Hirie, True Press

4/25 Tribal Seeds, Fortunate Youth, Aloha Radio

4/30 The Decemberists (SOLD OUT)

5/1 Matt & Kim

5/9 The Growlers

5/16 Stick Figure, Ballyhoo!

5/28 Neutral Milk Hotel, The Minders (SOLD OUT)

6/21 Misfits


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 25-29, 2015

I'm not going to lie. It has been a rough start to 2015. Bob Bennett's passing hit all of us at the Casbah very hard. I've been meaning to write a worthy tribute but I can't get passed a first sentence. On a smaller scale, it feels like everyone I know is sick, including Nova who was home for the whole week and now it seems Darren is being taken out by it, too, and my professional life is scattered and I feel pretty overwhelmed at the moment. Hopefully it is all just a hump to get over and things will start to feel more normal, whatever that means. Let's look forward to this week of music and hope that things turn around for everyone. Monday through Thursday listings are after the jump.

Sunday, January 25, 2015:
  • The Coup, Odessa Kane, DJ Artistic @ Casbah
  • Casbah Presents: Russian Circles, Mamiffer @ Soda Bar (SOLD OUT)
  • Los Lobos, Hamish Anderson @ Belly Up
  • Alberta Ballet's Fumbling Towards Ecstsy @ California Center for the Arts Escondido
  • The Body Rampant, Ghost Parade @ Ken Club
  • Giuseppe Mentuccia @ Salk Institute
  • Stevie Harris, Tori Roze, Johnny Alexander @ Sycamore Den
  • Rat Sabbath with DJ Ratty @ Bar Pink
  • ZOFO @ California Center for the Arts
  • 45 Revolutions (noon), Choro Sataque @ Croces Park West
  • Pants Karaoke @ The Hideout
  • AJ Froman, Gabriela y La Buena Honda @ Tin Roof
  • Kirk Franklin Presents Gospel Brunch @ House of Blues
  • Jesse Davis (10:00am), Antoine Knight (8:00) @ Humphrey’s Backstage
  • The Jason Adamo Band, Jessica Lynn, Caroline Corn @ Lestat’s
  • Craig Wayne Boyd @ Sycuan
  • A Benefit Concert for the family of our friend Kyle Witkowski @ Winston's (3:00)
  • The Squirming Coils @ Winston's (7:00)
  • Jose Sinatra hosts O.B.-o-ke @ Winston's (10:00)

Thursday, January 22, 2015

New Casbah Show Announcements: Father John Misty! The Decemberists! Two Gallants! and more

Despite all the upheaval 2015 has already wrought on my year, there are some really great things happening and I'm just trying to keep nose to the grindstone and be productive where I can. This week we added a ton of shows to the Casbah presents calendar, and as I mentioned earlier, there are fan club presales you should check out by artist, but if not, all tickets for the shows listed below go on sale Friday at 10am. If you're going to strategize, I'd recommend the Decemberists first, then Father John Misty, then any of the rest of them, mostly because they're ticketed through different sites and you can't just load them all into one digital cart. I know, it sucks, but as long as you're online early you shouldn't have a problem. They've all gone to great lengths to weed out scalpers and have strict ticket limits.

3/25 Rubblebucket, Vacationer @ Casbah


Click on the shows below to go straight to their ticket links.

3/26 Jeff The Brotherhood @ Soda Bar

4/14 Father John Misty, King Tuff @ The Observatory North Park

4/16 Clean Bandit @ The Observatory North Park

4/18 Buck O Nine @ Casbah

4/30 The Decemberists @ The Observatory Norht Park

5/15 Two Gallants @ Soda Bar

5/27 Mystic Braves @ Casbah



Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 21-25, 2015

When I started this website, I had no alliances nor allegiances, and when I'd hear something, I couldn't wait to spill it. Nowadays, my work means that I have to keep secrets, even signing NDA's, and it SUCKS ASS. I wish I could tell you everything that's been going on lately, but I can't. What I can tell you is that Casbah announced a bunch of new shows yesterday and tickets are on sale Friday for most of them, but you should also go to each artist site and try and get in on their artist presales. 3/25 Rubblebucket & Vacationer Casbah San Diego; 4/14 Father John Misty & King Tuff @ The Observatory North Park; 4/16 Clean Bandit @ The Observatory North Park; 4/16 RATATAT House of Blues San Diego; 4/30 The Decemberists @ The Observatory North Park; 5/15 Two Gallants @ Soda Bar. There are a lot more announcements to come, too. Always pay attention to CasbahMusic.com for the latest and greatest. And I'll still let you know about stuff here, too, just don't expect me to be breaking any announcements.
In other news, NAMM is this weekend. Nova is sick, so Darren won't be going. If anyone is going up and has room for me, let me know! I can pretty much go any day except Saturday. Thursday through Sunday listings are after the jump.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 19-20, 2015

So, what can I say about the weekend? Friday, The Observatory North Park hosted Curren$y and there was a massive turnout, so that bodes well for the upcoming bookings. After the show, I went to Bar Pink for a drink then made it to San Diego Freak Out at the Casbah which was off the wall and super fun. On Saturday, I mostly worked and lazed around and though I really wanted to drop by the Hideout, I knew it was a bad idea because Darren and I woke up super early on Sunday to canoe in the San Diego River Estuary for the San Diego River Foundation's Estuary Cleanup. It wasn't long enough on the water, but you have to work with the tide, but it was still a very satisfying contribution to the city we love. I did merch for White Arrows which was a great show, too, and if you missed it, you can at least catch Nicky Venus this Thursday at Bar Pink. I'm looking forward to the week ahead- Mariachi El Bronx and Waters both promise to be great shows. Monday and Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 14-18, 2015

I can't say this week hasn't been eventful so far. My dad is back home and his health is much improved. Yesterday I got my termination papers from The North Park Theatre and today I was rehired by The Observatory North Park and I am nervous and excited and a little scared as I try to find where I fit in with this new organization. It was an absolute pleasure working for Midge Ure last night, too. So tonight I'm looking forward to date night with Darren to go see Pinback at the Casbah and then a busy weekend. Wednesday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 11-13, 2015

I don't know about you, but I have had a blast this weekend. I hit Soda Bar, The Hideout, and Ken Club on Friday, and then Casbah and Livewire and a super fun afterparty at the Lafayette on Saturday, and tonight I get to work at the Tig Notaro show, which is 8 tickets shy of sell out as I type this. This is going to be a very eventful week- my dad is supposed to go back home on Monday from the acute care facility which is great news, and this week the new owners take over The North Park Theatre and host their first show of 2015 on Friday. Remember when I was talking about embracing change and being ready for what the new year brings? This is the week that is put to the test. Sunday through Tuesday listings are after the jump.

Friday, January 09, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 9-10, 2015

Well it certainly has been an eventful week. News is out about the new ownership of The North Park Theatre and as soon as I'm able, I will talk about it and what it means for me. Thanks to everyone who reached out to me via texts and messenger for all the support. It was also newsworthy personally, because my dad was scheduled to go home on Saturday, but unfortunately that has changed again, and it might not happen until sometime next week. I have to say it was pretty awesome working for Lieutenant on Wednesday night, especially afterward when we all hung out with the supergroup at Livewire after the show. So like, me and Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) and Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes) are totally besties now. (i kid, of course.) It was also being back at the Irenic for a show, and I'll be working again on Sunday (which is about 40 tickets away from selling out, so don't wait because Tig is amazing!!) This weekend is going to be awesome. Friday and Saturday archives are after the jump.

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Coachella 2015

There's an awful lot of buzz at the moment and my phone has been ringing off the hook all morning, so here is a welcome distraction....the Coachella lineup is announced! Who do you hope comes to San Diego between the weekends? I already know of a couple and they're gonna be good...


Monday, January 05, 2015

Things To Do In San Diego: January 5-8, 2015

A new week, a new year, and lots of new shows. I thoroughly enjoyed having some decompression time the past couple weeks. My dad is doing better and has been moved to an acute care facility where they expect him to be for a couple weeks before he can go home. Darren's family visited for a few days, too, so we had some fun being tourists in our own town, then we worked NYE, which inspired our overnight escape to Tijuana. This week it is back to the grind for most people, and I'm just going to take some deep breaths and tackle the to-do list one item at a time. We've added quite a few new shows over the holidays, so be sure to check new shows at the Casbah and The North Park Theatre. Monday through Thursday archives are after the jump.

Sunday, January 04, 2015

New Year Staycation in Tijuana

Darren and I decided to take a little staycation in Tijuana this week, which I guess is now a tradition since we did the same last year. I decided it was worth a post because we made some new discoveries and since my method of Googling + screenshots whenever we were in wi-fi seemed to be challenging, maybe if nothing else, I can refer to my own post next time we head down.

It was easy enough parking at my Mom's in Chula Vista, then catching a Lyft down to the border. We walked across and caught a cab to Revolucion. Usually we'd walk, but it was freezing. Hotel Caesar's is still just $37/night for a room with a king bed, so we paid for two nights, just to be safe. The rooms are nice, but you want to bring your own shampoo/soap and the towels are on the small side, too. We arrived around 7pm, and being New Year's Day, a lot of places were closed, so we just wandered south on Revolucion admiring the art on all the shuttered garage doors, hoping I could navigate us to Lupita's, a diner I used to go all the time many years ago. Instead, we found an open taqueria, Tacos Polo (Ave Revolucion 1928), and slammed several mulitas and street tacos. Back on the wi-fi in the room, I came across this post, by SD Hop Addict. I've been to BCB before, but nobody answered when we called, so we called Baja Artesanal which assured us they were open. It's a bit of a cab ride to Galerias Hipodromo, but it was worth it because this place had a great selection of craft beer (and a few non-craft, too) and the servers were super nice. We loved the Lupulosa by Cerveceria Insurgente and took a couple bottles to go. We headed back to Revo, had a couple drinks at Dandy del Sur and called it a night.





Andrea recommended Tia Juana Tilly's for breakfast, and though it's one of the more touristy spots on Revo by night, we enjoyed our chilaquiles, eggs, pancakes, and endless coffee. We had no particular place to go, so we cruised some shops, wandered some side streets, and eventually made our way to Pasaje Rodriguez to grab some more shirts from Mexican Fashion. We couldn't find Mamut, which just a year ago was a nano brewery in the same alley, so once again we searched and found a new address, Calle Carrillo Puerto 8161 (Calle 3RA, just west of Revolucion). Talk about growth! The new Mamut is up a staircase between a couple farmacias and torta vendors, just past the cheese shop. It has grown into a huge space, with a service bar at the top of the stairs, a wing with a massive wood fire oven and kitchen service counter, and an outdoor deck with several tables. We had the Red IPA, and it was good we did because when we returned later that evening, they had sold out of it.

On The Deck at Mamut

Mamut with wood-fired Mammoth oven

Mamut

BCB Tasting Room

Crickets at La Mezcalera

Cafe La Especial sign- hung in La Justina
Later in the afternoon, we caught a cab to Las Ahumaderas- Tacos Las Paisas (Guilermo Prieto 9770, Col. Gabilondo) and we bought some tacos for our cab driver, too, who helped us find BCB (Orizaba 3003) when we were finished gorging on Samurai and mulitas. At BCB we had a couple great beers, but it was freezing inside the building, so eventually made our way back toward the hotel, and had some mezcal (and crickets) at La Mezcalera (Calle 6ta 8267). Growing up, we went to Tijuana a lot, and my family always ate Tacos al Vapor from Cafe La Especial. The restaurant is no longer in its old location, but there's a little spot, it looks like a movie theatre box office, where you can still buy the vapor tacos. We grabbed a couple, went into La Justina (Revolucion 926) where they served craft beer by the bottle, and then decided we'd get more tacos al vapor, head to the room and get ready to head home. It was only about 7pm, and we checked the border wait and it was at 100 minutes. So naturally, we crashed out in our room for longer than planned, checked out of our room at midnight, then crossed the border when there was no wait at all.

It was a pretty great little jaunt, and I'm grateful for Turista Libre, and friends like Kristian & Carrie, and Larry & Lydia, and Miguel, and Andrea & Chad, who always post their TJ adventures. Hopefully this is the year we can make a better effort to head across he border more frequently.