Future Islands Come to Observatory North Park - September 23

Future Islands have been steadily blowing up. In 2011, they played a sold out show at the Casbah, and then when "Seasons Change" came out, they really blew up. When they finally returned to San Diego, the show sold out super fast and was packed nuts to butts when they performed at The Irenic. I have to say I missed that show because we had a sold out Lake Street Dive show at The North Park Theatre, but the hit song ended up in numerous top tens, including taking the number one spot on Sirius' XMU countdown.

The band is returning to San Diego in September, with a 21+ show at the Observatory North Park on 9/23. The show doesn't go on sale until Monday, April 6, however if you have an American Express Card, you can buy tickets now. I'd pat myself on the back when this one sells out and tell you that I knew it would, but honestly, it is pretty obvious, it's just a matter of how fast that happens. Don't wait to grab tickets.

FUTURE ISLANDS

AT

THE OBSERVATORY NORTH PARK

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

21+

AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESALE TICKETS

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, March 31-Thursday, April 2, 2015

It's officially spring break for many, so while I look forward to some fun park and beach time with Nova, there are also some great shows this week, including the very much anticipated TV on The Radio show at the Observatory on Thursday night. Let me tell you, I didn't know I had so many friends with my phone number. I can't help you if you don't have tickets, but you might want to try M-Theory's in-store. The weekend isn't super crazy, being Easter and all, but there's still plenty of awesome stuff to enjoy the week, whether it is your spring break or not. It looks like there are still a few slackers who haven't posted April events, but I'll try to update if and when they're posted. Tuesday through Thursday listings are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, March 30, 2015

I am crazy behind in work and I was trying to get all the listings done, but it's the end of the month and the beginning of April this week, which means many of your favorite bars and venues haven't posted updated calendars. So today, I'll just give you Monday and hope that I can update and get the rest of the week's out to you later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Monday, March 30, 2015:

• Part Time, Wizard Woes & DJ Matt Bahamas of Heavy Hawaii @ The Hideout
• Pile, Yazan, Mariel, Quali @ Soda Bar
• Space Wax, Speed Wobbles, Bridge Kids, Himalayas @ Tower Bar
• Death Eyes, Little Dove, Kata, Foreign Bodies @ Casbah
• Motown Monday @ Bar Pink
• Garth Algar, Problem with Dragons, Beira, Tiny Deaths @ The Merrow
• Athenaeum Mini Concert @ Lyceum Theatre
• Strictly Hip Hop feat Appex Realm, OS MIC, JKO, DJ JO, Gonejah @ Gallagher's
• Lori Bell & Ron Satterfield @ Croce's Park West
• Comedy with Jon Shefsk, Gordon Downs, Reilly Hoeft @ Ken Club
• Velvet Cafe @ Alexander's (30th & Upas)
• Metal Mondays @ Brick By Brick
• Bayou Bros @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
• Wheels of the Industry @ Live Wire
• Open Mic @ Lestat's
• Electric Waste Band @ Winston's
• Industry Intermission @ The Office
• Acoustic Night/Industry Night @ Henry's Pub
• Karaoke @ Til Two Club
• Karaoke @ Coyote Bar & Grill
• Industry Night with Lee Churchill @ U-31
• Trivia Night @ Whistle Stop

Things To Do In San Diego: March 27-29, 2015

It is gonna be a great weekend! Broncho, Jeremy Enigk, Echosmith, and SoundDiego Live are on my agenda, but there's all kinds of good stuff happening all over town this weekend. I'm thinking I kick it all off with a disco nap because it feels like I have been non-stop busy this week. So I'm gonna get to that so I can really live it up tonight. Saturday and Sunday listings are after the jump.

Friday, March 27, 2015:

• Broncho, Jacco Gardner, Ultimate Painting @ Casbah
• SoundDiego Live feat. Prayers, Glass Spells, Idyllwild @ A/C Lounge
• Ditches, The Cardielles @ The Balboa (formerly Tin Can)
• Rock In The Park feat. Earl Thomas & Blues Cabaret, Michael Tiernan @ Reuben H Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park
• The Coathangers, Sex Stains, Sandycheeks @ Soda Bar
• Soda Bar presents Swimmers, Dog Party, Kids, In Viridian @ Voodoo Room, House of Blues
• Soulful Collective (A Night of Music Art and Comedy) @ The Irenic
• Young Thug & Travis Scott, Rodeo Hi Tunes Tour 2015 @ The Observatory North Park
• 80s vs 90s with DJs Vaughn Avakian & Heather Hardcore @ Bar Pink
• Elephant Revival, Trouble In The Wind @ Belly Up
• Desert Hearts Spring Festival 2015: Monkey Safari, RODRIGUEZ JR., Audiofly, Blond:ish, Justin Jay, Dink, Lonely Boy, and Atish @ Los Coyotes Indian Reservation
• Atomic Groove Spring Fling Happy Hour @ Belly Up (5pm)
• Soul Organization @ Seven Grand
• Chelsea Grin, Carnifex, Sworn In, The Family Ruin, Hundred Caliber, Hannibal @ Soma
• San Diego Soul Music Festival 2015: The Whispers, Stephanie Mills, Johnny Gill, Con Funk Shun @ Valley View Casino Center
• Dmitri Matheny & his quartet @ Dizzy's
• Stayin Alive- One Night of he Bee Gees @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido
• Rosedale, Straight To The Head, Full Body Tones, RiboFlavin, Am0s, Goodmorning Coffee @ Epicentre
• Peach Kelli Pop, Susan & Step-Panther @ The Hideout
• Water Tower, Tim Carr, Dia @ Lestat's
• The Lovebirds @ Java Joe's
• Atomic Punks (Tribute to Early Van Halen), Paradise City (Tribute to Guns & Roses), Livin on a Prayer (Tribute to Bon Jovi) @ House of Blues
• The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Leopold and His Fiction@ The Merrow
• Archetype @ The Bancroft
• Rum Rebellion, Systemic Abuse, Rom Baro, Ad Seg @ Tower Bar
• Hotel California feat. Jason Freese, Wet, Atlantis Rising, DJ R-You @ U-31
• Benedetti Trio@ Croce's Park West
• Doug Hartley and Band @ Wine Lover
• Y3K @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (5pm)
• Beta Maxx @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (9pm)
• OB Comedy with Cameron Byson & Hayli Nicole @ Winston's (6-9pm)
• Polynesian Underground presents Rakastep, AOK @ Winston's
• Hard Fall Hearts, The Blackjackits, Toothless George, Brass Hysteria @ Til-Two Club
• Lady & The Lion (Album Release), Taurus Authority @ Whistle Stop
• Yah Yahz @ Fluxx
• Crizzly @ Bassmnt
• Mal Hall, Rajan Dharni @ Tipsy Crow
• D'Mac & R: Tyme @ Tio Leo's
• Gypsy Mamba, Irregular Expression, DJ Pound, Sleeve, Winter Inter, Zochi @ Kava Lounge
• Random Radio, DJ Arox @ Gallagher's Irish Pub
• Club Musae @ Boar Cross'n

Dwight Yoakam at The Observatory (San Diego) May 8, 2015

Dwight Yoakam is coming to the Observatory North Park on May 8. Tickets officially go on sale Friday, March 27 at 10am, but I was given the go ahead to share the presale links to all you lovelies.

Presale General Admission: http://bit.ly/1Gv1LuO

Presale Gold Circle: http://bit.ly/1NjTdXR

VIP + Gold Circle Presale: http://bit.ly/1HMElTk

There are all kinds of cool offers for this show...like Gold Circle front of house seating, or the VIP upgrade which includes a meet and greet (limited to 75 people). Each ticket sold online includes a record bundle as well.

Upcoming Casbah & Casbah Presents Shows

Broncho plays at the Casbah this Friday, March 27 

I'm sorry I haven't updated my Casbah shows in awhile, but the second I post, we add more, so it's really hard to keep up. Since last time I posted, we've added shows by Irene Diaz, The Skints, The Loons, Kopecky (formerly Kopecky Family Band), Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen), The Life and Times, Rhett Miller, The Pandoras, Manic Hispanic, Wolf Alice, Hutch and Kathy, Timbre Timbre, Kyle, Active Child, Royal Thunder, Dwight Yoakam and more. My html got really messed up here for some reason, so please let me know if there are any broken links or any redirects, but these should open a new browser to get you straight to the ticket purchase path. I'll leave the next week of shows here, the rest are after the jump.


Thu Mar 26 - Weedeater, King Parrot @ The Casbah

Thu Mar 26 - JEFF The Brotherhood, Bully @ Soda Bar

Fri Mar 27 - Broncho, Jacco Gardner, Ultimate Painting @ The Casbah

Sat Mar 28 - The Loons, Misunderstood with Glenn Campbell, Schitzophonics @ The Casbah

Sat Mar 28 - Jeremy Enigk @ The Irenic

Sun Mar 29 - Tsu Shi Ma Mire, QUORUM, The Fin @ The Casbah

Mon Mar 30 - Death Eyes, Little Dove, Kata, Foreign Bodies @ Casbah

Tue Mar 31 - Shlohmo, Purple (live), Nick Melons @ The Casbah

Wed Apr 01 - Punch Brothers, Gabriel Kahane @ The Observatory North Park

Thu Apr 02 - The Shrine, Dirty Fences, Loom @ Casbah

Thu Apr 02 - TV on the Radio, Nostalghia @ The Observatory North Park (SOLD OUT)

Thu Apr 02 - LEX @ The Hideout

Fri Apr 03 - Disappears, The Dabbers, Octagrape @ The Casbah

Fri Apr 03 - Bonobo (DJ Set) @ The Observatory

Sat Apr 04 - VINYL JUNKIES RECORD SWAP (11am-5pm)

Sat Apr 04 - His Name is Alive @ The Casbah

91X Announces 2015 X-Fest Line-Up: June 7

91X Presents X-FEST
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Get your tickets before anyone else!
Pre-sale Start Info:
Wednesday, March 25 at 10am
Ends Thursday, March 26 at 10pm

General Onsale Friday, March 27 at 10am

PASSWORD: 91X
BUY YOUR PRE-SALE TICKET, CLICK HERE

The Lineup:
Modest Mouse
The Cult
Pennywise
Public Enemy
Cold War Kids
Death From Above 1979
Yelawolf
Atlas Genius
The Orwells
Robert Delong
Meg Myers
Shady Francos
Moon Hooch

Things To Do In San Diego: March 23-26, 2015

Well, I have to say it was a great weekend. On Friday, Darren worked early in the day so we could fully enjoy the Banker's Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival and Spring Thing at MCASD. We made it to the Casbah for Cory Branan and Jenny Owen Youngs, but since he'd been up since 6am, called it a night and I finished by catching Moon Hooch at Soda Bar. On Saturday morning, we met with the pet behaviorist at the Humane Society, then went to the main campus to finish paperwork. I have to say that I had a total crying meltdown there. Maybe it was the excitement of our new dog, but I just felt this crushing sadness at all the amazing animals there who need homes. I particularly fell in love with Maya, a gray pit mix. Someone should go get her immediately. But all in all, it was a joyful day, we got the paperwork, had a nice lunch, and then picked up our dog from Sean who was fostering her. It's been a couple days now and she is certainly awesome, hopefully Kiwi will come around and they'll get used to sharing space. On Sunday, Nova had her first piano rehearsal which was pretty cool, especially since it is rare for her to be with us on a weekend. Of course, she's head over heels about the dog, too. There's a lot going on this week, so Tuesday through Thursday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 20-22, 2015

I try to get really excited for the weekend, but I work every day so, for example, I know that this weekend I have to solidify my festival lineup, get next week's listings together, and prepare some newsletters for some big show announcements, and get through a couple hundred emails. Still, I'm looking forward to some fun times at the Banker's Hill Beer Festival at the Abbey and Spring Thing tonight at MoCASD, and then tomorrow we are hopefully (*fingers crossed*) adopting Sunflower from the Humane Society. Then Sunday, Nova has her first ever piano recital, so that is pretty exciting, too. So, yes, I have to work, but I also hope to have a really fun weekend. Be safe out there. Friday through Sunday archives after the jump.

Upcoming Shows at The Observatory North Park (Updated 3/21)

Here's the update for all The Observatory shows coming up. As I've mentioned, some of the age restrictions and door times have changed slightly, so always check the website day of show to make sure you get there on time. All shows and ticket links listed below.

Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival - TODAY Friday March 20th

The magical time is upon us again when we get to hangout in the historic Abbey on 5th Avenue and get really silly. But the ante has been raised folks! That's right, this year the festival still boasts unlimited BEER and FOOD tastes (no one else does this by the way and on the off chance they do you're paying $65+), but they aimed for the stars and recruited some of BH's finest establishments: Cucina Urbana, Barrio Star, Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant and Pizzicato will all be slinging delicious tastes.

Oh and did I mention the 14 breweries you will be sampling from?

• AleSmith Brewing Company
• Stone Brewing Co.
• Green Flash
• Groundswell Brewing Company
• Helm's Brewing Company 
• The Lost Abbey
• Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
• Aztec Brewing Company
• Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
• Rock Bottom Brewery La Jolla
• Legacy Brewing Co.
• Mother Earth Brew Co.
• Lightning Brewery
• Hillcrest Brewing Company

So, here's everything you need to know...

When: Tomorrow Friday March 20th from 5-9pm
Where: The Historic Abbey - 2825 5th Avenue 92103
Tickets: $30 ($35 at the door) http://bhbeerfest15.brownpapertickets.com/

Exclusive SDDialedIn Discount code - $5 off only $25!: SDDIALEDIN2015

Don't. Miss. Out. There is no better option for fun in the city this Friday night, at least between the hours of 5-9pm. Tickets go up $5 on Friday so get them while you can.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 18-19, 2015

I try to keep this a positive space and try not to vent too often, but I am finding that I have a very low tolerance for stupidity. I'm in the middle of booking the festival and I have 12-14 slots to fill, depending on how long of set times I want to dole out, and I had to send out rejection emails to about 60 bands this week. It pains me, because many of them are friends and many of them are bands I enjoy seeing live, but I have to put on the festival goggles and look through the lens of a daytime, family friendly event, with people from newborn to great grandparents strolling through North Park on a hot day. So everyone is mostly cool when I send my generic rejection. No hard feelings. Except for one stupid band who didn't even fill out the form correctly with a link to their music (one very simple requirement on the form), and this shithead sends me a nasty entitled email about how we must not have listened to them because if we had then they wouldn't be rejected. Well, sorry Carlos, but if you're too stupid to fill out my form correctly, then I can only assume you're too stupid to show up on time, line check on time, and get off stage on time to keep my festival moving. And now that I know what an entitled dick you are, I will be happy to pass along my insight to every booker in town.

Wednesday and Thursday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 15-17, 2015

I didn't make it down to CRSSD FEST yesterday because I wasn't planning on going until 5 or 6, but by the time I was actually ready to leave the house, I got a call to do merch at The Observatory. It was okay, though, because my Friday night was awesome with The Twilight Sad and Port St. Willow at the Merrow, and then Darren met up with me to catch a little bit of the show and then we closed the night with Marjy and Robin at Livewire and some late night grub at Tam's. Knowing this festival was this weekend lit a bit of a fire under me, so I went ahead and did the whole week's listings a little early. I know these will get updated at least a few times this week, but here's the bare bones to get you through your week. See you at CRSSD! Sunday through Tuesday archives after the jump.

CRSSD FESTIVAL SET TIMES

Things To Do In San Diego: March 12-14, 2015

Today we bitch about first world problems. Last week, my Samsung S4 bit the dust. It wouldn't turn on, even though the whole thing is intact and it was super frustrating. So I have to call Costco to find out who they use for insurance (because I bought insurance, though I have no record of it) and fortunately when I called Squaretrade, my name is unique enough that they can find me without my receipt and serial numbers or my expired Costco membership number. So in the meantime, I'm using one of the Nokias that my rad friend Jen gave me, but it is a Windows phone. This means it has amazing resolution, probably the best camera available on a mobile device, but it hates Google. And for someone who has SEVEN Google accounts, this is no bueno. So yesterday I got my new S4 replacement (without a battery!) and once it was all charged, I have to attempt to restore all my accounts: 7 Gmails, 6 Twitter accounts, 4 Instagram accounts, etc. etc. and suddenly I believe in "The Cloud" and why for everything moving forward, I need to accept all those pop-up offers to back my shit up. Because even with all these accounts, I lost a ton of stuff on my old device itself and have no way of knowing if it is worth the $100 or so repair just to get it back. It's funny, I think the last time this happened, I was about to set off to SXSW. So that week is nearly upon us again, and even though I'm not going, I'm sure as hell going to know about every single party because apparently they all warrant press releases to one or all of my seven Google accounts. If you need to reach me for anything, try me on Facebook, because even though we all hate it, it is probably the most reliable platform available. Everything else is going to take me a few days.  Thursday through Saturday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Casbah & Casbah Presents Shows

Dengue Fever perform at the Casbah this Saturday, Mar 14

The Casbah keeps adding shows and it's nuts. It's pretty impossible to keep track of, and I'm sure as soon as I post this, there will be more shows added, but since there's a newsletter going out tomorrow, I had to update this list. Note the recently added shows like The Slashes, The Knocks, Ivan & Alyosha, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, HoneyHoney, Gad Elmaleh (Two Shows!), The Rentals, and a free show at Whistle Stop by Jesse Marchant (aka JBM). And of course, I keep mentioning that we added a second night of Spoon at The Observatory. All upcoming Casbah shows and their ticket links are after the jump. Anything without a link is either sold out as indicated or is just a walk-up, pay at the door show with no advance tickets.

Upcoming Shows at the Observatory North Park

The Observatory has been crazy busy since it opened, and there's always a learning curve as new owners come into an established entertainment district. New shows are constantly being added and kinks are worked out along the way. Apparently one of those issues was the all ages shows. So, if you've purchased a ticket to an all ages show, you'll want to check the website as many of those shows have bumper forward with a 6pm door time to accommodate a 10pm curfew. There are new shows by Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Action Bronson, and a second Spoon show was added, too. All current shows and links are listed below.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 10-11, 2015

I wanted to update listings today because I wanted to make sure Che Fest 2015 made it into the listings for the weekend, and in case you didn't see yesterday, we added another SPOON show at The Observatory North Park. This one is on June 2. It is on sale now. I'm interviewing Cary Brothers tonight at the Belly Up for SoundDiego and it's just non-stop busy over here. Also, thanks to everyone who submitted to the North Park Festival of Arts. You'll be receiving emails this week whether you're invited to play or not. This is my gentle way of saying "don't call us, we'll call you." Tuesday and Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 9, 2015

The last two years I went back and forth on trying to go to SXSW, but this year has been so busy here that I didn't even consider the journey this year. Just like with Coachella, San Diego benefits from a lot of the bands working their ways to Austin and this weekend is super loaded with great shows all over. But even on just a nightly basis, there is some really great stuff happening this week. Monday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 7-8, 2015

This week was definitely a good one, and last night was a ton of fun as Darren and I went to Reader on Tap, then to Eleanor Friedberger at the Whistle Stop,  then a drink at the Ken Club, and capped off with late night tacos at Rolberto's with Robin & Marjy. It's a lovely lazy day today and I'm looking forward to hanging at the Quartyard later today. Saturday and Sunday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Shows At The Observatory North Park

See full list of shows after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 4-6, 2015

This week feels like it has been crazy, but maybe that's because besides my regular work and my regular life and all the shows, I'm trying harder to keep on top of my email because even though I'm not going to SXSW, I'm still getting 200 press releases a day about it. It's easy to say I should just delete, but even that takes time, and eventually these artists come back around, you know? I'm also trying to get through all the submissions for The Festival of Arts in North Park, and while it sounds like a fun project, it's my least favorite part of the festival, because all those awesome bands get to be told there's only room for a dozen. Tonight Darren and I are tag teaming the Irenic. I'm working the door and he'll be slinging merch, and then we're heading to the Casbah, WHICH I CAN'T BELIEVE IS NOT SOLD OUT! Are you kidding me? SWERVEDRIVER?! Adam Franklin is a gem of a human, too, so I'm excited about catching them. This weekend is going to be nuts with the return of TNT on Thursday, Reader on Tap on Friday, the opening of Quartyard on Saturday, plus a ton of other fun stuff. Listings are below and I appreciate all the people who reached out to give me updates. I promise I'll add some more music venues to that page when I can, namely The Balboa, Quartyard, Seven Grand and Kava Lounge. It just takes time and tiny 175x60 logos which nobody seems to want to send me. Wednesday through Friday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: March 2-3, 2015

What a super great weekend it was. Friday I had to work at Brick By Brick but also caught Metalachi at the Casbah. It was a great lazy Saturday and date night with Darren. We caught The Church at the Casbah and Craft Spells at The Hideout, and on Sunday checked out Empires at Soda Bar. I'm looking forward to some cool events this week. Monday and Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Shows at The Observatory San Diego

See full list of shows after the jump.