Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, May 29-Sunday, May 31, 2015

This week has kicked my butt. I'm having way too much fun and yesterday was especially awesome with a hike at Adobe Falls with Darren and Nova, delicious dinner at West Coast Tavern, then Neutral Milk Hotel at the Observatory and Transfer at the Casbah. (Thanks to both Tims for the rides!) Tonight and tomorrow I'll be working at the Irenic and only a few tickets remain for tonight, so it should be a great couple of nights. Note that I had the Karl Strauss event on the wrong day, it is actually on Saturday, not Friday. Thanks to Low Volts for the correction. Saturday and Sunday listings are after the jump.

Friday, May 29, 2015:

• An Evening With Delta Spirit and Friends @ The Irenic (ALMOST SOLD OUT!)
• HONEYHONEY, John Isaac Watters @ Soda Bar (SOLD OUT)
• Will Butler, Jo Firestone @ Casbah (SOLD OUT)
• An Evening With Chris Robinson Brotherhood @ Observatory North Park (doors at 9:15)
• Pinata Protest, Viernes 13, Copper Gamins @ The Hideout
• The Burdens, Sycamore, Wang Dang Daddies @ Ken Club
• DJ Grandmasta Rats @ Bar Pink
• Donavon Frankenreiter, Second Cousins Duo@ Belly Up (SOLD OUT)
• Blackbird Blackbird @ The Loft, UCSD
• Oh, Spirit!, Bit Maps @ Seven Grand
• Rebecca Jade spotlights Sade @ Dizzy's
• Film Out Festival 2015 @ The Observatory North Park
• Bubba Sparxxx Ross May, Sloat Dixon, DJ Artistic, and Lucky Lucifer @ Brick By Brick
• The Strive, Haulover, Drive The Roman, Watchdogs Words, American Rust, The Dead Blue @ Epicentre
• Skadonna, Darlington @ The Merrow
• Billy Lee @ Templar's Hall in Old Poway Park
• Midnight Rivals @ Whistle Stop
• Mal Hall, Ryan Sickler, Kyle Ray @ Tipsy Crow
• Dinosaur Ghost (CD Release), Zex, Crime Desire, Diatribe @ Tower Bar
• Atomic Groove FDS Kick Off Happy Hour @ Belly Up (5pm)
• dj Kurty @ Rich's
• Motia @ Omnia
• Caroline Corn and King Daniel @ Lestat's
• Zo!, Carmen Rodgers, Sy Smith @ World Beat Center
• Tori Kelly- Where I Belong Tour @ House of Blues
• Groove International: Sound The Groove @ Voodoo Room, House of Blues
• Starcrossed, the touchies, killer party @ The Bancroft
• Churchill @ U-31
• Matt Savage, Rob Throsen & Richard Sellers @ Croce's Park West
• Trade Winds @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (5pm)
• Beta Maxx @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (9pm)
• OB Comedy @ Winston's (6-9pm)
• Psydecar, Sister Speak @ Winston's
• Freddy Be @ Bang Bang
• Mandapa: Origin @ Spin
• Best Party Ever with Kid Wonder @ El Dorado
• D'Mac @ Tio Leo's
• Marrakesh Theme Launch with DeeJay Al @ Fluxx
• Mimosa @ Bassmnt
• Junior theDISCOpunk @ Henry's Pub
• River Uphill, DJ Arox @ Gallagher's Irish Pub
• Club Musae @ Boar Cross'n
• The Calphonics @ 710 Beach Club

The Rolling Stones at The Belly Up, May 27, 2015

Rumors and speculation started about a week before The Rollings Stones big show at Petco Park on Sunday. Where are they staying? (supposedly the Grand Del Mar) Will they do any warm up shows? (Wednesday at the Fonda in LA, a 1200 person venue-same size as The Observatory North Park- of which 300-400 went on sale to the public the day of show for $5 + $5 service charge, which was refunded at the door) Will they do any secret shows in San Diego? The answer to this one, as we all now know, was yes.

Last night, The Rolling Stones played a private party at The Belly Up. According to CBS8, the party was paid for by Ralph Whitworth. Whitworth is the founder of Relational Investors, LLC, and has served on many boards of publicly traded companies, including serving as interim president for Hewlett-Packard (wiki).

photo used with permission Meryl/The Belly Up Facebook

photo used with permission Meryl/The Belly Up Facebook

It was fun to watch the news coverage (Fox 5, SoundDiego) and my Facebook wall throughout the day, chatting with Meryl all the while as she (and every other Belly Up employee) was bombarded with calls and texts from long lost friends. There were people pretending to be there who weren't, and the people who were kept mum until the whole affair was over and Mick and the band pulled off in their black towncars.

Of all the people that were there trying to get in, I was so ecstatic that the most deserving person of all, Tim Mays, was invited to attend. Tim gave me permission to share his Facebook post.

So I got to see the Rolling Stones at the Belly Up last night! Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a diehard, longtime Stones fan and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see them in a small venue. I was on standby all day and finally got a text about 8:15 which said "start heading north". I was on the road immediately and parked way down the block on Cedros and walked up to the club. It was a carnival atmosphere out front with people milling about in hopes of getting in, minstrels with acoustic guitars walking around singing Stones' songs, and every radio station in town parked on the street. I got to the door just as they were closing it and got in the club about 9pm.

The only people I knew there were folks from the Belly Up and Josh Rubinstein from DMTC (ed: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club) 

Did I mention that it was an open bar??? Don Julio 1942 all around... 

Anyway, this was one of the best shows I've ever seen - they played all the hits and a few curiosities - I Got The Blues was amazing. Mick strapped on a guitar for When the Whip Comes Down, which I had only seen them play once before, on the 1978 Some Girls tour. Paint It Black was very dark and menacing and Midnight Rambler was downright evil. Start Me Up, It's Only Rock'n'Roll, Brown Sugar, Sympathy for the Devil, Crazy Mama, Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women, Miss You, Jumping Jack Flash - all the hits.
I jumped up and down like a kid at times and sang every word for every song and had tears of joy running down my cheeks. It was truly an amazing night of music.

You can also hear Meryl talk about the show with Chris Cantore here.

No doubt this was an incredible experience for everyone who was able to be a part of it all.

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, May 27-Thursday, May 28, 2015

I'm so excited to be going to the Belly Up tonight for The Rolling Stones. I mean, what a show of a lifetime! Just kidding. Actually I am going to an event called Zen Den where I'm going to take advantage of free chair massage. So yeah, next best thing to the Stones. We'll probably follow that up with Little White Teeth at Whistle Stop. Tomorrow should be pretty great with Neutral Milk Hotel, and then I'll be working at the Irenic on Friday and Saturday for the Delta Spirit shows, then I'll have to choose between Will Butler or HONEYHONEY on Friday and Saturday I will for sure not miss Diarrhea Planet at the Casbah. Wednesday and Thursday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Shows at Observatory North Park (5/25 update)

It was so much fun working for X last weekend. Shows at the Observatory are trickling in and there are some amazing ones in the pipeline that we just can't announce yet, but in the meantime, there are some good ones coming up. I'll tell you that the 2nd Spoon show is almost sold out and you should drop by the box office to grab tickets for Best Coast, too. The rest of the shows are selling alright, but you can probably just get tickets at the box office if you want to come by. I'm definitely looking forward to Neutral Milk on Thursday. Today, we're announcing MisterWives on October 16, with tickets on sale this Friday.

5/28 Neutral Milk Hotel, The Minders (SOLD OUT) 7pm, 18+

5/29 Chris Robinson Brotherhood  21+ (9:15 Door time subject to change. Show will begin shortly after doors with 2 full sets from CRB)

5/29-31 FilmOut Film Festival

6/1 Spoon, Sweet Spirit (SOLD OUT) 7pm, All Ages
6/2 Spoon, Sweet Spirit 7pm, All Ages

6/3 An Evening with Walk Off The Earth, 8pm, All Ages

More shows after the jump:

6/11 Joey Bada$$ - World Domination Tour 6pm, 18+

6/12 Queens of the Islands Tour feat. Anuhea & Etana 7pm, All Ages

6/13 Jedi Mind Tricks 7pm, 18+

6/15 Lupe Fiasco, Charles Hamilton 7pm, 18+

6/18 The Slackers 7pm, 18+

6/19 J Boog 7pm, 18+

6/21 Misfits 7pm, All Ages

6/22 Jungle 7pm, 18+

6/26 Best Coast, Bully 7pm, All Ages

7/6 Rob Bell 7:30pm, All Ages

7/10 Burger Records Comic Con Party 7pm, All Ages
7/11 Burger Records Comic Con Party 7pm, All Ages
7/12 Burger Records Comic Con Party 7pm, All Ages

7/14 Barrington Levy 7pm, 18+

7/21 Charli XCX & Bleachers present Charli & Jack Do America 6:30pm, All Ages

7/22 Between The Buried And Me, Animals As Leaders, The Contortionist 6:30pm, All Ages

7/25 Father 8pm, 18+

8/9 Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Mr T Experience 6:30pm, All Ages

8/22 Snow Tha Product 6pm, All Ages

9/9 The Psychedlic Furs & The Church 7pm, 18+

9/22 Future Islands, 7pm, All Ages
9/23 Future Islands (SOLD OUT) 8pm, 21+

10/4 Citizen Cope (Full Band) 7pm, 18+

10/6 Paul Weller 7pm, 18+

10/16 MisterWives 6:30 pm, All Ages

11/30 John Waters Christmas Show, 8pm, 21+

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, May 25-Tuesday, May 16, 2015

It has been a great but exhausting weekend. I worked for X on Friday and Saturday night. After work on Friday I was off early enough that Darren and I got to catch Gayle Skidmore and Jesse Marchant at Whistle Stop. Saturday I worked a little later, but we still got some time in at Bar Pink and Ken Club. Yesterday was fun, too, with a great BBQ at Tim's house, getting some of these listings done, and then being on The Local FM 94/9. I got home later than planned but we got an hour in at karaoke just for fun. Today is a lazy day though we might saddle up on our bikes or something before Kopecky tonight at the Casbah. Maybe we can even make Lo-Fang first. Anyway, sorry these are so late. Monday and Tuesday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 21-Sunday, May 24, 2015

I had to take a day off from everything yesterday, but then it resulted in a marathon night trying to catch up on work. So Casbah shows and Observatory shows are updated, my email is almost manageable, and I'm about ready to go into the Memorial Day weekend with some calm. Tonight I'll be working at both shows with Gad Elmaleh, who is apparently the most famous French comedian, and then I'll be working merch for X both nights. This weekend is also the grand opening of Park and Rec, the Stones are in town, and you better believe there will be barbeques galore. Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Casbah and Casbah Presents Shows (Updated 5/21)

It's has been a couple weeks since I've updated the full Casbah calendar and it is quite the feat when we're adding so many shows all the time. There are a lot of shows going on sale Friday and many more that are already on sale now. Links for every show are provided below for your convenience. June shows and beyond are after the jump.

Upcoming Shows at The Observatory North Park (Updated 5/21)

What a crazy week it was at the Observatory. I checked out part of the Lord Huron show, Darren and I went to Passion Pit, he went solo to Little Dragon, and then I went solo to Glass Animals. This weekend I'll be working at both X shows and am looking forward to hearing the band's four records. There are a lot of shows coming down the pike, so always check their full website at ObservatorySD.com

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, May 20, 2015

I have had such a cool week so far and it's only Tuesday. Darren got his first photo pit experience shooting at Little Dragon and then going to San Fermin, his enthusiasm beyond what I would have had if I had gone instead, so it was kind of magical. Then yesterday, Darren, Nova and I got a tour of the incredible Sector 9 factory by Rob Molt. I had no idea the volume of boards these guys make- it is mind blowing. We learned every process, from where the wood starts as flat sheets to the presses and molds, to the cutting and sanding and shaping and applying graphics down to the laser printed serial numbers. Rob hooked us up with some swag and gave Nova a complete Liquid Metal deck, which he boxed up for us. Then he showed us the Bread Bowl- their onsite skate ramp- and had one of the Sector 9 team riders demo for us before letting Nova skate around it a little. It was truly an experience we won't soon forget. We took her to OB skatepark to skate on the small pools, had a rad dinner at Phil's, and then I went to Glass Animals at the Observatory followed by Speedy Ortiz at Soda Bar. And it's only Wednesday! Wednesday archive after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, May 18-Tuesday, May 19, 2015

I'm super sorry I didn't have these posted at 6am per usual, but I am still recovering from an insane weekend. My body is still exhausted from the Festival of Arts in North Park because I was zipping back and forth between the 30th Street and Illinois Street stages. It was an awesome day, so no complaints, but just letting you know why I'm a little behind in work. After the festival I did merch for Ex Hex at Casbah who were awesome, and last night Darren and I got to go to Passion Pit together. Tonight he'll be at Little Dragon and San Fermin so I'll be home with Nova, but tomorrow I'll be at Glass Animals and maybe Speedy Ortiz if they don't overlap too much. Thursday I'll be working at the Irenic and I'll be slinging merch at both X shows, so say hi if you see me. Super huge shout out to Jordan for putting together all of this week's listings. Monday and Tuesday archives are after the jump.

It's Here: Festival of Arts in North Park on May 16 (Free, All Ages, Family Friendly)

The Festival of Arts in North Park is upon us! Today, Saturday, May 16, the family friendly event takes over the streets of North Park with three stages of live music, a dance performance stage, a kids performance stage, and a small acoustic area. You and your family can spend the day enjoying all of the offerings of North Park and beyond, as food vendors and craft vendors and visual artists fill the streets. The festival runs from 11am to 6pm and is free and all ages (except for the 21+/ticketed Craft Beer Block and two 21+ beer gardens). I booked the Observatory Stage and the 30th Street Stage this year, along with Dang who booked the Bar Pink Stage on 32nd Street, and Alma who booked the Queen Bee's Stage on Ray Street. This year, we also have a full Vinyl Junkies Record Swap on Illinois Street and I have to plug that Nova just joined a dance class, so Move Studio will be performing on the Kids Stage from 2:50-3:20pm.

30TH ST. STAGE
Hosted by Tim Pyles
11:00 — Jesse LaMonaca & The Dime Novels
12:00 — Mayfield
01:00 — Le Chateau
02:00 — Vinyl Mill
03:00 — Midnight Pine
04:00 — Blue Eyed Son
05:00 — Barbarian

THE OBSERVATORY STAGE (at Illinois)
11:00 — Vinyl Junkies Record Swap DJs
12:30 — Erik Canzona & The Narrows
01:30 — Michael McGraw & The Butchers
02:30 — Taurus Authority
03:30 — Afternoon Dream Serum
04:30 — Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects

BAR PINK STAGE (at 32nd St.)
11:15 — Mokoto
12:15 — Bangladesh
01:15 — Flaggs
02:15 — The Rosalyns
03:15 — Schizophonics
04:15 — Swamp Dogg

QUEEN BEE’S STAGE (at Ray St.)
11:00 — Sinai & Rosie (Belly Dance)
12:00 — Love Boom (Soul Live Band)
1:00 — Dan Gindling Band (Country Rock Band)
2:00 — Daniel Feld (Solo Sinatra Singer)
3:00 — Sinai / Cumbia Singer / Tango
4:00 — Super Groupie (Hip Hop)
5:00 — Zymm Zymm Quartet (Swing Band)

Upcoming Shows at the Observatory North Park (Updated 5/14)

The Observatory calendar hadn't changed much last week, but this week there are a whole bunch of additions, including Lupe Fiasco, J Boog, Barrington Levy, Jungle, author Rob Bell, Father, and Citizen Cope. The Observatory generously sponsored the stage on Illinois street for the Festival of Arts in North Park this Saturday so please show your love at the venue and at West Coast Tavern. There's some cool show announcements in a couple weeks that you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for.

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 14-Sunday, May 17, 2015

What a week it has been! Monday was fun at the Hideout for Vikesh Kapoor and Elvis Perkins and then Tuesday I worked at the Irenic for Timber Timbre, then Darren and I went to the Casbah for Vaadat Chagirim- who were AWESOME, by the way. Wednesday night we went to a fat dinner with Jeff at Solare and then caught The Wombats and Life in Film at House of Blues and finished our night at Bar Pink catching Taurus Authority. The rest of the week is crazy, too.  We have Lord Huron tonight, Two Gallants tomorrow, and the Festival of Arts in North Park all day Saturday, then I'm doing merch for Ex Hex that night and then Passion Pit on Sunday. Yikes. That is some serious sleep deprivation. Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday May 11-Wednesday, May 13, 2015

I don't know about you, but I certainly had a great weekend. On Thursday I had a long and fun night seeing the Mowgli's at the Casbah and hanging with my friends at the Ken Club. On Friday, Nova, Darren and I stayed in just hanging with the dog, and Saturday we attended Nova's friend's birthday party before I went to work and sold an insane amount of merch at The Observatory for The Growlers, finishing the night at Bar Pink with Tony and Jake. Mother's Day was mostly spent at Gator By the Bay with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, Godsister, Darren and all of my nieces and nephews so it was pretty awesome though no amount of sunscreen can really protect you from getting fried by the sun.

This week is super busy, too. Note that the Monday night Elvis Perkins show that was supposed to be at the Irenic has moved to The Hideout. The Observatory double-booked and I was told Dipset will be at the theatre and the other show was being moved, so I'm guessing that's at Porter's but I'm not 100% sure. I'll be working at The Irenic on Tuesday for Timbre Timbre and shooting The Wombats on Wednesday and Lord Huron on Thursday, and then hopefully Two Gallants doesn't go too late on Friday because I have to be at the Festival of Arts in North Park at the crack of dawn. Crazy fun week ahead. Monday through Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Casbah and Casbah Presents Shows (Updated 5/7)

There are only a couple Casbah updates this week, but I also know there are a few shows announcing tomorrow, so keep an eye out and you can always see the full Casbah calendar at CasbahMusic.com

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 7-Sunday, May 10, 2015

We're approaching the weekend and I couldn't be happier about that, just because it means my inbox won't cause me such distress. I'll get over it, I always do, but sometimes I wish I could publish the ridiculous requests I get. I will say outside of the burden of email, life is pretty great. I had a great time at MS MR at the Casbah on Monday, got to catch up on sleep because Darren is awesome, and there's lots of good stuff this weekend, too, including my family's annual trek to Gator By the Bay on Mother's Day. Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, May 4--Wednesday May 6, 2015

What a crazy week it was! I'll have to do some separate posts so I can tell you all about the restaurant tasting we did at Fresh Catch on Wednesday, the sold out Dan Deacon show at the Casbah, the sold out Decemberists and Lucius show on Thursday, the sold out Matt & Kim show on Friday, Nova's birthday party, and the sold out Tennis show on Saturday night. Plus I saw Kodak to Graph, caught my niece's soccer game, and got a ton of work done, too. I would like to sleep for 72 hours straight. But, no such luck. The planet just keeps on spinning. A grip of venues haven't updated their calendars even though we're soundly into May- Hideout, Bancroft, and a few others normally on my list just didn't make the cut this week. Monday through Wednesday archives are after the jump.

Upcoming Casbah & Casbah Presents Shows (Updated May 1)

See new update.

Upcoming Shows at The Observatory SD (updated 5/1/)

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3, 2015

It has been kind of a crazy week. Work has been a little insane, plus we've been planning Nova's birthday and then Darren and I both worked at the Decemberists last night so it was a long and late night for all of us. I do have to say that last night's show was probably my favorite that has been at the theatre since the ownership change. Part of it was that I was just a merch helper, so all the gruesome stuff like count ins and count outs weren't my responsibility, but even more than that, the band was just on point. They had a diverse setlist that pulled many favorites from over the years and I was happily dancing and singing along as I worked. It was also cool, because I was still able to shoot the show and take little breaks to listen. Darren kind of indulged me by listening to the band before, but after seeing them, I think he understands my lengthy love affair with the band. This weekend has a lot going on, too. I'll be at Matt & Kim tonight and working at The Irenic tomorrow for the sold out Tennis show, plus we've got Nova's party and Old Town's Cinco de Mayo and lots of work and hopefully some rest, too. Friday through Sunday archives are after the jump.