Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, May 30-Friday, June 2, 2017


What a perfect weekend. Darren, Nova and I went to Foster the People on Friday night and after I went to Casbah for San Diego Freak Out which was super fun and packed. Saturday the little one had a derby party where she got the "Small But Deadly" Award voted by her team. Afterward we all motivated for a Balboa Park takeover with a huge group of friends and kids and it was an amazing day in the sun. My Godsister came by, too, so I could shoot their prom photos which is always fun to do around the park. Our picnic group eventually moved to Panama 66 before calling it a day. I went home to catch up on work, then met up with my sister & her friends at Tribute Pizza followed by the birthday girl dragging us all to U31. Eventually that little party split up around midnight and I went to Bar Pink to be among my kinda people and closed out the night. Sunday we went to Tim's Memorial Day BBQ and that left Monday as a work day. This is a big week ahead, with tons of great shows all week and then In-Ko-Pah this weekend. I am missing updated June calendars for Bar Pink, Black Cat Bar, El Dorado, FLUXX, Harbor Music Hall, and Sycamore Den, but otherwise archives through Friday are after the jump.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, May 26-Monday, May 29, 2017


It's been a pretty great week that kicked off with the Spice Pistols at the Casbah on Monday night. I told you I was gonna lay low this week, so Darren went in my stead on Tuesday to see Hoops and Wednesday we chilled at home. I hung out at the Ken last night and just got word I was cleared to shoot Foster the People tonight, so we're getting ready to bail soon. I'm excited for this weekend because maybe my inbox won't be so ridic and we've got picnics and bbq and festivities galore. I hope everyone has a great and safe weekend. Saturday through Monday listings are after the jump.

Friday, May 26, 2017:
  • Balboa Park After Dark @ Various Museums/Extended Hours to 8pm
  • Summer Movies in the Park Kickoff- Moana @ Waterfront Park (5-10pm, Movie at 8ish, Free)
  • Foster the People, Tijuana Panthers @ Observatory North Park
  • Los Lonely Boys, Lisa Morales @ Belly Up
  • San Diego Freak Out presents Dream Joints (record release), Vakoum, Hexa, Body Song, fivepaw, DJ's Andrew McGranahan & Camilla Robina @ Casbah
  • John Brown’s Body, Stranger @ Music Box
  • Steve Poltz, Calman Hart, Lisa Sanders, Nina Francis, Oh! Ridbe, Gaby Aparicio, Rpb Deez, Kenny Eng, Dave Easton, Bobo Czarnowski @ Java Joe's
  • Teros Gallery Art Show w/Stella Parish, Angel Food & Kan-Kan @ Space
  • Remembering Joe Marillo @ Dizzy's
  • 80s & 90s @ Bar Pink
  • Lorraine Castellanos @ Panama 66
  • Trails and Rails, MohaviSoul, Jefferson Jay @ La Jolla Athenaeum
  • Screamin Yeehaws @ The Holding Company 1502
  • Jahja Lings Finale @ Jacobs Music Center at Symphony Hall
  • Ten Foot Pole, Surface Report, Fallen Monuments @ Soda Bar
  • Always The Understudy, A Hero Within, Upon The Water, Wolfwaker, Plus Guests @ Soma
  • Through Being Cool SD's Original Emo Night with Steven Oira of My American Heart & Derek Hubbard @ Blonde
  • 80s vs 90s @ Bar Pink
  • One the Cinder, Punchcard, Making Incredible Time, Dangerfield @ Tower Bar
  • Friyay! @ Quartyard
  • Dan Walsh, with Lady Rogo @ Templar's Hall in Old Poway Park
  • The Jimmy Lewis Band @ De Oro Mining Co
  • Atomic Groove’s Memorial Day Weekend Kickoff @ Belly Up (Happy Hour 5pm)
  • Andrew McKeag Band, Finnegan Blue Trio @ Black Cat Bar
  • Taake, Infinitum Obscure, Empyrean Throne, Sicarius @ Brick By Brick
  • Janice & Nathan @ Martini's On Fourth
  • Cassandra Jenkins @ Seven Grand
  • Rage Again, Xanadoodz @ Navajo Live
  • All Shook Up @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido
  • Deva Premal & Mitten with Manose @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido
  • Sandollar, Wise Monkey Orchestra @ Winston's
  • Abner, The Paragraphs @ Lestat's
  • Paul van Dyk, Solarstone@ House of Blues
  • Groove International @ Voodoo Room, House of Blues
  • Inspired and the Sleep, Aviator Stash, Grim Slippers, Joe Wood @ Pour House (Oceanside)
  • DLOD House Party - Pirate with DJ Dizzy Doom @ The Merrow
  • CitySide, Pali Roots @ 710 Beach Club
  • DJ Chris Freeman @ U-31
  • For Love of Rock @ Tio Leo's
  • High Tide Society @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (5pm)
  • Detroit Underground @ Humphrey's Backstage Live (9pm)
  • The Matte Gray Band @ Moonshine Flats
  • DJ Abell @ Moonshine Beach
  • Rising Star @ V Lounge, Viejas Casino
  • BB and Company @ Lobby Bar, Viejas Casino 
  • OB Comedy @ Winston's  (6-9pm)
  • Bamboozle @ Fluxx
  • Supa Fly Friday with Charlie Rock & DJ Kidriz @ El Dorado
  • Spin Off II Feat. Crowd Control & Staybad @ Spin
  • Jeremy Olander @ Bang Bang
  • Hardwell @ Omnia
  • Goodtimes @ Henry's Pub
  • Stereo @ Kava Lounge
  • Club Musae @ Boar Cross'n

Get FM 94/9 SPF Tickets For Just $20!!

I work closely with a lot of venues and radio stations and so I try not to jeopardize those relationships by spilling the beans on announcements or promo codes, but this one is too good not to share.  Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?

The 94/9 App revealed that there's a special friend and employee code to get tickets for just $20 instead of the usual $30...I'm not sure how many tickets can sell before someone catches the mistake, but just assume they're all off for Memorial Day Weekend and it won't get fixed until someone techie enough is back in the office.  Use this link and promo code FRIENDS949. I can't guarantee it still works, but it's worth a shot for this rad lineup.  (This is an older poster; apparently VIP at $55 is already sold out). Get these while you can!!


Thursday, May 25, 2017

ATTN: Kaleo Venue Change (From HOB to OAT)

I'm posting this because it's pretty unusual for a such a big venue change for any show, but to go from House of blues to Open Air Theatre is a huge leap... if you have tickets to the original show, you should exchange them sooner rather than later to get the best seats being traded.


KALEO
WITH THE SHELTERS, WILDER
AUGUST 29TH, 2017
CAL COAST CREDIT UNION OPEN AIR THEATRE
Tickets on sale Thursday, May 25th at 10AM PST
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A0052B688E110F1


Due to popular demand, this show is now scheduled to play a larger venue. The show will now take place at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at San Diego State University on August 29th, 2017.

IF YOU PURCHASED A TICKET TO THE HOUSE OF BLUES SHOW:
Because this venue is seated, you will need to exchange the ticket you purchased for the House of Blues show with a new one at the Viejas Arena venue box office by TUESDAY, JULY 25TH.  The ticket exchange will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will be located in the sections closest to the stage.  House of Blues ticket holders may also request a refund at the point-of-purchase and purchase a new ticket for the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre show, but the location may not be in the same premium locations that are being held until July 25th for those who opt to exchange their ticket.   The Viejas Arena box office is located next to Gate 2 on 55th Street, and can be accessed from Aztec Walk, across from Peterson Gym and Parking 7 (previously PS5).

5500 Canyon Crest Drive, San Diego, CA 92182
PHONE: (619) 594-0429
INFORMATION LINE: (619) 594-6947

Box Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Monday, May 22, 2017

Things to Do In San Diego: Monday, May 22-Thursday, May 25, 2017


I had a pretty exhausting week. As much as I love watching Nova's soccer and derby and stuff, I'm definitely looking forward to soccer season ending because driving to Clairemont twice a week blows. On Tuesday, I checked out Tow'rs at Soda Bar, then caught The Roosevelts at Blonde. On Thursday, I went to see DIIV at Music Box then caught the end of Matthew Logan Vasquez at Casbah, and on Friday, Darren and I went to Thundercat and had a fun night at Bar Pink while the kid had a slumber party. I was hoping to catch some of the fun festivals on Saturday but it was hot af, I was having lady problems, and I was just not feeling particularly social. I had to work at Irenic and generally that is a fun and easy job, but four patrons wanted to make sure my night was shit and it left me unmotivated to go to a show afterward. Instead I downloaded the new San Diego Library cloud app, downloaded some books, and read all night long. There are a few shows I look forward to this week, but hope it's not quite as crazy as last week. I did listings through Memorial Day so you can plan the holiday weekend. Monday through Thursday archives are after the jump.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, May 15-Sunday, May 21, 2017

 Oh my gosh. I told you I was laying low over the weekend, but that meant that my beautiful family let me sleep all day as they cleaned the house. I was super sad that I had to miss Nova's Sunday soccer, but I worked at the Irenic, then caught Conor Oberst at the Observatory, then caught All Them Witches at Casbah.  I have to say that just hitting all three shows makes me super happy.  I'm also happy because every week we're one more week closer to 45 making himself completely guilty, we just have to let him feel all comfy and happy before we can Zing the piece of shit in his dumb-ass guilt. It's gonna happen. Listing archives are after the jump.



Saturday, May 13, 2017

Things To Do In San Diego: Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14, 2017



Nova was still a little sick as this week kicked off, so besides catching the Gabriel Garzon-Montano show at the Casbah on Wednesday, I've spent most of the week just spending time with my little familia once Nova was healthy enough for derby, soccer, and figure skating. It's Mother's Day weekend and I'm a little broken-hearted that we won't be taking my mom to Gator By The Bay this year. My dad isn't healthy enough to leave alone for that stretch of time and with Nova's soccer, Twin Forks at the Irenic and Conor Oberst at the Observatory, my Sunday is pretty jam-packed. It would be great to just sneak in an hour or two on Saturday, but it doesn't seem likely at this point. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend. Saturday and Sunday archives are after the jump.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

What I'm Watching: The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, "You've Seen This Before, We Know", Career Suicide

I've mentioned more than a few times that I vacillate between being obsessed with politics and burying my head.  One minute I'm reading about what stupid thing the piece of shit in the White House, and the entire Republican House, for that matter, is doing to sell off our country to the highest bidder, and the rest of the time I'm just trying to hide from it all. When I'm not out at shows, I'm ass on couch, worming down the daily 300 emails I get while parked in front of the TV with some mind numbing nonsense on in the background (Naked and Afraid, any Housewives franchise, Escaping Polygamy, to name a few). In my hiding from politics, I've watched A LOT of television, and I think I've mentioned I've read more books this year than I had in the last twenty years combined.

The other night, I was desperate to find something to watch that wasn't Housewives. I'd already caught up on Last Week Tonight and Chelsea Handler and my other regular go-tos, (I'm kinda over Bill Maher's islamophobia and sexism, but still watch anyway),  and disappointed that the Paste list I usually use seems to just have the same movies on the month after month, I found this list by Den Of Geek. And so it was that I watched The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. I thought I'd share with you this and other things I've been watching lately, and maybe you'll let me know what else I'm missing? More after the jump.


Dilemma: Conor Oberst vs Twin Forks

I have a dilemma an I can't stop thinking about it. I can never really plan my life too far out in advance so it only just occurred to me that such a dilemma was just waiting to be addressed. On Sunday night, Conor Oberst plays at the Observatory North Park. And on Sunday, the very same night, less than a mile away, Chris Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional) plays at The Irenic with his Americana band, Twin Forks. What is a girl to do?



Look, I try to play it cool. I've met a lot of amazing musicians in my life and I try not to be such a fangirl. I was at the Pond show next to Kevin Parker practically the whole time and I never once bothered him. But some artists are just so super awesome, and then you find out they're nice, too, and it's hard not to feel that little excitement when they come to town.

I was completely committed to the Conor Oberst show. I might even be doing an NBC interview, so I was just planning on having someone else work my shift at the Irenic. I think I've only ever seen Bright Eyes twice in my life, plus if you count the magical night when Conor appeared with the Felice Brothers on the eve of my birthday. He was by the bar and I asked if we could snap a photo, that it had just become my birthday at midnight and he exclaimed, "Your birthday? Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" And then he kissed me. A big, giant, sloppy, wet kiss right on my lips. Sean missed that moment and instead got this goofy face, and you can see me quizzical, "DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?" I also remember his t-shirt smelled like he'd worn it every night of tour. But I didn't care. Conor Oberst just smacked my lips with a wet one and nobody besides Sean would ever believe me.

And then there's Chris Carrabba. I liked my share of Dashboard Confessional music, I have seen him solo, with Twin Forks, and with DC over the years. I remember buying a DC hoodie at Street Scene one year because it was only 20 bucks and I hadn't accounted for it being so damn cold once the sun dropped, but then I never wore it again because the silkscreen on it was kind of bizarre and I thought myself a little too old to be an emo kid. It wasn't until this year, when I got to interview him at the House of Blues that I was just smitten. And not in weird creepy hookup kinda way, just in that he was so relatable, so comfortable, and so sweet, like someone you'd want to be your BFF.

So I have to do ads for the Casbah and it wasn't until both shows were demanding my attention that I realized I'm stuck with this super difficult and challenging decision of which show to attend. Or maybe both? But the way I figure it, Observatory set times will typically be 8 for Phoebe Bridgers and 9/9:15 for Conor Obserst. And The Irenic will most likely be 7pm for Dan Layus (of Augustana!), 7:45ish for The Social Animals, and 8:45ish for Twin Forks. So by my best estimates, it would be impossible to catch both. And so I'm torn. What the hell is a supergroupie to do?

I can't make decisions for you, but tickets are still available for both shows:
Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers  @ The Observatory, $33   GET TICKETS
Twin Forks, The Social Animals, Dan Layus (of Augustana) @ The Irenic, $18 adv/$20 day of GET TICKETS

Monday, May 08, 2017

Things To Do in San Diego: Monday May 8-Friday, May 12, 2017



I'm obsessed with politics but I can't even delve in here. So I will say Nova's birthday party, even when it rained, was AMAZING, and it was super awesome that all our friends stuck around in a huddle under our canopies long enough that the rain ended and all the kids had a blast on the playground, essentially having the whole park to themselves. Thanks to everyone who helped make it awesome, I'm going to just duck out right now and skip the politics and just say it was great and thanks to all involved. Party on. Monday through Friday archives after the jump.

Thursday, May 04, 2017

Summer Concerts In The Parks Line-Ups Roll Out For 2017

We pay a hefty sunshine tax in our rents, sales taxes, and general cost of living here in San Diego, but that's all the more reason to love the free events offered every summer. Besides amazing street fairs like Adams Avenue Street Fair, Festival of Arts in North ParkFiesta del Sol, (to name just a few), we also get a ton of "Concerts In The Park".  Many of San Diego's parks have already rolled out their summer series, and I'll do my best to update the one who haven't when they finally get around to it. Every year I fail to include these in my listings because they're a total pain in the ass to hunt down, but I'm an insomniac, so this year I've at least put this together. Note: Street Fairs and other annual events can be found here. Let me know if I missed anything!! (Find them all after the jump. Click the park links for parking, park rules, and any other special event info.)

Fletcher Cove

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 4-Sunday, May 7, 2017


I mentioned I was gonna lay low this week. We took Nova and Jo to Fuddrucker's for Nova's birthday and then kicked around a soccer ball in the park until sunset, which was pretty mellow, but also exactly what she loves. She has a late soccer practice on Tuesdays, so besides that and her mission project, nothing exciting to report, and then Wednesday she had a derby scrimmage and then she and Darren worked on her mission until bedtime, when I decided to catch Jesse Lamonaca and the Dime Novels at Soda Bar. The rest of this week should remain pretty mellow for me, but there's lots of cool stuff happening if you're itching to get out. Boar Cross'N, Black Cat Bar, Che, and Ken Club still have no updates, but I've filled in some more venues and Cinco de Mayo stuff for ya. Thursday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Monterey Pop Festival Releases Daily Lineups


I've only ever driven through Monterey once in my life, but I'm kind of obsesses since watching Big Little Lies--though I realize many of the homes and sweeping views used on the show weren't actually in Monterey. But since California has a wealth of festivals, I'll continue to share them. The 50th Annual Monterey International Pop Festival takes place June 16-18, 2017 at Monterey County Fairgrounds. The lineup has been announced for awhile, but now the individual day lineups are announced and go on sale Thursday at 10am PST. Get tickets to the whole thing or individual days here.

Friday:
Leon Bridges
Father John Misty
Regina Spektor
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Eric Burdon & The Animals
Langhorne Slim & The Law
Sara Watkins

Saturday:
Jack Johnson
Norah Jones
Jim James
Dr. Dog
Jamtown feat. Cisco Adler, Donavon Frankenreiter And G. Love
Jackie Greene
North Mississippi Allstars
Jacob Banks

Sunday:
Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band
The Head and the Heart
Gary Clark Jr.
Kurt Vile & The Violators
Booker T's Stax Revue
Nicki Bluhm & Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Hiss Golden Messenger
ALO

Tuesday, May 02, 2017

LiveNation offers $20 "All In" Tickets


It seemed a little anti-climactic to post about "National Concert Day" on May 1, a day that literally had like four shows in San Diego, but alas, LiveNation is celebrating the day (that I think they actually invented)  with $20 "all-in" tickets to a bunch of summer shows. The offers are good through May 9. You can see all of the shows here, but if I was inclined, had no commitments, and money was raining from the sky, here are some of the more notable shows:

May 10- Barns Courtney @ House of Blues
May 30- Modest Mouse @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
July 7- Rise Against & DefTones @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
July 21- Third Eye Blind & Silversun Pickups @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
July 28- Matchbox Twenty & Counting Crows @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
Aug 24- Young The Giant, Cold War Kids, Joywave @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Aug 27- Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue,  St. Paul & The Broken Bones @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

Monday, May 01, 2017

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, May 1-Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Today is a super duper special day because it's Nova's 10th birthday. It feels especially symbolic because when I was first being introduced to her life, I was forbidden from her birthday party and I swore that it would be the first and last one that I'd ever miss. Now here we are and she's in double digits and I couldn't be more proud of who she is, how strong she is, how funny she can be, and how inquisitive she is about the world. She hasn't had it easy in her young little life but she's smart and capable, and has a great head on her shoulders and I'm lucky to be included in the adventures to come.
I definitely think I overextended myself the last couple weeks, so I hope to mostly lay low this week while we plan and prepare for the kid's birthday party and while she continues to recover from a gnarly cough she caught last week. There are some good picks this week and I'll try to update when all these slackers get their listings up: Black Cat Bar, Boar Cross'n, Che Cafe, El Dorado, Harbor Music Hall, Ken Club, Sycamore Den, Whistle Stop. Monday through Wednesday archives are after the jump.