Thursday, February 28, 2019

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, February 26-Monday, March 4, 2019


Man, it was so frustrating to get so much local snow at such low elevations and just not have the opportunity to go play in it. But it was a good week overall. My uncle drove from Indiana, so we've been getting some family time together. On Thursday, I went to SoundDiego Live to catch SeaBase and Alex Lilly, but cut out early because I didn't want to miss Houses, who kicked off their first tour in six years at Soda Bar. Totally worth it though still always sad to miss Kolars. On Friday, I got to shoot Kingsbury, Talos, and Aurora at the Observatory, then met up with Darren to go to the Casbah but only arrived for King Tuff's final song of the night. Some people wish headliners started earlier; I'm bummed when they go on before 11. On Saturday Nova had her end of the year soccer party so we laid low that night and Sunday was a TV and pajamas kind of day as we watched the Oscars. Nova's new soccer team has started practicing, so it looks like we'll get back into a more regular routine again. This week, I'm hoping to catch Sharon Van Etten, Men I Trust, Transfer, and I'll work at the Waxahatchee show. Then Monday, if I can stay on goal, I'll get to see Beirut at Observatory. Listings through Monday are after the jump. I'll try to update CRSSD if they breakdown their days without having to download their app.



Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Balboa Park Update: Plaza De Panama Jacobs' Plan is Dead!!

I've been working and compiling and digging through photos for this one for a week, so I'm obviously not reporting breaking news, but last week was a momentous week for San Diego. The Jacobs Plan ("Plaza de Panama Plan")--which included cutting into the Cabrillo Bridge and creating a bypass bridge to a to-be-constructed parking garage--was declared dead. Technically, there was a whole bunch of hemming and hawing that it's on hiatus, that fundraising has ceased, that the major donors had pulled out, that construction expenses exploded, that SOHO and other lawsuits were to blame. The way I see it, SOHO should take credit. Balboa Park Heritage Association and Balboa Park lovers like David Lundin should take credit. Everyone who attended Council meetings, planning meetings, took to social media, called their Councilmembers, wrote Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor at all the local rags against this horrific plan-- we should all be CELEBRATING and TAKING CREDIT


There were so many things wrong with the plan, not least of all adding a PAID PARKING GARAGE to Balboa Park. Did you think they'd leave all the remaining spots free? People cringe at the mention of Bob Filner, but he was fundamental in getting rid of the Museum of Art lot, throwing down some paint and bollards and patio furniture, and it changed the park for the better. But in addition to this Jacobs plan already manipulating our reps and the aforementioned reasons, it would've removed the Alcazar lot and which is critical for disabled parking and the archery range, dozens of 100 year old trees, and there was all kind of not-quite-as-published information like allowing sponsored naming rights throughout the park and the fact that the City limited their input to $49 million dollars in bonds because any more would require a City-wide vote. Anyway, all that is dead. What a relief. What isn't dead is that the park still has an estimated $80-$120 million in DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. Where's that generosity of Mr. Jacobs and the Plaza de Panama Committee for that??   


Anyway, this is all good news for all of us. If you love the park, consider volunteering or donating or even just following the actions of Balboa Park Heritage Association, who are trying to prevent proposals like this by setting goals like changing the City Charter to ban paid parking in the park FOREVER and get a chunk of TOT (so-called Hotel Taxes) dedicated to all the deferred maintenance. You can also support Save Our Heritage Organisation, whose preservationists were instrumental in saving this beloved gem.

Here are a few of the articles that ran last week:

Voice of San Diego: The Plaza de Panama Plan Is on Hiatus

KPBS: Bids To Remake The Plaza De Panama Are $20M Higher Than Expected

KPBS: Halt To Plaza De Panama Revamp Frees Up $10 Million For Balboa Park

U-T: Balboa Park's no-car project is a no-go

CityBeat: The Plaza de Panama revamp is dead. Let’s keep it dead.





More after the jump.

Photos: Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury at The Observatory, 2.23.2019


With San Diego's music scene constantly thriving, there are hundreds of shows I have to miss every year, but I also get the privilege to go to so many--and as it has it, sometimes more than one on any given night--and sometimes I get to go to shows that weren't necessarily on my radar, but I get nudged or turned on to it by a friend and after the show realizing how bummed I would have been to have missed it. Such was the case on Friday night when I went to the Observatory to see Aurora, Talos, and Kingsbury. It was such a mesmerizing show from start to finish, so much so I couldn't be pulled away when it went past 11pm and I knew I'd be missing King Tuff at the Casbah (though we made it in time for 1-1/2 songs and plenty of after show bevvies.

Friday started with Kingsbury, a "synth-pop princess" from LA, whose powerful voice had me thinking about powerful '80s women like Terri Nunn of Berlin or more currently, the sisters of Haim. She's super rad and made a pretty strong impression for the crowd of people filtering in during her set.

I had listened to Talos' latest record one time through before this show, and I was excited they turned out to be a 5-piece because one could imagine the sound being more synthesized or made with fewer players and more pre-tracked sounds. Instead, we got the fury of a full band, though heavily cloaked in hazers and complete backlight.

Headlining the night was Norway's Aurora. She came out in a layered chiffon dress that bounced around and itself was part of the show as she athletically jumped and twirled and made use of the entire stage given to her, after awhile kicking off her shoes and even later, pulling off her socks so she could be completely free. Her voice is stunning when she sings and super sweet when she's graciously thanking the crowd or explaining the context of a song. You should definitely watch her KEXP session and if she ever comes back this way, make it a priority to catch her live.  I'm a bit out of practice with the Canon, but check out some more pics after the jump.




Spring 2019 CRSSD Fest Schedule

I mentioned that I'd update the listings when CRSSD Festival gave the Saturday and Sunday performer breakdowns, and sure enough, I posted listings at 6am and a couple hours later, CRSSD posted to Instagram. Ask and you shall receive. And it's good to know some of you are still reading this site so thanks for bringing the posts to my attention. CRSSD Festival happens twice a year at Waterfront park and sells out super fast every time, so sign up for their newsletter (scroll to the bottom of the page) because it is almost certain that as soon as this one passes, they'll be posting dates and on sales for the next one, which I suspect will be September 28-29th.



Thursday, February 21, 2019

PSA: Wildflower Season May Bring Beautiful Blooms––and Crowds––to State Parks

The following is the full press release from California State Parks regarding "The Big Bloom" or "Superbloom,"expected this spring in places like Anza-Borrego State Park, Ocotillo Wells, and Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Be familiar and do yourself a favor and do your research. The traffic dropping into A-B on the weekends gets insane.
Or, if TL;dr: Obey the signs, check the weather, your phone won't work in remote areas, be prepared with adequate provisions and gas for your vehicle, leave no trace, and don't be an entitled asshole (my words, not theirs.) And learn from our mistakes: leave your dog at home. Full press release and tips are after the jump.

Anza-Borrego in 2017 - End of the Bloom

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, February 20-Monday, February 25, 2019

Laura Gibson through the rain and the flames

I'm trying to make more of an effort to post news and thoughts and my ramblings here rather than Facebook, but I realized I failed because I never posted this year's San Diego Music Award nominees and voting has now ended and is only open to the San Diego Music Academy (of which I'm a member), so I guess at this point I'll just wait until Awards night to post all of the winners. Today's listings are brought to you by "Lorena" on Amazon Prime, which kept my fingers typing and my eyes wide open while I worked all night. Definitely a must watch. Last week was some intense San Diego weather, but we braved it to catch Laura Gibson at Grand Ole BBQ and Asado Flinn Springs followed by Broncho at the Casbah. On Friday, I worked The Marias show and followed with Louis XIV at Casbah and closed the night at Black Cat, and Saturday worked the Pedro The Lion show. I was sad to have missed Ron Gallo on Sunday, but family time prevailed. On Monday I spent the day at Casa Beach to see the harbor seals and then my uncle arrived in town so we spent the rest of the night with him. This week is going to be pretty chill, Nova starts soccer again, we've got the SoundDiego live event at Casbah (though I might have to scoot out to catch Houses for a bit), and then I'll have to make some choices for the weekend pending some photo passes coming through. All around looking forward to a good week. Listings through Monday are after the jump.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Rosey's Read & Watch List

I'm working on this week's listings but thought I'd share some more links before I really dig in.


First of all, it's pupping season at Casa Beach! I wasn't supportive of the new lifeguard tower at the beach, but I'm here to say I was wrong. It's actually awesome, because now the lifeguards are on an intercom and call out tourists and looky-loos when they're getting too close to the harbor seals. It's actually fantastic and there are at least half a dozen pups already born. I also read that there are a couple caught in fishing line or nets, but Sea World can't quite help them yet because they risk flushing the beach if they try to intervene. I hope this momma gets her neck freed soon. My advice, bring your camera and stay away on weekends. On to the reading after the jump.

Monday, February 18, 2019

Saturday: Walk For Animals at Kit Carson Park


A Message From the Humane Society:

The Walk for Animals – North County is this Saturday, Feb. 23! We don’t want you to miss out on all the fun—or the opportunity to help create a more humane San Diego for animals in need. Prices will increase the day of the event, so be sure to register online!

Online registration will be available until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22. But don’t worry if you miss the deadline! You can also register in person starting at 7 a.m. the day of the event.

By joining us at the Walk, you’ll help San Diego Humane Society care for nearly 50,000 animals in need this year. And did we mention there will be pancakes?

We can’t wait to see you there!

$20 for Adults
$10 for Kids

Day-of-Event Registration
$30 for Adults
$15 for Kids

Friday, February 15, 2019

Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker Leaves Me Heartbroken

My first ever show at the Casbah was Whiskeytown. My iPod had a seemingly endless mix of Ryan Adams' catalog that I made my friends listen to as we drove from California to Texas for SXSW. He doesn't come to San Diego often, but I think I've been to every show he's ever played here. I deeply cherish Ryan Adams' music.

And this week has fully sucked.


I'm a member of a Facebook group called "Ryan Adams Archive." Most of the conversations are obsessive fans arguing about Ryan's best records or people trying to get their hands on every color vinyl issued of a particular record. But this week has been different. First of all, everyone was buzzing about this super annoying podcast wherein two women comedians talk for two hours about their respective relationships with Ryan Adams, without ever saying his name, but detailing his douchiness and manipulation. I'm not saying what they say didn't happen, it's just that they are annoying AF and I listened to all 2+ hours of the damn thing. But then yesterday morning, Ryan was tweeting about the New York Times and eventually, the bomb dropped.


"'Ryan Adams Dangled Success. Women Say They Paid a Price.'
Several women say Adams offered to jumpstart their music careers, then pursued them sexually and in some cases retaliated when they spurned him. He denies the claims." - New York Times

(more after the jump)

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Awesome Fest Presents CANCELLED! February 15-17, 2019



I love the Awesome Fest peeps and this weekend they've rallied together a new event called CANCELLED!, which of course can be confusing because actual shows are canceled all the time. But despite all of that, you should really get your hands on tickets ASAP because I've never known an Awesome Fest event that didn't sell out in advance and it becomes exceedingly impossible to sweet talk your way into the shows without a wristband. The events are spread between Soda Bar and Space by night, and Bar Pink and The Office by day. Plus, it's super cheap and you've got a three day weekend so you'll have all of Monday to recover from the vast amounts of PBR consumed all weekend. Tickets are $25 for the whole weekend, but you have to buy before Friday (while they last!). Day passes are available, too, for $15 Friday, $20 Saturday, and $15 Sunday.


The full lineup and schedule is after the jump, but I also included lineups (without times) in the regular listings.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, February 12-Tuesday, February 19, 2019


I had an eventful non-eventful week. It's kind of embarrassing how little I get out of my house when I don't really have to. We did end up driving to the snow on Tuesday, but it was actually too much coming down so we had to book it before the roads froze to ice. We have chains but they're hard to actually put on once the snow is falling and that wind gets blowing. We thought about going back on Wednesday, but I was too upset about the guy who died on the Pine Valley Creek Bridge. On Thursday, Nova had her school spelling bee, and we were super proud of her dedication to memorizing that crazy Scripps word list the best she could in five days. She finished in the top 10 of her school. On Friday, I went to the Alex Cameron show then closed the night at the Ken Club. Saturday I mostly had the day to myself while Darren worked and Nova was off at a hangout/sleepover. With all that time alone at home, you'd think I'd have finished using the KonMari method on my house but it was kinda nice to catch up on some shows, get into a couple new books, and stay lazy and cozy. On Sunday the Casbah staff went to the new location of Grand Ole BBQ & Asado in Flinn Springs which is an awesome spot and stayed packed with people the whole time we were there. It's definitely worth the drive if you wanna make a couple hours of it on a weekend or late afternoon. Then, as I previously mentioned, I watched the entire GRAMMYs telecast. This week, you can find me at Broncho, and then I'll be working at the Irenic for The Marias and Pedro The Lion. I might try and catch some Cancelled Fest, Louis XIV, and Ron Gallo, but it will hinge on how the work week slays me. Listings through Tuesday are after the jump (since Monday is a holiday).


Monday, February 11, 2019

Rosey's Read & Watch List

St. Vincent in San Diego 1.27.2018 - GRAMMY winner a year later

Like so many people pondering Facebook these days, I was wondering if I'd be better off reverting back to the days when all my whims and thoughts were shared here on sddialedin.com instead of on Facebook or social media in general. I love getting Voice of San Diego's weekly review and so I started kinda bookmarking some things I've been reading and noting what I've been watching. I don't know if I'll keep doing it here, but for today, this is what I'm gonna do. In all honesty, I've been stewing on a post like this for a few weeks (months?), but my keyboard is finally fixed, I got a new power cord for my laptop, so my excuses for not writing are diminishing. All of it after the jump.

Friday, February 08, 2019

CASBAH 30

The Casbah 30 Year Anniversary came and went, and I saved some of the coverage so when 35 and 40 come around, we'll have the receipts.

NBC SoundDiego
Voice of San Diego
San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego CityBeat




Thursday, February 07, 2019

Billie Eilish Returns! SOLD OUT!


Billie Eilish is returning to San Diego on July 13 to Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at San Diego State. Tickets are already in presale but go on sale to the general public on Friday at 12pm. I'm posting mostly because I haven't seen so many young girls crying outside a show because they (a) didn't have tickets or (b) bought fake tickets. This show will sell out. Likely in minutes. Make sure your account is all set up on Ticketmaster so you can one-touch purchase if necessary. This is a co-presented show by Casbah, Belly Up, and Livenation, but if you don't get tickets, I CANNOT HELP YOU. There are no comps to be given. Don't say you didn't know. Now you know.

Save this link to buy your tickets and good luck. Don't buy resale tickets!

UPDATE: THIS SHOW IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT. 2/8/2019 4PM.




Tuesday, February 05, 2019

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, February 5-Monday, February 11, 2019

This week you get another picture of one of the baby elephants from Safari Park because that's how me and Nova spent our Sunday while everyone else watched, based on the score, the most boring game of sportsball ever. The week was good overall, but rainy and cold. I went to Yacht Rock night on Wednesday then buzzed down to Casbah for The Silent Comedy, and on Friday I went to Cursive and Mineral at the Casbah though it was packed so I pretty much hung out with my buds on the patio the whole night. Monday night it was Still Woozy at Soda Bar and this week is very up in the air as I have two possible photo passes and a whole lotta rain to keep me very motivated to stay on the couch. We shall see how it goes. Tuesday through Monday listings are after the jump.