Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 30-Wednesday, June 5, 2024: Blackwater Holylight | Yard Act | The Chameleons | North Park Music Fest | Adopt-A-Pet Day | Rock N Roll Marathon | Sarah McLachlan |

Can we be honest for a minute here? Does ANYONE like Rock N Roll Marathon weekend? I'm just going to assume you're saying "no" and we can move on. Our car was towed a couple years ago because for some reason the idiots who have to distribute warnings, only do it on the exact streets that are used for the marathon, and not on the adjoining streets in neighborhoods like North Park and Normal Heights, where we regularly park around the corner or down a couple blocks because of impacted parking. And while the running routes are easy to understand, there is no clarity on if there are any roads that vehicles can cross or exactly what times they open once runners pass. The bus information is even worse because it is so damn murky. So it looks like if I want to go to the Zoo on Sunday morning, I'm gonna have to walk or bike there. But even that's not clear if I can use the closed off streets for such purposes if I'm not a badged runner. I fucking hate it. But this weekend is also the North Park Music Fest, which I have not had a hand in for several years, since before the Mini-Park and when it was still NPFoA. So much evolution has happened since then, but what really matters is that Transfer is playing, so I'm (fingers crossed) at least gonna catch that, but Tim will be out there shooting the whole thing for San Diego: Dialed In. Beyond all that, and this has nothing to do with music, but the San Diego Humane Society is having a super event on Saturday for free adoptions, licensing, tags and more, so check the link below for details on that. 

I know, I know, we've got it so rough up in these streets of this incredible city. Try not to be too bummed out you live in such a glorious place. 

Stay safe out there.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 23-Wednesday, May 29, 2024: Fruition | Cloud Nothings | Maggie Rogers | Wine Lips | Natalie Merchant | World Goth Day | girl in red | Guitar Wolf | Jon Foreman |

I am so looking forward to Memorial Day weekend if it just means fewer emails for one extra day. There are so many fun things to do, even if we're gonna be in full-on May Gray mode. I'll be working at the Fruition show on Thursday, and then doing a bar crawl for my friend's pre-wedding celebration on Friday, and then I think there's some sort of party or reception for the wedding that I'll try to get to on Saturday. That means I'm missing out on some prime zoo time, of course, and on Friday night is member preview night for the summer hours and then the zoo will be open from 9am-9pm for the majority of the summer, minus a few special events when they close early. Safari Park hours extend from 9am-7pm as well, and both parks have music and entertainment and such. SeaWorld Summer Spectacular also kicks off this weekend, so whether you care or not, at least know that fireworks will be back on the weekends, so plan accordingly for your pets.  We'll also be going to girl in red next week, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. 

I hope everyone has a super duper weekend. It is Memorial Day, so honor that how you will. For me, it's a year since my sister-in-law's interment, so my thoughts will be with my brother and the rest of my family. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San DIego: Thursday, May 16- Wednesday, May 22, 2024: Wednesday | The Toxhards | RJD2 | Twin Ritual | Pond | Fiesta Del Sol | Baby Bushka | Moorea Masa | Bully | Pete Yorn |

The Quartyard is undergoing some changes, but will be SOLD OUT Thursday night for WEDNESDAY

I'm really looking forward to Thursday night at Quartyard. As I write this, there are about a dozen tickets left, but I suspect they'll be gone by the time this actually publishes. This week there are so many things going on that it feels a little overwhelming. I'd personally recommend seeing RJD2 at Music Box, who always blows minds with his skills but there are definitely a lot of great choices, including Fiesta Del Sol, some great indie shows, and a million ways to spend time outdoors, including the rest of San Diego River Days. Find your fun. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 9-Wednesday, May 15, 2024: Lol Tolhurst x Budgie | David Sedaris | Gator By The Bay | Pacific Avenue | Wonderfront | Psychedelic Furs | Face To Face | Aaron Lee Tasjan | Waxahatchee | and more!!

Waxahatchee (10.13.2018)

It's a big weekend in San Diego: it's Mother's Day, Gator By The Bay is back at Spanish Landing, and Wonderfront is back at the Embarcadero. Unless some last minute surprises happen, however, I'll be sitting out the latter two. The good news, however, if you're not hitting the festivals, is that there are so many great shows in town this week and weekend, so your music needs are covered if you're not inclined to watch music with a line of port-o-potties in the vicinity. And honestly, the weather has been so amazing that really, just doing anything outside, even if May Gray creeps in, is going to be incredible as we're still before any major influx of tourists. If you've read this far, I'm going to tell you this little secret for you to use this weekend and into the entire summer: parking at the San Diego Zoo is free. While it may get busy, it's rarely ever full. And so with that information, you should know that the SDMTS number 7 and the Rapid 215 both service the zoo stop by the carousel and get you downtown in about 10 minutes. There's also a stop for both near Inspiration Point near the World Beat Center. The two buses can get you to any other bus or trolley line which get you to Petco Park or Comic-Con or Wonderfront or Broadway Pier or anywhere for $6 for a daypass in the Pronto app. And even when the zoo is closed, you can park ANYWHERE in Balboa Park except between the hours of 2am-6am. (Vehicle parking is prohibited in Balboa Park parking lots from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily (SDMC 63.02.21) with the exception of Marston Point parking lot. Parking in Marston Point parking lot is not permitted from sunset to 7 a.m. daily and 10 a.m. on Thursday for maintenance.) Keep that our little secret, mkay?

Have a great week. Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, May 7-Monday, May 13, 2019

 I'm gonna keep it short this week. It takes me a ton of hours to compile these listings. Other situations have it automated, but that also means they're not up to date when things cancel and shit. And mostly I'm just trying to feel relevant when everything is telling me that I'm not. So ugh. I had a super awesome week. I got to go the Zoo twice, Sea World once, and still killed my shit as soccer mommy and taking that time at the Cove to play with my camera, because I always have a lot to learn. On top of that, I went to the Friday El Vez show, and worked Saturday and Sunday at the Irenic for Omar Apollo and Peter Bjorn and John, respectively. Sorry I was being cranky when I posted the listings before. This line of work is almost always awesome but every once in awhile you have to deal with shady people and you just have to smile about it.

Gator By The Bay Returns to Spanish Landing- May 11-14, 2017

Okay, I'm not coming out with any breaking news, but the fast few weeks have had some big announcements and I've been kinda slacking. So today you're going to get an abundance of posts from me, one an hour, until I get all of this stuff posted. This is the first of many.

One of my favorite events of the year happens annually on Mothers' Day weekend. We've been taking my mom (and smuggling in our own snacks & drinks) for several years. It feels like over the years there are fewer cajun and zydeco bands and more swing, honky tonk, and jazz, but the diversity is great, the people watching is awesome, the dancing is fun, and a day in the San Diego sun with mom is priceless. For full info, check their website here.

Here's the publicist spiel:

San Diego’s annual Gator By The Bay is the largest, most-authentic Louisiana-themed music and food festival this side of the bayou. Taking place May 11-14, 2017, it features more than 100 musical acts and special performances on seven stages, southern cuisine including 10,000 pounds of crawfish trucked from Louisiana, non-stop live music, dancing and family fun on the beautiful San Diego Bay.

Gator By The Bay brings Louisiana’s rich and diverse culture right to San Diego by showcasing Louisiana’s eclectic melting pot of history, food, music, dance and more. Since its inception in 2001, the festival has grown to showcase an array of music choices from blues, salsa, zydeco, Cajun and a taste of country, including Grammy winning artists directly from Louisiana.

Dates: May 11-14, 2017

Times:

• Thurs., May 11: 6 – 10:30 p.m.
• Fri., May 12: 3:30 – 10:30 p.m.
• Sat., May 13: 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Sun., May 14: 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Location: Spanish Landing Park, North Harbor Drive. Directly across from the San Diego International Airport

TICKETS and INFO:
Thursday night concert tickets range in price from $25 to $95. Daily festival tickets range from $30 to $40. 3-day and 4-day passes are available for the deepest discounts. Children 17 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Patron passes include access to the Patron Reception Area including a complimentary meal, personal meet and greet with festival headliners, complimentary craft beer, select wines, soft drinks and water, private shaded seating and upgraded restrooms and additional reserved shaded seating near both main stages. This is available for $120 per day (Saturday or Sunday) or $200 for both days. Find all festival, ticket, lodging, parking and free shuttle info at www.gatorbythebay.com.

Full press release and blah blah info is after the jump.

Gator By The Bay 2008

My family has made a tradition of going to the annual Gator By The Bay festival and after a week of 'May Gray' we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. My mom, sister, cousin, Johanna, Jasmyne, and our friend visiting from Texas loaded up a couple cars and headed down to Gator which was already in full swing when we arrived. We parked at Island Prime and walked along the bay until we got to the park.



We really enjoyed the day, arrived around 1 and stayed and stayed until almost 7pm, enjoying family, the sun, the food, the music and the dancing. We brought some snacks, but we couldn't turn down the crawfish, some catfish, and other southern delights.









There was a band called The Lost Bayou Ramblers who provided the soundtrack at the stage where we'd set up camp and they were really great, and I found myself quite smitten with the singer/violinist. We also ran into some friends there. There's this general feeling at this festival, that even just for a few hours, nothing really matters. People let loose and smiles abound. Some people are really great dancers, some not so much, but nobody really cares as everyone just gets lost in the vibe. Once again, we enjoyed the event and are already looking forward to doing it again next year.


My mom is hot!



For more pics, click "keep on reading" below.




Jasmyne loved the crawfish...










This guy jumped in one of our pictures. "Oh, no," I said, "now you're gonna be on my blog." Then he gave me his card and said he had a website, too, that he blogs, but he makes a living as an artisan cheesemaker. I think I met my dream man. He blogs? And makes cheese? Heaven...
And the one on the right is all the girls together. So much fun.



This is just in case any compnies out there are looking for a spokesmodel. How cute is my girl??

This Weekend: Gator By The Bay 2008

This weekend we'll be engaging in our Mother's Day weekend tradition of going to Gator By The Bay at the Spanish Landing. That's the strip of park that runs along the bay across from the airport. It's a fun event for families, and if you're even remotely into Zydeco music, it's the best this city offers. There are two stages and delicious southern food vendors in between. In addition to the zydeco and cajun music, there's also lots of swing, blues, and old country.



The website says no coolers, pets, or alcohol of any type, but every year we've been, we've seen people pull in strollers and wagons with blankets, lawn chairs, soft coolers, umbrellas, and other stuff and they seem pretty chill about all that. People set up little areas and pretty much hang out all day listening to the feel good music. There are also dance lessons and there's this school that has their students there getting people without partners out on the dancefloor. That's where I'll be spending my Saturday with my family. Tickets are $20 and available at the gates.

I'm just sad my little sister won't be here until next week because she always made the event even more enjoyable. Last year she even discovered that she loves crawfish after screaming that the eyes were looking at her.


Click the poster above for more information.

Weekend Recap: Gator By The Bay

Sunday was Mother's Day and a family plan to head to Gator By The Bay, a cajun and zydeco music and food festival held annually near Harbor Island, across from the airport at the Cancer Survivor Memorial Park at Spanish Landing. We went last year and everyone had chairs and coolers and food, so this year, we overplanned and overpacked and took our own stuff. So it was like a fun family picnic with great music to enjoy for the duration.

I think the first band we saw were the San Diego Cajun Playboys, but the bigger deal was that Amanda Shaw was playing with them. There's a movie playing at the Reuben H Fleet Space Center called "Hurricane on the Bayou" and her music is featured in the film.

After, we watched Big Rig Deluxe for a while but decided we could see their mostly Johnny Cash covers anytime, so we wandered to the other end of the festival for more Zydeco music.

It was a beautiful day in San Diego, and I really don't know how anyone can hear zydeco music and not be put in a good mood. The dancefloors were full of people of all ages...from kids to elderly folks dancing with walkers. Everyone has their own style of dancing and its fun to watch the variety of swing styles that people use.

Even more than that, though, is the lack of judgment and self consciousness of the people here. People are all stripes and colors, all ages, all socio-economic levels, and it was hard to find anyone not smiling.

My god-sister Claudia and I decided it was time for some boiled crawdads, and lucky for us, we got some before they sold out. A lot of people were pissed that they sold out two hours before the festival ended, but they sold over 5000 pounds in two days. How could they know to bring more than that?

After, we made our way back to the first stage and watched the final zydeco band of the night. Throughout the day, we must've gone from one end to the other at least 10 times, so we chilled under a tree enjoying the sunsetting. My mom, brother in law and I kidnapped Claudia to the dancefloor which she promptly left when we set her down, but a minute later said "I dare you to make me dance" which was her invite to dance. I carried her to the dancefloor and spun her and twirled her like the big dork that I am. And it didn't matter how we looked, because nobody could take away the fun we were having.

I fully intended to go to the Casbah for The Long and Short of It and The North Atlantic that night, but even with a nap, there was just no getting me outta the house that night. A full weekend of fun and sun and booze and dorkery, I instead spent Sunday night catching up on some much needed sleep, in preparation for another week of good times in San Diego.