Things To Do In San Diego: Saturday, April 1-Wednesday, April 5, 2023: North Park Festival of Beers | Husbands | xiu xiu | Bobby and The Pins | Band Argument | Lucero | Sunny Day Real Estate |

It has been a bit of a crazy week, and since I would actually like to have a normal Saturday life (and not sleep all day), I'm just gonna say I mostly got the listings done. I'm sure there are things I forgot, but sleep is calling my weary and exhausted body. 

Thank you for all the kind words and Venmos to me @sddialedin, which will help me get back to New Mexico when we have the actual memorial, and also to the Go Fund Me for my brother and his kids, which will help them as they try to navigate their new life. 

Also, with Darren's work schedule, it was kinda easier doing listings during the weekend, so it's possible I may stop doing Thursday-Wednesday and maybe switch it up back to Monday to Saturday or something like that. Just don't count on me for consistency is all I'm saying. I'll have listings, just maybe not in the capacity anyone else wants. 

I love you all.
Be safe out there. 
Listings through Wednesday are after the jump.

 

Covid-19 & Black Lives Matter Protests : Community Review Board of Police Practices TODAY | San Diego Beaches & Parks Reopening Schedule

North Park During the 2019 Rock n Roll Marathon 6.2.2019

I try not to think too much about my diet. I especially hate when people talk about dieting. I eat what I eat when I'm hungry and sometimes I eat junk and sometimes I drink and sometimes I try intermittent fasting but whatever, I cook, I eat, it's nothing worth talking about, but yesterday I don't know what possessed me to drink a little bottle of Starbucks mocha, a can of Coke, and then a bottle of Mexican Coke all in the same day but there's a reason I don't really drink coffee or caffeinated beverages. I was up all night long with the caffeine and sugar coursing through my veins. I finally got some sleep today, however, and am feeling much better. I suppose the anxiety of our new property management company coming by today didn't do me any favors, but he was chill and it was short and now it's behind us. There was no Governor's briefing or County briefing today, but the big news is that Community Review Board on Police Practices will be meeting today at 6pm and you can comment now online and watch live when it streams on YouTube. I haven't delved into the news much today, but there is a Downtown to North Park march today, and other links and stories are after the jump.

• There's a protest march happening today from Downtown San Diego to North Park at 5pm that is claiming to be youth led. Many people are vouching for the fact. I'm not here to silence voices, but it's unfortunate that the march starts at 5pm, when really all of the participants could be contributing to the Community Review Board on Police Practices which starts at 6pm. 
• The young protesters have made three demands: 
• (1) Ban military grade weapons on unarmed protesters (tear gas and rubber bullets) 
• (2) Terminate La Mesa PD Officer Matthew Dadge for unlawfully assaulting and detaining an unarmed man 
• (3) Reform police practices and enforce culturally competent training to prevent police brutality and deaths. 
• Again, I don't wish to silence these kids, but marching through San Diego while trying to have a La Mesa PD officer terminated might not be so effective?
• Meanwhile, a national campaign by Campaign Zero has been launched called #8cantwait with specific targets that all law enforcement agencies should aim to meet. 
• See the agenda of the Community Review Board of Police Practices
• Submit a public comment for the Board here (over 3500 comments have already come into the CRBPP)

• George Floyd Updates: Somber Memorial Gives Way to 10th Night of Protest - NY Times (6.4.2020)
• Why Aren’t We All Talking About Breonna Taylor? - NY Times (6.4.2020)
• Sign the Change.org Petition "Justice For Breonna Taylor"
• It shouldn't have taken Covid-19 or protests to make City meetings more accessible but hopefully the YouTube live broadcasts continue even after life returns back to 'normal' and whatever that looks like. You should take the time to peruse the committee and board videos that are now archived, and you can sign up for notifications for future meetings, too. Check out the channel here.
• I've posted a lot about protesting in the time of Covid-19, but I'll just remind people that the numbers of cases in San Diego are still growing, and the disease is known to have a 2-14 day incubation period while some people remain asymptomatic. You should monitor yourself for ANY symptoms (CDC): 
• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• City of San Diego Mayor Faulconer Briefing:
• Update on protests in San Diego (no new arrests on Wednesday)
• Keeping the peace in San Diego
• Community groups need to remain organized and Lead
• Police officers are working around the clock
• Sheriff's request for National Guard in La Mesa
• City of San Diego has not requested nor has used National Guard
• Responsibly invested in SDPD to not feel additional support is necessary
• More than a dozen law enforcement agencies have pledged to eliminate the use of the carotid restraint. (Not one has said what consequences for its use would be)
• City received more than 4,000 comments on emergency Board and Committee Meetings
• Phase 2 Beach Reopening Plan
• June 8- East and West Mission Bay Park. Fiesta Island open for peds, dogs, cyclists
• June 9- All piers and boardwalks open
• June 12-Balboa Park Central Mesa and all parking lots
• July 6- Fiesta Island open to vehicles

Coming Soon: North Park Live! - Saturday, November 30th

I've been super busy lately but I couldn't really talk about it until it was all locked in and confirmed, but I'm happy that I've been asked to do a couple projects with North Park Main Street. The first of those is North Park Live, an event in conjunction with Small Business Saturday presented by My Point Credit Union.
There will be shopping and dining specials, live art, and lots of free live music spread across numerous venues. I'm pleased to share that among the artists, you'll be able to catch Erik Canzona, Michael McGraw, Heather Marie, Nena Anderson, Gaby Aparicio, TJ, Nate Donnis, Luc Trahand, Shelbi Bennett, and Julia Sage. Lock the date into your calendar and make sure if you're gonna spend money this holiday season, to consider shopping local.

Saturday- Free Pre-Father's Day Celebration in North Park

For more information, check the event page here.

Viva North Park Cinco De Mayo Celebration

More Information Here.

Upcoming Shows at Observatory North Park (Updated 7/26)

It's been a couple weeks since the last Observatory update and there are a bunch of new shows if you look on down the list. I'm particularly excited about Minus The Bear with Murder By Death, but there are new shows with Sturgill Simpson, Owl City, some more hip-hop and punk shows, and a lot more dates filled in the calendar. If you're ppolitically minded, the Official Bernie Sanders San Diego Kickoff is happening on Wednesday night at the Obsevatory. You can see details and RSVP here. September shows and beyond are after the jump.

7/31- Alborosie & The Shengen Clan Band Doors at 7pm.

8/4 Tame Impala 8pm, 18+ (SOLD OUT)

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

8/20 Morrissey, 7pm, All Ages (SOLD OUT)
8/21 Morrissey, 7pm, All Ages (SOLD OUT)

8/22 Snow Tha Product 6pm, All Ages

8/28 The Great Love Debate with Chris Soules (The Bachelor)  7pm 18+

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)

Tonight: Living North Park Launch Party

A few weeks ago, I did a little roundup of newsy bits wherein I mentioned that my dear friends Kristian & Pat and their company, MySMN, created a new site for North Park called Living North Park. Tonight, they're celebrating the launch of that endeavor at URBN North Park. You can find the Facebook event listing here. It open to all from 8-11pm and they'll have food and drink specials as well as raffle prizes. It should be a nice pre-gathering for the North Park Festival of Arts happening on Saturday. Meet your friends, neighbors and business owners in the community over some tasty pizza and beer. Be there or be L7.



Incidentally, there's a Pre-Festival of the Arts Mixer at LiveWire from 5-8pm for festival participants. Not really sure if that means vendors or performers because I'm the main stage producer and didn't know about it, but whatever. Sounds like a good time if I didn't have other plans.

San Diego Newsy Bits Roundup: FM 94/9 SPF 2013, Restaurant News, X-Fest Switcheroo

It has been a while since I've done a newsy bits roundup, but exploring the city on my bike helps me notice things a little bit better. Fortunately, we all have Facebook, so you're probably up to date on a lot of stuff, so I'm just going to post some stuff I've noticed. Lots of things happening around the city.

FM 94/9 Announced their SPF 2013 lineup. The Sandy Parts Festival (SPF) 94/9 - Presented by BUD LIGHT is back at the Oceanside Pier and features Matt & Kim, Youngblood Hawke, Capital Cities, Family of the Year, The Mowgli's, The Palace Ballroom and UCSD Battle of the Bands winner Soda Pants. Tickets are only $15 and can be upgraded to VIP for another $10. The show is Saturday, June 8 at the Junior Seau Amphitheatre at 3pm. Tickets are on sale now.

Back in March, 91X announced their X-Fest lineup. Since then, the lineup has changed slightly and more importantly, they've changed the date of the show. The new lineup has Blink 182, Thirty Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, Silversun Pickups, The Dirty Heads, Fitz & The Tantrums, Wavves, Atlas Genius, Iamdynamite, and New Politics. Absent from the new lineup were previously announced artists The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World and Capital Cities. The original show was scheduled for May 17th. The new date is Friday, September 20th. Tickets are on sale and previously purchased tickets will be honored. [Update: According to Robin Roth, Capital Cities is the only band on the original lineup who will be absent from the new date.]

Summer concerts are slowly being announced, including the full lineup for Humphrey's 2013 season and the San Diego County Fair Toyota Concert Series Grandstand lineup.

As CityBeat has reported, Kava Lounge has been sold. From what I hear, the new owners are gonna pretty much keep it the same.::

After losing a contentious battle with their landlord, Croce's downtown will be closing at the end of 2013. Here's a farewell message from Ingrid Croce on the Croce's site. ::

30th Street and North Park have added several new beer spots in 2013, including Belching Beaver at 4223 30th Street. It's in the old scooter shop just south of El Cajon Boulevard. The 30th Street Corridor just keeps expanding. Polite Provisions and Soda & Swine have been open for a while now and I finally checked out the former. Not my scene, but I can see why these places are successful. It would be nice if they ponied up for a new bus shelter that would fit their design rather than getting the former one taken down. Pretty lame if you've ever tried to transfer from the 11 to the 2, let alone if you're elderly or a person with a disability.  Just down the street (4494 30th Street) is Poor House Brewing Company which I still have yet to try. Over in Normal Heights, The Heights Tavern opened (with no connection to West Coast Tavern & Uptown Tavern) and this week the Sycamore Den will be opening. Lauren, owner of Kensington Cafe, recently opened The Haven Pizzeria in Kensington, and last summer Village Vino opened on the same block. North Park has a bunch of other additions, including Thorn Street Brewery at 3176 Thorn and the Foundry shuttering and making way for a bar whose name escapes me because the font of their sign is so.bad. El Take It Easy is gone and has been replaced by Hubcap and it looked like a solid menu with tasty craft beers available by the pitcher. Of course, Bottlecraft moved into the hood, too. My friends Kristian and Pat over at MySMN developed a site to keep up with North Park happenings called Living North Park which complements another site, North Park Scene, that has been around awhile. And to round out restaurant news, I hear that the new Stone Brewery restaurant in Liberty Station is opening VERY SOON (though I was asked not to give a specific date) and is going to be the biggest restaurant in San Diego.

The Bright Side Presents Pool Side Pow Wow

Black Owl and El Dorado are teaming up to bring the Bright Side and they are presenting the Pool Side Pow  Wow tomorrow (Sunday, August 26), at The Lafayette Hotel. The event includes live bands Barbarian, Chase and The Burns (formerly Bully) and DJ's Saul Q, Jeremiah Zimmerman (The Silent Comedy) and Camron Zibaie spinning classic rock, oldies, and rock and roll. The event goes from 1pm to 5:30pm and costs $10.


El Dorado + Dirty Sugar + BLK OWL presents The Dark Side & The Bright Side Video! from mac nguyen on Vimeo.

Now Open: URBN Coal Fired Pizza North Park

On Monday, URBN North Park finally opened their doors and I couldn't be happier. My BFF (and occasional sddialedin contributor) Kristian was hired as a bartender so I decided to pay him a visit on Wednesday night. Much like Bar Basic, the place has an open floor plan with a modern yet warm feel. The brick walls and organic textures lend this to being quite a hangout. I love Blind Lady Alehouse and I think there's enough demand in the area that both places will thrive with their great pizzas and beers. In fact, I saw a BLAH cook at URBN while I was there...it's just another spot where friends and families can congregate.



The pizzas at URBN are for sharing and can feed 2-3 people, or one very hungry person. The prices are reasonable ($15 for my mashed potato with pancetta pizza from the specialty menu) or you can order a plain pie and add toppings as you wish. There's also a great beer and wine selection, with a good range of prices so you can have a tasty glass or an expensive bottle depending on your tastes.



I'm a fan of Bar Basic, but I really don't spend a lot of time downtown, so my visits are few and far between. With the similar layout and menu of URBN, I'm sure I'll be back often. Kristian wanted me to note that families are always welcome and that they serve food until close. If you order a pizza after 1:30 am, you have to take it to go, but you can order right up until 1:59 on weekends, which makes it a good alternative to all those late night taco joints.

URBN is locatedat 3085 University, across the street from U-31.
URBN is open Sun-Wed 5pm - Midnight and Thursday-Saturday from 5pm-2am

You can follow the bar on twitter @URBN_NP, text URBN to 91944 for specials, deals, and info, or check out their website here.

Sunday: Benefit for Kiko Cornejo & Andy Esparza

Got this little press release from my buddy Steve Kader:

Longtime San Diego Latin Jazz band Storm & its leaders timbalero/vibist Kiko Cornejo & bassist Andy Esparza will be honored at an all-ages tribute/benefit show on Sun., Feb. 28, 2010 from 6pm to 12am at The Sunset Temple in the neighborhood of North Park.

The Sunset Temple is located at 3911 Kansas St. San Diego, CA 92104 behind the Claire de Lune coffee house & live entertainment will be provided by Latin Jazz legend Jack “Mr. Bongo” Costanzo & His Orchestra featuring trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, conguero Gene Perry’s Afro Rumba, guitarist Jose Molina Serrano’s Viva Santana, & Storm.

Kiko Cornejo has recently gone through health issues & Andy Esparza has also recently dealt with family health issues & a $15 minimum donation will benefit them & their families. Cornejo & Esparza are legends in the Latin music scene in San Diego & have played with greats like Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Poncho Sanchez, Pete Escovedo, Santana, Malo, & Azteca through the years. The event will be hosted by local trumpeter Bill Caballero, promoter/dj/journalist Steve Kader, KSDS Jazz 88.3 Radio Host Chris Springer of the Latin Grooves Show, & local salsa/Latin jazz promoter Tommy Rosas of Latin Flavor Productions. DJs SK & Sachamo will also be spinning classic salsa & Latin jazz & many unannounced celebrity musician special guests will also be attending.

Saturday Night Shooting In North Park

I met a friend for drinks at Toronado early last night. After being there awhile, we checked out Bar Pink as El Ten Eleven were setting up, but we weren't really feeling it--Saturdays in North Park just really aren't for me, so we left and went to Soda Bar. People continue to argue about the development in the area- and neither the development nor the arguing will likely end soon- but to me, any area that becomes a pedestrian destination is naturally going to have more noticeable crime--not necessarily more crime, just crime that might touch our lives a little more closely.

By the time I got home, I read on my Twitter feed that there was some stuff going on in North Park, with at least two helicopters and several police cars. Unfortunately I found out tonight that there was a shooting. It happened around 1:30 in the morning, when I was already belly to the bar at the Ken Club, but the fact that it happened on a busy Saturday night (after North Park Nights, at that), just around last call, is reason for everyone to pay attention to what's going on around us. According to the SDUT blog, a fight broke out inside a private party at Club 8Teen, then moved outside and around the rear parking lot. The victim is ok, and it sounds like she was hit in the ankle by a stray bullet from the people who were fighting after being warned to stay inside the venue. Club 8Teen is the relatively new all ages spot at 3925 Ohio that was briefly known as Avalon.

The incident is probably considered relatively minor, so coverage was sparse, but you can check it out here SignOnSanDiego.com, on 10News.com and here at NBC 7/39

In other North Park news, the arsonist who set 14 fires around North Park last week was arrested. Read about it here or here.