Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, December 10-Monday, December 16, 2019

Sorry for the grumpy post; I'll try to make it up to you. It was a moderately busy week...I went to Angel Olsen at the Observatory on Tuesday and then after caught The Make-Up at the Casbah, and closed the night with my pal Tim Fears at the Ken Club. My uncle decided to drive from South Bend, Indiana to San Diego, so we met up on Wednesday night at Coyote Cafe in Old Town, and then at my parents' house on Thursday for more family fun. There were some amazing shows that night and I missed every single one of them. On Friday I was motivated to head to December Nights, so Nova and I packed bags of snacks and treats and caught the bus, except San Diego is the only city in the world that decides to shut down buses when there's a major civic event, so we rerouted all the way around Balboa Park and ended up at City College and still had to hike up the hill. We certainly got our steps in that night. We watched the Gay Mens Chorus in the Organ Pavilion and mostly wandered around through a few of the museums. I definitely recommend checking out the Timken, which is especially pretty right now. Later that night, me and Jake caught up at the Ken Club. On Saturday, we kept the Christmas spirit going and went to the OB Holiday Parade before I had to work at the Casbah for The Bronx. I didn't get home from work until 2, so Sunday was a super lazy day until we motivated to meet the fam in Coronado for the Big Bay Boat Parade. Of course it started pouring, so we mostly watched from our table at Village Pizzeria (quite possibly the most overpriced pizza in San Diego). On Monday I went to the Nicely EP Release show at the Casbah and then to Blonde after, so I apologize for my super rant. Sometimes, the filters are off. Anyway, here are your listings for the week. After the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, December 3-Monday, December 9, 2019

Duck-Billed Platypus at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

I really could've used another week of holiday, but it was such a great chill week. It rained a ton, so Nova and I did some deep house cleaning and lots of movie watching. On Thanksgiving we zipped up to the Safari Park and the heavy rain and the holiday made for a mostly empty park, which meant we got to walk into the new duck-billed platypus exhibit with no wait, and actually got to hang out and watch the two in action for almost an hour before we had to call it a day to get to Chula Vista for the Thanksgiving feast my mom single-handedly prepared. On Friday the weather had mostly cleared and we met my sister at the Zoo and I got a good night's sleep so I could be up and ready for the inaugural North Park Live! I couldn't have been happier with the way it went. I had my bike so I did several loops between all five venues I booked, and all of the businesses seemed to be bustling and busy. My sister came to meet me with the kids, so we all wrapped the event with dinner at Tamarindo and called it a day. It had been while since my last show, so when Sunday rolled around, I was happy to catch Mikal Cronin and Shannon Lay, and then had aftershow drinks at Black Cat Bar. Normal life kicked back in on Monday, so here's the week's listings. I've got a show or event every night this week, but truth be told, I've learned to lower my expectations and might skip a couple. Full listings though Monday are after the jump.

Saturday, November 30: Inaugural North Park Live!

It's such an honor to have been asked to work with North Park Main Street again in helping book some events. The first one happens on Saturday, November 30 and features free live music starting at noon and lasting through the late afternoon. I booked five of the venues, but there's also stuff at Bar Pink, The Office, 619 Spirits, Red Wing and others to make it a robust and fun-filled Small Business Saturday. I'll be running around, but hope to bump into lots of friends and neighbors throughout the day. See the schedules below to plot out your day!

• North Park Live & Small Businesss Saturday:
• Luc Trahand (12pm), Gaby Aparicio (1pm), Heather Marie (2pm), Nena Anderson (4pm) @ Bivouac Ciderworks
• Shelbi Bennett (12:15pm), Julia Sage (1:15pm), Erik Canzona (2:15pm), Michael McGraw (3:15pm) @ Working Class
• Julia Sage (12:15pm), Shelbi Bennett (1:15pm), Michael McGraw (2:15pm), Erik Canzona (3:15pm) @ North Park Brewing Company
• Gaby Aparicio (12pm), Luc Trahand (1pm), Nena Anderson (2pm), Heather Marie (3pm) @ Tamarindo
• Nate Donnis (12:30-2pm), Timothy Joseph (2:30-4pm) @ Original 40 
• Rob Bondurant (12pm) @ 619 Spirits

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, November 26-Monday, December 2, 2019

I feel like I have all these little things up in the air, so I'm super ecstatic that it's Thanksgiving week and that it's supposedly gonna be all stormin' around here, so maybe I can catch up on life and spend some time at home getting my shit together, enjoy the holiday, and then be ready to bust ass on Saturday for North Park Live, an inaugural event that I helped book. I feel like last week was crazy, but in reality I only went to Death Cab for Karaoke on Wednesday, and then did Wonderfront on Friday and Saturday. But Nova also had a soccer tournament, so I was up almost 24 hours when it was all said and done, with her morning soccer game in Escondido, then a couple hours at Safari Park, then lunch, then her second game, then home to charge phones, then Wonderfront, then Casbah for Phantogram until closing. Between Friday and Saturday I walked 17 miles and on Sunday I was still exhausted, which unfortunately is a major trigger for anxiety paralysis and I could barely drag myself out of bed let alone do another day of the festival. I won't dwell, however. Onward and upward to the week ahead. Listings through Monday are after the jump.

Purina Sponsors San Diego Humane Society Adoptions For $5

Thanks to a sponsorship from Purina, all adoptions through the San Diego Humane Society are only $5 from November 19-December 1st! We're celebrating our 'Gotcha Day' with Strawberry next week and we can't really imagine our little family without her. Ficus was also adopted through the Humane Society foster program. If you have room in your home and your heart, consider adopting this season. The Humane Society has three main campuses- Gaines Street in San Diego, Escondido, and Oceanside, and the hours are generally 10am-6pm (but check the website for special hours and satellite locations.)

10 Ways Pets Support Mental Health:

1.  Interacting with Pets Lowers Our Stress Hormones
2. Pets Protect Against Childhood Anxiety
3. Our Pets Make Us Feel Needed
4. Pets Increase Our Sense of Self-Esteem and Well-Being
5. Cats and Dogs Are Great Examples of Being in the Moment
6. Pets Support Recovery from Mental Illness
7. Pets Help Us Build Healthy Habits
8. Our Pets Help Build Relationship Skills
9. Pets Support Social Connection
10. Pets Give Us Unconditional Love

Things I'm Reading & Watching: I'm With The Band: Nasty Cherry | The Testaments | One Night In Georgia | Whisper Network |

A Very Old Picture of KITTEN

I've been working through Christmas movies, so I have another post in the works for those, but I'm killing time this morning so I thought I'd stop lollygagging on all my draft posts. So there are a few new things I've watched and read and you can read about them after the jump.

"Nobody has any authority on the fucks other people give."
                                                                       -"The Testaments" Margaret Atwood

Behind The Scenes at Wonderfront

Wonderfront is just a few days away and I'm certain that this water falling from the sky will be gone in time for the whole thing to go down beautifully. I haven't quite decided if I'm gonna be on the fast-track and try to see a little bit of everything or if I'll just be super casual and see what I see, but either way, I'll have my camera in tow and will be posting as much as my batteries will allow. Anyway, they posted this behind the scenes video and I have to admit, they got me pretty excited. If you still need info or tickets, get it all here.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, November 19-Monday, November 25, 2019

It was a great week of music so I'll recap, but I also wanna say that this weekend is the inaugural Wonderfront Festival, and while I've been festival averse in the past, this one seems navigable and you can find all the set times and info on my old post, but also they dropped an app for iOS and and Android, so you should definitely download that before the weekend. Last week was busy af...on Wednesday I went to Built to Spill and The Office after. On Thursday we went to see The Driver is Red and hear holocaust survivor Rose Schindler at Bread & Salt, then I went to Music Box for Art Alexakis and after caught Hovvdy at Space. On Friday night I went to Cold War Kids and Samia at Observatory, but I was kinda struggling so I didn't quite make it till the end of the show. I did start reading a great book that I couldn't put down and finished over the weekend called Whisper Network which kinda kept me up all night. (You can check out the ebook on the San Diego Public Library app) and then Saturday Nova played her last game of her season. Then Saturday night I worked for The Ocean Blue at the Casbah, and Darren came and met me and we went to Livewire after all of that. On Sunday I went to AMSD for the first time ever to catch Trashcan Sinatras, who performed A Happy Pocket and Weightlifting in their entirety for a breathtaking show. Come Monday, however, I was bed-ridden with allergies because it was like 90+ degrees in November. Ugh. I'm feeling better though, and excited for Wonderfront, and then next weekend with North Park Live and things are feeling good, though I haven't really found much time to post any pics and it's kind of a constant weight I can't really shake. But so it goes. If you wanna see my show pics, you should just follow my Instagram anyway. Listings through Monday are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, November 13-Monday, November 18, 2019

The holidays are approaching and I am imagining in my brain that things slow down and I can get caught up and chill a bit but it's not really looking that way. But it does mean that I kinda keep blowing off shows I want to go to but just can't muster the energy. So last week I really only ended up catching French For Rabbits at Space, working for Skegss at the Casbah on Friday, and working for Rhett Miller at Music Box on Sunday. We also had some fun time hanging out with my family over the weekend, and we spent Veteran's Day at the Safari Park, where you can see this adorably loving lappet-faced vulture pair, who are always nuzzling and working together to adjust and build their nest. It's hard to get up there these days, since the sun is setting so early and they're only open until 5, but both the Zoo and Safari Park have some great extended hours for the holidays, so I'll add my Holiday Event Guide to the list of the million things I need to do. Already this week I've missed Broncho and Drew Holcomb, but I'll try to get my biz together so I can enjoy some shows this week. I'll be shooting at the Music Box for Art Alexakis on Thursday, and Cold War Kids at the Observatory, and I'll be selling merch for The Ocean Blue on Saturday. I'm also really excited to catch Trashcan Sinatras on Sunday at AMSD. Listings through Monday are after the jump.

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.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, November 5-Tuesday, November 12, 2019

I already told you that I mostly stayed home like a hermit because I was sick and stuff, but I pulled it all together to get to Dia de los Deftones which was pretty fun. I hadn't been to the Sycuan Park at the Park and I was impressed with the layout and it looked like it would've been pretty fun to do all the decorating and stuff that they laid about the park. Me and Tim Fears were both shooting, so we got there early enough to catch all the acts. After the event, we caught Black Mountain at the Casbah. That's pretty much the extent of my whole week, though Nova and I wandered Ikea without a purpose to hang out and eat in their cafeteria. There are some great shows this week, but I've got a lot on my plate, so realistically I'll probably take it easy until Skegss on Friday. Listings are done through Tuesday this week, since Monday is Veterans Day...all after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, November 1-Monday, November 4, 2019

Today is the kickoff for San Diego Beer Week and I feel like I got enough posts in this week that I'd bring the updated listings back up to the top. I added a few Dia De Los Muertos events and some of the venues that didn't have listings when I did these on Monday night. I'm still feeling under the weather and mostly at home taking it easy, though I did get out of the house on Wednesday to La Jolla Cove while Nova was at soccer, maybe for the last time since Daylight Saving Time is ending this weekend. I also did a little shopping while Nova wrapped up trick-or-treating with her friend, so I guess my isolation made me buy new beds for all the pets so all my pictures of them don't have 15 beach towels strewn across the sofa. I'm shooting Dia de los Deftones, so I won't be holed up all weekend, but mostly I'm hoping to get up to the Safari Park for their Dia De Los Muertos weekend. We shall see... listings through Monday are after the jump.

Things I'm Reading & Watching: Katie Hill's Amazing Parting Words | Looking For Alaska | Wired | CityLab

I only knew about The Testaments, Margaret Atwood's long awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, about a week before its release, but the second I heard about it, I reserved any format I could on every library I could (San Diego, Chula Vista, San Diego County) and within a week or so of release, I already had the book from one library and the audio CDs from another. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the book at all...it was the same time the Casbah was transitioning from Ticketfly to Eventbrite and I was buried in work, but I've now got the audio recording and am listening as I work, as I clean, as I lay around being sick. Darren is listening, too. So today, I was watching this amazing speech by Katie Hill, and he walks into the room. And granted, he couldn't really make sense of what was being said but says, "Oh, you must've caught up to me and passed me, I haven't heard that part yet." I don't know if I should laugh or cry. That he could hear the words of Katie Hill, and mix them with The Testaments says so much about where we are. Yesterday he asked me if Nova was too young to experience "toxic masculinity" and I said it's something females experience from the time we're born, then proceeded to give examples. Listen to Katie. It's 8 minutes long. Take the time. And let's at least celebrate today's Impeachment vote victory. Still such a long way to go.


more watching and reading after the jump:

Friday, November 1: Free Bike Lights at San Diego Central Library

*Light Me Up Safety Lights in photo do not represent what will be provided at this event

November 1: San Diego Cyclists Get Road-Ready with Free Bike Lights at Central Library

Bike light installation prepares bike riders for the end of Daylight Saving Time
Bike Coalition to make night time riding safer for commuters

WHAT:
As the majority of the country transitions from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time, the San Diego County Bike Coalition and the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) are partnering to invite all bike commuters to receive free front bike lights. All riders on bikes can head to the San Diego Central Library where Bike Coalition staff and police officers will encourage safe, nighttime commuting with free bike light installation, helpful tips and important safety information about riding in the dark.

WHY:
With nightfall arriving almost 60 minutes earlier after Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 3, the Bike Coalition wants to ensure all people in San Diego have access to what they need to be visible on busy streets and get home safely. People who commute on bikes and pedal home in the dark during the Standard Time months will be safer on our shared roads. California state law requires cyclists to use front and rear lights when commuting at night.

WHO:
San Diego Bike Coalition
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Central Library

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Location: San Diego Central Library (330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101)
Date and Time: Friday, November 1 from 5 to 6 p.m.

Source: GoMixte

Wonderfront Set Times Released

This week, the organizers of Wonderfront released set times. Bookmark this page and hold on to it. If you still haven't picked up your tickets, you can still buy them and get all the information you need for the festival at WonderfrontFestival.com. Full schedules are after the jump.

Things I'm Reading & Watching: BRDGS | Lefsetz | AB5 | The Laundromat | Any One of Us and more

"If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t fight so hard to block it" -SPLC

BRDGS is an artist from Toronto, but he wrote a song called "San Diego," and I kinda love it.

So another couple weeks have passed and I've made more notes on things I read in my daily perusal of the interwebs and daily influx of countless emails. These are things that I find interesting, infuriating, entertaining, or educational. Full clips/list/links are after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 29-Thursday, October 31, 2019

I think I've been really over-committing to things lately and it's totally caught up with me in that besides some work and meetings, I intend to leave my house as little as possible this week. Last week started with Jeff taking me to see "Almost Famous: The Musical" at the Old Globe and it was phenomenal, but it closed out this week with complete sell outs, so I didn't feel any urgency to review it at the end of the run. On Wednesday Darren and I went to the Observatory for Caravan Palace and had a chill time since my photo pass had fallen through. I didn't get any magical responses to Lizzo on Thursday either, which was fine by me, but I got called to work at Music Box on Friday for Queen Nation and worked on Saturday for Har Mar Superstar's new project, Heart Bones. But the whole week I've had that tickle in my throat and lungs and besides a couple hours at the Zoo on Sunday night, I'm down for the count, trying to rest, drink all the fluids, and rest some more. There are shows I'd love to see this week, but besides working at the Casbah on Wednesday, don't expect to see me anywhere. It's almost as my subconscious knows how much I despise Halloween. But if you're not scrooge mcscroogey like me, I hope everyone has a fun and safe week. Full listings after the jump.

Sunday October 27: CiclosDias Takes Over Streets of Normal Heights, North Park, and City Heights

I super love CiclosDias events, which is why I'm so disappointed in myself for not getting this up sooner, but Sunday, October 27th is CiclosDias!!

(source: GoMixte)
October 27: Mid City to Become Car-Free Playground for CicloSDias
San Diego Bike Coalition invites the public to support local shops at open streets celebration

WHAT
On October 27, streets like Adams Avenue in Normal Heights and El Cajon Blvd. in City Heights will close completely to cars, creating a cyclist’s paradise and encouraging residents and tourists to bike, walk, skate or stroll through neighborhood streets. CicloSDias brings people of all ages together in new areas of San Diego each time to support local businesses and enjoy time outdoors.

Live entertainment, activities for kids and food vendors will line the streets instead of the usual motorized vehicle traffic. The event encompasses close to four miles of car-free exploration: click here for the map.

WHY
Drawing inspiration from Los Angeles’s CicLAvia and Bogotá’s weekly Ciclovía, CicloSDias brings the public out to open streets to enjoy connecting with communities and local businesses while catching a glimpse of what streets would be like without car traffic. CicloSDias participants will get to rediscover their neighborhood in a more intimate and unique way.

VISUALS/ACTIVITIES
Hundreds of community members walking, biking, skating through Adams Avenue and other Mid City streets
Live music from five bands spread along Adams Avenue
Bike maintenance workshops with Bikes del Pueblo
Shopping at local shops and food vendors
Fair at 44 party with live music and Zumba class led by the YMCA
A SAN DIEGO TRADITION
CicloSDias first rolled through San Diego in 2013 in North Park. Since then, the Bike Coalition has engaged community partners, city officials, local businesses and neighbors to host six additional open-streets celebrations in beach and inland communities across San Diego County.

WHO
This year, CicloSDias is a partnership between the Bike Coalition and:
The City of San Diego
County of San Diego
The California Office of Traffic Safety
San Diego Police Department
Adams Avenue Business Association
City Heights Community Development Corporation
Fair at 44
Metropolitan Transit System
YMCA
Blind Lady Ale House

This Thursday: Ken Stringfellow of The Posies To Perform At Vinyl Junkies Record Shack

In high school, I fell in love with The Posies. I had a chance to catch their Soda Bar show at Soda Bar in 2018 and it flooded back tons of memories. So imagine my surprise when I got an email from Ken Stringfellow himself:

Ken from the Posies (and many other things) here
I'm coming to town (October 24th) to play at Vinyl Junkies, in their tiki patio, a rather whimsical location for a performance that normally has decent gravitas... on this tour I'm playing my album "Touched" in its entirety, plus songs & stories from my 30 year career in music...
The show is me, solo, alternating between guitar and piano. Shelbi from the Midnight Pine will join me for a few duets as well.

Get tickets to this special intimate performance below:
An Evening with Ken Stringfellow
Vinyl Junkies Tiki Patio
Oct 24 7pm
https://stringfellowsandiego.eventbrite.com

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 22-Monday, October 28, 2019

Ride at House of Blues

Last week didn't exactly go according to plan. I did, in fact, get to shoot Ride at the House of Blues on Tuesday and went out after and made quite a night of it, but by Wednesday I was feeling rundown...sure, I had a bit of an h.o., but my sleep schedule was more jacked than usual, work has been intense, the weird weather had my allergies in overdrive resulting in a migraine and knowing I'd be working on Thursday night, I had to bow out of Surf Curse on Wednesday and Darren kindly relieved me of soccer duty or having to go out of the house at all. By Thursday, my generic allergy pills and advil seemed to help, but then I got called off from having to work (which I kind of expected), so decided another day of not leaving the house would suit me just fine as I had to sort out MailChimp and a whole bunch of other work. By Friday, I was back to myself, and after getting my work done in the morning, blasted out to the Zoo for the afternoon, before going to the Clairo show at the House of Blues. It was great, though there was a contingency of parents in the side room who we fit in with more than the Clairo-loving tweens, but it's not our fault SiriusXMU made us love her. On Saturday, Nova had a SkateWorld birthday party, so I spent the afternoon with my dog at Fiesta Island until it was pickup time and Sunday me and the kid went shopping and then I was up all night doing listings. I guess I don't do so well as seasons change, and the 90+ degree weather this week with Santa Ana winds and such aren't helping, but I'm trying to get it all together because I've got lots of fun stuff this week, like finally seeing Almost Famous tonight at the Old Globe, shooting Caravan Palace on Wednesday, and I'm still trying to work my way into Lizzo on Thursday. I haven't quite decided on my move for Friday, but Saturday I'll be working for my pal Sean, aka Har Mar Superstar at the Merrow, and if all goes according to plan, going to the Belly Up on both Sunday for Ra Ra Riot and Monday for Lucy Dacus. Yikes. We'll see what I actually pull off, but I'm looking forward to the week.

BAHIA Fest Set Times

BAHIA Fest is taking place this Saturday, October 19th, at Embarcadero Marina Park North. Click here for Festival Information and Tickets. This is a 21+ only event.  

Things I'm Reading & Watching: Offspring | The Keepers | The Great Depresh | Bad Blood | Mrs. Everything | The Kettering Incident | The Widow

Elephant at San Diego Zoo During HalGLOWeen

I've once again been stockpiling links because, as I mentioned, I'm trying to wean myself off of Facebook, or at least commenting on news items there. And not that it's any better, but sometimes I can't stop scrolling through Twitter, which brings me to my first link. (after the jump)

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 15-Monday, October 21, 2019

Last week was great but exhausting. Nova had a full week of minimum days so we did our best to balance work and life and entertaining her, but some days I feel like I'm answering emails around the clock. Wednesday was a soccer day so I had soccer duty and went to La Jolla Cove, but worked super hard to get my shit together so we could spend Thursday at Safari Park. Of course, when it came to it, we still didn't get out of the house on time, but we did make it to Safari Park for at least a couple hours, but I was so tired after that, sadly I didn't make it to Swervedriver. On Friday I ended up going to Music Box to catch Little Hurricane, Dead Feather Moon, and Low Volts, then caught the bus to close the night at the Ken Club. On Saturday, Darren, Nova and I ate our brains out at the Taste of North Park, then Nova had a late soccer game in La Jolla then I got called in to work for El Ten Eleven which was a phenomenal show. On Sunday night, Darren and I went to Bastille and Joywave at OAT, and Monday I just tried to recover from the week and got these here listings done. I feel lame always recapping like this, but I'm trying to break my FB dependency because fuck Zuck. This week is gonna be nuts...I'm shooting Ride tonight, Surf Curse on Wednesday, and selling merch for Joseph Arthur and Jesse Malin on Thursday, then Friday I'm shooting Clairo at House of Blues. If after all that I still have anything left, I'll try for Lucero on Saturday. Gah! Listings through Monday are after the jump.

Wonderfront Single Day Tickets On Sale Now

Single Day tickets to Wonderfront are on sale now!! Get them here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Artist Daily Lineup has changed a bit:

• STS9 and Alice Merton are now on Friday
• Big Gigantic is on Saturday
• Donavon Frankenreiter is on Sunday

San Diego Zoo Presents HalGLOWeen: Extended Weekend Hours & Halloween Activities

It's no secret that almost all of my free time is spread almost evenly among live music and concerts and time at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. You give me a day off, chances are that's where you'll find me. Today kicks off HalGLOWeen at the San Diego Zoo, and while I'm not in love with the branding, I love any opportunity to hang out at the Zoo into the nighttime. For the next three weekends, the Zoo has extended hours from 9am to 9pm with a ton of activities for the kiddos. I will say that while the whole zoo is open at night, a lot of animals go into their "condos" in the afternoon (like the orangs, gorillas, baboons, tortoises and more), and all the aviaries get locked up relatively early, so plan your visit around Elephant Odyssey, and anywhere you can find large cats if you wanna still see animals. Sometimes it's just fun to Skyfari and check out the lights of the City as you hear the nighttime calls of the animals below. HalGLOWeeen runs October 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27th.

The San Diego Zoo will glow brightly this fall with creepy, crawly fun for the whole family during HalGLOWeen—the Zoo’s annual Halloween celebration. This year, the colorful, glowing extravaganza has been expanded to three weekends—Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 11–27, 2019. Guests can enjoy a multitude of seasonal activities and entertainment, including the Skeleton Band, “Boolahoops,” acrobats, the Spooky Revue and the DJ Bubble Dance Party—a rousing bash where participants are invited to dance to spooktacular Halloween and pop tunes among bursts of bubbles and black light.

Think spiders and snakes are creepy? You just might change your mind after seeing what the amusing and amazing Dr. Zoolittle has up his sleeve.
Don’t forget to say hi to our Zoo Characters Boo Crew as they get into the spirit by donning their own unique Halloween costumes. Guests can also stop by participating Zoo shops and restaurants to pick up HalGLOWeen supplies and treats.

Kids 11 and younger get free Zoo admission throughout October during "Kids Free presented by Mission Fed," and they may wear costumes during HalGLOWeen. Costume guidelines are available online at zoo.sandiegozoo.org/help-center#seasonal-events. Additional special activities are scheduled every weekend during Kids Free. All guests younger than 15 must be accompanied by a paid adult during their visits to the Zoo or the Safari Park.

More pics from one of my recent visits after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 8-Monday, October 14, 2019

It was such a great but busy week that I'd really appreciate another weekend ASAP. Work has been totally whacko and I feel like I'm on a laptop 14 hours a day. On Tuesday, Darren and I caught the Mercury Rev + Beth Orton show at Soda Bar, on Wednesday I just worked and did my evening at the Cove while Nova was at soccer. Thursday night, I went to Vampire Weekend and Soccer Mommy with Jeff and to The Office after with my pal Xavie. Friday night was Calexico & Iron and Wine at Humphrey's and then I just called it a night because I was beat. Saturday was my niece Nadia's birthday at Mission Bay and then I got to shoot Cigarettes After Sex at the Observatory. Nova had a sleepover, so Darren met me at Pink and we enjoyed the jams Mike Delgado was playing until we left to catch my James interview on SoundDiego. On Sunday I made a decision to not leave the house, but it meant that this is the first year I missed Oktoberfest in El Cajon. But I got work done and binged "The Keepers" on Netflix. Wrapped it all up with some Cove time on Monday and Son Volt at the Belly Up. Lots of good stuff this week. Full listings are after the jump.

Desert Daze Reveals Set Times

Desert Daze is going down next weekend, October 10-13th in Lake Perris, California and today, the festival announced set times for the event. See the daily schedules after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, October 1-Monday, October 7, 2019

I have to say I had a pretty exceptional birthday week. On Tuesday, I caught Blanco White and Dan Owen at the House of Blues. On Wednesday I did my usual soccer dropoff and went to take more pics at the Cove. On Thursday, Nova's great-aunt was in town while on a bus tour of California, so we had a nice dinner at Fish Market and walked around Seaport Village, catching the end of Seaport Sessions and catching some tourist sights before walking her back to the hotel. That night I went to The Office for a little pre-birthday celebrating. On Friday, I worked at the Casbah for the Half Moon Run show and Darrren surprised me by showing up just before midnight to hang out with me as it tuned into my birthday. On Saturday we had no soccer and no plans, so my sister and my niece came over and we all went to the Safari Park for the late afternoon, then decided on dinner at Ponce's Del Sur, after which we all had a big slumber party at my house. Sunday was a low-key chill day and I finished reading a book that I'd checked out on a library app that was set to expire, so it was nice enjoying the quiet of an ebook and being home. Monday was the last day of Ticketfly before full migration to Eventbrite so in reality I spend almost all day doing this week's listings. Hopefully I'll find a better way and can work with EB to get our site to be more functional, but in the meantime, lots of work, and being the first week of the month, lots of calendars haven't quite been updated yet. Tons of stuff going on this week, full listings are after the jump. If anyone wants free guestlist to Mercury Rev & Beth Orton tonight, please let me know via Facebook and I'll get you on the list.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, September 24-Monday, September 30, 2019

It feels like my last post was so long ago. In the time from last week's listings to today, Darren got me a new laptop for my upcoming birthday, so I've been doing my best to move files and get this one all current and usable. I was so occupied with tech that I completely flaked on Methyl Ethel and JBM last Tuesday, but on Wednesday I went to Benjamin Francis Leftwich at the Merrow and then to Death Cab for Karaoke at the Office. On Thursday, I went with Jeff to see The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller at the SDCJC with Yo La Tengo, which was amazing, then had a late dinner at Gravity Heights. All this time my dad was still hospitalized, so we visited on Wednesday, and then Friday he was finally released. But it was total chaos, because as he was being loaded for transport home, somehow the entire gurney tipped over while he was strapped in and landed on top of him. Not just humiliating, but it injured him but he's so stubborn that he refused the ex-ray and went home anyway. So that night we all visited them in Chula for my mom's birthday, but it was pretty gloomy and stressful and my poor mom spends all of her waking moments caring for him. Later that night, Darren and I went to Hatchie at Soda Bar and then the Ken Club to take a load off. On Saturday I got to work my first show from load-in to settlement at The Loft and that was pretty easy peazy and the artist, Phum Viphurit was pretty great. Wrapping up, we went to Adams Avenue on Sunday and went to Safari Park on Monday. I've been working my ass off and weekends are just not long enough and I missed both of Nova's soccer games and I'm getting older and we might have to make a decision about putting down my cat soon, but we'll get through it all together. Full listings through Monday are after the jump. 

This Weekend: Adams Avenue Street Fair

The Adams Avenue Street Fair returns this weekend for the 38th year. I'm not super in love with this poster because you can barely read any of it, but instead I'll just make sure you have the link for all the stage lineups and performance times. I've been fortunate to live within walking distance for over 20 years, but this year is not looking good for spending much time as Nova's got soccer in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday and I'll be working at the Loft on Saturday from load-in till load-out. Ah well. I'm sure I'll find a way to make it happen, even if just for a little bit. Bear in mind that this is a free, all ages, family-friendly event that gets THOUSANDS of attendees, so while you can bring your pets, they're not allowed in many of the businesses or beer gardens, the cement gets crazy hot, and stupid things like trash and dropped food can be a hazard not worth the risk. Leave your doggies at home for your own sanity (and theirs).

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, September 17-Monday, September 23, 2019

I've been obsessed with this show, Offspring. It's on Netflix but ran for seven seasons in Australia. It's kinda like a cross between Parenthood and Gray's Anatomy, and sometimes I love it and sometimes I hatewatch it, but now I know my favorite character is gonna die and I'm almost at that scene and I don't know if I'm emotionally prepared for it, despite knowing it's gonna happen and finding out that all of Australia lost their collective minds when it happened. Ug. Still, it was a good thing I found a show to binge because I don't do these 90 degree days. Last week I did go to La Jolla Cove on Wednesday and after went to Belly Up for Greg Laswell and then to the Office for The Ramones Tribute night. On Friday, Darren and I went to Adrian Belew, and after went to Rebecca Jade at the Casbah. I was a hermit all weekend. My dad was admitted into the hospital late Friday, so we were kind of on standby all weekend. He's just in for observation, not being really treated for anything specific except balancing his blood pressure and fluid pressure, but still tried to lay low in case they needed us. This week is gonna be pretty busy. I'll probably check Jesse Marchant and Methyl Ethyl if I can pull off both in the same night, Benjamin Francis Leftwich on Wednesday, and maybe The Regrettes or The Brother Brothers on Thursday. Then this weekend is Adams Avenue Street Fair and I'll be working a show on Saturday night. Lots of great stuff happening this week. Full listings are after the jump.

KAABOO 2020 On Sale Now: Moves To Petco Park

KAABOO 2019 was sold out and is in the books and from my IG feed, looks like everyone had a great time despite San Diego being in the high 80s and low 90s alll weekend. Following up, KAABOO has already announced 2020 dates--September 18-20, 2020 and has super early-bird Hang Loose passes on sale for $199. But the biggest news is that the festival will be ditching Del Mar Fairgrounds and heading to Petco Park. I'm sure all kinds of people have all kinds of feelings about that, but with the numerous options for public transit to downtown, to me this would definitely make me more inclined to forget my festival aversion and jump on the KAABOO bandwagon. To be seen. I mean, I have a year to figure it out. In the meantime, 2020 tickets are available here. 

Things To Do In San DIego: Tuesday, September 10-Monday, September 16, 2019

Besides all my computer chaos, it was a pretty great week. I caught Bleached and The Paranoyds at the Casbah on Thursday, on Friday, Jeff and I had an amazing dinner at Louisiana Purchase and went to see Band of Skulls at the Belly Up, and on Saturday me, Nova and Darren went to La Jolla Cove for some snorkeling, and then on Sunday we went to my parents house to celebrate my dad's 71st birthday, and Monday I dragged my reluctant dog to the beach while Nova was at practice. This week is pretty low key. I might try to check out Greg Laswell at the Belly Up and Jake at the Casbah on Friday, but otherwise will just blow where the wind takes me. Full listings for the week are after the jump.

The Magnolia Set To Open This Week

LiveNation's new entertainment venue, The Magnolia, opens its doors this week in El Cajon. There will be a grand opening ceremony tonight at 5pm. On Thursday the 12th, Queen Nation and Idol X will play the first show, followed by Countess Luann and Friends on Friday, September 13th.

From The Magnolia website

San Diego County’s newest venue, The Magnolia will open in El Cajon this September after 10 years and an incredible $7M renovation!  Formerly known as the East County Performing Arts Center, upgrades include a reconfigured seating layout showcasing great sightlines for 1200 fans, a completely refurbished lobby bar serving craft beer and cocktails, a brand new VIP Lounge, plush front row seating, updated guest amenities and elevator access to the upper level seating for easy accessibility. 

As part of the beautiful renovation of The Magnolia, fans can expect to enjoy events of all kinds, including use of the outdoor plaza and venue grounds! From movie nights to beer festivals, food trucks, street fairs and more, the venue will showcase different events all year-long, bringing together our community and visitors to experience a new level of entertainment in SoCal.

ALT949 Reveals Not So Silent Night Lineup

I was having a pretty fun time trying to follow the clues for ALT949's Not So Silent Night bit today they've finally revealed the lineup. I got three out of the six (Shaed, White Reaper, Winnetka Bowling League) but wasn't even close on the other three (Neon Trees, Local Natives, Half Alive).

The lineup includes Neon Trees, Local Natives, SHAED, Half Alive, White Reaper, and Winnetka Bowling League. The show takes place on December 8th at Del Mar Arena. Get your tickets to the show here.

What I'm Reading & Watching

What did the cormorant say to the sea lion??

I have had a hell of a weekend. We went snorkeling, chilled out, hung out for my dad's 71st birthday, and I thought it would be low-key and I would get ahead of email and social posts for work and get caught up when, BAM!, I got a FINAL NOTICE from Photobucket that they're switching to a subscription based model and all photos over their free limit would be deleted by Monday, September 9th. I wouldn't have noticed, to be honest, because my original account is linked to an email that is just chock-full of spam which I never read. So I missed months of such notifications. However, I had a second account affected, too, which is when I took it seriously. More of my woe-is-me  tale after the jump (and actual stuff I'm reading and watching)

Things To Do In San Diego: Wednesday, September 4-Monday, September 9, 2019

My birthday month is finally here! Me and Indah are super excited about that. Let's run through the week...on Tuesday I went to Bryan Ferry and then caught Mal Blum at Soda Bar. Wednesday is my evening to check out the sea lions while Nova plays soccer, and Thursday I went to Darren's soccer game, then caught The Bird and the Bee at Casbah. We went to the Zoo on Friday and then again on Monday for the final night of Nighttime Zoo, and in between Nova had her first soccer tournament of the season and we went to the tidepools (Saturday) and snorkeling the cove after Sunday. And last night I caught Local Natives and The Melvins. So yeah. Summer is very much still alive around here. Full listings are after the jump.

City of San Diego Shuts Down The Irenic & Street Angels Homeless Shelter for Teens

Last week, The Irenic posted a dreary message on their Facebook page:


Full Statement Link (full text here):

After nearly six years of opening the doors of our church to host All-Age events for the North Park Community, The Irenic has been ordered by The City of San Diego to cease operations, effective immediately on September 1, 2019. We believe that this order is a violation of our rights as a faith community to use our property to both bless the community and generate income to support our ministry, and are seeking legal counsel on how to proceed. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to begin hosting events again soon. We encourage you to reach out to Councilman Chris Ward's Office and Mayor Falconers Office to voice your support for The Irenic. Thank you so much for your support. 

Now, obviously I work for the Casbah and as such have worked the door for our events at the Irenic for many years now, but I have no inside information about this news. I will say my own opinion, which is that it sucks, and not just because of the lost income it means for me and our staff. There's been a neighbor hellbent on getting the venue shut down and fuck that guy. He allegedly called the police for EVERY. SINGLE. SHOW. I hear this is from Code Enforcement, but am sure Mara "Fun-killer" Elliott had a hand, as she seems to be chasing everything that makes this city cool, from shutting down Nova's derby facility with just 72 hours notice (and thus ending her derby involvement altogether) to resurrecting issues at the Observatory long thought to have been resolved and now this. It sucks. The Casbah has 10 shows with no home should the issue not be immediately resolved. Looking at Soda Bar's calendar, they also had at least 10 shows booked through the end of the year.

Update:
Casbah is working diligently to move all the previously scheduled shows. The sold-out Phora (10/13) show has been moved to House of Blues and with additional capacity means more tickets are on sale. Benjamin Francis Leftwich (9/18) has been moved to the Merrow, which unfortunately means this is now a 21+ show. Casbah will be making announcements as shows are moved.

Everyone has been covering this story, so here are some links:

GoFundMe: Save The Irenic & Youth Homeless Shelter

Statement from Councilman Chris Ward

MissionGathering Response To Councilman Chris Ward's Statement

City Pulls Plug on Irenic - SoundDiego / NBC

Youth shelter, music venue shut down by City of San Diego (Video) - CBS8

Community rallies around North Park Church that shelters homeless youth - 10News

Church fights to keep its music venue and homeless shelter open - Fox 5 San Diego

Keep The Irenic Open - Change.org Petition

Wonderfront Adds Bands & Releases Lineup By Day

I worked through the night, and then when I was finally ready to go to bed, of course what I'd been waiting for finally came through and I'm glad I check my email one last time before getting some sleep. Today, Wonderfront added the final artists to the lineup as well as publishing the breakout of bands by day.

The new acts are: Guitar Legends 3 (featuring an all-star band of surprise guests) | Migos | J.I.D. | Jhay Cortez | Khea | Wild Belle | Gioli & Assia | Grandma | Jesse Baez | Banda Tierra Brava | Los Crecidos | Seis en Linea | Cydeways | Glades |  Brewfish |

Wonderfront Festival will take place November 22-24, 2019 at various locations along and around the waterfront area. Tickets and details are available here.

For your information, full press release after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, August 27-Tuesday, September 3, 2019

We thought Nova went through her first week of school unscathed, and then today it all kinda fell apart with a full on meltdown and I almost cried for her because, as we can all attest, middle school SUCKS. So for those of you whose kids had your first day today, all I can say is good luck. Last week I caught Generationals and Pure Bathing Culture at the Casbah and Snail Mail and Choir Boy at Music Box, hung out with the sea lions on Thursday, watched the SDSU women's game, watched Darren's soccer game, hung out with my parents, swam at Fiesta Island, binge watched some TV, dropped by Habitat House for their farewell party with Joel P West performing, and spent the scorcher of Sunday at the Safari Park. This week I'm looking forward to Bryan Ferry, The Bird and the Bee, and Throwing Muses among others. I've been promising more updates but have been having some tech issues, so hopefully I can fix that soon and get back in my groove. In the meantime, listings are through Tuesday to get you through Labor Day weekend. After the jump.

KAABOO Prices Jump Tomorrow

Tickets for KAABOO go up on Tuesday. All three days and all levels of VIP sold out last year. If you're interested in going, the best time to buy is now.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, August 20-Monday, August 26, 2019

Nova starts 7th grade today, so we spent the last week absorbing all the life out of summer that we possibly could, which meant some swimming with Ficus at Fiesta Island Dog Park/Beach, getting in some Zoo and Balboa Park time, and an awesome multi-modal Saturday where we took bikes/bus/trolley to Harborfest and Sunday doing a fun ride from Normal Heights through Balboa, down to check out the new 6th Avenue bike lanes, around the harbor, and back home on the Rapid, which is a funny story that I tweeted about here, and Monday was all work save for me taking Nova to soccer and running up to La Jolla to visit my sea lion pals. I also had some nighttime fun and got to see Devotchka on Wednesday, Orville Peck on Thursday, and Kyle Kinane on Sunday. This week we'll dive back into the ritual of middle school but hopefully get to see some shows like Generationals, Snail Mail, and a couple others on the radar. Full listings through Monday are after the jump.

Adams Avenue Street Fair Lineups Released

I told you I had a million things to catch up on, and I'm doing my best to catch up on old news. The Adams Avenue Business Association released the schedule a while ago, but we're still a month out so it's all good. The Adams Avenue Street Fair takes placec on September 21st & 22nd on Adams from 35th to 30th with a new stage added to the mix by Polite Provisions. 
Check out the whole lineup and schedule here.

Clear The Shelters TODAY!!

This Saturday is another Clear The Shelters event!

From NBC:

Are you looking to adopt a loving new forever friend? Whether you're looking for a dog, bunny, bird or cat, we're waiving fees at select shelters across the County to help every animal find their furr-ever home!

Check out the interactive map to find the shelter closest to you.

From The San Diego Humane Society:

San Diego Humane Society will be participating in Clear the Shelters Day on Aug. 17 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. The nationwide adoption drive is in partnership with NBC and Telemundo. There will be waived adoption fees for all animals at SDHS as well as other participating organizations. Last year, we adopted 431 animals into new homes in a single day — more than any other shelter in the country — and we’re looking to beat that record this year!

"San Diego Symphony Announces Bayside Performance Park" Opening in 2020

rendering from San Diego Symphony/Raindrop Marketing

Today the San Diego Symphony announced the Bayside Performance Park is set to open in 2020. I'm not a big fan of 'public-private partnerships' and giveaways of public land to private entities, but I haven't delved deep enough into this deal to really know how the thing came to take shape, how the land was given or sold or leased. As the current Bayside stage on Embarcadero Marina Park South is an eyesore and limits public access, it feels like the public just accepted it for so long that of course this is an improvement, but it still makes me feel icky, which is the general feeling I get whenever Jacobs' name is attached to anything. I hope I'm wrong and the promises made to the public come to fruition. So often we see 'public access' guaranteed and then funding is cut so, for example, public bathrooms end up locked during any meaningful hours when the public would actually need them. Let's just leave as being cautiously optimistic, though the way the Port is so eagerly giving away Embarcadero Marina Park North to future hotel development and the eventual razing of Seaport Village, I'm not sure I trust their stewardship in anything. Decide for yourself.

Full press release after the jump.

Seaport Sessions Kick Off This Thursday!

Growing up in Chula Vista, my mom cultivated a love for music in me from a very young age. I was never personally musically inclined, but we always went to free street fairs and concerts, whether or not we knew the bands playing. My earliest recollection of such events were the free Seaport Village concerts. They were by the (now defunct) Jolly Roger, and we'd go upstairs to their bar where they always had a free spread of hors d'oeuvres and on special days, my parents would order us virgin strawberry daiquiris (basically milkshakes, tbh) and then we'd go watch the band and the funny "old" (everyone is OLD when you're 5) people who would come to dance to the music. Well, now I'm OLD, and I'm glad to hear someone is activating the space again before the temporary renovations get underway and down the line when Seaport Village becomes unrecognizable. From what I've heard, these will at least run through December, so we'll keep you posted as more bands and talks get added to the calendar.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, August 13-Monday, August 19, 2019

I have a million things to catch up on this week, but it's so hard during the summer. Who wants to be sitting on a laptop for 12 hours a day when there's so much going on in? So last week I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Tim Booth and Jim Glennie of James, one of my all time favorite bands, for SoundDiego. I was a hot mess and it was emotional and I cried a lot and Tim cried a little and it was the most intense interview I've ever experienced. I don't know how they'll cut it up for NBC, but it should air in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, I worked the Weyes Blood show at the Irenic but got there earlier than I'd expected, so got to enjoy their full sound check. What a voice! And Davey, an old drummer I knew from Everest and Great Northern is touring as their drummer, so it was great to see him again. I don't honestly think I even left my house on Thursday, but I was saving up for the Friday and Saturday night Death Cab For Cutie shows. I took Nova on Friday and Darren was able to join us for the encore, and after I hit Casbah and Ken Club. On Saturday I took my sister and my pal Melanie was able to join us for the second half, and then my sis and i went to the Casbah which never happens so that was cool. Sunday was low key fam day and we went to swim at Fiesta Island with our dog and Monday we visited the sea lions of La Jolla while Nova was in soccer and then watched Darren's playoff soccer game. So yeah. It's a lot. This week should be tamer and I hope I get to update photos and stuff, because they're certainly piling up. Full listings for the week are after the jump.

ALT 94/9 Selling Early Bird Tickets to Not So Silent Night 2019

NØT SØ SILENT NIGHT

I'm not gonna get dragged into radio rivalries, but the same day that 91X released information for their December show formerly known as 91XMAS, Alt94/9 sent out a save the date for their Not So Silent Night.
It's gonna take place on Sunday, December 8th at Del Mar Arena and you can get tickets before they announce the lineup for $19.75 (because, wink, wink).

Tickets and Information on this one can be found here.

91X Announces December 5th Show With The 1975

91X Presents

Thursday, December 5th

Pechanga Arena San Diego

THE 1975

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

iDKHOW

FASHION JACKSON

More Information and Tickets Here

"The Zoo: San Diego" To Premiere on Animal Planet on 8.10.2019

If you are a regular on this site, you know that while I love music, my de-stress move is to go to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. During the summer or times with late hours, you can sometimes find me there 2 or 3 times a week. So when I was invited to go to a media party a couple weeks ago to catch a preview and celebrate the launch of The Zoo: San Diego on Animal Planet, of course I was ecstatic. The launch date is finally here, and you can see the 2 hour premiere this Saturday, August 10 on Animal Planet at 8pm. In subsequent weeks, the show will be one hour, at 9pm on Saturdays.

More after the jump:

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, August 6-Monday, August 12, 2019

It was a relatively low key week. We did the final Sundown Safari of the summer at Safari Park on Tuesday, and on Wednesday spent some time at Fiesta Islandd Dog Park. We got flipped off by some piece of shit driving the wrong way in his truck which was waving a massive confederate flag from the back. I guess three mass shootings in a week don't really shock me in hindsight. On Thursday, I worked for Alison Sudol at Soda Bar, on Friday we went to The Head and the Heart, and on Saturday, we spent the day getting roasted at Mission Bay for my niece's birthday, then I worked for AA Bondy that night and afterward caught the end of my high school reunion. I mostly worked the rest of the weekend, though I did get to catch some time with the La Jolla sea lions while Nova was in soccer. I'm jumping out of my skin excited to interview Tim Booth of James today for NBC, and I'm still trying to make DCFC happen later this week but otherwise no major plans as we wind down the final weeks of summer before Nova goes back to school. Listings through Monday are after the jump.