Here's where I'd be

These are bands we especially dig,
not full listings. For those, please see
Concerts and Clubs.

Wednesday, Feb. 6

PLAN A: Super Furry Animals, Holy Fuck @ Belly Up. Take a look at our super, furry, wild animal of a feature. PLAN B: Pinback, MC Chris @ House of Blues. Yeah, I had Pinback in this column last week. But those San Diego boys are savvy enough to play two shows. You should be savvy enough to check the second show out. PLAN C: Dead Meadow, Calico Horse @ The Casbah. If you’re someone who wants more H.P. Lovecraft in your hard psychedelic rock, meet Dead Meadow. If you’re someone who wants to hear a local band kick ass, meet Calico Horse. BACKUP PLAN: Sherwood, The Matches, The Higher @ SOMA.

Thursday, Feb. 7

PLAN A: Paul van Dyk, Cowboy Mike @ Belo. All the cowboys (or at least the ones who like trance) have gone over to our Cowboy Mike feature. PLAN B: Black Mountain, Howlin’ Rain @ The Casbah. You have to be good to get away with playing a 17-minute psych-folk opus like “Bright Lights” and still be cuddled by the Coachella crowd. Black Mountain, you are good. PLAN C: Bedouin Soundclash, Westbound Train, Beat Union @ Belly Up. If you loved Joe Strummer’s Streetcore, but you kinda wanted a little more reggae and dub in there, you’ll probably like Bedouin Soundclash’s Street Gospels. BACKUP PLANS: Velvet Revolver @ House of Blues and Killa Priest @ Static Lounge.

Friday, Feb. 8

PLAN A: Transfer @ The Casbah. The new EP this show celebrates is called Sunken Eyes, but Starry Eyes is a more apt description of the rapt indie kids welcoming Transfer home after the band’s U.K. tour. PLAN B: Marc Ford, Deadline @ Belly Up. Marc Ford took the Dear John Letter to a new level in late 2006 when he informed The Black Crowes that he was quitting as lead guitarist—by fax. Ouch. But what he lacks in tact he makes up for in blues rock. PLAN C: Tab Benoit @ Anthology. Benoit is the founder of an environmental organization called “Voice of the Wetlands,” but the name is just as good a description of Benoit’s reign as a king of swamp blues. BACKUP PLANS: Fishbone @ ’Canes and Colbie Caillat @ Viejas.

Saturday, Feb. 9

PLAN A: The Night Marchers, The Sess, Wild Weekend @ The Casbah. Everybody loves John Reis. Thus, the latest project from the progenitor of Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes (among others) is a guaranteed hot draw. If Transfer weren’t playing on Friday night, I might tell you to march over to the Marchers’ show at Reis’ Bar Pink Elephant that night. But they are, so I won’t. PLAN B: Super Bowl Blues Fest @ Humphrey’s Backstage. Note to Humphrey’s: When you plan the 13th annual Super Bowl Blues Fest next year, you might want to check the calendar first. But, even though it should technically be called the “Pro Bowl Blues Fest” this year, the lineup features some of the best blues musicians San Diego has to offer. PLAN C: Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Haste the Day @ SOMA. Scary Kids Scaring Kids not only plays catchy snot-nosed rock (in addition to having a fabulous band name), but they can wear their Junior Activist badge proudly after taking on Colonel Sanders and KFC in PETA’s “I am not a nugget” campaign. BACKUP PLANS: Groundation @ Belly Up and Jimmy Webb @ Acoustic Music San Diego.

Sunday, Feb. 10

PLAN A: Rhett Miller, Jennifer O’Connor @ Belly Up. Rhett Miller was Conor Oberst before Conor Oberst was Conor Oberst. Miller is also the lead singer of Old 97’s. I dig Old 97’s. That is all. PLAN B: NovaMenco @ Anthology. I thought about giving this slot to the Kava Lounge show featuring the art-rock of Zsa Zsa Gabor. But then NovaMenco’s smooth flamenco jazz soothed the migraine I suffered listening to Zsa Zsa Gabor’s tortuous “Ms. Enron.” PLAN C: James Blunt, Sara Bareilles @ Spreckels. Yeah, yeah. We get it. I’m beautiful. You’re beautiful. We’re all beautiful. BACKUP PLANS: Roxy Jones @ Bar Pink Elephant and The Wallflowers @ Pala.

Monday, Feb. 11

PLAN A: David “Honeyboy” Edwards @ Acoustic Music San Diego. There aren’t many living Delta blues musicians old enough to have been with Robert Johnson the night he died (in 1938) and have their music recorded for the Library of Congress by famed musicologist Alan Lomax (in 1942), let alone still be relevant enough to score a cameo in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and, at age 93, a 2008 Grammy nomination (for Best Traditional Blues Album). In fact, there’s only one. PLAN B: Swim Party, Talkdemonic, A.M. Vibe @ The Casbah. Portland’s Talkdemonic is one of the best rising indie stars in the Pacific Northwest. The music produced by San Diego’s Swim Party just makes them sound like they are. BACKUP PLAN: El Paso Hot Button, Gravity Propulsion System, Blood & Horses @ Chasers.

Tuesday, Feb. 12

PLAN A: Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion @ Belly Up. Sarah Lee Guthrie made her recording debut at the ripe old age of 2 (on dad Arlo’s Power of Love). Nowadays, Woody’s granddaughter is a seasoned 28-year-old veteran keeping folk-rock in the family with her husband, Johnny Irion. PLAN B: The SoftLightes, People Noise, The Lanterns @ The Casbah. Once upon a time, San Diego’s Ron Fountenberry was The Incredible Moses Leroy. He toured with Cody Chesnutt, modeled for Gap and had the song “Fuzzy” show up on Scrubs and in a Vespa commercial. Then Moses took a walk in the desert. Now he’s back with The SoftLightes to rev up the buzz machine all over again. BACKUP PLAN: Umphrey’s McGee, Dub Trio @ House of Blues.