Here's where I'd be

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

Wednesday, Feb. 13

PLAN A: Editors, Hot Hot Heat, Louis XIV @ House of Blues. As far as hyped indie bands that you can say you’ve actually heard of and listened to (without lying) go, this show—a walking Buzz Bands 2006 compilation—is a doozy. PLAN B: Black Lips, Pierced Arrows @ The Casbah. Pucker up to our feature on The Black Lips on Page 30. PLAN C: Animal Liberation Orchestra, Todd Hannigan, Biirdie @ Belly Up. Animal Liberation Orchestra produces funky jam rock good enough to earn them a spot on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records and touring slots with the likes of Dave Matthews. It’s less certain how many animals have actually been liberated by the orchestra. BACKUP PLAN: Molly Jenson, Topher Brown, Barcelona @ Lestat’s.

Thursday, Feb. 14

PLAN A: Grand Ole Party, The Prayers @ The Casbah. No better time to dry-hump GOP—for releasing Humanimals (see our review on Page 34) and scoring spots at SXSW and Coachella—than Valentine’s Day. But it’d be nice if you bought them dinner first. PLAN B: 2Mex @ Static Lounge. One of the visionaries behind the L.A. hip-hop collective Visionaries, 2Mex (aka Songodsuns) is, by himself, an underground heavyweight. PLAN C: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ Belly Up. Cobra Starship (at SOMA) may be sold out, but a different kind of extraterrestrial experience awaits on the Mothership. Put another way: It’s freaking George Clinton and P-Funk. BACKUP PLAN: Mighty Six Ninety @ Beauty Bar.

Friday, Feb. 15

PLAN A: Dub Traffik Control @ Kava Lounge. Proceed to Sector A for our debriefing on Dub Traffik Control. PLAN B: Horrorpops, The Pink Spiders @ House of Blues. I feel bad for the person who books shows for the Horrorpops. Sample phone call: “Yeah, I represent this band from L.A. that dress like Goths and play a mix of new-wave pop-punk with a little psychobilly, metal and surf-rock thrown in along with some ska, rockabilly and— Hello?” PLAN C: Drag the River, Cory Branan, The Silent Comedy @ The Casbah. Drag the River technically broke up nine months ago, but there’s always some reckoning to do in alt-country. In DTR’s case, that means dredging up a few reunion shows (like this one) to celebrate the band’s final studio album, You Can’t Live This Way.  BACKUP PLAN: Glen Phillips, Jonathan Kingham @ Acoustic Music San Diego.

Saturday, Feb. 16

PLAN A: The Ringers, This Holiday Life, Writer @ Beauty Bar. Like every third glam/garage band, The Ringers (from L.A.) have earned comparisons with New York Dolls. But it’s locals This Holiday Life and Writer—both prepping for new releases—that may ultimately be the belles of this ball. PLAN B: Maceo Parker, Grand Pianoramax @ Belly Up. Mr. Parker conjures enough range on his saxophone to have spent tours of duty with James Brown and Parliament while also contributing a little sax appeal to Prince, De La Soul and Jane’s Addiction. PLAN C: Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys @ The Casbah. The music didn’t die when the plane carrying Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens crashed in 1959. It was just resurrected three decades later by Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys, who’ve flown that throwback country/swing/rock path straight and narrow ever since. BACKUP PLANS: Emery @ SOMA, Angry Samoans @ Brick by Brick and Sick Jacken, DJ Muggs @ ’Canes.

Sunday, Feb. 17

PLAN A: Enter Shikari, A Static Lullaby @ SOMA. Enter Shikari is back in town to spread its post-hardcore gospel. Only now the U.K. kids have a cred-building invite to Coachella to scream about. PLAN B: Get Back Loretta, Bunky, Listening to Rocks @ The Casbah. I’m not sure who Roger and Sara are (this show celebrates the couple’s wedding anniversary) but congrats, you crazy kids. And thanks for the local bill—featuring pop-rock staples GBL and the rotating Rafter Roberts ensemble, Bunky—but we still didn’t get you anything. PLAN C: Dynamite Walls, The Drowning Men, E for Explosion @ Belly Up. This is a story of some indie kids from San Diego (Dynamite Walls) meeting some indie kids from Kentucky (E for Explosion, the latest project from the “Jamison” half of Jamisonparker), falling in love with one another’s incendiary band names and finishing up a West Coast tour together at the Belly Up. BACKUP PLAN: Johnny Polanco @ Anthology.

Monday, Feb. 18

PLAN A: Tribute to the Reggae Legends 2008 @ San Diego Sports Arena. The 27th version of the festival formerly known as Bob Marley Day features a slew of reggae talent like Alpha Blondy, Sly & Robbie, Capleton, Queen Ifrica and Barrington Levy (among others). And, unlike a lot of the white-boy reggae played at the beaches, this is the genuine article. PLAN B: Manganista, Chow Nasty, Alpha Channel, Beatmo @ The Casbah. Hey, it’s a Monday show that isn’t an open-mic night. Plus you get a sampling of California music cuisine from San Diego (Manganista, Alpha Channel), L.A. (Beatmo) and San Franciso (Chow Nasty). BACKUP PLAN: Stellita’s Groove @ Anthology.

Tuesday, Feb. 19

PLAN A: Nudity, A Scribe Amidst Lions, Thieves & Liars @ The Casbah. When isn’t nudity a Plan A? This Nudity is a psychedelic rock quartet from Olympia, Wash., but have a couple drinks and see where the night takes you. PLAN B: Stan Ridgway, Cindy Lee Berryhill @ Belly Up. Once upon a time, Stan Ridgway was on a Mexican radio. He was on a Mexican, woh-oh, radio. But the former frontman for Wall of Voodoo (they of the one-hit wonder “Mexican Radio”) is still pumping out quirky country even without radio airplay, Mexican or otherwise. PLAN C: Sonata Arctica, Visions of Atlantis @ House of Blues. Sonata Arctica is a power metal band from Finland. If the words “power metal” or “Finland” excite you, let alone combined, the band’s progressive hard rock probably will, too. BACKUP PLAN: Heart @ Harrah’s Rincon.