Here's where I'd be
Yep, these are the top shows
These are bands we especially dig, not
full listings. For those, please see
Concerts and Clubs.
For more top shows featuring local acts, please see Nightgeist.
Wednesday, April 9
PLAN A: X, Skybombers @ Belly Up. X marks the spot right here on this page. PLAN B: Birds of Avalon @ Bar Pink Elephant. Birds of Avalon have a ’70s psychedelic rock mating call (echoed by Black Mountain and Howlin’ Rain) good enough to earn them upcoming slots supporting The Raconteurs. PLAN C: Mike Peters @ The Casbah. Mike Peters runs like a Welshman. Doesn’t he run like a Welshman? I think he runs like a Welshman. That’s probably because he’s Welsh—and the frontman for ’80s alt-rockers The Alarm, in town for a solo acoustic show. BACKUP PLAN: Moenia @ House of Blues.
Thursday, April 10
PLAN A: Louis XIV, Transfer, The Prayers, Los Dos Bros @ House of Blues. Louis XIV holds court with a royal gathering of local dignitaries at House of Blues. Let them eat crab cakes. PLAN B: Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Bukue One @ Belly Up. Del is probably most widely known for contributing vocals to the Gorillaz track “Clint Eastwood,” but he has enough .44 Magnum flow and Dirty Harry lineage (his cousin is Ice Cube; his crew is Hieroglyphics) to make your day on his own, punk. PLAN C: MC Flow, The Kneehighs, Bad Credit @ The Casbah. MC Flow celebrates the release of Incredible (see our review on Page 38) with local indie rappers (Kneehighs, Bad Credit) and the classically named (if not trained) Jiggle it! Bitch. hip-hop burlesque troupe. BACKUP PLANS: The Happy Hollows @ Beauty Bar and Mae, The Honorary Title @ Epicentre.
Friday, April 11
PLAN A: Handsome Furs, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects @ The Casbah. Handsome Furs is a husband-and-wife duo from Montreal whose secret to a happy marriage is funereal vocals, sparse synth-rock and a drum machine. But that record deal with Sub Pop probably doesn’t hurt, either. PLAN B: The Mother Hips, New Monsoon @ Belly Up. Bay Area indie icons plant themselves at the Belly Up for the first of a two-night stand. I’m not talking about New Monsoon, in case you’re wondering. PLAN C: Family Force 5, The Maine, Ivory Line @ SOMA. Some peach-fuzz punks scream about finding love (and heartbreak) waiting in line for the Honey Bucket at the Warped Tour. But it’s SOMA, so you already knew that. BACKUP PLANS: Yellowcard, The Spill Canvas @ House of Blues and Candy Dulfer @ Anthology.
Saturday, April 12
PLAN A: Morcheeba, Federico Aubele @ 4th&B. Morcheeba explain the source of their mysterious bruises here. PLAN B: Scott H. Biram, Hillstomp @ The Casbah. In 2003, Scott H. Biram played a show sitting in a wheelchair—still connected to an IV drip—one month after a car crash left him with two broken legs and a broken arm. This sums up Biram and his punk blues. Hillstomp does something similar, minus the broken limbs. PLAN C: BT @ On Broadway. DJ kingpin BT had to cancel his last San Diego performance because his daughter had been abducted. You know, that old excuse. But now baby girl is back safe, and BT is back doing what he does best. BACKUP PLAN: Panic! at the Disco, Motion City Soundtrack, Phantom Planet @ SOMA.
Sunday, April 13
PLAN A: Siberian, Robotanists @ Beauty Bar. Two of the better up-and-coming single-name indie-rock bands you’ve never heard of—yet. One (Siberian) from Seattle and the other (Robotanists) from Hell A. PLAN B: Say Anything, Manchester Orchestra, Weatherbox @ House of Blues. I don’t have a ton to say about the electronic indie rock of Say Anything. But Manchester Orchestra is neither from Manchester (Atlanta) nor an orchestra (more indie rock). Discuss. PLAN C: Scout Niblett, Herman Dune, Adieu Adieu @ Che Café. Emma “Scout” Niblett (she cribbed her stage name from To Kill a Mockingbird) is the rare kind of singer/songwriter that’s captivating enough to actually make you want to listen to her sing the songs she wrote. BACKUP PLANS: Meat Beat Manifesto @ ’Canes and Supersuckers @ The Casbah.
Monday, April 14
PLAN A: Wilderness, Kill Me Tomorrow, Book of Martyrs @ The Casbah. Wilderness take their post-punk sonic explorations really seriously. Kill Me Tomorrow and Book of Martyrs add slightly more levity to the experimental proceedings, insomuch as bands with “Kill” and “Martyrs” in their names are capable. PLAN B: Tech N9ne, Paul Wall, Ill Bill @ House of Blues. I once wrote a story about rapper Tech N9ne that provoked members of his Strange Music family to pen a song (“Fuck Nathan Dinsdale”) that has since become a popular anthem at Dinsdale family functions. Paul Wall likes to rap about diamonds on his bicuspids. PLAN C: Sick Puppies @ ’Canes. Somebody needs to get Sick Puppies (if not Ill Bill) some Nyquil. In the meantime, the Aussie rock trio will find medicinal therapy by dispensing free hugs (via their video for “All the Same”) and alt-radio fare. BACKUP PLAN: John Cruz @ Belly Up.
Tuesday, April 15
PLAN A: You, Me and Everyone We Know, The New Amsterdams @ Porter’s Pub. If YMEWK sounds a little like The Get Up Kids, it’s a coincidence. If The New Amsterdams sound a little like them, it’s thanks to former Get Up Kid (and current TNA) frontman Matt Pryor. PLAN B: Eddie Vedder, Liam Finn @ Spreckels. Yeah, you’re probably not going to get into this sold-out show or tomorrow night’s encore, either. But you can always hope (or just sneak in through the ventilation duct). BACKUP PLAN: Casket Salesmen, Thieves & Liars @ The Casbah.
Published: 04/08/2008
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So glad to be your Sunday Plan A... come on out folks and have some fun with us!
xo sarah / robotanists