Here's where I'd be

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 16

PLAN A: Cat Power, Appaloosa @ 4th & B. See our Cat fight on this page. Me-ow. PLAN B: Thrice, Circa Survive, Pelican @ House of Blues. I’m immature, so the only thing I can think of when I see this bill is a bad Tony Montana impression (“Eh, Manny, luke at dat li’l peluhcun fly. C’mon, fly, li’l peluhcun!”). No, but seriously. These bands—Thrice, Circa Survive, Peluhcun—kick ass. PLAN C: The Subhumans @ SOMA. The Subhumans—the punk provocateurs from England, not the punk provocateurs (also called The Subhumans) from Canada—show the kids how punk was done back when the Warped Tour was just a funny name for an acid trip. BACKUP PLAN: Eddie Vedder @ Spreckels Theatre.

Thursday, April 17

PLAN A: The Sword, Slough Feg, Children @ The Casbah. King Arthur, please proceed to Page 30 to find The Sword in the stone. PLAN B: Drunken Prayer, Power of County @ Chasers. I wanted to give this slot to two Chinese indie-punk bands playing the Che, but the show was scrapped (damn you, Hu Jintao!). That’s OK. Drunken Prayer and Power of County offer a solid, decidedly American (dirty country-folk-rock) alternative. PLAN C: A Cursive Memory, The Medic Droid @ House of Blues (Delta Room). It’s kinda disturbing to see a band (A Cursive Memory) get so genuinely pumped about making the TRL top-10 countdown that they write a gushing blog post about it. But that lack of pretense is also kinda refreshing. BACKUP PLAN: Helmet @ ’Canes.

Friday, April 18

PLAN A: The Bloody Hollies, Black Diamond Heavies, Billy Midnight @ The Zombie Lounge. Zombie Lounge rings in its fifth birthday with a brutal spanking from The Bloody Hollies, a local band good enough to survive having their song “The Rain” associated with NBC’s recent abortion of Knight Rider. PLAN B: Calico Horse, Red Feathers, Red Pony Clock @ Beauty Bar. You get three buzz-worthy San Diego bands for the price of one. Assuming the going rate for a buzz-worthy San Diego band is five bucks. PLAN C: Tift Merritt, Sara Watkins @ Anthology. I lost my virginity to a girl who shares a first and last name with these two artists. That has nothing to do with Tift’s singer/songwriting or Watkins’ solo sojourn after Nickel Creek. But there it is, just the same. BACKUP PLANS: DJ Spider @ Stingaree and Victor Dinaire @ On Broadway.

Saturday, April 19

PLAN A: Dengue Fever, a.m. vibe, Nautical Disaster @ The Casbah. Dengue Fever symptoms include involuntary, spasmodic shaking (known in medical circles as “hipsters dancing”) caused by sweltering Cambodian pop and feverish psychedelic rock. Luckily, there is no cure. PLAN B: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers @ Poway Center for the Performing Arts. One of the most influential bluesmen not from the Deep South (unless you include Manchester, England), Mayall gives American blues a British twist that influenced some Micks (Fleetwood, Taylor) and an Eric (Clapton) along the way. PLAN C: Jazze Pha, 8Ball & MJG @ 4th & B. Memphis tigers—and gritty Three 6 Mafia compatriots—who probably think Hustle & Flow was a documentary. BACKUP PLANS: Half Pint @ Worldbeat and The Beautiful Girls @ Winston’s.

Sunday, April 20

PLAN A: Kanye West, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, NERD @ San Diego Sports Arena. The show where every third song you hear on Z 90.3 and Blazin’ 98.9 comes to life.  PLAN B: RZA @ ’Canes. With any luck, RZA will be more on-point than fellow Wu Tang clansman GZA was during his less-than-genius show at ’Canes last month (see our April 2 “Nightgeist”). PLAN C: RATT, Great White @ Viejas. Ironically, all the best 4/20 acts (Half Pint and whoever played the beach bars) happened yesterday. So here’s some hair-metal instead. Just stay close to the exits if anyone opts to burn one down during Great White’s set. BACKUP PLAN: Ooklah the Moc, Roots Covenant @ Worldbeat.

Monday, April 21

PLAN A: Elf Power, Flowers Forever, Agent Ribbons @ The Casbah. See what your garden gnome thinks about elfin supremacy here. PLAN B: Mark Mallman, Really Nice Camper @ Beauty Bar. Mallman is an alt-pop musician crazy enough to have an alter ego (“Mallwolf”) and to have performed one “song” for 52 hours straight in a failed attempt at a Guinness world record. Really Nice Camper is an obscure That Thing You Do! reference. PLAN C: Super Diamond @ House of Blues. Also known as the Neil Diamond cover band (you love it, admit it) that was playing during That One Crazy Night in Tahoe with my friend Fitz.  

Tuesday, April 22

PLAN A: Don Cavalli, Truckee Brothers @ The Casbah. Don Cavalli may sound like the name of a superfluous crime boss in The Godfather, but, in reality, he’s just some quirky French guy offering funky garage blues that you can’t refuse. PLAN B: The Twinkle Brothers, Della Grant, Black Heart Warriors Hi-Fi @ Belly Up. Bonus reggae for people who totally spaced out (around, say, late afternoon Sunday) on the weekend reggae shows they were supposed to attend. PLAN C: Patty Larkin @ Anthology. Larkin handled all the vocals and instrumentation—various guitars, bass, banjo, loops, toy organ and door chimes—on her latest release (Watch the Sky), which is pretty sweet. But, really, how hard is it to ring a doorbell?   

Does your show deserve a mention? Write to nathand@sdcitybeat.com .