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 23

PLAN A: Collie Buddz, The Grouch, Eligh @ ’Canes. I’m not sure if reggae/dancehall artist Collie Buddz performing the entrance song (“S.O.S.”) for a WWE wrestler (Kofi Kingston) is awful, hilarious or awfully hilarious. Like his stage name, it’s probably all three. PLAN B: Ledward Kaapana, Mike Kaawa @ Belly Up. Kaapana and Kaawa (they of the superfluous “a”s) blow into town on the “Force of Nature” tour with a hurricane (or perhaps just a tropical storm) of Hawaiian music. PLAN C: Black Heart Procession, Vision of a Dying World, Japanese Sunday @ The Casbah. Stop me if you’ve seen these bands on a local bill before. OK, you have. But I won’t stop you from checking them out again. BACKUP PLAN: Bedford Grove, Emery Byrd @ Anthology.

Thursday, April 24

PLAN A: Love and Rockets @ ’Canes. The band bred from Bauhaus kicks off Nostalgia Thursday with a last-minute tune-up before a triumphant reemergence at Coachella. PLAN B: Slick Rick @ Belo. Belo celebrates its “Fire & Ice” second anniversary with one of the grandpappies of hip-hop. Well, La Di Da, uh, Di. BACKUP PLANS: Dark Star Orchestra @ Belly Up and Richard Marx @ Anthology.

Friday, April 25

PLAN A: Spiritualized @ 4th & B. J. Spaceman and his musicnauts look for an otherworldly experience to distract them from the fact that Jack Johnson has a better slot at Coachella (tonight) than theirs on Sunday. PLAN B: The Teenagers, Buddy Akai @ The Casbah. Euro-poppers from Paris play synth-riddled songs about scoring with Scarlett (“Starlett Johansson”) and bagging MySpace babes (“Fuck Nicole”). PLAN C: Coachella Music Festival @ Empire Polo Field. Hipsters went into dry-heaving convulsions when Johnson received a headlining slot. Fret not—there are still plenty of quality name-drops (Portishead, Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, etc.) to be had. BACKUP PLANS: B-Side Players @ Belly Up and Hot Club of Cowtown @ Acoustic Music San Diego.

Saturday, April 26

PLAN A: The Night Marchers, The Muslims, The Nightmares @ The Casbah. John Reis has to keep swimming or he’ll die. Find out why right here. PLAN B: Def Leppard, Styx, REO Speedwagon @ Cricket Wireless. Pour some sugar on our feature here. It’s hot and, dare I say, sticky-sweet. PLAN C: Yonder Mountain String Band @ Belly Up. Colorado staples of the Birkenstock circuit revel in a rare opportunity to play their progressive bluegrass indoors. BACKUP PLAN: The Black Crowes @ Harrah’s.

Sunday, April 27

PLAN A: Leon Redbone @ Anthology. Quirky Canadian singer/guitarist brings his Panama Jack getup (and some old-school jazz/blues) to Anthology for the finale of his two-night stand. PLAN B: Matt Curreri & The Exfriends, Paul Curreri, Gregory Page @ The Casbah. If you’re going to celebrate the release of Page’s latest album (All Make Believe), it may as well be amongst friends or, in this case, Exfriends. PLAN C: Victor Wooten @ Belly Up. Renowned bassist (and member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) catches us some delicious bass in Solana Beach. BACKUP PLAN: Terry Sylvester @ Acoustic Music San Diego.

Monday, April 28

PLAN A: The Breeders, Colour Revolt @ ’Canes. It’s probably going to be awhile before you see the Pixies, so Kim Deal with it. Besides, Deal and The Breeders have bred a new record of their own (see a review on Page 48). PLAN B: M.I.A., Holy Fuck @ 4th & B. M.I.A. is the best female Sri Lankan-via-London hip-hop/dancehall/electronic artist around. Granted, she’s the only one around, but she’d still probably be the best regardless. PLAN C: Fluf, Mexicolas, Buckfast Superbee @ The Casbah. Sandwiched between two local yokels of note, Mexicolas is an alt-rock band from England that’s named (sorta) after Mexico and sounds radio-friendly enough to come from the American heartland.

Tuesday, April 29

PLAN A: Mac Lethal, Grieves, Approach @ The Casbah. Kansas City rapper Mac Lethal is Rhymesayers’ resident cynic, delivering scathingly funny rhymes and, apparently, moldy pastries on his current “Rotten Apple Pie” tour. PLAN B: Mike Ness, Guana Batz @ Belly Up. Ness takes a break from his Social D duties to play a solo show with a psychobilly band whose name, if I’m not mistaken, translates either to “Bat Shit Bats” or “Private Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands Bats.” I like the first one better. PLAN C: Sean and Sara Watkins @ New Song Community Church. The brother-and-sister duo behind Nickel Creek (and now The Scrolls) plays a show at an Oceanside church to raise money so that Chinese orphans can attend summer camp. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. BACKUP PLAN: Rough Chukar, Whiskey Tango @ Zombie Lounge.