Here's where I'd be
Why we like Pigeon John and the rest of this week's live-music shows we're giving props
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, July 2
PLAN A: We Are Scientists, Cut Off Your Hands, The Blood Arm @ The Casbah. We Are Scientists play dance-rock good enough to tour with the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs when they aren’t opining online about muffins, cupcakes and public toilets in Holland. PLAN B: Ours, God or Julie, Plain Jane Automobile @ SOMA. Prog/alt-rockers Ours spent the last four years making their latest album (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy) with Rick Rubin. I’m guessing it took at least three of those years to think up the title. PLAN C: American Idols @ San Diego Sports Arena. A chance to both welcome local Idol finalist Carly Smithson home and to suffer a ruptured eardrum thanks to all the piercing shrieks coming from 13-year-old girls and 45-year-old housewives. BACKUP PLAN: Common Sense, The Devastators @ Belly Up.
Thursday, July 3
PLAN A: Ozomatli @ Wave House. Indefatigable eclectic collective kicks off the long weekend before following up with an afternoon show on the Fourth of July. PLAN B: Repeater, Buddy Akai @ Beauty Bar. Long Beach art rockers rise from the ashes of The Main Frame holding a bouquet of Iron Flowers. PLAN C: Sadat X, Copywrite, J.Rawls @ Static Lounge. Underground hip-hop starring one-third of Brand Nubian (Sadat X), one-third of Ohio collective MHZ (Copywrite) and a producer (J.Rawls) who’s worked with everyone from the Beastie Boys to Black Star. BACKUP PLAN: Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra @ Anthology.
Friday, July 4
PLAN A: Constantines, Ladyhawk, Modern Rifles @ The Casbah. Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Oh, just read our feature on Page 34, already. PLAN B: Star-Spangled Pops @ Embarcadero Marina Park South. Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony and Pulitzer-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch presides over the San Diego Symphony’s musical tribute to the Rot, Weiß und Blau. PLAN C: Don Carlos, Lambs Blood @ Belly Up. Nothing says “Happy Birthday, America” quite like reggae at the beach. Well, in San Diego at least. BACKUP PLANS: The Moist Boys @ Winston’s and Christopher Lawrence @ On Broadway.
Saturday, July 5
PLAN A: Pigeon John, RootBeer @ U-31. PJ came up playing open-mic nights at L.A. hip-hop hotspot The Good Life Café alongside the likes of Jurassic 5, The Pharcyde and the pre-Fergie Black Eyed Peas. PLAN B: Natasha Bedingfield, Kate Voegele, The Veronicas @ House of Blues. Sugary-bordering-on-saccharine music from multinational pop tarts Bedingfield (England), Voegele (Ohio) and The Veronicas (Australia). PLAN C: San Diego Music Fest @ Brick by Brick. The lineup for this show hadn’t been unveiled at press time, but we’re going to take a stab in the dark and guess that it features bands from San Diego playing music in a festival-like atmosphere. BACKUP PLAN: B-Side Players, Alfred Howard & K23 Orchestra, 40 Ounces to Freedom @ Wave House.
Sunday, July 6
PLAN A: Retribution Gospel Choir, Dreamtiger @ The Casbah. Two-thirds of Duluth indie rock minimalists Low seek retribution from slowcore with their (relatively) maximalist psychedelic-pop side project. PLAN B: The Brothers Unconnected @ Bar Pink Elephant. Alan and Richard Bishop pay tribute to their former band (Sun City Girls) and former bandmate (the late Charles Gocher) with a bizarre experimental rock spectacle. PLAN C: Israel Vibration, Outlaw Nation @ Belly Up. Lots of musicians meet in rehab. Very few meet at a Jamaican rehabilitation center for children afflicted with polio and go on to become a prominent reggae harmony trio. Israel Vibration (now a duo) is that few. BACKUP PLAN: Azar Lawrence Quartet @ Anthology.
Monday, July 7
PLAN A: Port O’Brien, The Builders & The Butchers @ The Casbah. Port O’Brien were just being humble when they titled their latest album All We Could Do was Sing. They can play some good acoustic guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, autoharp and mandolin, too. PLAN B: My Education @ Beauty Bar. My Education goes to the University of Seven Texans Who Play Ethereal Instrumental Indie Rock (or U of STWPEIIR for short). PLAN C: Dark Lotus @ House of Blues. If you thought Insane Clown Posse was bad enough on its own, just wait until you hear their Psychopathic Records “supergroup,” Dark Lotus.
Tuesday, July 8
PLAN A: Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra @ Anthology. One of the most prominent jazz musicians of the last 30 years fronting one of the most prestigious jazz ensembles in the world. I needn’t say more. PLAN B: L.P. @ ’Canes. L.P. is an N.Y. rock chick who looks like the dude from Wolfmother, draws comparisons to Chrissie Hynde and sounds like Gwen Stefani with a head cold. PLAN C: Teddy Thompson, The Slidewinders @ Belly Up. The son of British folk royalty (Richard and Linda), Teddy is otherwise best known for collaborating with other musical offspring (Rufus and Martha Wainwright) and for his soundtrack work (most notably, Brokeback Mountain and Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man). BACKUP PLAN: The Legendary Shack Shakers, Cotton Fever @ The Casbah.
Published: 07/01/2008
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