These are the things I'd do

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19

PLAN A: Bonerama @ Anthology. N'Awlins isn't short on brass bands, but the trombone explosion of Bonerama is among the city's best. Mixing traditional jazz and soul jumps with rock energy, it's yet another way swamp people make you sweat. MS/bonerama. PLAN B: The Ike Reilly Assassination, Thee Corsairs @ The Casbah. Louisana's Reilly is a real talent--a sort of roots-revivalist who can genre-hop like Beck. San Diego's Thee Corsairs are a bit like The Supersuckers doing a surf-rock tribute. MS/ikereilly, MS/theecorsairs. PLAN C: The Smashing Pumpkins @ Open Air Theatre. Their new album failed to live up to its name (Zeitgeist), but memory lane is still a good psychic nightspot. MS/smash ingpumpkins. BACKUP PLAN: The Bloody Hollies, The Modlins @ The Zombie Lounge (MS/thebloodyhollies, MS/themodlins).

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20

PLAN A: High on Fire, Mono, Panthers, Coliseum @ The Casbah. While so many emo kids sadly cite Iron Maiden as an influence, Oakland's High on Fire (led by ex-Sleep frontman Matt Pike) is holding up heavy metal's rep with a ravaged, guitar-wiz attack. Odd choice of tour mates in Mono--a Japanese post-rock band that's more classical bliss than classic brute. Panthers are a good, dirty swagger-rock band from N.Y.C., and Kentucky's Coliseum is solid, hoarse-mouthed hardcore. MS/highonfireslays, MS/monojapan, MS/panthers, MS/coliseum. PLAN B: The Rentals, Goldenboy @ House of Blues. Matt Sharp (ex-Weezer) resurrected his joke-pop side thing, The Rentals, last year. They're more serious and low-key now but still 1990s-delicious. Goldenboy is the underrated sleepy-pop project by L.A.'s Shon Sullivan. MS/therentals, MS/goldenboyband. PLAN C: The Vision of a Dying World, Beth Preston @ Belly Up. Two good locals. The Vision have established themselves as one of the city's best bands in terms of harmonic 1960s-style pop, while Preston is a promising, bluesy singer-songwriter. MS/thevisionofadyingworld, MS/beth

preston. BACKUP PLAN: The Swedish Models @ Winston's (MS/theswedishmodels).

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21

PLAN A: Scarlet Symphony, The Prayers, Roses on Her Grave @ The Casbah. A chance to see of San Diego's better rock acts in one shot. Scarlet Symphony are a bit like young Iggy Pop fronting a groove-punk band. The Prayers are the surprisingly good result of former art-punks trying their hand as Happy Days' new house band. Roses on Her Grave is skuzzy blues-rock with male-female vocalists. MS/scarletsymphony, MS/thefuckingprayers, MS/rosesonhergrave. PLAN B: Transfer, Book of Martyrs @ Beauty Bar. Transfer is San Diego's "Why the hell aren't they huge by now?" band--soaring, epic rock. Book of Martyrs are talented newbies, like a mellower Cursive. MS/transferband, MS/thebookofmartyrs. PLAN C: MEX @ Bar Pink Elephant. One of San Diego's rock icons--ex-Dragons frontman Mario Escovedo--doing a little south-of-the-border shimmy. MS/marioescovedoexperiencemex. BACKUP PLAN: Matt Curreri @ E Street Café (MS/mattcurreri).

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22

PLAN A: The Creepy Creeps, The Heartaches, Pure Country Gold, The Widows @ The Tower Bar. Probably the show of the week, with three of San Diego's best dirty-garage-type things. The Creepy Creeps are what happens when punk and surf-rock are presented as a goth-vaudevillian stage show. The Heartaches are the city's quintessential garage-rock band, pure and simple. The Widows are more lo-fi garage-rock splendor--basic, chunky riffs and shout-alongs. Portland's Pure Country Gold add a little Modern Lovers-like croon to the garage mold. MS/thecreepycreeps, MS/theheartaches, MS/purecountry gold, MS/thewidowssandiego. PLAN B: Over the Rhine @ Anthology. This Cincinnati ensemble has been a cult favorite for years thanks to its dark, sultry art-folk. With this year's Trumpet Child, they go for less depression and more joy--and it absolutely works. Maybe the world's ready for 'em. MS/overtherhine. PLAN C: William Elliott Whitmore, Tim Barry @ The Casbah. William Elliott is a folk singer with a voice like Louis Armstrong. Barry is frontman for punk band Avail; solo, he does rambling, blue-collar, fuck-the-man folk. MS/whitmore

williamelliott, MS/timbarryva. BACKUP PLAN: Street Scene @ Coors Amphitheatre (www.street-scene.com).

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23

PLAN A: Street Scene @ Coors Amphitheatre. The reasons by name: Arctic Monkeys, Air, Infected Mushroom, VNV Nation, Spoon, Louis XIV, Brett Dennen, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, People Under the Stairs, Sean Na Na, Simian Mobile Disco, Sondre Lerche and The Album Leaf. www.street-scene.com. PLAN B: The Atoms @ Bar Pink Elephant. When your band gets booked at Pink Elephant, does that count as an official endorsement from ex-Rocket From the Crypt man John Reis? Either way, odds are that he endorses young punk faves The Atoms. MS/atoms. PLAN C: Arthur Yoria, Molly Jenson @ Lestat's. Yoria is a good, mellow indie-folk artist from Houston with some Spanish flair. Molly Jenson is one of San Diego's better female folkies. MS/arthuryoria, MS/mollyjenson. BACKUP PLAN: Eddie Money, Loverboy @ Viejas (MS/theeddie money).

MONDAY, SEPT. 24

PLAN A: Toots & the Maytals @ Belly Up. It's not the same lineup that reportedly coined the term "reggae" (in their song "Do the Reggay") back in the 1960s, but frontman Frederick "Toots" Hibbert is still one of the genre's best performers. Recent albums have shown his creativity didn't die with the original band. MS/tatm. PLAN B: 8mm, Sir Splendid, Qu'est-ce Que C'est, The Mojave @ The Casbah. Sultry, beautiful female singers over a bed of post-modern rock is a dangerous, overplayed endeavor--but L.A.'s 8mm is capable enough to not be completely ignored. They're joined by a trio of solid San Diego bands. MS/8mm, MS/sirsplendid, MS/stanleytravis, MS/mojavemusic.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 25

PLAN A: Terence Blanchard @ Anthology. The first of a two-night stint for one of the biggest names in jazz. He originally replaced Wynton Marsalis in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, then lent his trumpet skills to Spike Lee's movies (Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues). Arguably his strongest work came in the latest Spike Lee joint, A Tale of God's Will, a somber tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. www.terence blanchard.com. PLAN B: Ra Ra Riot, Kennedy, The Vacation, Modernstate @ The Casbah. Syracuse indie-pop outfit Ra Ra Riot is pleasant--moving at the pace of a casual skip. L.A.'s The Vacation is one of those "mediocre on record, absolutely electric live" bands. L.A.'s Kennedy is a super-ironic white boy doing R&B and glam-rock, and Portland's Modernstate play a sort of hushed, wiped-out version of protest folk. MS/rarariot, MS/thevacation, MS/kennedy, MS/modernstate. PLAN C: Del The Funky Homosapien @ Belly Up. Despite not releasing squat in the last seven years, Ice Cube's funny cousin is still goin', and people are still chuckling at his raps. MS/delthefunkyhomosapien.