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.



The Vintage & Handmade Market 