Education of the Modern Doctor: Marcus Welby vs. House 
Jamuel Saxon
Wednesday, Aug. 25
PLAN A: The KABBs, The Death Eaters, Grand Tarantula @ The Casbah. Now here’s a great all-local lineup: The KABBs play catchy garage-rock with jangly guitars and convivial vocal choruses. The Death Eaters throw down hard-rock riffs over the singer’s hearty vox. And get there early for Grand Tarantula, a hot up-and-coming band that’s been leaving a trail of blown-out eardrums and agape jaws in its wake. PLAN B: The Howls, Little Hurricane, Taming the Fox @ Belly Up. The Howls mix in harmonica and honky-tonk piano, Little Hurricane deals in heaving hard-rock riffs, but Taming the Fox has a more sensitive edge. Whatever the case, “rock” is the word of the night. BACKUP PLAN: Steady, Kelly, Mr. Biggs, Head$hake, Austin Speed @ El Dorado.
Thursday, Aug. 26
PLAN A: Miss Erika Davies, Martian Horses @ San Diego Museum of Art. Channeling the spirit of Billie Holiday, Miss Erika Davies uses her wonderfully flexible voice to sing about falling in and out of love. (See our feature on this page.) Martian Horses, a local nine-piece, come across like an acoustic Arcade Fire with their swooping songcraft. PLAN B: Dave Phillips, Sixes, hING, Spirit Photography @ Tin Can Ale House. Taking cues from freaks like Nurse With Wound and Wolf Eyes, Switzerland’s Dave Phillips builds schizophrenic compositions with harsh and crazy noises while Oakland’s Sixes dish out low-level feedback and ear-piercing drones. Indeed, this is what nightmares are made of. BACKUP PLAN: Joshua White Quartet @ Dizzy’s.
Friday, Aug. 27
PLAN A: Oneida, Jonas Reinhardt, The Lights, Shapes of Future Frames @ Soda Bar. The missing link between such disparate genres as prog-rock and dancehall, Brooklyn’s Oneida have spent more than 10 years crafting experimental indie rock that’s consistently surprising. Jonas Reinhardt’s spacey synth odysseys make him a perfect fit for the experimental label Kranky. Seattle’s The Lights round out a solid bill with their ghostly rock. PLAN B: Nude Boy, Neon Dick @ Tower Bar. Locals Nude Boy will celebrate the release of their new 7-inch with some ear-splitting post-punk. Don’t miss the catchy-if-unsettling Neon Dick. BACKUP PLAN: The White Buffalo, Blackout Party, El Monte Slim @ The Casbah.
Saturday, Aug. 28
PLAN A: Luckyiam, Blame One, sojourn @ Beachside Grill. This top-notch hip-hop lineup makes a trek to Oceanside worthwhile. L.A.’s Luckyiam serves up stylish rhymes over incredibly innovative samples and beats, putting him in league with fellow Living Legends member Murs. North County’s Blame One is a local legend. sojourn, a Christian rapper, holds it down on drums as he performs. PLAN B: De La Soul, Vokab Kompany, DJs Rat Star, Fingaz @ House of Blues. Twenty years on, De La Soul aren’t resting on their laurels. Last year’s Are You In?, a kind of mixtape they did for Nike, produced some quality hip-hop with a club-ready, old-school electro feel. BACKUP PLAN: A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Incomplete Neighbor @ Ruby Room.
Sunday, Aug. 29
PLAN A: Slayer, Megadeth, Testament @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre. This gathering of speed-metal high royalty just might be the best metal lineup all year. PLAN B: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Rogue Wave, The Whigs, Delta Spirit, The Silent Comedy, The Nervous Wreckords, The burning of Rome, White Apple Tree @ Oceanside Pier. Another good excuse to go to Oceanside: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros recently made it big with the cozy, southern-tinged Americana of songs like “Home.” Long Beach’s Delta Spirit, originally from San Diego, play homey rock with country touches. And The Silent Comedy were downright spiritual at U-31 during North Park Music Thing two weeks ago. BACKUP PLAN: Wolfgang Gartner, LA Riots, Rifat Ziadeh, Brazzabelle, Marc Thrasher @ Wave House.
Monday, Aug. 30
PLAN A: Echo Revolution; The Horde and the Harem; And I Was Like, What?; Martin Hall Music @ Tin Can Ale House. Echo Revolution play bright alt-rock with a ’90s feel that actually sounds pretty good. But I’m most excited about Portland’s And I Was Like, What?, who cross spindly math-rock guitar with heartfelt strings in tracks like “Birthday Suit” and “F#.” BACKUP PLAN: The Styletones @ Bar Pink.
Tuesday, Aug. 31
PLAN A: Brothers Young, D/Wolves @ Bar Pink. Check out our feature on this page to find out more about up-and-coming indie rockers D/Wolves, who reflect their surf-rock vibe through proggy song structures and lots of synths. Portland’s Brothers Young are a bunch of lads who sing beautiful vocal harmonies over lilting folk. PLAN B: MEN, Jamuel Saxon, Mrs. Magician @ The Casbah. MEN, a Brooklyn-based art collective with members of Le Tigre, make slick electro-pop with cutting lyrics about sexual concessions and civil liberties, making it perfect stuff for both a dance floor and a college course on cultural studies. BACKUP PLAN: Gun Runner, Maren Parusel, Fearless in Fairweather @ Belly Up.
