Big Hair and Big Hearts

Thursday 21
Sezio, a local not-for-profit artist’s collective, provides a platform for San Diego artists and musicians. They’ll be hosting a benefit for that cause at Casbah tonight with a remix set by IDM band Jamuel Saxon, acoustic act Joel P. West, and folkie experimentalists the Martian Horses.... Portland crunk punx Penny Sledge will slam Soda Bar. They are touring the Left Coast with Bay Area noise-pop quartet the Symbolick Jews. Local up-and-comers the Preteens go first. The ‘teens are a boy-girl duo playing under the influence of “big hair and big hearts” and I might add Mouldy Peaches. Arresting stuff.... The Ken Club hatches pop-rock trio Snake Babies with robotic novelty act the Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra.... And one of the original Americana acts, the Pure Prairie League, rides into Belly Up. Tidbit on PPL: their biggest Billboard hit came in the early ‘80s with “Let Me Love You Tonight,” and their lead singer at the time was nu-country dude Vince Gill. Huh. I think their most popular track, howev., has got to be “Aimee.”

Friday 22
L.A. mash-up artists Ozomatli will check in at Belly Up for two nights starting Friday. This Latin hip-hop and rock octet makes its living on the stage, but their records make for great party platters. Shine up your shoes, dudes, the ladies will want to dance.... Anniversary month continues at the Casbah, drawing greezy roots rockers the Dave and Deke Combo, the Rumblers, the Bedbreakers, and, relative newbies, the Cal-country band Bill Cardinal and the Canyon Band.... Ché Café dishes up a four-course hardcore show with Boston band the Hope Conspiracy as the entrée. Your apps and sides are Touche Amore, Lewd Acts, and Nails.... San Diego mainstays and SDMA nominees for Best Hard Rock last year, the alternative trio Superunloader unloads on Winstons in O.B.... And there’s tons t’do uptown Friday night, as the former Wild Weekender Maren Parusel turns out her new solo stuff at Bar Pink before San Francisco sextet and tech-heavy indie experimentalists Maus Haus...Knives opens a CD-release set by Secret Apollo at Soda Bar...the organ-grinding Creepy Creeps freak the Ken Club with Northern Towns...and SanFran punk band Nothington plugs in at Radio Room with like-minded locals Breaker Breaker One Niner, Sunnyside, and Honest Iago.

Saturday 23
Vinyl fetishists! There’s a big record show and sale in Hillcrest Saturday. Check out Dave Good’s “Blurt” this week for the particulars and I’ll see you there.... Now here’s some reunions you can sink your teeth into, as barroom rockers and all-around good guys the Dragons and Uncle Joe’s Big Ol’ Driver return with the Drips and Spitfires to light up Casbah Saturday night.... Another band that fell from the Smell, electronic rockers Health will play the Loft at UCSD. The L.A. four-piece is out to tout their well-received sophomore set Get Color. Get to their Space for a taste of new single “We Are Water,” and keep in mind the indie hits are off to distant shores in February.... Today’s letter is p, as Soma stages Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s political-punk perennials Anti-Flag. For 25 years A-F has been screaming news and views the underground can use. They just dropped their seventh studio collection, a real smoker, The People or the Gun. Aiden, Cancer Bats, Trash Talk, and — ooh la la — the Mayors of Sexy Town will set this main-stage show.... Else: Soda Bar spills Riververb, Sixes, Joke, and the Sudden Infant...big tribbers Bonfire (AC/DC) and Aeromyth (Loverboy) hit House of Blues...and Homegrown’s own Astra Kelly sets up a CD-release for her new one, Battling the Sun, at Ruby Room. This gig has it all: live art, roller derby’s Derby Dolls, and opening sets by Medicine for Madison and Republic of Letters.

Sunday 24
Atlanta band the Black Lips kiss Casbah with “flower punk” Sunday night. The Vice records artists might be starting their second trip around the world behind last year’s 200 Million Thousand, a decidedly sludgy garage-rocker that has a lot of fans scratching their heads as they bounce uncontrollably. The equally raucous Nobunny and Slab City wander in from the desert to set the stage.... Not your thing? Philly jazz guitarist Stanley Clarke and the Stanley Clarke Band will play a sit-down set at Belly Up behind his contempo jazz-chart hit The Toys of Men.

Monday 25
“Puke till you punk” when Brooklyn lovely Jemina Pearl joins boy-girl funk-punk four-piece Mermaid and San Pedro prog-punks the Littlest Viking for Casbah’s Anti-Monday meet-up.... Ruby Room welcomes home alt-rock vocal group Save Amos, which has been on the road setting up this year’s s/t debut. The Fascination and Vinyl Film go first.... The L.A. improv troupe that gave us Amy Poehler, Upright Citizens Brigade Tourco, will wing it at the Loft to make you laugh.

Tuesday 26
Rob Crow’s new joint Mission:Valley plays Casbah Tuesday night with Dead Ghosts and Gravatorium. I’ve no idea on any of it, but it’s the dude from Pinback, it can’t totally suck. Can it?... Unsure, then Soda Bar sets up local acoustic-rockers Canton Mudders — they’re a beer band — with Los Angelinos the Jasper Dickson Revue — they’re a cryin’-in-your-beer band. Perfect.

Wednesday 27
The Utah-based popular punk act the Used will play House of Blues hump night. They’re out in support of their fourth, Artwork, which has been an all-around smashing, if surprising, success. Spin didn’t like it: “Yell, riff, chorus — repeat until the rage subsides”.... Radio Room dials in local thrash-core crews Waco Fuck and Clocked In. They a Black Flag cover band? I love that song.... And Rob Crow’s other other other other band, Optiganally Yours, plays Casbah with anti-comic Neil Hamburger.... Punk-pop cut “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” took on new weight last week. R.I.P. Jimmy (Jay Reatard) Lindsey (1980–2010). You’ll be missed.
— Barnaby Monk