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Breaking music news: Local band updates - Sandollar, Wax, Jonathan Karrant, David J, more
A half dozen San Diegans with new music and videos worth checking out
Photo by Michelle Majors, provided by Jonathan Karrant
Jazz vocalist Jonathan Karrant's full-length On and On was released in early 2012, hitting number four on the Billboard Jazz charts. He has gone on to receive honors including the New York City Jazz Cabaret Honors, “Best Singer” for the Bravo California Awards, and he was named one of the top 12 rising jazz vocalists by Downbeat Magazine. His new album (Full Circle) To Diane Schuur With Love, Jonathan Karrant, a tribute to Grammy-winning legend Diane Schuur, drops September 11 via Green Hill Productions, with the first single “Caught a Touch of Your Love” available now.
Upcoming Event
Jonathan Karrant
- Thursday, June 25, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
- Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, Del Mar
- Age Limit: Not available
“Diane has been such an important part of my life, not just as an artist I admire, but as someone who truly believed in me,” says Karrant. “This album is my way of honoring that relationship. These songs carry so much history, and I wanted to approach them with care, while still bringing my own voice and perspective to them. To be able to share a couple of these moments with her on record is something I’ll always hold close.” You can catch Karrant previewing tracks from the upcoming album when he appears June 25 at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
Rapper Wax is a producer, songwriter, singer, and comedian with millions of views on YouTube to show for his rap and comedy videos. An album called Lifetime Achievement Award dropped in 2024, produced by Kush Mody (producer, composer, and half of pop duo Feed the Biirds), with Wax and Kush collectively handling the arrangements and the majority of the instruments. Wax is promoting his new Highway Hotel album with a June 26 release party and live performance at the Harp in Ocean Beach, accompanied by DJ Hoppa and Intuition. He's currently hosting a major giveaway on his social media to fly a fan to San Diego for the show and provide a hotel stay for the weekend.
Art of Élan is a chamber music organization presenting and producing concerts in what they call "artistically stimulating and invigorating environment." The ensemble aims to expose new audiences to classical music, explore (and expand) the horizons of the classical music scene, energize audiences and musicians alike, and ultimately educate and cultivate a future generation of classical music lovers. To that end, a two-album release called Visions & Dreams will present the organization's 20-year retrospective via Phenotypic Recordings in two volumes, with Volume 1 due digitally on June 26 and Volume 2 on July 10.
Upcoming Event
Art Of Elan: Midday Music
- Friday, June 12, 2026, noon to 1 p.m.
- Central Library, 330 Park Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: Not available
The collection brings together several diverse composers and performers, many of whom are longtime collaborators. The first single, "Shiner" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, is out now. According to Executive and Artistic Director Kate Hatmaker, “'Shiner' was written for an unlikely cast of characters: trombone, harp, viola and marimba, finding beauty in unexpected places.” On Friday, June 12, Art of Elan will stage a Midday Music free lunchtime concert, as part of a recurring series taking place on select Fridays throughout the year.
David J. Haskins, better known as David J, was the bassist for the gothic British rock band Bauhaus and a co-founder of Love and Rockets, named after a popular comic book series. Earlier this year, David J and the Resistance released a single called “ICE Too Cold To Thaw,” referencing the traumas experienced by non-citizens (and those perceived to be immigrants) by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (commonly abbreviated to ICE). A new solo release called Tracks From the Attic Revisited features ten tracks culled from the 37-track home recordings first heard on Tracks From the Attic, a triple album released by IPR in 2024. Some of the songs have been reshaped, sometimes rewritten and are now reinterpreted and recorded with a full band.
Upcoming Event
David J and John Courage
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
- Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: 21+
“The demos were like neglected little seeds that had been set aside, or fallen on fallow land,” David J reflects. “They’ve been gathered up, nurtured, tended and brought back to life as little buds. Now this is the bloom.” Guest musicians include guitarist Jason Roberts (Spoon), drummer David Raven (Steve Earle, Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams), Jon Bernstein (piano, organ), Tony Green (bass), Dan Clucas (trumpet), Robert “Smokey” Miles (Bob Dylan's accordion player), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) on congas, and John Courage on lap steel. Courage will join David J for a performance at the Casbah on Tuesday, June 9.
Based in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, Sandollar started off with a couple of high school buddies jamming in wood shop. Their debut Plane Rides and Hillsides was followed by a self-titled album released in 2011, and in 2013 by Rollercoaster Ride, which entered the iTunes Reggae Albums chart at number seven. They received a 2025 San Diego Music Award nomination for Best World Music Artist.
Upcoming Event
Pacific Records Fest
- Sunday, July 19, 2026, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Kate Sessions Park, 5115 Soledad Road, San Diego
- Age Limit: All ages / Free
Their new album Sunny Day drops July 17 via Pacific Records, with 13 tracks blending reggae, surf rock, funk, and hip-hop written by the band’s Baron Lunbeck and produced by Brian Witkin and Donna Daly. The album is preceded by a single and video for the title track, and a single for “Up Up” featuring rapper Dizzy Wright. The latter song is a reimagined fan favorite from Sandollar’s 2013 Pacific Records debut Roller Coaster Ride, featuring reggae and island‑music singer‑songwriter KBong (Stick Figure). They'll be performing July 19 at Kate Sessions Park as part of Pacific Record fest, and you can also catch them at the Holding Company in OB on August 22.
Local-boys-made-good Switchfoot earned double-platinum sales with 2003’s The Beautiful Letdown. The album landed two singles in the top-five Billboard charts (“Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”), as the band scored gigs on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show. Their fourteenth studio album Forever Now is due June 26, preceded by a single for “Absolution” and supported by a 38-date Forever Now Tour that hits The Sound on October 24 with guest Anberlin.
Upcoming Event
Switchfoot and Anberlin
- Saturday, October 24, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
- Sound, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: Not available
“We poured everything we have into making Forever Now, but we always say that an album isn't finished until you take it on tour,” said co-founding bassist Tim Foreman of the album, which was produced by longtime collaborator and producer Mike Elizondo. “Playing new songs on the road and seeing them connect with fans every single night is a gift. These songs are incredibly meaningful to us… increasingly relevant in the 'strange, strange times' we live in.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
Breaking music news: Local band updates - Sandollar, Wax, Jonathan Karrant, David J, more
A half dozen San Diegans with new music and videos worth checking out
Breaking music news: Local band updates - Sandollar, Wax, Jonathan Karrant, David J, more
A half dozen San Diegans with new music and videos worth checking out
Photo by Michelle Majors, provided by Jonathan Karrant
Jazz vocalist Jonathan Karrant's full-length On and On was released in early 2012, hitting number four on the Billboard Jazz charts. He has gone on to receive honors including the New York City Jazz Cabaret Honors, “Best Singer” for the Bravo California Awards, and he was named one of the top 12 rising jazz vocalists by Downbeat Magazine. His new album (Full Circle) To Diane Schuur With Love, Jonathan Karrant, a tribute to Grammy-winning legend Diane Schuur, drops September 11 via Green Hill Productions, with the first single “Caught a Touch of Your Love” available now.
Upcoming Event
Jonathan Karrant
- Thursday, June 25, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
- Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, Del Mar
- Age Limit: Not available
“Diane has been such an important part of my life, not just as an artist I admire, but as someone who truly believed in me,” says Karrant. “This album is my way of honoring that relationship. These songs carry so much history, and I wanted to approach them with care, while still bringing my own voice and perspective to them. To be able to share a couple of these moments with her on record is something I’ll always hold close.” You can catch Karrant previewing tracks from the upcoming album when he appears June 25 at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
Rapper Wax is a producer, songwriter, singer, and comedian with millions of views on YouTube to show for his rap and comedy videos. An album called Lifetime Achievement Award dropped in 2024, produced by Kush Mody (producer, composer, and half of pop duo Feed the Biirds), with Wax and Kush collectively handling the arrangements and the majority of the instruments. Wax is promoting his new Highway Hotel album with a June 26 release party and live performance at the Harp in Ocean Beach, accompanied by DJ Hoppa and Intuition. He's currently hosting a major giveaway on his social media to fly a fan to San Diego for the show and provide a hotel stay for the weekend.
Art of Élan is a chamber music organization presenting and producing concerts in what they call "artistically stimulating and invigorating environment." The ensemble aims to expose new audiences to classical music, explore (and expand) the horizons of the classical music scene, energize audiences and musicians alike, and ultimately educate and cultivate a future generation of classical music lovers. To that end, a two-album release called Visions & Dreams will present the organization's 20-year retrospective via Phenotypic Recordings in two volumes, with Volume 1 due digitally on June 26 and Volume 2 on July 10.
Upcoming Event
Art Of Elan: Midday Music
- Friday, June 12, 2026, noon to 1 p.m.
- Central Library, 330 Park Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: Not available
The collection brings together several diverse composers and performers, many of whom are longtime collaborators. The first single, "Shiner" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, is out now. According to Executive and Artistic Director Kate Hatmaker, “'Shiner' was written for an unlikely cast of characters: trombone, harp, viola and marimba, finding beauty in unexpected places.” On Friday, June 12, Art of Elan will stage a Midday Music free lunchtime concert, as part of a recurring series taking place on select Fridays throughout the year.
David J. Haskins, better known as David J, was the bassist for the gothic British rock band Bauhaus and a co-founder of Love and Rockets, named after a popular comic book series. Earlier this year, David J and the Resistance released a single called “ICE Too Cold To Thaw,” referencing the traumas experienced by non-citizens (and those perceived to be immigrants) by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (commonly abbreviated to ICE). A new solo release called Tracks From the Attic Revisited features ten tracks culled from the 37-track home recordings first heard on Tracks From the Attic, a triple album released by IPR in 2024. Some of the songs have been reshaped, sometimes rewritten and are now reinterpreted and recorded with a full band.
Upcoming Event
David J and John Courage
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
- Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: 21+
“The demos were like neglected little seeds that had been set aside, or fallen on fallow land,” David J reflects. “They’ve been gathered up, nurtured, tended and brought back to life as little buds. Now this is the bloom.” Guest musicians include guitarist Jason Roberts (Spoon), drummer David Raven (Steve Earle, Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams), Jon Bernstein (piano, organ), Tony Green (bass), Dan Clucas (trumpet), Robert “Smokey” Miles (Bob Dylan's accordion player), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) on congas, and John Courage on lap steel. Courage will join David J for a performance at the Casbah on Tuesday, June 9.
Based in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, Sandollar started off with a couple of high school buddies jamming in wood shop. Their debut Plane Rides and Hillsides was followed by a self-titled album released in 2011, and in 2013 by Rollercoaster Ride, which entered the iTunes Reggae Albums chart at number seven. They received a 2025 San Diego Music Award nomination for Best World Music Artist.
Upcoming Event
Pacific Records Fest
- Sunday, July 19, 2026, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Kate Sessions Park, 5115 Soledad Road, San Diego
- Age Limit: All ages / Free
Their new album Sunny Day drops July 17 via Pacific Records, with 13 tracks blending reggae, surf rock, funk, and hip-hop written by the band’s Baron Lunbeck and produced by Brian Witkin and Donna Daly. The album is preceded by a single and video for the title track, and a single for “Up Up” featuring rapper Dizzy Wright. The latter song is a reimagined fan favorite from Sandollar’s 2013 Pacific Records debut Roller Coaster Ride, featuring reggae and island‑music singer‑songwriter KBong (Stick Figure). They'll be performing July 19 at Kate Sessions Park as part of Pacific Record fest, and you can also catch them at the Holding Company in OB on August 22.
Local-boys-made-good Switchfoot earned double-platinum sales with 2003’s The Beautiful Letdown. The album landed two singles in the top-five Billboard charts (“Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”), as the band scored gigs on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show. Their fourteenth studio album Forever Now is due June 26, preceded by a single for “Absolution” and supported by a 38-date Forever Now Tour that hits The Sound on October 24 with guest Anberlin.
Upcoming Event
Switchfoot and Anberlin
- Saturday, October 24, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
- Sound, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, San Diego
- Age Limit: Not available
“We poured everything we have into making Forever Now, but we always say that an album isn't finished until you take it on tour,” said co-founding bassist Tim Foreman of the album, which was produced by longtime collaborator and producer Mike Elizondo. “Playing new songs on the road and seeing them connect with fans every single night is a gift. These songs are incredibly meaningful to us… increasingly relevant in the 'strange, strange times' we live in.”
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