November's ballot looms, but June cleanup continues
Two San Diego city council hopefuls cough up ethics fines
Matt Potter 8:29 p.m., Oct. 16
Shows Just Announced
Too filthy for phonics
Wheeler Walker Jr., Brockhampton, Thou, Matt Nathanson
Kentucky smartass Wheeler Walker Jr. returns to the North Park Observatory, where his appearance late last year sold out, for a November 30 set that happens to coincide with the release date of his third ...
Man-of-a-thousand-bands plays Halloween show
Pinback, Jakubi, Kyle Craft, Morrissey, Magic Giant
It’s been around 20 years since Pinback first started making noise around town, though recordings tend to be infrequent due to the many musical projects of its members, especially man-of-a-thousand-bands Rob Crow. It’s been a ...
The Poison king by way of persuasion or dissuasion
Bret Michaels, Steven Van Zandt, Barry Manilow, T.S.O.L.
The Poison king by way of persuasion or dissuasion
Something more to talk about than sex and sand
¡MayDay!, Deap Vally, Wingtip, Queen Naija
Something more to talk about than sex and sand
From the Age of Aquarius to the Dawn of Disco
Three Dog Night, Helio Sequence, Ghostemane, Skating Polly
From the Age of Aquarius to the Dawn of Disco
As clear and obvious as a pair of sandals and a tie-dye t-shirt
Terror, Lemon Twigs, Michigan Rattlers, Meteors
Hardcore and metal concerts have long been a staple at Soma, dating all the way back to its original locales around town, and people are still talking about the time that Terror played there in ...
Mr. Sensitive Guitar Guy
Langhorne Slim, Suffocation, Krisiun, Soreption, Mowgli's, Emily Kinney
If ever an act needed to be seen live to be appreciated for all they have to offer, that’d be Langhorne Slim, who treats every stage like a pulpit and leaves every attendee feeling born ...
Topping the Spotify charts in over 20 countries
Maggie Rogers, Pink Talking Fish, Beartooth, Film School
I was hearing about “Give a Little,” the poppy new hand-clapping earworm by 24-year-old Maggie Rogers, for several days before I finally gave it a spin. Fearing another Meghan Trainor/Cher Lloyd knockoff like “Dog Years,” ...
Expanding the dancefloor boundaries
Thievery Corporation, Jerry Paper, Prophet, Yndi Halda
For over 20 years, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have been expanding the dancefloor boundaries of EDM as Thievery Corporation. Though early efforts were paint-by-number exercises in straight dub and acid jazz, their evolution toward ...
Giggling and gurgling as they frolic
Shonen Knife, Escape the Fate, Dia de los Deftones, Goblin
The very first description I ever heard of Shonen Knife, back in the mid-80s when they were still a cult-ish underground sensation, is the one that remains for me the most accurate. I was working ...
Long before American Idol, X-Factor, and So You Think You Can Dance
Swingin’ Utters, Gregory Alan Isakov, Dance With the Dead and Paula Abdul
For a while, it didn’t look like San Francisco punk rockers Swingin’ Utters would survive into the new century. Founded in the late 80s (though not named Swingin’ Utters until 1994), their glory days included ...
Re-imagining cinema soundtracks
Morricone Youth, Nina Nesbitt, Exploded View, Mutual Benefit
Although they’re usually considered a quintessential NYC art-rock band specializing in re-imagining cinema soundtracks, Morricone Youth actually has roots in mostly long-gone San Diego groups such as Rust, Creedle, aMiniature, Crash Worship, and one of ...
Soft and dangerous
In This Moment, Shortly, Birdtalker, Todd Rundgren
Few metal bands take their theatrics as seriously as LA’s In This Moment, who have been known to wear costumes themed to the music, with masked guests onstage enacting bits of scene-setting that make performances ...
