Here's where I'd be
Bored? We've got plans for you
By Dryw Keltz
Wednesday, Nov. 21
Plan A: MSTRKRFT @ 4th & B. These techno wizards from Toronto (with remixes for Bloc Party, Wolfmother and The Crystal Method on their résumé) give San Diego the electro-shock treatment before taking their glo-stick creations to Amsterdam, London and beyond. MS/mstrkrft. PLAN B: Buck-O-Nine, Social Green @ Belly Up. Ska has drifted in and out of a coma for decades, but San Diego's Buck-O-Nine (veterans of the '90s ska boom) has emerged with a new album, Sustain, intent at prodding a new era of groups (like local opener Social Green) into yet another ska revival. MS/buckonine, MS/SocialGreen.
Thursday, Nov. 22
PLAN A: Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival @ Town and Country Resort and Conference Center. On an otherwise skeletal day for live music, you can give thanks that this five-day festival (which runs Nov. 21 through 25) featuring jazz bands from across the U.S. (and places like France, Australia and Canada) will give you momentary respite from the sound of Uncle Fred picking candied yams out of his dentures. PLAN B: Half Pint @ World Beat Center. Nothing says "Thanksgiving" quite like--uh--a Jamaican-born reggae/dancehall veteran whose career dates back at least two decades. But Half Pint is no turkey, boasting several successful singles including one ("Winsome") that was covered by The Rolling Stones back in 1987.
Friday, Nov. 23
PLAN A: The English Beat @ Belly Up. This could technically be Plan A for both Friday and Saturday nights, given that The English Beat is hosting a two-night stand. The group keeps its rock, pop and ska influences on an even keel without growing stale. Local rock-steady crew Gadfly gets the prime opening slot Friday night. MS/officialbeatspace, MS/gadfly. PLAN B: The Roman Spring, Emery Byrd, Joanie and the Secretaries @ The Tower Bar. Very cool local bill. The Roman Spring and Emery Byrd are both quality rock, with the former leaning more experimental and the latter more traditional. Joanie and the Secretaries is multi-talented Joanie Mendenhall's (The Ex-Friends) side project. MS/theromanspring, MS/emrybyrd, MS/joaniemen. PLAN C: Mystic Roots @ 710 Beach Club. Chico-based reggae with a little hip-hop and a whole lotta ganja (like on their subtle MySpace track "Pass the Marijuana") thrown in for good measure. MS/mysticrootsband.
Saturday, Nov. 24
PLAN A: Guttermouth @ 'Canes. Straight-up, snotty, foul-mouthed punk rock courtesy of a bunch of Huntington Beach grown-ups. Try not to take too much offense, kids. MS/xxxguttermouthxxx. PLAN B: T.S.O.L. and Battalion of Saints @ Brick by Brick. T.S.O.L. is vintage, speedy early '80s punk/hardcore led by the legendary Jack Grisham. The members have been through hell and back but continue to slog it out on the road. Even speedier San Diegans Battalion of Saints open. MS/tsol, MS/battalionofsaints. PLAN C: Cash'd Out @ The Casbah. Yes, Cash'd Out is a tribute band. But it's an excellent tribute band worthy of cribbing from the Man in Black himself (MS/Cashdout). BACKUP PLAN: New Found Glory, Senses Fail @ House of Blues. Hey, when was the last time you did something nice for your 14-year-old sister? MS/Newfoundglory, MS/sensesfail.
Sunday, Nov. 25
Plan A: Johnette Napolitano, David J @ Belly Up. Napolitano, the former Concrete Blonde lead singer (see our feature on this page) joins Bauhaus bassist David J on the solo tip for a sonic trip back to the ghosts of indie-rock past. MS/johnettenapoli tano, MS/davidjonline. PLAN B: Van Halen, Ky-Mani Marley @ Cox Arena. They said David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen couldn't share a stage without coming to blows. They were wrong--for now. Michael Anthony won't be playing bass (replaced by Eddie's son Wolfgang), but that won't keep every middle-aged Spicoli in San Diego from showing up. PLAN C: 94/9 free show w/ Say Vinyl, Austin James Band, A Beautiful Noise @ The Casbah. Say Vinyl's sparse arrangements and vocals are reminiscent of the under-appreciated Silkworm. Austin James Band features new-school psychedelia, and A Beautiful Noise ventures bravely into the seldom-charted (at least in San Diego) shoegazing waters. MS/sayvinyl, MS/austinjames band, MS/abeautifulnoise.
Monday, Nov. 26
PLAN A: Jose Gonzalez, Cass McCombs @ Belly Up. Jose Gonzalez's acoustic songs contain the same intimacy that made Nick Drake a cult hit. Talented singer/songwriter Cass McCombs opens. MS/josegonzalez, MS/cassmccombs. PLAN B: White Magic, The Vision of a Dying World, The Donkeys @ The Casbah. Direct from Brooklyn, White Magic brings desolate indie-rock anchored by a female vocalist, Mira Billotte, who sounds like she's eternally trapped in a bad dream, in a good way. The Vision of a Dying World is freaky all-over-the-place folk rock. MS/whitemagicmusic, MS/thevisionofadyingworld. PLAN C: Travis, Maximo Park @ House of Blues. British indie-pop that's earnest enough to be either gut-wrenching or gut-churning, depending on your disposition. MS/travis.
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Plan A: Iron & Wine @ 4th & B. Sam Beam, the genius and genesis of Iron & Wine, has gotten a little older (he's now a father of four) and shaggier (love the beard, but seriously) since breaking out with spots on the Garden State soundtrack ("Such Great Heights") and in a commercial for M&Ms (ditto). But he's as prodigious as ever, having released two stellar EPs (Woman King and In the Reigns, both from 2005) and a live disc in advance of his latest full-length, The Shepherd's Dog. MS/ironandwine. PLAN B: Curbside @ O'Connells. Curbside recalls some of the heavy, more angular alternative rock of the past while fusing the experimental edge of Fugazi with the muscle of Tool. MS/wearecurbside.
Published: 11/20/2007
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