Our picks of this week's events

NIGHTLIFE

WTF?

Horn implants and a full-body puzzle-piece tattoo are just the physical characteristics that set The Enigma apart, but what makes the man one of the most well-known sideshow acts in the country are the insane things he does: swallowing swords and neon tubes, driving spikes into his skull and bathing under a geyser of hot metal sparks, just to name a few. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, The Enigma brings his latest project, Electric Acid Theatre, to Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave. in Linda Vista. Expect strange and unusual happenings, music, projected video, an intense light show and perhaps a little something involving a chainsaw. $12. www.myspace.com/electricacidtheatre.

Reaching out: It isn’t often you’ll catch a shaggy-haired hipster in Pacific Beach. Same thing goes for seeing a tattoo-covered, Von Dutch-loving beachster in North Park. San Diego suffers from a pretty serious case of cultural segregation, but there are some people over at The Tap Room in Pacific Beach who’d like to see that change. From 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, the bar will launch The L.A.B. @ Tap Room, an attempt at marketing to those outside the typical P.B. crowd. The letters in L.A.B. stand for Local Art and Beer, which means local artists Dustin Petitt and Colin Gayle will be showing some recent works and brews from Stone Brewing Co. will be on tap. Local DJs Mazz and Kimbo will provide the soundtrack. The Tap Room is located at 1269 Garnet St. www.pbtaproom.com.

MUSIC

Summer songs

Nothing says summer like outdoor concerts. San Diego’s got a bunch of ’em coming up in the next few months, but the gem, the tiny diamond in the big ol’ rough, is the series of shows known as Bird Park Summer Concerts. With a small community park as the backdrop, neighbors are invited to meet neighbors and enjoy some good music while they’re at it. This year’s season kicks off from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at 28th and Thorn streets (southern North Park / northern South Park) with an outdoor show by Irish-fusion band Skelpin’. Leave the beer, grills and unleashed doggies at home. Free. www.npcasummerconcerts.org or 619-923-2979.

BOOKS

Kick ’em again

Over the past couple of years, President Bush’s approval rating has dropped like the Barometric pressure during a hurricane—and, certainly, a long string of books bashing the Bush administration has played a significant role. This week, another Bush-bashing book hitting the country’s shelves will be read and discussed at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla, when former United States Attorney David Iglesias shares Justice: Inside the Scandal that Rocked the Bush Administration, about his experiences as one of the U.S. attorneys fired for reasons that remain suspect. The way Iglesias tells it, Sen. Pete Domenci tried to pressure him to indict high-level Democrats before the 2006 election. Iglesias said no and was fired weeks later. Hear more at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25. 858-454-0347 or www.warwicks.com.

ART

Total control

The clean and controlled environments in Marc Tule’s photographic works have a calming effect on viewers. The chaotic, unpredictable world at large is kept at bay by Tule’s almost obsessive setup for each shot, in which the composition, lighting, colors and subjects are all by his precise design. Tule opens Latency, New Works by Marc Tule, his first solo show in decades, from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 20, at Subtext, 680 West Beech St. in Little Italy. www.subtextstore.com or 619-876-0664.

FILM

Digital history

The Media Arts Center San Diego’s Digital Story Station is a project that gives San Diego County residents the opportunity to share stories about something deeply important to them. Right now, the center has digital recording stations at three public libraries, and by the fall, they hope to have 21 stations throughout the state. At 6 p.m. Monday, June 23, the center presents the first screenings of San Diego Stories, a collection of digital tales exploring subjects such as the history of Escondido’s Grape Day Festival and the history of San Diego’s Native American community. It happens at the Chula Vista Public Library, 265 F St., and again at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at the Escondido Public Library, 239 S. Kalmia. www.mediaartscenter.org and 619-230-1938.

MUSIC

Metallica on keys

Metallica fans do strange things to feel closer to the band. Some send locks of hair in the mail, some send weed and letters pledging their undying, deep-rooted love and admiration and the really serious ones start tribute bands. But we’d be willing to bet that Scott D. Davis is the one and only Metallica fan who tours the country playing hard-driven, melodious Metallica songs on piano. See Davis turn “Nothing Else Matters” into a piano ballad when he performs Pianotarium: An Intensely Beautiful Tribute Concert at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Piano SD Recital Hall, 1233 Camino Del Rio South in Mission Valley. $10-$12.50. www.pianotarium.com or 800-838-3006.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Stories of immigration

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 21, you’re invited to celebrate the opening of The New Americans Museum, a learning center focusing on the lives and contributions of the nation’s diverse immigrant populations. The museum will offer the obligatory entertainment and tours while opening two exhibitions: the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Becoming American: Teenagers & Immigration and A Contemporary Story: Perspectives by Immigrant and Refugee Artists, a collaboration between the New Americans Museum and the AJA Project, a San Diego nonprofit that gives refugee youth cameras and training and lets the kids communicate their experience through their own photography. The museum is located at the NTC Promenade, Liberty Station, 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 102, in Point Loma. www.newamericansmuseum.org.