These are bands we especially dig, not full listings. For those, please see “Concerts and Clubs” . For more top shows featuring local acts, please see “Nightgeist”.
Wednesday, Feb. 18
PLAN A: Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield, What Laura Says Thinks and Feels @ The Casbah. I'm going with Mayfield as the sure-bet in this indie showcase. The 19-year-old folk singer is already drawing comparisons with angel-voiced chanteuses Hope Sandoval and Jesse Sykes with her debut, With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt. BACKUP PLAN: Burning of Rome, Better Class of Flying Man, Tape Deck Mountain, Lands on Fire @ Ruby Room.
Thursday, Feb. 19
PLAN A: Murder by Death @ The Casbah. Like Johnny Cash leading the Bad Seeds through a set of Depression-era spirituals, Murder by Death are all fire and brimstone, condemning themselves to eternal purgatory, where all they do is stew about women, drink whiskey and play stringed instruments. PLAN B: Lil Dap @ 710 Beach Club. Dap is part of the hip-hop duo Group Home, whose DJ Premier-produced 1995 debut, Livin' Proof, is one of hip-hop's overlooked classics. Here's to hoping he hasn't lost his step. PLAN C: Ursula Rucker, Miki Vale @ Kava Lounge. Among the most respected spoken-word poets in the country, Rucker seems to hold The Roots' success in her hands. Apparently, their albums only go gold if she makes a guest appearance.
Friday, Feb. 20
PLAN A: The Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, more @ Porter's Pub (UCSD). L.A.'s next level of beat-fiends storm the campus for the night, spinning fractured, dusty grooves for the ADD generation. If the name Gaslamp Killer sounds familiar, it's because he's from San Diego. How easily we forget. PLAN B: Thin Man, The Heartaches @ Bar Pink. If you're looking for a party, these local punks are playing this weekend-starting debauchery fest. There's no keg, but the bar has really cheap cans of Tecate if you're interested. PLAN C: Nation Beat @ Winston's. A Brazilian / Brooklyn band works country influences into its fusion of maracatu and N'awlins funk. Hey, they got a thumbs up from Willie Nelson, so they're alright with me. BACKUP PLAN: Transmography, Unruly Bangs, Lights On @ Soda Bar.
Saturday, Feb. 21
PLAN A: Souls of Mischief @ 'Canes. Souls' debut, '93 Til Infinity, is arguably the best West Coast hip-hop album ever. The title wasn't a misnomer—dudes had no idea how to follow it up and haven't released anything nearly as good in 15 years. Their live show must be pretty tight by now, though. PLAN B: Geoff Muldaur @ Acoustic Music. You've probably never seen a picture of Geoff Muldaur, but by the sound of his authentic blues, you'd imagine him as a blind, black guitar player from Mississippi. He's actually none of these things, so just close your eyes and pretend he's not stealing from his influences outright. PLAN C: Knives!, Desert Diamonds @ Radio Room. This is a strange pairing: two-piece vegan fixed-gear enthusiasts (Knives!) get down with choogling boogie-rockers who sound like they'd rather eat lit cigarettes than cookies made without butter (Desert Diamonds). Fight! Fight! Fight!
Sunday, Feb. 22
PLAN A: Grails, James Blackshaw, Joshua Emery Blatchley @ The Casbah. Grails' blackened, Eastern-tinged excursions would probably make a good soundtrack to a reading of Dante's Inferno. If you miss this, you're going to hell. Actually, if you show up, you're going to hell, too. PLAN B: Corridor, Vaginals, Alexandra Hope @ Ruby Room. Corridor is L.A.'s M. Quinn, a multi-instrumental looping wizard whose live cello playing should send tingles down the spines of even the most tortured goth kids. BACKUP PLAN: We Should Be Dead @ Soda Bar.
Monday, Feb. 23
PLAN A: Danzig @ House of Blues. Go ahead and make cracks about how Danzig is 5-foot-4 and uses more black hair dye than Roy Orbison, but don't front. When he kicks into “Mother” and “Soul on Fire,” you'll be banging skulls with the rest of the meatheads. PLAN B: The Whore Moans @ Bar Pink. So what if their name is a terrible pun and their vocalist suddenly breaks into painful screams from out of nowhere? The Whore Moans eat, breathe and crap rock 'n' roll like it's the only thing keeping them alive. PLAN C: French Kicks, The Broken West, Army Navy @ The Casbah. It looks more and more like The Strokes are the also-rans of the “Great N.Y. Garage Band Grab of 2001,” as the French Kicks put more soul into one song than their famous peers have into their entire career.
Tuesday, Feb. 24
PLAN A: Hank Williams III @ 4th & B. Do you think Hank Williams would've smacked his grandson upside the head if he knew the kid would form a band with Pantera's Phil Anselmo (Superjoint Ritual)? Yep. BACKUP PLAN: River City @ Beauty Bar.
Write to toddk@sdcitybeat.com.