Steve Gunn
Wednesday, July 26
PLAN A: Night Drive, Trip Advisor @ SPACE. When reading the name Night Drive, I immediately think of the Chromatics album of the same name. And that’s not a bad comparison. Night Drive does play dark, sexy synth-pop in a similar vein, but their brand is more indebted to disco and ‘80s-era pop. There will be dancing, guaranteed. PLAN B: The Upper Strata, Kairoots, Malu @ Soda Bar. The Upper Strata are a peculiar group, creating electronics-driven dance music that employs elements of folk, R&B and dark cabaret. It’s a pretty diverse array of styles that come together in unexpected ways, and it’s pretty interesting regardless of how odd it looks on paper.
Thursday, July 27
PLAN A: David J, Dani Bell and the Tarantist @ The Casbah. David J is a founding member of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets so he’s essentially goth-rock royalty. He has his share of really good solo albums, but he’s been known to perform tracks from throughout his career. And there’s a lot of highlights, so it’s bound to be a great show no matter what. BACKUP PLAN: Soft Lions, Emily Bell @ Bar Pink.
Friday, July 28
PLAN A: Schizophonics Soul Revue, Thee Allyrgic Reaction, DJs Claire, Mr Mazee @ The Casbah. It’s a rare instance to see a Friday night without a long list of good shows to choose from, but that’s fine. The Schizophonics are sort of hard to compete with anyway, and their Soul Revue ensures that every ass will be moving.
Saturday, July 29
PLAN A: Be Well Fest w/ Matt Lamkin, Los Shadows, Splavender, Svelte @ Rancho Valhalla Nursery. Last week I wrote about Be Well Fest, an all-ages festival that features a long list of great local bands, and which benefits mental health charities. It’s for a good cause and features lots of great bands, plus it’s early enough to allow readers time for… PLAN B: Zsa Zsa Gabor, BWATWOB @ Helmuth Projects. Sam Lopez of Stay Strange is retiring his noise project, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Come and give this peculiar, constantly changing project a proper burial with one last set of weird, abrasive intensity. BACKUP PLAN: The Gloomies, Beginners @ Soda Bar.
Sunday, July 30
PLAN A: Steve Gunn, Heron Oblivion, James Elkington @ SPACE. Steve Gunn is an excellent singer/songwriter with more albums to his name than people realize. He’s also a hell of a guitar player, and can probably win audiences over on the strength of his perfect fretwork alone. PLAN B: Big Business, Death Eyes @ Whistle Stop. Stoner-rock duo and sometimes Melvins collaborators Big Business have gone through some changes over the years, but they’re back to being a duo. And that’s all they need, really, since their bass-and-drums attack is massive and heavy AF. BACKUP PLAN: Cayetana, Snail Mail, Keepers @ The Casbah.
Monday, July 31
PLAN A: Tobin Sprout, Elf Power @ The Casbah. Tobin Sprout is a former member of Guided by Voices who has also released about a half-dozen lo-fi indie pop albums of his own, all of which are underrated, by the way. Make it there early for Elf Power, who are also an underrated indie pop group who have released their share of great, lightly psychedelic gems. PLAN B: Que Oso, Year of the Dead Bird, Bloodflowers @ Soda Bar. Que Oso describe themselves as “Chicano Power rock,” though in terms of musical influences, the Escondido group sound a bit like emo with lyrics in Spanish. Sounds good to me!
Tuesday, Aug. 1
PLAN A: Unsane, Fashion Week, Archons, Lo and Be Told @ The Casbah. For more than 20 years, New York’s Unsane have been making some of the most abrasive and brutal noise rock. They briefly had a moment of MTV fame with their skateboarding-injury video for “Scrape,” but they continue to make kickass, gnarly sounds.