Thievery Corporation at Belly Up Tavern, San Diego

Seeing your favorite bands at smaller venues is always a treat: intimacy abounds as interaction between players and audience members amplifies immensely. Such a venue is San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern along the coast of Solana Beach. A variety of acts cycle through the Belly Up; most returning as an annual or biannual gig. One […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day Three

Still reeling from the previous two days, I was a child at Christmas impatiently waiting to open my presents or, in this case, the festival gates. I knew the festival grounds like the back of my hand by now; I had my sets lined up and now I just needed a beer. Local breweries were […]

Fortunate Youth at San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern

On November 27th, Fortunate Youth brought their Live Life Fall Tour to the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego, CA. They were supported by Kash’d Out and Mike Love. Walking around the Belly Up before the show, it was great getting to see so many friends and catching up with people I haven’t seen for […]

HIRIE at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

It was a stacked night on November 23rd at San Diego’s Observatory Theater North Park, when friends and fans of reggae rock packed the building to the brim in eager anticipation of not one, not two, but FIVE bands! HIRIE concluded their six-week fall tour that night; a homecoming like none other commenced. SoCal reggae […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day Two

Day Two — let’s go! First off, kudos to Wonderfront for their festival companion app! I’ve never seen a more polished festival app that was intuitive, fast, reactive and a must-have for the festival-goer. I started my day with the app and a cup of Joe. Selecting all the acts I wanted to see then […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day One

November in San Diego can be a toss up: sometimes cold and rainy; other times, it feels like the middle of summer. The weekend of November 22nd would be where these two extremes met to create the perfect stage for Wonderfront’s inaugural bayfront festival. Seven stages spanning 1.5 miles of the treasured San Diego bayfront […]

Megadeth’s MEGACRUISE 2019: Day Two

We woke up on a boat in San Diego… my home sweet home. The second day aboard Megadeth’s metal MEGACRUISE started out with Dave Ellefson’s Breakfast Club. He did a little Q & A, told some stories. One of the stories that fascinated me was him talking about doing his ‘Basstory’; there was a show in Fullerton, […]

Cold War Kids at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Alt lovers gathered from far and wide the night of Friday, November 15th for an intimate performance by Cold War Kids, supported by Samia, at San Diego’s Observatory North Park. Being a smaller venue (versus big amphitheater performances by CWK), the Observatory filled up real fast as opener Samia took center stage. Cool, complacent, yet […]

KAABOO Del Mar 2019: Day Three

KAABOO Del Mar started Day Three 2019 with a big public announcement — this is the last KAABOO Del Mar day EVER! Never to fear: KAABOO is simply relocating due south to downtown’s Petco Park, rebranding in the process to KAABOO San Diego from here on out. With that in mind, attendees made the most […]

The Black Keys & Modest Mouse rocked San Diego

The Black Keys‘ headlining tour, featuring Modest Mouse with Shannon and the Clams, hit San Diego’s Pechanga Arena on Sunday, November 14th. Shannon and the Clams started the night off right with some upbeat jams that got the crowd going. The quartet, based out of Oakland, consists of Cody Blanchard on vocals/guitar, Shannon Shaw on […]

Boomshaka returns to San Diego January 2020

Los Angeles might be the home of Hollywood, but San Diego holds down the fort for a music mecca — specifically, reggae. Alternative acts have also risen from this SoCal paradise (cough, Blink-182, Jewel, Stone Temple Pilots, et. Al.), yet reggae rock bands, such as Slightly Stoopid and Tribal Seeds, reign at the top of […]

KAABOO Del Mar 2019: Day Two

KAABOO weekend is always a highlight of the year. After KAABOO Del Mar kicked off to an epic start with Wu-Tang and Snoop Dogg headlining Night One, Day Two vibes were running high… almost as high as the heat! Good thing the pool in the BASK section was popping off all day aside the Sunset […]

Judah & the Lion at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

It was a night of alt rock magic on October 17th, with San Diego’s Observatory North Park packed to the brim for openers Flora Cash to be followed by the ever so popular Judah & the Lion. With lights low and a minimal stage plot, Flora Cash came out to entertain the early guests — […]

Lana Del Rey brings joy to San Diego

What to say about Lana Del Rey… The renowned ‘Xanax rock’ queen has had anthems in big budget Hollywood films, been recognized several times by the GRAMMY Academy and has garnered countless hours of radio play over six studio albums — on top of being drop-dead gorgeous. But, one thing I didn’t understand until the […]

Van Morrison serenades San Diego

It was a marvelous night for a moondance when Van Morrison fans lined the seating of the North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Vista, CA on October 8th. Motown queen Mavis Staples opened the night, with her soulful voice blending well with her jiving backing band. Everyone was clapping along as they were finding […]