FRIDAY
PLAN A: The Powerchords, Christmas Island @ Whistle Stop Bar. The Powerchords are a pop-punk group (think The Undertones, not blink-182) with hooks at every turn, and Christmas Island is the most genuinely adorable band in town. Each band is “cringe-less cute” but with enough bite to keep you on your toes. PLAN B: Wild Weekend @ Hensley’s Flying Elephant. Wild Weekend is the county’s best punk-cover-band-turned-legitimate-power-poppers, and this show is a good excuse to make it to the North County pub owned by Matt Hensley of Flogging Molly.
I can’t help but be honest – Gram Rabbit’s electro-cabaret act just doesn’t do it for me. Actually, they remind me of a Baz Luhrmann movie come to life, which is about as repulsive a creation I can imagine. HOWEVER, tonight’s show at The Casbah remains worthwhile, based on the reputation of local dub/soul project Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, the sublime country of John Meeks, and the drunken singalongs of The Blackout Party.
Quick picks:
- Superunloader @ 710 Beach Club
- Scarlet Symphony, The Slang Chicken @ Bar Pink
- “3 Tha Hard Way” w/ DJs Mark E. Quark, Andy Boswell, Eddie Turbo, Atom Matter, Jon Wesley @ Kava Lounge
- Syndicate, Jezebel, The Predicates @ Kensington Club
- Until the Fall, New Tomorrow @ Radio Room
- Homegrown @ Spin
SATURDAY
PLAN A: Lanterns, Weatherbox, Meho Plaza @ Che Café. Local groups Lanterns and Weatherbox don’t receive nearly enough credit for attempting to bring anthemic, affecting rock out of the emo ghetto. If I were 16 again, these would be my two favorite bands in town. PLAN B: “Booty Bassment” w/ DJ Dimitri Dickinson @ Whistle Stop Bar. Dickinson’s infamous club night doesn’t do hip-hop; it does rap, and yes, there is a difference. Hip-hop is the socially conscious, thoughtful stuff you hear on Common albums. Rap is the filthy, youth-corrupting noise brought to trial on obscenity charges in the early ’90s. (NOTE: “Booty Bassment” was mistakenly placed under Monday, Nov. 24 in the print edition. Apologies to Dickinson and the Whistle Stop). PLAN C: Dali’s Llama, Ride the Sun, Hallowed Engine, Magdalene @ Ruby Room. Sometimes it takes some good ol’ hard rock to hit the spot. These four bands forgo the subtleties and kick out the booze-fuelled jams, so break out the flask of Jack, order some cheap beer and get to drinking.
North County-based trio A.M. Vibe hits Bar Pink on Saturday night with L.A. cult phenomenon Killola, and despite both bands employing female lead singers, they share very few characteristics, with Vibe doing a new and improved version of dreamy 90s acts Lush and Belly, with Killola raping whatever’s left of the post-Blondie pop-punk wasteland (see: Morningwood). While Killola has made a name for itself with outlandish promotion (occasionally inspiring its fans to tattoo themselves with their logo), the Vibe explicitly states “THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST!” on its Myspace page. It’s a refreshing attitude in an age where hype tends to override content.
Quick picks:
- The Shys, Army Navy, Takeover UK, DJ Mr. Biggs @ Beauty Bar
- LMFAO, Buddy Akai, Boogie Nights DJs @ Belly Up Tavern
- Di Nigunim, La Ballena de Rosa (7:30pm) @ The Casbah
- “Shake Appeal 1st Anniversary” w/ DJs Mark E. Quark, Ikah Love, Morgan Young, Jeff Graves, Siavash (10pm) @ The Casbah
- Face to Face, Youth Brigade @ House of Blues
- Breaker Breaker One Niner @ Kensington Club
- Pocket @ Portugalia
- Doom Hawk, Filth Matriss, Stiletto Silhouette @ Radio Room
SUNDAY
PLAN A: Pleaseeasaur, Joe Jack Talcum, The Tighten Ups @ Bar Pink. The conceptual two-man comedy-pop of Pleaseeasaur is a hilarious send-up of infomercials, jingles and that most loathsome of marketing tools: the promotional seminar. PLAN B: GWAR, Kingdom of Sorrow, Toxic Holocaust, Terror @ House of Blues. GWAR’s costumed, fake-blood-spewing performances are the stuff of metal lore, and this time they’re backed by three intimidating groups who threaten to make the crowd spew blood, too. BACKUP PLAN: O’Death, Old Devil, Tobyn Clark and the Faeries @ The Casbah.
Quick Picks:
- Doyle Dykes @ Acoustic Music
- “Everyday is Like Sunday” w/ DJ Blairly Legal @ Hensley’s Flying Elephant
- Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire, Stiletto Silhouette, Black Ambulance @ Ruby Room
- The Mattson 2 @ Dizzy’s
- Whispertown2000 @ The Loft @ UCSD
- “Too Many Creeps” w/ Mario Orduno, Dan Wise @ Whistle Stop Bar
