San Diego Shows–Monday, August 31

PLAN A: Hurray for the Riff Raff, La Bellena de Jonas, Nothingful @ Soda Bar–Did anyone else get as obsessed with 16 Horsepower as I did? Man, I saw them open for Morphine back in ’96 and I flipped my shit. Sorta felt the same kinda tingly feelings when I heard Hooray for the Riff Raff. Replace Horsepower singer David Eugene Edward’s with the banjo-picking (and much easier to swallow) Alynda Lee Segarra and the Christian undertones with intimate longing from the hottest parts of New Orleans, and you’re getting close to what Hurray’s going for. “Daniella” might be on my shortlist of “Top 5 Songs I’d put on to Dance With my Wife Before I Leave to Fight in the Civil War.” Not to get all High Fidelity on you, but it’s that good. And show up early for La Bellena de Jonas. Gorgeous, instrumental gypsy-folk from Tijuana for the sad piker in all of us. [Disclaimer: Just been told by Peter at the Soda Bar that the full band isn't playing tonight, but Alynda and one other member will be playing]  PLAN B: Lauren DeRose, Bitter Sober, Tori Roze & The Hot Mess @ Ruby Room–Got a Facebook message from MC Flow pegging this show as “the biggest lesbian concert in all the land” and she ain’t lying. I think the only way they could have put this show over the top is if they’d held it at The Flame. But even those of the testicular, XY persuasion should check out Lauren DeRose. She’s a tatted-up spitfire of a singer and even though I’d like to see her move in a decidedly less pop-rock direction, I still throw on “Me & My Earthquake” (from her debut, Broken, Sweet) and get all in touch with my feelings and shit. If she had a little less dignity I have no doubt she’d be in the top 10 of American Idol. Same goes for Bitter Sober. I’ve said before that i think these girls may be inadvertantly going after all those cats still waiting for a 4 Non Blondes reunion, but they’re poppy enough to appeal to more just a gender-specific demographic. As for Tori Roze… can’t say that I’m a fan. And to be honest, if she wasn’t on the bill, this probably would have been my Plan A. Roze has a great voice, but

 she’s a little too earnest in all those ways that make a bad Melissa Etheridge song (read: most) pretty painful to listen to. And she recently started dabbling in electro-pop which is just dreadful (see “Like A Rockstar”). And lyrics like “everyday I want to smoke your love/every night I want to pour you in my cup…I’ve got to get myself off of this love heroin” make me want to stay home alone and do the real shit. But go to support the other bands. BACKUP PLAN: Gary Wilson, James Pants, DJ Ikah Love @ The Casbah–Todd Kroviak recommended this show in If I Were U this week, but I can’t say that I agree. While certainly innovative, I’ve never been the type to like something just because it was different (not implying in the least that Todd does. Just a difference of opinion). Trout Mask Replica, Waka/Jawaka, Climate of Hunter, these are albums that I do not find worthy of reverence just because they don’t sound like anything else. To me, Wilson always sounded to me like a mix of Beefheart, Elvis Costello and mid-’80s Leonard Cohen, and while that might not be a bad thing to some  music fans, I personally never found his music engaging enough to really warrant my full attention. But then again, I like to be thrown a bone every now and then so if you’re the type of music fan that can sit through two hours of Zappa solos then this might be the show for you tonight. 

Shaky video of Hurray for the Riff Raff but you’ll get the idea:

QUICK PICKS:

“Club Up and Up” with Heavy Young Heathens, Jamuel Saxon, DJ Lord Nelson, DJ Bob Dazzla @ Belly Up

The Styletones @ Bar Pink

Lady Dottie & The Diamonds @ U-31

Cherry Poppin Daddies, Silent Treatment, Pushin Rope @ Brick by Brick