Sounds Like San Diego: October 21

By Rosemary Bystrak

| Thursday, Oct 21, 2010 | Updated 1:08 PM PDT

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Syracuse indie rockers Ra Ra Riot return to San Diego after the release of their sophomore record.

There's a melancholic quality to Wes Miles' voice that makes me a little sad, even when the subject matter of the songs could be completely uplifting. The vocalist of Ra Ra Riot and the rest of the band sound great on their recorded material, but it's their high energy during live performances that make them the band to see tonight. I'm partial to indie bands with strings, and Ra Ra Riot delivers with violin and cello to round out their sound. I've seen the band on a tiny stage, and I've seen them on festival stages, and they do well in either setting, but I imagine the Belly Up's stage is exactly the perfect size.

Thursday, Oct. 21:

Ra Ra Riot, Villagers, Givers @ Belly Up
Taming the Fox @ West Coast Tavern
Interpol, White Rabbits @ Soma (sold out) -- read OwlandBear.com's show preview here
Azure Ray, Tim Fite @ The Loft
Echo Revolution, Wendy Bailey and True Stories, Eclipse 79 @ Soda Bar
Corey Feldman's Lost Boys, featuring Truth Movement @ House of Blues (Postponed)
Russian Circles, Keelhaul, Call Me Lightning @ Casbah
The Last Years, the Accroutrements @ Eleven
Luna Is Honey, Conceptus, DJs Tropical Popsicle and JR @ Tin Can
Third Thursdays with Brawley @ Bar Pink
Jessica Bell, the Carter Twins @ Lestat's
Greensky Bluegrass @ Winston's
Stanley Clarke and Hiromi @ Anthology
Aaron Swanton, Mr. Loveless @ Til Two Club
Jazz West @ Riviera Supper Club
The Rescues @ Donovan's Circle of Fifths
Mad Traffic, the Bloodflowers @ Ruby Room
Local Showcase: Subliminal Trip, Stone Senses, Sandollar @ Sound Wave
Matt Markin, Habitat, Cardiac Kidz, J Grace, OverCast Encore, TES., ACME Rhythm and Blues Revue, the Frighteners, Chris Carpenter @ Brick By Brick
Taj Mahal, Vieux Farka Toure @ Dreamcatcher Viejas
Scott Carter and New Breed @ Humphreys Backstage Live
Gilbert Castellanos and the New Latin Jazz Quintet @ Croce's
Summerset, the Barret Trap, Comma Tom, Not Machines @ Dreamstreet Live

Rosemary Bystrak writes about the San Diego music scene, events, and sometimes whatever creeps into her head on her music blog San Diego: Dialed In. Check it for even more listings. She also provides social media content for the Casbah. Follow her updates at twitter.com/sddialedin or submit your music listings.