May the Pyles Be With You

91x's Tim Pyles lays down the law of the land when it comes to May's shows

Damn, damn, damn -- so many shows, so little time! May is bringing what needed to be brought. First off, the freakin' Rolling Stones are swinging by to play an intimate show. I heard a rumor they might play an intimate show somewhere -- again, it's just a rumor, and I may have purposely just started it! I pored over the calendar and am overwhelmed with emotion due to having to pick between shows, like Lana Del Rey or Noel Gallagher? I didn't even list either for May 16, if you look below. I'm leaning Lana Del Rey, because Courtney Love is opening! Take a look at my picks -- I'm pretty proud of them. Happy hunting! Also, the list may be Casbah-heavy, but that is only because they have some great shows and trust me, you want to see these bands now at a place like the Casbah, or Soda Bar, or the Hideout, or Bar Pink, or Tower Bar, or Til-Two Club, or the Merrow, or Brick By Brick, or those small clubs you used to go to wherever you are from. We are a city of transplants after all...

May 1: The Soft Moon, Skull Katalog and DJ Mario Orduno at Casbah. Luis Vasquez is the Soft Moon, an American neo-post-punk band from Oakland.
May 2: Kinky at the Observatory North Park. The pride of Monterrey, Mexico, a band that mixes alt-rock, Latin and dance music into a cohesive party!
May 3: Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers), Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites) and Kepi Ghoulie (The Groovie Ghoulies) at the Casbah. Not sure what to expect, but I love all of their bands.
May 4: MS MR at Casbah. SOLD OUT! Check Stub Hub or Craigslist.
May 5: Mariachi el Bronx and Tijuana Panthers at the Belly Up. Cinco De Drinko with the Bronx mariachi side project -- both bands feature Ken Horne, formerly of local band the Dragons.
May 6: Local H and Battleme at the Casbah. "Bound For the Floor" legends are back with a new record and it rocks. Make sure to listen to "Hey, Killer" before the show!
May 7: The Mowgli's, Night Riots and Hippo Campus at the Casbah. Great bill, make sure to arrive early for Hippo Campus and check out their song, "Suicide Saturday."
May 8: Metalachi and Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects at the Casbah. Heavy metal mariachi is now a genre and locals Mr. Tube are back!
May 9: Bummerfest -- Rob Crow's Gloomy Place, Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects, Pretend, Sledding With Tigers, Octagrape, Big Bad Buffalo, Bit Maps, Stage Kids, Inspired and the Sleep, Dawayne Neptune and Helix Bagpipers at the Irenic. Wow, what a party of local bands and bagpipers, are you kidding? I'm so there and actually hosting it!
May 10: The Sonics, Barrence Whitfield & the Savages plus Beehive & the Barracudas at the Belly Up. Legendary rock band that just released their first record in almost five decades, "This Is The Sonics."
May 11: The Skints, Oceanside Sound System and San Diego City Soul Club DJ's at the Casbah. The Skints mix reggae, ska, dub, punk & hip-hop, dubbing their sound as 'East London Reggae'.
May 12: Vaadat Charigim, Froth and Muscle Beech at the Casbah. Vaadat Charigim is from Israel and playing the Levitation Fest in Austin, formerly, the Austin Psych Fest.
May 13: Amerikan Bear, Ocelot and Barbarian at the Belly Up. Amerikan Bear, from SD, is also playing the Levitation Fest.
May 14: Maryjane's Underground at the Hard Rock Hotel w/ Idyll Will and Le Chateau - RSVP here to get in for free!
May 15: The Relationship and Gringo Star at House Of Blues Voodoo Stage. Brian Bell's (of Weezer fame) side project.
May 16: Wolf Alice and Gateway Drugs at Soda Bar. Big shows in town tonight, but if you want to see a band before they are huge, that band is Wolf Alice.
May 17: Passion Pit and Coin at the Observatory North Park. Indietronica band that you may have heard on the radio.
May 18: San Fermin and Natalie Prass at the Casbah. Baroque-pop music night.
May 19: Glass Animals at the Observatory North Park. Listen to "Gooey"!
May 20: Quintron & Miss Pussycat at Soda Bar. What can I say? If you haven't seen them before, it's a must see! One word: puppets!
May 21: The Rezillos, Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds and Shady Francos at the Casbah. Two legendary punk creators and locals that are tearing the roof off the scene!
May 22: Pinback and Sleeping People at the Belly Up. Pinback are one of SD's pride and joys; please let Rob Crow know by coming to the party!
May 23: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Krass Brothers and DJ Brian Waters at the Casbah. Wanna see a rock show that will change your life? Go see Jon Spencer!
May 24: The Rolling Stones at Petco Park or G.B.H., Authentic Sellout, Revolut-Chix and Records with Roger at the Casbah. Two bands from the UK to pick from tonight.
May 25: Kopecky, Armors and Spero at the Casbah. Kopecky is to be confused with the Kopecky Family Band, their former name.
May 26: The New Regime, Pumphouse and Jara at the Casbah. The New Regime is Ilan Rubin, the drummer for Nine Inch Nails and a local boy.
May 27: Mystic Braves, Muscle Beech and the Creation Factory at the Casbah. Guaranteed psych-rock experience!
May 28: Transfer, Wild Wild Wets, Madly and the New Kinetics at the Casbah. Support Local Music!
May 29: Will Butler and Jo Firestone at Casbah or Delta Spirit at the Irenic. Will is in Arcade Fire and Delta Spirit is semi-local.
May 30: Diarrhea Planet, Left & Right and Muscle Beech at Casbah or Delta Spirit (night two) at the Irenic. The rock of DP will blow your mind and DS promises a unique show experience for you; good times.
May 31: The Knocks and Phoebe Ryan at the Casbah. Electropop, nu-disco dance party!

End of shows...

It's a guarantee that I will be at a bunch of these shows and if somebody wants to take me to the Rolling Stones as their date, I would not complain. I've done my best for you, now it's your job to go out and see a show! Listen to Loudspeaker on Sunday nights from 7 - 10 p.m. on 91x to stay apprised of our local music scene.

Tim Pyles, a longtime local who grew up in La Jolla, is the unofficial mayor of local music and hosts the Local 94/9 via FM94/9 every Sunday from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. He also books local acts at the Casbah, hosts the weekly Anti-Monday League, books/hosts the monthly Maryjane's Underground at the House of Blues and is an entertainment writer for Pacific San Diego Magazine. Check out his website thelocalpyle.com and and follow him on Twitter @thelocalpyle. You can reach him directly here pyleste@yahoo.com

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