It's Groundhog Day, again, and this is my to-do list for the month of February. It's a leap year, so we get an extra day of shows to attend. We have so many great venues in town, but admit I am beholden to the Casbah in many ways. Without the Casbah, we wouldn't have all the great venues we have today. So guess what? Many of these shows are at the Casbah, but they do have my fave show of the night many nights of the week. So here we go, let's spread the love of this great scene of ours!
Feb. 2: The Hand of Gavrilo, Headphone, Cloudside at Casbah. Support local music! I booked it!
Feb. 3: Gallows Bound at Soda Bar. Appalachian folk, punk and bluegrass.
Feb. 4: Hills Like Elephants, Bit Maps, Dani Bell & the Tarantist at Casbah. Support local music! I didn't book it!
Feb. 5: Saintseneca, Des Ark, Torches at Casbah. American folk-rock band from Ohio. What's high in the middle and round on the ends? O-HI-O...
Feb. 6: Adolescents, Widows, the Touchies, Records with Roger at Casbah. OC punk-rock legends with local punk rockers opening the night.
Feb. 6: Vinyl Junkies Record Swap at Casbah. Daytime record buying and beer drinking, with guest DJs Matt and Kenny from the Bronx, Brian of No Knife, Demetrius from KATA, Platinum P, and Roger Molina.
Feb. 7: Second Cousins, Wicked Man, Adult Films at Soda Bar. As it says on the venue's site, support local music!
Feb. 8: Rvivr, Western Setting, Bainbridge, Tiltwheel at Casbah. Punk rock from Olympia, Washington, comes to you, with some local bands thrown in for good measure. Another Zeke Production!
Feb. 9: Rachel Platten at Observatory. I interviewed her a few years ago for SoundDiego, and she blew up in 2015 -- good for her. Have you heard "Fight Song"? It's an anthem...
Feb. 10: Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Charlie Overbey & the Broken Arrows at Casbah. Rock & roll, bless my soul!
Feb. 11: Tiger Army at Observatory. Psychobilly for the rockabillies!
Feb. 12: Nicely, the Burbs at Maryjane's Underground. Support local music inside the Hard Rock Hotel, and I booked it! It's also a benefit for Chelsea's Light.
Feb. 13: You Are Going to Hate This Fest with the Frights, SWMRS, the Garden, Plague Vendor, the Aquadolls, Shady Francos, Bad Kids at SOMA. Celebrating the release of the Frights' new album (and their first with Dangerbird Records), "You Are Going to Hate This."
Feb. 14: The Roaring 420s at Soda Bar. Sounds like Lou Reed and Charles Manson era Beach Boys with some sitar.
Feb. 15: Built to Spill, the Hand, Iceberg Ferg at Casbah. Epic band from Idaho, and this is the second of a two-night stint. Not sure why it matters that they are from Idaho...
Feb. 16: The Growlers, Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins on the drums at Observatory. "Pablo Picasso" is an amazing song by the Modern Lovers, which Jonathan Richman was in, just saying. Same bill plays the following night at the Observatory. The Growlers are from Dana Point, and you San Diegans love them!
Feb. 17: The Bellfuries, Johnny Deadly Trio, the Hotshot Drifters at Casbah. Country soul from Austin, Texas.
Feb. 18: The Toasters, the Pomps, Oceanside Sound System at Casbah. Legendary ska band from NYC.
Feb. 19: Radiation City; Deep Sea Diver; Oh, Spirit! at Casbah. A night of indie rock! Discover it!
Feb. 20: Dr. Dog at Observatory. American rock band that just released the amazing album "Psychedelic Swamp."
Feb. 21: Big Business at Casbah. Sludge, stoner? It's metal, and it's mental!
Feb. 22: Ringo Deathstarr at Soda Bar. Loud wall of sound from Austin, Texas. Show them some love!
Feb. 23: Distant Cousins, Rivvrs, Jason French at Casbah. Indie-pop rockers! One of them is from SD.
Feb. 24: Metric, Joywave at House of Blues. Canadian alternative indie-pop, doing two nights in SD as well.
Feb. 25: Drive Like Jehu at the Irenic. The band that created emo, as some have said. Another San Diego favorite.
Feb. 26: The English Beat at Casbah. UK two-tone ska legends play after a two-night stand at Belly Up earlier in the month.
Feb. 27: Joyce Manor, Andrew Jackson Jihad at Observatory. Punk rock and interactive punk rock -- yes, you can sing along!
Feb. 28: The Cave Singers, Current Swell at Casbah. Former members of Pretty Girls Make Graves.
Feb. 29: Vance Joy, Elle King, Jamie Lawson at Balboa Theatre. Triple threat bill of up-and-coming musicians you've definitely heard on the radio.
So that is quite the month, with a bunch of bands doing two nights in town -- that's pretty cool. I hope you find something on the list you like, and again I apologize if you think it's Casbah heavy. I prefer an intimate, up-close and personal show without being gouged at the bar, and they do get the best bands. My kind of bands...
Tim Pyles, a longtime local who grew up in La Jolla, is the unofficial mayor of local music and hosts Loudspeaker via 91x every Sunday from 7-10 p.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.
