Spring has sprung, and it's time to get out of the house, but then again, almost every day is a day to get out of the house in sunny and 70 San Diego. The first festival of the season is this month, but it has changed so much over the years (what once was cool and alternative is now pop and mainstream), and it doesn't look like we are getting very many localchella shows -- maybe a couple, but nothing major. I am hoping the Wonderfront lineup is amazing when it gets announced, because San Diego deserves a great festival, and Kaaboo is not it for me.
April 1: Ruby Boots at Casbah. Australian alt-country artist based in Nashville and playing the Stagecoach Festival this year.
April 2: Sasami at Soda Bar. L.A. based multi-instrumentalist and former member of Cherry Glazerr.
April 3: Bad Suns at Observatory North Park. SoCal based indie rockers whose latest album, "Mystc Truth," is out on Epitaph Records.
April 4: Anvil at Brick by Brick. Metal! Have you seen "Anvil: the Story of Anvil"? It's a must watch before the show -- like a real Spinal Tap in some ways.
April 5: Girlpool, Hatchie and Kitten at Casbah. Triple threat bill that is not to be missed!
April 6: Taking Back Sunday at Observatory North Park. Legendary emo band from NYC.
April 7: Ten Fe and Creature Canyon at Casbah. London meets San Diego: Ten Fe is a London-based duo with smooth sounds.
April 8: 131ers at Soda Bar. DIY indie folk rock from Torrance, CA.
April 9: The Mondegreens at Soda Bar. Sweeping, harmony-driven indie rock from Seattle.
April 10: Turnover, Turnstile, Reptaliens and Razorbumps at Observatory North Park. Many flavors on this bill -- could be one for the books!
April 11: The Messthetics at the Casbah. Fugazi's rhythm section ...
April 12: Nothington at Soda Bar. San Francisco-based punk rock band.
April 13: John Vanderslice at Soda Bar. A true raconteur who runs the legendary Tiny Telephone studios in the Bay Area.
April 14: Flipper with David Yow at the Casbah. Flipper with the dude from Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. See you there!
April 15: FKJ at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay or Kero Kero Bonito at the Casbah. Decisions, decisions: Both are good, so you can't go wrong ...
April 16: Iceage, Shame and Pelada at the Casbah. This is post-punk, and I like it!
April 17: Ages and Ages at Soda Bar. Chamber pop? Choral Pop? Psychedelic? You decide ...
April 18: Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash at the Soda Bar. Formed in San Diego back in 1995, this band, fronted by Mark Stuart, is NOT a Johnny Cash tribute band, capiche?
April 19: The Interrupters, Culture Abuse and Skating Polly at Observatory North Park. Triple threat bill of some solid sounds from some solid bands. Culture Abuse singer David Kelling is my hero: He suffers from cerebral palsy but destroys the stage every night!
April 20: Big Thief at the Irenic. Brooklyn-based indie band with folk roots who are releasing their new album "U.F.O.F." on May 3.
April 21: Mdou Moctar at the Casbah. From the Sahara, Moctar performs modern electronic versions of Tuareg guitar music. Tuareg guitar is the one of the most popular folk music sounds of the Sahara.
April 22: Wayne "The Train" Hancock at Soda Bar or Ben Kweller at the Casbah. Both are amazing songwriters, it just depends on what you are looking for, Honky Tonk or Power Pop.
April 23: Lebanon Hanover at the Casbah. Post-punk or Cold Wave fans will love this!
April 24: Party Nails and Cannons at the Casbah. This sounds like it might be a dance party!
April 25: The Reverend Horton Heat and the Creepy Creeps at the Belly Up. Liquor in the front, poker in the rear and a party to remember forever or not, depending on how much you like to drink.
April 26: Run River North at Soda Bar. A valley band -- as in, the San Fernando Valley -- and they have a total of six people creating sounds that range from indie to pop.
April 27: Telekinesis and Sontalk at the Casbah. Summery sounding power/synth pop from this Merge Records recording artist.
April 28: White Denim at the Belly Up. A great band from Austin, Texas, the hub of "live" music in the middle of the country!
April 29: Aunt Cynthia's Cabin, Desert Suns and Magical Animals at Casbah. I am your host, and I booked the show!
April 30: I will be at the Merrow, where I am every Tuesday, so come hang! Bands not posted at press time, but that shouldn't matter, because I will be there, and I know you miss me. Free hugs!
I can't wait to see you at a show! I attend frequently -- at least four shows a week. It adds up, and I have seen a lot of bands, which is all I ever wanted! Dreams can come true!
And finally listen to Loudspeaker via 91x every Sunday night for three -- count 'em: one, two, three -- hours of local music. Bands from San Diego and Tijuana, since that is where our transmitter is located, and the show starts at 7 p.m.
I'll see you at a show!
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
