I acutally expected tonight to be a little bit quieter than it is, but luckily for us, there are lots of super fun things to do and hopefully you can have a nice, relaxing Independence Day off. Punk act Ceremony has come out of darkness with a new label and a new record -- their first in 4 years -- which drops in August. It's always a little bit of a risk to do the tour before the new material is out, but with over 10 years of music under their belts, they should be fine when they roll through the Irenic tonight for an all-ages show. Soda Bar has a great, solid show with Georgia indie-rockers Futurebirds; if you've been feeling an emo drought, New Found Glory headline House of Blues; and the super-glammy Struts play a sold-out show at the Observatory North Park. Of course, if you just wanna dance, the Casbah welcomes the return of One Nation Under a Groove + Jivewire. For many years, they were the go-to dance nights in town, so when they reconnect, it's pure magic, and totally free.
Wednesday, July 3:
- The Struts, the Glorious Sons, Kelsy Karter @ The Observatory North Park (SOLD OUT)
- Ceremony, Sheer Mag, Bugg @ The Irenic
- Futurebirds, Zeb Zaitz @ Soda Bar
- Casbah 30 presents One Nation Under a Groove + Jivewire: DJs Bart Blackstone, Vaughn Avakian, Mr Mazee, Dennis the Menace, Chulita Vinyl Club, Tr3sBeatLes @ Casbah (FREE)
- New Found Glory, Real Friends, the Early November, Doll Skin @ House of Blues
- Come Together (Beatles Tribute) @ Humphreys Backstage Live
- Dionne Warwick @ Corona Grandstand Stage, San Diego County Fair
- Trouble in the Wind @ Coors Light Rock On Stage, San Diego County Fair
- Canned Heat @ Ballast Point Paddock Stage, San Diego County Fair
- Indepen-DANCE with DJs Edroc & Heminguey @ The Office
- '80s Heat ft. Bella Lux Dance Crew @ Belly Up
- Atomic Groove’s Independence Day Eve @ Belly Up (happy hour 5 p.m.)
- La Beat Cantina, .357 Magnum @ Bar Pink (8 p.m.)
- The Ratty Show @ Bar Pink (10:30 p.m.)
- Fantasy: Dance Party with DJ Mario & Crew @ Whistle Stop
- Summer Nu Moods: Live Fusion Jam with Lexi Pulido, Julien Cantelm, Louis Valenzuela, Kevin Freeby @ Quartyard
- Boss Jazz with Jason Hanna & Friends @ Riviera Supper Club & Turquoise Room
- Guilty Pleasures: Best and Worst of '80s & '90s @ Space
- Rock & Roll Karaoke with the Diamonds @ Grand Ole BBQ & Asado
- Annual Pre-Independence Day Bash with Lady Dottie & the Diamonds @ Seven Grand
- The Jazz Pocket Swing @ Tio Leo's
- Clay Colton @ Wildwood Crossing
- Chloe Lou & Davies @ Rosie O'Grady's
- Reggae en tu Barrio with Karlos Paez @ Border X Brewing
- Gilbert Castellanos' Young Lions Series & Jazz Jam @ Panama 66
- Dance Klassique with Joe Pea, Ryan Bauer, Gomez @ Blonde
- Slum Village, Chuuwee, Boon League, Primo Dirty, T-Chronic @ Music Box
- Open Mic Night @ Pour House
- Club Kingston Presents: Synergy, DJ Carlos Culture @ Winston's
- Carol Curtis @ Martini's Above Fourth
- Patrick "Bluefrog" Ellis @ Crossroads, House of Blues (FREE)
- Jeff Ousley & the Party Starters @ Navajo Live
- DJ Freeman @ U-31
- Open Mic with Jefferson Jay @ Winston's (6-9 p.m.)
- Mastadon @ Bassmnt
- Open Mic/Open Jam @ 710 Beach Club
Rosemary Bystrak is the publicist for the Casbah and writes about the San Diego music scene, events and general musings about life in San Diego on San Diego: Dialed In. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
