Man, oh man, what a year! Did you have fun? See some good shows? My favorite was Idles at the Observatory North Park. 2019 was pretty good, but looking forward to 2020 for more reasons than one. And just so you know, I booked eight shows at the Casbah in January, very few of them are listed below and, as always, don't forget I am at the Merrow every Tuesday — think of that as my office hours and stop by with your latest single for Loudspeaker. Loudspeaker is local music on 91x every Sunday night from 7-10 p.m.; tune in and get turned onto locally sourced music. And now on with the show...
Jan. 1: Happy New Year!
Jan. 2: T.S.O.L., the Detours and Social Spit at the Casbah. Legendary punk rockers, True Sounds of Liberty.
Jan. 3: Willie Nelson at the Balboa Theater. The red-headed stranger returns to San Diego.
Jan. 4: Petty 2: A Tribute to Tom Petty at the Casbah. Some of your favorite local musicians paying tribute to Petty.
Jan. 5: Steve Nieve at the Casbah. I wonder if Elvis Costello will show, they work together frequently.
Jan. 6: Redwoods Residency w/ Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact plus Alvino and the Dwells at the Casbah. The Redwoods are taking over Mondays at the Casbah in January, showcasing artists from their roster each week.
Jan. 7: The Frets, Lefties and the Industry at the Casbah. If you must know, I booked this stellar local lineup.
Jan. 8: David Bowie Tribute: Ziggy Shuffledust & the Spiders From Mars, Ariel Levine: The Berlin Years, and Funky Thigh Collectors at the Casbah. A tribute to David Bowie from local musicians on the legend's birthday.
Jan. 9: Good Riddance and Youth Brigade at Brick By Brick. This is not metal, it's punk rock at the Brick.
Jan. 10: Tool at Viejas Arena. At one point they had three shows, now down to two. Don't miss your chance to see this mysterious band.
Jan. 11: Buck Meek at the Che Cafe. It's Buck Meek solo, he's the guitarist for Big Thief.
Jan. 12: Tool at Viejas Arena, in case you missed the one two nights ago...
Jan. 13: Thee Sacred Souls at the Soda Bar. A San Diego Soul band on the rise and you can see them every Monday at the Soda Bar, it's a residency.
Jan. 14: The Obsessed at Brick By Brick. Washington, D.C. doom rock pioneers forming in the '80s.
Jan. 15: Coco Montoya the Belly Up. Modern soul, electric blues and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.
Jan. 16: Midge Ure at the Belly Up. Did you know he was one of the people behind Live Aid? And the front man for Ultravox?
Jan. 17: Bobby & the Pins at the Casbah. A San Diego supergroup with El Vez, Schizophonics and more!
Jan. 18: Los Lobos at Spreckles Theater. East LA barrio band that formed in the '70s and has been at the forefront of the roots-rock scene since. In 1987, they rose to global fame with their release of "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens.
Jan. 19: Reverend Horton Heat, the Paladins and the Buttertones at the House Of Blues Voodoo Lounge. Speaking of roots rock, this lineup will satiate your need.
Jan. 20: Redwoods Residency w/ Dani Bell & the Tarantist, the Havnauts and Low Volts at the Casbah. The Redwoods Residency continues every Monday at the Casbah.
Jan. 21: The Used at the Belly Up. This will be an intimate show from the arena rock band.
Jan. 22: Theo Katzman at the Belly Up. Founding member of funk group Vulfpeck.
Jan. 23: SoundDiego LIVE at the Casbah with Feels, Wild Wild Wets and more — RSVP here and I am your host...
Jan. 24: Cursive, Cloud Nothings and Criteria at the Casbah. Three bands that start with the letter C. C is for cookie. So good, it's probably sold out already.
Jan. 25: Saint Motel at the Observatory North Park. LA-based band that dabbles in dream-pop or indie-prog.
Jan. 26: The Shivas, Lefties and Blacks Beach Boys at the Soda Bar. The Shivas are from Portland and they rock, they feel it's their duty to entertain. And two local bands opening up that bring the rock as well.
Jan. 27: Riff Raff at Brick By Brick. He's got a grill, he's from Houston and he's a rapper signed to Mad Decent. He's also very colorful...
Jan. 28: King Princess at the Observatory North Park. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who performs atmospheric pop.
Jan. 29: Tower of Power at the Belly Up. It's horn-driven funk rock and these guys are legendary, forming in the '70s and still going strong.
Jan. 30: The Toasters and Mustard Plug at the Casbah. Pick it up, it's ska! Do you skank?
Jan. 31: Wolf Parade and Land Of Talk at the Belly Up. Two Canadian bands, so wear your Canadian Tuxedo and you will fit right in. Canada knows how to do indie rock.
Thanks for reading, your time and support! And if we haven't met, I hope to see you at the next SoundDiego LIVE...
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. He also books local acts at the Casbah and the Merrow. Follow him on Twitter @thelocalpyle.
