Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 23-Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Yesness | Lunar New Year Celebrations | Casbah Anniversary | Olive Krug | Transfer | Tank & The Bangas | Foghat | Lauren Mayberry | Haley Hendrickx |

January is always the month that the Casbah gets to celebrate its anniversary. We've done big things for the 10th and every subsequent 5 years, but now we're on 36 and while maybe not a whole month of ragers, there are a lot of great shows. Friday is being designated as the official anniversary, but Saturday with Transfer is gonna be pretty special, too. 

This has been a super weird week, TFG is back in office and the grift is on and people's lives are already being destroyed by his policies and we're being told not to believe what we see with our own eyes, and it's infuriating. But it's also gross because when we experience personal joy or triumphs or things worth celebrating or sharing, we feel like we have to preface with " I know things really suck in the world right now, but..." and we shouldn't feel that way. Find joy. Live your best life. Be grateful you live here. Celebrate the wins. Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum.

There's a lot going on this week -- I'll be at the SeaWorld Mardi Gras preview on Friday, going to Toby's San Diego Youth Sympony Concert on Saturday, maybe checking out Lunar New Year, and then trying to get to the Casbah for Transfer. On Sunday I'll be working for Tank and the Bangas, and I'm working on getting a photo pass for Lauren Mayberry on Wednesday. Gotta keep busy and keep the TV off as much as possible. 

Stay safe out there.

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 16-Wednesday, January 22, 2025: Brainiac | Futurebirds | Lee Fields | Phantogram | Bright Eyes | Flatten Manhattan | LA Fire Benefit | Lady Lamb | Alan Sparhawk | Ani DiFranco |

photo courtesy SPIN/Torrey Bailey

The start to 2025 has already been bonkers and it is kinda hard to wrap our heads around it. Human brains can only absorb so much trauma and we have natural defense mechanisms that help protect us. The fires, the whiplash of the incoming administration, the absurdity of TV pundits...it can all be a lot. A friend of mine told me about a free preview weekend of Apple+ a couple weeks ago, and quickly found myself bingeing Shrinking and finishing Ted Lasso with Toby, which we'd started back on season one. Then I found out my Roku had a three month preview, so then I got into The Morning Show (S1E6), and was literally on the episode about LA fires the night before the current LA fires started. So I've been watching TV to escape real life and then TV mirrors real life, all while attempting a Dry January! At least we still have the escape of music. This weekend I'll be at Bright Eyes and Lady Lamb, and probably the Casbah benefit on Sunday before Lady Lamb...still probably finding a way to cry my eyeballs out. 

I did want to share some news that SPIN is under new ownership, by Brandon Colt, who has been manager for the past 10 years, and Brandon Garva of drum n' bass collective SD Union. They've updated some light and sound but mostly seem to be bringing back the rave vibes with late nights and after-hours parties, with some nights going until 4am. If that's your scene, you should definitely give a revisit back to the historic Hancock Street venue. 

Stay safe out there.  

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: County District 1 Will Get Special Election | SeaWorld Fireworks Face Lawsuit, Averse Council Pres | Fires Ravage LA | Billionaires Kiss The Ring of TFG |

Lupe (L) and Amahle (R) at San Diego Zoo (1.14.25)

I'm sitting at the Zoo as I write this. I usually do these late at night, but tonight I'll be doing listings and Wednesday night I'll be working for Satsang at Music Box. I was coasting during the holidays, but I forgot about the whiplash when everyone gets back to work and everyone decides that the first week of the year is a great time to announce new albums, new tours, and thus my email was bananas. So I'm trying to get this post up before diving into all the other things coming my way. 

It has been really hard, both in writing and in person, to be optimistic. When people ask how I'm doing, it's hard to be like everything is great personally, but TFG is about to be inaugurated, the billionaires are lining up to suck his dick, and the LA fires are a clear demonstration of what fucking crooks his party is all down the line. So like, I'm trying to find my joy, to be happy within my family and household, and also be completely terrified at the prospect of the next four years. Like we're just trying to keep our kid alive as he goes through the roughest time of his life. Trying to find hope and joy. It's all we can do. 

Stay safe out there.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 9-Wednesday, January 15, 2025: David Cross | Cruelties | Louis XIV | Lenny Zen | SATH | B-Side Players | Swingin' Utters | Sam Blasucci | The Wild Feathers |

This week I got a little ahead of my listings for once, and I'm so glad I did because the regular workload of show announcements and emails is picking up as the week goes along and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. The holidays sure were nice and relatively quiet for work, but it was all really just a pause and all the things stack up, still waiting when the vacation is all over and flooding the inbox this week. blech. 

Meanwhile, I'm watching those LA wildfires and it is pretty insane and I'm so heartbroken by the images we've seen on TV. A friend's dad lost his house that he's lived in for decades, along with everything in it, and I can't even imagine what that's like, especially when you're not out in the country or living in the wilderness, but right in urban developments that have stood for decades. 

Listings are up for this week, but keep an eye on shows and know that some tours may be affected by LA routing, so double-check your shows before you go.

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, January 3-Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Tell-Tale Hearts Tribute | Big Sandy | John McCain | Swive | Wars Away | Auz Fontaine | Bowie Birthday Bash |

I have been trying to be online as minimally as possible this week, so I'm just gonna present the listings through Wednesday and we'll be back on track with Thursday morning publishing. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, Hannukah, New Year's, etc., and dodged this stupid cold that is going around. 

Stay Safe out there.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, December 27, 2024-Thursday, January 2, 2025: The Cure Dance Party | Karl Denson | Schizophonics | Social D | Twin Ritual | Starcrawler | X |

I had a really great Christmas with my family but I'm still not quite feeling 100%, so I went back to urgent care, they said I'm more or less fine, gave me a 48-72 hour steroid to reduce inflammation. Apparently the stuff made me superhuman for a day, because I went to the zoo until about 7, did some shopping, then went to SeaWorld to take advantage of their late hours, then came home and did listings until 5am, just in time to post at 6am. So this is what you get. I'm not listing every bougie venue that is having a NYE thing, but obviously there are a lot, so I will find the more traditional events that should make the cut in these listings and get them added...but...the kid is in the Holiday Bowl Parade in a few hours and I'm not sure if we're expected to attend, watch the stream on TV (it's on TV, right?) or it doesn't matter either way and I still just need to get some sleep. 

I love you all. 2024 has been a real shitshow with too many deaths of friends we love, but some pretty beautiful memories and moments all mixed in. Then we had the fucked up election, so maybe we should really be living up these final days of the Biden Administration because I thought TFG was the worst of the worst, but apparently he finds the ones even worse than him to highlight just how fucked up he is and how fucked we will all be with this coming administration. But we'll have music. We'll have beauty. We have to find joy. 

Stay safe out there. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Merry Christmas. The headlines are mostly depressing, so maybe save them for another day.

Me & Darren Took A Hike at Silverwood Bird Preserve

Judging by the dates on this post, I've been holding onto it all month, so what better time than Christmas to post, while everyone in the house is asleep and I binge watch a new series on Peacock. I really wish that I could've gone to Exile on Kettner tonight, but even with the offer of a safe and sober ride, I've been feeling like crap since Thanksgiving, so while I'm out doing hikes and the Zoo and Seaworld and shopping and living life by day, when I've opted for cocktails or a night out, it just feels like the cold/bronchitis/pneumonia whatever I have relapses all over again and I'm sick of feeling like shit. i don't know how my sinuses can be all clear all day long and the second I get home just completely stuff up and my lungs get back to wheezy. So I feel like I made the responsible and wise decision to stay home even though I know I would've had a blast and seen so many friends. 

But it is Christmas and part of the feeling-like-shit-since-Thanksgiving means this holiday season just blew past me. While I do get all in the spirit when I'm at the Zoo or Seaworld or cruising neighborhood decorations, this year we skipped all the things. We didn't get a tree. I didn't even put out my tinsel and snowmen. I didn't do any Christmas shopping. My mom and my sister are getting small gifts from me, but only because they happened to be a product that I loved from Costco and thought I'd pick up for them because they were on sale. Darren, Toby, my nieces, my Godsister's incubating twins -- gifts just aren't my love language. But I do look forward to Christmas. I'm not sure if we're doing Christmas pajamas or Ugly Sweaters, but spending time with everyone while we pig out on snacks and charcuterie and desserts and skip the traditional dinner seems like a pretty perfect day to me. 

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. And happy all the other holidays that are celebrated this time of year, too.  
Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, December 20-Thursday, December 26, 2024: Ziggy Shuffledust | Samantha Fish | El Vez | The Vandals | Social D | Crasher | Sara Petite| Marujah | Exile on Kettner Blvd |

 

Sorry about the delay for listings, but I needed some time to process, to sleep, to grieve, to understand that sometimes a thing can be a trigger to a whole bunch of other things and I kinda needed to let all that stuff work out without working. On Thursday, a friend and I went to SeaWorld and had the best time enjoying the lights and walking around and just how empty it was. We saw Chance, the baby dolphin rescue and one of his care specialists talked to us for awhile about him, so it was like an extra behind-the-scenes, plus we saw one of the sloths active, watched the Orca Encounter with 59-year-old Orca Corky featured, and then spent a bunch of time with the belugas and walruses, who were especially playful. So consider it animal therapy. 

Anyway, I decided to do the listings through Thursday because the NYE listings always take an extra long amount of time, so those will come next week. There's a ton of great stuff going on leading up to Christmas, however I would still double check your favorite karaoke/trivia/DJ nights because some of those maybe weren't updated on calendars and still appeared even if they may or may not be happening around the holidays. Also, at the time I'm finishing these listings, there are SEVEN tickets left for Ziggy Shuffledust, so get them or the night will be sold out. El Vez has a little more, but after the Casbah newsletter goes out, those could be gone, too. And lastly, it has been super foggy at night around here. You should definitely get out on the town and party, but if you're drinking, don't be driving. 
Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 19, 2024: Digable Planets & The Pharcyde | Faetooth | Dumbo Gets Mad | Too $hort | Gilbert Castellanos |

I should've done listings earlier this week, but I didn't and then a super fun Tuesday night happened at the Casbah, which made for a rough Wednesday. And then in the afternoon I got some horrible news that one of my favorite monkeys at the zoo died suddenly and I just haven't been able to get my shit together over it. So that said, I'm just gonna post Thursday listings and hopefully I can get the rest through Christmas done when I've had a minute to process it. I will say that the Friday Ziggy Shuffledust and Saturday El Vez shows at the Casbah are almost sold out, so if you're hoping to go to either, get your tickets in advance while you still can. 

Thursday, December 19, 2024:

• Digable Planets • The Pharcyde @ The Sound
• Faetooth, Home View, Blossom @ Casbah
• Dumbo Gets Mad, Spacehall Sound Machine @ Soda Bar
• sullvn and Friends, Sydney Quiseng | CAF Holiday Fundraiser @ Belly Up
• Too $hort, DJ Symphony, Soul Spittaz @ Music Box
• Gilbert Castellanos & The New Latin Jazz Sextet @ Lou Lou's Jungle Room, Lafayette Hotel (Supperclub Event | 21+| Doors 6pm )
• F+, Pinkeye, Luke Cottrell, Waldo Oswaldo @ Ken Club
• Spar Customs & Pour House present Thursday Scene: A Holiday Show Food Drive with Adam Lopez Band, TK & the Deadliest @ Pour House 
• Beach Bums, Sweatcult, Loverboyrando @ Voodoo Room, House of Blues
• Kat Shoemaker Presents: A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi & Christmas Classics @ The Jazz Lounge
• Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2024 feat. Jonathan Butler, Vincent Ingala, Adam Hawley, Rebecca Jade @ Balboa Theatre
• Hot and Nasty Dance Party @ Whistle Sop
• Open Decks @ EQ 
• Sanford Street @ Winston's 
• Stellita w/ Special Guests @ Humphrey's Backstage Live
• Travesura, Axxident, Kenny Hill @ Tower Bar
• North County Players presents Hope Springs, Eternal @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido
• Slappin’ Hands with Ric Scales @ Til-Two Club
• Shedrock @ Aquarius Bar & Grille Acoustic Sunsets @ Cannonball, Belmont Park
• Gino And The Lone Gun Men @ Tio Leo's
• City Lights: An Immersive Journey Through Light & Sound @ Quartyard
• Jingle Terrace Live 2024: SoCal Holiday Splash @ The Moonlight Amphitheatre (Free | All Ages | 5:30-8:30pm)
• The Nutcracker: Golden State Ballet @ Civic Theatre
• Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! @ The Old Globe 
• A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Told by Jefferson Mays @ The Old Globe 
• A Christmas Carol @ Cygnet Theatre
• The Golden Gays @ Diversionary Theatre
• R.E.S.P.E.C.T.F.U.L.L.Y. Christmas @ Lambs Players at Coronado Resident Theatre
• Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play @ New Village Arts 
• Voctave – It Feels Like Christmas @ Jacobs Music Center/Symphony Hall
• Holiday Market at Petco Park @ Gallagher Park, Petco Park
• Frosty Facts: Holiday Trivia @ WNDR Museum
• Park & Rexmas @ Park & Rec
• Victoria Robertson @ Le Fontainebleau Room, Westgate Hotel
• Aztec Open Mic @ Aztec Brewing Company, Vista
• Open Jam with Jeff Ousley @ Navajo Live
• Karaoke @ Luau Bar
• Karaoke @ 710 Beach Club
• Customer Appreciation Ugly Sweater Holiday Party @ Moonshine Beach
• 4EverFrat: Holiday Edition @ Spin

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 12-Wednesday, December 18, 2024: Tall Heights | The Bronx | Mariachi El Bronx | A Foolish Casbah Christmas | Ride |

Listings are done and I'm trying to go to a show and since I'm finally healthy again, why not mess it all up by putting poison into my body?? I've got a couple posts in the works and a couple things to add to these listings, but for now, you get what you get. 

Stay safe out there.