Feb. 27
Soma, near Sports Arena
$16 advance
somasandiego.com

Photo by Pieter M Van Hattem

When Irvine rockers Young the Giant (YTG) learned that famed producer Joe Chiccarelli (U2, Beck, Elton John) would record their debut album, they knew they had to get their sh!t together.

“It was eye-opening, and we grew from it immensely,” says YTG’s lead-howler Sameer Gadhia, who cites Radiohead, Dr. Dre and The Walkmen as influences. You may be hard-pressed to hear Dre’s influence in YTG’s soaring rock-anthems, but the band’s tunes do float around in the moody guitar-hook territory that Radiohead perfected (and Coldplay diluted and popularized).

Last year, the band killed Lollapalooza and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; now they’re psyched for a promising 2012. “We have a big North American tour from February to April—by far the biggest shows we’ve ever headlined,” Gadhia tells PacificSD, enthused that most of their dates have already sold out. “It’s pretty nuts.” —TD

Photo by Carol Friedman

Bobby McFerrin

Feb. 22
Balboa Theatre, Downtown
$26-80
livenation.com

Bobby McFerrin is best known for his 1988 pop classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” which was hijacked by the elder President Bush during his White House run that year. McFerrin has collaborated with instrumental legends including Herbie Hancock and Yo-Yo Ma. In 1984, he released the first-ever vocals-only jazz record, The Voice, on which he sings and plays percussion by tapping beats on his chest.

An early-2011 Facebook post by singer-pianist Bruce Hornsby suggested that McFerrin was forming a vocal supergroup for debut this year, which would be remarkable were it not that the Grammy Award magnet (he’s got 10) and beatbox pioneer was a one-man super-band himself. —Ryan Hume

Gardens & Villa

Feb. 17
The Casbah, Little Italy
$10
casbahmusic.com

Photo by Luca Venter

It’s hard to look (and sound) cool while wailing on a flute in an indie rock band, but Santa Barbara pop luminaries Gardens & Villa manage to pull it off. Lead singer/flautist Chris Lynch dons a quiver of flutes, which he whips out like so many arrows during live jaunts. Exhibiting the youthful exuberance of off-center popsters Men at Work, MGMT and The Kinks, Gardens & Villa explore future-pop soundscapes oozing mainstream appeal. Given their recent booking by Coachella 2012, the band’s February 17 gig at The Casbah could be the last chance to catch them at a micro-venue before they blow up. —TD

Photo by Danny Clinch

Jake Shimabukuro

Feb. 15
Balboa Theatre, Downtown
$20-40
livenation.com

Jake Shimabukuro has a motto: “If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.” Better still would be if everyone could play the ukulele like Shimabukuro, whose finger-picking virtuosity is on par with the classic rock-guitar shredding of Jimi Hendrix. The Honolulu-born musician’s performance technique is a must-see/ must-hear for anyone who can appreciate rock, jazz, flamenco and island-style numbers flawlessly executed on a two-octave instrument. —TD

Other shows:

2/1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com
2/2: Storm Large @ Anthology, anthologysd.com
2/3: MuteMath @ 4th & B, 4thandbevents.com
2/4: Adam Ant @ 4th & B, 4thandbevents.com
2/7: Dr Dog/Purling Hiss @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/10: Young the Giant @ SOMA, somasandiego.com
2/11: Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/13: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/14: The Darcys @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/14: Love is in the Air: Sinatra Tribute @ Anthology, anthologysd.com
2/15: Jake Shimabukuro @ Balboa Theatre, livenation.com
2/15: Jimmy Cliff @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/16: The Fray @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/17: Gardens & Villa @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/19: G. Love & Special Sauce @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/22: Bobby McFerrin @ Balboa Theatre, livenation.com
2/23: Ra Ra Riot @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/25: Grimes @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com
2/26: Cursive @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/27-28: Ozomatli @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/29: Cloud Nothings @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

Nicki Minaj

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Feb. 14

Trinidad-born and Queens, New York-bred Nicki Minaj started writing raps at age 12, developing alter egos to help herself cope with the emotional challenges of a rough, impoverished childhood. While she may overdo the fantastical, Lil’ Kim-inspired aesthetic, Minaj is a gifted emcee with an otherworldly pop vision. In her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (to be released on Valentine’s Day as a follow-up to her sales record-breaking debut, Pink Friday) Minaj channels her alter ego Roman, a “little gay-boy” who favors motorcycles and violence. Kiss-kiss, vroom-vroom! —Tim Donnelly

Cranberries

Roses

Feb. 27

In the mid-1990s, The Cranberries dominated MTV and the alt-rock airwaves with “Zombie,” a single whose plaintive vocals managed to temporarily consume the American rock-conscious with the lyrics: “With their tanks and their bombs. And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head…” While lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s pipes can induce aural exhaustion at times, musically, The Cranberries certainly know their way around mournful pop hooks a la The Smiths. Roses, the band’s first release in more than a decade, is worth a listen if, come Valentine’s Day, you’re dateless, drinking heavily and dosing yourself with chocolates out of self-pity. —TD

Photo by Jess Baumung

TANNER ROSS

Straight outta South Jersey, DJ Tanner Ross is coming to Analog in the Gaslamp to mellow the masses with his melodic tribal beatsmithery. Ross grew up playing in bands ranging from funk to punk, but it was studying synthesizers at Berkeley College of Music that refocused his passion on lounged-out, hypnotic beats. Might want to visit a dispensary (while their doors are still open) and chillax before hitting this show.

LEE “SCRATCH” PERRY
WHEN: Dec. 9, 9 p.m.
WHERE: 4th&B
TICKETS: $25
INFO: 4thandbevents.com

“Legendary” falls short in describing reggae musician/producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, who helped define Bob Marley’s sound, pioneered the creation of dub music, recorded more than 40 albums, starred in Guinness commercials and a whole lot more, mon. Now 75, “Scratch” is reggae royalty—still riding high on irie vibes. Seeing his current live-show garb, a blend of blingy pimp and Jamaican robot, is reason enough to attend.

DAZZ BAND
WHEN: Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Anthology, Little Italy
TICKETS: $12
INFO: anthologysd.com

Hailing from an era of pure cocaine and rockin’ bellbottoms, Cleveland natives Dazz Band set the disco ball spinning into overdrive with their ’70s-born, bass-laden funk. The group’s in-the-pocket grooves are funkier than George Clinton’s week-old leftovers, and their classics like “Let It Whip” and “Shake Your Pants” will have all in attendance wishing Soul Train was still on TV.

The Growlers-Photo by Jack Coleman

THE GROWLERS
WHEN: Dec. 31, 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Casbah, Little Italy
TICKETS: $20-24
INFO: casbahmusic.com

Costa Mesa beach-goths The Growlers tour in an old veggie oil-powered school bus. They shoot music videos with VHS cameras, record albums on analog tape machines and probably shower monthly. A true neo-hippy commune, The Growlers create jangly surf rock that defies categorization—melding Dick Dale, The Doors and The Grateful Dead with random pinches of Middle Eastern flavor. Their mystique is so sexy, bizarre and liberating that it compels many female fans to do “The Swim” (a dance move that involves holding your nose and waving your hand while crouching in mock submergence).

CASBAH PRESENTS NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE LAFAYETTE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB
WHO: The Silent Comedy, Transfer, The Creepy Creeps, The Heavy Guilt, Hell on Heels Burlesque, Creepxotica, Low Volts and The Visual Underground
WHEN: Dec. 31, 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lafayette Hotel & Swim Club, North Park
TICKETS: $35-40, $169 combo (1 room for 4 + 2 tickets)
INFO: lafayettehotelsd.com/nye2012

Built in 1946, the timelessly hip Lafayette Hotel was once a hideaway for celebrities like Bob Hope, Ava Gardner and Betty Grable. This New Year’s Eve, the property becomes a local-rock mansion. Kick off the night with a poolside set by one-man blues wrecking machine Low Volts, then grab a whiskey and cruise over to the Lafayette Room—where folk-rockers The Heavy Guilt will share a stage with surf punks The Creepy Creeps. Anthemic alt-rockers Transfer will chase The Silent Comedy’s folk-stomp revival into 2012 and close the night.

The List:

12/1: Cass McCombs @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

12/1: DJ Donald Glaude @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com

12/2: Black Heart Procession @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

12/3: FM 94/9 Holiday Hootenanny @ Jenny Craig Pavilion USD, fm949sd.com

12/3: Tanner Ross @ Analog, lovelifeparty.com

12/3: Jason Mraz @ Belly Up, bellyup.com

12/5: Scout Niblett @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

12/7: The Sea and Cake @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

12/8: Tennis @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

12/9: Lee “Scratch” Perry @ 4th&B, 4thandbevents.com

12/10: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

12/10-11: 91X WreX the Halls @ Valley View Casino Center, valleyviewcasinocenter.com

12/11: Blind Boys of Alabama Xmas Show @ Belly Up, bellyup.com

12/13: Dinosaur Jr. w/Henry Rollins appearance @ Belly Up, bellyup.com

12/16: Cuckoo Chaos w/Jamuel Saxon @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

12/17: Chris Cornell @ Balboa Theatre, livenation.com

12/19: Pinback w/Ghetto Blaster @ Belly Up, bellyup.com

12/22: TV Girl @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

12/30: Greyboy Allstars @bellyup.com, bellyup.com

12/30: Dazz Band @ Anthology, anthologysd.com

12/31: El Ten Eleven @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

12/31: The Growlers @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

ARTIST

Guy-girl electronic rock duo Phantogram is the pairing of childhood pals Sarah Barthels and Josh Carter, who had no intention of pursuing careers in music. They just wanted to make music they wanted to hear. Lucky for us, they have impeccable taste.

Phantogram cites as influences an eclectic batch of artists and manages to channel elements from each into their latest brew, Nightlife: tasty sampling and blippy beat-triggering (Madlib), white noise-inspired soundscapes (Sonic Youth), glossy production (Missy Elliot, thanks to Timbaland) and celestially roomy guitar arpeggios (Pink Floyd).

Barthels’s airy vocals sound like what getting hit in the face by a feather pillow with a hole in it feels (and looks) like—an initial soft impact followed by a delicate explosion, climaxing in cinematic slo-mo bliss.

For fans of: Madlib, Caribou, Thievery Corporation
Standout tracks: “Don’t Move,” “Turning into Stone”
Goes well with: chairlifts, bedroom dancing, Friday traffic

ARTIST Justin Bieber
ALBUM Under the Mistletoe
SLUG Holiday Re-Gifting Pick
RATING 1 & 1/2 out of 5

It’s been a rough winter for Biebs. Between allegations of copulating with (or getting statutorily raped by) a fan, purportedly siring a baby Biebs and hitting puberty, let’s just say his holiday plate is full.

With past hits like “Baby,” Biebs sounded young and fem, but the hooks were so damn catchy even grown men were humming them in the shower. In Under the Mistletoe—his first release since his balls dropped—he sounds more adult, though weirdly enough, more gangsta. In the chorus of the album’s lead single, “Mistletoe,” he boasts, “Amma be under the mistletoe/with you/shawty with you.”

Get it, Biebs!

Still, you gotta give JB credit. “Mistletoe” is themed around ditching his family (and Baby Jesus) to swap spit with yet another zombie-groupie. Joking aside, there are some high points. His duet with Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas is You,” proves that despite adolescent vocal fluctuations, he can still sing his little chestnuts off.

For fans of: Justin Bieber
Standout tracks: “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Mistletoe”
Goes well with: other annoying Xmas albums, lines at Old Navy, bridge jumping

File-sharing has made the quest for finding new music an effortless, mindless and sometimes overwhelming task. You buy an iPod, your bestie dumps all “their” music on it and your current music taste forms around that cyclical process.

Elis & Tom (Elis Regina and Tom Jobim) is one album that you might not score through a friend file-swap (or if you’re lucky enough, you already did). Recorded in 1974, Elis & Tom is considered the most vital Bossa Nova (“New Trend” in the Brazilian jazz genre lexicon) album of all time. It’s a furry-sounding tropical-jazz recording that evokes feelings of love, loss, isolation, hip-swaying and palm trees.

Jobim’s silky jazz numbers, coupled with Regina’s glum-but-gorgeous vocal tone, represented a landmark shift in the ’70s jazz scene; now, it’s a timeless classic that could’ve been made just yesterday. Regina OD’d on a vicious cocktail of blow, booze, pills and depression in 1982, but her contribution to the contemporary Bossa Nova scene remains ever-relevant.

For fans of: Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Dinah Washington
Standout tracks: “Só Tinha de Ser com Você,” “Águas de Março”
Goes well with: Coitus, red wine, red wine-induced coitus

“New release to check out”
Artist Name: Wilco
Album Name: The Whole Love
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Leading up to the release date of their flagship masterpiece, Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, Wilco was suddenly dropped from their major label (the label claimed the album was an unmarketable flop). In a game-changing industry move, Wilco promptly posted the album for free on their website, and a tidal wave of critical buzz ensued. The band was subsequently re-signed, and Yankee Foxtrot Hotel landed the number-two spot on Rolling Stone’s “Best Albums of 2002” list.

Front man Jeff Tweedy got hooked on pills during that period, but cleaned up—and the band released a few lackluster albums (with the exception of Ghost is Born) that unfortunately strayed too far from their psych-tinged Americana roots. Luckily, The Whole Love is a back-to-form endeavor littered with catchy-as-hell melodies sheathed in weirdness, electronic spazz-outs, spider-webbed guitars and Tweedy’s penchant for “this song is pretty-sounding, but I’m deathly unhappy” lyrical stylings.

If they wanted to, Wilco could sell out a three-night stint at Madison Square Garden, all while never having a proper radio hit. But that immense fan base didn’t come easy—it was earned through great songwriting and hardship.

For fans of: The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Feist
Standout tracks: “Whole Love,” “I Might”
Goes well with: Denim, airport layovers, marine layer

Photo by Kenneth Cappello

Chris Brown — The F.A.M.E Tour (with T-Pain, Bow Wow, et al)
WHEN: Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Chula Vista
TICKETS: $38-$54
INFO: livenation.com

Rap/R&B mogul Chris Brown brutalized his Barbadian mega-star of an ex-girlfriend, Rihanna, in 2009, so he’s still one of the most loathed guys in America. But there’s no denying Brown knows his way around an infectious pop hook. His recent copping of three BET awards in early October proves he’s still got it… even after all that counseling.

Photo courtesy of artist

The Damned 35th Anniversary (with Manic Hispanic)
WHEN: Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: House of Blues, downtown
TICKETS: $25-$27.50
INFO:houseofblues.com

Legendary British Goth punks The Damned haunt the House of Blues Nov. 1. To commemorate the longevity of their prolifically ghoulish career, they’re playing a rare live set of their blistering 1977 punk and psych-punk album classics Damned, Damned, Damned and The Black Album. As if Halloween in SD weren’t freaky enough, The Damned are gonna try their damndest to make it freakier—and louder.

Photo courtesy of artist

Youth Lagoon
WHEN: Nov. 3, 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Casbah, Little Italy
TICKETS: $8-$10
INFO: casbahmusic.com

Twenty-two-year-old Trevor Smith (a.k.a. Youth Lagoon) posted his first song online in May. Since then, he has signed a two-album deal with acclaimed indie label Fat Possum and booked a national tour. Mixing vocals that sound like a boy trapped in a well with dreamy synth-hooks and muffled electronic beats, the Boise, Idaho, native crafts euphoric bedroom pop that is at once beautiful and evocative.

Photo by Ruvan Wijesooriya

Holy Ghost!
WHEN: Nov. 13, 10 p.m.
WHERE: Voyeur, Gaslamp
TICKETS: $15
INFO: voyeursd.com

The Brooklyn-based electro-duo Holy Ghost! likes them some ’80s jams. But while they borrow generously from that decade (via sampling, vintage synthesizers and pure nostalgia), they play it smart by taking cues from all the best (i.e., Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and The Cure). Holy Ghost’s disco-laced dance-pop is so sexy it will have hipsters and jarheads forming a conga line. Well, maybe not—but let’s just say Planned Parenthood will be getting a few extra calls the next morning.

Photo courtesy of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment LLC

BB King (with Walter Trout)
WHEN: Nov. 30, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Belly Up, Solana Beach
TICKETS: $99-$104
INFO: bellyup.com

B.B. King (“B.B.” stands for “blues boy”) has won nearly 20 Grammys, played on U2 albums, shared the stage with Eric Clapton—and he’s not stopping yet. The 86-year-old legend has been wailing the blues since the 1950s and still plays an average of 125 concerts a year. Sure, he shreds while seated, but Belly Up’s cozy, stadium-style seating allows all in attendance to see (as well as hear) why King has earned his name in this genre.

Photo by Mike Vorassi

Future Islands
WHEN: Nov. 19, 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Casbah, Little Italy
TICKETS: $12
INFO: casbahmusic.com

Baltimore-based post-wave band Future Islands brings its love-torn synth-pop to Casbah Nov 19. What makes this show a must-see/hear is the peak-and-valley vocal delivery of theatrically raspy front man Samuel T. Herring (who sounds like a duet of Meatloaf and count Dracula) rumbling over ’80s-out synthesizers and analog drum machines.

Photo by Brantley Gutierrez

Little Scream (with Bobby)
WHEN: Nov. 15, 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Soda Bar, North Park
TICKETS: $10
INFO: sodabarmusic.com

Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Laurel Sprengelmeyer (a.k.a. Little Scream) was raised in an “Addams Family meets 700 Club-style” home on the Mississippi River. And after a quick listen to her critically acclaimed debut album The Golden Record, it becomes apparent that those creepy childhood memories have seeped into her art. Little Scream’s songs range from gorgeous, hymn-like ballads to boisterously rocking gems. Backed by an all-star cast of musicians (she’s recorded with members of Arcade Fire), her live show is wonderfully weird and startling. Show opener Bobby is a quirky outfit that makes verdant indie rock that can be pretty spacey—but is often just pretty.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

Stephen Malkmus’ previous band, Pavement, might be the most influential indie rock band of all time. When Weezer played its first shows in LA, the band was frequently mistaken for Pavement, who invented the arty rock that Weezer copied, popified and brought to the masses.

Throughout Malkmus’ 11-year tenure with The Jicks (Pavement’s been defunct since 1999), he swapped the skittish lo-fi model that Pavement thrived on for jammier guitar-rock trickery. On Mirror Traffic, Malkmus’ most sundry solo effort to date, he opts for a mixed bag of flighty melodies, spastic rock jams and folky balladry. Thanks in part to Beck’s (another Pavement disciple) subtle production hand, Mirror Traffic conveys a sophistication that Malkmus’ previous outings lacked.

Those who caught Weezer’s show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds two months ago owe it to themselves to buy this album.

For fans of: Weezer, Nada Surf, Sonic Youth
Standout tracks: “No One Is (As I Are Be),” “Tigers”
Goes well with: Flannels, Vans, underachieving
See them live:  Oct. 20 at BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach, bellyup.com

Bobby
Self-titled
3 stars

Disclaimer: Bobby has zero band members that actually go by the name Bobby. Bizarro name aside, the Massachusetts collective (with seven members) make sonically fertile space-rock that’s hard not to like.

The majority of songs on the band’s self-titled release—some surpassing the seven-minute mark—go from really pretty to downright serene. Standout track “It’s Dead Outside” is the aural equivalent of slipping into a Snuggie: it’s furry, warm and strange. And while the majority of Bobby relies heavily on milky textures, a few tracks, like “Sore Spores,” cut through with a marriage of creepy synth hooks, bouncy acoustic guitars and quirky percussion reminiscent of early Modest Mouse.

Bobby lets their dense arrangements breath by utilizing sparse vocals that are more functional than indulgent.

For fans of: Pixies, Pinback, Bjork, Broken Social Scene
Standout tracks: “Sore Spores,” “It’s Dead Outside”
Goes well with: Leisurely bike rides, napping, spooning

Zee Avi
Ghostbird
2  stars

Zee Avi’s whirlwind rise to fame is the quintessential Youtube fairy tale. She posted a video, her friends told her to post more, and soon thereafter, Avi was signed to Brushfire Records (partly owned by Jack Johnson).

The 25-year-old Malaysia-born singer-songwriter makes tropical folk that borders on cutesy (she sings about honey bees), while still managing to strike a nerve with lucid tales of heartbreak and despair. That said, Avi’s newest release, Ghostbird, should be consumed in minute doses. Just as Jack Johnson’s sing-songy nursery rhymes can become redundant and flat-out annoying, longer stints of Avi’s Ukulele-infused pop can do the same.

But for now, Ghostbird is a major step toward maturation for Avi.  Her experimentation with country (“31 days”), afro-pop (“The Book of Morris Johnson”), jazzy (“Madness”) and waltzy (“Anchor”) rhythms represent a tasteful shift in artistic direction that will likely set her up for a long and prosperous career.

For fans of: Cat Power, Regina Spektor, Billy Holiday
Standout tracks: “Anchor,” “The Book of Morris Johnson”
Goes well with: Post-breakup sulking, bonfires, chick-flicks based in Hawaii

No way the world’s sickest and most intense stage show of the moment—that of superstar electro/house DJ deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”)—was going to be contained by San Diego’s 2,600-person-capacity concert venue, SOMA.

After much head-scratching over the venue choice, it was announced that Toronto’s Joel Zimmerman (aka deadmau5) had in fact pushed his San Diego gig back two days (to Friday, October 28), and way up in capacity, relocating to Petco Park—for an under-the-stars, pre-Halloween extravaganza in downtown San Diego.

Named after his pet cat, Professor Meowingtons, deadmau5’s Meowingtons Hax tour debuted in August during Chicago’s Lallapalooza show, leading festival-goers on a mouse-in-a-maze sensory roller coaster ride. Expect a colossal kitty of LED trickery from the artist’s Q*Bert video-game-inspired stage show, pulsing and strobe-flashing to deadmau5’s catalogue of killin’ club hits.

Though there are sure to be costumed “deadmau5 heads” in the house, the DJ’s own trademark mouse helmet—which acts like a video monitor, lighting up a lyric-mouthing mouse face—is sure to command the most attention.

The evening, which includes a set by deadmau5 label artist and Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee (with DJ Aero), features new mixes of deadmau5 hits including “I Remember,” “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” and “Raise Your Weapons,” and vocals by SOFI (“Sofi Needs a Ladder”). Swedish DJ/producer and Beatport chart-topper Avicii  (“Seek Bromance”) makes his only tour appearance in San Diego at the event.

—Pat Sherman (Photos by Drew Ressler)

The Meowingtons Hax stage show

Dum Dum Girls with Crocodiles

Saviours with Weedeater
WHEN: Oct. 1, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Soda Bar, North Park
TICKETS: $15
INFO: sodabarmusic.com
According to their Myspace profile, Oakland-based stoner metal band, Saviors, are interested in “Metal, Hard Rock, Punk, Drugs, Booze and the people who enjoy these things.” But these dudes plays like they’re anything but stoned, making speed metal sound like jazz. Show closers Weedeater are no slouches, either. The sludge-metal outfit’s lead singer blew off his big toe with a shotgun and probably enjoyed it. Buy earplugs for the show and a cervical collar for the post-show, head-banging-induced neck trauma.
—Tim Donnelly

The Rapture
WHEN: Oct. 4, 9 p.m.
WHERE: BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach
TICKETS: $18- $20
INFO: bellyup.com
These NYC-based electro punks are credited with pioneering the art of mixing disco beats and post-punk guitar riffage. They’re touring in support of their latest output, In the Grace of Your Love, which is chock full of funk’d out numbers sure to incite a dance riot. —Tim Donnelly

Chad Vangaalen with Gary War and Roll Film
WHEN: Oct. 10, 9 p.m.
VENUE: Soda Bar, North Park
TICKETS: $10
INFO: sodabarmusic.com
This handsome Canadian recluse and freakishly talented DIY purist rewires his own keyboards, plays and records all the instruments on his albums and animates the creepiest music videos—ever. He rarely pokes his head out of the snowy foxhole of a recording space he calls home in Canada, so this folk-rock spectacle should be a rare treat. —Tim Donnelly

EMA with Misspent Warhead Premise
WHEN: Oct. 14, 8:30 p.m.
VENUE: Casbah, Little Italy
TICKETS: $10
INFO: casbahmusic.com
Super hip and very hot indie rock chick, EMA (aka Erika M. Anderson) nearly gave up music before she came back to release what many consider one of the best albums of 2011, Past Life Martyred Saints. There’s a lot going on sonically in the music of this searing guitarist and ex-Gowns frontwoman, who seems to conjure the ghosts of both Lou Reed and a Broken English-era Marianne Faithfull. —Randy West

Katie Herzig with Butterfly Boucher
WHEN: Oct. 12, 9 p.m.
WHERE: The Casbah, Little Italy
TICKETS: $10 advance, $12 at the door
INFO: casbahmusic.com, katieherzig.com
Colorado singer-songwriter Katie Herzig hopes to prove she’s more than a poster child for folk music. The Grammy-nominated banjo strummer/multi-instrumentalist cut her teeth on folk and bluegrass in college. Since then, her more pop-centric solo tunes have been used in film and TV scores, from Grey’s Anatomy to Smallville. When asked to create a song for the second Sex and the City film (to replace contributions from Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas), Herzig knew she had to evolve. “I mean, that was Fergie,” she says. “I wasn’t going to sit down and pick up my acoustic guitar and try and replace that.” Herzig saved some of those new ideas for her fifth studio album, The Waking Sleep, a richly textured mix of electronic beats, digital flourishes and stringed orchestration.
—Christine Pasalo

Billy Idol
WHEN: Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, Point Loma
TICKETS: $78
INFO: humphreysconcerts.com
Expect gems ranging from Idol’s days with 1970s British punk band, Generation X, to his reign as an MTV music video icon to a few tunes from his forthcoming album, Keep Out of Reach of Children. The snarling comeback kid, who introduced himself to a whole new generation in The Wedding Singer, is sure to dust off “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell” and other faves. Longtime guitarist Steve Stevens adds shredability.
—Ben Farquhar

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
WHEN: Oct. 20, 9 p.m.
WHERE: BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach
TICKETS: $18-$20
INFO: bellyup.com
Stephen Malkmus (frontman of seminal indie rock legends, Pavement) is indie royalty in his own right with his kickass band, the Jicks. Expect to hear brand spankin’ new tracks from their latest, Mirror Traffic, that’s currently riding a well-deserved tidal wave of critical praise (See a review of Mirror Traffic in this month’s Sound Advice column).
—Tim Donnelly

Trentemøller
WHEN: Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
WHERE: BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach
TICKETS: $18-$20
INFO: bellyup.com
This Danish wiz of an electronic producer is in a league of his own, backing up his dubbed-out techno sound with a live band, causing concertgoers to absolutely lose it. Trentemøller’s latest album, Great White Yonder, takes audiences on dark detour. This is a gigantic booking for the BellyUp and should sell out quick.  —Randy West

DJ Joseph “Headshake” Maldonado commands the crowd during Dub Dorado nights at El Dorado Cocktail Lounge in East Village. (Photo by Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan)

By Pat Sherman

Joseph “Headshake” Maldonado’s love of electronic music began when he was 12 and would sneak out of the house late at night to hit raves and warehouse parties with older friends.  Back then, he shook his head to the sounds of DJ Dieselboy, Cassius and The Prodigy.

More than a decade later, Maldonado’s still boppin’ his brain bucket to electro and bass-heavy beats as a ringleader of the local dubstep scene—energizing the El Dorado Cocktail Lounge’s Dub Dorado nights, held the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

“It’s a performance,” Maldonado says of his cranially animated sets. “The whole ‘Headshake’ thing is simply what I do. I basically get fu#king crazy, so that everyone can get crazy with me. I’m deeply connected with every single track I play.”

From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Maldonado is joined by DJs Corey Biggs and Austin Speed to deliver the best of bass-heavy (up to eight additional booming bass cabinets are brought in for Dub Dorado nights), low-end dance music—from Kastle to the tribal house of Canblaster.

“The beat is really slow, to where you can really nod your head and get into it,” Maldonado says. “When you feel bass just roaring, it almost feels like it’s inside of you. It definitely can get people partying.”
planetheadshake.com, facebook.com/djheadshake, eldoradobar.com

Joseph Maldonado (a.k.a. DJ Headshake)
Age: 26
’Hood: Golden Hill
Hubs: El Dorado, Voyeur, Kava Lounge, “crazy, outdoor desert parties”
First Car: 1999 Ford F-150 truck
Current Car: 2003 Nissan 350Z
Dream Car: Audi R8

DJ Headshake at the House of Blues San Diego. (Photo by Jeff "Turbo" Corrigan)