By Tim Pyles
4/11: Rihanna
Valley View Casino Center
valleyviewcasinocenter.com
Did you know she’s dating the guy who just punched Frank Ocean?! If that wasn’t enough to make you question Rihanna’s decision-making capabilities, check out her naughty/nudie pics @badgalriri on Instagram. You’re welcome.
4/1: Lindsey Stirling @ House of Blues, hob.com
Choreographed dance performances to violin.
4/2: Lotus @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Instrumental electronic jam band.
4/3: Dark Star Orchestra @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Cover band that recreates Grateful Dead shows.
4/4: A-Trak/GTA @ Voyeur, voyeursd.com
Canadian DJ and turntablist A-Trak owns Fool’s Gold Records; GTA’s got a hip-hop beat and tropical flavor.
4/4: Sammy Adams @ SOMA, somasandiego.com
A rapper from Boston, obvi!
4/4: Soul Asylum @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Alt-rock hit-makers from the ‘90s.
4/4: Cold Bank @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com
LA-based electro house DJs and producers.
4/5: Aaron Carter @ Ramona Mainstage, ramonamainstage.com
This guy’s brother* tried to ruin music in the ‘90s. (*He was in Backstreet Boys.)
4/5: Big Head Todd and The Monsters @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Rock and blues band that formed in ’86.
4/6: Los Lobos @ Pechanga Resort Casino, pechanga.com
East L.A. band with strong pride for their Latino heritage, perhaps best known for playing Ritchie Valens’ tunes in La Bamba.
4/6: American Aquarium @ The Griffin, thegriffinsd.com
Alt-country band that’s been touring for six years straight.
4/7: Dumpstaphunk @ The Griffin, thegriffinsd.com
Funk that’s not as trashy as it sounds.
4/7: Martin Solveig @ Voyeur, voyeursd.com
French electro house DJ and producer.
4/7: Tyler the Creator @ Porter’s Pub (UCSD), porterspub.com
Star of MTV’s Loiter Squad and member of hip-hop crew Odd Future.
4/7: Tracy Lawrence @ Sycuan Live & Up Close, sycuan.com
Country music singer/songwriter.
4/10: Kip Moore @ House of Blues, hob.com
Another country music singer/songwriter.
4/10: Merle Haggard @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Outlaw country legend.
4/11: Sak Noel @ Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, hardrockhotelsd.com
Electro, house and dub step.
4/11: Ben Howard @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
English singer/songwriter.
4/11: GWAR @ House of Blues, hob.com
Horror-themed metal outfit known for graphic stage shows heavy on the bodily fluids.
4/12: Sheryl Crow & Easton Corbin @ Pechanga Resort Casino, pechanga.com
Lance Armstrong co-conspirator and Easton Corbin.
4/12: The Expendables @ House of Blues, hob.com
Reggae rock from Santa Cruz.
4/14: MYNC @ Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, hardrockhotelsd.com
Tech-house (aka dance music).
4/14: The California Honeydrops @ The Griffin, thegriffinsd.com
Blues and R&B band that got its start playing in Oakland subway stations.
4/14: Lee Brice @ Sycuan Live & Up Close, sycuan.com
Country singer who hit No. 1 in 2012 with “A Woman Like You.”
4/14: Lucero @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Country, Memphis soul and so much more.
4/15: Foals @ Porter’s Pub, porterspub.com
English rock band known for alt-rock radio hit “Inhaler.”
4/16: Youth Lagoon @ The Irenic, ticketweb.com
Lo-fi dream pop from a kid born in S.D., but raised in Idaho. Poor guy...
4/16: Alt-J @ Casbah, casbahmusic.com
Also an Apple keyboard shortcut to make the all-important "?,” this British quartet rocks indie.
4/16: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Balboa Theater, sandiegotheatres.org
Australian actor/musician who creates post-punk and goth rock music and wrote the screenplay/score for the movie The Proposition
4/17: The Faint @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com
Electro dance punk band that was ahead of their time... and still is.
4/17: Alex Clare @ House of Blues, hob.com
The king of soul step.
4/17: Tegan and Sara @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, humphreysconcerts.com
Epic songwriting from twin sisters.
4/17: Dirtyphonics @ Voyeur, voyeursd.com
French band from Paris that mixes drum and base, electro and dub step.
4/17: Aesop Rock @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Poet, visual artist, producer and rapper.
4/18: Jochen Miller @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com
Dutch DJ whose real name, Jochen van der Steijn, is cooler than his moniker.
4/19: Pusha T @ Stingaree, stingsandiego.com
Member of hip-hop duo Clipse.
4/19: Senses Fail @ SOMA, somasandiego.com
Post-hardcore and screamo from a band that just passed the 10-year mark.
4/20: Beach Fossils @ The Irenic, sodabarmusic.com
The genres continue to grow; put this under “beach pop.”
4/20: A Day To Remember @ SOMA, somasandiego.com
Running the gamut from metalcore to pop punk.
4/20: Keyshia Cole @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, humphreysconcerts.com
Actress, producer and R&B singer.
4/21: Launch of Intervention Sundays with Cazzette and Norin & Rad @ Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, hardrockhotelsd.com
Work on that base tan with Swedish DJ duo Cazzette and Californian DJ duo Norin & Rad.
4/21: CHACHI @ 207 @ Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, 207sd.com
House music DJ and producer.
4/22: The Gaslight Anthem @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com
Heartland rock from Jersey.
4/23: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ House of Blues, hob.com
The dark, garage rock band, fresh off the release of Specter at the Feast.
4/25: TyDi @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com
Australian DJ and producer.
4/26: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ Sycuan Live & Up Close, sycuan.com
Swing band that harkens back to the glory days.
4/26: Blackberry Smoke @ The Griffin, thegriffinsd.com
Southern rock out of Atlanta.
4/26: Alkaline Trio @ House of Blues, hob.com
This punk band just released its ninth album, My Shame Is True.