This weekend I was down in San Diego for The San Diego Music Thing. SDMT is the half-way marker of the year for SXSW and in a sense it is a mini version of my favorite music conference. I love walking the streets of North Park hopping from venue to venue sampling artists both new (to me) as well as old favorites. Despite the ubiquitous sound issues and the frustrating scheduling conflicts, I’d call the weekend a success. I caught some of my favorite LA bands like Queen Caveat and NO, some great out of town bands including Austin’s Ume, Seattle’s Ben Union and San Francisco’s The Stone Foxes and, of course, fun SD bands such as Dr. Seahorse and The Howls. Good times!

Speaking of good times, plenty of opportunities for more this week. Here are my recommendations:

Monday: It’s a School Night at Bardot featuring Youngblood Hawke and a secret headliner (9pm)…FREE with RSVP http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/losangeles/
ALSO: Kitten FREE at Bootleg Bar (10:30)
ALSO: Pip Andrew, Lindsey Pavao, and Karla Davis at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: The Lonely Wild FREE at The Satellite (11pm)
ALSO: Airborne Toxic Event at The Troubadour (8pm)
ALSO: Monday in the Round at Room 5 featuring Jessie Payo, Dawn Thomas, Joel Eckels, and Derek Carter (9pm)

Tuesday: Great White Buffalo, Robinson, The Muddy Reds, and The Dead Ships at Central SAPC (8pm)
ALSO: Joe Firstman at 12 + Highland (8:30)
ALSO: Broken Anchor at Molly Malone’s (11pm)
ALSO: The Beach Boys at The Grammy Museum (8pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Piano Bar Sessions FREE at The Piano Bar (8pm)
ALSO: Western Scene FREE at The Federal Bar (9pm)

Weds: The Makepeace Brothers at WitZend (9pm)
ALSO: IO Echo and Band of Skulls at The Fonda Theatre (8:30)
ALSO: Buckcherry at House of Blues Anaheim (8pm)

Thursday: Keaton Simons and Jason Castro at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Howie Day and The Dahls at The Hotel Cafe (7, 9:30) Howie Day had to postpone his show due to illness
ALSO: Wires in the Walls at Silverlake Lounge (9pm)
ALSO: Irontom, The Burning of Rome, Franky Perez & The Truth at The Viper Room (8,9,11)

Friday: Joe Firstman at 12 + Highland (8pm)
ALSO: Jay Nash and Mindy Smith at McCabe’s (8pm)
ALSO: The Neighbourhood at The El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Forrest Day at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Wake Up Lucid and Infantree at Bootleg Bar (9:30, 10:15)
ALSO: Mind the Gap at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: King Washington at WitZend (10pm)

Saturday: Sondre Lerche at The Troubadour (8pm)
ALSO: Milo, White Buffalo, and Delta Rae at The El Rey (7pm)
ALSO: Bad Vic and the Good Intentions FREE at TRiP (9pm)
ALSO: Ben Gibbard at The Largo (8:30)
ALSO: Autumn Lights Festival in Pershing Square featuring Ruby Freidman Orchestra (6pm)
ALSO: TarFest at LaBrea Tar Pits featuring Makepeace Brothers and more (9pm)
ALSO: Epicenter at Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre featuring Beware the Darkness, Crash Kings, Dead Sara, Chevelle, Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and more (noon)

Sunday: Wicker, Versa Mesmer, Orgy and more at The Roxy (7:30)
ALSO: Grad Ole Echo featuring Brett Detar FREE at The Echo (5pm)

To Keep in Mind:
September 24th: Death of a Star, A House for Lions, Taylor Locke & The Roughs, and Orange Julius at Silverlake Lounge
September 26^th: Alanis Morissette at Fox Theater Pomona
September 26^th: The Killers at Fonda Theatre
September 27^th: Mary Chapin Carpenter and Sara Watkins at Club Nokia
September 28^th: William Elliot Whitmore at The Roxy
October 1st: Ed Sheeran at The Wiltern
October 1st: Safety Suit at The Roxy
October 2nd: Garbage at The Hollywood Palladium
October 2nd: The Lumineers at The Fonda Theatre
October 3^rd: Conor Oberst at Fox Theater Pomona
October 4th: The Milk Carton Kids at The Largo
October 4^th: Kimbra at Fonda Theatre
October 4^th-7^th: Culture Collide Festival
October 5^th: Dr. Dog at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
October 5^th: The Head and The Heart at The Wiltern
October 6^th: Ben Howard at The Fonda Theatre
October 6^th: Jason Mraz at The Wiltern
October 9^th: The Wallflowers and Everest at The Fonda Theatre
October 11th: Awolnation and Imagine Dragons at Club Nokia
October 16^th: Ellie Goulding at The Troubadour
October 16^th: First Aid Kit at The Fonda Theatre
October 19th: Tony Lucca at The Roxy
October 19th: Frightened Rabbit at The Troubadour
October 19^th: Allen Stone at The Music Box
October 20th: Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers at Saint Rocke
October 23^rd: Shiny Toy Guns at The Echoplex
October 24^th: The Darkness at Club Nokia
October 25^th: Bayside at Club Nokia
October 27^th: Queen Caveat at The Roxy
November 2nd: NEEDTOBREATHE at Fox Theater Pomona
November 3^rd: All American Rejects at The Wiltern
November 6th: Jens Lekman at Fonda Theatre
November 8^th: The Kin at The Roxy
November 9^th: Brandi Carlile at Orpheum Theater
November 11^th: Jack’s Mannequin at The El Rey
November 15^th: Blue October at House of Blues
November 16^th: Joshua Radin and A Fine Frenzy at The Wiltern
November 17^th: Milo Greene at The El Rey
November 20^th: The Postelles and Mayday Parade at House of Blues
November 20^th: Rachel Yamagata at The El Rey
December 8^th: Boyce Avenue at Club Nokia

~ Kristen

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