Having spent a majority of my formative musical years in the city of Los Angeles (by birth, mind you; not choice), I neither realized nor appreciated the vast musical landscape that lay before me until I escaped the smog-choked, traffic-jammed hellhole for greener pastures.

The first such fruitful plains were those of Santa Barbara; home to personal musical influences the likes of Lagwagon, The Ataris and The Mad Caddies. Of course, less personally-influential bands/musicians included Sugarcult, Dishwalla, Toad the Wet Sprocket and even Jack Johnson. But no matter how often I ventured out into the Santa Barbara nightlife (which is inherently oxymoronic), the venues had nothing on my L.A. haunts of The Whiskey, the Roxy or the Palladium. They simply didn’t have the cojones or credentials.

So, after frequenting every venue and gracing any and all stages in SB and beyond with my drumming presence, I persisted in my search for a music scene I could yet again call home. 

Venturing southward, I landed in this here town and have yet to look back (although I am gazing up towards the City by the Bay). And while I was skeptical of the San Diego music scene for a spell, I kept me ears open and managed to find ample aural fixation. I highly recommend you do the same… 

You’re pissed you missed: The Gaslight Anthem at the House of Blues on Wednesday, Sept. 16. 

I have been raving about this Jersey-based foursome for the past month or so, and my first experience seeing them live transcended any and all expectations I had of the band. I’d label the show itself as one of the top ten concerts I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing; not to mention the sound was probably cleaner and more dialed-in than the past hundred shows I’ve attended at the H.O.B. (pictured main)

Joey Cape returned to the Casbah on Sunday, Sept. 20, for a not-so-solo acoustic gig. (pictured left) He was joined by fellow friends and musicians Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River, Armchair Martian) and Chad Rex. As was to be expected, he treated the crowd to an array of Lagwagon songs spanning the course of the band’s career, in addition to a track or two from his solo project. The highlight of the night was having the opportunity to chat (albeit in a rather inebriated state) with the Capester after his set. I’ve admired the man’s writing ability since I discovered Lagwagon back in high school, so being able to finally meet and speak with an artist so singlehandedly responsibly for my own musical career was a moment I’ll not soon forget.

Then, of course, it was Flogging Molly at the House of Blues on Monday, Sept. 21 (yeah, it was a busy week to say the least). I had a ticket to the show; however, work obligations prevented me from attending. Thus, the roommate and photography partner (Mr. Devin Kiyoshi White) happily offered my let’s-get-drunk-and-dance-a-jig pass to a mutual friend. The two returned home from said show with shit-eating grins plastered to their faces and a not-so-subtle hint of whiskey on their breaths. I didn’t even need to ask how the show was… 

Do yourself a favor: And check out a little NorCal band by the name of The Limousines, who just so happen to be making a rather substantial name for themselves as of late. 

Front man Eric Victorino left his band Strata (also another group of musicians worth more than a mere listen) a few years back to pursue his writing and other musical endeavors; one of which happened to be The Limousines. The project initially began as a fun collaboration with friends and fellow musicians from the bay area, but after playing a handful of shows, the group established a rather staunch following. 

The Limousines have been whittled down to Victorino on vocals, and Gio (I couldn’t find his last name for the life of me.) manning the beats. Most of the material on their MySpace page is demo-quality, however, “Very Busy People” has essentially been released as their first single, and has been receiving massive air time on Alt Nation (Sirius 21/XM 47). 

Think Death Cab with a more poppy/electronic vibe… 

And on the one’s and two’s: San Diego’s DJ scene showed no signs of slowing even with summer now officially over (thank the Lord baby Jesus for those such as myself who happen to live in or around the beach): 

Invention Massive w/Wolfgang Gartner @ 4th & B, (9_4)
Felix Da Housecat @ Voyeur for Official Grand Opening Party, (9_4)
Bad Boy Bill @ Ivy’s Envy, (9_4)
Space Cowboy (Lady Gaga’s DJ) @ Stingaree, (9_4)
Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes @ On Broadway, (9_5)
The Twelves @ Voyeur, (9_5)
Pittsburgh Slim @ Bar West (9_6)
Thee Mike B & Them Jeans @ the Ivy, (9_6)
Lil’ Jon (live performance) @ Hard Rock’s 207, (9_6)
Chris Lake @ Wave House Sundaze, (9_6)
LA Riots @ Voyeur, (9_6)
MSTRKRFT @ Hard Rock’s Float, (9_7)
Steve Aoki @ Voyeur, (9_10)

See for yourself if our directory of San Diego party pics. 

LMFAO @ On Broadway, (9_12)
DON RIMINI @ Voyeur, (9_12)
Grey Ghost @ El Dorado, (9_12)
Dirt Nasty @ Bar West, (9_13)
Asher Roth @ Voyeur, (9_16)
Richard Vission & Static Revenger @ the Ivy, (9_18)
DJ Heather & Colette @ SPIN for OM Music’s 15-Year Anniversary Party, (9_18)
Paco Osuna @ Voyeur, (9_18)
Mickey Avalon @ On Broadway, (9_19)
FRANKMUSIK @ Voyeur, (9_19)
Dr. Hollywood (live performance) @ Hard Rock, (9_24)
Pete Moss @ The Office, (9_24)
Sebastian Leger @ the Ivy rooftop, (9_24)
Brent Bolthouse @ Voyeur, (9_30)

Hip happenings: The San Diego Festival of Beer hit downtown SD on Friday, Sept. 18; and while it wasn’t necessarily a music festival, there was indeed live aural stimulation courtesy of Len Rainey and the Midnight Players, Nightshift, 5 South Band, and the Hong Kong Cavaliers (featuring original members of Slightly Stoopid and Dubcat). View event pics. 

Making noise:
“Everybody Shake It,” Ralphi Rosario feat. Shawn Christopher
“Sexy Bitch,” David Guetta feat. Akon
“Celebration,” Madonna
“She Wolf,” Shakira
“Obsessed,” Mariah Carey (Jump Smokers remix)
“Paparazzi,” Lady Gaga
“Run This Town,” Jay-Z
“La La La,” LMFAO 

That’s about all you’re getting’ out of me this month folks. Until next time, keep on rockin’ in the free world…

Discover more in our San Diego nightlife blog.