The end of summer usually marks the peak of San Diego’s concert season, and 2007 continues the trend with a world-class entertainment schedule. Every weekend of the month is filled with major events, offering music fans something for every taste. September will include such local institutions as ArtWalk by the Bay, Sessionfest, the San Diego Music Awards, Street Scene, the Adams Avenue Street Fair and the SDMA Acoustic Music Festival. Meanwhile Downtown’s clubs will also be overflowing with great shows, confirming the city’s growing reputation as one of the best places in North America to catch live music.
THE NEW CARS SEPT. 11
Although best known for his early ’70s pop hits, such as “Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw The Light,” Todd Rundgren has had an incredibly varied career. Currently a member of The New Cars, Rundgren stops in for a solo show at the House of Blues on Sept. 11. Starting out with mod-inspired mid-’60s combo The Nazz, he has graced the charts periodically ever since.
However, despite being a gifted tunesmith and musician, Rundgren’s biggest impact has been as a producer. His fingerprints can be found in the hits of dozens of groups including XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, Cheap Trick, Badfinger, Meatloaf and The Psychedelic Furs.
While Rundgren is not touring to promote a new album, the visit is in anticipation of the online release of his entire catalog of songs “” numbering over 2,000 recordings “” later this year. The show will likely include a smattering of new tracks, but it’s the 40 years of catalog that will be the draw and which have made Rundgren a legend.
ROCK THE CASBAH SEPT. 15
On Sept. 15, The Casbah will be the site of “The 25th Anniversary of Rock the Casbah,” a theme night featuring local artists performing songs by punk icons The Clash. A benefit for The San Diego Music Foundation, the show will include appearances from Manganista, Billy Midnight, Vision Of A Dying World, Crash Encore and Gadfly, but the night’s highlight will be the return of local heroes Rookie Card.
The power-pop-tinged indie rockers were on a de facto hiatus while frontman Adam Gimbel concentrated on side projects. The group’s love of publicity stunts has overshadowed their excellent live shows at times, but the group never fails to deliver a frantic, fast-paced and humorous show.
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS SEPT. 18
Is there a better pop band today than The New Pornographers? Appearing at the House of Blues on Sept. 18, the nine-piece group’s name attracts the initial attention, but the music on hand is some of the most upbeat and melodic, well-played tunes this side of a Paul McCartney – Brian Wilson collaboration. Their new album, “Challengers,” finds them still perfecting their songcraft and coming up with a dozen gems. Considered to be an indie-rock supergroup, the band includes A.C. Newman of Zumpano and chanteuse Neko Case in their ranks, but it’s their superb songs that will keep the crowd returning to their shows.
THE STEELY DAMNED SEPT. 29
It seems that these days citing an “anniversary” date as a reason for a concert has simply become a ploy to get more people to attend a given performance. One event that truly does deserve to be memorialized is the 30th anniversary of the release of Steely Dan’s evergreen album, “Aja.”
Considered to be soft rock by many, the band’s jazz inflected tunes set the tone for a whole wave of music to follow. While it would be too much to hope for a performance from the band that recorded the original music, on Sept. 29 Anthology will present tribute group The Steely Damned playing the album in its entirety as well as a selection of their other hits. The show will include audio re-creations of standards such as “Deacon Blues” and “Josie,” with the wonderful Anthology sound system a perfect way to catch every nuance.
RIDERS ON THE STORM SEPT. 29
California has produced few groups as iconic as The Doors. With frontman Jim Morrison long since deceased and drummer John Densmore opting to not take part in touring, the possibility of a Doors reunion is nonexistent. However, the other two members, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger, have assembled the next best thing, Riders on the Storm, appearing at 4th & B on Sept. 29. The five-piece group includes ex-Fuel frontman Brett Scallions on vocals and former Rod Stewart bassist Phil Chen. Taking their name from a Doors hit, the band concentrates on their best-known material, including “Touch Me” and “Light My Fire,” but also mixes in classic album cuts for die-hard fans. While the band is only a reasonable facsimile of the original, this show is still a rare chance to hear these evergreen tracks performed by their creators that shouldn’t be passed up.
THE LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS SEPT. 29
Anyone that enjoys their rock ‘n’ roll revved up, manic and sweaty will want to see The Legendary Shack Shakers at The Casbah on Sept. 29. Touring behind their fifth album, “Swampblood,” the band mixes punk and hillbilly sounds with polka, blues and country for an adrenaline-fused show. It’s worth the price of admission just to watch frontman J.D. Wilkes work a crowd, his “take no prisoners” attitude resulting in great crowd interaction. While Wilkes’ shirtless “Iggy Pop Meets David Byrne” antics draw the spotlight to the band, they have the songs and the chops to back it up. The Legendary Shack Shakers are a breath of fresh air compared to the antiseptic fodder that passes for major-label rock these days.