Arts & Entertainment
East County Nightlife: Cover Bands and Original Bands and Folk Bands, Oh My!
Your Patch guide to East County Nightlife, June 23-26.
East County is blessed with an overabundance of many things: deliciously “quaint” taco shops (tip: the less employees that speak English, the better your burrito will taste), wide-open spaces for exploring nature (unless there’s a bunch of out-of-state tourists there, in which case—blarg), and choices for live music. It seems as if every bar and club—no matter how “divey” or sleekly corporate—offers some local band or unsigned touring group the chance to shine on the stage, and on any given weekend night, virtually all musical genres are represented at one venue or another.
This weekend in particular is bursting at the seams with live music options, but if you’d rather laugh your tushie off at/with a professional comedian or dive into a big ol’ plate of barbecue or step back into time during a pre-war film screening, then there’s something for you, too.
In fact, why don’t you make a “classic East County” day of it—go for a leisurely hike, wolf down some amazing Mexican, and take in a little show at one of the venues mentioned below. And if you happen upon one of those Arizona-plated cars taking their sweet time on the freeway, try to keep your road rage in check; remember, they aren’t as blessed as us—they have to travel hundreds of miles for a decent burrito.
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THURSDAY
THE DANIELLE TUCKER BAND
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Where/when: Park Center Drive and Riverwalk Drive, Santee, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Why Go: No, the Danielle Tucker Band is not the love child of the famous Marshall Tucker Band and some cute Southern groupies, but the two are kindred spirits when it comes to musical roots in the American South. Come enjoy Danielle’s big country voice in the fresh outdoor amphitheater air during .
Price: Free.
Where/when: La Mesa Car Show, La Mesa Blvd., 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Why Go: New Guitar—$500. Gas for the gig van—$3.89/gallon. Being embraced by a whole new crowd of potential fans—priceless. Come support local Santee band Silvermine as they perform crowd-pleasing favorites from the 1960s-1990s at the .
Price: Free.
FRIDAY
UPSTREAM
Where/when: West Main Street and North Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Why Go: Regardless of what dorm room walls tell you, there’s more to reggae than Bob Marley, just like there’s more to calypso than Harry Belafonte—Upstream will perform a tropical mix of the two related genres during El Cajon’s series.
Price: Free.
Where/when: Sycuan Casino & Resort, 3007 Dehesa Road, El Cajon, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.
Why Go: Live music and finger-licking barbecue—two great tastes that taste great together. Check out La Mesa resident Patrick Ellis (the BlueFrog) and his band as they perform a delightful stew of swing, boogie, funk, rock and roll, and blues at Sycuan’s outdoor venue.
Price: No cover.
CALIBER
Where/when: Viejas Casino, V Lounge, 5000 Willows Rd., Alpine, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday.
Why Go: When the jingle-jangle of sparkly slot machines and thick aroma of buffet steaks and crab legs become too much for you, take a break from gambling all your nickels away with some live dance rock, funk and reggae from Caliber at Viejas’ intimate V Lounge.
Price: Free.
SATURDAY
“THE BOYS AT WAR”
Where/when: Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3902 Kenwood Drive, Spring Valley, 7 p.m. Saturday.
Why Go: Can you believe that in the golden age of film, you got a cartoon, a newsreel, and a feature film all for less than whatever change is jingling around in your pocket or corner of your purse? Come relive that bargain experience with Laurel and Hardy enthusiasts Saps at Sea—for a meager donation, you’ll be treated to a rare World War II cartoon, two short films (with one featuring Buster Keaton), and the Laurel and Hardy feature film “Jitterbugs.”
Price: $6 donation.
Where/when: Main Tap Tavern, 518 E. Main St., El Cajon, 9 p.m. Saturday.
Why Go: Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it—just enjoy the local East County band’s unique rock/alternative originals, including songs with delightful titles like “Caterpillar Killers” and “Domestic Violins.” Plus, Main Tap has 24 beers on tap, many of them local brews.
Price: No cover.
RODNEY CARRINGTON
Where/when: Sycuan Casino, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon, 7 p.m. Saturday.
Why Go: You might have seen Rodney Carrington during the four seasons of his TV show “Rodney,” or maybe you know him from the Toby Keith film “Beer for My Horses” (or…maybe not). Either way, Carrington will showcase his own brand of blue-collar humor in East County this weekend, so saddle up if it strikes your fancy.
Price: $55-$65. 21 and up.
Where/when: Second Wind Santee, 8528 Magnolia Ave., Santee, 9 p.m. Saturday.
Why Go: While there are several classic rock cover bands playing in the general San Diego area, 5 Miles High aims to be the “best in Southern California.” See for yourself how they stack up at Second Wind Santee this weekend.
Price: $5 cover.
SUNDAY
Where/when: , 9550 Milden St., La Mesa, 6 p.m. Sunday.
Why Go: Latin American folk band Tinku is no stranger to San Diego—they’ve performed at the Zoo, Sea World, Old Town, and hundreds of other venues, playing authentic instruments and releasing five studio albums. Check them out during the in the park.
Price: Free.
