San Diego Music Is Fine: What to see in October
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Summer music season might be over, but the live music calendar in San Diego isn't cooling down at all.
Why it matters: Live music is good for your soul.
Here's a sampling of some standout shows coming through town this month, so you can grab tickets or make arrangements now before they sneak up on you:
Oct. 7 – Surefire Soul Ensemble at Casbah. Of course you like funk — especially on a Saturday night from one of San Diego's best live bands.
Oct. 11 – M83 at The Sound. One of the best indie acts of the 2010s is breaking in San Diego's newest venue. Old favorite at a new spot? Yes.
Oct. 13 – Nickel Creek at the Rady Shell. The San Diego-bred Grammy winners' acoustic tunes are a little poppy, a little bluegrassy and a perfect fit for the waterfront venue.
Oct. 20 – Los Shadows at Soda Bar. This National City band's psychedelic cumbia with a taste of surf rock hooked me right away at the Casbah last month. Get in on this Friday night show.
Oct. 26 – Deer Tick at Belly Up. Get there early enough to see the Country Westerns' opening set — they're sorta punk, sorta country, and a lot of classic rock. It's fun.
Oct. 27 – Karina Rykman at Winston's. Rykman made her bones as a hard-working bassist in the jam scene, but her debut album shows off her wide-ranging tastes and indie-friendly vocals.
Oct. 27 – Geese at Voodoo Room House of Blues. Geese collected Strokes comparisons initially, then remade themselves as a pseudo jam band that seems to be having way more fun.
Oct. 29 – Ratboys at The Loft @ UCSD. Bad news first: It's a Sunday night show. Deal with it — Ratboys' heartland rock meets '90s fuzz has come together for one of the best albums of 2023.