- San Diego Beatles Fair update! The 21st edition of the Fab Four themed event, will take place on April 4 & 5 at the Deanza Springs Resort. Multiple activities will be available including a fashion show, trivia contest and kids area, plus plenty of music is planned for the event, with Britian’s Finest, The Revolution Band, Oasiz, Fred Benedetti, Ashley Norton & Friends, That Beatles Band, The Femme Four, The Surf Birdz, Come Together, True Stories, and Mercedes Moore’s Tribute To Chuck Berry amongst the artists scheduled so far. https://beatlesfair.com
- The 2026 San Diego Music Awards nominees will be announced on February 23, 2026, live on stage at the Music Box! It’s a free event – just RSVP at the SDMA website. Lucky attendees will enjoy live performances from Alex Bergan, Patch & Maggi, Cheyenne Benton, The Bastards (with baseball legend Tim Flannery, Jeff Berkley & Shawn Rohlf) and Matthew Phillips! Meanwhile, The 35th Annual San Diego Music Awards will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at Humphreys by the Bay. Advance tickets for that event go on sale February 25 at Noon. www.sandiegomusicawards.com
- This year’s Beach Life Festival takes place May 01 – 03 in Redondo Beach, and the lineup features several San Diego based performers. In addition to sets from Duran Duran, The Offspring, Joan Jett, Sheryl Crow and James Taylor, lucky fest goers will also get to hear Slightly Stoopid, Switchfoot and The Schizophonics.
- The annual Festival of Beers is set for April 4, on El Cajon Blvd. in front of the Lafayette Hotel, with music from Louis XIV and The Film Company. A portion of the proceeds from the North Park Festival of Beers are donated to the San Diego Music Foundation, to fund the Taylor Guitars in Schools program.
- Beginning this month, rockabilly guitarist Buzz Campbell (Hot Rod Lincoln / Lee Rocker) will host a new residency at Tio Leo’s, Western Wednesday’s. Music will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with Campbell opening up for both local and national acts including The Screamin Rebel Angels (Jan. 21), Mitch Polzak (Feb. 4) and the American Patrol All-Stars (Feb. 11) www.Sparcustoms.com
- Out March 30, George Harrison’s 1992 album, Live in Japan, is being reissued on vinyl and CD by Dark Horse Records. The San Diego connection comes via legendary bassist Nathan East, who as part of Eric Clapton’s band, backs Harrison on the album’s 19 songs. Clapton himself is signed to Encinitas based Surfdog Records.
- Iconic Los Angeles based combo The Long Ryders new album, High Noon Hymns features a cover photo shot in San Diego’s North County by Henry Diltz. The album was produced by Poway resident Ed Stasium.
- On December 18, 2025 Slack Key ‘Ohana’s frontman Brian Witkin jammed onstage with ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, celebrating Gibbon’s birthday alongside other music notables including legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff, guitarists Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Orianthi, as well as Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg (trombone) and Mark Pender (trumpet) of the Miami Horns. Notably Gibbon’s is also featured on Slack Key ‘Ohana’s studio album, Hawaiian Cowboy. Meanwhile, Witkin recently released his solo debut single, “Dreamer,” via Pacific Records.
- Switchfoot performs at the annual Rockville festival on May 9, 2026 in Daytona, Florida. Cattle Decapitation will also be performing. Meanwhile in related news Switchfoot has a new release, The Backstage EP, while their annual Bro-AM will take place on June 11 & 13, 2026. Finally for this news roundup, look for Switchfoot to hit thr road through Summer 2026 on a bill with Fuel and Lit, wrapping up September 6 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
- Singer Leonard Patton will be joining legendary guitarist Pat Metheny on tour this Spring. The tour opens on March 02 in Jackson, MS, wrapping up on May 09 in Chandler, AZ, with a homecoming date schedule for San Diego on May 08 at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay.
- Jonny Tarr’s upcoming album, Fellowship, is going to be an all-star project. “It is my thank you letter to San Diego,” said Tarr. The album will feature guest vocalists. “I had a load of demos done and I just thought I would do something different by getting vocal collaborations and instrumental soloists to put onto my production sound.” Amongst the album’s noted musical guests are Ariel Levine, Heath Farmer, Rebecca Jade, The Burns Brothers, Sandi King and Ed Kornhauser.
- Congrats to troubadour and tunesmith Jack Tempchin! Two of his classic songs, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone” are included on the Eagles 1976 album, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), which was certified 4 X Diamond this month, for sales in excess of 40,000,000 copies.
- The Tourmaliners are heading into the studio later this month to work on their 5th album, set to be released early this summer. According to guitarist Deven Berryhill “This new album is expected to feature a more mysterious sound, blending Cuban and other Latin rhythms while maintaining the classic surf guitar sound.” Exciting times ahead for fans of the band!
