- San Diego Beatles Fair update! The 21st edition of the Fab Four themed event, will take place on April 5 & 6 at the Deanza Springs Resort. Multiple activities, 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 and Mercedes Moore’s Tribute To Chuck Berry amongst the artists scheduled so far. https://beatlesfair.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 Amalgamation has just released a new single, “Dodge the Bullet,” “which is appropriate to our times and what’s happening in the world,” said the band’s Robin Lovejoy. “It’s an indie rock track with groove, emotional depth and dynamics recorded and mixed at Phaser Control Studios with TJ. There’s a personal story behind the song about a close call with death and surviving through it.”
- Black Market III has a new single, “Fire Heart (Live in London)” from the upcoming album, Black Market III Live in England, recorded in London and Folkestone.
- Congrats to Blink 182, whose 2002 single “Stay Together For The Kids” was certified Silver by the BPI (UK) this month.
- On May 12, acclaimed guitarist, Laura Chavez hosts a release party for her debut solo album, My Voice, available now via Germany’s Ruf Records. Opening the night will be cumbia-billy favorites The Sleepwalkers.
- Country singerLissa Dee has started a new band, Heart Like A Truck! A Tribute to Lainey Wilson. What inspired Dee to start a tribute show? “Honestly, Lainey Wilson herself inspired the tribute,” Dee said. “She’s talked about how when she was coming up she did a Miley Cyrus tribute and played at little girls birthday parties and toured all over the world while she was trying to make it. And I started thinking about how much she inspires me and that I know so many of her songs that I should just start doing a tribute of her.” Meanwhile, Dee is working on new original music for release later this year, with sessions set for this Spring in Nashville. Notably, she recently had a song she co-wrote with singer-songwriters Sammy Listoe and Nikki Allen, recorded by Listoe for an upcoming release. Dee plans to spend much of 2026 on the road, with dates currently booked through summer, with shows set for California, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Hawaii, where she’ll be performing at the Maui Rodeo on July 4. “Someone asked how long I’m going to go for, and I said “til the wheels fall off baby!,” Dee said.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla will host a special art exhibition, Giants: Art From the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz & Alicia Keys, April 17 through August 9.
- The Loons contribute a version of The Third Bardo’s 1967 classic single, “Five Years Ahead of My Time” to a new compilation, Still Primitive, out on vinyl digitial services via Chaputa! Records. Meanwhile the Loons will be entering the studio soon to begin work on a new album.
- Thrash metal favorites, Nukem, have a new single out, “Into The Kill Zone” featuring a guest solo by Rob Cavestany from Death Angel
- Singer Leonard Patton will be joining legendary guitarist Pat Metheny on tour this Spring. The tour opened 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.
- Congrats to Pierce the Veil who have sold out their September 12 show at Petco Park! Meanwhile, the band’s 2007 song “Yeah Boy and Doll Face” was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 11.
- John Roy is in in the studio crafting a new Smoke and Mirrors Sound System album. “I’m working on a reimagining of 1985’s ‘This is BAD’ LP by Big Audio Dynamite,” he said. “Mick Jones, Don Letts and crew addressed many of the issues of the day and parallels can be drawn 40 years on.” The first single, “A Party,” is out now…
- Point Loma singer / bassist Jason Scheff, formerly of hitmakers Chicago, will be joining the 2026 Happy Together Tour, alongside The Vogues, The Association, The Troggs, Ron Dante of The Archies, The Cowsills, The Fortunes and another former San Diegan, Gary Puckett. There was no San Diego show set at press time.
- Thee Sacred Souls are keeping busy in 2026. They will be at a number of music festivals including: March 21 – Old School Love Festival in Santa Ana, May 10 – Austin Psych Fest in Austin, TX, and June 10 – The Governors Ball Music Festival in New York. Meanwhile Thee Sacred Souls have sold out two dates, April 22 & 23, at the famed Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. These dates are warm ups for two major tours that Thee Sacred Souls will embark on this year. On May 17 they open a tour in Osaka, Japan playing a round of dates that will see them play in Morocco, Spain, England, France, Indonesia and Turkey. Then on August 4 they open up The Constellation Tour in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with a homecoming show in San Diego on August 28. The tour wraps up on September 26 in Chicago, Il.
- The Memphis Soul Revue is taping a new video! Anyone interested in being in it should head to Winston’s on April 11, from 4 – 7 p.m. The shoot will take place during their Happy Hour performance. “It’s going to be a taping of several songs,” said the band’s Jennifer Kreml. “One is “Shake Your Tail Feather” by Ray Charles, and the audience, and our singers, always dance the different dances named in the song. We’ll also do Robert Parker’s “Barefootin’” and people take their shoes off! And we developed an incredible arrangement of Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie.” The audience makes Jungle noises – Super fun!”
- This month’s Songwriter’s Sanctuary takes place on March 27 at the Normal Heights United Neighborhood Church. Hosted by Jeff Berkley, this edition will feature original music from three former members of acclaimed Kate Bush tribute band, Baby Bushka: Marie Haddad, Nancy Ross and Heather Nation.
- The Tourmaliners are heading into the studio to record album #5, with producer Miles Clowminzer, tentatively titled El Gato, for release this summer. In the meantime, guitarist Deven Berryhill heads out on tour with surf legends, The Surfari’s, of “Wipe Out” fame. Dates so far include Nashville (4/10), Pittsburgh (7/27), Philadelphia (7/28), NYC (7/29), and Boston (7/30).
- Issue #71 of Mike Stax‘s Ugly Things Magazine is due out soon! Essential reading 🙂
