Top picks | Live music picks | More weekend arts and culture
Top picks
Compressed: Zine and Music Fair
Books, Visual art, Music | Burn All Books and Particle FM are collaborating on another Compressed zine and music fest at the San Diego Central Library downtown, featuring so many great artists, zine makers, small presses and creatives. Vendors and makers include Hello Barkada, Good Faith, Tijuana's Corrientes/Impresiciones Editorial, My Little Underground, Red Brontosaurus Records, Beyond the Veil and more.
For Burn All Books co-founder Amanda Bernal, zines and other DIY art forms are essential in making creativity accessible and possible.
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts Newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
"Basically, the synthesis of what DIY is is not asking permission before you make something. So maybe it's not the most technically accurate or the sharpest looking — maybe it is — but it's something that you made that you did out of passion, and that you probably taught yourself how to do in some way, whether that's with the help of friends or you did everything from start to finish on your own," Amanda Bernal said. "It makes creativity a lot more possible and broad because you don't have to wait for anyone to co-sign," Bernal said.
Particle FM is an independent, community internet radio station, with regular scheduled time slots for DJs. They've curated the music component of Compressed, and Particle FM DJs Laurie Piña, Make Believe DIY and more will provide music during the event. Compressed, similar to other local zine fairs like SD Zine Fest, is also a chance for the community to trade their own creations — so bring your own zines and art to swap. Learn more in my feature here.
Details: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, Saturday, Aug. 10. Shiley Events Space, 9th floor, San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., downtown. All ages. Free.
Barrio Art Crawl: 'What's Your Type,' Hugo Crosthwaite and more
Visual art | The monthly Barrio Art Crawl almost always means there's something special going on in the Bread and Salt gallery complex. In the main gallery, Bread and Salt opens a new exhibition of works and installations by notable Tijuana artist Hugo Crosthwaite. I love Crosthwaite's intricate drawings, particularly the representations of Tijuana cityscapes rendered powerfully in black and white — and here, he's translated this beautifully and seamlessly into color.
It started when Crosthwaite — a dedicated sketchbook artist — ran out of sketchbooks and the only one he could buy at the time was one with colored pages. He easily filled it, and decided to approach a canvas in the same way.
"How do you start using color when you haven't used color in 30 years? No, I had no idea but I just said well, I'm just gonna do what I do on my sketchbook. I have a color field and inside this color field I'm just gonna draw people you know, in black and white. So then in a canvas, I would feel out these color fields and then just draw characters. And then with colored pencil, kind of unite the whole thing," Crosthwaite said. Watch for my feature on Crosthwaite soon.
Also opening this weekend is a unique, fun group exhibition, "What's Your Type" at the Athenaeum Art Center, which spotlights typography and design. If you're into fonts, this one's for you. Artists include Itzel Islas, Koy Suntichotinun, Eileen Kitrick, Sam Grenier, Daniel Hicks, Irie Zepeda, and Philip Brun Del Re.
Also on view is the beautiful Tigercrow Collective exhibition at Best Practice; Kline Swonger's captivating site-specific installation in ICE Gallery, "Lancea"; and Gary Simmons' provocative "I Wish, 2003" in the Quint ONE space.
Elsewhere in the Barrio Art Crawl, don't miss "Descendientes del Sol" at Aztlan Libre Galeria Mestizaje, 2076 Logan Ave. It's a group show featuring work by 11 artists, curated by Christian Arreguin, and will be open 3-9 p.m. on Saturday. The crawl officially runs along Logan Ave. from 12-8 p.m.
Details: Opening reception is 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Hugo Crosthwaite's "Tijuacolor" is on view through the end of October. Bread and Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
'Low and Slow: A Celebration of Lowrider Culture'
Visual art, Music, Food | Mixed Grounds Coffee is host to a new group art show, featuring art and photography that celebrates lowriders and lowrider culture. The exhibit is curated by Arianna Ytselle, featuring dozens of artists selected from an open call. For opening night, live DJs will provide some music and beer and food will be available — and lowrider vehicles will be parked out front.
Details: 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Mixed Grounds Coffee, 2920 Imperial Ave., Encanto. Free.
'Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B'
Theater | Playwright Kate Hamill gives us a humorous, modern-day, post-pandemic steampunk "Shirley" Holmes and her roommate Joan Watson, who have to tackle the crime web of Baker Street's most notorious supervillain. I really love Hamill's funny and incredibly smart writing — she wrote "The Little Fellow" which premiered at Cygnet Theatre last fall. This take on the Sherlock Holmes story is directed at the Globe by James Vásquez.
Details: On stage through Aug. 25. This weekend's performances are 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. $33+.
Blanket Sounds
Music, Visual art, Family | This is a new music and art series this year, running monthly throughout the summer and hosted by Brittany Taylor. It's all-ages, family-friendly and free at the Waterfront Park. This month's event features a DJ set from Dandelion, music from local spoken word and R&B act The Lyrical Groove and Friends, and an art installation by local artist Armando de la Torre.
Details: 4-8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11. Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Hwy., downtown. Free.
San Diego Made Summer Market at Liberty Station
Music, Visual art, Food and drink | This maker fair boasts over 120 vendors offering their wares, including art, food, eco-friendly goods, clothing, jewelry and more. The festival also has live music performances throughout both days, with musicians La Boogie Buena, Devvlov, Nathan & Jessie, Davina, Preston Harris and Lilia Rose. There are food booths and food trucks, and cocktails or mocktails and coffee for sale. It's free to enter, but you get a free handmade gift if you donate at the door.
Details: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, North Promenade, 2848 Dewey Rd., Liberty Station. Free.
SummerSplash Reggae Festival
Music, Reggae | The WorldBeat Cultural Center presents the 13th edition of their reggae festival at UC San Diego's outdoor Epstein Family Amphitheater, just steps away from the Blue Line trolley stop. Curated by the founder and executive director of WorldBeat Cultural Center, Makena "Dread" Cheatom, this festival of reggae music will feature sets from Mykal Rose, Warrior King, Etana, Alika, Kush and the Bloodfiyah Angels, Quinto Sol and Revival.
Details: 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Ln., UC San Diego. $25-$53.
Live music picks
* Indicates local act
Thursday:
- The Havnauts* (farewell show), Crasher* and Hey, Chels* at Whistle Stop Bar (punk/rock) [POSTPONED]
- Wookalars*, Holy Tears* and Downsider* at Casbah (hard rock/progressive rock/punk, post-hardcore)
- Sparkler*, Doused, Kraus and Big Blue World* at Soda Bar (shoegaze/indie)
- ScHoolboy Q at SOMA (rap)
- Great Falls, Everything, D.Wrex* and Fractal* (Tijuana) at Che Cafe (noise/post-rock/doom)
- Grand Funk Railroad at Humphreys by the Bay (rock)
- Vishnu R at Lou Lou's (jazz/classical/world)
Friday:
- STRFKR, Holy Wave and Ruth Radelet at The Sound (indie/alternative, pop)
- Mohama Saz, The Loons* (LP release party) and The Apemen at Casbah (rock en español, rock)
- The Burkharts, Puerto* and The Sols* at Soda Bar (indie/surf rock)
- O.A.R. and Fitz and the Tantrums at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (rock)
- Finnegan Blue* at California Center for the Arts, Escondido (Americana/folk) (free show)
Saturday:
- Convoy* (25th anniversary of "Pineapple Recording Sessions"), Kimmi Bitter*, DJ Lou Niles* at Music Box (rock/alt-country)
- Sunsets*, Tonoso and Friends Of (electronic/indie/dance)
- B-Side Players* at Lou Lou's (funk/rock/jazz)
- Manners, Veto, Essencer, Fieldrush* and Bloomcells at The Che Cafe (shoegaze/indie)
- Jason Mraz and the Superband* at Pechanga Resort and Casino (pop)
Sunday:
- YG at Observatory (rap)
- Lucki at SOMA (rap/hip-hop)
- The Kingston Trio at Balboa Theatre (folk/pop/oldies)
- Ruby G* at Lou Lou's (pop) (free show)
- Jane's Addiction and Love & Rockets at Petco Park (rock)
More arts and culture weekend events
| Event | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berenice Badillo: 'Treacherous Titties' | This event is in the past. | The Hillstreet Country Club | |
| Chula Vista ArtFest 2024 | This event is in the past. | Chula Vista City Hall | |
| 'Love, Loss and What I Wore' | This event is in the past. | Portuguese Hall | |
| 'Return of the Jedi in Concert' | This event is in the past. | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park | |
| Santa Ysabel Art Gallery Kids Mural Project | This event is in the past. | Santa Ysabel Art Gallery | |
| 'Mean Girls' | This event is in the past. | David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre | Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center | |
| Flicks on the Bricks | Summer 2024 Series | This event is in the past. | Athenaeum Music & Arts Library | |
