Phish and a Kitty in the Neighborhood

SO. CAL. SOUND: Still one of the newer venues
to join the Santa Barbara scene, the Neighborhood offers those
wanting a break from the beaten path that is State Street a lineup
of fast-paced, hard-hitting indie rock. S.B. threesome
automatic:automatic will be showcasing their
quirky, experimental take on post-punk, or as they say, “trying to
play music in a town mostly full of drunk frat guys and sorority
chicks playing grab-ass.” Well-traveled Los Angeles band
The Approximations, also in the lineup, boasts
bass-heavy rock with a sonic debt to bands like Gang of
Four. Orange County’s Mahogany Sweater,
which spawned from the remains of the late Traveling
Accident, should impress with their vocally driven rock,
while Goleta’s Springtime Is Wartime will be
opening the show. Join the fun on Friday, August 25.
 — Drew Mackie

ANGELIC RELEASE: Leather-clad demons of the
road, the Cadillac Angels, will stay in one spot
long enough this week to launch their 13th album Men Don’t
Disco, on Sunday, August 27, at Cold Springs Tavern. (They
also play El Capitan Canyon on Saturday.) Known for a fiery
rockabilly sound, the new album marks a slight mellowing for front
man Tony Balbinot and his band. Though the
trademark grit, gravel, and high-octane guitar licks are still
there, Men Don’t Disco paints a more complete picture than
previous releases, much like simultaneously celebrating the fun of
a Saturday night bender as well as the aches and pains of a Sunday
morning comedown. See it live.   — Ethan
Stewart

GET YOUR PHISH PHIX: Phix, the
cover band fixated on the music and experience that is (or was?)
Phish, is coming to SOhO this Saturday, August 26. A notoriously
tough band to emulate, Phish — known for its free-form music
playing and heavy head-trip shows — has developed a determined cult
following that remembers the good old days when one could catch
them in a Burlington, Vermont club without the arena-size
production. So enter Phix, who, in the last four-plus years and
400-plus shows, has gained its own following for an ability to
recreate that intimate experience.  — Hudson
Hornick

TRINITY STRIKES BACK: If you’re in the mood for
espresso, dessert, and folk this Saturday, August 26, be sure to
stop in at Trinity Backstage Coffeehouse at 1500 State Street to
see singer/songwriter Rick Lee work his musical
magic. Part of the New England music scene for more than 40 years,
Lee’s roots run deep in the eastern mountains of Tennessee, where
his grandfather performed Southern mountain tunes and classic Irish
ballads decades ago. Trinity Backstage is a great venue for
intimate acoustic performances, highlighting the timeless tradition
of the poet, the storyteller, and the folksinger of our day. It
starts at 8 p.m.  — Lynne Simpson

THE KITTY ROCKS OUT: Better known as a weekend
house for Christopher Dixon’s S.B.
Therapy electronica scene, the Wildcat Lounge on Ortega
Street is now packing in the indie rock bands, too. The next
installment of this Tuesday night affair is August 29, when
Masterstroke, Logic, and PONG
wind up on the Kitty’s stage.

Oh, and lest we entirely forget perhaps this week’s biggest
surprise show, ’80s pop sensation
Tiffany — red-headed singer of such hits as “I
Think We’re Alone Now” — makes a Wildcat appearance on Sunday,
August 27. Miss it and miss out.   — Matt
Kettmann

ROUND-UP OF REST: The city’s final concert in
Chase Palm Park down on Cabrillo Boulevard is tonight, August 24,
when S.B.’s own Spencer the Gardener brings its
quirk-pop to the waterfront, starting at 6 p.m. Fresh off the
release of the widely celebrated Fiesta CD, fans can
expect both originals and the classic covers the crew is known for.
… Rocks continues pumping the music, so this week prepare for
Linda Dam’s CD release party tonight, August 24,
with Tiff Jimber, Brittany Batastini, and
Tony Park in support. Then on Friday is L.A.’s
singer/songwriters Brett Bixby, Courtney Jaye, and
Katy Perry, and Saturday winds up with
Jeff Given and, always sonically rich, The
Hoagland Conspiracy. And on Tuesday, August 29, The Hard
to Find Showspace in Goleta hosts The New Trust, a
band that features members of The Velvet Teen, Hanalai, and The
Reds.  — MK