Faux Fest

It’s all in the name. Faux Fest, which takes place at The Holding Company on Nov. 14, features a day-long roster of tribute acts and cover bands, perfect for fans of classic rock. Kicking off at noon, music fans will be treated to sets from the Faux Fighters (Foo Fighters), CA/DC (AC/DC), Jagged Pill (Alanis Morrisette), Zep Tune (Led Zeppelin), and Soak Up The Sun (Sheryl Crow), as well as more general cover bands such as Flannel Rock and The Exploits. Anyone who enjoys the music of the artists being tributed will find much to appreciate, with short sets from the bands turning the Holding Company into a live jukebox for the day.

  • Faux Fest: Saturday, Nov. 14 at The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave, noon to midnight. $10.

Los Tigres del Norte

Legendary Mexican norteño band, Los Tigres del Norte, take the stage at Pechanga Arena on Nov. 14. Famed for their “corridos,” aka socially relevant story songs, the group was founded in 1965, going on to become one of the biggest-selling Latin bands of all time, with 7 Grammys to date and more than 32,000,000 records sold. Six decades since they started out, Los Tigres del Norte continue to be introduced to new audiences, most recently guesting on The Simpsons and scoring a viral hit with their song from the episode, “El Corrido de Pedro y Homero.” Whatever the band chooses to include on the night’s set list from their vast discography will have the crowd on their feet from the moment they hit the stage.

  • Los Tigres del Norte: Saturday, Nov. 14 at Pechanga Arena, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. 8 p.m. $55 and up.

Acoustic Evenings

The Acoustic Evening’s concert series returns to the La Jolla Community Center on Nov. 13. Hosted by Jefferson Jay, this edition’s performers include guitarist Fred Benedetti, composer Gayle Skidmore, and observational singer-songwriter Rob Deez. It’s a great lineup, with Benedetti in particular a stellar performer. However, the nod this night goes to gifted multi-instrumentalist Skidmore, who is on a roll right now. On Nov. 13, she will be celebrating the release of her new single, “Old Photographs,” the first music issued from her recent deal with Los Angeles-based label, RM Records. Skidmore’s songs touch on pop, folk, and classical, with melody to spare, and inspired arrangements that take full advantage of her prowess on instruments as varied as guitar, banjo, and dulcimer. Fans of the likes of Joni Mitchell and early Kate Bush will find much to admire in Skidmore’s music.

  • Acoustic Evenings: Friday, Nov. 13, at the La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $30.

Prayers

Cholo goth pioneers, Prayers, aka Rafael Reyes, stop in at Music Box on Nov. 13. Founded in San Diego circa 2013, Prayers is currently touring behind new single “No Tengo Calma.” While the band has flown under the mainstream radar for most of their career, Prayers’ hard-hitting, dark-edged mix of electronica, hip hop and gothic rock has won them a legion of fans around the world. A powerful live performer, Reyes is one of the key artists to emerge from San Diego’s music scene in the past two decades. If you haven’t caught a Prayers show yet, this homecoming concert prior to their appearance at the Darker Waves festival in Huntington Beach the next day is the perfect opportunity.

  • Prayers: Friday, Nov. 13 at Music Box, 1337 India St. 8:30 p.m. $39 and up.

Spice Pistols

If there’s a house band in the Twilight Zone, it just might be the Spice Pistols, a tongue-in-cheek group of cross-dressing punk rockers who made their name performing ’90s era pop songs by The Spice Girls, in the style of ’70s era punk icons, The Sex Pistols. On Nov. 13, the quartet releases a new album of original music, “Go Don’t Stop,” with a show set for that night at The Casbah. The album does a good job of capturing The Spice Pistols’ musical mayhem, but nothing compares to seeing them live. Using props, backing screens, costumes, elaborate skits, and lots of humor, each Spice Pistols show is a fun, unique experience. The concert will also feature performances from RADolescents, Go Scarlet and Cryptid Hour.

What’s Golden

Hip-hop fans won’t want to miss an appearance from What’s Golden: A Tribute to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop, performing two shows on Nov. 13 at Lou Lou’s. Digging deep into the genre’s best tracks of the ’80s and ’90s, What’s Golden plays the hits of Tupac, Jurassic 5, Wu-Tang Clan and many more, with a full live band, rappers, and a DJ. The band includes such heavy hitters as singer Jonesy Jones, drummer Jake Najors and keyboardist Josh Weinstein, with a set list that will have the audience singing along most of the night.

The Damned

U.K. punk pioneers, The Damned, bring their 50th Anniversary, “Final Damnation” tour to the House of Blues on Nov. 13. Founded in 1976, The Damned still feature original members Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies, alongside key ’80s member Paul Gray, playing a career-spanning set, covering their punk roots, garage rock influences and gothic rock era. The night promises to be a punk fan’s dream gig from start to finish, but you can expect the night’s biggest cheers to be for the encore closing early hits, “New Rose” and “Smash It Up.”

  • The Damned: Friday, Nov. 13, at the House of Blues, 1055 5th Ave. 7 p.m. $65 and up.

Trailer Park Queen

Teresa Gunn brings her one-woman show, “Trailer Park Queen,” to Queen Bee’s on Nov. 15. A combination of performance art and poetry workshop, the event is being held to raise funds and awareness of local nonprofit, Street of Dreams/Musicians for Education, which provides creative, educational and emotional support to teen mothers in need. Gunn does a wonderful job of shining a light on many issues affecting young people through a combination of storytelling and music, using compelling chapters in her own life to help others. Guitarist Mike Draper, formerly of ’80s era rockers Whirl, will also perform. 

Grateful Drag

There are plenty of Grateful Dead-inspired groups out there, but it’s clear that Nashville-based Bertha: Grateful Drag, who perform at the Belly Up Tavern on Nov. 18, is in a league of its own. Led by singers Melody Walker and Caitlin Doyle, the group performs in full makeup, complete with wigs and dresses. It’s a good-natured, fun, recasting of The Grateful Dead’s classic stage performances and songs. While Bertha’s visuals might be considered a gimmick, their musicianship is definitely not. This is a group that can dive deep into Jerry Garcia and company’s repertoire, with improvisational skills that will impress even the most jaded Deadhead.

  • BERTHA: Grateful Drag: Wednesday, Nov. 18, at The Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave. 8 p.m. $35 and up.

Manic Street Preachers

Welsh trio, the Manic Street Preachers, perform at The Observatory on Nov. 19. The definition of a cult act in the U.S., the band has been hugely popular in the U.K. since their 1986 debut, with their last eight albums all hitting the Top 5 on the charts there. Meanwhile, chart success has been elusive for the band in the U.S. That’s a shame, as the Manic Street Preachers’ new material, such as their most recent single, “Brushstrokes of Reunion,” shows the band to have lost none of their fire over the past four decades, continuing to deliver excellent guitar-driven post-punk rock.