The Tourmaliners at Tio Leo’s

Surf’s up at Tio Leo’s on Oct. 30 when The Tourmaliners celebrate the release of their latest album, “El Gato.” Featuring guitarist Deven Berryhill, son of legendary guitarist Bob Berryhill, best known as a member of The Surfaris and the immortal surf tune, “Wipeout!”, it’s clear the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. As heard on songs such as “Creeky Door” and “Phantom Break,” The Tourmaliners new record is a terrific blast of 1960s-inspired instrumental rock ‘n’ roll that makes for an excellent party soundtrack. The band will perform “El Gato” in its entirety at this show, mixing in some fun vintage covers such as “New Orleans” and “California Sun.” Anyone who appreciates the likes of The Ventures or Dick Dale will love The Tourmaliners. Opening the show will be acclaimed 1960s-inspired country singer Kimmi Bitter.

  • The Tourmaliners: Friday, Oct. 30 at Tio Leo’s, 6333 Mission Gorge Road. 7 p.m. $12.

Pre-Rhythm and Blues Cruise

If you can’t make this year’s Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, departing from San Diego on Halloween, there’s always the landlocked pre-party, taking place at The Wyndham Bayside Hotel on Oct. 30. This year’s event features a host of top national blues stars including Sue Foley, T.A. Tomlinson, D.K. Harrell and Whitney Shay, offering up an excellent night of music before fans set sail the next day. The night doubles as a fundraiser benefiting Blues Lovers United of San Diego, who, amongst many other worthy endeavors, bring blues education programs to local schools and host an annual summer blues camp for kids.

Thriller! Monette Marino Keita plays Lou Lou’s

Percussionist Monette Marino Keita and her 11-piece group offer up a Halloween treat for the area’s music fans with a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album at Lou Lou’s on Oct. 30. “Thriller” is the biggest selling album of all time, with just about every song a hit single in its own right, including “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and the title track, so it’s likely attendees will be having fun singing along for most of this show. Fans of Jackson’s music will love Marino-Keita’s arrangements of these classic songs, but also keep an ear out for her own excellent original Afro-Latin-Funk music included in the night’s set.

  • Monette Marino Keita Plays Thriller: Friday, Oct. 30 at Lou Lou’s, 2223 El Cajon Blvd. 7 & 10 p.m. $36.

The Night Before Halloween at the Whistle Stop

Fans of ’80s and ’90s era alternative rock and post-punk will want to head to the Whistle Stop on Oct. 30 for The Night Before Halloween, featuring a mix of live bands and DJ’s.  On hand will be tributes to Cocteau Twins (performed by the Mockteau Twins), New Order (Comedown Lounge), The Replacements (Kan Kan) and Broadcast (The Goodbye Girls), followed by DJs Vaughn Avakian and Camilla Robina spinning tunes into the wee hours. Music fans will love the mix of vintage sounds, with the night’s highlight likely to be the set from Mocteau Twins, who do a good job of recreating The Cocteau Twins’ signature ethereal, ambient sound.

Punk Rock Chili Dog Social

The Punk Rock Chili Dog Social, taking place at the Tower Bar on Oct. 31, is just what it sounds like: a chance for the area’s punk rock fans to get together and socialize while taking a listen to some of the area’s top bands. This time out, the lineup includes The Hector Penalosa Gang, The Mormons, Ghetto Scheiss, One Square Mile, and Turnbuckle, with the bonus of chili dogs being included with the price of admission. All these bands are well worth hearing, but here the nod goes to Penalosa, formerly of punk legends The Zeros, who will be performing in advance of a new 7-inch solo single, “The Death Ride of James Dean.”

Halloween with The Creepy Creeps

Farfisa-driven, costumed garage rockers, The Creepy Creeps, take over The Casbah on Oct. 31. Featuring keyboards hidden in a coffin and dancing girls, alongside unique outfits, The Creepy Creeps are the perfect band for a Halloween night gig. There’s more than a touch of spectacle to their performances. Audiences around the Southland love The Creepy Creeps manic, frantic brand of original garage rock. But they never know what they’ll find onstage. The Creepy Creeps have been known to perform as go-go apes, ghouls, lizard aliens or even Mariachi-outfitted skeletons, but whatever version of the band takes the stage at this show, attendees will be guaranteed a memorable Halloween.

The Farmers at Winstons

When it comes to good ol’ barroom rock ‘n’ roll, no one in San Diego does it better than The Farmers. An all-star combo that includes guitarist Jerry Raney (Glory), bassist Chris Sullivan (The Penetrators) and drummer Joel Kmak (The Beat Farmers), The Farmers have built their rep on raucous live shows mixing top-flight originals with a wide range of crowd-pleasing R&B-based covers that might include songs by Chuck Berry, The Yardbirds or Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. The band has reportedly been back in the studio recently, so fans have new music from them to look forward to soon. In the meantime, this show will serve as a reminder of what a great live band The Farmers are. The Sleepwalkers and Zavala Sol open.

  • The Farmers: Sunday, Nov. 1 at Winstons, 1921 Bacon St. 2 p.m. $18.

Grammy-nominated Samantha Fish Heads to the Belly Up

Blues fans won’t want to miss an appearance from guitarist Samantha Fish at the Belly Up Tavern on Nov. 1. Fish is touring in support of her latest album, “Paper Doll Live,” highlighting songs from her 2025 Grammy-nominated album, “Paper Doll.” As good as the latter is, Fish is best heard in a concert setting and the live renditions certainly kick things up a notch. Recent shows have included covers by the likes of The MC5 and Barbara Lewis, but whatever Fish plays from her 10 solo albums to date will have fans at this show hanging on every note.

  • Samantha Fish: Sunday, Nov. 1 at The Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave. 7 p.m. $52 and up.

Tusk Pays Tribute to Fleetwood Mac

Six decades after their beginnings, Fleetwood Mac remains one of the most popular bands of all time, so it’s only natural that several tribute acts tour nationwide in their honor. One of the best, TUSK: The Classic Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, performs at the Balboa Theatre on Nov. 1. The quintet doesn’t wear costumes or make more than a cursory attempt to look like their namesakes, but instead concentrates on playing note-perfect renditions of mega hits from all parts of their career, including “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain” and “Dreams.” Particularly impressive are the vocals, with Kathy Phillips doing a great job of capturing the spirit of Stevie Nicks.

Mariachi Honor Band Concert at Baker Baum

On Nov. 5, Baker Baum Hall will host the Inaugural Mariachi Honor Band Concert. The free performance will showcase the thriving community of mariachi musicians emerging from area schools. Performing will be the Mariachi Juvenil de San Diego, the High School Mariachi Honor Band, the College Mariachi Honor Band, and trumpeter Javier Rodríguez. The evening’s program will include songs from Mexico’s Jalisco region, in new arrangements from Rodríguez and fellow musician Sergio Caratachea Álvarez, giving attendees a wonderful opportunity to hear traditional sounds performed by the next generation of touring musicians.