There are so many wonderful opportunities to show up for your creative community this month! Here are your official Marching orders. (We like puns, deal with it).

Thursday, March 5 - Queer Folx Making Music at Gossip Grill in Hillcrest
This new curated quarterly series includes queer acts from San Diego to Iowa representing a multitude of genres . Performers include Mandi Jo (R&B/NeoSoul), Khalil Bleux (R&B/Soul), Tori Roze (NeoSoul/Jazz), Girlboy (Soul-Hop), and Rika-Rai (Inspirational/Soul). $5 Cover, 21+, 7-10pm. More info 

Friday, March 13 - Calamity at Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs in El Cajon
Three sets of fun and original folk rock music with Calamity! No cover, all ages, 5-8pm. More info

Tuesday, March 17 - SDMA Showcase ft. Lindsay White at The Merrow in Hillcrest
Join Lindsay White as she celebrates her San Diego Music Award nomination for Best Pop Album with a full band performance (including Jules Stewart on drums) at this nominee showcase. Also on the bill are Evan Diamond and Kimmi Bitter. 21+, 8pm-Midnight More info

Thursday, March 19 - SDMA Showcase ft. The Spiritual Motels and Gaby Aparicio at Humphrey's Backstage Live in Point Loma
San Diego Music Awards Nominee Showcase at Humphrey's Backstage Live, featuring Lady Brain Collective members Gaby Aparicio and The Spiritual Motels (Amy Day), plus Berkley Hart, Trouble in the Wind, Mohavi Soul, and the Johnny Tarr Quintet. $10 Cover, 21+, 6-10pm. More info

Monday, March 23 - San Diego Music Awards at House of Blues Downtown
We know, we know, this guitar-playing astronaut is getting a lot of love in this particular edition of the Brain Candy blog! Here's the main event! Tickets are on sale now for the 29th annual San Diego Music Awards. We're very proud of our nominated members and can't wait to hang with them on this fun night supporting the Guitars for Schools Program. $36-75, Doors 6pm, Showtime 7:15pm. More info

A new year and a new decade are just around the corner, and Lady Brain Collective members are already working hard to bring you fun live events throughout San Diego. Mark your calendars and go support womxn creators in your community! 

Thursday, January 9 - Plunderbund at Amplified Backstage Beer Lounge in Pacific Beach
Join Lady Brain Collective member Lisa Brackmann and her Plunderbund bandmates for free live music and the freshest craft beer inches away from the Pacific Ocean! 7-9pm. More info 

Friday, January 10 - Naiomi Sounds Co-Hosts Open Mic at Bad Ass Coffee in Rancho Penasquitos
A few Lady Brain Collective members will be heading out to the Bad Ass Coffee open mic, which is held every other Friday and co-hosted by member Naiomi Sounds. Sign-ups at 6pm, event runs from 6:30-8:30pm. More info

Thursday, January 23 - Golden Howl at Music Box in Little Italy
Golden Howl hits the Music Box stage with a stellar line up of local bands: Aviator Stash, MDRN HSTRY, The Frets, and Coral Bells. Doors at 6:30pm, 21+. Claim as many free tickets as you want via email, or DM on social media.

Happy holiday season to all our friends and readers! If you're looking to fill up your seasonal social calendar with amazing art, music, education, and creativity, the Lady Brain Collective has you covered for fun things to do in San Diego in the coming weeks:

Sunday, December 8 - Lady Brain Presents: Home is Where the Art is Holiday Party at The Holding Company in Ocean Beach
Lady Brain Presents will host its first annual holiday party and winter clothing drive titled “Home is Where the Art is,” with performances by Chloe Lou and The Liddells (retro rock/soul), Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres (South Americana), Miki Vale, (hip-hop) and special guests including emcee Tori Roze. In addition to musical performances, the event will feature a raffle, a collaborative art activity for all attendees, and a winter clothing drive to benefit North County Lifeline’s LifeSpring Program, which offers transitional housing for former foster youth and youth experiencing homelessness. Guests are encouraged to bring (preferably new) beanies, gloves, scarves, socks, blankets. Free, 4-8pm, 21+. More info

Tuesday, December 10 - Acceptance: A soulsong.life Transformative Songwriting Workshop with Astra Kelly at The Lotus Room in Hillcrest
Experience growth, healing, and connection through music by tapping into the creative source. As a group, we will explore the theme of “acceptance" in depth and write a song together that reflects our shared perceptions and experiences. No musical skills necessary! 6-9pm, $60 (Special holiday rate to make it easier to give yourself this gift!) Advance registration required. More info/Register

Friday, December 20 - Tori Roze and The Hot Mess SPECIAL Xmas Show at Bar Pink in North Park
This funky jazzy neo-soul brings you a SPECIAL Xmas version of themselves, including soulful holiday mashups and funky non-denominational tunes to put a smile on your face through the New Year. There will also be a limited edition EP available for purchase by Tori Roze and Johnny Alexander called “Classy Xmas” to stuff those stockings at home! Free, 7-10pm, 21+. More info

Sunday, December 22 - Carissa's Birthday Show ft. Golden Howl at Sycamore Den in Normal Heights
This Lady Brain-laden event will be headlined by Golden Howl (featuring collective members Marlo Smith, Rachel Riba, and Jules Stewart). Birthday girl Carissa Schroeder will open the evening with a solo set of original music on the beautiful (albeit slightly out of tune) piano at Sycamore Den.  Situated nicely between Carissa's birthday (12/20) and the end of year holidays, CS invites you to celebrate with an evening of goddess-y, all-the-feels music, perfect cocktails, delivery ramen, and skeeball.  It's a win-win-win-win. Free, 8-10pm. More info

We had a feeling last night's community gathering would be pretty special, and we were right! Special thanks to Marlo Smith and Barbara Rutherford for doing all the heavy lifting (as well as our host Buck). And a shout-out to Mr. Moto Pizza for donating pizza so food proceeds could go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We're so grateful to all of our artists, musicians, and community members for coming together in this space to share art and be vulnerable around the topics of death and dying. Grief is such a universal experience, but it's all too often experienced in solitude. We hope events like this can help make it easier to connect with each other and foster more compassion in our community. 

Wednesday, September 4 - Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres at The Holding Company
Local band showcase.  Come on out and party with us!  Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres starting at 9 pm sharp. More info

Thursday, September 12 - Golden Howl at Til Two with The Strawberry Moons and The Powerballs
More info

​Friday, September 13 - Chris Avetta & Golden Howl at Moose Lodge in Oceanside

Saturday, September 14 - Kinship Cafe Singer-Songwriter Showcase at Eve Encinitas
This showcase at Eve Encinitas will feature short sets from six acts, each of which includes at least one woman, and four of which feature Lady Brain members: The Banduvloons, Dixie Maxwell and Lee Coulter, Mayzie Jean, and The Spiritual Motels (plus The Shift and Dulaney and Company).  7-10:30pm, $10, all ages.  More info

Saturday, September 21 - Calamity at Artwalk Carlsbad
Don't miss the gals from Calamity playing originals during Artwalk Carlsbad from 3:15 to 4pm. No cover, all ages. More info

Sunday, September 22 - Tori Roze and the Hot Mess at Coronado Music Festival
This inaugural three day music festival kicks off on Friday September 20, with Tori Roze and the Hote Mess headlining on Sunday, September 22. The family-friendly weekend features local and regional musical talent of all genres and visual art. This marks the first event for Coronado Music and Arts Foundation(CMAF), a nonprofit, whose mission is to provide cultural music and art experiences for at risk and homeless individuals including youth and special needs adults through a variety of settings in Coronado and San Diego. More info

Thursday, September 26 - Lady Brain Presents Community Gathering In Celebration of Life
Lady Brain Presents is back with a special art/music/spoken word showcase centering around the topics of death, dying, and existence. Join us at a private Ocean Beach residence around 6:30pm for sunset, social hour, and art viewing. Performances will kick off around 7:30pm. $10 Suggested Donation, proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More info

We know, we know, we say it every month, but July's meet-up was SO GOOD! Maybe it was because we were riding the wave of a successful inaugural Lady Brain Fest. Maybe it was the full house, the artsy space, or the nachos. It was definitely the inspiring and collaborative presentations from our host Astra Kelly, Carissa Schroeder, and Sandi King - all Lady Brain members, talented creatives, and compassionate entrepreneurs.

Carissa kicked things off with a chill mindful vocal meditation/warm up. It was exactly what we needed on a Monday night to center and connect with ourselves and each other.

Next, Sandi talked about her new venture, Backseat Booking. No matter the tour route or style of music, Sandi is a wealth of information when it comes to touring. She can help indie artists book entire tours, or give them the tools they need to successfully plan their own routes.

Saturday, July 6 - Lindsay White at SheFest in North Park
Start your Pride partying early with this woman-centered event! Lindsay White will play a full band set at 12:30pm, but the full event runs rom 11am-6pm. No Cover. More info

Sunday, July 7 - Lady Brain Fest at Heritage Ranch in Encinitas
Twenty female-fronted acts on two stages. You don't want to miss this Lady Brain/Listen Local Radio production of the year! 12-7pm. $10-12 Presale, $15 Door. More info

Monday, July 8 - Julia Sage at Bar Pink in North Park
Julia Sage will be playing solo and sharing the bill with Wes Hawkins and Blake Dean! 9:30pm. Free.

Wednesday, July 10 - Lizzie Wann at The Ugly Mug in Orange, CA
This is also an open mic, so bring your own work to read too! 8pm. $3 Cover. More info

Friday, July 12 - Tori Roze and The Hot Mess, Chloe Lou & The Liddells, Ginger Cowgirl at Winston's OB
ALL Lady Brain bands on this bill! 9:30pm, $8 Cover. More info

Saturday, July 13 - Calamity at The San Dieguito Heritage Museum
31st Annual Deep Pit BBQ, using the same cooking method as the Olivenhain Colony did back in the 1890's. The Encinitas even features nonstop Americana music from 2pm to 7pm on 2 stages, as well as a Kid's Zone, vendors, silent auction, exhibits and more! $10 general admission, kids 12 and under get in free. $15 BBQ dinners available at 4pm. More info

Thanks to Unison Colthurst for hosting the June member meet-up! This workshop was an awesome overview of publicity strategies, shared by our guest Jennifer Borba Von Stauffenberg, President of Olive Creative Strategies. She gave us so much great information on topics such as identifying your overall brand and purpose, the best ways to go about contacting the press for media opportunities, and not being afraid to ask for help. A special shout out also goes to Chuck Lapinsky, who attended the meeting and featured Lady Brain Presents in his recent blog! Thanks to all who attended - see you next month!

Shout out to Heather Marie for hosting the March meet-up in her lovely home! This month, we talked about working with audio techs to capture the best sound at live events. (Thanks to John Mcconnell for taking our questions and to Heather for presenting his answers to the group.) We also received a stellar presentation from Lady Brain member Sharisse Coulter. We learned so much! It's so wonderful to see this group growing. Thanks to all who attended!