Festival del Caribe, with Los Van Van, Tipica 73, La Verdad, DJ Melao, DJ Ukeim and more
Latin-music fans will have multiple treats at this Sunday’s Festival del Caribe at Liberty Station Park.
The seven-hour event is being headlined by latest iteration of the pioneering Cuban band Los Van Van. Formed in Havana in 1969, the group earned international attention for its propulsive fusion of son Cubana, charanga, jazz, rock, funk and more.
This is the second consecutive year Los Van Van is headlining a benefit concert here for House of Music, the San Diego nonprofit that provides music instruments and lessons to under-served young people.
A likely highlight at this year’s edition is the New York-bred bad Tipica 73.
The all-star New York salsa, charanga and conjunto band made its concert debut 50 years ago and was formed by members of conga master Ray Barretto’s band.
Ironically, Tipica 73’s 1979 concerts in Havana led to the group’s demise, fueled by subsequent threats of violence by Cuban-American organizations against Tipica 73’s members and any promoters who dared to book the band.
The group reunited for some 40th anniversary shows and is back again 10 years later. The current lineup features bongo dynamo Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez and tres player Nelson González, two of Tipica 73’s co-founders.
The 14-piece ensemble also includes such esteemed musicians as trombonist Jimmy Bosch, timbalero Jimmy Delgado, violinist Ali Bello and singers Julio Salgado, Fernando Pinto and Jose Calderon.
Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Liberty Station Park, 2455 Cushing Road. $65 (active military, veterans and their dependents), $75 (general admission), $100 (VIP). thehouseofmusic.org
Gregory Page has been a San Diego music scene mainstay for decades, but this weekend will mark his Pine Valley debut.
(Photo courtesy La Jolla Community Center)
Java Joe presents Gregory Page
In addition to his annual European tours — which resumed this year for the first time since the pandemic — acclaimed San Diego singer-songwriter Gregory Page has performed at nearly every venue in the county.
Live from the 4th Floor: Gregory Page
His East County concert Sunday will mark his debut at the rustic Pine Valley House Resort. Equally intriguing, the show is being presented by Java Joe Flamini, whose now-defunct Java Joe’s coffee house is where Page, Jewel, Steve Poltz, Jason Mraz, Lisa Sanders and other then-budding young troubadours got their starts in the 1990s.
Page’s latest album, “Modern Man,” was produced by Mraz and it’s a typically enchanting outing. Page’s next tour of Europe starts in September.
For fans here, Pine Valley is a lot closer.
7 p.m. Sunday. Pine Valley House Resort, 28841 Old Highway 80, Pine Valley. $25. (619) 818-2596
Aimee Allen of the San Diego-bound ska-punk band The Interrupters performs at radio station KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas show at Kia Forum on December 10, 2022 in Inglewood, California.
(Scott Dudelson / Getty Images)
The Interrupters, with Hepcat
With the Gwen Stefani-led No Doubt having been dormant since 2015, the Los Angeles band The Interrupters is hoping to fill the void.
There are some similarities between the two one-woman, three-man bands, from lead singer Aimee Allen’s Gwen Stefani-like stage presence to the energetic brand of ska-punk that both bands specialize in.
Offstage, there’s also at least one other similarity.
Allen and Interrupters’ guitarist Kevin Bivona have been married for nine years, but tried to keep their relationship under wraps. Stefani and No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal never married, but were a couple for seven years and initially kept their relationship private.
Of course, The Intruders’ younger audience members may have little awareness of, or interest in, No Doubt. But for others, the distinct influence of one band on the other is impossible to miss — and part of the allure.
7:30 p.m. Thursday. Soma San Diego, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway District. $39.50 (general admission), $149 (VIP). ticketweb.com