![\"Four](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timesofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LF2-5-Aviator-Stash.png?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Aviator Stash (Photo courtesy of Belly Up)<\/p>\nFounded in 2014 and based in Carlsbad,\u00a0Aviator Stash<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0known for its high-energy, genre-bending sound that mixes 2000s-era rock, funk, and electronic influences. They are characterized by their party-focused, hook-laden, and psychedelic garage-rock style, blending modern, indie, and pop sensibilities. Their debut single \u201cLazy Summer Days\u201d earned substantial airplay on 91X, with daily rotation and topping the station\u2019s monthly Local Break spotlight. A 2018 album called Prescribed was recorded, mixed, and mastered by James Page at Emerald Age Recording. The band\u2019s follow-up full-length Psiyh took home a San Diego Music Award for Best Indie\/Alternative Album, and the group has won multiple SDMAS for Best Indie\/Alternative band. Recent music videos such as the one produced last year for \u201cMobil Blues<\/a>\u201d are racking up impressive Youtube plays, in this case over 31,000 to date.\u00a0The Solana Beach show is headlined by L.A.-based indie pop band\u00a0\u00a0Cayucas,<\/a>\u00a0led by twin brothers Zach and Ben Yudin.<\/p>\n Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach<\/p>\n When: Thursday, February 5, 2026, 7:30 pm<\/p>\n Ages: 21+<\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Trevor Davis<\/p>\n Growing up, soulful pop singer\u00a0Trevor Davis<\/a>\u00a0attended a gospel-style church where he soaked in the soulful music that would come to influence him so much. Starting in junior high, he immersed himself in the punk music scene. In high school, he played bass in a punk band with his best friends, but he had never sung in front of an audience until his senior year, when he decided to sing the national anthem at a basketball game. While learning guitar, he had to play his right-handed Takamine guitar upside down, due to being left handed. He then went on to solo at an open mic night at the Melting Pot in La Jolla and wrote his first song, \u201cReason Why,\u201d around a year later. Citing influences from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Elliott Smith, and Jonny Lang, he\u2019s been writing and performing steadily ever since, including in a pop\/rock\/hip-hop electro-duo called Dr. Seahorse, alongside Colorado native Mark Suhonen.<\/p>\n Where: Shake Bar & Lounge, 701 A Street, Level 12, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Friday, February 6, 2026, at 6 pm<\/p>\n Ages: All ages<\/p>\n More info<\/a><\/p>\n Celeste Barbier<\/p>\n Classically trained at Chapman University, RnB blues singer\u00a0Celeste Barbier<\/a>\u00a0is known for her diverse blend of jazz, soul, Motown, pop, and easy listening music, with original songs as well as covering classic artists. Her cinematic and soulful contralto voice has earned her favorable comparisons to singers such as Sade, Lana Del Rey, and Etta James.\u00a0She offers a sophisticated, and vintage-inspired sound, covering over 100 years of music, sometimes jokingly referring to herself as a \u201chuman jukebox.\u201d\u00a0With an extensive repertoire spanning the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, easy-listening classics, and soulful pop favorites, as well as her own original music,\u00a0performances feature her singing along with backing tracks, often incorporating sound healing elements into her act by using instruments like crystal bowls, gongs, and the shruti box.<\/p>\n Where: Nick & G\u2019s, 6106 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe<\/p>\n When: Fridays, February 6, 2026, at 6 pm<\/p>\n Ages: All ages<\/p>\n More info<\/a><\/p>\n Dexter & the Moonrocks and Girl Tones<\/p>\n Formed in 2021, Texas-based\u00a0Dexter & the Moonrocks<\/a>\u00a0pioneered a sound they call western space grunge, blending alt-southern rock, red-dirt country, and 1990s grunge music. They found themselves achieving viral infamy with \u201cSad In Carolina,\u201d which would top several alternative rock charts, \u201cShe Likes Girls,\u201d \u201cAll Your Friends Still Scare Me,\u201d and \u201cCouch,\u201d all tracks characterized by gritty, melancholic, and introspective lyrics about living in the modern world. Citing influences such as Nirvana and Whiskey Myers, they\u2019ve released four EPs, with two of them dropping last year, Happy To Be Here and Donkey Flats. Their concerts frequently include songs from all four releases, as well as offbeat and unexpected covers of tracks like \u201cMessed Up Kid\u201d by Tyler Childers.<\/p>\n Where: House of Blues San Diego, 1055 Fifth Avenue, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Friday, February 6, 2026, at 7:30 pm<\/p>\n Ages: 18+<\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Kai Kalama<\/p>\n Island pop singer-songwriter\u00a0Kai Kalama<\/a>\u00a0has been singing and performing since the age of six. He then played guitar and sang with his brother, who he has maintained a duo with since he was 12 years old. He was featured as one of the 36 semi-finalists on season eight of\u00a0American Idol,\u00a0and was also a winning contestant on the NBC summer game show The Winner Is in 2013.\u00a0He brings to the stage a one-man show, with a large range of musical styles, from Hawaiian to hip-hop. Kalama has been further developing his rich, soulful voice.\u00a0 Among his videos available on Youtube is a cover of the traditional Irish folk ballad, \u201cFields Of Athenry.\u201d For live performances such as this one in La Jolla, he is mastering the art of live looping with his use of a loop pedal to create the sound of an entire band.\u00a0His beach-flavored covers are well suited for the La Jolla venue\u2019s shoreline vibe.<\/p>\n Where: Farmer & the Seahorse, 10996 Torreyana Road, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 10 am<\/p>\n Ages: All ages<\/p>\n More info<\/a><\/p>\n TX2<\/p>\n Originating from Fort Collins, Colorado,\u00a0emo\/alternative rock artist\u00a0TX2<\/a>\u00a0(Timothy Evan Thomas)\u00a0developed from a solo project in 2018 into a full band, with Thomas relocating to Miami to pursue music. He\u00a0first earned widespread attention with hits like \u201cI Would Hate Me Too,\u201d blending pop-punk, rap, and rock. Substantial viral success on TikTok came with\u00a0nearly a million followers, thanks to emotionally charged lyrics addressing widely relatable topics such as sobriety, personal struggles, and mental health, paving the way to a major label contract in 2023 with Hopeless Records. As a sideline to his music career, he also\u00a0started a dedicated community engagement effort called the X Movement, intended to foster mental health awareness, allowing fans to connect, share feelings, and support one another.\u00a0He\u2019s also been very vocal about LGBTQ+ rights, often addressing themes of identity, equality, and anti-discrimination in music and performances, such as in the song \u201cHostage (They Will Not Erase Us).\u201d<\/p>\n Where: Soma, 3350 Sports Arena Boulevard, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 7 pm<\/p>\n Ages: All ages<\/p>\n Get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Will Brahm<\/p>\n Born and raised in Portland Oregon,\u00a0Will Brahm<\/a>\u00a0is a versatile guitarist and composer whose music primarily spans jazz, rock, and Americana. After graduating California State Long Beach with a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance, he joined New West Guitar Group and began his touring career, spending years with jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval\u2019s band. A semifinalist in the Herbie Hancock International Guitar Competition, his music often features wordless, storytelling compositions. Known for his \u201csonic world-building,\u201d he blends the harmonic complexity of jazz with the emotive, melodic sensibility of artists like one of his main influences, guitar icon Pat Metheny. His songs evoke the ambitious emotional soundscape of bands like Pink Floyd, while his melodic delivery brings to mind effortlessly flashy guitarists like Jeff Beck.<\/p>\n Where: Lou Lou\u2019s Jungle Room, 2225 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Sunday, February 8, 2026, 7 pm<\/p>\n Ages: 21+<\/p>\n More info<\/a><\/p>\n Atmosphere<\/p>\n During the early to late 2000s, some of the best hip-hop music was coming out of Minnesota. At a time when most people associated midwestern hip-hop with Common and Kanye West, the duo\u00a0Atmosphere<\/a>\u00a0and their Rhymesayers label were considered underground superheroes.\u00a0Hailing from Minneapolis and founded in 1996, they maintained a course of rigorous output, releasing over two dozen studio albums, EPs, and collaborative side projects over the past 30 years. In that time, rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and producer Ant (Anthony Davis) have built a legacy out of bringing honesty, humility, and vulnerability to the forefront of their music, continually challenging themselves to evolve without straying too far from their roots. The Winter Carnival bill includes opening performances by Rhode Island rapper\u00a0Sage Francis<\/a>,\u00a0Kool Keith<\/a>(known from the Ultramagnetic MCs,\u00a0Dr. Octagon,\u00a0Black Elvis, and\u00a0Dr. Dooom)\u00a0and\u00a0R.A. The Rugged Man<\/a>\u00a0(a staple of the \u201990s underground scene), as well as a DJ set from\u00a0Mr. Dibbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where: Observatory North Park, 2891 University Avenue, San Diego<\/p>\n When: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 7:30 pm<\/p>\n Ages: 18+<\/p>\n<\/a>Trevor Davis (Photo courtesy of Acoustic Spot Talent)<\/p>\n<\/a>Celeste Barbier (Photo courtesy of Gig Town)<\/p>\n<\/a>Dexter & the Moonrocks (Photo courtesy of House of Blues)<\/p>\n<\/a>Kai Kalama (Photo courtesy of Acoustic Spot Talent)<\/p>\n<\/a>TX2 (Photo courtesy of Soma)<\/p>\n<\/a>Will Brahm (Photo courtesy of Will Brahm)<\/p>\n<\/a>Atmosphere (Photo courtesy of LiveNation)<\/p>\n