From the San Diego Arts Community...

Just as record companies traditionally time their hottest releases of the year to the pre-Christmas buying rush, local concert bookers are saving some of their hottest shows for the month of December.

In the coming weeks, the social calendar of any acute San Diego pop music fan is likely to be filled with concerts, concerts and more concerts. After all, chestnuts roasting on an open fire are no match for the pop superstars roasting under the spotlight, right?

To begin with, the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll past has been unleashed with a vengeance. Topping the list of local hauntings is an appearance by Buddy Miles on Dec. 11 at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. In 1967, Miles and the late Mike Bloomfield founded the Electric Flag, which sparked the jazz-rock trend subsequently popularized by Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago.

Two years later, Miles was recruited by Jimi Hendrix to keep the beat in the Band of Gypsies; after Hendrix’s death in 1970, Miles spent several years touring and recording with Carlos Santana. After a long period of anonymity, Miles recently resurfaced as the voice of the California Raisins.

Four other venerated pop veterans are coming to San Diego this month.

Tonight, the Bacchanal in Kearny Mesa will host country-rock group, the Desert Rose Band, led by the man who practically invented the genre 20 years ago. Chris Hillman, along with the late Gram Parsons, is credited with putting the twang into the Byrds’ landmark “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” album, which many consider the first country-rock album ever made.

Hillman’s country-rock exploits continued well into the 1970s through successive stints in the Flying Burrito Brothers, Stephen Stills’ Manassas and the Souther Hillman Furay Band.

Spencer Davis will be at the Belly Up Tavern on Dec. 23. Back in 1967, the Spencer Davis Group topped the charts with a pair of all-time rock classics, “Gimme Some Lovin’ ” and “I’m a Man,” showcasing the blazing guitar riffs of Davis and the amazing vocals of the previously unknown Steve Winwood.

And, on Dec. 29, a tough choice awaits San Diego blues aficionados: whether to see John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers at the Belly Up Tavern or B. B. King at the Bacchanal.

Mayall is the father of the British blues movement of the 1960s. His family of illustrious former sidemen includes Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.

King is the father of the modern blues. His family of influential hits includes 1964’s “Rock Me Baby,” 1968’s “Paying the Cost to Be the Boss” and 1970’s “The Thrill is Gone.”

Also appearing in San Diego this month is a cavalcade of contemporary pop heavyweights.

Metallica (Monday at the San Diego Sports Arena, with Queensryche) is among the most popular heavy metal bands in the country. The San Francisco quartet’s latest album, “ . . . And Justice for All,” is in the national Top 10 and promises to be one of the biggest-selling heavy metal LPs of all time.

It has been nearly nine years since Pat Benatar’s first hit single, “Heartbreaker,” led to her coronation as the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. Wearing a crown bejeweled with such subsequent Top 40 gems as “Love is a Battlefield” and “Invincible,” the petite former opera singer will hold court Thursday at the Civic Theatre.

Other present-day pop stars performing in San Diego this month: Devo (Monday), Night Ranger (Dec. 13) and Jeffrey Osborne (Dec. 15), all at the Bacchanal; and the Steve Miller Band (Dec. 14) at the California Theatre downtown.

San Diegans will also have a chance this month to catch a handful of rising stars in concert. The Bacchanal will host country upstarts Highway 101 (Tuesday), new wave-folkies Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians (Dec. 11) and hipper-than-thou rocker John Hiatt (Dec. 16).

Techno-pop band Animotion will be at the Spirit in Bay Park on Dec. 10, and the eclectic Bonedaddys will play the Belly Up Tavern on Dec. 30.