In response to City Beat being lame:
In reading the 24OB issue of City Beat where every band playing at the street fair was shredded by City Beat it really got me thinking about the purpose of the paper and how unsupportive San Diego is to their music scene. (First, I have to be honest… I did not read the article in depth because it honestly wasn't worth the read.) So, with that being said, the reason I am writing this is because I think this topic does deserve some attention. Ocean Beach is probably the most supportive and musically inspired neighborhood in all of San Diego. This is a town where people and bands are loyal to venues, bands and music in general. This is the town where people go to venues without knowing who is playing just cause they want to hear music, this is the town where bands practice 24/7 in garages and bedrooms just to play music, this is the town where bands still play house parties and people are not "to cool" to have a good time and this is the town where it is easy to find home studios, gigs for new bands and ears that will listen. Your article did nothing but rip a part Ocean Beach's culture and musical influences and that is basically ripping apart the only part of San Diego that actually gives a shit about music. I mean honestly, you are making fun of old guys for rocking out when the closest you have come to the stage is playing Guitar Hero at your local hipster joint. I hope to god when I am 40 I have the balls to still perform even if it is at Dream Street… at least they are still putting on shows and providing a stage for talent.
Don't you get tired of writing about "the next big band" that figured out how to play an arpeggio with an analogue synthesizer over an 80s rock beat?
(Fuck I love indie rock ,I love mixing the new with the old, but don't you think you should look into the next sound instead of what is being copied since the strokes blew up, came into town and pissed in every ones ears)
Don't you get tired of comparing any band that has any sort of reggae influence to Sublime?
(This is the same old fucking copout and shows that zero knowledge or creativity is expected of your writers. You act if Sublime invented reggae and for some reason you own their legacy)
Don't you get tired of doing imaginary interviews with rock stars because you can't land a real one?
CityBeat…. What city do you report the beat of? It seems to me you are more intent on showing that San Diego has a lame music scene. So do it. Keep reporting how lame bands are, keep reporting that the only town that truly to the core supports music is lame. There are so many bands that the media in this town turns its back on it is disgusting. San Diego is not LA, our music scene is nothing like LA, our venues are nothing like LA and for fuck sake the people here are nothing like the people in LA. Again, no offense to "the hipster" scene at all, but that is the only scene that is reported on and it makes up a very small portion of the music that is created here. I love all types of music and can even find value in pop music that is produced. The same reason why quality of music that is accepted by the masses is lesser then the days of Motown is the same reason your articles are so lame…. Its education and a lack of expectation. I mean do you even know about the Hip Hop Scene in San Diego? Do you know where to look for it? Do you know where to find a good band outside of the Casbah? Would you know where to find an up-n-coming producer in San Diego?
I understand writing with humor and I understand sarcasm and I also understand laziness. Would it be easy for me to go to the OB street fair and make fun of everything? Yes, but I'm a cynical prick. It would be a lot harder to dig and find something that is really interesting or ground breaking to write on. I am standing up for my community… I am standing up for the bands in that article…. I am standing up for the same people that you knock because you hide behind a magazine and are too weak to pick up an instrument and take a stand for something. You are the same people that are going to look at this and bash the grammar instead of addressing the content.
Lastly…. I love Ocean Beach I think it is a island of real people surrounded by an Ocean of imitators. I'm sick of hearing OB is dirty and scary… well you know what….. OB is dirty and scary…..and we like it like that!