events

Free Music San Diego

Sara 2 Comments

Money is tight, but music remains a huge part of our lives. Paying for shows has gotten expensive even the cheaper ones at $8-10 per ticket. If you go to shows all the time you may know there are plenty of options to see music for free. But if you don’t leave the house very often, you might be thinking, “Free? Where? I wanna go.” So I have compiled a fairly comprehensive list of regular events, shows and venues that will leave your wallet un-touched, as long as you avoid purchasing drinks, food or other fun stuff.

Street Fairs, Festivals and Events
Seaport Village Busker’s Festival: April 10-11, 2010
Adam’s Avenue Roots Festival: April 24-25, 2010
ArtWalk: April 24-25, 2010
North Park Festival of the Arts: May 16, 2010
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon: June 6, 2010
OB Street Fair: June 26, 2010
Fiesta del Sol: July 30-August 1, 2010
Adam’s Avenue Street Fair: Sept 25-26, 2010

Free Summer Concert Series
The Union-Tribune usually will release a full schedule of all of these concert series once all of the line ups have been confirmed. Perfect for putting up on your fridge.
Alpine Summer Concert Series: TBA
Balboa Park – Twilight in the Park: June 15-August 26, 2010
Carlsbad TGIF Jazz in the Parks: TBA
Chula Vista Music in the Park: June 8-August 17, 2010
Coronado Summer Concerts-in-the-Park: TBA
Del Mar Twilight Concert Series: TBA
El Cajon Concerts on the Green: June 25-September 3, 2010
Encinitas Sunday Summer Concerts by the Sea: TBA
Escondido – Summer Pops in the Park: TBA
La Jolla Concerts By The Sea: TBA
La Mesa Sundays at Six: June 13-July 25, 2010
Lemon Grove Concerts in the Park: TBA
Mission Hills Concerts in the Park: TBA
North Park Bird Park Summer Concerts: TBA
Pacific Beach Concerts on the Green: TBA
Point Loma Summer Concert Series: July 16-August 13, 2010
Poway Target Summer Concerts in the Park Series: June 20-August 15, 2010
Santee Summer Concert Series: June 10-August 19, 2010
Standley Park Concerts in the Park: TBA
Trolley Barn Park Summer in the Park: TBA

Regular Performances and Showcases
Every last Sunday of the month, The Local 94.9 broadcasts live at from the Atari Lounge at The Casbah. The regular event usually showcases local bands that you may or may not have heard of. It is a great opportunity to see what this town has to offer in terms of local music. Includes free food from Luche Libre. Free food AND music?! How can you go wrong? Doors usually at 7pm, show at 8pm.

Every second Saturday of the month 6-9pm, North Park galleries and businesses open their doors and share their space with the public at Ray at Night. There is usually some decent bands showcased, but sometimes it is more about the visual arts.

Every Wednesday night at 10pm, Lady Dottie and the Diamonds play at Gallagher’s Irish Pub in Ocean Beach. On occasion this venue has decent bands on the weekends for free, check their schedule for details. Lady Dottie and the Diamonds also play every Sunday 1-5pm poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley during the summer months (2010 date TBA).

Every Sunday, 9am-2pm the 7th Day Buskers play the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market, while the OB Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays 4-7pm hosts a variety of live acts.

Daily the Seaport Village East Gazebo hosts a variety of entertainment including live music usually in the afternoon.

Bars Offering Free Music
Make sure you check their schedules or call before you go.
The Tiki House
Stage Bar & Grill
Club Kadan
Ruby Room
Bar Pink
The Radio Room
O’Connells Bar

Don’t be a cheap skate: If you can afford it, please consider donating to the organizations who put on these events or patronizing the businesses by purchasing food or drinks so that these events can continue to be free for all.

SoundDiego Launch Party, Bar Basic: 3/4/2010

Sara 3 Comments
A week ago Thursday, a gathering of postive energy in celebration of the San Diego music community occured at Bar Basic with the launch of SoundDiego, NBC San Diego’s new platform for showcasing music in San Diego. Two of San Diego’s most beloved music acts, Gregory Page and The Silent Comedy hit the stage in support.

Brain child of Cantore Creative, Chris Cantore’s “full service social media agency, specializing in networking / interaction, content management, and events (”tweet-ups.”),” the SoundDiego blog connects the San Diego music scene on a whole new level. The site brings together San Diego’s most involved music bloggers Rosemary Bystrak from SD Dialed In as well as T. Loper and Chris Maroulakos from Owl and Bear. SoundDiego’s posts include music news, weekly listings, music features through videos, interviews and show reviews.

The SoundDiego blog’s vision is to serve as a platform for connecting people to music and (eventually) people to other people. Engaging the listener will take on a new level as people share the music experience online and then meet in real life through shared live music experiences. Individuals from Legit Radio community (another Cantore Creative Project) represented in this same capacity. Many individuals were  meeting for the first time in real life as opposed to on Twitter and in the Legit Radio chatroom, expanding social circles in the light of a common interest: the San Diego music community.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of the night:

Gregory Page
Steve Poltz and Gregory Page
Joshua Zimmerman from The Silent Comedy

Ian Kesterson and Andy Ridley from The Silent Comedy
Joshua Zimmerman, Ian Kesterson and Jeremiah Zimmerman from The Silent Comedy
The tweet-wall was in full effect giving shoutouts to Chris Cantore and the whole SoundDiego crew using the #sounddiego hashtag. Photos of individuals and fashion wares were dispayed through TwitPics taken throughout the night. Even people who were missing out due to needing to stay home with family or had other obligations seemed to be following the trend. 
SoundDiego Tweet-Wall
At the end of the night Roger and I felt contented to to feel a part of something so good, a community of people that support each others’ talents.

Holiday Matinee’s Book Launch Party, Bar Basic: 2/18/2010

Sara Leave a comment

For one night, Bar Basic was transformed into a place of positive collaborative discussions where creative minds could be set free. The space was packed with people interested in doing good and making a difference. This past Thursday night, Holiday Matinee launched his book, I Swear to Good You Are God at This, an inspiring look into 25 projects and individuals who are thinking beyond the four walls to, as Dave Brown says, “make awesome.”

Several projects highlighted in the book were featured at the party, allowing guests to be entrenched in the awesomeness.
As you arrived to the event, a bed with a bleach blonde-haired mannequin tucked under the covers, was parked directly outside the bar. Passers by stopped in curiosity pondering the purpose of object’s placement, satisfying Mark Jenkins’ artistic mission.
Guest received complementary gift bags from Baggu, a maker of reusable, zip-stop nylon bags. Stylishly made and super compact, guests were given a choice of seven or eight colors, a mere percentage of the actual colors in stock.  
To completely engage the guests, a section of the bar was set up where individuals could live their “Dreams of Flying” through a physical representation of Jan von Holleben‘s photographs. Natalie, from Too Sunny Out Here and I were given “wings” and became fairies in our own version of Jan von Holleben’s piece, Peter Pan.
Both T-post and Anthony Burrill’s work were displayed and Sezio was there silk screening shirts on-site.
A couple of my personal favorite things exhibited at the launch included the “Wall of Dave” (as Seth Combs from City Beat called it) , which was a visual timeline of Holiday Matinee’s accomplishments, and the wall of concept cover designs for the book, each equally cool that I am not sure how a decision was made.
If you missed the launch party, that is sad. However, the real good comes not from being seen at a party but from the impact you make on the world at large. By supporting projects and people like those featured in I Swear to Good You Are God at This, you are making steps towards making the world a better place.

Don’t Let Concerts Pass You By: Tips for Concert Going with Your Baby

Sara 6 Comments

After going to this weekend’s Flaming Lips concert at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and being complemented on our parent planning skills and concert preparation, I thought I would share a few tips about getting out to see shows with a small one.

Research the Venue
First off… is the venue all ages. This will help answer the first question of whether you should take him or leave him. There are lots of all ages venues in San Diego: the Marquee, Lestats, SOMA, Epicentre, Java Joe’s at Café Libertalia, Club 8Teen (formerly Avalon, now called something else) and ChannelTwelve25. The Del Mar Fairgrounds holds concerts throughout the summer as do a number of communities (Bird Park Concerts, Trolley Barn Concerts, etc.)… Plus there are many street fairs and festivals that are open to everyone.

Take in consideration that you will need a place to change the baby that is inoffensive (sorry, no changing on dinner tables). The ground always a place as long as you have a quiet corner and the proper changing tools mainly a blanket or pad.

Make sure there is a place you can step away from the action for fussiness. This could be outside, another room, or just distancing yourself from the action. This is important in smaller venues where cries could potentially disturb the show.

Ear Protection
If you think the music isn’t loud, you’re wrong. You want your child to grow up with his or her full capacity to hear even the softest of noises. I have been to so many concerts and bouts where parents think that if they are sleeping or if they aren’t reacting, that the noise must not be bad for them. I don’t personally have a link to the research on this, but I know that theory is wrong.

There are options for protecting your child’s hearing even as early as 2-3 months (before that you should really avoid taking you kids to places with loud music/noises… get a sitter). We use the Peltor Kid Ear Muffs. They cost less than $20, they last until your child is about 7 years old, and they come in three colors (pink, blue and black). If you start your kid young in these, they would be bothered wearing them. They can still hear the music but it takes the edge off. Thomas has enjoyed listening to Roger’s band practice and has even fallen asleep while wearing them.

Pack Your Bags
Just like going out for the day, you need to be sure to pack food, milk or formula, diapers, wipes, clothes, a bib, a burp cloth and toys. Make sure that you think about the food temperature. In many concert situations you won’t have access to heat a bottle. My child is not picky about temperature, so leaving milk or food out at room temperature is good enough.

Also don’t forget about your needs. Often when I am packing for Thomas, I forget that I need a jacket or food. It will happen, but here is another reminder to take care of yourself too.

Your Arms Can Only Hold So Much
It really does suck if you have to hold a sleeping baby for hours. Consider the venue again. Think about whether a sling or stroller is more appropriate. If you are standing room only, a stroller is better towards the back of the room while a sling allows you to get closer to the action.

Bonus/luxury items include having a backpack style carrier or a wagon. We are lucky to own both (as gifts). The backpack we have yet to use but believe it will come in useful during street fairs. It will be great place to feed him on the go too.

The wagon we have is a portable, fold up wagon called Fold-It & Go Portable Wagon. It folds up like a PacknPlay to load in and out of your car. The wheels are large making it easy to go over rough terrain (like sand). It claims to hold up to 150 lbs. We use it as a playpen (for now) and a portable crib. The only thing it is lacking is brakes so supervision is heavily needed.

At the Flaming Lips concert we loaded up our wagon with a small cooler, a couple of chairs, and a bags of our stuff. On the way out, we hauled Thomas, passed out in the wagon with the earmuffs still on, back to the car while carrying the rest of the gear. It was perfect for this occasion. It should be also be useful for the Bird Park Concerts.

The biggest takeaway for me is all of the preplanning. It is no longer possible to just leave the house on a whim. Before I would preplanning for comfort, now it is a necessity.

If you have any additional tips on concert going with kids/babies, feel free to comment.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand @ The Miller’s House

Sara 2 Comments

Yesterday was the 4th annual FM94/9 live broadcast of Alex’s Lemonade Stand at the Miller Family home on the corner of Redwood and Thorn. Roger and I have wanted to make it out for this event pretty much every year since it started. Now that we live five blocks from the Miller Family, it will become an annual tradition for us too. That is, if they able to keep it there.

Of the four years they have been doing this event, this is the biggest yet. The stands take over three of the four corners of the intersection, selling lemonade (both pink and yellow varieties) to passers by for donations to pediatric cancer. They also had a silent auction, live local music and guests from the local Star Wars Society, all part of the event.

Their fundraising goal was $10,000 which they had raised the previous year. By 11am, only one hour after they started, when our family stopped by, they had already raised $2,000. One of the big draws was the family four pack of Legoland tickets that they were giving away if you donated $80 to the cause. By 11:30am, the tickets they had on hand where gone and they had to start taking IOU’s. As FM94/9’s DJ, Hilary put it best “It is so California of us,” referring to the the state tax returns.

According to Amy Miller, the event had much more press than in previous years including on-air segments on both KUSI and NBC 7/39. It was overheard Amy saying that she doesn’t want this event to get any bigger. And neither do the neighbors. The cops came by at least twice in the hour that we were there, responding to neighbor complaints regarding music volume and crowds in the street and sidewalks. If it does get much bigger, they would have to look at a different venue, which would be a sad prospect to both the Miller Family and the community as a whole.

Our family hopes they continue this successful fundraiser at their home for years to come. Not just because it is within walking distance, but because it shows the collective power of good in our community.


–Thomas playing with his lemonade cup–