Pop punk is a genre that is guaranteed to ruffle some feathers. Some consider it a poser genre that gives “real” punk music a bad name and others see it as the essence and attitude of classic punk rock wrapped up in a nice radio-friendly package. Instead of fighting over it let’s just all sit back and enjoy the music. Here are some of my favorites:
1. New Found Glory – “Radiosurgery”
These guys are pop punk royalty; to have any pop punk playlist without them would be committing musical blasphemy. The challenge with this one was picking a song out of their massive library for this list. “Radiosurgery” is off of their latest album of the same name and has all the elements of an old school NFG song while also giving a nod to their hardcore roots. All in all, this is a near perfect pop punk song. “Radiosurgery” is going on two years old but the Orlando five-piece just released a new song and is planning on heading into the studio next year to record an album. In the mean time, you can check out all of their songs on iTunes.
2. Bayside –“Oliver’s Army”
Bayside is not really considered a pop punk band but its cover of Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ classic song is a perfect example of a pop punk cover done right. In fact, the band’s latest album, “Killing Time,” walks a fine line between both pop punk and the straight up aggressive alternative that it’s known for. Anthony Raneri’s killer vocals combined with the bands slightly up-tempo take on the song take this cover to the next level. In fact, the EP that this song is on is full of cover songs that Bayside has taken to the next level. You can get all of Bayside’s music on iTunes.
3. Knuckle Puck –“Stateside”
Pop punk bands seem to be popping up everywhere these days and most of them pretty much suck. Knuckle Puck, on the other hand, has proven to be one of the most talented bands of any genre that I’ve listened to in a while. “Stateside” is just one of the songs off of their stellar new EP “The Weight That You Buried.” The Chicago four-piece takes pop punk to the next level with their emotionally charged lyrics and aggressive in-your-face melodies. If you’re a fan of bands like The Story So Far then Knuckle Puck will have a place in your iTunes library. You can get all of their music on the band’s Bandcamp page: KnucklePuck.Bandcamp.com.
4. All Time Low –“Somewhere in Neverland”
All Time Low is one of the more popular and “mainstream” pop punk bands out today. Everyone listens to them, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. “Somewhere in Neverland” is off of the band’s latest release “Don’t Panic” and addresses themes that everyone can relate to: growing up and taking responsibility; all while under the guise of a classic alt love song. Plus, the fact that the song refers to one of the most beloved Disney movies isn’t bad either. You can get this song, along with the entire album on iTunes.
5. Man Overboard –“Where I Left You”
This song is one of the more mellow tracks on this list but don’t let that make you think that Man Overboard is a laid-back sounding band. In fact, if I had to compare them to anything it would be a mixture of old school blink-182, circa the late 1990s/early 2000s and New Found Glory a la “Not Without a Fight.” “Where I Left You” is one of the best songs on the band’s latest album “Heart Attack.” The semi-heavy pop punk sound and really catchy lyrics make for enjoyable listening experience. You can get their music on iTunes and catch them out on tour, with a stop in San Diego on Nov. 15 at the House of Blues.
After 11 years and four EPs, The 1975 finally released their long awaited self-titled debut album and it was worth every second of the wait.
The 1975 have been gaining rapid momentum since the release of their first EP “Facedown” in August 2012. Three other EP releases quickly followed titled “Sex,” “Music for Cars” and “IV” respectively. The EPs, while amazing in their own right, provided somewhat of a warning for what their debut album would be like: loud, eclectic and unlike anything you’ve ever heard.
The music on the album is all over the place, jumping from atmospheric experimental tracks like “Talk!” to more straightforward pop tracks like “Girls.” This is all thanks to the bands self-identified “lack of identity.”
Lack of identity has often led to really bad albums but in this case however, it works beautifully. It’s obvious that the band has listened to a lot of music over their 11-years together and that they have learned from it.
Then there are songs like the mellow “Menswear” and the stripped down “Is There Somebody That Can Watch You” that serve as nice breaks from the in your face alt-pop music that permeates through the entire album.
Lyrically, the album could be the poster child for youthful angst. The band provides a witty and catchy commentary that deals with topics such as sex, drugs, love and experimentation. This album touches on so many levels of young adulthood that it could easily have been the soundtrack to your formative years.
The flaws in this album, while albeit minor, are still there. The only thing I didn’t really like was that in “Talk!” the guitar sounds looped and the bass almost gets completely drowned out by the drums during the verses.
All in all, The 1975 have proven that their debut album not only transcends genres but also proves to be that breath of fresh air that music today needs. These are the kind of songs that deserve to be played on the radio and obtain the number one spot on top of the charts.
Other artists should take note because this is what a pop album should be. It should pay homage to the genres that influenced the band but at the same time should stay true to their own style and identity, or lack thereof, in The 1975’s case.
Highlights include the re-recording of the song “Sex,” the two previous EP singles “Chocolate” and “This City,” the intricate and vocally hypnotizing “Robbers,” the experimental “Heart Out” and the two most straightforward pop songs “Settle Down” and “Girls.”
The 1975’s debut album is out now and available on iTunes.
Originally published in City Times, September 2013.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year then you should know about Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel “The Great Gatsby.” The film has been out in theaters for about two weeks and has been getting mixed reviews. The soundtrack, however? I guarantee it’s one of the best film soundtracks you will hear this year.
Development for “The Great Gatsby” had been going on for years. The idea of turning it into a Broadway play had even been tossed around, and in 2008 it was confirmed that Baz Luhrmann would be taking over as director. However, when it came to the soundtrack Luhrmann turned to his go-to composer Craig Armstrong and executive music supervisor Anton Monsted. Jay Z signed on as the co-executive producer and spent two years working with Luhrmann and his team to put out one of the best soundtracks that has been used in a Baz Luhrmann film.
The soundtrack as a whole is amazing. The producers managed to address the themes of decadence, love and excess that are in the story. Musically, the album is all over the place. It’s the music of the roaring 20’s with a modern twist. Elements of hip-hop, rock, electronic dance music; jazz and swing are blended together in a way that doesn’t make it sound cheesy or forced together.
One standout track on the album is “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey. Her vocals are haunting and emotional. The music has a somber sound to it that matches certain scenes in the film perfectly. Another thing that I liked about this song was that the instrumentation was simple and how the instruments were layered in the song. Overall, this song was a perfect fit for the film and one of the best songs on the soundtrack.
I’ll admit “Young and Beautiful” surprised me because I’m not a big Lana Del Rey fan. I thought that her last two releases were boring and frankly, her whole “daddy, hold me, pale, moonlight, Pepsi cola” thing didn’t really reel me in. However, if her next release is anything like “Young and Beautiful” then she will definitely have a place in my iTunes library.
Another standout track is “Over the Love” by Florence + the Machine. This song was written from the perspective of Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby’s longtime crush. There are also mentions of certain things in the novel like the green light that appears on a dock outside of Daisy’s house and the yellow dress she wears. Musically, this song is a baroque pop ballad with hints of soul, which matches Florence Welch’s voice perfectly. The vocals on this song are powerful and emotional. The lyrics were beautifully written and really capture Daisy’s struggle between Gatsby and her husband, Tom. This song was a hit overall and one of the best songs on the soundtrack.
But of course, with the good always come the bad and this soundtrack only really had one thing that was wrong with it. That thing is the Andre 3000 and Beyoncé cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.” This cover is just wrong on almost all levels. It is hands down the worst song on the album and the worst song that Beyoncé has ever been a part of.
“Back to Black” doesn’t need a down tempo EDM wobble, chopped and screwed beats, and weird vocal arrangements. I understand that they wanted this song to be emotional and reimagine it in a unique way but it just did not work in their favor. Instead, they turned one of Amy Winehouse’s best songs into a pile of emotionless EDM crap.
All the producers would have needed to do was slow down the tempo, slightly rearrange the music and let Beyoncé do her thing without Andre 3000. I can almost guarantee that if the producers did that they would have had one of the best songs on the soundtrack and not have the travesty that is on millions of iPods across the country.
All that being said, this was an excellent soundtrack. Baz Luhrmann has an awesome gift of picking out songs that perfectly fit his movies. Just like the songs from his “Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge!” soundtracks, the songs on “The Great Gatsby” soundtrack perfectly enhances the story rather than take away from it. If you were to get any soundtrack from the summer movie season, then I highly recommend this one. You won’t be disappointed.
For even more tracks, check out the deluxe version of the soundtrack which includes an orchestral version of “Young and Beautiful,” a remix of “Over the Love” by SBTRKT and dialogue from the film; including one of Tobey Maguire reciting his lines over a brilliant instrumental.
“The Great Gatsby” is in theaters everywhere and the standard and deluxe versions of the soundtrack are available on iTunes.
After seven long years away from the music industry Justin Timberlake decided it was time to hang up his actors’ hat, slip on a tuxedo and get back in the studio with his longtime collaborators and some new ones, to give us his long awaited new album. Sounds like a recipe for an amazing album right? Well, think again.
In early 2013 Timberlake hinted at a comeback on his Twitter account by releasing a tweet that said “I think I’M READY,” along with a link to a YouTube video of him walking into a studio explaining why he hasn’t released anything in so long. In the video he said that he didn’t want to release anything that he doesn’t love. After months of recording, “The 20/20 Experience” was finally released on March 18. For his newest album, Timberlake took on the role of executive producer and head songwriter.
The main problem I have with the album is that some of the music tracks sounds like a complete rehash of Timbaland’s other work. At times it could feel like your listening to “FutureSex/LoveSounds” or “Shock Value II” rather then Timberlake’s newest release. On top of that, some of the songs, like “Spaceship Coupe,” easily sound like they could be a Robin Thicke song.
Then there are the lyrics. Timberlake is a pretty good songwriter that is responsible for some of the catchiest hooks in pop music. However, some of the lyrics are corny and border on literary porn. The most blatant use of these types of lyrics is the song “Strawberry Bubblegum,” which appears to be a metaphor of some kind for a woman’s vagina. In the song, Timberlake sings the lines “your mouth emotion gets me so high” and “we’re making love like professionals.” Wait a minute: professionals? What does that even mean? No passion with a contractual agreement? No one would want to be apart of that, no matter who was singing it.
Another thing that I didn’t initially like was that most of the songs are extended mixes that are seven to eight minutes long. The perfect example of this is the opening track “Pusher Love Girl.” That song could have ended at the 4-minute fifty-four second mark and be a really strong opener but then the song goes into this remix like breakdown. This however, is a very minor flaw that listeners will get use to after listening to the album a lot.
All those cons being said, this is actually a decent album. It’s not Timberlake’s best release, but it’s far from his worst. The one thing that I absolutely love about this album is that it’s not a straightforward pop album. As soon as I heard of his comeback I thought he was going for a pop sound, like many people did. I was wrong and this was one instance where I’m glad I was. There are influences from all across the musical spectrum. The mixture of old school ‘60s R&B;, ‘70s funk, neo-soul, hip-hop, jazz, pop and much more make this album worth listening to. The album stays away from any of the cliché dubstep bass lines and other EDM musical styles, which is a nice change up since that seems to be the norm for pop artists today. There are also a lot of artistic influences on the album as well, such as Prince, Quincy Jones, and Michael Jackson. The flow on this album is another thing that I liked. It makes going from one track to another almost seamless, even with the typical four-second gap time. His voice is also a major plus. Each song compliments his tenor voice almost perfectly, which makes for pretty sweet ear candy.
Highlights include the first single “Suit & Tie,” the high energy Timbaland produced “Tunnel Vision,” the raw soulful throwback “That Girl,” the Latin influenced track “Let the Groove In,” the minimalist track “Blue Ocean Floor,” and the sweet shout out to his wife “Mirrors.” The worst track on the album has to be “Don’t Hold the Wall.”
Even with its flaws “The 20/20 Experience” has a more mature and grown-up sound then Timberlake’s previous releases, manages to stay true to his artistic aesthetic and makes for an interesting listening experience that his longtime fans will love.
“The 20/20 Experience” is available in stores and on iTunes.
The weather is a little colder, leaves have started to change color and TV networks like The CW, ABC, FOX AND CBS have released an onslaught of new shows this fall. It’s likely only a couple from each channel will live to see the light of another season. Here’s a review of a few of fall’s most anticipated shows.
“Gotham”
Money, secrets, corruption and power; just another typical cliché crime drama right? In the case of Fox’s new show “Gotham” it couldn’t be more wrong.
“Gotham” starts off with the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Rookie Det. James Gordon and veteran Det. Harvey Bullock, played by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue respectively, are assigned to the case. Gordon quickly realizes that all is not what it seems to be in Gotham City and unbeknownst to him the murder of the Wayne’s is the catalyst that throws Gotham into chaos.
A major highlight of the show is Robin Lord Taylor’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot better known as the Penguin. Taylor’s take on the iconic villain is refreshing and brilliantly played out in a way that makes the viewer feel sympathetic towards this small-time criminal who is working his way up Gotham’s underworld. McKenzie’s portrayal of an up-and-coming James Gordon is interesting to watch and is somewhat relatable. Gordon is just a guy trying to do his best in the situation he’s put in. There are also subtle hints skewed throughout the episodes at other popular characters that may or may not be appearing in future episodes.
For “Batman” fans the liberties that the show takes with the beloved characters may be an annoying turn-off from the series. However, for the casual fan or avid TV viewer, it’s an intriguing and thrilling crime drama guaranteed to keep the viewer on their toes.
“Red Band Society”
Everyone is thinking it, but they’re also saying it, “Red Band Society” is a little too similar to another FOX series: “Glee.” Although it draws from other works, namely “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Breakfast Club” and even the British version of “Skins,” the show adds its own twist of modernity with a heartwarming storyline executed by a group of ill teenage misfits.
In this show we meet Kara, a blonde cheerleader with a heart disease, Jordi and Leo who both suffer from Osteosarcoma, Dash, the rule-breaker who does not let cystic fibrosis slow him down and Emma, a 15-year-old with an eating disorder. They all inhabit the pediatric ward of Ocean Park Hospital. The introduction to this unique set up is left to the last member of this group, who we later find out is a character named Charlie, a kid who has been in a coma for months.
There’s no denying that there is a good plot in there, yet the fact that there’s no shortage of “inspiration” from other works it’s what leads to believe that this show could be good, but could it be good enough? While the pilot was charming, the show so far from being a hit.
“How to Get Away with Murder”
Producer Shonda Rhimes’ newest addition to ABC’s Thursday night line-up isn’t a winning case; it’s an obstruction of justice.
Viola Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a criminal defense attorney and professor at a law school in Philadelphia. Keating is a no nonsense and ruthless lawyer with a “take no prisoners and win at all costs” attitude whether it be in the courtroom or the classroom. She selects five of her students who impress her the most to come work for her and her team. At certain times the show cuts to a forest where it’s discovered that Keating’s students have murdered someone and they argue on how or if they should dispose of the body.
The problem with the show is that the pacing is way too slow and most of the characters are just boring. The flow of the show is somewhat confusing as well. It shifts from what appears to be past and present at random times leaving the viewer to guess when certain events took place. The twists and turns are sometimes too frequent and it makes it feel as if the show is trying way too hard to be an edgy murder mystery.
“The Flash”
The newest adaptation of this superhero from the DC Comics family arrived on TV screens this fall and it’s clear from the start that Barry Allen is here to stay. “The Flash” is a spin-off from The CW’s current vigilante hit “Arrow.”
In the first episode we are introduced to Barry Allen, played by the naturally dorky Grant Gustin. As a child, Allen has the misfortune of seeing his mother mysteriously die and his father be erroneously convicted of this crime . Iris West, Allen’s love interest, is also his life long partner-in-crime since her father took Allen in when we was left an orphan all those years ago. Finally, on a night where everything seems to go wrong after an unexpected explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs , Allen gets struck by lightning. We are then left to explore Allen’s new powers with him before we see him fight this episode’s villain.
Throughout the pilot we see very strong, powerful and emotional performances but the best were delivered by John Wesley Shipp who plays Allen’s father and Jesse L. Martin who plays Det. Joe West.
“The Flash” reportedly debuted to 4.8 million viewers, scoring solid numbers for The CW, according to TVbyTheNumbers.com. Lighthearted, fun and genuine support for this hero make the show a definite early hit.
A former San Diego City College student died in Syria fighting for the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, otherwise known as ISIS, federal authorities announced.
According to various news outlets, the White House confirmed the death of Douglas McAuthur McCain on Aug. 26.
“We are aware of U.S. citizen Douglas McAuthur McCain’s presence in Syria and can confirm his death,” said a statement from Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
It was reported by KARE 11 news, a CNN affiliate, that he was killed during a confrontation between ISIS and the Free Syrian Army.
It was also confirmed that McCain attended City College for a period of time.
“The San Diego Community College District has confirmed that Douglas McAuthur McCain previously attended San Diego City College,” Heidi Bunkowske, San Diego City College’s public information officer, said via email.
However, how long he attended the college or whether he graduated cannot be confirmed or released due to a district policy not to disclose student information.
“Typically, the district policy is not to disclose student information. But in this case, the decision to do so was made because McCain had already posted it to Facebook,” Bunkowske said.
McCain, 33, was born in Illinois, raised in Minnesota and eventually settled in San Diego. His uncle, Ken McCain, told CNN that after practicing Christianity for a number of years, he became a follower of Islam, and on May 14, he posted on Twitter, “I reverted to Islam 10 years ago and I must say In sha Allah I will never look back the best thing that ever happened to me.”
It is not known how McCain got involved with ISIS, but starting in early May, he began tweeting and re-tweeting pro-ISIS ideals and sentiments.
“Your irrelevant opinion won’t change Sharia,” one re-tweet on McCain’s twitter page stated. Another re-tweet by McCain from Twitter user Ismael patel stated, “It takes a warrior to understand a warrior. Pray for ISIS.”
KARE 11 news also reported that McCain’s family was notified of his death by the State Department on Aug. 25.
New City College President Anthony Beebe held his first convocation for faculty, staff and administrators Aug. 14 at the Saville Theatre.
The convocation day started with breakfast on the patio of the theater for the attendees, who then quickly convened inside the theater to await the start of the program.
Before Beebe took the stage, there were welcome remarks and commentary from Vice President of Instruction Randy Barnes, Board of Trustees President Rich Grosch, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Guild, Local 1931, President Jim Mahler and San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance M. Carroll.
Carroll talked about numerous changes at City over the past year, such as receiving millions of dollars to invest in the college, the opening of the Arts and Humanities and Business Technology buildings, the school’s budget and the hiring of 92 new faculty members.
“Our district has hired 92 new faculty positions, 24 positions at City … We’ve also been hiring new classified staff members mostly in student services and facilities management,” Carroll said.
After a quick introduction from Carroll about Beebe’s long career in education and community service, the man of the hour took the stage.
Beebe’s speech consisted of what he called “elements for a new vision,” which included a list of four points — advancing social change and civility, increasing access and completion, transitioning the adult learner and building community connections — with a majority of the speech focusing on the first point, and not only about improving City College itself, but the students who attend here, as well.
“Community colleges were founded on social justice issues. City College has local relevance to the community here; we’re not just a generic milquetoast community college here in San Diego,” Beebe said. “… Our community has social issues. City College needs to be involved in framing the community solutions to those social problems.”
His speech then shifted to the privilege of having an education and the importance of helping those who are less privileged in the community.
“We are privileged because we are educated … If you look at the world’s population of 7.2 billion people, 6.7 percent of that population has a degree or has been educated. By our very nature, we are presaged because of that component. Now do we potentially each have oppressions, as well? Absolutely, but we have a privilege, and because we have privilege, we have a duty and a responsibility to help the less privileged among us,” Beebe said as the audience’s applause filled the theater.
He went on to cite the 1970s book “Education of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire as a foundation for his ideas for City and encouraged the audience to read or re-read the book for its significance.
Accompanying his speech, Beebe had a slideshow presentation that included a slide that said he will have an “open door policy,” meaning that no appointments are necessary for staff, faculty and students to visit and speak with him; a mailbox where people can send suggestions anonymously; and a Twitter account to keep people up to date with the goings-on at City.
Beebe’s speech concluded with a clip from the film “Dead Poets Society,” in which the late Robin Williams asks his students, “What will your verse be?” The answer that Beebe gave was that he believes City’s verse will be strongly related to social justice issues.
Concluding the program were remarks from Berta Harris and Yvonne Schmeltz, presidents of the Academic Senate and Classified Senate, respectively, a video tribute for new faculty and retirees, and presentations from Dotti Cordell, director of Student Health Services, and Denise Whisenhunt, vice president of Student Services.
Faculty and staff later gathered in Gorton Quad for Beebe’s official welcome party.
When most people think of typical Japanese pop music they think of cute outfits and sugary sweet pop songs. At first glance, BABYMETAL fits that description perfectly. Then you put on their debut, self-titled album and boy, are you in for a surprise. The group’s sound is unlike anything you’ve ever heard, in the best possible way.
Not only has BABYMETAL been gaining worldwide recognition through their music videos on YouTube but they have even been featured on the Internet clip show “RightThis Minute” on CNN’s sister network HLN. They are also the youngest group to grace the stage at the world famous Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo.
BABYMETAL is made up of vocalists Su-metal, Moaetal, Yuimetal – real names Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi and Yui Mizuno respectively — and their supporting band Full Metal Band. The group started off a sub unit of the popular idol group Sakura Gakuin but quickly rose up as one of Japan’s best new artists.
The album is a mixture of varying genres including pop, rock, heavy metal, electronic dance music, industrial and symphonic death metal. On paper there is no way that these genres can work together and have it sound good. BABYMETAL mixes these genres to create a unique genre of their own, called “kawaii metal” or cute metal.
“Megitsune” (translation: female fox or vixen) is undoubtedly the best song on the album. It perfectly captures the aesthetic that is BABYMETAL, a killer mix of high-energy idol pop music and melodic power metal. Lyrically, it’s an analogy between the Japanese folklore that surround women in society today.
“The song relates women and foxes. People think that foxes deceive or disguise. People also think that women wear makeup to disguise themselves and people think ill of foxes as they disguise themselves,” said lead singer Su Metal in an interview on the Japanese TV show “Hot Wave.”
The vocals are another major focal point. It’s not everyday that you find a young vocalist like Su-metal with a strong vocal range. Her vocals combined with Moametal and Yuimetal’s idol vocal style and the growls and screams from the backing band make for an interesting listening experience.
The flow from track to track is seamless. Each song has its own unique sound, changing from genre to genre in an instant giving the listener a whole new experience with each passing song.
Highlights on the album include the cute hip-hop influenced “Ii ne!!,” the dark and heavy intro to the album “BABYMETAL DEATH,” the upbeat synth pop driven “Doki Doki Morning,” the high energy power pop influenced “Headbanger” and the melodic album closer “Ijime, Dame, Zettai.”
BABYMETAL’s self-titled debut is a testament of just how far you take music and experiment with it. Metal is versatile; it isn’t just brutal, hard in-your-face rhythms and melodic guitar riffs. It can be cute, fun and youthful too.
The fourteenth annual San Diego Asian Film Festival concluded with the sold out screening of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, filmmaker and Define American founder Jose Antonio Vargas’ powerful emotionally charged documentary “Documented.”
The film tells Vargas’ journey from being brought to America from the Philippines at age 12, finding out he didn’t have the proper documentation during a DMV visit at age 16 and his struggle to reconnect with his mother who he hasn’t seen in 20 years.
The film also documents the moment that he decided to reveal is status as an undocumented American in June 2011 in an essay for the New York Times Sunday Magazine.
“I’m done running.” Vargas wrote. “I’m exhausted. I don’t want that life anymore. So I’ve decided to come forward, own up to what I’ve done, and tell my story to the best of my recollection.”
Vargas’ reconnection with his mother is also a poignant point throughout the film. He tells stories about his life with his mother before he came to the states and shares how he felt when he realized that their lives were vastly different from each other.
“I remember calling mama and saying I won the spelling bee and mama didn’t really know what that was. I think at that point I kind of realized we were living in two different worlds.” Vargas said in the trailer for the film. “So when I found out that I didn’t have the right papers, that I was actually here in America illegally, I had to create a different system of reality in which she was never a factor. I mean we haven’t seen each other in almost 20 years.”
Bsides the gripping and emotional reconnection with his family in the Philippines, one of the major issues that the film discusses is immigration stereotypes In the beginning of the film Vargas talks to students at his old high school and asks them what they think of when think of an immigrant. The immediate response was a Latino labor or field worker.
“People think that this [immigration] is a Latino and brown issue and we need to broaden that.” Said Vargas at a Q&A; for the film. “We need to preach beyond the choir.”
According to statistics from the Pew Research Center there are 11.7 million undocumented persons residing in the Unites States. Out of those 11.7 million undocumented persons only 52 percent of them came from Mexico. The other 48 percent come from places all over the world.
“Documented” succeeds in giving a new face for the immigration reform fight. It’s no longer just the Latino field and labor worker stereotypes that have been embedded into the mind of Americans. No, it’s much bigger then that. It’s students, doctors, lawyers, service workers, journalists, entrepreneurs and many more from places all across the globe.
This documentary is the perfect example of how film can transcend politics, breakdown stereotypes and tell the stories of real people. “Documented” is going to make you laugh and cry at times. It’s also guaranteed to make you think. As the curtains close and the credits roll the film begs the question: how do you define American?
Originally published in City Times, December 2013.
A look behind the curtains of the San Diego music scene
In an unsuspecting corner of a normal street, inside a
normal looking venue is a simple layout — A stage and a small capacity area
for concertgoers. Band after band cross
the stage, setting up their instruments while a sound engineer makes sure they
have the proper levels and sound. Music floods the room and the people, mostly
teenagers and young adults, move to the rhythms that pass through the speakers.
This is the San Diego music scene. Off the beaten path of
bigger and more well known venues like the Observatory, SOMA and the Irenic or
the age 21 and up establishments like Soda Bar and The Casbah. It’s the smaller
capacity venues that house 50 to 100 people and book almost exclusively local
bands that’s the heart of the music scene in America’s Finest City. It’s also
one of the biggest problems plaguing the budding scene, according to Zane
Shrem-Besnoy, a local promoter and musician.
Local promotor and musician Zane Shrem-Besnoy at Liberty Station on March 21. Photo by Angelica Wallingford
“There needs to be more like 100 capacity rooms,”
Shrem-Besnoy explained. “Che Café has a capacity of like 150 which is
perfect…it doesn’t feel empty if there’s only 50 people in there and a lot of
local bands that’s what they could pull; about 50 people.”
However, the smaller capacity venues are few and far
between, which Shrem-Besnoy says is the one of the reasons why bands, artists
and producers who currently call San Diego home might pack their instruments
and head north to the thriving scene in Los Angeles.
THE HOMETOWN TRIO
One of the many hometown bands playing the scene and gaining traction is glow!. The trio, made up of San Diego State University Jewish Studies major Sophie Parker, Dagger De La Vergne and Johnny “Blaze” Hurst, have writing together since May 2018.
Before the powerhouse trio became known as glow! around the scene, the members were heavily involved with had other musical projects. Sophia and Dagger met in 2015, started writing music together soon there after and started a band called Trouter Space. However, after De La Vergne moved to Utah for a short period of time, Trouter Space became less active. It wasn’t until he came back summer 2018 and moved in with Sophia that the genesis of glow! began to form.
“I had a lot of songs that were solo songs that I didn’t
know what to do with because I really wasn’t doing the Trouter Space thing as
much anymore,” De La Vergne said. “When I came out here I was living with her
(Sophia) because I didn’t really have a place to stay and we just put all the
songs together.”
The members of glow!, Dagger De La Vergne, Sophie Parker and Johnny “Blaze” Hurst, respectively rehearse during a session on April 5. Photo by Angelica Wallingford.
The duo was looking for a drummer when De La Vergne met
Hurst at a Street Surfers and Foxhide show at local venue Queen Bee’s. Hurst,
who has a background playing for other local bands in San Diego, also knew
Sophia from high school. With the addition of Hurst, the band has been playing
shows since December and consistently writing songs since May 2018.
“We just like clicked and he started playing drums for us
and the whole band just came together at that point,” De La Vergne said. “He
just added a million times more dynamic…”
In a house atop a hill in La Mesa a residential space is
turned into an impromptu rehearsal area. In between the couch and the TV stand
sits a drum set. To the right of the front door, chords wind the hardwood floor
plugged into the amplifiers and tuners. Next to the amps, lone microphone stand
where Parker and De La Vergne will switch lead vocals come practice time.
Amongst the chaos of chords and guitar pedals, Hurst sets up
his drum kit placing a shirt as a muffler atop his snare, which he later tosses
aside before playing one of the band’s songs. He runs through the percussion
part of a song that he was working on before they jump into their first song
for the hours long rehearsal.
The band’s experience in the local music scene has been
overall a good experience, De La Vergne claims. The problem, he says, lies
within the organization of shows and the lack of venues to showcase local
artists.
“Collectively, I think there’s a lot of good music that
comes from here and I love a lot of the bands that come from here,” De La
Vergne said. “At the same time it is pretty messy and inconsistent, not
together and not really organized.”
FEW AND FAR BETWEEN
The band points to something that is usually central to a thriving music and arts scene: venues, or in San Diego’s case, a lack thereof.
“If you’re a local band and you’re looking for a venue it’s such an uphill battle,” Shrem-Besnoy said. “There’s just not venues… and I think that’s why the music scene has such a hard time getting legs.”
One of the main problems the members of glow! point out is the
seemingly impossible list of requirements that bigger venues have in order for
bands to play there. The perspective of bands and artists with smaller
followings, the bigger venues tend to focus more on the money the can make from
a show rather than just getting the music out there. How many people can the
band get to attend and presale tickets are just some of the factors that can
make or break a band playing these bigger venues.
One solution that many local groups have come up with to
combat the lack of venues is to create their own in the form of house shows.
Turning their living space into a functioning venue, holding the capacity
crowds that would have otherwise turned up at these smaller venues like the Che
Café.
“It’s kind of inhibiting to people like us who are smaller
trying to get our name out there, we have all these requirements that we don’t
meet for them,” Hurst said. “Everybody is doing house shows because all the
venues around here are way to demanding.”
Promoter Héctor Castro, 19, at Chicano Park discussing the San Diego music community on April 18. Photo by Angelica Wallingford
When the Che Café closed for renovations a few years ago,
19-year-old promoter Héctor Castro didn’t know where he could throw shows that
the longtime San Diego establishment once held on a regular basis but also
bring together the community that once frequented these shows.
“That really put a roadblock for us because we love to
perform, we love to throw shows, we love to have spaces where people can hang
out, where we can see our friends,” Castro said. “We didn’t know where to go,
so we started throwing house shows.”
While house shows have become a mainstay across San Diego
County, it comes with it’s own set of problems. The main being that these DIY
shows are located in residential areas and often times can be unorganized, De
La Vergne said.
Kalani Lomu, formerly of longtime San Diego band Bad Kids, has been active in the scene since 2011 and has played in most of the venues scattered throughout San Diego. For Lomu, it’s not the lack of venues that are the problem; it’s the lack of all-ages venues that are the real issue since most bars can double as a performance space.
“The young kids make up a lot of the show goers in the scene and yet there’s like three all ages venues,” Lomu said. “For young bands it’s really not fun being escorted into the venue by the bouncer and then have you kicked to the curb after your set.”
MONEY TALKS
Aside from the lack of venues being an issue for most bands,
another issue is the music business in San Diego and the lack of accessibility
for people of all backgrounds to participate, according to Castro.
“I live in San Yisidro, I’m not rich, I’m not even in the
middle class, I’m not even in the low middle class. I can’t afford to throw
$1000 into shows,” Castro said. “It would be amazing to have smaller spaces
that can see that and say ‘we have money, we have these promoters that can help
you throw these shows and have them happen, we can have spaces that help you
have a performance,’ it would be amazing if we had more of that because we
don’t.”
The issue of profiting from artists isn’t something
particularly new when it comes to music scenes anywhere. The concept of “pay to
play” has been used in venues for so long that it’s become almost expected and
is something that Shrem-Besnoy disagrees with completely.
Dagger De La Vergne and Johnny “Blaze” Hurst practice during an April 5 session. Photo by Angelica Wallingford
“These people come out to see the bands on the stage,”
Shrem-Besnoy said. “They (the bands) deserved to get paid because if it wasn’t
for them people wouldn’t be coming to the venue.”
Castro started producing shows when he was 17, at the time
he considered it to be a great opportunity because he knew the bands he was
booking and the venues to hold the events. At that time, because of his
connections, it didn’t cost anything for him to put on an event.
However, with his past two shows he decided to invest about
$600 of his own money to create an ambiance for his productions that other venues
wouldn’t have otherwise been able to accommodate. Castro took it as a risk
because he didn’t know whether he would make a return on his investment and pay
out the bands that performed.
“It is kind of a weight on me because I know that if no one
shows up, I’m going to have to pay out of my pocket and I end up losing money
and hurting me,” Castro said. “It scares me from throwing more shows because I
don’t know if its going to be helpful for the community or I’m just going to
crumble down and not be able to give more to the community.”
COMMUNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
For Castro, Shrem-Besnoy, Lomu and the members of glow! the
San Diego music scene is more than just a bunch of artists showcasing their
work, it’s a community with music just as diverse as the people that make it.
Johnny “Blaze” Hurst and Sophie Parker, members of the local band glow!, rehearse in a converted living space on April 5. Photo by Angelica Wallingford
“One thing about San Diego is that there’s everything here.
Going off of bands there’s Beach Goons, they’re like surf rock. You have
hardcore bands like frontside… You have things like Sestivity, which is going
in a new direction that mixes keyboards and MIDI controlled sounds into their
punk music. And then you just have contemporary rock such as Street Surfers,
Wizard and all those guys. Then you have rappers, 1207 is huge,” Hurst said. “They’ve
made a name for themselves all out of San Diego.”
While San Diego’s music scene might not be as big as the one
in Los Angeles, it doesn’t mean that the culture isn’t there and music plays a
huge part in that, Lomu claims.
“There’s so much different music coming out of this place
it’s honestly hard to keep track of,” Lomu said. “We might not be known as a ‘music
city’ but honestly we probably should be.”
glow! band profile. Filmed and edited exclusively on iPad Pro.
