Unlike larger concert venues like The Observatory or Viejas Arena, the SDSU backyard music scene is built and maintained by the community members themselves.
Without any big-name managers or professional promoters to assist, bands are left to their own devices to organize their next show. But for newcomers, the resources to enter the scene are just a conversation away.
“We get asked to play shows pretty frequently, and that comes from just the experience of people knowing that you’re capable of playing shows,” said Sierra Gaynor, lead guitarist of the band Mewtone.
Once the performances end and the instruments are put away, the casual, intimate environment of a house show transforms into a space where local musicians, fans and organizers can socialize and connect with one another.
“[Blue Park Suites] showed up to one of the shows we had here and were like, ‘Hey, that sounded really cool. We’d be hyped to play a show here,’ and it kind of just stuck with us,” said Aidan O’Grady, drummer for SDSU-based band Right of Way.
More often than not, it is usually within these post-performance conversations where a band is added to a lineup, as bands are more inclined to perform with those who reach out and express their passion for the art.
“You might be talking to someone and they might just be like, ‘Oh, I have a house that I want to throw a show at. Would you guys want to play?’ Or, ‘I’m in a band, we’d like to throw a show with you,’” said Gaynor.
Gaynor also noted that online spaces, such as TikTok or Instagram, give artists additional opportunities to connect and organize shows beyond the SDSU area.
“When we first dropped our first single on Spotify, we would make TikToks to promote it … and someone commented, ‘You should hit up this band called Strange Noise from Riverside and try to get a show with them.’ Then, a few weeks later, they asked us, ‘Do you want to play a show at Humble Heart?’ And we were like, ‘Sure,’” Gaynor said, referring to a local music and thrift venue.
As it turned out, that comment actually came from a familiar figure.
“When we were [at Humble Heart], the lead singer was like, ‘I commented on your TikTok from a burner account saying that you should hit up Strange Noise because I just thought you guys were cool and wanted to play with you,’” Gaynor said.
Michael Modrow, manager of Humble Heart Thrift, Music & Cafe, explains how up-and-coming bands can flourish within these DIY, mom-and-pop spaces.
“Most of the time, it is the bands who are commandeering and kind people. It’s easy to like them. Sometimes they are funny or entertaining. Sometimes it’s just their music that’s good and nothing else really matters besides that,” Modrow said.
Even after years of drumming for his own band, Island Heart, Modrow finds that student bands can always bring something fresh to their performances.
“They’re fun to work with,” Modrow said. “They have a lot of energy, they’re good with promoting and they bring something new that we can all learn from.”
Fans of Mewtone and Right of Way can witness this energy firsthand at their next house show on Oct. 4, where they’ll perform alongside the White Collars and Girls Got Nerve.
To learn more on the bands featured, check out their Instagrams: @Mewtoneband, @rightofwayband, @girlsgotnerve and @the.white.collars.
