Southern Comfort, the wildly popular and deliciously tasty whiskey, had another successful year sponsoring the free, yes, we said free, SoCo Music Experience in the East Village area of downtown San Diego last month.
Whether or not the entire lineup of those who performed can be deemed “talented” is of course a matter of opinion, but the event was true to its roots and did manage to promote all genres, giving a festive assortment of diverse artists. More popular artists graced the Petco Park parking lot main stage, such as Common and The Black Keys. Several emerging bands also performed but sadly, were not up to par with their more experienced and well-known accompaniments.
Like mixing SoCo with prune juice, some artists just didn’t sit well with audiences.
One local band, however, Grand Ole Party, was a cut above the rest.
This trio put on an amazing show that had fans gleefully sweating, smiling and dancing. Main vocalist, Kristin Gundred, amazingly does double duty on the mic and the drums, while John Paul Labno rocks out on the guitar and Michael Krechnyak masters the bass guitar. Their exuberant performance was in sync and on point with their studio-recorded work, which is how it should be, right? One of San Diego’s best local bands, Grand Ole Party, consistently attracts and maintains a wide range of devotees with its fun, yet sensual, lyrics.
Next up was the electro beat factory of Buddy Akai. The quartet, originally from San Diego, Mexico and Spain, was formed in 2005, but is just becoming mainstream and has begun opening for artists such as The Bravery, VHS or Beta and The Lashes.
Its dance- pop delight was repetitive, yet pumping, especially when it played the hit mix “Cut Me Up (Villains Remix)”. This popular song redeemed its showy attempt to uplift and boost the audience, and was a “get outta jail free card” for its somewhat overdone attempts to showboat the stage. At times, the band’s synchronization was almost unintelligible because of the overpowering synthesizer, and quite possibly the remixed rhythms would have fared better in a different environment, such as a club venue. Or maybe it’s that the lead singer has a tendency to copycat Brendan Urie of Panic At The Disco, or maybe techno pop is only satisfying if you are clad in the specific uniform of the followers of this genre of music: a fedora, long V-neck T-shirt and Ray-Bans.
Overall, it deserves credit for its enthusiasm and ability to get the crowd dancing.
Another noteworthy performance was later on in the evening, by the Mexican band Kinky. Its Latin-inspired electronic dance rock was a refreshing mid-show treat for a tired and intoxicated crowd. This five-member band has been around since way back in the olden days of 1998.
Kinky has played alongside and opened for great artists such as Cake, The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse and even produced popularized songs that have appeared in everything from TV commercials, to movies to video games. Even the LA Galaxy soccer team wants a piece of it, using the hit, “We Are The Galaxy” as its theme song. Kinky kicked off the last half of the SoCo Music Experience with a setting sun and an increased energy, because of rampant alcohol consumption – a ripe combo for the performances following. From Lady Dottie and The Diamonds, The Burning of Rome, a local band, The Silent Comedy, Coronado’s own dynamic DJ duo Shark Attack, The Black Keys and many others made the event a must-see. And, if anything, it had a little something for everyone. This festival was a perfect way to save money and still be involved in the up-and-coming San Diego music scene.
The SoCo Music Experience donates all proceeds from the donations received to the San Diego Music Foundation, and will be in Madison, Wis. and Albany, N.Y. next before heading to the U.K., then it’s back home to Louisiana until next year.
For more information, go to the Web site: www.southerncomfort.com.
