With the rise of commercial music festivals in San Diego, such as the CRSSD Festival and KAABOO, it can be difficult to find larger-scale events that host smaller and less mainstream acts in the city. San Diego Music Thing sheds light on such groups with a three-day span of shows throughout the city and a weekend-long conference that satisfies alternative music lovers in San Diego.
Here are The Daily Aztec’s picks for San Diego Music Thing weekend:
Babes
Think driving on a sunny day with an existential crisis. Babes’ twee pop sounds optimistic while its lyrics come from heartbreak and nostalgia. Dedicated to the wounded hearts, Babes’ music is both pleasant and brutally honest as the band’s songs go about love in all the wrong ways.
Recommended for fans of: Camera Obscura, Tennis
When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 14, The Merrow
Yo La Tengo
Fans of The Velvet Underground, get ready: Yo La Tengo brings the spirit of Lou Reed to each song with sensible vocals and calming guitar riffs. The band can be paired with any mood. Cry with them or rejoice with them — either way it will end with a warm heart because it’s Yo La Tengo.
Recommended for fans of: The Velvet Underground, The Magnetic Fields
When/Where: Thursday, Nov. 12, North Park Observatory
Summer Twins
Listening to Summer Twins is a lot like a summer romance — indulgent, cute and fun. Its ‘60s girl-group-inspired tracks bring the Los Angeles sun and the innocence of first love. The Ritchie Valens-esque guitar melodies and vintage-sounding drums make the band a doo-wop dream.
“I’m most excited to see Summer Twins at SD Music thing,” art junior Natalia Gonzalez said. “They’re so unique. I don’t see a lot of bands out there doing what they’re doing. They take old sounds like the Supremes and the Ronettes and make it something that young audiences can enjoy and appreciate.”
Recommended for fans of: She and Him, Vivian Girls
When/Where: Friday, Nov. 13, The Merrow
Mrs. Magician
These San Diego surf-punk natives create beach music that makes listeners want to be buried in the sand rather than play in the water. Mrs. Magician makes a mockery of every bad thing there is to life and turns it into a silly ode to self-deprecation. The band is both reflective and ironic, enough to redefine its surf rock as something more than just hitting the waves and living a life of carelessness.
Recommended for fans of: Heavy Hawaii, Wavves
When/Where: Thursday, Nov. 12, The Irenic
Wildhoney
Wildhoney exists somewhere between the spectrum of shoegaze and dream pop. The band’s music provides the sad type of sweetness one experiences when waking up from an unbelievably good dream. The music relaxes and the lyrics bite. After finishing any of its songs, listeners are left with an enjoyable emptiness.
Recommended for fans of: Slowdive, Beach House
When/Where: Thursday, Nov.12, The Casbah
