I’ve lived in San Diego on and off now for about a year and a half. Does this make me a true San Diegan? Probably not. Although I might not be a tried and true San Diegan, a girl can dream. It’s not my fault that the only exciting thing about my hometown of Valencia, CA is Six Flags Magic Mountain. Although I might get lost trying to find various sushi places, one thing I do know about San Diego is that some great musicians started out here. So my mini playlist for the week is San Diego-centric or what I like to call OG San Diego:
- Ghost on the Dance Floor- Blink-182
-Maybe it’s just my obsession with punk/pop/rock, but I defiantly think Blink-182 is San Diego’s most prized possession. They have changed a bit since their start at Poway High School, but there is something to be said about living in the city that is the hometown of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
- Post Acid- Wavves
-I like to call San Diego the mini Los Angeles because it is effortlessly cool without feeling like a huge city. The main difference between the two is the high key surfer vibe here in SD. Wavves definitely fulfills the need for chill surfer vibe music. You kind of have to hear it to understand. I had the privilege of seeing them live a few months ago at the Observatory in North park and it’s quite the experience. I ten out of ten recommend both Wavves and the Observatory.
*Side note: The concert venues in San Diego are awesome! Check out a show at the Observatory or House of Blues for a great time. There is also lots of moshing space at these venues if you like more hardcore music and aren’t afraid to twist your ankle.
- Bullets- Augustana
-Maybe punk music doesn’t quite tickle your fancy. If you tend to stick more to the straight and narrow road, (AKA you are more boring than you admit to) then Augustana is definitely for you. Tis being said, they aren’t really boring at all. Their lyrical depth is extremely impressive, but they are more on the light end of rock. Augustana is good background music when you want good music without loads of profanity.
- Bulletproof Love-Pierce the Veil
-Here I go again with the punk. I’m starting to like San Diego a lot more with all this new found knowledge I’ve gained doing the research for this article. Pierce the Veil is at that nice level right before intense screamo music. They have that raspy feeling with just the right amount of screaming. (Just in case you aren’t into that, this particular song has no screaming.). The good thing about this song in particular is that you can still sing along in the car driving to one of the many fabulous beaches.
*Another side note: The beaches in San Diego County are amazingly beautiful. The picture in the header of this article was taken at my favorite beach, La Jolla Shores.
- Society- Eddie Vedder
-I’ll end this mini playlist on a more commonly liked artist, Eddie Vedder. At the end of a rough day maybe you need some more calm music. For the purpose of relaxation, you will like this and chances are that your parents will too.
That’s it for this week. You can access the OG San Diego playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/user/kelseydonahue14/playlist/4HXwLxCd2gElcnygoaG0Lx
There are way more than five great musicians hailing from this glorious city. You can find a complete list here: http://www.ranker.com/list/san-diego-bands-and-musical-artists-from-here/reference
Be sure to tune into KCR 24/7, but specifically Mondays from 9-11 am.