Despite the current economic downturn, San Diego’s music scene seems to be weathering the turmoil well, thanks to a small group of proactive promoters. One of the key players locally is Danielle Lo Presti, who in addition to fronting her own group The Masses also promotes the annual “Indie Music Fest” and a smaller music series, “Indie by Design.” It’s with the latter that she has built her reputation, drawing talent from throughout the Southland for a series of small, accessible showcasing. On Nov. 5, Lo Presti will stage the latest edition of “Indie by Design” at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge. The bill will include singer-songwriter JD Boucharde, local indie bands Social Green, The Band of Goodmen and Lo Presti’s combo, as well as Los Angeles-based duo Saucy Monkey. The event was started by Lo Presti and bassist Kelly Bowen in 2002, with over 150 artists taking part to date. Performers are picked through traditional methods, including referrals and word of mouth. “I am always scouring around for artists that are excellent at what they do and who will also promote creatively and aggressively,” Lo Presti said. “There is no shortage whatsoever of great musicians in town. And more are being made as we speak.” She feels it’s beneficial for artists to work in unison. “There is so much ground to gain when we work together, pass gigs to one another, look out for each other, refer bookers to one another, team up on bills or share musicians,” said Lo Presti. She considers the doom and gloom often mentioned in conjunction with declining music sales and concert attendance as overstated. “I see a lot of musicians still living in what I think is a tragic delusion, that there is not enough to go around,” she said. “Unfortunately, that kind of scarcity thinking often begets that very result.” Lo Presti notes that there are over 100 venues in the county for musicians to perform at. “Fortunately, there are also the artists that absolutely get that there are more than enough fans, gigs and opportunities to go around,” Lo Presti said. “The more we share those things, the more tends to come back to us. It’s the power of teamwork, and it just feels good to help one another, to support other musicians you believe in.” Lo Presti has been known for taking on social issues in her music. While this is not a requirement for performers at Indie by Design, Lo Presti does feel it’s important for musicians to let their voices be heard. “The more I live, the more I see how fragile the good things are,” she said. “We can go day after day living our lives, taking so many liberties and hard-won freedoms for granted, things people our age and younger fought and died for. If we don’t reach out of ourselves and contribute, I fear we can lose many of those things, or at best, become stagnant.” For her, music is the ultimate way to communicate. “I feel we owe it to the past generations and the future ones to use our privilege, our art, our voices to leave this crazy, unjust world a little bit better than when we found it,” Lo Presti said. Though promoting music can often be a tiring and thankless task, Lo Presti is happy with her role in bringing new music to San Diego’s audiences. “I feel that by doing this work we are making a concrete, tangible difference in people’s lives,” she said. “We are inspiring people to find and use their voices and to support art.” Anytime she can introduce an artist to a new fan, she feels a sense of accomplishment. “We like to deliver to every audience member present a skin-tingling feeling of ‘Why haven’t I known about this band before?’” Lo Presti said. “When folks come up to me at a show and ask me why one of the artists on the bill is ‘not famous yet,’ I feel like we’re doing our job.” Indie Music Fest takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, 2241 Shelter Island Drive on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The show is for ages 21 and up. For more information, visit www.humphreysbythebay.com or www.sayitrecords.com.