5over2

Jen Van Tieghem

Now in its seventh year, the San Diego Music Thing (SDMT) combines a daytime music and media conference with live evening performances at our city’s premiere venues. On Sept. 12 and 13 the Town & Country Resort and Conference Center in Mission Valley will host SDMT’s panels, featured speakers and more during the day, and over a dozen venues will present music performances starting in the evening. 

This issue’s 5over2 is dedicated to my picks for the event’s musical offerings. Five shows over two-ish days? You can handle that! 

Prices below reflect individual admission. One-day and two-day badge options give access to several day and night time events and range from $20 – $60. Find out more at sandiegomusicthing.com. 

SDMT Kick-Off Party with Waters, Zella Day, The Bilinda Butchers, Hunny, and Wild Ones at Soda Bar

Thursday, Sept. 11 | Doors at 7:30 p.m. | $10

Before the conference even begins SDMT has a huge night of music to get things going. The Kick Off party — at one of my favorite venues — features five touring bands ranging from psychedelic rock to dream pop with headlining band Waters falling along both spectrums. Their latest single, “Got To My Head,” sounds like a catchy but grungier Grouplove tune with a far better male vocalist. 

Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact, Yonatan Gat, Subsurfer, Sad Robot, and The Paragraphs at Bar Pink

Friday, Sept. 12 | 5:30 p.m. | $10 

As the first day of panels and speakers (Moby!) wraps up, the excitement will move to various venues around town. The first show of the night — dubbed the “SDMT Happy Hour” — boasts a stellar lineup of local and touring bands. Soul supergroup Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact start things off, followed by a trio of rock bands, and finally former Monotonix guitarist Yonatan Gat will close things out. The axe-wielding front man was named Village Voice’s “2013 Guitarist of the Year” and is likely to melt faces with his psychedelic shredding.

Dead Feather Moon, Queen Caveat, Deadly Birds, The Janks, Bogan Via, and The Singles at U-31

Friday, Sept. 12 | Doors at 7 p.m. | $10 

Another highlight of Friday night is this lineup, especially for fans of serious rock ‘n’ roll. Visiting artists The Janks, Bogan Via, and The Singles each have a pop slant to their tunes, which should provide a good balance for harder-edged locals Deadly Birds, Dead Feather Moon and L.A.’s Queen Caveat. The latter is known for boisterous live shows with singer Lauren Little likely to be found writhing on the floor or standing on the bar. Luckily she has a powerful voice to match the riotous antics.

91X’s Next Big Thing Stage with Meg Myers, Cults, The Griswolds, Desert Noises, and more at an outdoor stage behind the North Park Theatre

Saturday, Sept. 13 | 4:20 p.m. | $20

Saturday’s biggest draw should be this one, featuring seven bands on two stages. The main stage will see the return of rising star Meg Myers to San Diego — good news for those of us that missed her buzzed-about “Next Big Thing” appearance at Casbah earlier this summer. Desert Noises are sure to be a highlight when they headline the Honest Tea Stage: the smaller stage of this same showcase. The psychedelic rockers have an evolving sound and a growing fan base due largely to singer Kyle Henderson’s emotionally charged lyrics. 

Magic Giant, Andrew Belle, and Emily Jane White at Seven Grand 

Saturday, Sept. 13 | 9 p.m. | Free

All three performances on this bill promise to be vocally driven and on the mellower side of things; the arrangement is perfect for the intimate setting of swanky whiskey bar Seven Grand. Headliners Magic Giant present an interesting mixture of genres: Their song “Glass Heart” features jazzed up horns along with folky banjo. This is one of few SDMT performances that are free of charge, so take note and save your cash for a tasty beverage.

—Jen Van Tieghem is the director of web and social media at SDCNN. Got a show you think is worth talking about? Contact Jen at [email protected].

SDMT conference highlights

Hutton Marshall | Editor

While San Diego Music Thing appeals most to those wishing to see the best of San Diego’s music scene and touring bands, the two-day festival also fosters several lengthy discussions on the music industry itself and how to make it as a musician.

From morning until the late afternoon on both Friday and Saturday, panels will take on a range of topics in the music business, and several big-name musicians will give robust lectures, offering a rare personal glimpse at the personas behind their music. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss at this year’s Music Thing.

Guest Lecturer: Moby

Friday, Sept. 12 | 1 – 2:15 p.m. | Hall 1

Number one on my list is the iconic and influential DJ, producer and electronic musician, Richard Hall, aka “Moby,” who rose to worldwide prominence and commercial success with his 1999 album “Play.”

Prior to that release, Moby had been DJing in New York City, his hometown, since the early ’90s. From his early days spinning obscure techno to his many musical evolutions, from dark folk to pop-rock collaborations with Gwen Stefani, Moby has made a name for himself as an eccentric, inventive and undoubtedly strange creative force in the electronic music industry.

Luckily, he’s also an opinionated, engaging figure when he steps away from the turntables. The Christian vegan (vegan Christian?) from Harlem has published a book of essays covering a broad span of social issues, and while the topic Moby will discuss at SDMT hasn’t been released, it’s probably a safe bet that he will approach the music industry in a thought-provoking, socially conscious manner. 

Panel: New Streaming Tech

Friday, Sept. 12 | 2:30 –3:15 p.m. | Hall 2

Head over to Hall 2 after Moby wraps up to hear about an industry that’s been rapidly evolving during the past few years: music streaming. I suspect that this panel will offer a few unpleasant truths for many of us unaware of the toll our beloved free music websites and apps are taking on the musicians we may think we’re supporting.

With Google recently buying up playlist curator Songza, and Spotify continuing to increase its purchasing power in the music industry, it’s clear that music storage devices, no matter how revolutionary they proved to be in the early 2000s, look more and more like a thing of the past. The floppy disk may soon make new friends.

For listeners, music streaming offers quick access to enormous music databases. For the providers, it’s yet another opportunity for Internet giants to turn our entertainment preferences into marketable metadata. And although these services are branded as a way for musicians to reach larger audiences, critics say many of these services pay musicians far below what they deserve for dishing out their tunes to online audiences. 

It’s a fascinating debate, and one that we should care about if we want to ensure the artists making the music we love can afford to keep doing so. 

Panel: Music Writers, Bloggers and Editors… Oh My

Saturday, Sept. 13 | 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. | Hall 2

This panel is designed to educate musicians on how to interact with the media and secure press coverage —  unfortunately a delicate art — but it also shouldn’t be overlooked by aspiring music writers and any listener simply wishing to better understand how the people influencing what we listen to operate.

Several LA Weekly staffers past and present will be on the panel, and while it would have been nice to see more of San Diego’s music press onboard, insight from industry veterans should be in no short supply.