J. Hutton Marshall, Managing Editor
Last Saturday, members of our fine society were brutally violated in San Diego’s East Village. I’m referring of course to the SoCal Music Festival.
“Southern California’s lifestyle is synonymous with sunshine, music, art, parties, beautiful people and outdoor activities,” the festival’s website reads. I would like to add that a phrase can definitely be synonymous with six unrelated ideas, and these people definitely know how synonyms work and I definitely hate sarcasm. Also, I’m shocked that “art” came before “parties” and “beautiful people” in their list of non-synonyms. I’m surprised because I went to this festival.
From the moment I walked in, I could tell this festival wasn’t going to be my cup of tea, but I suppressed my snobby tendencies and tried to keep an open mind. I strolled past the scantily clad go-go dancers twisting and dropping it low in front of a giant, futuristic-looking Red Bull can that seemed to have been morphed into a turn-table, from which four white guys blared dubstep.“Keep your snob levels low, Hutton,” I tryingly told myself between deep breaths. “You can’t hate this after being here for only five minutes.” But resistance was futile. My friends and I continued walking to avoid the terrible onslaught to our ears, only to be blindsided by another tasteless attack. We arrived in the center of the festival: a four-way intersection with different elements of the festival in each direction. We heard what music was coming from our right, and immediately decided to go left to avoid being subjected to a Linkin Park-esque rap-rock group covering “Pumped Up Kicks.”
To our left, we discovered the art that was promised to share a nice secluded area with numerous Porta-Potties. Here, we found about six booths, most catering to the vividly colored, visually shocking, “trippy” art that bros love to put around their bro pads. It was Salvador Dali but with more swirls and rust colors. There was a big fan made of surfboards and skateboards. It was kind of cool in an “I might buy this if there ever exists a place to put this” sort of way.
We then returned to the four-way intersection. We saw, and unfortunately heard, the same rap-rock group later identified as Vokab Kompany was still jamming on, so we decided to go down the only other unexplored direction.
Here, we found a thin walkway with drink stands, a half-pipe and one of those flying saucer rides that spins around and pushes you up against its inner wall. I sawtwo people on the ride. There were some people on the half-pipe who were either paid to be there or just happened to bring a skateboard to a downtown music festival.We then walked back just as Vokab Kompany finished its set. We moved to the front because Too $hort was next, and we wanted to hear him play, “Blow the Whistle.” Too $hort has a very liberal stance on using the word “bitch.” For example, at one point he said something along the lines of “If you ain’t shakin’ your ass, then you’re a bitch.” My female friend, who wasn’t shaking her ass, was not amused. Though, with song titles such as, “Shake That Monkey” and “Porno Bitch,” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by Too $hort’s derogatory comments toward women.
We left the festival midway through his set, only a little more than an hour after arriving. I don’t write negative reviews often and don’t enjoy doing so, especially when it comes to something that takes as much work to produce as a festival, but this event unfortunately warrants a negative review. The festival doesn’t pay tribute to music, art or Southern California. It uncreatively and thoroughly exploits the shallowest parts of these three entities to turn a profit. If Southern California was anything like the region this festival claimed to embody, I’d be driving fast to the Arizona border rather than writing this article.
Thanks for the input, Hutton! The first-person tone of voice is way more attractive to read and understand than common reviews from other publications. You really painted a picture of the event… I was contemplating on going to this festival but now am so glad I didn’t!
Us too. Good fucking riddance, you easily led fucking mule.
First off, shame on the daily Aztec for printing an article from someone who admitintly didnt like the music or scene of the festival BEFORE even entering the event. ALL the bands, music-as ADVERTISED, we’re electronic, hip hop and rock based! The writer of this peice reveals they don’t like any of this, they went to a Too Short show and complained about profanity? Are you joking?!! That is his whole sct! Vk and Too Short had the crowd rocking-…why let someone so removed fr this scene review it? SDSU is comprised of many voices, and to choose one with so little to say, and with such a limited take in the festival (under an hour of walking the back aisles!) is disappointing for print at our school. For a more professional review, Plz chk out http://www.sandiegoville.com/2012/09/tale-of-two-block-parties-socal-music-fest-and-kpri-streetbeat-block-party.html?m=1, and print this in the response section in your next “Daily Aztec”, as MOST of us here at SDSU like Rock, Rap and electronic music…girls, guys and the go out scene…we sctually enjoy our 20′s !!
Ps-at least be accurate, pumped up kicks cover was vokabs last song of the set-too short followed directly after…so you didn’t come back and hear more Vk jamming!! What a crock of ****!!!
Wow…. First let me just say that I’m embarrassed for you on so many levels.. From the moment you walked into the festival you had a negative attitude and mindset about anything this festival had to offer. It is really easy to criticize sounds, culture, and creativity that you do not understand. Rather than entering with an open mind, you decided to hate on levels unprecedented from anyone, especially someone proclaiming to be a writer.. The reality is that Vokab, Too Short, and all of the artists at this festival put tremendous amounts of work into there craft. How dare you belittle something that you are to ignorant to understand. Who do you think you are? JD Salinger?? The funniest part of your article other than admitting you are a snob, is how you snapped judgement but claimed to keep an open mind. My advice to you is to either quit writing, or take the time to actually observe what you’re writing about. You failed to mention anything about the huge crowd of people who came to this event and visibly enjoyed themselves.. So either the thousands of supporters who loved this event are idiots, or maybe you just might be the lone loser in the corner who can’t dance, smile or enjoy a show done properly….
“So either the thousands of supporters who loved this event are idiots, or maybe you just might be the lone loser in the corner who can’t dance, smile or enjoy a show done properly….”
Can’t it be both??
Yeah, you can have it both ways. Just bend over gayboy ( )*( )
Dear hutton.
I have to admit this so Cal festival wasn’t great I thought it was going to be to. And yes the vendor booths were kind of whack. But for you to smash and talk shit on a group like a vokab kompany you must be pretty damn ignorant have you ever listen to the music listened to the lyrics. All I have to say to pal is OPEN YOUR EARS JACKASS..
See you around..
Woah, I just opened my ears. This is crazy! All these sounds I’ve been missing out on all this time… it’s a whole new world.
Whoever this guy is that wrote this you should not only be banned from reviewing anything ever again but you should be removed from the city of San Diego. I have been to many festivals and shows around the world, some good and some not so good, but one thing I would never do is complain about everything there afterwards. Not only did you start your whining session the minute you walked in but now you are slamming the wonderful San Diego community who put in a ton of hard work to give something back to its peeps. Oh and just for the record you doucebag… Vokab has won best hip hop band in SD 3 years running!
Alright bros, lemme sum up. Troy, you’re right- I messed up the song order for Vokab Company. But sorry, we’re not going to publish your blog in our newspaper. Write a letter to the editor if you want.
Vokab Company- Just because they’re an acclaimed band doesn’t mean I can’t think that they suck.
Too Short- I don’t care about profanity. I was turned off by how sexist he and his music were.
I was in a good, optimistic mood walking into the festival, but it didn’t take long for this steaming pile of cultural diarrhea to ruin that for me. But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.
How dare you not enjoy Vokab Kompany! They’ve won AWARDS, Hutton. I mean, c’mon.
Also, if you don’t enjoy Too $hort, you must not UNDERSTAND him. Everyone knows it’s not possible to understand something and use that understanding to make an assessment of it’s value. Don’t you know anything?? His sexism is actually really deep and profound, and it’s meant to be taken metaphorically, so it’s totally cool.
In closing, I sincerely agree with the previous commenters on this board and would like to join in the chorus of profound thinkers labeling you as a total bag of douche for having opinions that differ from lovers of irrelevant rappers and crappy local bands.
Listen up incarnate… You couldn’t tie JD’s shoes… I’m not sure how much money that your parents donate to the school, or who you blew to acquire this gig, but one thing is for certain… YOU ARE A HACK….. Maybe you should stick to what your best at. Drinking PBR out of furry hats with your frat boy buddies in a basement at your grandparents house. It’s unimaginable that you actually attended with a female friend. I’m pretty certain most of us are friends with our siblings. If J.D. were to read this article he would literally crawl out of his grave, piss on your laptop, and give you his best Too $hort impression. He would straight up pimp slap you like the little Biiiieeetch you are…
Well, this is embarrassing…
1. Yes, my parents definitely donated money to SDSU so I could attend. That’s the only way to get into such a high-calibur school.
2. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how many people I had to blow to be allowed to cover the SoCal Music Festival.
3. If I was in a frat, we’d definitely have all our parties in my grandmother’s basement.
4. You’re right. I lied about the existence of my female friend.
You got me good, Travis. Try not to spend too much more time adoring me via Facebook.
Your desperation to affiliate yourself with the feminist agenda, reeks of elitist background and a new-found thesaurus. As a woman, I do not find Too $hort’s lyrics offensive. And if I did, I wouldn’t make it a point to have his performance, be the only one I took the time to actually stop and experience. What I do find offensive, is your quick to judge review of Vokab. Do your ears drums a favor, turn off your Belle & Sebastian album, open the blinds in your Golden Hill apartment, and don’t just listen to a Vokab album, hear the words, hear the melody. Let those beats infiltrate your heart, and f*ck, maybe, just maybe, enjoy yourself. If only for a moment.
Wow. That was a super bitchy, complaining, uninteresting article with grammatical errors -written by a college kid who clearly has no appreciation for local art / artists. ( If you dont like hearing the term bitch used to describe a woman, dont go to a Too $hort show ) Furthermore, I think the 3 best Hip Hop group awards, 2 national commercials and sold out shows prove Vokab Kompany is an amazingly talented band that is loved and appreciated in SD and beyond…peep some relevant reviews and some VK beats on their website http://www.VokabKompany.com
Yeah, Bri! Awards and accolades are definitely the best way to measure the quality of a group.
For example, Creed had four platinum albums and won a Grammy! They’re awesome!
Nickelback has won MTV, People’s Choice and Billboard awards AND they’ve been nominated for six Grammy’s! They must be the best group ever!
The Black Eyed Peas have won 6 Grammy’s, which means they are the greatest rap group of all time. Forget about Vokab Kompany! Will.i.Am and Fergie have won way more awards, and on a much larger scale.
Since awards won is the ultimate criteria for the proof of how good a band is, I just want to make sure you’re aware U2 has won the most awards of any group. That’s three times as many as The Beatles! That must mean U2′s music three times as good as the Beatles music is! I love this scientific approach to music appreciation!
Since the Grammy’s are arguably the most prestigious pop culture music award (certainly more impressive than winning a local award or being used in commercials), it stands to reason that groups who never won Grammy’s must not be as good as groups like Creed and Nickelback. This would include Queen, Public Enemy, The Sex Pistols, Run D.M.C., The Beach Boys, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Buddy Holly and Led Zeppelin. It’s worth noting none of those groups won San Diego Music Awards, either. What a bunch of losers!
Your ability to breakdown a response, is uncanny, Kenneth. You are right, awards and accolades are often given out quicker than candy from a windowless van, in a dimly lit back alley. However, judgements need not be passed out so lightly. Take the time to experience something, peek behind the curtains at the work going into its creation, and appreciate what was been produced. Free yourself from such shallow evaluations and respect the creative works of your fellow human beings, before attempting to make such merit-less assessments.
I’ve done exactly what you’re describing, Tabatha. I’ve experienced the music, peeked into the creative process, and appreciated what’s been produced… therefore I’m declaring Creed to be the greatest rock band of all time. I respect the creative works of my fellow human beings (especially Scott Stapp) and I appreciate what has been produced (namely, the greatest music ever made by human beings in sleeveless shirts and, often, leather pants). My assessments are literally dripping with merit now. Thank you for guiding me towards a more complete appreciation of Talahassee’s finest pseudo-religious post-grunge supergroup.
Cool, dude. However, my comments were in reference to Hutton’s own admission that he only briefly watched Vokab Kompany perform, before slamming them, in his boring little review. Also, I really don’t care which side you butter your musical little loaf of bread.
In hindsight though, Hutton should be quite grateful towards Vokab, being that the rest of his lackluster articles have received zero comments. I’m positive that when writing this lazy little article, he didn’t even think anyone would read this shit. Little did he known, that unlike himself with a fan base of 1 (that’d be you Kenneth), Vokab actually has many loyal fans, who are willing to come out and support them, at every event. No matter how low brow him and his hate stuffed friend think it to be.
Ugh. Your skin is thinner than your vocabulary. If only we all had the drive by intuition you have, I wouldn’t have subjected myself to reading the entirety of your juvenile, grammatically flawed, close-minded garbage of a “review” (a term I use quite loosely).
Admittedly, everybody is entitled to their opinions. However, opinions not based on actual experience, or with the open mindedness required to be a respected critic, will never be accepted for valid consideration, by those with two brain cells to rub together. I am going to go out on a limb and assume that the closest you or your offended non-ass shaking friend has gotten to understanding the subject of Rap History, was a Spike Lee movie you once saw, while sipping champagne at your parents vacation rental.
But go ahead, and keep that nose held high, drive-by judging, with both your thumbs stuffed way up your butt. We’ll be over here enjoying the tasty beats and lyrical genius of Vokab Kompany and Too $hort, selling crappy art, next to the porta potties full of all the f*cks we give.
I love how Kenneth compares Vokab Kompany, an idependant group that came from nothing and built their way to selling out every venue they play across the country to groups like the BEP, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Run DMC. Remember these shows are packed because the city of San Diego backs them, not a monster record label. Your attempt to downplay all their accomplishments just shows you have no clue what it really takes to rise above the rest. Continue to hide behind your lil computer and hate on everything you’re not. And Hutton you should concider yourself lucky to even have gotten in the Festie. Most punk ass “bitches” are still outside the club when they hit capacity.
You know, I was tempted to refrain from responding to your comment, but I’m suffering from an overwhelming combination of pettiness and boredom, so here I go…
Einar, you may be shocked to hear this, but at some point in time it’s highly likely the BEP, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and even Run D.M.C. were independent groups who came from nothing. I’m not sure where you think the success of those groups came from, but I think it’s safe to assume they all began their careers in various states of obscurity. Also, at the risk of shocking you again, I wasn’t really making comparisons as much as I was trying to illustrate the point that awards are meaningless in the world of music. I wasn’t downplaying the illustrious and geographically-limited success of Vokab Kompany. I was just trying to put their “accomplishments” into perspective by pointing out the fact that lots of generic and crappy bands have sold out shows and won awards.
Your ad hominem attacks weaken your credibility, by the way. For all you know, I could have many clues about “what it takes to rise above the rest.” I also could be hiding behind a totally gigantic computer, as opposed to the “lil” one you assume I have. An interesting point to make is: I have listened to Vokab Kompany, and I have formulated my opinions about their music based on my experience. On the other hand, you have made assessments about me based on… what, exactly?
Furthermore, you accuse me of hating “on everything (I’m) not.” This is hysterical, because I haven’t hated on anyone. I’ve pointed out the silliness of a couple of comments and made fun of a few commenters, but that’s it.
Ugh. Your skin is thinner than your vocabulary. If only we all had the drive by intuition you have, I wouldn’t have subjected myself to reading the entirety of your juvenile, grammatically flawed, close-minded garbage of a “review” (a term I use quite loosely).
Admittedly, everybody is entitled to their opinions. However, opinions not based on actual experience, or with the open mindedness required to be a respected critic, will never be accepted for valid consideration, by those with two brain cells to rub together. I am going to go out on a limb and assume that the closest you or your offended non-ass shaking friend has gotten to understanding the subject of Rap History, was a Spike Lee movie you once saw, while sipping champagne at your parents vacation rental.
But go ahead, and keep that nose held high, drive-by judging, with both your thumbs stuffed way up your butt. We’ll be over here enjoying the tasty beats and lyrical genius of Vokab Kompany and Too $hort, selling crappy art, next to the porta potties full of all the f*cks we give.
This is the most embarrassing, and most poorly written / thought out article I have ever read. I can’t believe the Daily Aztec has this caliber of writers on its staff are capable of such failure. If was running the Daily Aztec, I would get rid of everyone, and actually “interview” new writers who have experience and an actual brain.