Recently, I went to a music festival called "Burger Revolution"; an event produced by Burger Records which is a record label responsible for the success and running of many indie and local bands. Many of the bands that performed at the event were from San Diego,
"I went with my friend," "Denae," who is a frequent attendee of grungy, hipster, shows like these and is somewhat of an expert on the underground music culture of San Diego. She served as my guide, facilitating any shocks that I would experience from what was essentially the neo-generation of illicit music in San Diego.
Coming into this festival, I had no idea what to expect. The name of the event, did not help me at all. What are you suppose to expect when you attend something called, "Burger Revolution?" However that complete void of expectations sparked my curiosity and I was excited to see what weird surprises Burger Records had to offer.
"Burger Revolution" was held at The Stronghold, which upon discovery, turned out to be a warehouse that looked like it was recently refurbished. There was already long line when me and Denae arrived and as we eagerly awaited to get inside, we found ourselves immersed with a bunch of high school students who seemed too cool for normal life. When we finally reached the entrance of the venue, we were greeted by an older couple, who appeared to be parents supporting their kids' rambunctious youth by working the show. I bought my 8 dollar stamp of a burger that served as my ticket and entered the mysterious depository.
It felt like I was in an underground labyrinth in Brooklyn. The venue had an eclectic interior design that reflected the music bands were about to play inside. The walls were plastered with graffiti and modern art, resembling a very urban atmosphere, which in contrast to the less metropolitan character of San Diego, felt like a whole different place. There were two stages, one right by the entrance and another one resting in a smaller room in the back. The vibe was interesting. I was definitely one of the older audience members, yet I felt so young and elementary compared to the hip high school students who knew what they were in for.
The first band performed on the main stage, close to the entrance. The band was called, "know no" and was a group, consisting of two guys, a vocalist with a violin, and a drummer. They were placed in a circle of light bulbs tied together in one string with a old vintage lamp residing on the side. The act started with them looking at the ground with some of the biggest frowns I have ever seen in my life. The depressing and eerie vibe they attempted to emit was definitely effective and it made me somewhat nervous. As they started playing, I was immediately soul shocked at the sounds they produced. The vocalist played a very divine harmony on the violin while humming sounds that resembled closely to a Native American chant. In conjunction, the drummer was beating furiously at his one bass drum with heavy steel chains which was synced up to the lighting of the light bulbs with every beat and to my surprise he was able to keep perfect rhythm with his flailing chains of music. It was like nothing I have ever heard or seen before in my life. The whole thing was like a live story, a sad and complex story that took place in a hopeless living room with bad lighting. The powerful and distinct sounds definitely evoked a spiritual vibe and by the end of their performance, I felt a little bit disturbed and shaken up.
After recovering from the barrage of powerful and emotional sounds that "know no" delivered, we waited anxiously for another unique performance. The next group that came up was a band called, "True Stories." They were a classical pop band who looked like a bunch dads attempting to re live their youth and to recreate the music scene of the classical pop age. As they jammed out with their old school pop, the whole crowd and room changed its pace and atmosphere. Kids started doing the Skank, a dance that consists of a motion of the legs to the beat while alternating bent-elbow fist-punches, left and right. The dancing crowd began intensifying their Skank, and started bumping into each other in an aggressive manner, asserting their dominance in the dance. I was essentially watching a kid friendly mosh pit from the 80's rocking passionately to middle - aged men playing retro music. The sound was upbeat and nostalgic. After while I started getting into the Skank, and eventually, I found myself in the midst of the mosh pit, kicking and flailing like my life depended on it.
The next and final band that me and Denae watched perform, was "The Digital Lizards of Doom." Yeah I know. With a name like that, we were bound for a treat. I was surprised to see only one guy show up on stage. He was man who resembled a younger version of Jimi Hendrix with a beaten up electric guitar and a laptop. The whole audience was blown away by a wave of electronic sounds and vocals that the one man band produced. The skanking resumed its intensity and the mosh pit reformed. The music was refreshing, composing of consistent electronic beats, basic guitar rifts, and reggae vocals. I was really getting into the vibe of this gig, until shortly after one of his songs, two creatures appeared. It was like nothing I have ever seen before and just when I thought this place couldn't get any weirder, I was once again, proved wrong. Adding into the future reggae, two people in costumes, one dressed up as a space frog, and the other as a evil robot, came and danced within the audience. They were horrifying and they started interacting with the audience; giving creepy sensual hugs, and awkward high fives. I fell victim to the evil robot and I found myself being violated from behind and constantly being hugged. The amount of discomfort that I felt was indescribable. After backing up to a safe distance, I noticed that their weird interpretive dance matched with the future reggae as if it was a live music video. They pulled out toy guns and performed space fights, sometimes involving audience members in their galactic battles. Each song by "The Digial Lizards of Doom" had a different scene and it was interesting seeing this new form of performing arts.
By the end of the show, I had enough of "Burger Revolution" and wanted to leave. As I was walking out, Denae asked me what I thought of the whole show. I told her I couldn't think of anything because the whole event was so interesting and weird, it left me apathetic.
There is so much that goes on in a Burger Records produced event. It felt like I discovered a whole new culture in San Diego, a culture fueled by its youth and innovative music. "Burger Revolution" was an experience like no other, that consisted of artists who defy the conventions of musical performing arts and evoke a wide range of emotions. It should be celebrated that the city of San Diego possesses such a rich and refreshing musical counter culture and I recommend anyone who are looking for new music and youthful vibes to check out Burger Records and their events.
