Wrapping up the North Park Music Thing

The NPMT logo provided by official website

Sitting in the heart of North Park, the Lafayette Hotel was the hub for the second annual North Park Music Thing this weekend.

At the early stages of the event, the hotel hosted several panels filled with leaders in the music industry. The panels mainly comprised of informative tools for bands, managers, and striving musicians on the know how of marketing, PC programs, merchandise, press packets, and the steps to take to make it in the music business. Each panel provided invaluable knowledge, and was a must see for any striving musician.

Although The North Park Music Thing started off with panels, the real meat and bones of the event was to come in the night. Around 7 pm, the strumming of finely tuned guitars, the slapping of greased bass strings, the pulse pounding rhythmic beat of drums, and the microphone check of a lead singer, could be heard throughout the greater North Park area. The quiet tranquility of the day begun to fade away with the pattering of hundreds of music enthusiasts attending the event. With a multitude of venues comprised of Bar Pink, Ruby Room, True North, U-31, Radio Room, Soda Bar, The Whistle Stop, The Office, Beauty Bar,  Kadan,  LeStats, Kensington Club,  Claire De Lune Coffee Room, The Sunset Temple Room,  Hawthorns at the Theatre Stage, Planet Rooth Gallery, 8Teen, Bluefoot, and The Air Conditoned Lounge North Park became the foreground for a musical event of epic proportion.

Itinerary in hand, and cameras at the ready, me and my cohort prepared ourselves for the night. With the first venue set, we dredged through the crowded streets and ended up at True North. Walking through the tightly packed crowd, we positioned ourselves in order to obtain the best footage for the show. The first band we saw went by the name The Echo Revolution, with their melodic harmonies, and tightly packed chord progressions the band emitted a harmonious sound that set the night off in a proper way. Getting the first shots of the band, we recorded one whole entire song and were on our way to the next spot.

Next on the list was The Office, were we caught up with the band known as Pensive. The Office, formerly known as Scolaris, was now a place that emulated the sheik styles of a New York bar. With comic book drawings on the wall, and dark lighting throughout the bar the new style seemed fitting for this event. Pensive rocked the stage, and brought catchy rock tunes to the eagerly awaiting crowd.  Like true professionals Pensive showcased their talent with a stream of continuously catchy tunes, and a great stage presence — showing why they were one of the bands chosen to perform at the event.

With the night rolling on, we hopped from one event to the next, catching each and every band we could. All the bands put on arena-worthy performances and showed why The North Park Music Thing is a must see each year. Only being in its second year, The NPMT is making a statement that San Diego is going through a musical era, much like the “grunge” era of Seattle, or the hip-hop revolution in the west and east coast.

San Diego is becoming the foreground for new innovative music, and the amount of musical venues to showcase that is coming along as well. An influx of musical talent is invading San Diego, and the founders of NPMT aimed to expose it, and no other place is better to do that then in North Park. With its unique diverse demographic, and landmarks it has become a haven for artists, and musicians all around.

The NPMT was an astounding musical adventure that anyone and everyone can love. Resting its head in North Park, The NPMT can only grow, the extensive amount of support by the locals, and the influx of talented musicians are all in favor of growth for the event. Even in its second year, it is making leaps and bounds. What will come in the third or fourth year we may not know, but it will undoubtedly become one of San Diego’s beloved musical events.

( Stay tuned for video from last weekend’s event)