ALPINE — Between the miles of industrial sprawl and lifted trucks, East County is not normally thought of as a haven for local music. A confederation of local bands is looking to break this perception, though. The first stand of this crusade started with Cockstalk, held Sept. 18.
The free music festival drew well over a hundred people to the two rural acres in the hills of Alpine where it was held. Asked about the mix of attendees,
Grossmont student Kelsey Berger proclaimed, “It brought people from all reaches – the ones who only like obscure bands, the kids who probably rarely leave the house, and a whole slew of rad individuals who just really dig music.”
The line-up consisted of Meseta, Jesse Shannon, Stoop Kid,Weathervanes, Good Grief, Suburban Boredom, The City Freeze, Slut Machine, Thanks Jack, and James Clelland Of Shining Through.
“It was better than selling out Madison Square Garden could ever be.We met some amazing people and got to play songs from our upcoming release and received a warm friendly reception, but most of all it proved the San Diego local scene had some incredibly talented bands and incredibly respectful and caring people” said George Camacho,
a Grossmont College student and vocalist of the hardcore grunge-punk band Good Grief.
Ska-punk trio Thanks Jack , whose drummer Sean Johnson is a Grossmont-Cuyamaca student, was a crowd favorite, playing an intense, energy-driven set which included a seemingly impromptu cover of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem brought on by the jeers of a heckler. Camacho pitched in on a few of the rapping sections.
Due to neighborhood complaints the show was unfortunately forced to wrap early, cutting the sets of Slut Machine and Meseta entirely. The festival ended in good spirits despite this, with groups splintering off into the night to celebrate and continue festivities.
Camacho is optimistic about plans for a sequel, “As long as kids still care, there should be no reason not to do this again. We’re looking at Halloween.”
Cockstalk on, you crazy diamond.
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Reinicke is a student in Media Comm 132
