By Chris Nixon
May 29, 2008
So you wanna be a rock 'n' roll band?
As 20,000 runners, rollers and walkers converge on San Diego this weekend, 45 local bands and artists wait to perform on 26 stages situated at every mile along the course of the 11th annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. But for local musicians serving as the cheer squad along the 26.2 mile course, the process starts many months before race day on Sunday.
Amber Lopez, entertainment coordinator for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, has been helping choose the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon bands for the past three years. Out of the hundreds of applicants, only 45 will perform along the course this year. But she and her colleagues at Elite Racing, the race organizers, “listen to every single one of the submissions.”
Elite Racing requires bands to submit a CD with five songs, a bio and a photo. The listening sessions go on for a couple of months before final decisions are made.
DETAILS
11th annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
When: Sunday, 6:30 a.m.
Where: Balboa Park to Marine Corps Recruit Depot
Tickets: Free
Phone: (858) 450-6510
Online: rnrmarathon.com
“We make our choices based primarily on the music,” Lopez said, “but also on location and the nitty-gritty details of the size of our stages, how many people can fit on those stages, what kind of music it is dependent on what kind of area the stage is in. We have a lot of neighborhoods along the course and we like to provide music that's not too crazy for them at 6:30 in the morning. So we try to accommodate everybody.”
Lopez and Elite Racing tries to keep in mind the neighborhood surrounding the course, but they don't necessarily want sedate, sleepy music either: “We try to pick uplifting music and upbeat music that will help the runners keep going.”
This year's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon kicks off at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The race follows a course beginning at Sixth Avenue and Robinson Street in Balboa Park, including a stretch on state Route 163 before winding around the edges of San Diego Bay and through beach communities. The finish line sits at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. If traveling in the area, be aware that many of the streets will be closed along the course.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego freelance music writer.
Benatar rocks on
May 29, 2008
In the four years between 1979 and 1983, Pat Benatar was unstoppable. She had the classically trained voice offset by a gritty airtight band ripping the catchy rock tunes: “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “You Better Run,” “Promises in the Dark,” “Fire and Ice,” “Precious Time,” “Shadows of the Night.”
DETAILS
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, with Bedford Grove
When: Sunday, 6 p.m.
Where: Concerts in the Green at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley
Tickets: $30
Phone: (858) 450-6510
Online: rnrmarathon.com
Benatar (born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in Brooklyn, N.Y.) released a series of four great albums in just four years. Then it all started to get soft and mushy, though the hits kept coming: 1983's “Love Is a Battlefield” and 1984's “We Belong.”
In the past couple of decades, she started a family with guitarist Neil Giraldo and played shows here and there. Despite the fall from grace, Benatar's still one of the all-time rocker chicks, making her a perfect fit for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.
Previous headliners: Ozomatli, Pinback, LIVE, Chris Isaak, Sugar Ray, SmashMouth, Chicago, Hootie & The Blowfish, Huey Lewis & The News and Seal.
– CHRIS NIXON
Bands on the run
UNION-TRIBUNE
May 29, 2008
With 45 bands covering the 26.2-mile Rock 'n' Roll Marathon route (including two artists at Concerts on the Green near Qualcomm Stadium after the race), this year's event offers many hours of live music to navigate. Here are a few favorites from this year's lineup:
Pitch Michael (Park Boulevard and Presidents Way, 6:45 a.m. at mile 3.4): This local band is focused around the songs and voice of Jonathan Pitcher, ranging from pretty pop (“You Complete Me” and “Happy Song”) to introspective bittersweetness (“Father's Eyes” and “I Need You Goodbye”). With a new album packed with solid tunes, Pitcher has the goods to go a long way.
Elite Racing's Amber Lopez on Pitch Michael: “He's performed along the race course for five or six years now. He's reminiscent of John Mayer.”
Bedford Grove (Mission Bay Park Visitors Center, 7:40 a.m. at mile 16.3): Tapping into the infectious triumvirate of sly Fender Rhodes, soulful vocals and slinky horns, San Diego's Bedford Grove adds the musical sophistication of jazz to funk and other danceable styles. Led by Marc Gould (aka Bedford Nelson) on keys and vocals, the band celebrated the release of its new album “Welcome to Our Side of Town” April 23 at the jazz club Anthology downtown.
Lopez on Bedford Grove: “The lead singer is actually the nephew of Bob Babbit, who is one of our Running Elvi. They're set to open for our headliner (Pat Benatar).”
Tricia Freeman (Pacific Highway, 8 a.m. at mile 23.5): Little bit country. Little bit rock 'n' roll. A lot of vocal power. Tricia Freeman and her band kick the blues rootsy country rock common to a lot of bar bands around Southern California. But Freeman's huge gritty pipes (think a combo of Linda Ronstadt and Janis Joplin) set this band apart.
Lopez on Tricia Freeman: “We're putting a little country in our rock 'n' rock. It should be fun for all of our runners.”
– CHRIS NIXON
