When San Diego City College’s Soundsation was first conceived, it was planned as an event to showcase up-and-coming talented musicians who happened to be SDCC students.
And that’s still the case, but when the free festival returns to Curran Plaza on SDCC’s campus at 11 a.m. Saturday, there will be some notable differences from the past.
One is that this year, Soundsation is being held on a Saturday rather than a weekday afternoon, so that more members of the general public have a chance to attend. Another change is the addition of arts and crafts vendors.
But even bigger than that is that this year, for the first time, the festival will feature professional musicians as headliners. Rap group The Neighborhood Kids, San Diego Music Award winners, and indie rock group The Band Cope will top a bill that also features various acts, whether students or faculty members, who have City College connections.
Among the student/faculty acts is Mr. Growly, a surf/punk rock instrumental trio featuring two San Diego City College Commercial Music professors, Mike Espar (drums) and Bob Kostlan (bass), along with bandmate Rick Wilkinson (guitar).
In an interview with Times of San Diego, Espar talked about Soundsation’s origins and its evolution.
“The festival was started back in 2022 by students in the City College Music Club who wanted to showcase the talented student musical artists here at City College,” said Espar, who was the club’s faculty adviser. “Through the hard work of the club’s leadership, the festival became a success and an annual tradition.”
Students in SDCC’s Commercial Music 220: Music Marketing & Promotion class began to spearheading the event’s planning in 2024, and Soundsation started to grow in scope.
Last year’s event featured 10 artists – all students – performing on two stages. This year, over a dozen artists are slated to perform.
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“By incorporating professional bands and moving the event to a Saturday we hope to increase attendance and promote City College as a community destination for music and the arts,” Espar explained. “We also hope to show that the City College Commercial Music Program is a great place to learn how to create, record, perform and promote music.”
To plan the festival, students in Commercial Music 220 were divided up into groups depending on their interests and experience. One focused on selecting bands, leveraging their connections in the San Diego music scene, while also trying to include as many City College musicians as possible.
Barrio Logan-based hip-hop collective the Neighborhood Kids was selected to headline, Espar said, because “in addition to being talented musicians, their perspective on local and world events resonates with our City College community.”
The socially and politically conscious group took home two trophies at last month’s San Diego Music Awards, Best New Artist and Best Hip-Hop or Rap Artist.
And indie/alternative act The Band Cope offers a contrast to The Neighborhood Kids, Espar said.
“We are pleased by how eclectic and diverse our lineup of artists is this year,” he said. “It’s going to be a really fun show.”
Soundsation, a free music and arts festival, will be open to the public from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday at San Diego City College, 1400 B St. in Curran Plaza.
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