On a rare outing of this type, Wifey and I took in the “Local Grooves, Local Brews” night at House Of Blues in San Diego’s Gaslamp quarter Oct. 21.

14 bands, 4 songs each alternating between two stages.  It has to be a logistical nightmare, but SD’s ace promoter Cathryn Beeks pulled it off again.

I couldn’t last all night — I probably couldn’t have even 30 years ago.  The crowd grew thicker, the volume got louder, and it was really a stress-fest as the evening wore on.

I did discover one amazing band — opening group Queen Divas of the Universe had the crowd in the palm of their hands from their first power chords.

Low point? Well, I don’t want to name names, and of course it’s all a matter of opinion, but when a group has nothing better to do than make outer-space sound effects, I think they need a little better career guidance.  Just sayin’ …

Volume is not an artistic achievement.  It’s usually a sign of animmature band or an inexperienced sound engineer.  An amped-up audience isn’t a good guide to good sound.

For somebody who doesn’t like crowds — and who usually doesn’t DO crowds — I think I held in there pretty good.  The bar was filled to the brim with people more interested in making the scene than with music lovers, so I admire all the performers for sticking out their, uh, necks and putting on a bang-up show.

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WADE