LOCALS ONLY

It's no rock in the park

Street Scene owner Rob Hagey heard a more dignified version of “Hell, no” from the Balboa Park Committee on Dec. 7 when he proposed moving the city's largest music festival to Balboa Park.

“I was not surprised by the Balboa Park Committee response-I had been warned it was a tough group,” Hagey said. “But I was disappointed as to their narrow view and their lack of wanting to get creative with us. It could have been a great venue and we could have incorporated the museums in the future.”

Balboa Park district manager Kathleen Hasenauer says Balboa Park doesn't allow new events between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Hagey proposed a date outside of that time span but was still rejected. The committee simply wasn't keen on what they perceive as loud-ass rock music being played where people can't find parking and nearby residents are trapped in their own living rooms.

Rumors have been flying for several months that Hagey is looking to sell Street Scene. Attendance has decreased two years in a row, coinciding with the event's move from the chic urbana of the Gaslamp District to the asphalt serengetti of Qualcomm Stadium. A major vendor who requested anonymity confirmed hearing talk of a potential sale.

Responded Hagey: “Rumors are rumors.”

“There is a certain logic to the path of Street Scene, which is that it has become bigger and bigger,” said local promoter Scott Pactor, who was recently granted permission by the Balboa Park Committee to stage his much smaller concert, “Sessionsfest at the Park.”

“If I were [Hagey], I would try to do more than one event a year and make each event smaller.”

Still, Pactor thinks the proposal to hold the festival at Balboa Park is a good one.

“If you look at the black and white photos from the 1915 Panama Exposition, you realize that Balboa Park was created as a venue for huge masses of people. Why should rock music be arbitrarily excluded?”

Hagey said he is meeting with Qualcomm officials later this week to discuss holding Street Scene at the venue for a third year. “Qualcomm at night is a great venue,” he said. “With all the special lighting we do, there's a little carnival-like vibe, very different from any festival in the country.” www.street-scene.com.

Notables...

She may not get one of those gift bags stuffed with goodies worth most people's annual income, but singer-songwriter Anya Marina is kinda-sorta-technically up for a Grammy. The soundtrack for Grey's Anatomy Vol. 2, which features Marina's song “Miss Half Way,” has been nominated in the category of “Best Compilation Soundtrack.” Seeing as how it's up against the soundtrack to Walk the Line, it doesn't stand a chance in Hellywood. Still, it makes for a great MySpace blog. www.anyamarina.com.

As reported last week in “Locals Only,” members of The Coup and Mr. Lif had a near-death experience after their Dec. 1 show at House of Blues when their tour bus flipped and went up in flames. The Coup frontman Boots Riley has written a blog detailing the entire crash on the group's MySpace page. www.myspace.com/thecoupmusic.

As reported a few weeks ago, a guitar tech for The Rapture was injured during the band's San Diego show when debris fell from the ceiling at Brick by Brick. According to frontman Luke Jenner, the venue has paid for all medical expenses and expects his friend to return in the New Year: “He wasn't able to continue on with the band on the second European leg of our tour, and we really missed him. He has been doing some physical therapy to get better.” www.therapturemusic.com.

Greg Vaughn, guitarist for Depeche Mode cover band Blasphemous Guitars apparently launched into such an extended, offending solo at a Dec. 2 gig at Los Angeles' Bootie L.A. that some club patrons asked for refunds and the promoters cut the band's set short. The band fared better the next night at L.A.'s Club London where they were joined onstage by Sweet & Tender Hooligans frontman Jose Maldonado. The collaboration yielded a Morrissey-inflected Depeche Mode/Van Halen medley that got a thumbs-up from Morrissey guitarist Alain Whyte, who was in the audience. www.myspace.com/covermebadd.

Jason Mraz has released a pair of live albums exclusively through his website. Selections for Friends features new tunes recorded this past summer, while Live at Java Joe's-taped at San Diego's famed, defunct coffeehouse-is a reissue of a disc originally put out in 2001. www.jasonmraz.com.

The North Atlantic's relentless touring on the East Coast is starting to pay off. Their album Wires in The Wall recently hit No. 1 on the respected radio tip sheet FMBQ (Friday Morning Quarterback), and their song “Scientist Girl” peaked at No. 3 on FMBQ's singles chart. www.thenorthatlantic.com.