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In a city not so subtly partial to its indie rock, Jamie Minotti is striving for balance.
“A year ago, there was no way [Toronto based progressive/electro/house DJ] Deadmau5 would be in local alt weeklies,” Minotti says. “It would always be some indie band from Brooklyn. In San Diego, electronic music is such a young scene. It’s great to see it developing.”
Minotti’s talent management agency, The Madero Group, has found a niche with up and coming electronic music artists and derives its name from a saying Minotti heard from his grandfather many times as a child.
“My grandpa Orlando Corenti was a classic Sicilian,” says Minotti, a Connecticut native with a background in psychology and teaching who has been in San Diego for 12 years. “He loved to eat and drink a lot, but he would always say: ‘Everything in moderation. Don’t drink too much or eat too much.’”
As such, ‘Madero’ is a word Minotti made up, derived from the Italian word for ‘moderation,’ to exemplify what the 37-year-old manager would like to see in San Diego’s music taste.
Case in point? Minotti’s only artist of ten based in San Diego, rock roots reggae artist Mike Pinto, who will be celebrating the release of his The West is Still Wild EP (the cover drawing depicts Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach) on Wednesday, November 23, at the House of Blues.
“Pinto’s first release was the #1 debut reggae album on Billboard and iTunes reggae charts for two weeks. He’s selling out shows in Philadelphia, but it’s hard to get press coverage or radio support in San Diego, which is very specific about their style,” Minotti says.
“Nothing against it, but the reality is that San Diego is hung up on skinny jeans indie rock. We’re fighting an uphill battle here. On a national level, other music is so much larger than what’s going on in San Diego. But we are so passionate about San Diego, we want to see it grow here. There’s so much going on that kids here are just getting hip to.”
2 years ago, ready to help the kids hep up to national trends, Minotti co-founded monthly Ocean Beats events to provide a venue for his artists and similar musicians who’d had a hard time finding places to perform in San Diego.
“Besides the Kava Lounge and Spin Nightclub, there were no live venues for future bass crossover artists,” Minotti says. “So I teamed up with SUBLMNL Sound System (Austin Speed and CRMNL) and started Ocean Beats at Winston’s, traditionally a hippy venue, to feature some of the hottest, unique, and most cutting edge upcoming electronic artists.”
Ocean Beats has since held shows at Belly Up, Ruby Room, and the Del Mar Marriot showcasing experimental, hip hop, house, future bass, and everything in between from well-known out-of-town artists such as Ana Sia, BoomBox, Joe Nice, BusDriver, Eliot Lipp, Freq Nasty, and Kraddy, and locals such as Addiquit, Inspired Flight, and Vokab Company.
Minotti cut his teeth in management with Delta Nove from Long Beach and Alfred Howard (The Heavy Guilt) & the K23 Orchestra 6 years ago while running a foundation which raised money for social programs and working as a tour manager on the side.
In October of 2005, Minotti teamed up with Who Is Guy Grand Productions, a company throwing theatric concert event in the Bay area, and produced Xingolati, a festival on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship which traveled from Los Angeles to Ensenada featuring performances from The Flaming Lips, G Love and Special Sauce, Medeski Martin and Wood, Lucent Dossier Experience, Perpetual Groove, John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic, Slightly Stoopid Acoustic, Particle, Tea Leaf Green, The Everyone Orchestra, Stephen Perkins (Janes Addicition), DJ Greyboy, R.E.D. featuring Rob Wasserman and members of Particle, DJ Lorin (who is now Bassnectar), and the Mutaytor.
“It was insane,” Minotti recalls. “Instead of going to a festival, you were in it. Everyone on the ship was part of making it what it was. The idea was to bring electronic music, burners, circus, and rock together. Other festivals would target specific genres, but now Coachella looks like Burning Man. Xingolati helped kick off that initiative.”
Now, Minotti shares a Point Loma office space with Who is Guy Grand Productions and Sustainable Waves, a production company that provides solar and sustainably-powered sound systems for festivals such as Street Scene, Treasure Island, Outside Lands, and the New Belgium Tour de Fat.
“We’re a one stop shop here in San Diego,” Minotti says. “There isn’t anybody I know of working out of San Diego in the entertainment industry on a national level.”
Last summer, The Madero Group produced Riverbeats, a 2 day festival on the Colorado River outside of Vale featuring his entire roster (Ana Sia, Boombox, Dark Party, Eliot Lipp, Ill-Esha, the Mike Pinto Band, Samples, Superdre, Virtual Boy, and Wendy Darling) which saw about 1000 in attendance each day.
“It’s our dream to put together our own festival with artists, friends, and people we respect. Electronic music is popping off right now. Many people don’t realize how many genres there are, from future bass to dubstep to glitch hop to wobble. The vision is to put together artists who overlap in style, but each artist has their own take as an electronic musician.”
As such, Minotti plans to produce Riverbeats again next summer and continue to curate Ocean Beats with local and touring talent.
“San Diego is awakening to accepting different scenes that are already going off on a national level. San Diego really does want good, hip shit.”
See what Ocean Beats is about tonight at Winston’s with renowned electronic musicians David Starfire and An-ten-ae, and local whompers Mike Maninno, Austin Speed, and CRMNL.
Ocean Beats will be hosting an uptown edition at the Ruby Room on December 9 with heavyweights ill.Gates, R/D, and San Diego boomers DJ Pound, Roric, and Austin Speed.
There will be as RSVP list at the merch booth tonight at Winston’s for $10 entry before 10:30 p.m. to Uptown Ocean Beats.
Jamie Minotti of The Madero Group.
Mike Pinto Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdiNi0JmIUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bkdvDwP3RI
In a city not so subtly partial to its indie rock, Jamie Minotti is striving for balance.
“A year ago, there was no way [Toronto based progressive/electro/house DJ] Deadmau5 would be in local alt weeklies,” Minotti says. “It would always be some indie band from Brooklyn. In San Diego, electronic music is such a young scene. It’s great to see it developing.”
Minotti’s talent management agency, The Madero Group, has found a niche with up and coming electronic music artists and derives its name from a saying Minotti heard from his grandfather many times as a child.
“My grandpa Orlando Corenti was a classic Sicilian,” says Minotti, a Connecticut native with a background in psychology and teaching who has been in San Diego for 12 years. “He loved to eat and drink a lot, but he would always say: ‘Everything in moderation. Don’t drink too much or eat too much.’”
As such, ‘Madero’ is a word Minotti made up, derived from the Italian word for ‘moderation,’ to exemplify what the 37-year-old manager would like to see in San Diego’s music taste.
Case in point? Minotti’s only artist of ten based in San Diego, rock roots reggae artist Mike Pinto, who will be celebrating the release of his The West is Still Wild EP (the cover drawing depicts Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach) on Wednesday, November 23, at the House of Blues.
“Pinto’s first release was the #1 debut reggae album on Billboard and iTunes reggae charts for two weeks. He’s selling out shows in Philadelphia, but it’s hard to get press coverage or radio support in San Diego, which is very specific about their style,” Minotti says.
“Nothing against it, but the reality is that San Diego is hung up on skinny jeans indie rock. We’re fighting an uphill battle here. On a national level, other music is so much larger than what’s going on in San Diego. But we are so passionate about San Diego, we want to see it grow here. There’s so much going on that kids here are just getting hip to.”
2 years ago, ready to help the kids hep up to national trends, Minotti co-founded monthly Ocean Beats events to provide a venue for his artists and similar musicians who’d had a hard time finding places to perform in San Diego.
“Besides the Kava Lounge and Spin Nightclub, there were no live venues for future bass crossover artists,” Minotti says. “So I teamed up with SUBLMNL Sound System (Austin Speed and CRMNL) and started Ocean Beats at Winston’s, traditionally a hippy venue, to feature some of the hottest, unique, and most cutting edge upcoming electronic artists.”
Ocean Beats has since held shows at Belly Up, Ruby Room, and the Del Mar Marriot showcasing experimental, hip hop, house, future bass, and everything in between from well-known out-of-town artists such as Ana Sia, BoomBox, Joe Nice, BusDriver, Eliot Lipp, Freq Nasty, and Kraddy, and locals such as Addiquit, Inspired Flight, and Vokab Company.
Minotti cut his teeth in management with Delta Nove from Long Beach and Alfred Howard (The Heavy Guilt) & the K23 Orchestra 6 years ago while running a foundation which raised money for social programs and working as a tour manager on the side.
In October of 2005, Minotti teamed up with Who Is Guy Grand Productions, a company throwing theatric concert event in the Bay area, and produced Xingolati, a festival on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship which traveled from Los Angeles to Ensenada featuring performances from The Flaming Lips, G Love and Special Sauce, Medeski Martin and Wood, Lucent Dossier Experience, Perpetual Groove, John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic, Slightly Stoopid Acoustic, Particle, Tea Leaf Green, The Everyone Orchestra, Stephen Perkins (Janes Addicition), DJ Greyboy, R.E.D. featuring Rob Wasserman and members of Particle, DJ Lorin (who is now Bassnectar), and the Mutaytor.
“It was insane,” Minotti recalls. “Instead of going to a festival, you were in it. Everyone on the ship was part of making it what it was. The idea was to bring electronic music, burners, circus, and rock together. Other festivals would target specific genres, but now Coachella looks like Burning Man. Xingolati helped kick off that initiative.”
Now, Minotti shares a Point Loma office space with Who is Guy Grand Productions and Sustainable Waves, a production company that provides solar and sustainably-powered sound systems for festivals such as Street Scene, Treasure Island, Outside Lands, and the New Belgium Tour de Fat.
“We’re a one stop shop here in San Diego,” Minotti says. “There isn’t anybody I know of working out of San Diego in the entertainment industry on a national level.”
Last summer, The Madero Group produced Riverbeats, a 2 day festival on the Colorado River outside of Vale featuring his entire roster (Ana Sia, Boombox, Dark Party, Eliot Lipp, Ill-Esha, the Mike Pinto Band, Samples, Superdre, Virtual Boy, and Wendy Darling) which saw about 1000 in attendance each day.
“It’s our dream to put together our own festival with artists, friends, and people we respect. Electronic music is popping off right now. Many people don’t realize how many genres there are, from future bass to dubstep to glitch hop to wobble. The vision is to put together artists who overlap in style, but each artist has their own take as an electronic musician.”
As such, Minotti plans to produce Riverbeats again next summer and continue to curate Ocean Beats with local and touring talent.
“San Diego is awakening to accepting different scenes that are already going off on a national level. San Diego really does want good, hip shit.”
See what Ocean Beats is about tonight at Winston’s with renowned electronic musicians David Starfire and An-ten-ae, and local whompers Mike Maninno, Austin Speed, and CRMNL.
Ocean Beats will be hosting an uptown edition at the Ruby Room on December 9 with heavyweights ill.Gates, R/D, and San Diego boomers DJ Pound, Roric, and Austin Speed.
There will be as RSVP list at the merch booth tonight at Winston’s for $10 entry before 10:30 p.m. to Uptown Ocean Beats.
Jamie Minotti of The Madero Group.
Mike Pinto Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdiNi0JmIUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bkdvDwP3RI