Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Dance your acid off

Kava Lounge's experimental electronic showcase turns two

Acid Varsity’s Detweiler: “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events.”
Acid Varsity’s Detweiler: “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events.”

“It’s pretty humbling when big names agree to come play our event here at the Kava Lounge,” says Tyler Detweiler, whose live, hardware-based electronic music monthly, Acid Varsity, curates members of veteran acts, such as LCD Soundsystem and Nortec Collective, alongside San Diego and Tijuana experimentalists.

“I think they perceive it as an artistic challenge,” Detweiler says. “I was told it’s more stressful playing here than in front of thousands. It’s much more raw without an entire band and hit singles to fall back on. But we are doing something new and I think they recognize that and want to take part.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Acid Varsity

...a sampler by Ceephax Acid Crew

...a sampler by Ceephax Acid Crew

This month marks two years since Detweiler debuted Acid Varsity at Middletown’s Kava Lounge, a bar that has been fostering fringe electronic and experimental events for over 11 years. Since its debut, Acid Varsity has grown from a handful of friends gathering on a Sunday evening into packed-house Friday-night bangers.

“A lot has changed in the past few years,” Detweiler says. “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events almost weekly. I’m really proud to have brought so many performers. Watching the impact it’s had on them and the community is the best part, not to mention the connections and friendships made along the way. It’s amazing what comes out of building a scene; and people love coming out, whether they like to synthesize sounds or simply dance their asses off. I think San Diego will prove to be a pivotal spot in the future when it comes to electronic music, just like it was for the punk and hardcore scenes in the ’80s and ’90s.”

Place

Kava Lounge

2812 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego

Detweiler sees the success of Acid Varsity as part of a larger trend toward embracing electronic music throughout San Diego.

“Clubs like Bar Dynamite are hosting all-vinyl early-dance music nights (94NB4, FREEK) and Dance Klassique is still going strong after 15+ years of deep house. The AC Lounge’s House Music Fridays has been absolutely packed every week, with the big surge in popularity of dance music from people of all ages. People really want to dance, it seems! Not to mention the festival scene...Desert Hearts has grown unbelievably in the past year. In fact, Lee Reynolds and Machino [DH Records] will be performing their first ever live set together at Acid Varsity on July 21.”

Dance your acid off Friday, June 17, at the Kava Lounge with Point Loma (Ramon Bostich of Nortec) and Axkan (L.A.).

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Could Supplemental Security Income house the homeless?

A board and care resident proposes a possible solution
Next Article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Acid Varsity’s Detweiler: “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events.”
Acid Varsity’s Detweiler: “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events.”

“It’s pretty humbling when big names agree to come play our event here at the Kava Lounge,” says Tyler Detweiler, whose live, hardware-based electronic music monthly, Acid Varsity, curates members of veteran acts, such as LCD Soundsystem and Nortec Collective, alongside San Diego and Tijuana experimentalists.

“I think they perceive it as an artistic challenge,” Detweiler says. “I was told it’s more stressful playing here than in front of thousands. It’s much more raw without an entire band and hit singles to fall back on. But we are doing something new and I think they recognize that and want to take part.”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Acid Varsity

...a sampler by Ceephax Acid Crew

...a sampler by Ceephax Acid Crew

This month marks two years since Detweiler debuted Acid Varsity at Middletown’s Kava Lounge, a bar that has been fostering fringe electronic and experimental events for over 11 years. Since its debut, Acid Varsity has grown from a handful of friends gathering on a Sunday evening into packed-house Friday-night bangers.

“A lot has changed in the past few years,” Detweiler says. “Before, I had to seek out new acts to perform, but now I get people asking for slots at my events almost weekly. I’m really proud to have brought so many performers. Watching the impact it’s had on them and the community is the best part, not to mention the connections and friendships made along the way. It’s amazing what comes out of building a scene; and people love coming out, whether they like to synthesize sounds or simply dance their asses off. I think San Diego will prove to be a pivotal spot in the future when it comes to electronic music, just like it was for the punk and hardcore scenes in the ’80s and ’90s.”

Place

Kava Lounge

2812 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego

Detweiler sees the success of Acid Varsity as part of a larger trend toward embracing electronic music throughout San Diego.

“Clubs like Bar Dynamite are hosting all-vinyl early-dance music nights (94NB4, FREEK) and Dance Klassique is still going strong after 15+ years of deep house. The AC Lounge’s House Music Fridays has been absolutely packed every week, with the big surge in popularity of dance music from people of all ages. People really want to dance, it seems! Not to mention the festival scene...Desert Hearts has grown unbelievably in the past year. In fact, Lee Reynolds and Machino [DH Records] will be performing their first ever live set together at Acid Varsity on July 21.”

Dance your acid off Friday, June 17, at the Kava Lounge with Point Loma (Ramon Bostich of Nortec) and Axkan (L.A.).

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Bait and Switch at San Diego Symphony

Concentric contemporary dims Dvorak
Next Article

In-n-Out alters iconic symbol to reflect “modern-day California”

Keep Palm and Carry On?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader