\u201c(Music) just came natural,\u201d Morison said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like something I chose. It\u2019s like something that was just (always) there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His musical influences come from his dad, who is from Chiapas, Mexico, and listens to Latin music from Peru, Chile and Mexico, and his mom, from New York, who listens to punk rock, new wave music, King Crimson and Neil Young.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s never been any boundaries for me when it comes to music,\u201d Morison said. \u201cMy parents let me investigate pretty much whatever I wanted, and they are truly supportive. They come to all my shows. They have become more recognizable than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained he started Bad Vibes Good Friends because he wanted to \u201cfoster a community that values authenticity, collaboration and artistic expression\u201d across various genres of music and platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe collective was established to challenge the insular nature of the local music and art scene by creating inclusive, genre-defying events that blend punk, cumbia, psych, soul, graffiti, fine art, tattoos and photography,\u201d Morrison explained, adding that Bad Vibes Good Friends has organized over 150 shows and four music festivals since 2017.<\/p>\n
Three of these music festivals and countless other shows have been in Barrio Logan, and he said, even though he doesn\u2019t live there anymore, he is consistently in Barrio Logan, whether it\u2019s to play in pick-up soccer matches, promoting upcoming shows and supporting local businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly think (Barrio Logan) is the most vibrant neighborhood,\u201d Morison said. \u201cHistorically, artistically, musically, it\u2019s the most interesting neighborhood in San Diego to me. It\u2019s demographic, it\u2019s DIY attitude \u2026 like how it is underneath the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge and how it is close to military bases. How it is close to downtown\u2026 There is Chicano culture (here). I think to me (Barrio Logan) is probably the most significant neighborhood in San Diego that is like \u2018this is San Diego to me, this represents San Diego proper.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For these reasons, Morison selected Barrio Logan as the neighborhood to spotlight for his five favorite places for dining, shopping, art and culture as part of our series Handpicked by Locals.<\/p>\n
![\"Rory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-RORY-MORISION-CREDIT-Alma-Photo-Laura-Arango.jpg\")
Rory Morison is a musician, producer, artist, filmmaker and founder of Bad Vibes Good Friends, a San Diego-based art collective, record label and event production group. (Alma Photo \/ Laura Arango)<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>El Golosito is more than just a cevicher\u00eda; it\u2019s a living memory. I\u2019ve been coming here since I was a kid, and in a city that\u2019s changed beyond recognition, it remains stubborn, soulful and gloriously untouched. There\u2019s no pretense here, just aguachile (my favorite), BYOB and a no frills patio. It reminds me of Mexico, not the polished postcard version, but the nostalgic one of my childhood.<\/p>\n
![\"Ricky](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-HANDPICKED-MORISION112.jpg\")
Ricky Regretti plays at the turntable, also known as vinyl record player at Beat Box Records in Barrio Logan on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 (Michael Ho \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>I collect records and (create and post) my event flyers personally, so spots like Beat Box are more than just stores; they\u2019re part of the ritual. The homies work there, so every visit feels like dropping in on friends. They know what I\u2019m into and always have solid recommendations. I make a habit of sifting through records, picking out names I don\u2019t know and taking them over to the listening station. There\u2019s a particular thrill in being caught off guard by something new. I also love what\u2019s exchanged in these places, \u2018chismeando\u2019 (gossiping) about the neighborhood, thoughts on the local scene, talking smack and getting hyped on the who\u2019s who.<\/p>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-Chicano-Park-Day_0004.jpg\")
People gather for Chicano Park Day in Barrio Logan on April 19, 2025. (Ariana Drehsler \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite open space?<\/b><\/p>\n
A:<\/b> Chicano Park stands as the epicenter of all things Logan. It\u2019s a powerful and enduring symbol of cultural resilience, grassroots activism and artistic expression. The park is a product of people power, home to the world\u2019s largest collection of Chicano murals. It\u2019s a living gallery, historic yet ever evolving. I find joy in the everyday scenes in the park (such as) playing futsal with friends on the basketball courts, watching Mexican dancers burning copal (and) practicing their dances in the kiosko, lowrider meet ups, taking a walk noticing a new detail in one of the murals (and) watching the skateboarders skate the pyramids and ledges under the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge. There\u2019s always something happening here.<\/p>\n
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork?<\/b><\/p>\n
A<\/b>: In the herb garden by the on-ramp to the 5 freeway, you\u2019ll find the Quetzalc\u00f3atl mural. It was one of the first murals painted in collaboration by several artist groups, then refined to what it is today. It\u2019s wild to think about now, but hundreds of people from Barrio Logan came together to realize that the mural was like an exquisite corpse. I like the idea of taking all the layers of the community and refining how the different art groups of Toltecas en Aztl\u00e1n and El Congreso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztl\u00e1n did. They (are) weaving together all these powerful symbols that speak across generations. At the center is Kulkulcan or Quetzalc\u00f3atl, rising right beneath the shadow of the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge. The serpent is reclaiming the land, and the symbol is creation and transformation in Mesoamerican culture. It\u2019s like a big codex. If you really stop and look, you\u2019ll see a Mayan profile, a Catholic rose, the yin-yang symbol and the \u2018huelga\u2019 eagle (on the United Farm Workers flag) floating over rows of humble homes. There\u2019s Mexican, Chinese, Indigenous and Catholic imagery all braided into one mural. Duality, revolution, rebirth; it shows the tension between good campesinos (farmers) and evil caciques (chiefs), light and dark, but also the possibility of a new world emerging from that clash. And then the herb garden. The fact that the mural and the garden coexist next to the concrete and smog of California\u2019s target freeway adds another layer. It\u2019s life pushing up through the cracks, community taking root in a place that was never meant to nourish it.<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark?<\/b><\/p>\n
A:<\/b> The Barrio Logan Art Crawl is one of San Diego\u2019s most vibrant cultural events. Every month, the neighborhood gets activated and the galleries, event spaces and restaurants come alive. What makes it so cool is it\u2019s not a polished museum walk; it\u2019s grassroots. The music, lowriders, food vendors, art and the events all reflect Barrio as a community. Here you can meet local artists, enter studios, see live mural painting, check out galleries, music and check out all the food from champurado and tamales on the streets, to lumpias, birria, burgers, tacos (and) Italian food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Music has always been part of Rory Morison\u2019s life.\u00a0 He said his family would regularly host parties growing…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":158539,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,171,66363,1370,3549,7264,1072,7289,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-158538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-handpicked-by-locals","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-san-diego","15":"tag-sandiego","16":"tag-things-to-do","17":"tag-top-stories-sdut","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115055812569911973","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}