It’s Gonna Blow

It’s Gonna’ Blow: San Diego’s Music Underground is filmmaker Bill Perrine’s document of San Diego’s highly combustible music scene in the 1990s. After keying in on Seattle and the success of grunge, record labels were quick to guess just where the next musical hotspot would be. Some thought San Diego. The film moves through early-1980s hardcore punk into what would follow—Pitchfork, Fishwife, Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From the Crypt (plus other lesser-known but worthwhile acts such as aMiniature, Heavy Vegetable, No Knife, The Locust and many more)—and spends much effort examining the barely controlled flat-out fury of Jehu and its game-changing self-titled debut album. Even when major labels called, few bands found commercial recognition (outside of Blink-182). The Stone Temple Pilots claimed San Diego as home, and most folks interviewed for the film laugh at the mere suggestion since STP rarely played there live. However, despite their relative obscurity in America, art-punk antagonists Trumans Water were flown to England at tastemaker and DJ John Peel’s request to record and perform in front of thousands at the Reading Festival. Compulsory viewing for adventurous music fans.