Pacific Records is an American, San Diego, California based music label founded in 2003 as an independent record label and music publisher. [1] [2] Amongst the labels releases are albums by O-Town, Slack Key Ohana and the Guitar Legends television special soundtracks. Helmed by CEO Brian Witkin, a San Diego-based entertainment attorney, [3] the seeds of Pacific Records were planted in 1999, with the opening of Real2Reel Records, at first in his parents' home before relocating in November 2004 to a shop [4] located inside all-ages music venue "The Epicentre" in San Diego's Mira Mesa neighborhood. The shop initially began releasing music under the Real2Reel name, but soon changed to Pacific Records. While the shop closed in June 2007, [5] Pacific Records continued as a label. Witkin signed both local and national talent from the beginning, including San Diego's Get Back Loretta and Virginia based, Life's Only Lesson. [6] A short time after, the imprint was acquired by Wingnut Media Group, Inc, based in Del Mar, California, soon transferred to Georgi Entertainment, LLC. In 2009 Witkin purchased the company back under the holding company New Pacific Group, currently, Pacific Records, Inc. The label includes in house recording studios, engineering marketing and distribution.
In 2014 Pacific Records began booking the VIP Lounge at the then Valley View Casino Center, showcasing their talent roster prior to the mainstage headliners. [7] The arrangement has continued through the venue's name change to Pechanga Arena. [8] In 2015 Pacific Records produced and released the “San Diego Gulls Anthem,” the official song of the San Diego-based hockey team, San Diego Gulls. [9] [10]
In 2017, the label released its first soundtrack, for the film 9/11, [11] starring Charlie Sheen. That same year, Pacific Records released the final recording from Motörhead frontman, Lemmy Kilmister, with Chris Declercq, “We Are the Ones.” [12] In August 2019 the label released The O.T.W.N Album from a reunited O-Town, [13] with the band performing lead track, “Off”, on CBS-TV's The Late Late Show with James Corden [14] Meanwhile, in November 2019 the label hosted a showcase stage aboard the Marrietta Ferry at the inaugural Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival in San Diego. [15] Pacific Records also released the soundtrack to the live television special, Guitar Legends III, recorded at the same Wonderfront Festival, featuring Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Nancy Wilson, George Thorogood and Steve Lukather. [16] [17]
In October 2020, the label released the debut album from the Original Starfires, featuring latter day, New Mamas and Papas singer Laurie Beebe Lewis and singer Eli Holland, [18] as well as a collaborative single, “Bad Wolves” featuring Rebecca Jade, Grammy winner Jason Mraz, Miki Vale and Veronica May. [19] The song takes a stand against racism, with a video shot at the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, located in San Diego's Balboa Park, [20] ultimately winning “Song of The Year” at the 2021 San Diego Music Awards (SDMA). That same year Pacific Records signed reggae artist Skyler Lutes also took home an award for “Best Local Recording.” [21] [22] Meanwhile, in 2021 Pacific Records reissued the album Grapefruit Moon by Southside Johnny with LaBamba's Big Band. [23] Also in 2021 label CEO Brian Witkin and musician Kamaka Mullen released a self-titled EP with their Hawaiian themed combo, Slack Key Ohana, winning the “Best World Music Album” category at the 2022 San Diego Music Awards. [24] In 2022 Pacific Records announced a new version of “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” originally by Blue Öyster Cult, as the first in a series of singles produced by Sppike Mike Muellenberg, under the Music's Future banner, as a fundraiser for the San Diego Music Foundation. The collaborative effort includes Mike Watt (Firehose (band)/ The Stooges), Mike Reiter (27 Various / The Dig), Doug Walker (The Dwarves / The Spice Pistols), Bart Mendoza (Manual Scan/ The Shambles (band)), Anna Zinova (Pinkeye), Nick Aguilar (Slaughterhouse), Robbie Allen and Will Lerner (Shake Before Us / Strawberry Moons), with studio production by Jeff Berkley. Since its inception Pacific Records has released music across genres, including pop group O-Town, rockers Sprung Monkey, singer Rebecca Jade and classical guitarist Lito Romero. Recent signings include Emmanuel Kelly, whose single “Red Love” was Executive produced by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, [25] Falling Doves, [26] Kubota, Sandollar, Bart Mendoza, [27] The Josh Rosenblum Band, The Spice Pistols, Jonny Tarr and Chandler Bay.
Jason Thomas Mraz is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy ", that peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His second studio album Mr. A-Z (2005) peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.
Patrick Norman Yandall is an American smooth jazz guitarist.
Antioch Arrow was an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, that formed in 1992. Most of their discography was released through the San Diego independent label Gravity Records. The label was responsible raising San Diego's profile in the underground music scene of the mid-1990s. The band, breaking up in 1994 and releasing one final studio album posthumously in 1995, are now considered to be one of the most influential bands of the early 1990s that shaped emo and post-hardcore music of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
B. James Savage, better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California.
Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubborn All-Stars, SKAndalous All Stars, Crazy Baldhead and The Silencers. He has also performed with punk rock band Rancid, both live and in the studio. He has released four solo acoustic albums and continues to tour and record worldwide. Ruggiero is known primarily as a singer and organist, although he also plays piano, bass, banjo, cigar box guitar, guitar, harmonica and percussion.
The San Diego Music Awards are an awards show held annually in San Diego, California, United States, to recognize the best bands and artists in local music. The awards show benefits the San Diego Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting San Diego music education programs. Over the years the show has featured awards in a variety of categories covering nearly every genre of music, and featured live performances by such major-label recording artists as Blink-182, Switchfoot, and Jason Mraz, P.O.D. as well as lesser known up-and-coming artists, such as Schizophonics, Trouble in the Wind, Gilbert Castellanos, Whitney Shay and others. In 2021 best Hip-Hop album of the year nominee The Toven released the music video for his single "Sweet Home San Diego" from his "Welcome To San Diego" album which was recorded live at the 30th annual San Diego Music Awards at Humphrey's By The Bay. Bigger Vibes the debut album by The Toven lost to Boston native Van Bates aka Black Hesher's Saints And Sirens album This year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to singer and guitarist Jerry Raney formerly of 1970s psychedelic band Glory.
Bart Mendoza is an American journalist, musician and songwriter.
Brian Witkin is an entertainment attorney and entrepreneur from Del Mar, California as well as founder and CEO of Pacific Records, an independent record label based in San Diego, California. He is also a founding member of Hawaiian themed group, Slack Key Ohana. In 2005, at the age of 19, Witkin was featured in San Diego Magazine for young people to watch and in Feb. 2015 was named “Kickass Entrepreneur” in the San Diego Union Tribune Witkin is the son of Joe Witkin the original pianist for the band Sha Na Na, and the grandson of Evelyn M. Witkin an American geneticist who was awarded the National Medal of Science by President George W. Bush in 2002 for her work on DNA mutagenesis and DNA repair and the grandson of Herman Witkin, an internationally known American psychologist and senior research scientist at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. Witkin is also the nephew of computer scientist Andrew Witkin
Cardiac Kidz was an American punk band from San Diego, California, United States, active from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. In 1979, the Cardiac Kidz released two 7" vinyl records; a 45 rpm disc, "Get Out / Find Yourself A Way" and a 331⁄3 rpm EP called, Playground.
Manual Scan was an American mod and power pop group from San Diego, active between 1981 and 1991.
Lower Definition is an American post-hardcore band from San Diego, California, United States, formed in 2002. The band released two studio albums and six EPs before disbanding in 2009. After that they released an EP in 2011 called 'The Infinite Et Cetera'. In 2020 the band reunited and has since released 4 songs.
Inch was an American post-hardcore band formed in San Diego, California, in 1992. The group was founded by former Sub Society vocalist Michael "Stimy" Steinman, guitarist Mike Paprocki, drummer Dave Hepler, and bassist Jeff Reese. Inch released three albums during the 1990s until their disbandment in 1999. After being involved with numerous other bands, frontman Steinman died in 2010.
Erika Davies, also professionally credited as Miss Erika Davies, is an American jazz vocalist. A San Diego-based performer and singer-songwriter, Davies resides in California and gigs regularly.
The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team based in San Diego, California, that competes in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Gulls began play in the 2015–16 season. The team plays their home games at Pechanga Arena. The Gulls are the affiliate team of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks.
The Gift Machine is an American band, led by the husband and wife team of Dave Matthies and Andrea Matthies. Originally based in the Pacific Northwest, Dave Matthies has collaborated with many different people and the band has gone through several line up changes over the years. From 1998-2006 he lived in Anacortes, Washington, and ran a recording studio at the now defunct venue, the Department of Safety. He also worked with Bret Lunsford of the low-fi pop band Beat Happening, running KNW-YR-OWN records and putting on the annual What the Heck Fest. Matthies has worked live and in the studio with the Microphones/Mount Eerie, Little Wings, the Begulls, Karl Blau, D+, LAKE, the Graves, Laura Veirs, Thanksgiving, the Murder City Devils. The band is currently based out of North County San Diego.
Danielle LoPresti is an American musician, actress and activist. She is the lead singer of Danielle LoPresti and The Masses, an activist rock band out of San Diego, CA, and is the co-founder and producer of San Diego IndieFest.
Gayle Skidmore is an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from San Diego, California. She has written over 2000 songs, toured worldwide, and worked together with many different artists.
Dewey Defeats Truman is an American indie rock band formed in San Diego, California in the late 1990s. From their founding in 1998 until late 2003, the band quickly made a name for itself in the California indie rock scene, sharing the stage with bands The Jesus Lizard, Jimmy Eat World, Archers of Loaf, and Kelley Deal, and performing at such festivals as NXNW in Portland, SXSW in Austin, CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. The band continued to play together until late 2003, when they went on an extended hiatus, before reforming in 2018. The band's name comes from a printing of a Chicago Tribune article of the same name, which incorrectly stated that Thomas E. Dewey had defeated Harry S. Truman in the 1948 presidential election.
United States International University (USIU) was a nonprofit university based in San Diego, California that was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At its peak, it had two additional American campuses and three international locations. It was merged into Alliant International University in 2001, which became a for-profit benefit corporation in 2015.
Robert "Sully" Sullivan is an American radio and television personality, entrepreneur, and lead singer and guitarist for The Sully Band. He is the host of the nationally syndicated business and personal finance television program, The Big Biz Show, which is simulcast across over 150 domestic radio stations, millions of broadcast television homes, and internationally via the American Forces Network. Sullivan is also a professional business keynote speaker, specializing in negotiation skills.