During COVID, when everything shut down, not playing music was killing me. We lived in Hillcrest, and one afternoon I was in our front yard playing guitar while our son splashed in an inflatable pool. A neighbor from across the street heard the music and came outside with his accordion, standing about 20 feet away. Odd mix? Sure. But then someone else showed up with a ukulele. The next day, I invited a friend from down the street, and as we played - everyone keeping their distance - something beautiful happened. People walking by stopped and sat down. One person driving past actually came back with a partial drum kit and joined in.
For the next few weeks, Fridays became front yard concert days. People brought blankets, sat far apart, but came together through the music. We didn't know each other, couldn't get close enough to really talk, but the connection was undeniable. The news even showed up and did a segment on it. What struck me most was how music in a yard - not a venue, not a bar, just someone's yard - created community in a way nothing else could. It galvanized our neighborhood during the hardest time. Ever since then, I've been a huge believer in the power of yard parties. Front yards, backyards, balconies, poolsides - there's a type of connection that happens when music is played by real people, for real people, in personal spaces.
I've played backyards in La Jolla with ocean views, Poway properties with built-in dance floors, and tiny Normal Heights yards where we squeezed into a corner and made magic happen anyway. Each one was special because it was personal. The couple celebrating their anniversary in the same backyard where they got married. The 65th birthday party with three generations dancing on the grass. These aren't just parties - they're memories being made in spaces that already hold meaning. You can't get that feeling in a restaurant or club. There's something about live music in your own space, with your own people, under your own sky.
Here's what people don't always realize: professional entertainment in your backyard doesn't mean sacrificing quality. We bring the same sound system, the same lights, the same energy we'd bring to any venue. The difference is it's scaled to work in your space. No overwhelming volume, no massive setup that takes over your yard. Just great live music that fits naturally into your environment. And when your guests can walk barefoot from the dance floor to the kitchen, when kids can crash in their own beds, when you can end the night sitting around your fire pit with acoustic songs under the stars - that's when you realize why your backyard really might be the best venue in San Diego. We're just grateful we get to be part of bringing that magic to people's homes.
