Some of San Diego’s best bands gather for a day of good eats and good music

 By Logan Broyles | Downtown News

It isn’t too often that music fans and oyster aficionados have a reason to gather together in the same place, but that will change Saturday June 16^el when the third annual San Diego Oyster Fest comes to the beautiful Marina Embarcadero North, right behind Seaport Village.

A smorgasbord of great food and drink will be on full display, including oysters from British Columbia, to Mexico and all along the West Coast; plus special dishes from local restaurants, a selection of wines and cocktails, and sixteen different types of beer on tap.

Headlining the festival is Iration, a group of Santa Barbara natives who specialize in rock and reggae with a Southern California twist. The lineup will also feature a handful of great local bands, such as the Silent Comedy, Splitfinger, the Vokab Kompany and Little Hurricane, who will also be playing Oyster Fest in San Francisco at the end of the month.

“We love playing hometown shows, especially in the summer in San Diego,” said Anthony ‘Tone’ Catalano, the lead singer of Little Hurricane. “There are so many events and festivals in our city, so this seemed like a fun new one to play. Fans can expect some rock and roll, some new and old tunes, and a whole lot of fun and sweatiness.”

Brothers Jeremiah and Joshua Zimmerman of the Silent Comedy are just as excited to get back up on stage in front of a hometown crowd.

“This year’s [San Diego] Oyster Fest is going to be special for us, because we will just be returning from a couple months of touring through the West and East coasts, and eastern Canada,” says guitarist and vocalist Joshua Zimmerman. “There is nothing like a hometown crowd, especially when you’ve been away from home for a few months.  We’re honored and excited to [have played] Bonnaroo on this leg of the tour, but I have a feeling that a rowdy San Diego crowd may just top that experience!”

In between musical performances, festival-goers will be able to view live cooking demos, cheer on their friends in the shuck & suck competition, and visit an Oyster Expo to learn about oyster farming.

Fans of both Little Hurricane and the Silent Comedy will be in for a sneak peak at some of their newest tracks that haven’t been recorded yet.

“We are hoping to debut some brand new songs during the set,” says Celeste ‘CC’ Spina. “We are recording our next album this summer, but also bouncing around the US touring and playing shows.”

The Silent Comedy also has a new record on the way and will be treating fans to some of their new tracks at this year’s OysterFest.

“We will be pulling out some new material that we have been testing on the road over the past few months,” Zimmerman states. “We are currently writing and pre-producing a new record, and are looking forward to sharing some of that stuff with the San Diego crowd. We will probably have some friends join us during the set as well. It will be a party on stage and off.”

In addition to live musical performances, this year’s Oyster Fest will also feature DJ appearances by Mikey Beats, Mike Czech, Beatnick and Demon.

Oyster Fest is presented by SDO Productions, Pacific Beach Shore Club, PB Fish Shop and 91X. Proceeds from the festival will help support Team in Training, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Veteran’s Research Corporation.

Gates open at 11 a.m. for this 21-and-up event, with musical performances kicking off at noon and lasting until 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.oysterfestsd.com.