BIGGER, BETTER, BRO-ier. ////\\\\ Switchfoot Bro-Am 2012

Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, Ca. The 8th Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am. Click 4 pix.The 8th annual Switchfoot Bro-Am set all the records.  More people, more money & awareness raised to support STAND UP FOR KIDS, more music, more surfing, more love for community and more fun.  Everybody Bro-ed out.

As chronicled the past 2 years on AspenSpin, the Bro-Am is basically the "perfect beach day" at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.  This year's incarnation might be in the running for Best Day Ever.  A picture perfect So. Cal. beach day filled with surf, sun, music and Bros.

Click 4 pix:    The Bro-Am SOIREE  and    The BRO-AM 2012

D Street, Encinitas.  Air Temp: 65 degrees, Water Temp: 65 degrees.  Steady winds from the SW with some good swells creating totally surfable waves in the 2-4 ft. range.   The surf contest field was composed of world champs and rock stars, and this year was the inaugural Rob Machado Bro Junior, so grommets too.   The day included a non-stop array of musical talent on the main stage culminating with a killer set from Jon Foreman and Friends (a.k.a. Switchfoot).  All presented by Hurley.

If was Switchfoot all weekend.  Justin Cote...surf joust Champ.

Thursday was the posh Bro-Am Auction Night Soiree at The Crosby in Rancho Sante Fe.  Event chairs Kim Goodeve Green (Standup for Kids, Oceanside) and Mia Stefanko (Ranch & Coast Magazine) stepped their game up to a new level.  A-Spin rarely goes East of the 101, let alone I-5 but when the Bro-Am throws down in Rancho Santa Fe we head East.  The Crosby provided a gorgeous setting and mother nature presented us with an awesome evening for fantastic food and wine tastings from  local restaurants.   Purveyors included The Crosby, Zenbu, Rimel's, Pacifica Del Mar, Pacific Coast Grill (almost open), Del Mar Rendezvous, Bull Taco and more.  Unbelievable silent auction and live auction items and opportunity bids kept the money flowing... all to benefit StandUp for Kids.   The Switchfoot guys were super-psyched to play an intimate show for about 500 people...their people... on a makeshift stage at The Crosby.

Friday Night, Swithcfoot played a gig at the San Diego County Fair, a.k.a. The Del Mar Fair.   As a season ticket holder, Andy- Party made the scene.  The general admission, SRO show was sold out.   5 tiers of Swithfoot fans filled the famous Del Mar Ractrack infield and grandstand.  The place was electric.  We're guessing 15,000 people were there. Switchfoot Bassist, Tim Foreman always loves the energy of his hometown crowd, but admitted he was not overwhelmed.  "We played for 250,000 under the St. Louis Arch, that was freaky" he said.

StandUp for Kids needs your help. click 4 pix.Saturday was the official Bro-Am, with the surf contest, the Bro-Junior, free concerts on the beach and a well stocked vendor village.  

The Bro-Am continues to amaze us.   Hands on philanthropy is the best kind.  As Switchfoot has blown up to become certified ROCK STARS the boys in the band have not forgotten their roots.   STANDUP for KIDS helps homeless and at-risk kids...right here and RIGHT NOW.  In Oceanside and San Diego and in 23 other communities in the United States, kids get help.  These are not kids you see on a poster or in a fund-raising video..they are kids that are standing right in front of you.   Every STANDUP for KIDS story is different, but many include abusive parents and bogus foster homes.  It's unimaginable and terribly unfortunate situations that leave many 13-18 year old kids without a home. Teens fending for themselves.  These not quite adults need friends, they need mentors, they need clothes, they need a place to stay, sometimes they need a hot meal and they need BRO's  The guys from Switchfoot... don't just shred on stage, or on the waves they actually meet the local kids from Standup for Kids.  They give them advice and share their time.  It's very hands on, and it's successful.  StandUp for Kids has many stories that have positive outcomes. 

The community that surrounds Bro-Am is tight.  The rockers, the surfers, the volunteers, the donors, the StandUp Kids,  the Encinitas groms, the fans,  the sponsors...the list goes on and on.   Over $200,000 was raised at this year's Bro-Am.  All that cash goes directly to StandUp for Kids, and to homeless kids who really need it. 

That's the most BRO thing I know.

Bro Junior finalists about to paddle out at D Street in Encinitas. Swithcfoot at the San diego County Fair in Del Mar. It was a BIG weekend. Click 4 pix.

Rob Machado with Jon Foreman and Drew Shirley of Switchfoot went BIG to honor StandUp for Kids.Switchfoot played an intimate show at the Bro-Am soiree in Rancho Santa Fe. click 4 pix.

Fiesta del Sol

Solana Beach is a sleepy little sea-side town on the California coast...right along Highway 1.   I was told that in the 50's and 60's Solana Beach was not exactly a "hot spot" for growth because people felt it was to far from the main stream development path in San Diego. 

All I can say is...thank G-D for that.

Solana Beach has grown up since then, and there has been plenty of development, mostly East towards I-5.  Coastal SB remains pretty mellow most of the time.  Except, that is for their 33rd annual street fair to kick off Summer.  FIESTA DEL SOL which translates to...Party of the Sun.

It wasn't very sunny... but AspenSpin did a cruise bye anyway. 2 days of Localism.  Free music, mediocre street food ( although the sweet corn was top notch), eclectic arts & crafts, political booths, non-profits, dogs, kids, parents and seniors.  The best mode of transport to Fiesta del Sol at the plaza just above Fletcher's Cove was definately beach cruiser. The place was packed.  A. Party could not hang until final curfew, 9pm, so I missed the 2 headliners The English Beat and Donovan Frankenreiter, but the joint was jumping.

It was a mighty chill scene. Click 4 pix.  FIESTA DEL SOL      

Blogging, Branding and Bitch Slapping.(the death of social media)

"Riiiiiiight on duuuude, I'm a blogger too" chuckled the Spicoli clone I met at the beach.

Social Media has passed me by.  I'm out.

I announced it on FB last week, I'm officially obsolete. My milieu, the sickest people pix and irreverent social commentary, seems stale in today's hyper-connected, nano-seconded attention span, energy drink, ping me world we operate in.  I have not embraced mobile.  I'm not Instagraming.  I'm not feeding my Go-Pro into Viddy

I'm going backwards. No smart phone for A. Party. I tried it,  Google gave me a prototype android...a year before they came to market. Eventually my Google phone stopped taking a charge. So I free-cycled my old Nokia flip phone, clicked in the smart chip and all my contacts showed up. Sweeeeet.  No GPS, no i-Pod, no tivo, no tablet...just me..my dog, the NY Times (hard copy) and my lappie.

The complex world of social media.  #SM has become a real live corporate business and I'm still just tweeting "for fun".  Brands are all over the web battling for eyeballs trying to create and establish brand loyalty with their customers using social media tools and content strategies.   Actually now that everyone is a "journo" #sm has become a lot less interesting and the overall level of content has dropped...in my opinion.  Everyone is a promoting something.  Now it's all about the ad's,  and all about the benjamins.  Are people standing around the water cooler with their tiny screens talking about the latest gatorade ad?  I dunno...I'm not.

I'm a super-loyal dude, a  Scorpio ..which explains a lot.   If I find a product I like, I stick with it.   Q-Tips for example.  I only use Q-Tip brand cotton swabs.  I didn't care that Chesebrough-Ponds sold out to Unilever... its Q-Tips only in my bathroom.  Patagonia is another one... the consumer loyalty to Patagonia was made famous in a Harvard Business School case detailing how people are "willing to pay more" for perceived quality and a high level social conciseness.

The first time I can remember being disappointed with a brand was in the late 70's. I got a pair of Converse Dr. J model hightops.  I used to be a gym rat.  Hanging around Gorosh's or the Greene's or at the I.M. @ MSU.  Those Dr. J's were sooo sweeet.  I wore those kicks until I wore them out.  They seemed to make me quicker..and I'm quicker than I look.  I went through a second pair and went looking for a third.  Nobody had 'em. Converse had changed the model design.  I was pissed.  I remember screaming at the retail clerk "what do you mean they stopped making them??? Those are the best shoes ever."  That day I bought my first pair of Nikes and subsequently twisted my ankle.  Ironically Converse is now owned by Nike..and by using tools such as the internet..I could probably find a pair of Dr. J's tonight.

So fast forward to 2007.  Social Media is just getting going.  Facebook had out grown the Ivy League and began launching their strategy for world domination.  My Space was killing it.  I spent the Summer in San Francisco and through FB, I met some of the "thought leaders" in the social media space.  It was a pretty heady time.  Mashable, Tech Crunch and twitter were taking it all to the next level..and mobile was still just a concept that was not fully social.  Those were some good times.  It was easy to connect and engage with real people, interesting people... in real time.  Social Media was just rolling out to the masses.  Brands were not in the game yet.  It was fun and the user seemed to be in control of what was on their screen.

Facebook fumbled their IPO and created negative goodwill.Now it's 2012.  Two weeks after FB's IPO. The stock has performed poorly...a classic market top.  The hype was incredible.  Zuck went public, code jammed (hack-a-thon), got married (for tax purposes) and made the cover of People Mag. all in one week.  The offering was a pure flip...perhaps the biggest pump and dump of all time.  There is no denying that with 845 million users...500 million of whom are active is a force to be reckoned with.  FB is unquestionably a valuable company...but the eyeballs and the data are impossible to measure in dollars. Earnings are the most important thing now. But no one can quite figure out how monetize mobile and  revenues are dependent on jamming ad's down users throats.  "Promoted posts" are not that interesting.

It's not only facebook.

Twitter....it's a lot of white noise...and when you get down to the lowest common denominator...things get ugly.   I'll save that rant for another time.

Mobile?  Why people would opt in to have advertising texts pinging them all the time...I'll never know.

Foursquare?  I still don't understand why making your exact location public is so much fun.  I get why the restaurants, bars and stores want you to check-in.  I get that connecting with your friends in real life is fun...but i don't understand why it's important to broadcast that out publicly.

Groupon...I tried a few deals. My experience was always disappointing. I almost felt violated...close to being a bait and switch. I tried a few places and services that I will never return to..at any price.  They had the algorithim...they knew what I liked.  I opted out.

Pinterest and Instagram...I made a conscious decision to skip these platforms. Am I crazy?

Siri...tell me a joke???No thank you.Google is generally smarter, but ad sense always shows me the wrong logo.  Every time I log on, I get pop ups for an iconic Aspen hotel,  The Little Nell.  What the algorithm doesn't realize is that I will never stay at The Little Nell (TLN).  First off---I live in Aspen so it's a moot point.  2nd, I no longer would consider spending $1200 a night for a hotel.  Google doesn't process the fact that I used to be a huge fan of The Little Nell... and for 7 seasons I spent $1500 (plus tips) for the privilege of keeping my boots and my ski quiver at the TLN concierge.  The service was excellent, the convenience a luxury and I probably ate $1000 worth of brownies during the season. I was TLN's biggest fan...on-line and off.  I used to brag about TLN...I couldn't name drop TLN fast enough.  "Meet me at the Nell" was my standard line. I felt a tremendous sense of brand loyalty and I mistakenly thought the feeling was mutual.  I was a self appointed key influencer and unofficial ambassador.  I often recommended TLN, firmly believing that it was the "best in town". But Google's formula cannot read between the lines.  I'm not really a fan of TLN any more.  A new manager came on board.  He dissed me to my face and made reference to "unauthorized photos" and quoted from the "paparazzi laws". I was offended (per usual), but I got the message. The loyalty and admiration was not mutual.  I immediatley found a new ski locker and hit the road.   Now every time I click You Tube (owned by Google) I get a TLN banner.  Every time I peruse a site with "ad words", there's the TLN logo.  Time has passed, The Nell is cool, but I rarely patronize the place any more and I'm not interested in their ads.   The concept of negative goodwill comes to mind.   Kind of like the Apple commercials with Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanal that have played incessantly during the NBA playoffs.  You've seen the SIRI spots with "hotspacho" and "tomato soup in the rain".   Cute ad's...but 8 to 10 times a night??? After that advertising overload I will never enable Siri...I assure you.

Whats the point of all this?  The Golden Days of Social Media are behind us.   Brand managers and ad execs have taken over.  The person-to-person interaction that was the foundation of social media is much harder to obtain... when you have to sift through the ads and promotions and blurry pix of someones latte...or their feet kicking back on a lounge chair.

Remember?...like in the olden days...when you were sitting around the dinner table with your family and the land line rang... interrupting the meal.  Mom or Dad would hop up to answer,  only to discover it was a telemarketing call.  Remember how annoying that was??  

I fear that's where social media is heading.  Brands are calling it engagement.  I'm calling it an invasion of privacy.  Social media was much more impactful when it was just social.

Party / Out

Drew Brees Celebrity Golf at La Costa

Rick Rhoden won the Celebrity Championship for the 6th time. Click 4 pix.Rick Rhoden was a decent MLB pitcher.  He broke in with the L.A. Dodgers in 1974 and spent 16 years in the bigs, with a life-time record was 151-125 and 3.59 E.R.A.  These days he is a dominant force on the Celebrity Golf Tour and probably the best celebrity golfer of all-time.

Click 4 pix.  DREW BREES Celebrity Golf

At the 2012 Drew Brees Celebrity Classic, Rick Rhoden out shot a field filled with Hall of Famers, All-Stars, All-Pros, Gold Medalists and other celebs.  This year's tourney took place a the beautiful La Costa Resort in Carlsbad.  In it's 14th year the Celebrity Classic hosted by Drew Brees raised $195,000 for charity.  The Drew Brees Foundation will donate proceeds to Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Friends of Scott Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society, South Pacific Coast Chapter. 

Click here to learn more and please   DONATE.

Over 50 former BIG TIME athletes and a few actors and comedians filled the course at La Costa.  Former MLB releivers Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers and Trevor Hoffman played together. Former NHL Hockey stars Grant Fuhr, Jeremy Roenick and Mike Eruzione played in pain, but made it through.  Old Skool NBA Hoopsters Truck Robinson and Jack Marin pounded the little white ball.  Lots of current and former NFL QB's showed up to support Drew Brees.  Doug Flutie ( 5' 8") and Carson Palmer (6'5") spoiled a nice hike.  Olympic Gold Medalists Bruce Jenner, Dan Jansen and Edwin Moses played a round with Actors Jack Wagner, Alfonzo Ribeiro (Carlton) and Ray Romano. 

Brees is a first-class act and a top-5 NFL Quaterback.  The New Orleans Saints (whom he led to a Super Bowl Victory 2 years ago) could use some positive P.R., but they have let their franchise QB dangle in the wind.  Brees is an exemplary citizen and family man.  He obviously still gives back in San Diego and he was a HUGE force in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Brees is now helping out with global hurricane relief. He was the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2010.   The Saints have a few problems....several players and coaches and their G.M. have all been suspended in the NFL bounty scandal.  Saints Linebacker Jonathan Vilma has recently filed suit against N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell.  Hello?? Saints owner...Tom Benson, it's bush-league not to have signed him.   I realize he's 34, and he's one hit away from retirement and your team is in turmoil, but, c'mon son??  Make the deal.

Click for photos.   DREW BREES CELEBRITY GOLF

Drew Brees pounded out a 300 yard drive to open the event. Click 4 pix.NFL QB Trent Edwards had the P.R. Team in a tizzy at the Drew Brees Celebrity Championship.Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Hubby, Mauricio Umansky was making friends in the VIP. Click 4 pix.The autograph tent was packed with All-Stars. Click for pix. Can you name them all?A.Party hiked out on the fairway to team up with Olympic Decathalon Champ, and Reality Star Bruce Jenner. Click 4 pix.

The Toughest Bike Race in North America comes to Aspen (save the dates).

Stage 3 & 4 in Aspen, August 22 & 23The USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be rolling through the Rocky Mountains on August 20-26.  683 miles in 7 days.

Known as the toughest bicycle race in North America, USA Pro Cycling Challenge (USAPCC, click for all the info) will be in Aspen on AUGUST 22 and 23, so save the dates. 9 huge mountain passes (along with thousands of awesome viewing sites) makes the USAPCC an extremely grueling task for the pro cyclists and a great time to enjoy the mountains for spectators.

So whether you're a local or a tourist, a 2nd homeowner, a fractional owner, a hotel / lodge guest, or a camper just passing through...get to Colorado in late August for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. "The Aspen Stages are the coolest"...A. Party.  Book it.

Stage 3, August 22.  Gunnison to Aspen  130 Miles. Two 12,000+ foot passes.  Cottonwood and Independence

Stage 4, August 23.   Aspen to Beaver Creek  97 Miles   back over Independence Pass