Grimy Goods is six years old today!

Damn, time flies when you’re busy as hell running a music blog … but it’s sure a fun ride. Today, GrimyGoods.com is six years old. It’s unreal to think that what started as my personal soapbox and diary has grown to become what it is today. People often ask me, how did I start Grimy Goods. To be honest, it wasn’t anything planned, it wasn’t anything I sought out to make millions (because we all know there’s not much money to be made off music blogging) — it was just a labor of love.

As a teen, I had always loved underground punk, hip hop and even house music. I guess it was in large tribute to growing up with three older brothers who skated and were big in the punk scene as well as the early rave/industrial scene. Not to mention, I grew up with a Father who loved rock ‘n’ roll and flooded my young mind with tunes from Bob Dylan, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Chuck Berry, and many more greats. As a young girl in elementary school, obsessed with Johnny Depp a la “21 Jump Street”, I loathed listening to all my Father’s old rock tunes. The man played them 24-7 and for anyone that was riding along with him in his 1980 Chevy Blazer, you dare not change that radio dial from the oldies station unless you wanted to feel his wrath. Whether in the truck on the way to soccer practice or running errands, everyday since I was probably five years old my Pops would ask me, “Do you know who sings this song and what year it was made? I do,” and then he would proceed to Wikipedia me on whoever we were listening to. My Dad was proud to have such a huge catalog of music embedded in his brain and he still has it going on today, although old age has made him a tad bit forgetful. I now find myself testing him on the rock classics that he once bestowed on me.

I’ve been working in the indie music since the early 2000s. While going to school at San Diego State University for Communications Media Management, I was also writing album reviews and show reviews for a local San Diego magazine. At the time, there were barely any females working in music journalism. Photo pits were nice and empty and the only two chicks I ever saw in them were me and my college best friend, Kim. She was a concert photographer and I was her partner in crime. Man, between the concert circuit and the skateboarding scene, we had some serious good times, enough to write a book about. Sometime in 2002 I went on to intern on an indie music television show based in San Diego called “Fox Rox” (which aired on Fox Television). That was a really cool experience, but my heart was still in long-form music journalism, not transcribing video interviews and writing band bios. After I graduated, I started writing for various print magazines, and my biggest gripe was how much they edited out an honest and factual opinion, and most of all how many amazing indie bands they were passing up (who by the way, are now huge). I grew annoyed by this boring, non-compelling traditional journalism and always told myself I’d start my own little blog one day. I was loving Pitchfork’s and Vice’s raw style and that’s the kind of content I wanted to produce. I even sketched out an outline with images of how I wanted my blog to look like. But somewhere along the way, the exotic world of travel and craving for life experience distracted me. I pretty much traveled the world off-and-on for three years discovering gorgeous beaches and music along the way. My blog outline remained in my sketchbook for three years until I got most of the travel fever out of me. By that time my Mother was hounding me to get a “real job” with my degree.

I got laid off from my first publicity / marketing job in early 2008 when the recession was hitting hard in California and this was the catalyst for Grimy Goods to come into life. So thank you, _____ Public Relations for canning me, because it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Six years ago today, Grimy Goods kicked off as GoodMusicNCoolStuff.com. After some quick research about blogging and SEO, that very long and stupid Website domain changed to GrimyGoods.com. Why? Because my blog was pretty much a personal diary of all the events in skateboarding and music I would attend. There was a lot of backstage and behind the scenes photos and videos, and not everything was always prim and proper. In fact, the first year going live I didn’t want anyone to know my identity. Not just because I was seeking full-time marketing work, but I was afraid of not being taken seriously since I’m a woman writing about underground music, skateboarding and all. Little did I know how much being a woman would work in my favor. I guess it was kind of like being a rare breed, as well as something empowering for other females to be inspired by. Because of my provocative non-traditional way of writing (as well as sexy and funny event photos) my blog had to be named something that reflects its content. The light bulb over my head read: Grimy Goods.

Grimy Goods has gone through two redesigns. I started with a crappy WordPress template, then had a friend design a custom basic blog template, which at the time those colors were poppin’ (scroll down for screenshots of old Grimy Goods). Now, when I look at that hideous blog, I wanna barf. As times change, you need to keep up with style both online and on the street. Juggling a full-time marketing job put Grimy Goods on the backburner for many years, but that’s changed as of last May. She got a badass facelift and my undevoted attention. Not to mention she got rebranded as a “music lifestyle blog.” I now run Grimy Goods full-time with exception to one client.

Although I run this blog in every aspect, seven days a week, it could not be where it is today without my awesome team of contributors. I’m so honored to have so many people want to be a part of this creative effort and all on their own accord. I’ve learned so much from them, I’ve seen some of them get married and become mothers, and I’ve made some great friends — it’s truly like a family. It’s no longer just my opinion on these pages, it’s the collective work of some of Los Angeles’ (and beyond) most talented concert photographers and music journos. Everyone is contributing because they love music, they love inspiring, and they love life. Furthermore, Grimy Goods wouldn’t be at the top of its game if it wasn’t for all you loyal fans and readers. You guys kick ass. Not just because you support this collective, but because you give me your honest input. I read your comments, you social media mentions and updates, and whether positive or negative, I appreciate it. It’s not all about me, it’s not all about the Grimy Goods team, it’s also about our readers. You guys keep us on our toes and aren’t afraid to be vocal about what you want. So keep it coming in true Grimy Goods fashion.

So, yeah, that’s the origin of Grimy Goods.

P.S. To celebrate six years of Grimy Goods, we’re giving away an awesome Grimy Goods six-year anniversary prize pack. One lucky winner will win a pair of SUPRAS (big thanks to SUPRA for always supporting us); a pair of tickets to any show on our concert calendar; a grab bag full of vinyl, CDs and merch from our favorite local and indie bands; as well as a custom mixtape curated by me (featuring some of my favorite timeless songs).

Oh, and what’s a six-year anniversary without a big party? We’re planning something rad for this May, after all the Coachella madness. Stay tuned.

<3 Sandra Burciaga

CONTEST DETAILS:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like about Grimy Goods and how you became a reader. 

2. Send us a Tweet (see below). 

Copy the following Tweet into your Twitter: Hey @GrimyGoods, I just entered your six-year anniversary prize pack giveaway! http://ow.ly/vmXUp 

If you don’t have a Twitter, just post on our Facebook wall letting us know that you entered our six-year anniversary giveaway.

 

Grimy Goods 2008
Okay, don’t laugh too hard. I had no idea what I was doing.

Grimy Goods 2009
Hey, bright obnoxious colors were all the rage back then.

Grimy Goods 2013
I must admit, she’s mighty purty (and man, were her first few month a total high maintenance nightmare).