Music has always been part of Rory Morison’s life. He said his family would regularly host parties growing up in and around Barrio Logan, where music would always be playing, and he also frequently went to concerts with friends. Plus, when Morison was 17 years old, he received guitar lessons from Carlos Santana’s teacher Javier Bátiz. Now Morision is a full-time working musician, producer, artist and events producer for his company Bad Vibes Good Friends, a San Diego-based art collective, record label and event production group. He is also the guitarist and songwriter for the post-punk psych-rock band Drug Hunt and a DJ and artist under the moniker Strange Bouquets. “(Music) just came natural,” Morison said. “It doesn’t seem like something I chose. It’s like something that was just (always) there.” His musical influences come from his dad, who is from Chiapas, Mexico, and listens to Latin music from Peru, Chile and Mexico, and his mom, from New York, who listens to punk rock, new wave music, King Crimson and Neil Young. “There’s never been any boundaries for me when it comes to music,” Morison said. “My parents let me investigate pretty much whatever I wanted, and they are truly supportive. They come to all my shows. They have become more recognizable than me.” He explained he started Bad Vibes Good Friends because he wanted to “foster a community that values authenticity, collaboration and artistic expression” across various genres of music and platforms. “The collective was established to challenge the insular nature of the local music and art scene by creating inclusive, genre-defying events that blend punk, cumbia, psych, soul, graffiti, fine art, tattoos and photography,” Morrison explained, adding that Bad Vibes Good Friends has organized over 150 shows and four music festivals since 2017. Three of these music festivals and countless other shows have been in Barrio Logan, and he said, even though he doesn’t live there anymore, he is consistently in Barrio Logan, whether it’s to play in pick-up soccer matches, promoting upcoming shows and supporting local businesses. “I honestly think (Barrio Logan) is the most vibrant neighborhood,” Morison said. “Historically, artistically, musically, it’s the most interesting neighborhood in San Diego to me. It’s demographic, it’s DIY attitude … like how it is underneath the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge and how it is close to military bases. How it is close to downtown… There is Chicano culture (here). I think to me (Barrio Logan) is probably the most significant neighborhood in San Diego that is like ‘this is San Diego to me, this represents San Diego proper.’” For these reasons, Morison selected Barrio Logan as the neighborhood to spotlight for his five favorite places for dining, shopping, art and culture as part of our series Handpicked by Locals. Q: Where is your favorite dining option? A: El Golosito is more than just a cevichería; it’s a living memory. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and in a city that’s changed beyond recognition, it remains stubborn, soulful and gloriously untouched. There’s no pretense here, just aguachile (my favorite), BYOB and a no frills patio. It reminds me of Mexico, not the polished postcard version, but the nostalgic one of my childhood. Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support? A: I collect records and (create and post) my event flyers personally, so spots like Beat Box are more than just stores; they’re part of the ritual. The homies work there, so every visit feels like dropping in on friends. They know what I’m into and always have solid recommendations. I make a habit of sifting through records, picking out names I don’t know and taking them over to the listening station. There’s a particular thrill in being caught off guard by something new. I also love what’s exchanged in these places, ‘chismeando’ (gossiping) about the neighborhood, thoughts on the local scene, talking smack and getting hyped on the who’s who. Q: Where is your favorite open space? A: Chicano Park stands as the epicenter of all things Logan. It’s a powerful and enduring symbol of cultural resilience, grassroots activism and artistic expression. The park is a product of people power, home to the world’s largest collection of Chicano murals. It’s a living gallery, historic yet ever evolving. I find joy in the everyday scenes in the park (such as) playing futsal with friends on the basketball courts, watching Mexican dancers burning copal (and) practicing their dances in the kiosko, lowrider meet ups, taking a walk noticing a new detail in one of the murals (and) watching the skateboarders skate the pyramids and ledges under the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge. There’s always something happening here. Q: Where is the best piece of artwork? A: In the herb garden by the on-ramp to the 5 freeway, you’ll find the Quetzalcóatl mural. It was one of the first murals painted in collaboration by several artist groups, then refined to what it is today. It’s wild to think about now, but hundreds of people from Barrio Logan came together to realize that the mural was like an exquisite corpse. I like the idea of taking all the layers of the community and refining how the different art groups of Toltecas en Aztlán and El Congreso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztlán did. They (are) weaving together all these powerful symbols that speak across generations. At the center is Kulkulcan or Quetzalcóatl, rising right beneath the shadow of the (San Diego-Coronado) Bridge. The serpent is reclaiming the land, and the symbol is creation and transformation in Mesoamerican culture. It’s like a big codex. If you really stop and look, you’ll see a Mayan profile, a Catholic rose, the yin-yang symbol and the ‘huelga’ eagle (on the United Farm Workers flag) floating over rows of humble homes. There’s Mexican, Chinese, Indigenous and Catholic imagery all braided into one mural. Duality, revolution, rebirth; it shows the tension between good campesinos (farmers) and evil caciques (chiefs), light and dark, but also the possibility of a new world emerging from that clash. And then the herb garden. The fact that the mural and the garden coexist next to the concrete and smog of California’s target freeway adds another layer. It’s life pushing up through the cracks, community taking root in a place that was never meant to nourish it. Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark? A: The Barrio Logan Art Crawl is one of San Diego’s most vibrant cultural events. Every month, the neighborhood gets activated and the galleries, event spaces and restaurants come alive. What makes it so cool is it’s not a polished museum walk; it’s grassroots. The music, lowriders, food vendors, art and the events all reflect Barrio as a community. Here you can meet local artists, enter studios, see live mural painting, check out galleries, music and check out all the food from champurado and tamales on the streets, to lumpias, birria, burgers, tacos (and) Italian food.