Oceanside CA— The 4th-annual Ocean Commotion Concert at Campland on the Bay promoted by The World Beat Center and presented by San Diego Coastkeeper rallies more bands than ever. These environmentally conscious bands lend their services for free to raise money and celebrate San Diego Coastkeeper’s 20 years of protecting and restoring fishable, swimmable, drinkable waters.
With Oceansides’ ‘The Barnwell Shift’ headlining, Ocean Commotion at Campland on the Bay promises more fun at this bigger and better music event.
The Barnwell Shift and San Diego Coastkeeper started Ocean Commotion four years ago to unite musicians for a cause dear to most residents of San Diego—clean water.

The Barnwell Shift is comprised of brothers Bill and Josh Weigel, David Sias and Shawnie Gold. The band name is derived from 1; the Oceanside street where the band was formed and practices and 2; a shift in life values. “I was over weight, living an unhealthy life style and working for the wrong reasons so we shifted our values.” said Bill Weigel while he was opening shop for the day at the Living Tea Brewing Co. “We shifted our lifestyle before plunging down the rabbit hole of life.”
Living Tea Brewing Company, located 302 Wisconsin Ave, is co-owned by the brothers Bill and Josh along with Neil Gehrke and specializes in Kombucha, a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast. “I started making Kombucha at the Hill Street Cafe. It’s something I believe in and wanted to share it with others.” continued Bill, “Our first year and this location has been great.” Living Tea Brewing Company celebrated their first year in business on April 1st.
“Our company, Living Tea Brewing Co, is a reflection of our vision and is more than happy to be a sponsor of Ocean Commotion and all of The Barnwell Shift’s concerts for causes.” explains Josh, “We are excited to continue sponsoring local events that raise awareness and funds to benefit local non-profit organizations. We have also partnered with the World Beat Center in Balboa Park and Feeding the Soul foundation on Ocean Commotion and all of their upcoming concerts series.”
The Barnwell Shift’s first concert ever was under a different band name “Lucky to Be Here” and just so happened to be a fundraiser for the Coastkeeper. Josh explains,”From that point forward we decided as a band our mission would be to get involved in concerts for a cause, raising money for many local organizations including the Coastkeeper.
The “Shift” in the bands name also refers to the group members tendancy to shift playing instruments. Both Bill and Josh began playing instruments at an early age in Kansas City. “Now we use our music for more than just entertainment.” Bill said.
Four years ago Megan Baehrens, now directer of Coastkeeper, approached the band about doing a fundraiser at Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. Each year the fundraiser got bigger and better and attracted sponsors like Firewire Surfboards, Vans, Garly Linden Surfboards, Linksoul, Coronado Brewing Co, and hundreds of local restaurants, bars, apparel companies, small businesses.
“As a band it is amazing to see how our band’s vision of working with and raising money for local non-profits works! The message of our music matches that vision as we start to raise more and more awareness to issues that directly effect our community like clean water and beaches.” said Josh.
This year’s amplified Ocean Commotion lineup includes:

• Lee Koch – American folk and blues artist that carries a worldly, well-worn humbleness that is both captivating and refreshing, alluding to an era when pop music was used to express the depths of an artist’s soul.
• Jah-N-1 Roots – World-renowned reggae, roots & culture band that utilizes its versatility and talent to spread positive messages for today’s society, with a customized delivery that caters to the listeners of this day and age.
• Mono Verde – A project created to spread Latin reggae rhythm and its movement throughout North America. Musicians hail from Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and more.
• Wag Halen – Inspired brotherhood tribute band based in North San Diego County and known for the incredible way they bring to life songs of their heroes from the early metal musical era.
• The Barnwell Shift – Known for their progressive, yet playful “shift rock,” The Barnwell Shift is a talented group of musicians who shift musical instruments and genres while artfully blending the sounds of funk, folk and rock. The band challenges the traditional one-person, one-instrument musical norms while eliciting a truly unique crowd response filled with their smooth and shifty grooves.

In addition to funky music, guests can participate in an opportunity drawing for prizes from an array of local businesses, including a Gary Linden surfboard. Past years’ drawings included gift certificates to restaurants and breweries, surf and skate gear, apparel, vacation stays, beach rentals and much more.
Tickets to this April 18 event are $12 in advance and $15 day of the show. They can be purchased online at: http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/act/fix/attend-an-event/ocean-commotion.html.
Coastkeeper encourages concertgoers to make a weekend of it and camp at Campland on the Bay. Camping fees are additional and reservations can be made online at: http://www.campland.com/reservations.For more information about this event, please visit Coastkeeper’s website at www.sdcoastkeeper.org.