May 20, 2014 Save Music in Chinatown 3 recap with Chuck Dukowski Sextet and California
Sunday’s Save Music in Chinatown benefit faced the hottest weather (coming off the 100s during the week) and the most competition (Zero Boys matinee at the Redwood, BBQ with The Last in San Pedro). But it was possibly the deepest in terms of punk pedigree with links to heavyweights like Black Flag, Jawbreaker, and Green Day. So we packed the place with more friends than ever.
But first up were the east side’s own Bitter Party. The band’s style is inspired by Taiwanese and Vietnamese pop but filtered through art school and community activism: Dreamy yet gritty and intellectual yet fun. It was very cool to have them play in Chinatown (their first time!) at an event that promotes local music–punk, art, or otherwise–and I loved how the Pho 87 workers from next door came over to check out the band’s first song.
Of course, any decent punk show is about the crowd as much as the bands. So many awesome musicians came out to support, including members of The Adolescents, The Red Krayola, HowardAmb, Slug, and The Binges, not to many favorite artists such as Vicki Berndt, Sandy Yang, Monkmus, and Sean Chao. Mixed in were more friends, relatives, and like-minded folks from all over town coming to support the neighborhood and the scene. Many were arty, more than a few were crafty, and all were down with the cause of raising money for music education at nearby Castelar Elementary.
The raffle prizes reflected the communal spirit, with goods coming friends from outside the neighborhood (Keep Company, The Vandals, Susie Ghahremani, Ben Clark Photography, Sticky Acres) and within (Starry Kitchen, Scoops Ice Cream, Poketo, Pho 87, Chinese American Museum). I still can’t believe Horace Panter from The Specials donated a piece of his fine art to our cause all the way from the U.K.! How cool was it to have such a stellar mix in the humble art space of Human Resources.
Before and after Bitter Party, KCHUNG’s Keith Rocka not only spun crowd-pleasing 7″ singles but gave them away to whoever wanted them. David Bowie, Run DMC, Michael Jackson–nothing but hits and smiles everywhere. I thank my college friend (and KCHUNG DJ) Gabie for establishing the ongoing support from the excellent online radio station, and all the volunteer DJs were great. It makes total sense to have them involved since they are located in Chinatown, and actually quite close to the Human Resources gallery that has housed the Save Music in Chinatown efforts since my wife Wendy and I organized the first benefit.
Following Bitter Party was The Bear and Little Nun. Upon learning that two fellow parents of Castelar students were starting an experimental music duo, I immediately asked them to play a short set. I think it’s fitting that Mark was part of the Chinatown punk history and has actually helped develop the contemporary Shanghai club scene, and cool that Noni brings a jazz and R&B background from the Bay Area and Chicago. It’s all over the place and awesome. Very cool of them to sneak preview their songs for us and also rad that their kids and their kids’ classmates could be there.
I’ve read about school benefits where parents have wine tastings and fancy auctions–and those are fine and probably way more profitable–but I love how children can attend our Sunday afternoon benefit gigs if they can handle the noisy music. Well, at least with ear protection.
Sunday’s first co-headliner was California. They’re kind of a 924 Gilman St./Bay Area DIY punk super group with Jason White (Monsula, Pinhead Gunpowder, and Green Day), Dustin Clark (The Insides), and Adam Pfaheler (Jawbreaker, J Church). I’ve known Adam for almost 20 years–and he actually played at my wedding with Whysall Lane–so when I learned that he was starting a brand-new band I figured the worst he could do was say no. He didn’t.
You shouldn’t trust my judgment since I’m that guy who saw the band on Friday and Saturday nights before the Sunday show, but I think that anyone who likes The Replacements, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, or other bands with perfectly catchy (but not cheesy) songwriting chops would be obsessed as I am. I love no-frills, perfectly executed tunes straight out of amps in a garage setting, and the un-Googleable band’s songs are freakishly catchy and poetic.
I’m still stoked that The Chuck Dukowski Sextet headlined our little show. The band’s namesake and L.A. punk legend (original bass player for Black Flag) was a mere acquaintance through my old gig, but I had to ask. Turns out he, his wife Lora, and her son Milo are all fans of the work I did as well as the neighborhood of Chinatown! They might be the nicest, most talented, most rocking family ever, and their chemistry shows when they plug in their gear and rage.
Before the CD6 went on, Lora asked me if they should play their usual closer because she was concerned that the Black Flag song penned by Chuck might traumatize some of the smaller kids. I told her to go for it. The entire set was mind-blowing but “My War” was really powerful. It attested to the energy and potential of really good hardcore, and Milo’s contorting during the song’s end made a mark on a lot of us, too! You really have to see the video and listen to it LOUD for full effect…
I have to admit that I get discouraged when my submissions to certain newspapers don’t lead to calendar listings or neighborhood businesses groups and politicians blow us off when I try to be involved. But then when I see our coffee-and-cookies crowd giving a standing ovation to the CD6 in the old kung-fu movie theater converted into an art installation space–or my daughter and her best friend in kindergarten rocking out to Money Mark there last time around–there’s nothing cooler. Who needs those squares, anyway, when I receive the support of my friends who do rad things!
Of course there’s that benefit part. Our first two matinees helped pay off a chunk of this year’s bill for music education at my daughter’s school, and the most recent one will start paying for next year. Helping the mostly immigrant and blue-collar kids get exposed to music and have a creative outlet is a very cool thing. So is mixing up the residents and their kids with the parallel (but rarely overlapping) art and music worlds–all of which I love. And doing all this as a team with my wife and daughter–can it be any better or more fun?
There is so much that makes me look forward to our next show, which will take place in the fall. Hope to see you there, and let me know if you’d like to help in any way!
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