May 12, 2015 Only Shows That Matter
After decades of going to shows, even the raddest ones can become a blur. But a few stand out for any number of reasons, and one of them is seeing The Clash at the US Festival in 1983. My twin brother and I were able to convince our our dad to take us because he is a lifelong computer guy and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak backed the music extravaganza. Yes, there was a tent with some hardware but mostly it was a massive show with the English Beat, Stray Cats, Oingo Boingo, Wall of Voodoo, and a bunch of other new wave groups. Of course, we wanted to see The Only Band That Matters.
Sometimes I wonder if The Clash were really that badass. Maybe we just felt that way because we were restless 14-year-olds who were attracted to the band’s populist politics and badass image. Maybe it’s because we were kids behind the Orange Curtain during the Reagan Era, and The Clash were not only Bored with the U.S.A. but fought against The Clampdown. Although we caught the group as it was self-destructing on a ridiculously huge stage instead of somewhere cooler like the Santa Monica Civic or Hollywood Palladium, we considered ourselves fortunate to see them at all. And after revisiting their albums time and time again… Yes, they really were a once-in-a-lifetime band that defied the status quo with its politics, music, image, and everything about them.
When I got to interview Mick Jones while he was touring with Carbon Silicon in 2007, I fanned out and told him that the US Festival was my first show. With great humor and without missing a beat he said, “Oh, wow. That was my last show!” How cool is it to have a childhood hero and not be disappointed when you finally meet him or her?
Seeing The Ramones at Fender’s Ballroom was another milestone. I saw them a bunch of times afterward but the show at the infamous Long Beach venue was the most memorable because it was my first time seeing them and also because the venue was so much smaller than the Palladium and scarier than that place in Riverside where I saw them with Channel Three. Fender’s was notoriously sketchy and violent and I still can’t believe we never got hassled there.
To be a scrawny Asian American teenager surrounded by gigantic Mohawks and skinheads was pretty gnarly back in the mid ’80s and about 28 seconds into the video below you can actually see a skin riding on someone’s shoulders in the slam pit. What happened to art of chicken fighting? The wall of death? Somewhere out there, kids are reinventing this stuff. It was scary as hell but it was also really fun–like entering in an alternate, more exciting, DIY universe of misfits.
Through a cool twist of fate, eventually I became friends with Joe Escalante whose band The Vandals opened that particular show and I gave him a couple of flyers that my brother and I hoarded from Zed Records (R.I.P.).
Those two shows happened more 30 years ago, but the final one I’ll bring up is not only current but ongoing. With no experience whatsoever Wendy and I have been organizing all-ages benefit matinees to raise money for music education at our daughter’s elementary school and it’s been awesome. Turns out the jump from making a zine in a garage to creating real-life DIY events wasn’t that big of a deal, which is the point of punk rock in the first place.
It helps that Chinatown has an epic history of punk that a lot of great bands (from then and now) recall fondly. And it doesn’t hurt that only a jerk wouldn’t at least consider helping kids. As a result, we’ve been able to present a stellar group of bands: Adolescents, The Gears, Channel Three, The Bicycle Thief, Evil Hearted You, My Revenge, Chuck Dukowski Sextet, California, The Bear & Little Nun, Bitter Party, Money Mark, Channel Three, Baja Bugs, L.A. Fog, Deradoorian, Lucky Dragons, Bob Forrest. It’s also crucial that we have so many friends and supporters backing our cause.
Our sixth show will take place on May 31 and deviate from the art angles and punk vibe of the previous shows with a noisy, psychedelic, and more international lineup featuring the Cambodian psychedelic rock rooted sounds of Dengue Fever and three underground bands from Beijing: Birdstriking, Chui Wan, Deadly Cradle Death. Wow. It’ll also be at a different venue, the Grand Star Jazz Club. But the constants are good times, kids, cookies, and coffee, and we’ll need and appreciate all of your support to keep things rolling. Although there’s no guarantee that it will be a life-changing show for you, it is guaranteed to help schoolkids in Chinatown and if you can help support us and spread the word that would be awesome.
Get more information on Save Music in Chinatown 6 on the Facebook event page or Eventbrite ticketing page, and follow Imprint on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.