![]() ![]() We’re talking, of course, about the Los Angeles punk scene, one of the most important regional punk scenes in the United States, whose tendrils have threaded themselves forward through the annals of history and touched everything from pop music and art to fashion and mainstream culture. Ghosts of places and people who once asserted themselves as a potent cultural countercurrent in the grimy streets of old Los Angeles. But besides the gilded, the tall, and the expansive landmarks of Los Angeles-far below street level-there are ghosts haunting small and unassuming buildings, basements, and urban wreckage. The aging palm trees, Watts Tower, the Hollywood Sign, and the tall buildings of Downtown. For a metropolis of this scale, a person can hardly be faulted for being drawn to the most obvious, attention-getting landmarks when exploring the history of the place. The city and its surrounding metropolitan areas fade seamlessly into the West, East and North-any land not bounded by the Pacific Ocean. ![]() Tickets are 12$ and children under 12 get in free.The story of Los Angeles is far too large to ever be fully told. at the Human Resources art gallery in Chinatown. “Now they’re 50 years old and holding babies, trying to contribute to something instead of trying to destroy it.” ![]() “These are the same people you were trying to buy beer in downtown L.A. Madame Wong’s closed in 1985 and has been converted to a loft residence. Hong Kong Cafe closed in 1981 and became a gift shop. “You’d ask for a case of beer and she’d tell you to get the hell out of the kitchen.” “She’d ask you, are you going to bring in customers today, and you’d say yes,” Magrann said. Magrann’s band played at Madame Wong’s in the ‘80s, and he says Wong helped bring order to the chaos. The clubs faced each other in Chinatown’s Central Plaza, jostling for acclaim and musical acts, a battle of skinny ties and nose rings. She leaned toward power pop acts, while Hong Kong Cafe hosted the more hardcore punk bands, the ones Wong had lost patience with. But she saw the crowds and became one of the genre’s most ardent promoters. So we found these alternative venues, restaurants, VFWs, anything,” Magrann said. “Troubadour and Whiskey would look at punk rockers and see violence and destruction. Mike Magrann, guitarist and lead singer for the Cerritos-based punk band Channel Three, said that places like Madame Wong’s and Hong Kong Cafe breathed life into a growing scene. “There are really not many opportunities to learn music for kids growing up in Chinatown,” Choi said.Ĭhinatown used to be a place that nurtured music, some musicians say. But without the music program, their chances are slim. Some of the children have been talented enough to earn scholarships for lessons at the prestigious Colburn School of Music in downtown Los Angeles. Principal Cheuk Choi said the music lessons helped students join choirs, glee clubs and other activities later in life. But this may be the program’s last year because of budget cuts. “Neither group really hangs out in Chinatown, but I knew they would help out if they could,” Wong said.Īt Castelar Elementary, up to 450 kids get weekly music lessons and learn to play violin and cello. “There’s this tradition of punk rock here, and there’s a thriving art gallery scene,” organizer Martin Wong said. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |