Dec 23, 2014 Save Music in Chinatown 5: Mike Watt & The Secondmen, The Gears, Steve Soto from The Adolescents
The fifth Save Music in Chinatown benefit takes place in less than three weeks. But will anyone think about it over the holidays? Will it be more than an afterthought to stressing, shopping, and traveling? I hope so. My daughter’s school Castelar Elementary still relies on private donations to pay for the defunded music program. And this particular lineup is especially heavy–full of O.G. punks who played in Chinatown back in the original wave of L.A. punk and are returning to the neighborhood to help out the kids.
Of course, Mike Watt was part of the SST Records mainstays The Minutemen and fIREHOSE, and has never stopped applying his thunderous bass to vital, mind-expanding, genre-busting music in the studio or on the road since then. The Secondmen is a combo that includes organist Pete Mazich and drummer Jerry Trebotic. Their bass and keyboard arrangements are super heavy and cool–especially on fresh takes on old favorites like “The Red and the Black.” I was very stoked when Watt agreed to play our show, adding that he wanted to go on before The Gears. The Minutemen used to open for them back in the day!
The Gears don’t get as much attention as they should. They used to headline in Chinatown all the time in the pre-hardcore days but their rockabilly, rootsy flair got buried under the harder, faster, and louder sensibilities that were to come. Yet the East L.A. band still makes rocket-fueled roots music to this day (and have a documentary on the verge of being released) and it’s really cool for them to volunteer to play our benefit. True fans of L.A. music will definitely appreciate their presence, and it would be a stellar doubleheader if all three participants weren’t equally great.
Steve Soto is best known as the bass player and original member of The Adolescents. The brainiest, most consistent, and all-around number-one punk band ever to emerge from behind the Orange Curtain? Many would concur, including me. But Steve has also crafted less angry, more melodic fare with top-shelf-but-more-obscure bands such as Joyride and 22 Jacks. (I got to see the latter back up Joey Ramone in concert once, and he’s playing with CJ Ramone currently.) As for Steve’s solo stuff, it’s very personal and borders on folk and country. His songs are as stripped down and solid as they are raw and shockingly beautiful. Trust me, you’ll be affected.
I just saw Steve play an acoustic set in Fullerton a few weeks ago (top right) and have been running into the guys from The Gears at Cafe NELA (Mike is bottom right, Spike is center, between me and filmmaker Dave Travis). I already wrote about one of the times I saw Watt a (left) few blogs ago… But while I seem to be seeing these guys play all the time in the weeks leading up to our show, I’ll also be catching their gigs afterward. Digging music isn’t something I do to be opportunistic or to make the fundraisers happen. There’s a thriving underground community that I love being a part of.
And I hope that message is communicated to the handful of Castelar students that mixes in with typical show-goers at our all-ages matinees. Yes, we are raising money to support music education for kids but I think it’s doubly cool for children to see that music isn’t something that’s necessarily enjoyed via rappers, rockers, or pop idols in huge arenas or on television. There’s a DIY culture that regular people can partake in and contribute to in their own ways. Even if they can’t play squat like me.
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