Dancing in the streets

Istill remember riding down Colorado Boulevard in my mother’s blue Datsun 710 station wagon. The year was 1982, early morning, and we were heading to my preschool on Eagle Rock Boulevard. I looked up as we rounded the curve and saw someone standing on the median: leather jacket and spiky hair. I leaned toward the front seat and asked, “Look, Mommy. What happened to him?” She turned to me and said, “Oh, honey, he’s a punk rocker.”
Flash forward to 2009.

There are portions of Colorado Boulevard that have stayed the same all that time; the eclectic icons I remember from the 1980s: Cindy’s yellow and black sign, the Eagle Rock Italian Bakery, Casa Bianca, Colombo’s, Tritch Hardware, the historic craftsman Women’s 20th Century Club, Route 66-era motels, and that vintage Trader Joe’s. Because of the efforts of a plethora of community activist groups, including The Eagle Rock Association (TERA) and the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, many structures have remained much the same as they always were, even while their names and purposes have changed. Places like the Thai restaurant Panang, which beginning in 1948 was a Bob’s Big Boy; the Art Deco building that houses Bateman Water and Heating Engineering; and Renaissance Arts Academy, now in the old Pillar’s Department Store, to name a few.

The circa 1914 Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, formerly the Eagle Rock Public Library, is one building whose use has changed while, fittingly, continuing to serve its initial purpose: bringing the diverse neighborhood together in cultural exploration and learning. Like Eagle Rock itself, it hasn’t strayed very far from its roots.

This fall, Center for the Arts features the exhibitions “Resist Complacency, Consider Urgency,” curated by Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer (opening Sept. 26) and “Sundown Schoolhouse: Practicing Moving,” a residency-based project by Fritz Haeg and Bodycity (opening Nov. 14). 

On Sept. 20, “Flicked,” a monthly screening by Open Gate Theatre, will feature the 1920 film “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari,” accompanied by a live improvisational sound track by musicians Vinny Golia, Brad Dutz and Jeff Gauthier, among others.

In partnership with the Eagle Rock Music Festival, regular concerts put together by FYF Fest founder Sean Carlson take place year-round, including a show with The Night Marchers on Oct. 29. At the same time, the Center is also home to the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society.

A new roster of fall classes will serve the neighborhood well, including outreach programs to LAUSD schools, drawing and painting for children and teens, and printmaking for adults.

But the biggest program — the one that offers a place where Eagle Rockers annually meet to celebrate the neighborhood — is the Eagle Rock Music Festival.

The center and LA City Council member Jose Huizar may be the official presenters, but in reality, the music festival is a huge community effort, as it has been for the past 11 years. Taking place from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct 3, the Eagle Rock Music Festival is a key part of the arts programming of the Center.

I’m proud to be a part of this festival because it showcases a few of our community’s strengths: neighborhood spirit and respect for cultural diversity, support for local businesses and a vibrant music scene — a truly local music scene comprised of talented people who live and work around  Northeast Los Angeles.

The lineup this year gives voice to LA’s cultures and subcultures, taking a non-traditional approach to multiculturalism. On two stages and in 12 showcase venues, this year’s festival features artists like Highland Park’s Fol Chen, Buyepongo, Pocahaunted, The Gaslamp Killer spinning a Middle Eastern DJ set and Blank Blue, a psych band fronted by Pilipino-Puerto Rican Elvin Estela. Also onboard are the Gears, hearkening back to the early days of punk in East LA, along with The Woolly Bandits and Carnage Asada, plus Ollin, Wounded Lion, The Happy Hollows and Free Moral Agents. Acts both by and for children will be featured at the Kids’ stage! 

Programming partners include the musically allied nonprofits Dublab, Pehrspace, Razorcake Magazine and Zocaloc — all of which have ties to Northeast Los Angeles. Kingsize Soundlabs and The Ship, two local music studios, and Future Music, a store specializing in vintage gear and repairs, also dedicate their time and resources to the festival lineup, as do many individuals whose support makes the festival financially possible.

Started in 1998 as a project of Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center (now the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock), the festival was intended to serve as a small showcase of 10 bands and build neighborhood unity. Mushroomed from those humble beginnings to draw more than 30,000 people from all over the LA area — the one time of the year when Colorado Boulevard is closed to cars — it still holds to its mission while retaining its distinctive character.

Punk rockers are no longer an anomaly in Eagle Rock. Neither are cumbia, hip-hop, jazz, or zydeco. The festival welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds ready to break down barriers, listen, explore and dance.

Maryam Hosseinzadeh has worked on the Eagle Rock Music Festival since 2007. Visit centerartseaglerock.org or find the Eagle Rock Music Festival on Facebook. Reach Maryam at maryamfrancesca@gmail.com.