Open Doors

Along a short drive home, I began to think about this blog. Mostly about my realization that music is a fundamental property of human nature. A little about how music is created and how it evolves to become something new and, at times, revolutionary. I was going to write about that.

But that can wait for the next rainy day...

I flipped to myspace and noticed Transit Studio, a project of Jeff & Ryan (of Best Interest), had about 20,000 friends and a fantastic looking myspace page. I read their bio and realized that these dudes did it. They've gotten MTV play, KROQ play, and a spot on Warped Tour...They even have Spartpunk ads offering their cd at $6. I started thinking about the Best Interest days and how far those guys have come since; their Transit Studio work is pretty refined and the levels sound fantastic...and I assume the recordings are Chris, not Justin. That's 3/4 of Best Interest doing their own thing and making it. They rank up with that PV band in terms of popularity and KROQ-ness. Totally awesome bro!

(can't recall the first band, but the brother was in HelloGoodbye)

At Patrick Molloy's I ran into Kenji, the other 1/4 of Best Interest of the old days. This guy is a guitar legend to us and now, he even looks like a rock star. He's doing his thing too, with studio work and a whole bunch of other stuff I can only imagine. He's doing a thing called Gardena, and is working as a bassist. Chris moved from Transit Studio to this project, which is pretty awesome...if you haven't seen Chris' video from youtube yet, check it out.

Anyway, beyond the Best Interest crew, there's Stinky Pinky, steadily working towards releasing their first EP. Which will be pretty amazing, considering what's already out there. These guys are great live and could no doubt fill a place. Their myspace already has some jams posted, including a nice live version of "Push Comes to Shove". Doing shows with Wells of People is also a fantastic thing, as each band brings it. Hopefully Wells can secure some LA/LB gigs to expand the audience and get a true reading of what everyone wants. It should come soon.

Finally, there's the connections, the people that are working all around the Southland, silently going about work, making connections and forming relationships with some good people. The doors are opening and it's only a matter of time until something breaks; until the final straw falls to break the camel's back. I can't help but be floored by how much music is coming out of this little scene we have here in the South Bay. The days of Pennywise over in Hermosa are long gone...now a new thing is evolving that encompasses so many elements...hip-hop, dub rock, indie rock, electronica, reggae, punk...[And is it just me or are Saxons leading the way?] We anticipate whatever is ahead with open arms and wide eyes...don't say you weren't warned...

Keep coming out to the local shows and maybe one day, you can say you were there.