The Faces Of the Young Los Angeles DIY Community!

Text and photos: Matthew Grant Anson

Those looking to up the punx on the 9th of July found themselves in a small community space on East Seventh Street, a space just a few blocks and several homeless people away from the Alameda exit off the 10 freeway. It’s across the street from a Greyhound station, surrounded by liquor stores, abandoned buildings, and junkyards. Inside, the floor was sticky from spilt 40s, the air was a healthy and humid mix of weed and B.O., and a sheen of sweat glistened on the walls from floor to ceiling. The only thing as stifling as the conditions was the overwhelming tr00ness of the punk throbbing through a surprisingly large Tuesday night crowd, all of whom came out for a host of local bands supporting midwest grinderrs Lt. Dan and Pizza Hi-Five.

The problem with such a crowd was it drew the attention of the liquor store next door, and soon after the female-fronted two-piece Happy Pill Trauma finished its ten minute set, several police officers showed up, forcing everyone outside. The crowd idled in front of the space and liquor store, ignoring the demands of the officers to disperse, either due to punk belligerence or because of a well known understanding of the law (this a public space, dude). Miraculously, against all odds, the owners were able to talk their way out of a shutdown, stressing the fact that the show wasn’t for profit. Their pleas nullified permit and zoning codes, and Lt. Dan and Pizza Hi-Five played in succession immediately after the crowd was let back in through the double doors, lest a group of less cooperative cops return.

Instead of cops, a hippie-ish white guy with a full on afro named Brandon from Detroit wandered into the space while waiting for his Greyhound, confused as to why a bunch of kids were in such a shitty area on a Tuesday. After some substances and sets from LxDxT, Cave State, Malpractice Insurance, and BRUCExCAMPBELL, his questions were answered.