{"id":407,"date":"2018-11-02T14:18:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T21:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999925260"},"modified":"2018-11-02T14:18:24","modified_gmt":"2018-11-02T21:18:24","slug":"how-4th-street-vine-went-from-empty-wine-shop-to-beloved-local-music-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/music\/how-4th-street-vine-went-from-empty-wine-shop-to-beloved-local-music-venue","title":{"rendered":"How 4th Street Vine went from empty wine shop to beloved local music venue"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Long Beach Musicians Love 4th Street Vine\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tnHueiXVvVc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The day that 4th Street Vine opened its doors for the first time, owners Jim Ritson and Sophia Sandoval sat by the boombox in their new retail wine shop and listened attentively. The recession was in full swing and Barack Obama, as they heard on the radio that evening, had just been elected as the 44th president of the United States. Sandoval was also six months pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember doing a spreadsheet one time to imagine the sales before we opened and I was like, oh no, this is never gonna work,\u201d Ritson says with a laugh. \u201cWe\u2019d have to sell 10,000 bottles of wine a month for this to ever work as retail. So [after a few years] we just scrapped that and forgot about it and moved forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, 4th Street Vine, which sits tucked in the heart of Retro Row between a boutique clothing store and a thrift shop, shows no hints of its history as a retail wine boutique. Tall stools and tables have long replaced the rows of wine bottle shelves. Instead of the old tasting room\u2019s black leather couch, a bar.<\/p>\n<p>Then, there\u2019s the live music. Most nights, the storefront\u2019s wide double-glass panes offer a glimpse into the beating heart of the Long Beach music scene. In 10 years\u2019 time, the cozy brick-walled space has reinvented itself into one of Long Beach\u2019s most beloved, community-backed venues and hangout spots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the little wine bar that could,\u201d says Paul Gonzales, a musician and employee at 4th Street Vine. \u201cWe actually do care about the music and who\u2019s playing. We care about the people that come to see the bands, so we\u2019re just trying to make it a tight unit. This is your bar, come out, see some cool stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999925261\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999925261\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-999925261\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_7739.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999925261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">4th Street Vine owners Jim Ritson and Sophia Sandoval<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Almost every evening, 4th Street Vine hosts live performances from local and touring musicians spanning across styles and genres and, on certain evenings, DJ residencies such as Not Quite Disco (dance), We Are Science (\u201880s-inspired) and Bad Reputations (garage\/punk-centric) take over the bar.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently, 4th Street Vine has packed out its back patio with a new Sunday brunch series, curated by Long Beach Vegan or other local popups. Paired with a glass of the watermelon fros\u00e9\u2014frozen ros\u00e9 from the bar&#8217;s new slushy machine\u2014the combination evidently hits the spot for many locals. (They also have one of the best craft beer selections in town.)<\/p>\n<p>For the owners, the ever-changing roster of popups on the back patio are just an extension of the creative community that thrives at 4th Street Vine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just like everything that\u2019s going on here,\u201d Ritson says. \u201cSmall emerging food purveyors that are making food on the ground level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGround level\u201d is a fitting term to describe the community that has evolved at the bar over the years. In the early 2000s, Ritson, a Long Beach native, founded and operated a DIY punk label called Rehab Records with a close friend based in Seattle. The two of them signed some of their favorite independent bands from all over the country, including Portland pop punk band Mean Jeans, Wax Museum from Texas, the Trashies from Seattle and Chicago\u2019s punk rock outfit Moto.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-999925265\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-01-at-6.16.58-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"595\" height=\"596\" \/><\/p>\n<p>True to his punk roots, there appears to be nothing that deters Ritson, other than abiding strictly by the live music cutoff time\u201410 p.m. on weekdays, 11 p.m. on weekends\u2014in accordance with their entertainment license. Thrashy punk and noise bands frequently blast the room as well as hip hop and electronic acts. One time, recalls Gonzales, LA\u2019s electronic duo Fartbarf was performing so loud in the crowded bar that wine bottles began falling off the shelves. Ritson barely flinched, Gonzales says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJim still eats that shit for breakfast,\u201d local musician and friend Joel Jasper says. \u201cWe call him our punk uncle \u2018cause he\u2019s always down for loud, fast music. It doesn\u2019t have to be fast, but he\u2019s down for people to express themselves however they want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ritson and Sandoval also keep the bar accessible by never charging a cover fee at the door. It began as them not wanting to turn away their regular customers or those who have just enough change for a drink, but it\u2019s parlayed 4th Street Vine into a breeding ground for experimental collaborations, open jams and local bands that are just starting out. And they make sure to pay the bands out of their own till, albeit more modestly than other venues that charge a cover.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you start being able to charge cover at the door, all of a sudden you can attract bigger bands, but you risk losing focus on what\u2019s going on in the emerging local scene,\u201d Ritson says. \u201cThe thing I like the most about any music scene I\u2019ve ever been a part of is what\u2019s going on right at the ground level. It\u2019s open to everybody and you really get a strong sense of community when that\u2019s going on. We love that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>PLUGGED IN<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The first few times local musician Rachel Rufrano performed at 4th Street Vine, it was just her and her guitar, completely unplugged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo amp, no amplification, nothing, totally drowned out by the noise of the bar,\u201d Rufrano recalls. \u201cBut it was the fact that Jim was so supportive of having local music in his bar, even before he had the entertainment license. This is someone who actually cares about supporting local music and DIY music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the early days of 4th Street Vine, music was delivered via the jukebox or live acoustic sets, featuring up to two musicians per the city ordinance. Thor Jensen, a one-man band man, performed frequently during those days. Wanting to host a more eclectic variety of acts, Ritson and Sandoval applied for the city\u2019s Occasional Event Permit program (OEP), which allowed full, amplified bands once every 10 days, for up to 24 times a year. This allowed them to host the likes of Crystal Antlers and the Clancy Cramer Jazz Project during this time.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999925284\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999925284\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999925284 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_0941.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999925284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Local band Americana Super Radio at 4th Street Vine in September. Photo courtesy of 4th Street Vine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their full entertainment license came months later, after rallying for backing from the Long Beach Music Council, residential neighbors on 4th Street and other businesses on the street. Perhaps most importantly, the local music community rose to the occasion to show their support; many of them wrote letters to the city council, whose vote ultimately determined the decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was like, if anyone deserves to have music in their bar on this street, it\u2019s Jim and Sophia,\u201d Jasper says. \u201cThey\u2019ve taken care of us for a long time &#8230; I wouldn\u2019t have written that for him if I hadn\u2019t felt like he really gave a shit about the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since getting the entertainment permit several years ago, 4th Street Vine has poured the love right back into the community by offering its stage for locals to perform or curate almost every night of the week, as well as providing free shows featuring more established acts such as Mike Watt and the Secondmen, Gangsta Boo of Three 6 Mafia and Joyce Manor. It\u2019s also become a home away from home for many San Pedro and Oakland bands.<\/p>\n<p>Noise complaints from neighbors have dissipated immensely from their ongoing project of sound containment at the bar, Ritson says. They\u2019ve installed double pane glass at the entrance, awnings in the balcony, air conditioning as well as a sound person to make sure bands end on time and are not excruciatingly loud. Work practices such as keeping the doors closed and shutting down the patio at a certain time are also helpful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, the number of people who enjoy the music at the bar is a thousand fold to anybody who complains,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s still tough. We make a lot of noise here, so we just try to do our best to be good neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>FROM THE GROUND UP<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Michelle Trivisonno was a regular at 4th Street Vine long before she became DJ Judy Christ. When she began collecting records avidly three years ago, Gonzales offered her a night to test out the waters. From there, she went on to start Girlschool LBC, an all-female vinyl DJ collective, and currently hosts a DJ residency every first Thursday, also known as Judy\u2019s Jukebox.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just a special vibe that happens at 4th Street Vine,\u201d says Trivisonno. \u201cAnd it\u2019s free form too. Nothing is expected from you. You just get to show up and be yourself, not only when I spin records but also when I go in for a drink and hang out with my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That low-pressure, laid-back energy of the bar is why Brittney Carranza and Leticia Gomez of Las Chicas Tristes often champion local bedroom musicians and producers at their third Tuesday residency, Mind Machine, which they host and DJ. They also host College of Cardinals, a monthly hip hop-jazz improvisational jam that regularly includes seasoned musicians such as keyboardist Colin Devane of Fight Club, bassist T\u2019Challa and percussionist Tom Kendall.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-999925276 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/11-13-18.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if you only have three songs, come and play them,\u201d Gomez says. \u201cWe\u2019ll support you, jump on the wagon. Meet some other people who want to collaborate, grow, expand and do things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And it doesn\u2019t have to be just music. Long Beach native Dennis Robicheau\u2019s first popup cooking gig was on the back patio at 4th Street Vine. In the summer of 2013, Shady Grove Foods was launched on that spot, and for several years, Robicheau experimented with recipes and tested out new ideas there. This past summer, he opened a brick-and-mortar cafe at Palos Verdes Art Center.<\/p>\n<p>Visual artists have a place, too. Every few months, the walls at 4th Street Vine display a rotating exhibit of local art. Currently on display is musician and artist Troy Murrah\u2019s new series \u201cBuilt Quilt,\u201d masterpieces made of thousands of wood fragments assembled in traditional quilt patterns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe attract what we built, you know?\u201d Sandoval says. &#8220;The group of regulars has kind of cycled every three or four years \u2026 but they\u2019ve always been the same kind of people. People like us. And we have great employees we love. We\u2019ve been super lucky there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>4th Street Vine\u2019s 10-year anniversary celebration takes place Sunday 3 p.m. to close with Bad Reputation\u2019s vinyl DJ residency, which will also be celebrating its three-year anniversary. For their upcoming schedule of shows, visit <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/4thstreetvine\"><i>www.instagram.com\/4thstreetvine<\/i><\/a><i> or <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.4thstreetvine.com\"><i>www.4thstreetvine.com<\/i><\/a><i>. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 10 years, the cozy brick-walled space has reinvented itself into one of Long Beach\u2019s most beloved, community-backed venues and hangouts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":65932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[252,253],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-history","tag-wine-bar","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}