The Tijuana Panthers will headline 720° Pine, the kick off event to the Downtown Long Beach Associates’ (DLBA) famed Summer and Music Festival (SAM), of which the official lineup was announced earlier this month.
SAM’s seventh season will begin with an entirely new concept saluting skateboarding and rock’n’roll on Saturday, June 27 from 5:00PM to 10:00PM on Pine Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets.
The name of the event both honors the famed Atari arcade game from the 1980s and signals the approximate location of the venue, to be dedicated to all things skate-scene.
Skateboard culture, especially in Long Beach, has a symbiotic attachment to music that helped define the sport, which is why, according to the announcement, the DLBA will be garnering some of the best musicians from the city and beyond to bring 720° Pine to life, including Innovative Leisure (iL) artist and headliner Tijuana Panthers.
“Innovative Leisure has strong ties to Long Beach and we have had the pleasure of working closely with them for several years,” said SAM Co-Founder Justin Hectus in an earlier press statement. “From Nick Waterhouse to De Lux, the Allah-lahs to Crystal Antlers, and their most recent addition, Korey Dane, we are proud to continue honoring the great partnership we’ve built up with iL by bringing the Tijuana Panthers back to headline the big stage in their home town.”
According to the announcement, joining the 720° roster of talent will be local scene vets Bella Novela, up-and-comers The Moderates, and Santa Barbara-based electric hit machine FMLYBND, followed by one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 Artists You Need to Know”, Silk Rhodes, laying down the after party vibe.
Also in the mix will be a performance by the graduates of Pow! Wow! Long Beach School of Music’s inaugural class. An extension of the popular art collective’s work already done in Hawaii and at the SXSW festival in Austin, 18- to 22-year-old musicians have been hand-selected to attend and hold a final performance at 720° Pine.
FULL MUSIC SCHEDULE
5:00PM: DJ Dan Wilcox (of KCRW) / Final Concert Performance of Pow! Wow! Long Beach’s School of Music
6:00PM: The Moderates
7:00PM: Bella Novela
8:00PM: FMLY BND
9:00PM: Tijuana Panthers
The after party with SILK Rhodes will take place before closing at 11:00PM.
Along with SAM’s sounds of a new summer, nearly an entire block will be transformed into a skate course, where professionals will be showing off their best tricks and stunts.
Prior to the main event, the SAM skatepark will host The A.skate Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing children with autism the chance to experience and learn skateboarding. Modern Advocate, an artist collective that inspires youth through its hand-stenciled skate decks that act as both art and a one-of-a-kind skateboard will also be present before the event.
“SAM has always been about the social, communal connection of live music,” said Kraig Kojian, DLBA President and CEO, in a statement. “Activating streets and other public spaces by turning them into concert venues for a day allows residents to see a new side to their neighborhood while surrounding businesses have the chance to promote to new customers. This newest addition to the SAM series maintains and lives through that philosophy.”
Those who would rather ride their bike to 720° Pine, instead of skate, can take advantage of the free bike valet hosted with the help of BIkeable Communities.
For more information about 720° Pine, click here.