Long Beach has a long and storied past as a hotbed for music, everyone from Snoop Dogg to Sublime and T.S.O.L have their roots in Long Beach. In keeping with the musical tradition, local hard rock act Slushbox is set to headline a showcase of local bands on May 31, at Kulak’s Woodshed a venue in North Hollywood.
Sharing the stage with Slushbox are fellow locals The Dovelles and Natural Hi-Fi.
The showcase is to feature Long Beach’s diverse music culture at the small and eclectic venue that has been described as a mixture of a juke joint, garage and grandma’s house, where one could pull a book off a shelf, plop down on a sofa and listen to live music under a starry sky.
Slushbox’s Sharon Giaratano choose to host the event at Kulak’s Woodshed due to her respect for the venue and its production value.
“What a great opportunity to play at a place like a mini, cozy Saturday Night Live-like set with full lights, multi-professional cameras and operators, sound engineers,” she said. “This is the real deal.”
The show will be webcast live over the internet, something that Giaratano hopes will give the Long Beach locals some extra exposure.
“While Kulak’s does not hold a huge audience on the set, the live webcast has such potential to reach many new fans,” she said.
Slushbox–the winner of the Spectator Appeal Award in the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade two years in a row–follows in step with hard rock acts like X and Led Zeppelin but with a spacey twist. According to Jonathan Kramm of Express Jet Magazine, they are “the intergalactic rock band that crashed your pool party.”
The band’s live performances double as a visual spectacle, where each member wears green or hot pink from head to toe. It’s a look that corresponds with the band’s take on life.
“We want to celebrate human potential and natural phenomenons,” said Giaratano. Adding that, “green is life, green is sprouting, growing photosynthesis and thriving vitality, which is what we proclaim in our songs and inner drives.”
{loadposition latestlife}Also featured at the event is Long Beach’s own The Dovelles, a folk rock quartet whose dreamy pop melodies can soothe any soul. The band was recently featured at the OC Weekly Locals Only showcase and are scheduled to their first single this spring.
Rounding out the bill is Natural Hi-Fi, a rock-reggae act, whose guitarist despite having only one arm is till able to keep the rhythm going, which is amazing in itself. They were described by Giaratano as “kinda like Jimi Hendrix but with a one arm guitarist.”
In hosting the event at a venue in Los Angeles, Giaratano not only aims to help promote some local acts, but also bridge the two creative cities together, stating “there is so much out there and Long Beach is part of Los Angeles. It is just one huge blob of creative people doing things, one gargantuan anthill.”
Tickets are $10, available at the door on the night of the event. The concert will also be webcast live from 8PM to 10PM on Kulak’s website. Kulak’s Woodshed 5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91607 (818)766-9913
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