Long Beach Post: Rock Out This Saturday

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Rock Out This Saturday

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On Saturday, July 25, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., seven of Southern California's top tribute bands will battle for cash prizes and tribute fame, rocking out Downtown Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor amphitheater with spotless renditions of everyone from Bruce Springsteen to The Rolling Stones.

Hosted by Summer And Music (SAM), Downtown Long Beach's re-vamped, summer-long music series featuring more than 40 shows-this battle of the bands may even be more impressive than the real thing. Better yet, it's FREE, conveniently located outdoors at the Nautical Band Shell in Rainbow Harbor, between Gladstone's and PF Chang's on South Pine Avenue.�

Any band buff can brag about their favorite music legends, but not many can play the part. Not the case with these tribute groups. In fact, the day's lineup includes a slew of talent so close to the real deal, you'll be double-taking all afternoon.

To name a few, No Duh (No Doubt), Stepping Feet (DMB) and The Rising (Bruce Springsteen) will compete with favorites like Vitalogy (Pearl Jam), Hollywood U2, The Cured (The Cure) and Satisfaction (Rolling Stones).

At 1 p.m., bands will begin competing two at a time on the outdoor stage, moving to the next round after a decibel reading from the crowd's applause and a vote by celebrity judges - including The Press Telegram's Tim Grobaty - on authenticity, stage presence and musicianship. After the third round, the two tribute bands favored most by the audience and judges will win more than $3,000 in cash prizes.

Responsible for the rejuvenated music series, Downtown Long Beach Associates and the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency understand that there is too much incredible local music to ignore-tribute bands included. So, they've partnered with two local event-savvy music gurus-Justin Hectus (co-founder of Schooled In Song) and Rand Foster (owner of popular Belmont Shore record shop Fingerprints)-to present this summer of stellar sound.

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3 Comments so far.

Thomas
There should be music. Music makes us feel better. My feeling is that other citizens prefer other music like Latin Jazz and straight up Jazz, so who made the decision to use our tax dollars to pay for the gig? Redevelopment? The only money they have is tax increment money, and it should be spent on improving Planning Area Committee (PAC)neighborhoods. PAC neighborhoods are the source of funding for the Long Beach RDA or Redevelopment Agency in Long Beach. They are primarily Black and Latino impacted, that is, where these populations predominate, so how does the Redevelopment Agency get away with spending the mostly Black and Latino tax increment to fund Springsteen and Stones music for persons who mostly live outside of the redevelopment areas? Who decides to spend our money on this function and why is this venue important to PAC residents. In fact, the loose spending of tax money should be important to all Long Beach citizens because it is an indicator that the city administrators are continuing to treat city funds as their own private treasury for use without any oversight by responsible citizens. In an era when we are enduring a disasterous recession we the citizens should examine the workings of a top heavy bureaucracy that flaunts a curiously large number of overpaid bureaucrats who fan out looking for ways to spend ever more "free money" garnered from PAC taxation, in spite of the overwhelming debt that we are forced to pay due to city staff's short sightedness. Yes, let's have more music! Music sooths the wild beast.

Sander
Thomas, I agree with you that all public funds should be spent wisely, and to benefit the most people based on their needs. I do feel, however, that most of the great Cities in the world have tax funded Summer music programs. These events act as a draw to non-residents who spend here and, thus, help local businesses thrive, and tax revenues increase. Also, these kinds of events help create a positive cultural and artistic identity for the City. They also serve to improve property values in Downtown, because the vibrancy of music makes downtown living attractive to young professionals. I think the SAM program has, if taken as a whole, reflected an amazing amount of cultural diversity so far, and it isn't over yet.

dont sue me
Thomas- i agree with most everything you say, although i have learned to be quiet. my thanx for saying that which many of us are already thinking.

Sander lives with his wife, step-daughter, dogs, and cats. He's an avid photographer, and enjoys creating close-up images of flowers and plants, and capturing urban landscapes. He's been involved in music production since the early 80's, and worked professionally as an audio engineer, live sound mixer, and producer.

Sander Roscoe Wolff is a musician, artist, and was co-founder and Executive Director of LongBeachCulture.org, the City's first comprehensive, and free, arts calendar and registry.

He has served on the boards of the 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space and the East Village Arts District, curated a 6 month gallery exhibition in the Long Beach World Trade Center, and produced Songs For Bethune, a CD of original and traditional holiday songs by local artists, to raise funds for the Arts Council's Passport to the Arts program.

His work has been featured in local gallery exhibitions, in SoundWalk, and L.A. Siggraph's Photon Ballet.

His current music project is Ain Soph Aur, a systems based improvisational performance duo and studio team.