Hey! Last week the new Razorcake came out with my article about the Jabberjaw documentary. I went to countless shows at 3711 Pico in the ’90s, and the DIY punk venue played a big part in my evolution from a fan who attended concerts at places like Fender’s Ballroom and the Hollywood Palladium to a participant who has made zines, hosted bands who were in town, and even put on shows. So it was an honor to set up a zoom conversation with co-founder Michelle Carr, number-one instigator Rob Zabrecky from Possum Dixon, and touring artist Allison Wolfe from Bratmobile and Cold Cold Hearts, along with director Eric Pritchard and producer Bitten Heine (not even close to their arrangement in the screen grab below).
We talked about Jabberjaw’s rise in the years punk broke and its role in the flourishing indie scene, what it was like when major labels got in on the action, and how it came to an end. Questions also came from friends who were there including Adam from Jawbreaker, Emily from Emily’s Sassy Lime, Gabie from Canopy, Lois Maffeo and Nikki McClure from Olympia, and photographer Ben Clark. Maybe more, I can’t remember. Somehow, the crowded Q&A turned out to be a pretty good read, as well as a great excuse for the filmmakers to release a new trailer! Here it is…
But wait, there’s more Razorcake-related stuff to share! Last month, I organized an online screening and conversation with filmmakers and bands from the zine’s first three short video documentaries about punk bands from East L.A. The panel included Tracy from Thee Undertakers, Theresa from The Brat, and Jack from Stains with director Jimmy from La Tuya and archivist Dino from Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs. I just wish I got to meet them and hung out in person, and can’t not give props to my friend and Visions and Voices colleague Marie for doing all the behind-the-scenes production work and prep to make everything run smoothly.
It was a lot of fun hearing their stories about playing legendary punk venues like The Vex, Starwood, and Hong Kong Cafe alongside bands like The Plugz, X, and Black Flag. (Doesn’t every show goer, record collector, and music freak obsess over bands and shows that they just missed out on?) The chat was pretty amazing, too. Watch all the short documentaries on the Eastside Punks YouTube page and check out the chitchat below. Hopefully, there will be another gathering with the docs shown on a big screen, live music, and hanging out in person… A fourth video has already been added with Nervous Gender and I wonder what will come next?
While we have all been separated and unable to attend shows during the pandemic, I’ve been extra grateful to share stuff I like, get people together, and be part of something bigger through Razorcake. Thanks to Todd and Daryl for always welcoming my ideas, the copy editors for making me look smart, and photographers and graphic designers for making all those words more interesting. I’m already looking forward to seeing how my next article will turn out, and wonder what I can write about after that… Subscribe to Razorcake! Grow your scene! See you at a show one of these days!
By Martin Wong 