Ride the Wild Wheels - Closing Reception

A Grand Unified Beach Theory of Jazz, Surf and Punk

“Ride the Wild Wheels” Closing Reception with a panel and Q&A featuring Spot, SST Co-Owner Joe Carducci, Randy Nauert from The Challengers, and Gloria Cadena from the Lighthouse, followed by a screening of the new documentary “Jazz v. Punk: Hermosa Beach.” Saturday November 3rd, 7PM at Pacific Coast Gallery in Hermosa Beach CA

Hermosa Beach, CA:  November 3 Pacific Coast Gallery is hosting the closing reception of Ride the Wild Wheels, a photography exhibition featuring the work of famed SST producer and photographer SPOT. SPOT is well known for producing many of the early releases from Black Flag, the Minutemen, Misfits, Descendents, Meat Puppets and Husker Du (among many other bands from that era) and he was also a prolific photographer and sharp-eyed chronicler of life in LA and Hermosa during the 70s and early 80s. Many of his images were featured in his acclaimed photo book Sounds of Two Eyes Opening, released in 2014.

The closing reception will feature a panel discussion and Q&A featuring: SPOT (photographer, musician, producer, writer...), GLORIA CADENA (Lighthouse booker, Ozzie's wife, Dez's mom...), RANDY NAUERT (The Challengers, producer, session musician...), and JOE CARDUCCI (ex-SST partner, screenwriter, publisher...).  They will discuss postwar musical history in Hermosa Beach, Calif. and are sure to arrive at a grand unified beach theory of Jazz, Surf & Punk. The panel will be moderated by photographer and Pacific Coast Gallery co-owner Matthew Welch, and there will be an audience Q&A following the panel.

PUNK - 40 years ago Greg Ginn got his band Panic's master tape back from Greg Shaw of Bomp! Records.  The "Nervous Breakdown" session had been recorded at Media Art Studio in Hermosa Beach Dec. 1977 and mixed Jan. 1978; Spot was one of the engineers.  Greg Ginn used his SST Electronics company (est. 1966) to release the debut 45 by the band (now called Black Flag) as SST 001 with cover art by Greg's brother Raymond Pettibone.
JAZZ - 44 years ago Ozzie and Gloria Cadena moved their family to Hermosa Beach from Newark NJ where Ozzie had been a producer of jazz records for the Savoy and Prestige labels. In Hermosa Beach Ozzie booked and recorded jazz at the Lighthouse Café (a center for jazz since 1949).  After Ozzie's death in 2008 Gloria has booked the club. One of their sons, Dez (named for his father's friend Paul Desmond) played in Red Cross, Black Flag, D.C. 3, and The Misfits.
SURF - 66 years ago the Redondo Beach high school-age surf band, The Bel-Aires, lost two members to parental concern and Randy Nauert joined as bass player of the new line-up now called The Challengers.  Their "Surfbeat" album was recorded in late 1962 and released in Jan. 1963.  A classmate from Narbonne High, Rick Griffin, did their flyer art.
Following the panel, there will be a screening of Jazz v. Punk: Hermosa Beach, a new documentary that also delves into the jazz and punk music history in Hermosa Beach. The film premiered October 5th at the Sunscreen Film Festival in Hermosa Beach and features SPOT among many other South Bay punk and jazz luminaries, including Gloria Cadena (The Lighthouse), Dez Cadena (Black Flag), Mike Watt (the Minutemen and Iggy and the Stooges) and Fletcher Dragge (Pennywise).

Ride the Wild Wheels runs all October and continues through November 4th, and it features Spot’s beach, roller skate, skateboard, surf and punk rock photos from Hermosa Beach and the South Bay. This is the first time SPOT has ever offered these images as fine art prints, and they have been printed by the same master printer, and to the same standards, as the other fine art landscape photos at Pacific Coast Gallery.