Mohawks, piercings and heart-pounding beat: Striking pictures shed light on gritty backyard punk-rock scene in East LA
To the outside world, Los Angeles is all about Hollywood and Photoshopped glamor, but those on the inside know that it has a distinctly unvarnished, gritty side - the East LA punk-rock scene.
Photographer and filmmaker Angela Boatwright had spent six months documenting the many facets of the grunge lifestyle, producing dozens of intriguing pictures and videos for the documentary series Living Off the Wall, which was sponsored by the shoe manufacturing company Vans.
The still photographs in the East Los series offer viewers a glimpse into a fascinating lifestyle combining music, fashion and a unique sense community.
Grunge: Photographer and filmmaker Angela Boatwright had spent six months documenting the grunge lifestyle still thriving in East Los Angeles
Alternative lifestyle: Teens and young adults from every walk of life come to punk-rock shows to
express themselves through fashion, music and dance
Moments of catharsis: Young punk-rockers, many of them coming from broken homes, view the backyard music scene as a healthy outlet
for their rage
Vintage style: The punk-rock, or grunge, culture has been around since the 70s, but it has lost much of its appeal with the advent of hip
hop and pop
The punk-rock culture has been around since the 70s, drawing outcasts from every walk of life, angry teenagers and youths with a taste for ear-piercing, heart-thumping music.
With the advent of hip hop and pop music, the grunge culture has receded into the background, but on the rough streets of East Los Angeles, it is still alive and well.
Just as it was 30 years ago, pierced and tattooed teens and 20-somethings sporting ratty denim and flannel, purple Mohawks and spiky dog collars still congregate in East LA backyards to listen to music and dance.
There is nothing glamorous or polished about the punk gigs that take place in backyards, parking lots and abandoned homes most Friday nights.
The whole process has a rough-and-tumble, spur-of-the-moment, do-it-yourself feel, like a flash mob of 300-400 young malcontents who spontaneously get together in a seedy nook of the urban landscape to let out some steam.
Hangout spots: The punk gigs that take place in backyards, parking lots and abandoned homes most Friday nights all across East LA
Grunge demographic: The participants are usually between the ages of 14 and 20-plus; the majority
of party-goers hail from East LA, but some travel from as far as San Diego
Egalitarian: Even though most of the young people in East LA's grunge community are Hispanic, representatives of any ethnicity and
racial background are welcome at the backyard events
Good neighbors: Homeowners in East LA often host impromptu punk-rock concerts on their properties to make some money while
supporting neighborhood kids
Some homeowners in the area host these impromptu concerts on their properties to make a little money on the side - $2-$3 per admission ticket - while supporting local kids, according to Business Insider.
Most of the attendees, whose ages range from 14 to 20-something, are from East LA, but some come from as far as the more upscale Orange County and San Diego.
In Boatwright's ‘Living Off the Wall’ documentary, one teen describes the ragged backyard punk-rock scene as ‘one big family.’
The performances have no set lists or predetermined start times: bands simply show up and begin playing. Teens involved in the backyard grunge culture find out about the shows from social media or mass text messages.
Smashing good time: The parties feature a heavy dose of moshing - a style of 'dance' where the participants intentionally bump into
one another
Sense of community: Teens, many of them coming from rough backgrounds and bad neighborhoods,
described the ragged backyard punk-rock scene as 'one big family'
On the fly: The performances have no set lists or start times: bands simply show up and begin playing
Grunge look: Kids and 20-somethings turn up at backyard events with spiky hair, piercings, and even face paint
The parties feature a heavy dose of moshing - a style of 'dance' where participants intentionally bump into one another. If someone falls down in the process, those around the unfortunate reveler usually step in to get the moshing 'casualty' out of the way.
Most importantly, the young punk-rockers, many of them coming from broken families and crime-ridden neighborhoods, view the backyard scene as a healthy and relatively safe outlet for their pent-up rage and aggression.
‘I genuinely believe punk rock saved my life,’ one young woman says in the documentary.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2597698/Mohawks-piercings-heart-thumping-beat-Striking-pictures-shed-light-gritty-backyard-punk-rock-scene-East-LA.html#ixzz2y3P81wPM
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