Los Angeles has always been a breeding ground for new cultures and movements. Often these movements begin to crossover and blur into a single style that can go on to define an entire group of people, this show is a representation of that.
Back when skateboarding was evolving from surfing practice into a full fledged movement in the abandoned pools of Southern California homes, skate rock was tagging along with it. You see, skateboarding always lended itself to music, at first it was in the punk and hip hop filled boomboxes of kids skateboarding in kidney shaped pools that didn’t belong to them, but it quickly evolved into the soundtrack that powered skate videos. But not just any old music would do, for as new and raw as skateboarding was, it demanded a newer, rawer form of music to soundtrack its existence.
Enter noise rock, a genre pioneered by acts like Big Black, Butthole Surfers and Melvins, quickly lent its devil may care attitude to the rowdy children of Dogtown. Before long, entire bands had their identities tied up with skateboarding, including groups like Dinosaur Jr. and NOFX that would go on to influence entire generations of punk rockers.
As time has gone on, we find ourselves looking back and examining the collective legacy skateboarding has had on popular culture. Whether it be through the excellent documentaries like Minding The Gap and Lords of Dogtown or Jonah Hill’s love letter Mid ‘90s skateboarding is finally being examined in a way that appropriately considers its cultural influence and cache. Ye Olde Destruction then, is an update to the modern culture of skateboarding. The film clings to its roots in the style of filming, which is beautifully shot on 16mm, but updates the tricks and more importantly, the music. These days noise punk has pushed farther to the edges, and who better to exemplify that than No Age. The LA noise rock group who grew up playing The Smell with contemporaries like HEALTH, have evolved into a noise rock phenomenon, in no small part because of their association with skate culture. No Age sets out to play their stunning soundtrack at a screening of Ye Olde Destruction on December 20th at the stellar Zebulon. If you need a glimpse into the culture that propels the underground of Los Angeles, look no further.
Location: Zebulon
Address: 2478 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Photo Credit: Shane Lopes
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