Long Beach showcases unusual mix of local talent

By Sara Barton, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, September 2, 1998

Long Beach's finest musicians showcased their talent Friday at Jillians on Pine and First Street.

The event was sponsored by Jim Trenton, better known as "Poor Man," who got his start on the radio station KROQ in the early 80s.

With around 500 people in attendance, nine local bands and two solo acts participated in the event. Some audience members referred to the concert as "Long Beach-palooza."

"Seattle will always be known for its great grunge bands," said Kathy Kelly, the show's coordinator. "Now it is time to show off the many great talents of Long Beach."

"We not only have the talent, but we have a great variety too," Kelly said.

Besides the common rock and classic guitar oriented bands, the show's talent ranged from Johnny Jones on harmonica to ska by Kamenwelth.

The Fuzz, a band that plays psychedelic country rock, opened its performance by singing through a bullhorn, which was a crowd pleaser.

"There was a great variety of music with different sounds throughout the night," said Jake Matthews, a spectator. "It wasn't the same old lineup you hear at most concerts."

With 11 performances and only five hours to fit it all in, there were no complaints from the entertainers.

"This was a great interaction between Long Beach bands," said Sean Chaffins, the saxophone player for Mass Confusion. "It was a gathering of creative diversity of music created by the immense number of bands living in the heart of Long Beach."

One of the more divergent bands was the Cajun Punk Daddies. The band closed out the concert with punk performed in an unusual manner. The group hosted an accordion player, a washboard player and another who played on a mix of empty 12 and 40 ounce beer and wine bottles. The band's country-boy outfits were appropriate for its act.

Overall, Poor Man had a successful evening.

His accomplishment of getting these unsigned musicians recognized will probably not go unnoticed.

While these groups may not have major label record deals, they are not without a strong fan base.