Save Music in Chinatown 3 (My Perfect Day)

Back in the stone age/print era, we used to have a section of Giant Robot mag where we would invite friends and family to share My Perfect Day. Sometimes they were were artists, musicians, or filmmakers providing a glimpse into their awesome lives. More often they were regular dudes like you or me, simply enjoying and showing off their beloved hometowns.

I’ve been blogging a lot about the rad bands that are playing our next DIY punk matinee ( The Chuck Dukowski Sextet, California) as well as how it’s going to benefit public schoolkids in Chinatown by paying for their music education. So you already know about it being a killer show for a great cause. But it’s also important to me is that people come to the neighborhood where my grandparents, in-laws, and now my daughter have spend time and have a rad day.

The gigs are always on Sunday afternoons to ensure plenty of  meters left open by the dispersed church and dim sum crowds. How good does it feel to roll up to your destination and find free parking? Or take the train if you’re one of the Adolescents. Maybe you’ll arrive so early that you decide to get a bowl of noodles at Pho 87 or Via Cafe before the show starts.

Matinees also mean little kids can attend. Not all children can handle loud, live music but my kindergartener loves it (with headphones on). And if it’s benefiting Eloise and her classmates, why shouldn’t they be able to attend and enjoy?

I can’t help but mention how cool the lineup will be on May 18 . This time around it’s the the hard jazz sounds of The Chuck Dukowski Sextet (featuring the legendary bass player from Black Flag/FLAG) and brand-new rock from the brand-new band California (featuring Adam from Jawbreaker and J Church, Jason from Monsula and Green Day, and Dustin from The Insides). Plus post-colonial sounds from Bitter Party, the debut of The Bear and Little Nun, and DJs from KCHUNG.

If you buy raffle tickets, you’ll probably walk away with goods from Keep Shoes, Ooga Booga, Poketo, and more. No one will puke or spill beer on you, but you might have cookie crumbs on your shirt or a coffee cup in your hand from the bake sale.

By the time you’re done hanging out and taking pictures with friends (the ones with great taste in music and who give a crap about the world) and the bands (who turn out to be the nicest people ever) it’ll only be six o’clock. So you walk down Broadway to have supper at a new-school joint like Starry Kitchen, Chego, or Cafe Via. Or if you’re in Channel Three, you’ll probably eat and drink at an O.G. spot like Golden Dragon with that cool bar in front covered in gold wallpaper. Wherever you go, dessert at Scoops is a great way to end the evening.

I think it’s important not only that we’re helping to pay for music education at the public school that my daughter attends, but it’s also cool just to have rad bands play in Chinatown again, attract people from outside the neighborhood, and remind everyone of the cool old shops and noodle joints as well as expose them to the new-school restaurants and galleries as well. That helps the neighborhood, too. And it’s fun.

Then you’re back home by 8 or 9, ready to put your kid or yourself in bed at a decent time and take on the week. Sounds like a perfect day to me. Save some money by buying your ticket in advance and I’ll see you at Save Music in Chinatown 3!