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Music Profiles

Bassist Russell Walters

By Monk Turner — Tuesday — 2 Comments

Russell Walters Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| If Stevie Wonder had a 'brother from another mother' living in Downtown L.A., it would be Russell Walters. Even though Russell is a white guy from the backwoods of Michigan with 20/20 vision, soul music drips from his fingers when he gets on the bass. Stevie Wonder's influence runs deep within this four string warrior; he even has the tattoo to prove it.

I met up with Russell to see what groups he has been playing with and get a sense of what life is like across from L.A. Live. — Continued Inside...


Musician Monk Turner

By Ed Fuentes — March 02, 2010 — 1 Comment

monk_ Ed Fuentes

Every two weeks, Monk Turner interviews someone who is making music in the heart of the city. Today, we turn the tables on Monk and ask him about his own new album, Coordinates, which was released online this week.

For Turner, Downtown is the muse that brings forth an affectionate and personal soundtrack for what he considers the cultural crossroads of the city. At the center of his latest release is First and Central, the Little Tokyo corner that he sees change mood during the day, using Asian scales shared by the blues to reflect both cultures. — Continued Inside...


Producer Mark Byers

By Monk Turner — February 16, 2010

Mark Byers Monk Turner

Frank Zappa has an album called "Does Humor Belong in Music?" I've often pondered this question as humorous music rarely makes it to mainstream radio.

I can say that after hearing some of the comedy projects that Downtown resident Mark Byer has worked on, the answer is a resounding yes. The Berklee School of Music alumn made the Arts District his home about a year ago and has since been creating music with comedians Michael Serrato and Paul Downs. — Continued Inside...


213's Dave Freeman

By Monk Turner — February 02, 2010 — 5 Comments

Dave Freeman brings the rock to Caseys Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| Dave Freeman is not only a career music promoter, he is also a career Downtowner. A little less than a year ago he decided he wanted to work in the neighborhood he lives in -- a bit of a stretch in a city where most of the population commutes to work. Furthermore, he wanted to do it through music.

With a strong background in music licensing, he has married his vision of creating concepts through music to Cedd Moses' visionary Downtown bars. — Continued Inside...


Lurssen Mastering's Gavin Lurssen

By Monk Turner — January 19, 2010 — 2 Comments

Mr. Lurssen Monk Turner

Mastering engineers are a strange breed. They come in after a record has been finished and do some tricks to put on the final polish.

They are the unsung heros of the recording industry. Most people, including myself, have no idea what they do. But listen to an unmastered record and right away you can tell something doesn't sound right. — Continued Inside...


Easter Island's Anton Sanko and Joel Thompson

By Monk Turner — January 05, 2010 — 1 Comment

Anton Sanko and Joel Thompson Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| Nope. I'm not going to do it. Not going to make the comparison.

Why? Because I can't stand it when people compare Downtown L.A. to New York City.

Look, all I'll say is that when our Arts District east of Alameda can pull talented native Manhattanites out of their borough, we're doing pretty good. Such is the case with composer Anton Sanko, who relocated his music studio here two years ago. After a stint as a classical guitarist and Susan Vega's musical director, he has led a very successful career composing music for television and film. — Continued Inside...


I Heart's Arrica Rose

By Monk Turner — December 08, 2009 — 6 Comments

Arrica Rose over Broadway Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| For decades, Downtown has been a place where demographics collide. With the neighborhood's revival comes the worry that the people who inhabited the businesses long before it was 'cool' to live here could get pushed out.

Arrica Rose has found a way to serve both communities with her Million Dollar Revival. This Sunday, she will revive the Million Dollar Theater for a good cause; free cancer screenings for low income, uninsured women. With a vision that serves all communities of downtown LA, I was excited to hear what she had to say about the event. — Continued Inside...


Champoy and Rhea of Magick Orchids

By Monk Turner — November 28, 2009 — 3 Comments

Magick Orchids Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| Speaking with Champoy and Rhea was like stepping back to my high school years. Talk of zines, independent distribution, renegade art shows and sharing spaces took me back.

Back to a time before Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter when the way you found out about what was going on was through your local underground zine (short for magazine). Before iTunes, Pitchfork, or Pandora, when the way you found out about cool new bands was through your local distro (short for distribution). — Continued Inside...


Dan Garcia of Radio Hill Recorders

By Monk Turner — November 10, 2009 — 6 Comments

Dan Garcia at the helm Monk Turner

|Photo Gallery| Dan Garcia's resume includes a laundry list of some of music's top stars. Known in audio engineering circles as an electrical genius (he built his own sound board), these days Garcia brings in L.A.'s top talent to his Radio Recorders Studio located in the Historic Core.

Recently, I found a time when he wasn't soldering wires or producing the next hit to find out what drew him to house his studio in Downtown L.A. — Continued Inside...


Mucho Wednesday's Ricky Garay

By Monk Turner — October 27, 2009
5 Comments

Ricky Garay takes a well deserved break

|Photo Gallery| Back in the late 90's there was a buzz around Latin Alternative music. Bands from all over the US, Latin America, and Spain were receiving major attention and creating a new type of music for a new generation. Then Ricky Martin had his comeback tour and left a giant turd on what could have been an amazing new music scene. Reggaeton was the nail in the coffin...