The Los Angeles music community was devastated last December by the loss of Chris Stein, bass player for Saccharine Trust and Carnage Asada, after a long and trying battle with cancer.
An all-around good guy, Chris had a ready smile for everyone, and when things would go wrong he just seemed kind of amused. Memorialized by Nate Jackson in the OC Weekly as “…a rare breed, quiet, humble, artistic and pure,” his unabashed love for his “HippoNurse ” pitbull Fiffa and involvement in dog rescue made him a local hero.
When most of us could not be there for Chris in person due to our busy lives and the distance to his hometown of Simi Valley, Ursula Harris fought for and with Chris. Her finances were adversely affected, so Chris’ many friends are getting together to play a benefit to help her out. Hosted by his bandmate and Café NELA proprietor, Dave Travis, Steinstock will rock the Cypress Park club for three nights this weekend, starting tonight.
For Minutemen fans, Mike Watt and the Secondmen will be playing tonight, While George Hurley’s spanking new band with Joe Dean will close the fest out on Sunday. The nascent band is self- described as “Drum/Bass duo The Wrinkling Brothers of San Pedro, Ca. have been providing Post-War groove to a hungry fishing community for over 75 years.”
Also on the bill for the weekend is the postmodern butt-rock of John Ramirez’s Golden Rulers, The safety-conscious Mormons, the jazzpunk sounds of The Atomic Sherpas, and the instrumental surf stylings of Lawndale. Chris’ band, Carnage Asada and side projects from his Saccharine Trust band members, The Jack Brewer Band and Joe Baiza’s Mecolodiacs round out the bill.
If you are unfamiliar with Café NELA and this post-SST middle-aged jazz-punk fusion collection of bands, come experience the welcoming, good-natured and all-out rocking good vibe while doing some good for less than ten bucks. Some of the best musicians in LA, who probably influenced the music you are into, will be playing their hearts out for you.
Café NELA, located at 1906 Cypress Avenue, Cypress Park, Los Angeles, is a casual 21 and over beer bar with a big back patio and an excellent taco truck down the street. Check out the full schedule after the break.
Steinstock 2019 Schedule
Friday, February 15, 2019, 8:30 p.m. $8 cover
Tune to Me 9 p.m.
Mike Watt and the Secondmen 10 p.m.
The Golden Rulers 11 p.m.
Leopold Midnight
(Sound by Dirty Ed)
Saturday, February 16, 2019 – 8:30 p.m. – $5 cover
The Atomic Sherpas 9 p.m.
The Mecolodiacs 10 p.m.
Jack Brewer Band 11 p.m.
The Mormons 12 p.m.
(Sound by Dirty Ed)
Sunday, February 17, 2019 – 4:30 p.m. $5
The Wrinkling Brothers (George Hurley from the Minutemen & Joe Dean from Crawlspace) 5 p.m Lawndale 6 p.m.
Carnage Asada 7 p.m.
The Probe 8 p.m.
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Cafe NELA is the best music club in Los Angeles!