THIS IS OUR SCENE
With Jessie Castro
From Paradigm Spring 2021, Issue 6.1
BY JESSIE CASTRO
I grew up in Highland Park during the 1990s, before it was gentrified and hipster. During those years, I remember when being a gangster was a thing, but this all changed for me with the rising popularity of skating.
One of the first skate demos I saw was called Misled Youth. It was 1999 and I loved how DIY it was. Later that year, PlayStation released Tony Hawk Pro Skater, which catapulted skate punk and third-wave ska into the mainstream. It was during this time my next-door neighbor and best friend Mikey introduced me to The Misfits and Dead Kennedys. Starting from 8th grade up until now, I have worn the same outfit: Black punk T-shirt, blue cut-off Dickies shorts and Vans or Nikes (I’m an old man now). Occasionally, I will wear long, tall white cholo socks.
My first backyard gig took place in my neighbor David Luna’s backyard when I was 13 or 14 (can’t remember now). His parents were cool as fuck and let him throw gigs on the regular, with grindcore/crust bands and forty-ouncers all night long. When the drummer started blasting on the snare and high-hat, crusties and punks slammed around, kicking up dirt that combined with the second-hand smoke of cheap bud called stress. Shortly after, I begged my parents to buy me a bass guitar.
Looking back, getting that bass turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made in my life because it lead to the start of my band Hungry Ass Youth, meeting my wife and countless friendships.
Fast forward to 2016, Infinite Strength Records singed Hungry Ass Youth. It was during this period I became very close with Infinite’s CEOs Jose, Mary and Leo. At the time, the label was only using its studio to record bands but wanted to produce a podcast featuring the label’s artist roster and approached me.
Initially, I was nervous because I had never produced a podcast before, but was excited about the opportunity. Soon after, and with Infinite’s blessing, This Is Our Scene (TIOS) was born. Since I knew a shit ton of talented bands and homies, it was fairly easy for me to bring them in for an interview. As a thank you for being a guest, we always bought the bands beer and pizza. From 2016 to 2019, TIOS interviewed about 15 bands and a handful of individuals.
This included bands like Union 13, Los Creepers, Psycotic Scum and other notable guests include Don Eddy Villanueva and Javier Cabral. There are numerous podcasts that interview bands, but what sets TIOS apart from the rest is it serves as a platform to predominantly Latinx artists local to the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles and San Bernardino.
It was actually during the interview with Psycotic Scum I first learned about Paradigm Zine. I was told Kari was badass and that we should combine forces. As if the planets had begun aligning, I started seeing Kari at shows, taking pictures and interviewing bands and gig attendees.
Through scheduled meet ups at Dennys and IHOPs, Kari and I began planning how I would contribute to the zine. Ultimately, we decided TIOS would be added as a column in the zine, which lowkey, is a dream come true for me. I have always been a big fan of Paradigm Zine and respect and enjoy working with like-minded individuals like Kari.
Stay tuned to future issues with TIOS where you can expect to read an interview with tight ass bands and homies on the come-up. Cheers!