Written
February 8, 2023

It’s Saturday night, you and your friends are looking for something to do. Is there a party to go to? Someplace you can dance with strangers?. What about the flyer for a “house show” in Venice that has been flooding your social media? Obviously your mind is flooded with queries on; “What is a Swandive?”, “Who is Trevor?”, and “Why does fourr only have three members?”.You could go to dinner again, or just stay in and watch a movie, but the rational decision concludes with recruiting a bunch of unsuspecting friends and Ubering down to this so-called “Return to Penmar”. 

Little do you know, those six bands you are about to witness, (while not remembering a single song afterward), have been preparing for the public’s arrival since the early afternoon, arriving at a mere 3:30 pm. I was very fortunate to be a part of this crew of young musicians stumbling around on that fine afternoon. Like you, I once was an avid show attendee, always in the middle of the crowd dancing with my friends: so innocent, not a care in the world. Ever since I found myself in the production and performance side of the scene, my perspective has shifted. Without overwhelming you with the responsibility of making sure none of your gear gets stolen, let’s take a walk around this little thing called “soundcheck”. 

Spirits were high, everyone looking for the opportunity to shine and dazzle on the now-elevated stage. The guitars are unveiled from their cases, and wires are getting tangled. We all wait patiently for our turn to ask Cesar, (the best soundman; if you see him at a show, your ears will be blessed), to turn up the bass. There’s absolutely no necessity in going into extreme detail about every note that was played during those hours. Everyone was just very eager for the show to start.

Here’s when the story takes a quick turn. If you were there on that fateful night–you know it took quite a turn. Turn off that nonsense information, and let’s take this night one step further. 

Into the business of love…. or Love Parade.

*I would like to make it clear that I am an extremely biased source when it comes to this specific show due to the fact that many of the people in the bands that night I consider being close friends* 

It was their first show ever, but I would never spill that! A blonde guy in a gray hoodie approached the stage. “This is not Love Parade, this is Truman from Sales Team 3” I yelled to a confused friend. Soon, his little stunt was over and the true members walked onto the stage (some with the assistance of crutches). The music had started. The party was on. Around mid-way through the set, another special guest graced the stage: Riley Schmedeman (lead singer of Swandive). He ripped through the crowd–it was time to get hardcore. Love Parade and their brilliant counterpart destroyed a cover of “Honeycomb” by Deafheaven. After getting off-stage, I bumped into the famed singer in the green room. As I was tuning my violin, Riley went up to me and asked something along the lines of “Did that sound good? The Screaming?” Without hesitation, I responded with a “Hell yeah!” which at the time, felt like the right response. 

After some very anxious shakes and screaming, Noah and I headed out. For some added context– my best friend Noah and I make up the ever-so-mysterious “Trevors Everywhere”. As much as I would love to review my own set and declare it Grammy-worthy, I don’t believe it would be ethically appropriate. I personally had a great time; I screamed, fell on the floor, got to stare gracefully into the crowd, and do what I love with my best friend. As the last thirty seconds of our last song “Cataclysm” approached, we called up our friend Ada Kaplan to finish off the set. She was a bright, dazzling star. And I will stand by that, regardless of the fact that I am possibly the most biased party that could be having this conversation. We get off stage, thank the crowd, and feel a rush of energy, right before getting freezing cold once again. As I approached the greenroom, I am faced with a very disappointed-looking Lucius Farha (Fourr), who says something sweet about the set, but most importantly: 

“The cops are here, they’re shutting it down”. 

Which quite possibly could be the worst thing that could happen to such an anticipated night. So unfortunate that those words were spoken more than once. 

While in complete denial, I think of everything we can do to rescue the show, along with the 200 teenagers waiting outside helplessly. Once more information unfolded, I knew there was nothing left to do, and nowhere left to run. The show was over before it really even began. 

And this is where the story of what could’ve been the greatest show to hit the young LA scene, (for around a week, until it’s ultimately Saturday again and everyone goes to another one) ends. Hundreds of teenagers crowd around the street in complete confusion about where the night will take them: it was only 8pm! Some people go to a neighboring In-N-Out, and some people go home. Some lucky people head off to another party that makes a final attempt to revive what could’ve been (which the LAPD did not enjoy), but that is a completely different story. 

I decided to write this article before the show even took place, hoping to walk the everyday person through what a great show looks like from the perspective of a band member. Yet, this is probably the realest it can get. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the suitcase gets packed up, and all the feelings of “what could’ve been” linger on. But this is definitely not the end. Don’t you fret reader:

We are only getting started…

If you are a visual learner: I made a little behind-the-scenes video to go along with this article, which can be found @trevorseverywhere on Instagram 🙂

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