On Nov. 2, USC student-led Matchbox Productions hosted its debut show, “GRAVEYARD SHIFT,” at the Oblivion, a small music venue in Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood. The sold-out show brought together three local bands, American Cherry, Mad Hunny and Her Favorite Band, with all proceeds going to two L.A. nonprofits Project Ropa and FoodCycleLA.
American Cherry, a female-fronted post-hardcore band based in L.A., opened the show. Lead vocalist Cat Parkes emphasized the importance of performing for audiences that engage with artists not just for the artist themselves, but also to be a part of the local music scene. She shared how it feels to be immersed in this community.
“It’s really inspiring. I like seeing people stay for the whole set and actually get into the music, even if they don’t know the songs or who we are per se,” Parkes said. “They dance and sing along with the things they actually do know, and it’s so inspiring for me as a performer. Like I feel like it just boosts our energy on stage.”
Parkes also expressed her desire to become more immersed in L.A.‘s DIY music scene, in which musicians and independent organizers create opportunities to perform outside traditional industry structures.
“I’ve always wanted to jump more into the DIY stuff, because we end up playing a lot of bars and you know things like that,” Parkes said. “We get stuck with really crazy promoter people that suck. And so doing this and being part of the community that actually cares about music is way cooler than doing that stuff.”
For Tanner Payne, guitarist for American Cherry, the local music scene provides opportunities to connect with aspiring musicians in L.A.
“LA is super saturated with a lot of really good musicians,” Payne said. “So it’s really cool to be in a local band scene where you get to meet a lot of other cool bands. Every week we meet someone who’s really cool.”
While Payne emphasized relationships formed between musicians and audiences, Mad Hunny Lead Vocalist Kaia Lobato said the younger generation is a crucial part of what makes all of this possible and makes local music more accessible.
Lobato said that the atmosphere here “feels very community-oriented.”
“There’s a lot of good DIY venues, and it seems like a lot of the shows being run are by, like, college students,” Lobato said. “Even high school students and stuff, which is really cool. So it’s, like, it’s fun to see our age group, you know, kind of like, put on these shows.”
While the musicians found opportunities for connection throughout the event, the USC students behind the production team were also learning what it takes to facilitate those opportunities behind the scenes.
The event was organized by students in USC’s “MUIN 425: Concert Production and Promotion” course, taught by Michael Garcia and Michael Kominsky. The group was tasked with organizing and running a show to benefit a local charity. The assignment led to the creation of Matchbox Productions, whose members were responsible for securing a venue, performers and selecting specific charitable causes.
Members of Matchbox Productions sought out talent from Instagram, personal relationships and attending performances.
One member of Matchbox, Brooke Mendes, found Her Favorite Band on Instagram. Another member, Ellen, was driving hard for American Cherry after seeing them live. For William Gray, he discovered Mad Hunny from one of their live performances.
For Mendes, she “learned so much through this process about bands.” In terms of being involved in the DIY aspect of this music scene, she said, “I think to support this event I felt more excited. Like just to see familiar faces and to see people I don’t know, and like fans of all these bands that are so loyal and will show up and show out every time, and I love that.”
Beyond providing a platform for the musicians, the production team ensured funds from the concert went to two charities: Food CycleLA, which strives to reduce food waste and provides meals for underserved communities, and Project Ropa, which works in reducing textile waste and providing clothing to those in need.
Mendes detailed that she and the production team “wanted to do something with environmentalism, something with climate change,” influencing their decision to support organizations with environmental missions.
These partnerships allowed the students to connect their interest in local music with a desire to contribute to the larger L.A. community.
For Parkes, the significance of independent music spaces extends beyond a single performance. They provide a place for aspiring artists to find each other, pursue creative ambitions and build meaningful communities in a city as expansive as LA.
“All of these creative outlets are where people find [other] people and the ability to make a career out of it [music],” Parkes said.