LASA gathered at El Pueblo to take in the sounds of the city and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes’ “A Great Day in East L.A.: Celebrando the Eastside Sound.”  We started with a tour of the historic plaza. Bill Deverell walked us in a circle past La Placita church, Olvera Street, La Plaza Park, the old fire station, the Chinese American Museum, and the alley alongside Pico House. LASA listened to a city awakening, noting birds, vendors serving patrons from their carts, the sounds of the church, and, of course cars, buses, and helicopters.

LASA then gathered at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to meet with curator Esperanza Sanchez and guest curator on “A Great Day in East L.A.,” Jorge Leal. The exhibit “explores the dynamic musical influences of East Los Angeles artists who developed an eclectic musical identity and history.” From the last century to the present, the exhibit blends oral histories, portraits, video footage, music, instruments, tickets and other ephemera, t-shirts, costumes, and more!

Bryan shared, “This Saturday I learned a lot about LA’s culture. Even though I have basically lived here all my life, I never really put much thought into what kind of Culture LA had. It was cool to tour the museum and learn about the Eastside sound. Walking around through the LA plaza and all the vendors who were selling a different kind of stuff was also very eye-opening. I also learned a lot about events that I had never even heard up like the LA Chinese Massacre.”

Some of the students even treated LASA to music. Remick noted, “I thought our visit to La Plaza and the museum was very interesting. I hadn't previously thought about how sound impacted the cultural development of Los Angeles. After hearing all the bands that were a part of the East Side Sounds, I was shocked to hear extremely popular names like the Beastie Boys and The Beatles (they used East Side Sounds in their music). Additionally, I really loved the zoot suit and its overall look and atmosphere.

Hearing about its history, too, gave me a greater understanding of fashion development in Los Angeles and what a good suit has looked like throughout the years. When we were in the room with the instruments, I played the piano, but got kind of nervous the first time because I don’t play in front of audiences very often. After a bit more discussion and learning with the group, we had our free time, and I locked in and played some more piano, but this time I felt more able to play naturally. Overall, I really enjoyed visiting La Plaza and the museum, and I discovered a new side of LA that I hadn’t thought about before.”

Thank you to Esperanza and Jorge for sharing this work with LASA.