In 2011, longtime Long Beach resident Brian Frederick was ready for a change.

It’s an overcast morning at the new Porch Party Records headquarters, a rustic two-story house off Fourth Street. Founder Casey Terrazas, casually clad in a striped v-neck tee and black jeans, steps out onto the porch and sits in a lawn chair.

On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan sent shockwaves through the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival, where he was headlining the last day. The folk singer stepped onto the stage with a Fender Stratocaster and played a distortion-filled set tributing Rock ‘N Roll and was practically booed off stage. 

For someone who’s familiar with Brutal Band Entertainment’s stamp on their events, the inaugural Mob Fest last Saturday played to their M.O. quite well.

At the onset of 2014, Alex Hattick made a new year’s pact with her roommate Nancy Woo. The 26-year-old Long Beach musician and Nancy, a poet, challenged each other to create something new every week, and at the end of every month they'd host a creative salon to share their month’s work, inviting their friends to do the same.

Eight years ago, Freddie Dilworth found himself feeling ecstatically intimidated.

In the crack of dawn, Jay Perris, Lorenzo Gigliotti and their buddy Tim Chaplin sat awake in the empty parking lot of KROQ, the radio station based in Pasadena.

If and when there happens to be a revival of folk music in Long Beach, there’s one man who should be held largely accountable.

On any given night, it’s safe to assume there is live music being played somewhere in Long Beach. Where to find what is the tricky part.

When the engines begin roaring this Friday on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit, some will undoubtedly crave hearing sounds of a more melodic nature. Luckily, they won’t have to look far to find it, as a diverse lineup of musicians, of both local and international fame, will take to the stage throughout the weekend both on and near the circuit.

About a month after we first crossed paths in the local open mic circuit, 28-year-old Noah Grove quietly confided he was living out of his car by the beach. Then about a month later, during an intimate performance at the Filmmaker’s Gallery, he shared with the entire audience. 

I vividly remember my first open mic night at DiPiazza.