Description
In what one hopes will be an annual tradition, the much-missed Rhino Records emporium in Westwood has been reincarnating itself as a pop-up store for the past two years at sites close to its classic old location. The store will be open for just a few more weeks, with Rhino hosting daily in-house concerts by rising indie-rock, garage and power-pop stars mixed with beloved favorites from the punk, folk and Paisley Underground past. Among the musicians who've already popped up at the store this year are the Bangles' Vicki Peterson, Avi Buffalo, Little Willie G, Evie Sands, the Muffs, Billy Vera, Thelonious Monster, the Lions, Kristian Hoffman, the Ruby Friedman Orchestra, and unexpected reunions of the Crawdaddys and the Balancing Act. Executive producer Gary Stewart and his volunteer crew are constantly adding surprise guests to previously booked bills, making each day a unique event and this humble Westside storefront the temporary center of the local club scene. This year, the concerts are held in a separate room with a real stage, good sound and a pro lighting system, which makes this part of the store feel like a real nightclub. The rest of the store, of course, features thousands of Rhino releases, DVDs, cutouts, rare LPs and CDs, posters and out-of-print bargains. The unusual nature of this event seems to attract both the hippest indie scenester and legendary hermits who haven't performed onstage in years, and you never know who might be browsing through the stack of albums next to you. All ages. Street parking.
