“60 Miles East” exhibit hopes to encourage the Riverside music scene to resurrect

Mike Farber, wearing a weathered leather vest of his local punk rock band, Bad Ass, stood in front of a wall filled with tickets, photos and other artifacts within the Riverside Art Museum’s (RAM) newest exhibit.

He participated in Riverside’s early punk rock scene, he said, even meeting his wife at a local show.

“It brings back a lot of memories,” Farber said. “It made me, me.”

Raquel Puente, another attendee, stared at a wall full of band tees and reminisced about her early teens, watching live shows with friends with only a handful of change in her pocket. 

“It was loud, it was fun, it was sweaty. We were all dying for water,” she said. “The community was tight-knit.”

Farber and Puente were only two of an estimated 1,100 who attended “60 Miles East,” a collection of photographs and tactile artifacts of Riverside’s punk rock, hardcore and ska scene, on its opening reception Nov. 6 at the RAM. 

The exhibition was curated by Zach Cordner and Ken Crawford, who experienced the city’s underground scene first-hand. To create the retrospective, they utilized personal memorabilia — both taken from their own collection while also borrowing from lifelong friends across Southern California — to curate a space that encapsulates their hometown’s early 1980s to late 2000s.

Cordner was one of the few photographers at each show, allowing him to capture intimate shots of the bands and crowd using his wide fish-eye lens. His photographs on display show people in the moment, dripping with sweat — no phone in sight. Cordner was still a high schooler when he started his photography career, taking classes at Riverside City College to learn the craft.

“I was getting sweat and blood and all sorts of stuff on me,” he said. “For me, it was like combat photography. It was the closest thing to shooting a riot or a war. It was 50 kids jumping on stage with the band, and you’re trying not to get run over.”

Crawford, who also got his career start as a student journalist at RCC Viewpoints, was alongside Cordner oftentimes being his right-hand man blocking the crowd while he got photo shots in. They met in high school, where they developed a friendship based on their love for skateboarding and hardcore music. They are now the publisher and editor of the Riversider and have continued to be very involved in the Riverside community. 

They explained their goal as curators is to see a resurrection of the music scene in Riverside, especially for the youth. In hopes that the young generations that are inspired by these eras form a band and kickstart the scene.

They frequented regional underground music hotspots, all showcased in order at the exhibit to emphasize the evolution of the scene: Italian restaurant Spanky’s Cafe, The Showcase Theatre and University of California, Riverside’s The Barn.

Spanky’s Cafe owner, Ezzat Soliman allowed kids of all ages to come and perform on the weekends. The sign that hung in the original cafe, now closed, is seen on display. 

Soliman would open Showcase Theatre in 1993, which was solely for the music scene. The original bike and chandelier that hung from the ceiling of the now burnt down venue were fully restored and put on display. The shadows of the artifacts cast over the photographs and enlarged concert tickets. 

“(The theatre) just opened the door for so many fans all over the world,” Cordner said. “You’d come out and your shirt was drenched, you could just squeeze out all the sweat.”

The Barn was originally built for ranching purposes in 1917 but turned out to be one of the hottest up-and-coming music venues once 98 Posse started to promote the venue. The Barn would see performances by Blink-182 and Radiohead early on in their musical careers, making it a historical relic in the underground Riverside music scene. 

“It was a real magical time, the early 90s; that Riverside doesn’t have anymore,” Cordner said.

Crawford explained the meaning behind the “60 Miles East” title of the exhibit as an homage to the differences and actual distance of the Los Angeles punk rock, hardcore and ska scene. 

“The Riverside stories don’t get told unless they’re told by people from Riverside,” he said.

The exhibit is presented by Travis Barker who worked for the 98 Posse, big-time promoters in Southern California in the late 1990s. Art Moreno was the assistant to Bill Fold, the founder of the promotion group. He worked with Fold for 10 years and currently works alongside him at Goldenvoice.

“(It was) a little archaic. At the time it was all we had. Spent a lot of time at Kinkos, printing out fliers and (using) early Photoshop,” he said.

There are few online artifacts of the group as most promotion was done through word of mouth and fliers from team collaboration. Moreno elaborated on what it was like to be the behind the scenes of Southern California night life. The most bustling time for the 98 Posse business was from 1996 to 2000, when they had three to five shows a week at The Barn. 

“It was a good time and it was about having something for kids,” Moreno said. “Any age kid. Young kid to the adult kid.”

In a non-digital age, before social media, Riverside locals expressed they were eager for connection seeking out the next thrill. The live concert scene provided them with all-age spaces to express themselves and find a new up-and-coming band.

Barker made an appearance, shaking fans’ hands and taking in the era he was a huge part of. The opening reception night was jam-packed with energy; Ukulele Hiro played a set, the curators spoke about the exhibit to the crowd and a man in a Voodoo Glow Skulls mask roamed around for photo-ops.

To the many Riverside natives who experienced it — like Puente who is still an active member of the scene — the energy and meaning is universal: 

“I enjoy it. This truly is my therapy. It’s my community. It’s my life,” Puente said. 

“60 miles East” will be open until April 12, admission prices vary.