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California Sounds
James Flames
Introduction
A native son revisits his roots, one record at a time. By Jeff Gordinier • Illustration by James Flames
John Vogl
Rock: “‘I Want the Nah, Nah Boys’”
The night Cannibal & the Headhunters outplayed the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl. By Gustavo Arellano • Illustration by John Vogl
5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS
By Gustavo Arellano
THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL’S LONG EMBRACE OF LATIN MUSIC
By Gustavo Arellano
Michael Byzewski
Pop Punk: The Club that Banned Green Day
924 Gilman has propelled bands from the fringes of all-ages shows to mainstream acceptance. By Santi Elijah Holley • Illustration by Michael Byzewski
5 ESSENTIAL ALBUMS
By Santi Elijah Holley
CROWD-SURFING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
By Santi Elijah Holley
Tyler Stout
Gangsta Rap: A Great Day in Inglewood
Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert distilled four decades of West Coast hip-hop into a message of unity. By Jeff Weiss • Illustration by Tyler Stout
5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS
By Jeff Weiss
NON-HIP-HOP INFLUENCES ON WEST COAST RAP
By Jeff Weiss
John Vogl
Mystic Folk: The Ghost in the Guitar
Before the Laurel Canyon sound, there was John Fahey—a meditative player who forged a style all his own. By RJ Smith • Illustration by John Vogl
5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS
By RJ Smith
JOHN FAHEY’S FRETTED-FINGERBOARD FOLLOWERS
By RJ Smith
Paul Rogers
West Coast Jazz: Where the Magic Happens
The World Stage in South Los Angeles launched several generations of musicians who influenced the sound of West Coast jazz. Three regulars on the venue’s epic legacy. Interviews by Lynell George • Illustration by Paul Rogers
5 ESSENTIAL ALBUMS
By Lynell George
JAZZ CLUBS STRIKE A CHORD ACROSS CALIFORNIA
By Lynell George
Tim O’Brien
Bakersfield Sound: Grit, Spit, and Greatness
The Bakersfield sound began in defiance of traditional Nashville country music. Though the honky-tonks have been shuttered, the genre continues through the legacy of its two rebellious leaders: Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. By Ed Leibowitz • Illustration by Tim O’Brien
5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS
By Ed Leibowitz
HITMAKERS CAPTIVATED BY THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND
By Ed Leibowitz
Dan Stiles
Sunshine Pop: When the Sun Goes Down
Five years after their disastrous first performance, the Beach Boys transformed surf music into sunshine pop. By Paula Mejía • Illustration by Dan Stiles
BIG ACTS WHO HAVE SOAKED UP SUNSHINE POP
By Paula Mejía
Todd Slater
Psychedelic Jam: Must Trip to Enter
The Grateful Dead’s 1965 Acid Test at Muir Beach melted the audience and performers into one psychedelic movement. By Brian A. Anderson • Illustration by Todd Slater
5 ESSENTIAL TRACKS
By Brian A. Anderson
WITH A VERY SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY…
By Brian A. Anderson
Features
Kate Russell
Your Next Home Could Be an Earthship
Michael Reynolds’s 50-year quest to bring sustainable living to the masses. By Julia Scheeres • Photos by Kate Russell
Mikayla Whitmore
The Life of a Showboy
Inside his Vegas mansion, Grant Philipo has built a museum to house the world’s largest collection of showgirl costumes and memorabilia. By Lina Abascal • Photos by Mikayla Whitmore
Books
Dustin Snipes
Why I Write: To Keep Myself from Drifting
By Tosh Berman
Why You Should Read This: Tosh: Growing Up In Wallace Berman’s World
By David L. Ulin
Carolyn Fong
Why I Write: To Give Voice to a People’s Struggles
By Greg Sarris
Why You Should Read This: Grand Avenue
By David L. Ulin
Dustin Snipes
Why I Write: To Make Meaning Out of Chaos
By Janet Fitch
Why You Should Read This: White Orleander
By David L. Ulin
Joe CIardiello
What the Washoe Saw
Thomas Sanchez’s monumental novel Rabbit Boss deserves a place in the California canon. By Dean Rader • Illustration by Joe Ciardiello
Alta
Upcoming Releases: Offerings for Mind and Spirit
New literary voices—and some old favorites—for a new year. By Paul Wilner
Christie Hemm Klok
Writer’s Room: After the War
Automatic Noodle author Annalee Newitz discusses robots and world-building. By Anita Felicelli
getty images
Rocket Man
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles recently turned 75. How does it hold up? By David L. Ulin
melinda beck
At the Knee
When the student is ready, the teacher will disappear: A novelist on the mentor he left behind. By Tod Goldberg • Illustrations by Melinda Beck
Alta
Recently Reviewed: From Activists to Insiders
Highlights from our Monday Book Review newsletter
Philip Cheung
A Near Century of Solitude
The Dorland Mountain Arts residency isn’t Yaddo or MacDowell—and that’s part of its magic. By Victoria Patterson • Photos by Philip Cheung
Dispatches
Zoe Matthiessen
Incomplete Science at White Sands National Park
The NPS says ancient footprints show that humans arrived in North America 7,000 years earlier than previously thought. Not so fast. By Doug Peacock • Illustrations by Zoe Matthiessen
Clay Hickson
Letter From Deadwood: The Real Mr. Wu
A new statue challenges old assumptions about immigrants and identity. By Ky-Phong Tran
Culture
getty images
Poetry: “Water Lilies”
By James Cagney
Charlie Neuman
Addison in Four Movements
Chef William Bradley’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant in San Diego County serves a symphony for the taste buds. By Jeff Gordinier • Photos by Charlie Neuman
Victor Juhasz
Fiction: “Delilah”
By Anita Felicelli • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
In Every Issue
getty images
Publisher’s Note: Music Is Always Cool
By Will Hearst
getty images
Ask a Californian: Grapes of Wrath
Our advice columnists tackle readers’ queries about how to trick oenophiles, hating on eucalyptus, and the state’s extended family. By Gustavo Arellano and Stacey Grenrock Woods
JAMES YATES
Crossword: At the Record Store
By Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa
Altatude