Fire Museum Presents 40 Years Of DIY March 22, 2025 LIVE At The Sardine in San Pedro

This show is happening in San Pedro which is where it all began, I (Fire Museum Presents Director/Founder Steven Tobin) grew up in Southern California. It's safe to say Fire Museum Presents wouldn't have become what it has if we hadn't moved to Philadelphia, and a bit of an explanation to Los Angeles media folks as to why you are hearing from a Philadelphia based organization.

Shows before there was any organization to speak of, as well as the Fire Museum Presents shows in the San Francisco Bay Area were always fundraisers, moving to Philadelphia the nature and the mission of the organization changed. We still host fundraiser events and present an eclectic music series but we are now a scrappy non profit organization instead of a scrappy bunch of DIY youngsters

More about this event:

The backstory - on March 24th, 1985 a benefit fundraiser concert for Indigenous Political Prisoners took place at the D.A. Ward Studio in Los Angeles. This was the first performance organized by Fire Museum Presents Director and Founder Steven Tobin. 40 years later we are commemorating this event with a benefit fundraiser concert for the Anawakalmekak School Community 

Disaster Relief+Preparation fund.

The Sardine, 1101 S. Pacific Ave in San Pedro.

Performers Include:

 Aztlan Underground:

"It only takes seconds into an Aztlan Underground tune for listener to know they’ve come across a group unafraid of working outside the usual comfort zones. They take the spirit of open defiance bred in the barrios of East Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, draw fuel from the 1980s hardcore punk and hip hop scenes, and infuse spiritual inspiration from the continent’s native cultures and religions. What results voices the frustrations of peoples marginalized and dehumanized in lands to which they have been physically and spiritually connected for more than 20,000 years. AUG drew from a diverse musical palette over the course of their three albums, each building on its predecessor while pushing in a new direction—from straight hip hop augmented by native instrumentation, to an electrified fusion of punk and rap, to soaring soundscapes that alternate between poetic beauty and a withering brutality reminiscent of early Swans." - Razorcake

Yaotl Mazahua of Aztlan Underground is a member of The Iconoclast, the group that headlined the show in 1985.

Muscle Beach:

"Muscle Beach is the unmediated congregation of Neil, Maisy, Jane & Bennett – an LA 4-piece with a 9th ear, dedicated to the splendor of the human soul. "- dublab

Joshua White & Max Jaffe duo:

Joshua White is one of the music scene’s most creative and technically accomplished pianists. Praised by legendary musicians like Herbie Hancock as having “immense talent” and lauded for his “daring and courageous approach to improvisation … on the cutting edge of innovation”, Joshua has distinguished himself as a formidable leader of distinct voice among his peers.

Born and raised in Southern California, Joshua received early training at the piano and developed rapidly through rigorous study of both Western European Classical literature and the Black American Music traditions. Shortly after placing in the top two as a finalist of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, Joshua began concertizing as a soloist and musical collaborator all over the world -- and continues to maintain an active touring schedule throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Max Jaffe pushes the boundaries of composition and collaboration via the drum set. An early adopter of the groundbreaking drum set technology Sensory Percussion, Max has incorporated it in powerful solo performances and in collaboration with artists such as JOBS, Elder Ones, Chrome Sparks, Jeff Parker, and many others. Max released two records in 2024: a trio record with Dave Harrington and Patrick Shiroishi called Speak, Moment in March followed by his solo record Reduction of Man in September. 

Carmina Escobar:

Carmina Escobar is an extreme vocalist, improviser, performer, and sound and intermedia artist based in Los Angeles, CA. Escobar investigates and expresses emotions, politics, states of alienation, and the possibilities of interpersonal connection through voice performances, installations, and film/video pieces that seek to challenge our understandings of musicality, gender, queerness, race, the spoken word, and the foundations of human communication.

venue is wheelchair accessible