South Bay Band Using Pickup Truck To Help Save Local Music Venue

REDONDO BEACH, CA — South Bay teen band XWire won't let the pandemic stop them from performing—the group is working to save a Hermosa Beach music venue that's threatened to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

XWire will play a pop-up and livestream show Friday outside Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach to help raise money for the National Independent Venue Association's Save the Music Campaign. Saint Rocke is temporarily closed due to the pandemic and is now for sale, one of many music venues fighting to stay open in the wake of the pandemic.

NIVA is pushing for Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act, which would provide financial support for local venues across the U.S., a. nd the teens want to help save the location and raise awareness about how local venues are struggling.

All they need is a pickup truck, some amps and instruments.

"I'm from Rancho Palos Verdes," drummer Dax Corcoran told Patch. "Liam is from Eastville. Julian and Bryce are in Redondo. It's all South Bay-based."

It started first with drive-by birthdays.

"What happened was my neighbor was doing a drive-by birthday and I thought it'd be fun to put it in the back of my dad's truck," Dax said. "I thought 'Well, the band doesn't have anywhere to play, so why don't we just load up everything, the amp and the drum kit and ask people to play at their houses?'"

This means a lot to the band because they're fighting for something bigger.

"It's a venue that's been closed and in danger of currently closing because of the pandemic," lead singer Bryce Kelly told Patch.

"We're trying to think for the future, not only for ourselves but all other local bands and things, because when these things open up again there's a chance that these places won't open back up again," Dax said. "By the time things open up again some of these places might be closed."

Small venues mean a lot to beginning bands.

"Keep these small venues going because that's where all these bands get their start and stuff," Dax said.

"We've been doing a lot of shows recently, as Dax said, where we load up his truck and play different people's houses," Bryce said. "This is our first time doing a livestream and first time partnering with National Independent Venues Association. Right now they're advocating for the Save Our Stages act, which proposes grant money for independent venues in the country."

About 2,500 venues are currently part of the group, he added.

"They're just trying to make sure that the venues get as much support as they can give them," Bryce said.

"It's a free show, however, there is the option to make a donation that will go to NIVA" Dax told Patch. "Our goal for this show is to raise $2,000."

The group is excited to play outside, and they are focused on safety, socially distancing, and hope that the livestream will be a good option for people at home.

"We're not asking people to come out and see us live, in-person," Dax told Patch. "It's more of a livestream-focused thing since there are regulations on how many people are there at one time."

During this time, it's important for the band to keep playing. They had been scheduled to play LA Live before the pandemic struck and stay-at-home orders were put in place. And although it's not the same this summer, the feeling is still the same when they play.

"I still get the same feeling of enjoyment and pleasure that I used to when we played at music venues, but obviously there's not as many people and everybody is socially distanced and wearing masks, so it's definitely a different experience but it's something that's encouraging enough that we want to keep doing it and doing it as much as we can," Dax told Patch.

"The socially distanced gigs have been really different but in a way they're kind of more fun because for a lot of our audience members this is the first time they're experiencing live music since March," Bryce told Patch. "We can tell they're having a good time and that makes the gig that much better."

Saint Rocke is located at 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach.

Watch XWire's pop-up performance outside Saint Rocke on Facebook or Instagram. You can also donate to the effort.

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