Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Dana.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joe. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born at the Kaiser Permanente on Sunset Blvd and now live not too far away from it. You’re talking to a bonafide LA native. I guess I got my start going to punk shows in the 1990s. I started making zines around that time so I could get into free shows. None of those zines ever really became popular but through making my own, I was invited to start writing for bigger publications. Those writing gigs led to making friends all over Los Angeles and beyond. I loved and still love live music. Eventually, I got involved with a small, now defunct scene called Kiss or Kill. That’s where I met what would turn out to be my future bandmates in Pu$$y-Cow. We had a modest following with a fun stage show. With the modest success of that, I was able to book lots of shows for touring bands with our band opening. I also came up with some fun concept nights so that going to one of my shows wasn’t the same old same old. Now, I spend a lot more time DJing – a term I use loosely since I’m by no means a professional.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always struggles. The biggest struggles when coming up with events in Los Angeles is our venues tend to live short lives. You can spend all this time cultivating a scene or a crowd and the bar or space will shut down. Some of those people will follow to the next adventure but some people kind of just drift away. Every time a venue closes in Los Angeles, it kind of feels like starting at square one. One of my biggest events I put on every year was a show called Dre Day where I had punk bands do covers of Dr. Dre produced songs. The show lived at the Blue Star for many years but when the Blue Star closed, it felt like I could show the next venue videos, articles, pictures, of past years and they’d kind of strong arm me like “punk bands doing hip hop? Like Limp Bizkit or something? Doesn’t sound like we could make any money off something like this” and we’d show them more and more evidence of how successful and it’d take forever to convince them. Then we’d have the show and the venue would shut down and we’d have to do the whole thing again.
A lot of newer established venues that open tend to be acoustic only or specifically say “no punk” but they just mean nothing too loud. I’ve heard of venues unplugging bands mid-set because the band was “too punk” but they really just mean too loud. The underground punk venues last so shortly that by the time you find them they are shutting down. That’s probably why I’ve been gravitating more towards DJing lately. It’s a lot easier.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Some people met me as a fan of punk rock in the front row. I still get called “Front Row” Joe by some folks. Some people know me as a music writer. Some people know me as the guy who sings for Pu$$y-Cow. Some people just know me as a music fan. I help design a lot of t-shirts for a punk happy hour out here called “Angry Hour.” I host a happy hour for Razorcake magazine once a month and some people only know me from that. I think I’m known for being a loudmouth with a lot of stories to tell, but also a lot of love to give.)\Someone called me the Angelyne of punk rock once and I’ll take that as a compliment. I think I just happen to be from here and a social butterfly. Maybe if I lived somewhere else, I’d just be a “townie.” I think Los Angeles makes me or made me seem more interesting than I actually am. I can tell you that the Silver Lake Cheese Shop used to be the Silver Lake Magic and Fetish Shop and they gave free spankings on your birthday. That’s a lot more interesting than the pool hall you loved as a kid becoming a 7-11.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’d like to start booking the type of punk shows that the Minutemen envisioned. The Minutemen used to book shows that had 2-3 bands and ended at an early hour for people who went to work the next day. They felt their music should be able to be loved by everyone. An all ages show that ended at 10 or 11 and then you have a kick-ass dj for the end of the night for people who want to stay later would be perfect for everyone.
Besides that, I’m always looking for new places to DJ.
Pricing:
- I host Razorcake Hearts Drinking Beer and Listening to Records the second Saturday of every month at Footsies from 5-10. There we give away the latest issue of Razorcake.
- I DJ the first Tuesday of every month at 82 with Kash Abdulmalik. We call our night “Sex and Violence”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @joe_dana, @pu666ycow
- Twitter: PussycowLA
Image Credit:
Victoria Marsden, Victoria Marsden, John Appelhans, Elizabeth Jean, Notes from Vivace
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