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KATON DePENA,

OWNER OF LONG BEACH-BASED BLACK DEVIL RECORDS AND BARFLY ENTERTAINMENT

> "Long Beach. I'm not just saying that because I live there. I've been everywhere, and Long Beach is pure rock & roll."

> "Record stores. There are four. The competition is tough, and perhaps they don't like one another, but here they are: Vinyl Solution in Huntington Beach. Run by Drak, a longtime business associate of mine who really does care about music more than most people could ever imagine. On a scale of one to 10, the guy's an 11. There's also Zed Records in Long Beach, 45 Revolution in Long Beach and Bionic (several in OC)."

> "The Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest. Newly remodeled; a very good club. It's still, at the moment, the underdog. But in time, I believe it'll be one of the better OC venues (it doesn't hurt being right next to Captain Cream's, a very nice gentleman's club)."

> "If you're not homophobic or you're heterosexual and enjoy visiting gay bars, then check out Que Sera (for the ladies) or Ripples (for men) in Long Beach. Men and women are welcome at both. The gay community is also very supportive of music in Long Beach. Melissa Etheridge used to play at Que Sera in her early days. And Ripples has amazing female-impersonator nights.

> "Bands. Hands down, Banyan is my favorite band to work with. For as much notoriety as these musicians have—Mike Watt, Stephen Perkins, Nels Cline—these guys are big stars and are more punk-rock and down-to-earth than any other band I've worked with. Three other up-and-coming bands worth mentioning: Throw Rag (keep an eye out for them); the Angoras; and All Day, easily the biggest Long Beach band since Sublime."