Night Ramps and Train Hopping

Written and Photographed by Rick Perez

Editor-in-Chief Rick Perez attends the “No Signal” Short Film Premiere at 1700 Naud, complete with a skate ramp, scenes of train hopping, and live music from Chorduroy and Golf Alpha Bravo. Presented by Sunburnt.

Los Angeles, USA

Somewhere on the east side of Downtown Los Angeles, my friend Kyle and I wandered through empty warehouses. We were looking for a party that my friends in the San Diego band, Chorduroy, said they would be playing at that night. Kyle was visiting Los Angeles from New York City, so when Chorduroy told me about this, I was excited to show him a little glimpse into the L.A. underground scene. It’s also been a very long time since I've been to any type of gathering, so I was curious and hungry for something exciting.

As we turned the corner, I saw a few people walking into a warehouse space. I immediately recognized two women, Anna and Marymay, girlfriends of some of the members of Chorduroy. I called out their names and we embraced and I introduced them to my New Yorker friend.

“You’re going to really like this, Rick!” Anna said to me, having arrived awhile before us. With some nerves, we followed Anna and Marymay into Sunburnt’s “No Signal” Short Film Premiere Party.

The warehouse was huge; it had different levels with vendors, a tattoo artist, free booze, and a large lot outside with a skate ramp and food truck. The far side of the warehouse had a large screen over a stage, where the “No Signal” short film would be viewed and the bands would later play. Attractive attendees dotted the event, dressed in casual yet stylish streetwear, typical of Southern California fashion. It was all very overwhelming, beautiful, and exciting.

I know what you are thinking: a party during a pandemic?! Trust me, I was thinking the same thing, too. I’ve been fairly strict the whole year and avoided large gatherings. Now with everything opening up, I thought it was safer to venture out. To be honest, this event had precautions similar to restaurants. Most of the roof was open and extremely large, overhead doors opened to the outside area so there was ample airflow throughout the night. Most of the attendees wore masks and those who didn’t were drinking and/or eating, much like a restaurant.

Scanning the crowd, I found Taylor Sandoval, lead singer of Chorduroy, and gave him a hug. Later, Leland Schenck, drummer of Chorduroy, joined and we hugged as well. I caught with both of them and they filled me in on their recent adventures on the Colorado River and shared updates on the band.

After chatting for a bit, they proceeded to the stage and started playing. The crowd gathered and danced. It was really good seeing my musician friends express themselves on stage and I felt the energy in my heart: live music was back.

Chorduroy

Shortly after their set, it was time for the premiere of “No Signal”. “No Signal” is about a group of three friends who train hopped and hitch hiked their way from Los Angeles, California, to Montana and documented the entire adventure on a Super 8 film camera. The film was very well edited and shot and made everyone in the room want to drop their Earthly belongings and hit the open road. Very well done, Sunburnt!

As Kyle and I left the party and wandered back through the empty warehouses, I thought about how so many artists created this past year and are waiting to show the world how they have been inspired. “No Signal” is a great example of how a group of artists, who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, saw an opportunity to do something unique and went for it. I can’t wait to see what Sunburnt does next and I look forward to seeing what other creative things my friends have in store this year.