The new ‘North of Hollywood’ column in Big Wheel magazine - By N.L. Belardes

I’m no expert on music, or even critiquing music, but I do love to illuminate some of what’s going on in Bakersfield and the rest of the Central Valley in my new monthly column for Big Wheel magazine called “North of Hollywood”. And not just that. It’s cool to be able to submit photos and include band websites/myspace sites, and premiere shows before they happen...

Big Wheel magazine calls themselves, “California’s Premiere Preview Magazine”. They write on their myspace site:

We cover the bands that Rolling Stone and Spin wont’ touch—so, if you want to know what’s really going on every month in music, pick up a free issue of Big Wheel at your local music watering hole…

If you are interested in having your music and any other materials reviewed or featured in the magazine, please send it to:

Big Wheel PO Box 1217 Studio City, CA 91614



Big Wheel hails out of the southland and distribute heavily there. They also distribute in Central Valley locations: Guitar Center, World Records, La Rouge Rooster, Narducci's, and Fish Lips.

In my first article, I wanted to get readers used to the idea of Bakersfield and the Central Valley before I really started to spotlight bands. Here’s a glimpse of “North of Hollywood”:

Bakersfield. 110 miles north of Hollywood. Towering mountains and earthquake fault lines separate the L.A. metropolis from the Great Central Valley. Fly down the last mountain past Fort Tejon and you’ll feel like the valley’s winter Tule fog spilling into the breadbasket of America.

Three hundred miles of agriculture, valley towns and cities look the same to the untrained eye: Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, and Sacramento are the highlights. More than a dozen towns fall in between among farms and dairies. A freeway cuts through the southernmost city, Bakersfield, where Basques once entertained travelers with the likes of Johnny Carson and Frank Sinatra.

If L.A. is fast, Bakersfield falls at medium speed by comparison, and feels a bit lost—lost in its oil fields and agriculture. Lost in that it hides much of its music, tucks it away. The diverse sounds of the Southern Central Valley seem purposely swept by the mainstream media under a misunderstood agricultural-urban rug of hidden talent. Bands like Korn had to fight their way out into a land of LA Nu-metal bliss. Rumor has it Korn might break up (though I don’t think so). And with the death of Bakersfield country legend Buck Owens in 2006, who does that leave to pick up the trail of Bakersfield music legacies?

Bakersfield is filled with plenty of hardworking bands. But just who has break-out potential? Right away, emo band Lost Ocean, signed with EMI, recorded in Nashville has sent their EP, Night to Life to the masses…

You’ll have to pick up a copy to read the rest.

I’ll be spotlighting bands from Bakersfield and the Central Valley in future articles… Next issue comes out in March...

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Wednesday, February 07, 2007. You can leave your response.