Existentialism Release Party

Poolside Presents: EXISTENTIALISM, Zine Release Party

By: Michael Kidd
Photography: Gravity Blast Photos

            On December 6^th, Poolside opened its gates to a celebration of the human experience; Existentialism. “Existentialism” is a zine by Guadalupe (Lupe) Bustos, an accomplished musician in the San Fernando Valley as the bass player for the recently dissolved pop-punk band “Between The Years” and vocalist for recently founded emotive-hardcore outfit “Swan”. In his latest photographic/poetic effort, “Existentialism” Lupe sought to capture the essence of life through the lenses and pens of his and his friends. Other contributors to the content of the zine were Damian Melara, Manny Valenzuela, Chase Rivera and many others. existentialism.bigcartel.com

            Your average Poolside show would consist of you first wondering if you’re at the right house. Then, after checking your gps a few times, you walk through a gate to meet friendly faces sitting at a round table as soon as you walk in; frequents of Poolside who congregate in the front to keep track of attendance and keep an eye on the front of the house. Adjacent to that group, there is a narrow path you follow to the backyard where you see the charm of Poolside, which would be the empty pool where bands/artists perform. This show however, took place next to the pool, around a fire, in front of a makeshift stage of wooden pallets. A textbook acoustic show, if there ever was one. There were Christmas lights tied around trees, friends in different groups chatting away, plenty of free pizza for everyone and a chance to pick up “Existentialism” for the first time.

            The performances kept the crowd close and very much entertained. Opening was Furthest From the Sun, which consisted of Manny Valenzuela playing acoustic guitar and singing. Following him were several other solo acoustic acts, such as The Sound Asleep, Ambulance, CRCLS and a spoken word performance by Chase Rivera. I had a chance to speak with Raul Esquivel from CRCLS and ask him a few questions. He enjoys music production, recording and his personal clothing line, Aetheraeon Clothing, which you can find at Aetheraeon.com. His acoustic project, CRCLS is lightly influenced by early Thrice and City & Color. You can find music from CRCLS at “CRCLSMusic” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

            My first look inside “Existentialism” was a joyride. There is content to keep your attention for lengthy periods of time, anytime you decide to open the massive 80 paged full color zine. There are beautiful photos from all over the state of California and riveting poetry from fantastic young writers. In a chat with Lupe, I asked him what his plans were for the future of “Existentialism” and he responded “…I made it all out of pocket and I’m [confident] I was going to make my money back, but then once I make that back I want to distribute it. Maybe Backside Records, Bridgetown DIY! That’s my next goal, that’d be cool. Like, tonight my high school teacher came and wanted some and I said ‘yeah, I’ll send some your way!’ and I can get some high schoolers to read it, have it in the library.”

            The performances came to an end with a solo acoustic performer hailed as The JT Project. He played a cover set that consisted of songs from Saves the Day and Say Anything, which the audience received in ecstasy. A set list that appeared to be packed with songs everyone who came in knew the lyrics to and sang along around the fire. It was an existential experience and you had to be there.

      EXTRA NOTES: Poolside is a house venue in Sylmar, CA. located at 13263 Wheeler Ave. The owner is rumored to have sold the house, so if you’d like to attend a show there, please go to the next one. It may be the last.