November 29th Email

November 29th Email:

I think on Tues. nights at Gung Hays, they had the live bands i.e. Carry On, Free Flight and (Prism)?. "Soul" music was the order of the day. There were alot of dances held at hotels near LAX too. One time a very large Asian dance was held at the LA Convention center in the late 70's. I think in the eighties the place to hang out was either at a club called "Down Under" in Century City? and some other places down in Redondo and Hermosa Beach.

The carnival scene usually started with Chinese new year as the first one of the year in LA's Chinatown. Then the Cherry Blossom Festival in Monterey Park followed. Then came the Crenshaw carnival, then the Obon festival in J town and finally the Nisei week culminating the end of summer. In between those there were a few small carnivals, one down in Gardena on 166th st and one time there was one out in the San Fernando Valley. All were sponsored by Churches.

Cruising the carnivals was the norm during and after each one. Street racing inevitably followed especially after Nisei week ending up on Stadium Way. Many people specifically prepared their cars for Nisei week to show off after the carnival as they cruised back and forth on San Pedro Street.

Street racing usually occurred Tues., Fri and Sat. nights either on Stadium Way or in Torrance meeting at the Denny's on 190th and Western. There were usually rivals from different parts of the city. They were known as the West Siders who were always rowdy and looking for a fight and the East Siders who were thought to have the rich parents who bought their kids their cars and parts. Then there were the ones from the the South Bay known as the Gardena Boys. IN LA's Chinatown, there was a rowdy group known as the Homeboys.

For some of us on Weds nights, we went to cruise Van Nuys Blvd and then after head up to Mulholland Drive to race on the "hill". On a Friday or Sat. night, we would sometimes race on the hill too if there was no racing on Stadium way.
Nobody I knew cruised Whittier Blvd since that was all for lowriders and nobody wanted to be associated with that culture.

Here's another Hawaiian band performing an excellent rendition of Summer Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apwegd8SgB4&feature=channel

On this link, they also perform an excellent rendition of "You're still a young man" by Tower of Power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvbc5Ayth-o&feature=channel