When the art is punk, San Pedro rocks with it

When Marshall Astor writes his address, he doesn’t write Los Angeles. He writes San Pedro. It’s habit, but a habit that stems from a sense of pride.

“People in San Pedro are dangerously proud of their town,” Astor said. “We think of ourselves as almost a separate identity.”

Astor is the curator for the History of San Pedro Punk art exhibition, at the Angels Gate Cultural Center through July 31.

The 27-year-old South Bay native, who owns a gallery called Walled City in downtown San Pedro and became the program manager at Angels Gate in January, came to Angels Gate executive director Nathan Birnbaum with the idea for the show more than a year ago.

Birnbaum loved the idea. Astor, he said, has hung around the punk rock scene over the years but would be able to bring an outsider’s point of view to the exhibition.

On display are fliers from shows advertised 25 years ago, music, music videos, works by local artists and photos documenting the history of punk rock in the area.

In San Pedro, punk rock isn’t just a type of music. It’s a subculture.

Since punk rock originated in England in the mid-1970s and began to pick up steam in San Pedro shortly thereafter when Dennes Boon and Mike Watt formed the Reactionaries -- a band that later would morph into the Minutemen -- punk rock has been a part of the community.

“This is the perfect place for punk to land,” Astor said. “Everybody here is the pitch-in type, and punk rock is definitely the kind of music that attracts the pitch-in type.”

Astor remembers attending dozens of backyard parties where bands would show up at the drop of a hat to perform.

“You’re not going to see that happen with pop music,” Astor said. “You can’t just call up Eric Clapton and say, ‘Hey, could you come play in our backyard?’ ”

The community also reflects the cross-generational embrace of the punk rock culture. “Punk is the most family-oriented movement ever,” Astor said. “Punks in Pedro ... they’re like, ‘This is our town, and how can our town be the best town possible?’ ”

Birnbaum said opening day on June 26 was one of the best turnouts he’s seen for a show since he began working at Angels Gate two years ago.

The exhibition includes a photo essay by photographer and punk rock enthusiast Andy Harris and hand-cut stencils of punk icons by Craig Ibarra. Photos by Martin Lyon, paintings by Aaron White and artwork by Chet Zar also adorn the walls of the gallery.

Lyon, who was studying photography at Cal State Long Beach when the Minutemen were gaining popularity, began shooting photos of the band after a backyard show. “Those pictures I made, I made because I just loved being there,” Lyon said. “I was trying to capture a moment.”

Lyon said he never imagined that 25 years later those photos would be framed in a gallery exhibition. “It’s really great that something done so long ago has meaning today,” he said.

Even with the exhibition underway, Astor continues to receive old fliers from people donating them to the show. “All they’re announcing is a date and a time,” he said. “But so much effort goes into making you want to be there.”

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History of San Pedro Punk

Where: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey St.,

San Pedro

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Ends July 31.

Price: $5 suggested donation

Info: (310) 519-0936 or www.angelsgateart.org