Day of Music Fullerton amps up for its ninth year
Last year’s Day of Music Fullerton was an intimate gathering, concentrated mainly in the Fullerton Museum Plaza.
“I think we are just getting our sea legs back from the pandemic,” said Jen Strbac, former Day of Music Fullerton president. “It obviously had a dramatic effect on us, but I think there is now an appetite to pick this back up.”
After COVID-19 waned, the event was kept small as the city eased back into large gatherings. Now in its ninth year, Day of Music Fullerton was back in full force on June 21 with live music performances in the plaza and in many surrounding businesses in Downtown Fullerton.
“Fullerton is a wonderful sort of village in the middle of greater Los Angeles,” said Strbac, as congo lessons began behind her in the Kids Korner of the festival. “That paired with our rich artistic history along with our musical history just makes us the perfect spot for the celebration of the day of music.”
Day of Music Fullerton is part of a larger event that originated in Paris in 1982. Fête de la Musique, as it was known in France, was brought to the city of Fullerton by Glenn P. Georgieff in 2014. It became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, bringing free music to the streets of Fullerton, until 2022 when the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation took over the organization, with members staying on as volunteers to produce the event.
“The fact that Fox has taken it over is good, and they have very ambitious musical goals for music day and carrying the tradition,” Strbac said.
As in years past, residents and music lovers gathered in the plaza for live music that began at 2:30 p.m.
Even earlier, live musical performances took place at the Night Owl on Harbor Boulevard, where the coffee shop hosted Tritone Music Academy.
“It is actually a local rock ‘n’ roll school that teaches kids rock ‘n’ roll,” said Night Owl owner Joe Rosati. “So they are going to be rocking our patio today.”
Burnt Ramen, Ocean Wolf and Doll House each played sets at Night Owl, and Rosati said he was happy to have Day of Music Fullerton back in full swing.
“It is a cool event that brings people together and just lets them have a good time,” said Rosati. “And it’s about time, after all the pandemic and everything. It is good to see people smiling and dancing and singing along.”
The Fullerton community has a rich musical history that includes native Leo Fender who designed the Fender Telecaster, Fender Precision Bass and Fender Stratocaster in the 1940s. Fender founded the Fender Musical Instruments Corp., and construction of Fender guitars continued at a Fullerton plant until 1985. Today, the Leo Fender Gallery at the Fullerton Museum Center features a collection of electric guitars from the lifelong resident, including the first prototype of a solid-body electric guitar.
“This is the home of Leo Fender,” Rosati said. “He had a shop right across the street. He used to come here for lunch back when this was a diner back in the ’40s and ’50s. This is Leo’s city.”
Fullerton was also ground zero for the Orange County hardcore punk music scene in the 1980s and the home of bands like the Adolescents and Agent Orange. Although ska band No Doubt hailed from Anaheim, lead singer Gwen Stefani attended college briefly in Fullerton, and the band regularly played at CSU Fullerton. Jackson Browne and Tim Buckley also attended school in Fullerton, and the city has produced alternative rock band Lit, as well as ’80s acts Berlin and Stacey Q, who headlined last year’s festival.
In the Fox Theater Courtyard, the Ironside Collective kicked off at 8 p.m. Other participating businesses hosting live music included Bootleggers Brewery, Bourbon Street, Back Alley, Bowery, Callahan’s, Heroes, High Horse Saloon, Hopscotch, Les Amis, Lost Level Arcade, Mickey’s Irish Pub, Olde Ship, Roscoes and 212 Grill.
During the festival, Comic Book Hideout, a comic book store on West Commonwealth, hosted live bands at the back of the store, which doubles as a space for Lark Music Lessons.
“With so much history and culture and the Fender museum being right here, I think that being a part of such an artsy community is really unique, and it is a fun spot,” said Brittany Lark Lovero, who teaches piano and singing lessons at Lark Music Lessons.
“I also do ukulele, and I have taught drums, but my husband is the primary drummer teacher,” said Lovero. “He also does guitar, bass and ukulele.”
The main plaza hosted Keili Fernando, Steve Metzger, Cause for Concern, Jessica Kaczmarek, the Mark Sells Band, local favorite Darden, Sean Oliu & the Coastline Cowboys and Orange County-based synth-pop duo Bordeaux as headliners. The latter group was formed in 1988 by longtime Fullerton residents Jon St. James and Stacy “Acacia” Smith. The group’s 1988 song, “Three Time Lover” scored them a multialbum deal with Enigma Records, and they released their first full-length album, “Bold as Love,” the same year.
Lovero said it makes sense to keep music alive in Fullerton.
“It is a really cool tradition, and I hope it never goes away,” said Lovero.
Strbac said she is confident the people of Fullerton will continue to support music for all.
“The most important thing is that deep sense of community that we have in this town — it is just like no other,” said Strbac. “We all rally around things that are important, and the arts are very important and music is fundamental in our lives.”
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