HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — These days you’ll hear something familiar, yet lost on the streets of Hermosa Beach: the sound of live music.
As guitarist Mike Longacre will tell you, it was magical playing again after the city adopted an urgency ordinance to allow live music.
What You Need To Know
- Hermosa Beach City Council has adopted an urgency ordinance to temporarily allow limited live and recorded music at commercial establishments between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- The ordinance creates a temporary pilot program to support businesses and musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau and HermosaOne have already created a directory of local musicians
- Hermosa Beach’s urgency ordinance requires businesses and musicians to comply with the Public Health Order
"The people were just walking by thanking us like we were doing something, but it wasn’t until later that we realized it was because everyone is so hungry for the music," said Longacre.
The seaside town has a rich history of live music, so when the Los Angeles Department of Public Health modified orders allowing live music outdoors, the Hermosa Beach City Council supported their local musicians by allowing outdoor music to go along with its outdoor dining program.
"The restaurants are flourishing outdoors," said Longacre. "Even leading up to this time where the music was allowed, you can feel it. Everyone is buzzing about the live music thing."
That includes Dave Davis, co-owner of the Hermosa Brewing Co., who has a passion for helping local musicians. Once the city’s approval came down on Tuesday, he had his first show Wednesday, which featured Longacre.
“We’re really trying to get these musicians back into the groove, get them paid and get them out in front of their fans," said Davis.
That sentiment reached City Councilmember Mary Campbell, who supported the urgency ordinance on Tuesday, which supports local artists while also supporting small businesses — the backbone of Hermosa’s economy.
"The time is urgent," said Campbell. "We need to really fuel business in our downtown and welcome people back in a really safe way."
Costs have risen sharply for Davis' business, but he is surviving. Now that live music is back, he looks forward to a fruitful summer.
“Perfect timing for this," he said. "The summer is going to be beautiful in Hermosa, and I hope everybody comes down and enjoys it."
And for Longacre, he said the city’s move is a hopeful moment at this point in the pandemic, along with Davis' continued support of local musicians.
“I was really grateful that Dave called and said, 'Hey, do you want to be the first ones out of the box that get to play here?'"