For the last half century, Los Angeles radio station KPFK has operated completely commercial free, allowing its programmers the freedom to operate without fear of corporate retaliation or interference. The result has been a mixture of thought provoking editorial commentary, community activism, racial diversity, and an all around triumph for independent media.

On July 27th, KPFK celebrated its 50th year of quality listener supported radio with a sold out show at Hollywood’s Ford Amphitheatre. The night’s events were a celebration of KPFK’s success and an optimistic look into the future of this vibrant community resource.

The evening was kicked off by Mezklah. Obviously feeling the crowd, the band deftly interweaved reggae and Latin beats with spacey guitars and scissor sharp lyrics. Lead singer Spidermonkey, his bare torso painted with intricate black paint designs, was urging the crowd to their feet, and the sold out Ford needed no prodding. It was, for the moment, a downright grooving rock concert, with echo laden jazzy guitar riffs creating an ethereal atmosphere that the crowd seemed to swim in. The bass was booming, the drum kit was kicking, and the drinks were flowing at the concession stands. The amazing thing about the feel of the Ford Amphitheatre is that you’re outdoors, and if you look around the rim of the theatre, instead of a cramped upstairs balcony or a house lighting system, you see pine trees back dropped by the starry night sky. It’s a beautiful, small stage for very intimate performances, and Mezklah took full advantage of the close proximity and truly embraced the crowd.

Jeff Keller followed up Mezklah’s energetic start with politically offbeat humor that was sometimes controversial but well suited to the crowd. He told me later that his set had run over on time by about five minutes or so, but he had the crowd roaring so he just went with it. Most of his irreverent cracks were pointed at politics, Barack Obama, and how long this country would stand to have a black president. Considering that KPFK is known for presenting ideas that are sometimes radical and controversial, Jeff’s set was in keeping with tradition.
Keller was followed by a stage presentation of The Pocho Hour of Power, a radio program that airs on KPFK on Fridays at 4p.m. Zany rap parodies and cornball humor was the method of delivery, and what they brought was largely Latino, local, poignant and timely humor. George W. Bush was the subject of a hilarious skit with Lalo Alcaraz interpreting for our president, and it’s fair to say he translated a little more accurately than Mr. Bush would have appreciated.  Patrick Perez was the ringmaster to a truly unabashed series of skits and raps, with beats laid down by DJ Boxy Dee.

Culture Clash took the laughter and celebration to another level, quickly flying through piles of plays, skits and long jokes at a hectic pace involving costume changes and locally flavored political sparks. They put on parts of their play “Chavez Ravine” which was based on the acquisition of the land for Dodger Stadium by the city, and the ever ominous southland dilemma of eminent domain. It was an eerie reminder that at the same time as KPFK celebrated 50 years of Free speech, the Dodgers were celebrating 50 years in Los Angeles. Here was Culture Clash, poking fun at the big stadium a couple of hills over in Elysian Park, on the exact same day that Walter O’Malley was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. If you don’t understand the connection, you need to see the play.  It’s a piece of long forgotten Los Angeles history to most, but a turning point in history for a lot of the city. The people of Chavez Ravine fought for their land, and lost against a wave of McCarthy Era politics and bureaucratic madness. It was the quintessential statement for the night, and Culture Clash put it out there with an energy and fire that shook the crowd. 

The standout of the night was Minerva Garcia. Her impassioned performance brought tears to the crowd’s eyes as she marched on stage with signs that screamed “We Won’t Leave!” and ran through verses of “This land is our land” with a sarcastic fury and pure energy that electrified the audience. The story of the Ravine was something close to Garcia. “It was living history, that’s what it meant to me” she would later tell me. “We actually got to meet some of the families that got kicked out after the show and we got to meet the mayor and all those players of that time.” She definitely took it personally on stage, and with her riveting performance she showed the ability to go from campy sing-alongs to intense emotion seamlessly, and at a moment’s notice.

Some of us were there for the music and party, others for the comedy, but everybody was there for KPFK. Local artist George Yepes was in attendance, as well as Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) and actress Marcia Hunt.  Ms. Hunt was an 18 year old Paramount actress when she made her film debut in The Virginia Judge in 1935.  She would later find herself blacklisted, and went to Washington DC with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Huston, Danny Kaye and others to protest the actions of Congress.  Her latest movie is a film noir that closely resembles her own story.  She has fought for freedom of speech her whole life, and her attendance was a great tribute to KPFK’s dedication to freedom of speech over the radio waves. 

At the post-show celebration, Zack de la Rocha summed up the sentiments of the evening brilliantly. “KPFK has represented a very unique voice, it’s a voice that has brought us so much hope and so much inspiration while at the same time, has informed us in a manner that we can’t get anywhere else, particularly in a corporate dominated media environment. I listen to it all the time and support the station all the time.

You can check KPFK out on 90.7fm in Los Angeles, 98.7fm in Santa Barbara, or at kpfk.org.

Here’s to another 50 years of Free Speech!