Music By the Sea Back After a Three-Year Hiatus

Music by the Sea started 27 years ago, when five people sat in a room at Angel’s Gate Art Center, and decided that the bandshell, the stage at Point Fermin Park, needed to be used more often. Out of that discussion came not just Music by the Sea, but Shakespeare by the Sea as well.

Since then, Music by the Sea has performed at Point Fermin every summer, aside from 2020 and 2021, on account of the pandemic.

“We’re actually telling everybody this is our 25th anniversary,” said Mike Caccavalla, one of the original founders of Music by the Sea.

The event will have five performances this year, the first on June 26, then every Sunday through July.

While a select few bands have already been chosen, for the most part, even Caccavalla does not know which bands will be performing.

“We do a lottery,” Caccavalla said. “In the past, I have picked the bands, and it’s just gotten really hard.”

Caccavalla finds the lottery system to be significantly easier. He switched to it five years ago. He tells the bands a month ahead of time where the lottery will be held. This year’s lottery will be at El Principe, a Pacific Avenue nightclub. It starts at 7 p.m. on June 1.

“The bands show up, they put their names in the hopper,” Caccavalla said. “We pick it, and if you get picked, then you’re in the show.”

Anywhere from 30 to 40 bands usually come to the lottery. Three bands perform every Sunday for six weeks. A total of 18 bands will perform, but only 14 slots are available, as some have already gone to bands that have helped with the event.

Caccavalla’s biggest struggle with Music by the Sea is acquiring funding, as it costs about $42,000, and he has raised about $7,000.

“We still got a long way to go,” Caccavalla said.

The event has already held one fundraiser this year, which was held at El Principe, and the next one will be there as well, on June 4. It will also have a fundraiser at California Harley-Davidson in Lomita on June 18.

In addition, Caccavalla has set up a GoFundMe page, and a Venmo that people can donate to. It’s also had help from unexpected places.

“A private person had a party Saturday night at their house, and 75 people showed up,” Caccavalla said. “They called me, and they said, ‘Hey, can we pass the hat for Music by the Sea?’ And I said sure, and they raised $300.”

Caccavalla sent out a fundraising letter to 560 people, telling them he will raffle off prizes each Sunday, and that he’ll hang up banners for all six Sundays for $300.

The money goes towards paying for security, paying the bands, and the overhead.

“We got to pay the employees that work for the city,” Caccavalla said. “We don’t pay ourselves. We’ve never collected a dime for doing this.”

Caccavalla owns a t-shirt business and makes the shirts for Music by Sea. When he is not able to raise enough funds in time, he takes money out of his company.

Music by the Sea is not a nonprofit itself, but it umbrellas under a nonprofit named Unite to Fight Blood Cancers. Any money raised from the event that is left over after expenses goes to the nonprofit. The last few years they have had about $3,000 left over.

Caccavalla said that the process of acquiring permits hasn’t been that difficult.

“The permits aren’t that hard, because I go through the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks,” Caccavalla said. “They work with me on that.”

However, he has had trouble in the past. A few years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department wanted Caccavalla to hire extra security, and another time the LAPD wanted him to put up fencing in a specific way that forced attendees to walk past the police stationed at the front of Point Fermin.

Caccavalla said he hasn’t heard that many complaints from neighbors, with one exception.

“There is one person that lives on the block, and I’m not sure if they still live there or not, but they complain about everything that goes on in that park,” Caccavalla said. “I actually go to the neighbors and let them know that I’m doing this.”

Steve Ernst, who describes himself as a “stage daddy,” but really helps Caccavalla in any way he can, has helped with the El Principe fundraisers. 

“The ones we’ve done have generally like seven bands playing for a day,” Ernst said. “And that’s like herding cats … when you get that many moving parts, and the time frame, and you get people offstage, and the new group onstage, and make sure all festivities are going at the same time, it gets to be a handful.”

Ernst has helped Caccavalla with Music by the Sea since 2012. He is a musician himself, and his band, In Contempt, sometimes plays during the event.

“If you look, you can see the guy needs a lot of people helping,” Ernst said. “It’s a community event, and it’s a big thing. And it’s a lot for one person to take on.”

Ernst said he is far from the only person to help, there are plenty of others as well.

“It’s a good event,” Ernst said. “It should draw more attention. I mean, you’ve got one of the great places on the West Coast to hear music on a Sunday afternoon, be in a park, look out at the ocean.”

Music by the Sea is put together totally on donations. California Harley-Davidson is hosting a BBQ fundraiser and Pop-Up shop to help raise money for the event on June 17 and 18. 

Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/music-by-the-sea-fundraiser-bbq-tickets-343267170347

Music by the Sea Bands

By Melina Paris

Music by the Sea will be choosing more bands by raffle on June 1. The concert series will run for six Sundays, three bands per day from 12 to 5 p.m. Listed below, find just a few of the bands on the lineup so far.

Down the Hatch

The classic rock band is comprised of Wayne Moore on guitar and vocals, Alex Martinez, bass and vocals, Paul Carlos on guitar and vocals, and supporting member Kraig Ross on bass. Down The Hatch have been together for 16 years and played all over San Pedro including many past Music By The Sea seasons. The band will play the closing day of Music by the Sea, July 31.

Details: www.facebook.com/downthehatch310

In Contempt

A classic rock ’an’ soul band, known for its soulful lead vocals and a repertoire of great songs from the ’60s to the present that make you want to dance and groove.

Bass player Stephen Ernst is not only a band member but also a man who wears many hats for Music by the Sea. The San Pedro resident and IT consultant said a lot of things have to happen everyday in order to put on these events. 

Details: www.facebook.com/InContemptBand, and www.youtube.com/user/InContemptBandMusic

Five Bucks 

A Cheap Trick tribute band, Five Bucks formed last October. Five Bucks comprises five Harbor Area natives: Vince Giobbe on guitar, Tom Berg on guitar, Mark Williams on bass, Daren Howe on drums and Erny Galven, vocals.

Five Bucks will play the closing date of Music by the Sea at 12 p.m. July 31.