Who are the potatoes of the Antelope Valley?

tatoes? What are they? What are the people, places and things that have affected entire generations of artists and musicians in this place?

Profiling folks like Lee Matalon has been a great start. However, we’re only just beyond the Earth’s crust. I want to truly get down to the essence of what makes art and music in this Valley tick. I want to search for this the same way Hunter S. Thompson searched for the American dream (without the drugs and less hotel room destroying).

I want to keep digging until I can finally define it and like Hunter, find the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

One place to start is with our community. As strongly rooted in the music scene as I’ve been, it seems almost unfair to assume my field of view is the only one.

I want to expand my palette for my own benefit and the benefit of this social document that is being created. I’m reaching out to you, the reader. What are the people, places and things that have really impacted the Valley?

Contact the paper via editor@avpress.com (or personally reach out if you know me) and feel free to give your suggestions.

As much as I’d like to paint a portrait, a collage is the best way to document this weird place. This is a place you can’t quite describe unless you’ve been immersed in it.

As local legend Jon Shimer put it, “I’ve toured all around the world. There’s nothing quite like Lancaster, California.”

Getting the chance to travel more, I wholeheartedly agree and want to celebrate it even more.