RENE CONTRERAS

TALENT BUYER

If you’ve wandered into Coachella’s punky Sonora tent in recent years, you’ve seen Contreras’ handiwork. The young promoter cut his teeth booking DIY shows around the Inland Empire in his teens, and caught the L.A. scene’s attention with his Viva! Pomona festival, an encyclopedic event for the Chicano and Latin hardcore underground. Promoter Goldenvoice brought him on to help book emerging festivals like Cruel World and This Ain’t No Picnic; the planned June debut of his Viva! L.A. mega-fest at Dodger Stadium, with headliners Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Becky G and Kali Uchis, unfortunately became a latepandemic casualty. Still, Contreras remains one of the most enthusiastic, exciting talent buyers in SoCal’s live music scene.

— A.B.