Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From spinning records at house parties to tuning in to radio DJs on the road, the role that record collections play in capturing personal, family, and neighborhood stories within local Chicana/o communities have been central to Mexican American life for generations, especially in postwar Los Angeles.
Join us for a panel exploring the role that record collections play in capturing these everyday rituals of musical fandom and how the music we listen to helps shape identity and community, particularly among those who came of age in Los Angeles’s barrios.
Our three panelists include Ruben Molina, author of the new book The Dreamy Side: Rhythm and Blues and Chicano Culture in 1950s Los Angeles; Melissa Duenas, creator of the East Side Story Project; and Oscar Garza, a long-time record collector and director of USC’s Arts Journalism program. Moderating the panel will be Oliver Wang, CSULB sociology professor, arts writer, DJ, and record collector.
From spinning records at house parties to tuning in to radio DJs on the road, the role that record collections play in capturing personal, family, and neighborhood stories within local Chicana/o communities have been central to Mexican American life for generations, especially in postwar Los Angeles.
Join us for a panel exploring the role that record collections play in capturing these everyday rituals of musical fandom and how the music we listen to helps shape identity and community, particularly among those who came of age in Los Angeles’s barrios.
Our three panelists include Ruben Molina, author of the new book The Dreamy Side: Rhythm and Blues and Chicano Culture in 1950s Los Angeles; Melissa Duenas, creator of the East Side Story Project; and Oscar Garza, a long-time record collector and director of USC’s Arts Journalism program. Moderating the panel will be Oliver Wang, CSULB sociology professor, arts writer, DJ, and record collector.
