Margaret Contreras
Staff Writer
Six screamo and midwestern emo bands played Saturday at The Haven music venue in downtown Pomona. The bands were Love Letter, Maybe It’s Best, Just Let Me Go, What You Once Were, Walk Me Home in the Morning and Close and Personal.
The venue was at capacity with 200 people in attendance. There were people at the entrance checking backpacks for weapons and drugs to make sure that everyone was safe inside the concert.
Tickets were sold for $5 at the door and online. Fans lined up outside before the venue opened. The bands allowed their fans to buy their merchandise outside of the entrance, t-shirts for $15 and stickers for $2. There was no alcohol being sold, only water. Guests also had the option of buying earplugs for $1.
The decorations inside The Haven had moldings on the roof that were reminiscent of the 1920s. Hanging on the ceiling were two medium crystal chandeliers, which gave the atmosphere a more emo look and feel. There was also an exposed brick wall on both sides, decorated with instruments that some of the artists had signed.
The guests were a mix of teenagers, young adults and some older adults.
Rell Sol, the Haven manager and sound technician, liked to see the friends of the bands come out and show their support.
“For these types of shows, the age range is usually 13-25,” Sol said. “The crowd wises up to the age of mid-50 in attendance. We welcome all ages here.”
The bands were part of the screamo and midwest emo music genre. Screamo is a genre that is a mix of emo and hardcore punk with intense emotion and aggressive sound. Midwest emo is going between loud and soft dynamics of sound with off-key, or strained vocals and screaming. It also has arpeggiated guitar parts.
The fans and friends in attendance found out about the show through word of mouth or The Haven’s Instagram, @thehavenpomona.
Frank Velasco, a fan of screamo and midwest emo, and his friends found the concert through Instagram.
“I’m in the scene through the IG of the venue,” Velasco said. “The bands playing are similar to the ones I follow on social media.”
Quite a few stragglers walked by the venue and heard the music, so they decided to buy a ticket to come to the concert. Some of the attendees simply liked the music genre and are always looking for new upcoming bands to support.
“I like being part of the experience of listening to music and being with fellow fans of the genre,” said Sam Muro, a fan of screamo and midwest emo. “I like the bands and the songs they write.”
The Haven holds concerts from Thursday through Sunday. They welcome bands from all kinds of musical genres.
Aydan Vargas, The Haven box office manager, talked about how busy they can get on the weekends. She also mentioned how emo and hardcore punk are very popular this year.
“We do different genres, really whatever people are willing to book,” Vargas said. “I think every genre has its own upbringing. I think in the summer other music genres will grow and come out. This concert it’s a really good bargain for this price. During the summer we are fully booked. We even booked some shows on Thursdays.”
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
Olivia Modarelli, a senior journalism major with a concentration in print-online journalism, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She previously served as a staff writer and copy editor.
