Ethan Anderson
LV Life Editor
Death metal and screamo music exploded through the neighborhood surrounding Holt Avenue and Reservoir Street in Pomona on Saturday evening. Metalheads of all ages took over the residential parking in a half mile radius of Creator Tattoo, a shop celebrating its one year anniversary.
“The experience you are going to get here is more than just getting a tat,” shop owner Rafael Delatorre said. “These guys are like family.”
Creator Tattoo has done several of these shows, a move Delatorre credits to getting their name and branding out there to the Pomona community.
“I feel like it’s really put us on the map, and helps us make connections with clients.” Delatorre said.
Tickets were $25 and guests entered through an alleyway sandwiched between Reservoir Street and Loranne Avenue to get behind the shop. Behind Creator Tattoo is a lot that proves big enough for a show. Local underground bands performed screamo and punk metal songs that had everyone on their feet. Some in the air, even off their feet amidst the moshing. Fans threw punches and kicks in this “crowd killing” style of moshing.
Rafael Delatorre, known as “Raff” by customers, hosted a similar event to celebrate the shop’s grand opening, one year ago.
“It was about the same vibe, you know friends and family just hanging out, watching a good show,” frequent customer Edgy Supan said.
“It just seems like this event is an extension of that, but almost seems bigger, with more people,” frequent customer Olivia Supan said.
Several hardcore bands including Exutoire, Sincerely Yours, Terror Ave and Desmadre performed live in front of one hundred-or-so tattoo enthusiasts in the lot of Creator Tattoo.
“The power of connection, being able to connect with different folks through the music scene, through hardcore,” Raff said on the event’s turnout. “Yea, they showed a lot of love.”
When opening the shop and finding apprentices, Raff looked for people to align with the casual, loving, and even spiritual identity of Creator Tattoo.
“Man, it’s like coming and hanging out with my friends here,” Tattoo apprentice Kenny Sylvia said. “We get to do what we love.”
The inside of the shop is rather small, the wall spaces serving as a portfolio of artists’ work with hundreds of graphics lining the walls. Each artist’s stations within the studio was customized to fit their identity.
The crowd at the show were of all ages from minors to senior citizens, and nearly everyone was dressed in black baggy clothes, embodying “mosh-friendly” attire.
Customers feel welcomed and often look more forward to catching up with their artists, than the tattoo itself.
“Getting a tattoo is like a relationship that you have with the artist and we have been getting tattooed by Raff for so long that you just feel comfortable with him,” Olivia Supan said. “He treats all of his clients like they are respected, loved and family.”
Ethan Anderson can be reached at ethan.anderson@laverne.edu.
Ethan Anderson is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. He is the LV Life editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times. As a lifelong student-athlete, he has picked up valuable skills that he seeks to apply in his career in public relations, and ultimately make an impact.
Thatiana Gibbs is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print-online journalism. She is a photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. Her enthusiasm lies in research, writing, and effectively delivering captivating information to the public eye. She has previously been an assistant editor and staff writer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer for La Verne Magazine.
