I started a Wednesday night music series at 4th Street Vine in Long Beach a long time ago. The night was specifically dedicated to punk rock and all of the sub genres that exist under that broad description. Essentially, it was a night in which all bands were welcome, even if those bands might otherwise have a difficult time finding a place to play because of their lack of popular appeal (noise or hardcore bands) or established stature in the music scene…..Maybe the band was brand new or only had 2 followers? That’s ok, your band could play the Rhino Takedown. It was a night for everyone who wanted to play and anyone who wanted to hear some live music for free on a weeknight. It was a place to practice your new songs with your new band. It was a place to do a warm up show before tour. It was a place to not take things too serious and have fun. It was always free. My good friends Paul Gonzales and Simon Weedn quickly became Rhino brothers, lock elbowed in the mission. Paul invited every band he knew, or who knew him, to play (and that is a lot more than anyone can imagine) and Simon agreed to DJ every week. He played the greatest songs spanning genres and everyone loved it. For a time Joe Muth cooked food out back and called it Head in the Oven. His specialty? Pork Chop sandwiches, duh. Master Droog (Kendall McDiarmid) created a rad logo. People drank Old Rapsutins and …..well, we did it for a bunch of years. Then COVID hit and the live music stopped for a bit for all of us and eventually we sold our bar. But the spirit of The Rhino Takedown survived and now, I “use it” to book shows periodically wherever it might make sense, but mostly at The Sardine in Pedro. So yeah, there you go. If you want to know where the name The Rhino Takedown came from, you will have to ask me when you see me at the next show. -