The sounds of jazz music in a warm building brought community members together for a night of gathering for a good cause. Nomad LA, a relatively new brand, hosted its first-ever show on Jan. 30 at an overflowing Game n’ Grounds in Chatsworth.
The event was also a fire relief benefit due to the recent fires surrounding the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles areas. Guests were encouraged to bring bottled water and canned goods for donation. Custom T-shirts with the “Nomad LA” brand for sale, with proceeds going to California Community Foundation. The food and water will be donated to the North Valley Caring Services food pantry.
Arman Khachatryan, creator of the music collective Nomad LA, chose Game n’ Grounds as the venue because of its down-to-earth community vibe and accessibility.
“The goal that I have in my mind is to make it like an art collective,” Khachatryan said. “Like I said before, just make it a community of creatives that could get together, collaborate, find audiences together and celebrate the talent that we have here in the Valley.”
Khachatryan invited musicians and performers he knew to take part in the event. There was no entrance fee, and the performers played for free, but donations were welcomed to support the artists.
The first group was Linda Xochi Melendez, Isaiah Bueno, Jonah Shin, Carlos Gonzalez and Gilbert Torres. The second set of performers were Abel Cecchi, Cesar Hernandez and Christian Ruiz-Mendoza. Jonah Shin and Ryan Jackson-Embola both played in each performance.
Melendez, a Vocal Jazz Performance major at CSUN and lead singer of the first group, said she feels a lot of emotions while performing. Though she gets nervous, she sees it as a sign that she cares. Her goal is to create a beautiful experience where people can connect with the music and feel transported without ever leaving their seats.
Gilbert Torres, a music major at CSUN, played the saxophone in one of the two group acts that performed on Thursday night.
“It’s a strange feeling, like this liberation. Nothing else is going through your mind. You forget about everything else when you’re playing and it’s cool, you get to just lock into this state of mind that you don’t really get to access outside of music,” Torres said.
There was a decent crowd before the show began, but by the time the music started, the place was jam-packed with folks eager to hear the groups play, even if that meant having to stand around due to lack of space to sit.
“One of the things that really gets to me personally is not having spaces where I can go and just be with people,” Khachatryan said. “So I think it’s important to be able to go out and spend time around other people and be a properly socialized human being.”
Ben Burch, an audience viewer, saw a flyer for the event and decided to show up with some friends. “Community events are the most important thing. Being involved in your community is more important than anything else.”
“People are so worried about what’s happening outside of their realm,” Burch said. “They haven’t even taken a chance to look at what’s around them and find a place in their community.”
Emerson Bergenfield came to show support to her friends.“I love watching my friends play and every single time I hear them play, it’s always a different interpretation of the song.”
Melendez was ecstatic and described the feeling as amazing to be able to share the moment with everyone.
“It feels awesome. I feel like there’s no real way to describe it,” Melendez said. “It’s maybe empowering; it’s just so joyful to really see everybody connect and support each other for whatever reason. It’s just amazing to see humans being humans and just talking to each other, living life.”
