uponshopatsunsetjunction

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

UponShop at Sunset Junction

Sunset Junction is Southern California's longest running street fair.  Approximately 1 mile of Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake is shut down to accommodate hundreds of vendors, rides and visitors during the 2-day festival.  UponShop just happened to be in the middle of all the action, and, since we were not included in the events of the Sunset Junction, we made our own events.  Most would say that our 2-day party was better than the 2-day Sunset Junction.  Why?  First, because we offered free beer.  Second, because our musical lineup was much, much better than the groups that were hired for the entire Junction (they just had a larger performance area).  If I sound bitter about Sunset Junction, I am not.  Without the Junction, none of this would have ever been possible. 

The real look behind-the-scenes at UponShop at Sunset Junction would reveal that Azul booked most of the DJs and made the schedule, along with running the store operations during the junction.  He is the true catalyst for everything that went down.  Certainly, there were other contributors: Josh/Rab Jab, Khalil, B Pope, Sheila, DJ Doz, Eric and others. 

My first few experiences with Sunset Junction were incredible.  In 2002 and 2003, we didn't blow it out as much as 2004 or 2005.  I had a lot of help from the good folks at dublab who brought their show and DJs to the store for 2 days during that time.  However, there were no sponsorships and not much outside of the dublab crew for the 2002-2003 Junctions.  Azul had a vision and that vision was realized (and then some)  at the 2004 Sunset Junction.

In 2004, we decided to bring in all of our friends from the community: Blue Chips, Ubiquity, HVW8, hiphopphilosophy.com, Scion and more.  They were set up outside the store in unity with our particular event.  In 2005, we scrapped the vendors idea and just threw a party.

The visual art was another key element.  You'll see some great art in these pictures, and, in a sense, the art sets up the vibe for the entire event.  In 2004, we had artistic genius Plasticfucker, whose small faces project - Lego-ish faces of pop culture celebrities from Axl Rose to Run DMC - were a major attraction.  He created a large Stevie Wonder for our DJ booth but the art just drew in crowds of people.  We also had artwork from other local artists, including Malakai Simmons.    In 2005, famed draftsmen Kofie-One installed his incredibly detailed and mathematically accurate graffiti-inspired pieces.  This set up a whole new backdrop from the previous year but proved to be just as effective in setting the tone for our venue.  Overall, the art was a key component to what we were trying to accomplish.

So there you have it.  The music, the art, the friends, the booze, all add up to good times and positive vibrations.  The event was documented by B Pope and Azul in 2004 and 2005 and is now presented here for your viewing pleasure.  Feel free to comment on pictures, share links and download photo of this one-of-a-kind event.

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Azul

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

RabJab

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

B+

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

HVW8

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

The music is where it all happened.

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Sunset Junction at UponShop could never have happened without this man.

Azul

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Josh was an invaluable contributor to UponShop.

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

UponShop at Sunset Junction was always on point.

2004 was not documented well.

Pardon us if our Saturday and Sundays blur together but it’s all a blur.

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

UponShop could never have happened without this man.

#Herbert #strictlygrooves #uponshop #2004 #sunsetjunction

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Let’s go on in and check out Sunset Junction 2004.

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Just chillin on a Saturday!!!

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

Dollar Records

[uponshopatsunsetjunction]

It started like this.

Quiet Saturday morning.