EL SEGUNDO HERALD September 3, 2020 Page 5
Entertainment
Film Review
Other Music Helped Cultivate Indie Bands
Before Being Forced to Close Their Doors
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy.com
Benicio Del Toro called his visits to the
record store a religious experience. Jason
Schwartzman was constantly inspired by its
hyper-knowledgeable staff. It’s also where
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend “literally
discovered new genres of music” because
of how everything was uniquely and specifically
categorized. Any music buff will tell
you that Other Music in NYC was nirvana
(pun intended).
The self-titled documentary from co-directors
Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller follows the
last 6 weeks of this iconic and legendary indie
record shop before they were forced to close
their doors for good in June 2016. Increasing
rent prices in Manhattan’s East Village made
it impossible to stay afloat and the trend towards
streaming was a battle that shop owners
Josh Madell and Chris Vanderloo knew they
couldn’t win. It’s such a shame that culturally
significant safe havens like Other Music aren’t
invincible, and their loss hits hard. Interviews
with devoted customers and artists like Matt
Berninger of The National, Tunde Adebimpe
of TV on the Radio, and Regina Spektor all
speak from the heart about how Other Music
influenced their careers and lives for the better.
Other Music was the quintessential place
for people in NYC who appreciated music
to spend hours racking the shelves for otherworldly
discoveries, rare gems, and human
connection. They hosted in-store performances
from No Age, St. Vincent, Conor Oberst, and
Neutral Milk Hotel to name a few, which the
film shows with great nostalgia. If you’re
a fan of any of the bands I’ve mentioned,
including Animal Collective, Interpol, Yeah
Yeah Yeahs, William Basinski, Sharon Van
Etten, and The Rapture, you’ll find so much
joy in watching this film. Physically, Other
Music is no more but its spirit lives on. After
a canceled theatrical run due to COVID, the
filmmakers partnered with record stores and
theaters for a Virtual Cinema run.
Distributed by Factory 25, Other Music is
available to stream on Amazon Prime. •
Other Music, courtesy Factory 25.
Morgan Rojas
Rinaldi’s from page 3
who retired from the Chevron plant down
the street. “Chevy Andy was made for a
friend of ours who would come in all the
time and place big orders for his team,”
Laura explains. “His name is Andrew, so
I created Chevy Andy. It’s very easy, you
know? Chevron-Andrew—put them together
and you have a special. And he still comes
in and orders it (oven-roasted chicken). He’s
retired now, but we still keep it going. We’ve
seen three generations of families coming
through here.”
Three generations of families love the personal small town feel of a New York deli.
The menu has stayed the same, but the
Chens have certainly seen the town change
throughout their 24 years of service.
‘When we first opened, we had the first
wave of families and surfers who came in
and ordered food all the time,” says Bill. “But
now, we’re getting that third wave—the kids
of the original surfers.”Families are one of
the biggest supporters that Rinaldi’s credits
for keeping them afloat during the COVID-19
pandemic. Even though corporate lunches
and foot-traffic have slowed down, it’s the
families that come on weekends and share
a piece of tradition with their kids.
“Even in 2008 when the economy went
bad,” says Laura, “things were never as tough
as they are now. You know, we’re famous for
catering, but since all the offices are closed,
that side of our business has suffered. We’re a
lunch place—we don’t sell alcohol or nightlife.
But more families have been coming in and
showing great support. They’re even buying
gift cards that haven’t been redeemed yet.”
In the meantime, Rinaldi’s focuses on togo
orders and serving the community the
best food possible. “We’re doing what we’ve
always done—making customers happy with
good food.” Rinaldi’s is open for delivery and
carry-out Mon-Fri from 8 AM to 7 PM, Sat
from 9 AM to 6:30 PM, and Sun from 11
AM to 4 PM. Visit theoriginalrinaldis.com
to browse their menu and other locations. •
ABC Doc from page 2
hundreds of voters doors and it became clear
the demographics in town were significantly
changing. Technology has driven a wedge
between most of the newer residents and
many of the senior ones. With smartphones,
residents can choose to participate in various
forms of social media.
They get involved with other users to
exchange information, share opinions, write/
read blogs, listen/create podcasts, etc. Without
a smartphone, none of these activities are
possible. Instead, telephone calls, visits, television,
newspapers, etc. are common means of
communication for numerous older residents.
City staff and Council need to realize that
a posting on a Website or an email will not
reach all the people of El Segundo equally.
These communications further hamper the
sense of community rather than building a
community.
The sense of community in El Segundo is
being revised and will never again be what
it was. The virus is certainly not helping
people build the new culture, but COVID
will pass in the months/years ahead and
we’ll be able to forge the new version of
community. I’m confident while it will be
different, it will be good. •
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Have a wonderful day with your family and friends.
“What makes a good deli is a place that, is
generally family-owned and makes as much
of their food from scratch as possible.”
– David Sax