By During a time where Ticketmaster is becoming increasingly vampiric in their sale tactics, it seems like enjoying live music is becoming more of a luxury for those who can afford it.
AKA Musique is a Long Beach based music collective that produces local concerts and all day events from Long Beach to the Inland Empire.
Founded in 2022 by Anagoretti Castro, Aram Chitsazan, Juan Rodriguez and Sumin Lee, the group found a way to use their own creative skills to build every show.
With Castro as event organizer, Chitsazan and Rodriguez on sound and engineering and Lee as creative director and designer, the quartet bounces off of each other’s creative energy to curate each event.
Their shows, according to Castro, speak for themselves.
“Behind the scenes, we always have so much going wrong or so much we have to work out, but by showtime it’s like no one even notices and has a good time. That’s the goal and that’s how we know we all did our part,” Castro said.
All artists themselves, Chitsazan the lead singer of the band Faye, and Rodriguez under the moniker Kudaa, it was a no-brainer to combine forces and develop a collective that lets people know more about the local music scene.
After a year and a half of putting together shows, AKA was invited to be part of Birdcage Comics Cafe Women’s Month Festival with AmplifyHER Fest, which showcased a dozen all female local artists, vendors and a zine designed by Lee, their creative director.
“To see people who host their own events from LA and OC come and tell us that we did a great job is still not real to me,” Rodriguez said.
Knowing people are looking up to them gives AKA the motivation to expand and reach a broader audience, helping others with the fight to bring music back to our communities.
