We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Koffler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

As the mother of a teen musician I spent a lot of time looking for venues and gigs for my son’s band. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as there are not a lot of places out there for a teen band to play. South Bay Music Connection started in 2018 as a Facebook group. The goal was to start a Community of Music in the South Bay for teen and young adult bands and performers. Make it a place for local bands and parents to get to know one another, post gigs, share videos, and have their music heard. We were trying to foster a community of teen bands that supports one another, lets people know when they had an upcoming gig; share new music and band updates; collaborate and create great music. The philosophy being; the more people you get to know the more opportunities that can open up.

After seeing how many talented young musicians we had locally, I started to create and produce events to give these amazing artists an opportunity to showcase their talent.

South Bay Music Connection has created and promoted youth music events throughout the South Bay and Los Angeles areas.

Our first event was Summer’s Fest in Manhattan Beach. Four local teen bands played and we partnered with Mira Costa End Epilepsy and had a silent auction to raise money for that charity.

We have partnered with the City of Manhattan Beach on their 9-week summer concert series-Concerts in the Park. We created a youth program to have youth bands open for the headliners in 2018 & 2019.

We also partnered with the City of Manhattan Beach on a youth music festival, Stomping Grounds. 13 youth bands played at the all-day festival on July 20, 2019.

We have twice partnered with the Redondo Beach police department on a community outreach youth Battle of the Bands. We helped create and organize the event as well as run the backstage coordinating the youth bands.

We partnered with the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce on the Tree Lighting in December 2019. 3 local teen bands got to open the event.

Band Gathering – A very successful event held at Schooners in Redondo Beach. Local teen bands came to perform and show support for their peers.

We just held our 2nd Band Gathering in Lomita at Project Barely on 5/1. What a great turn out, we had 15 bands and performers play with several bands on the waitlist.  It was a fantastic community event.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets us apart from the others is that we care about all the performers, not just our own kids. We are also volunteers as opposed to those who stand to profit off the performances. Although, the kids can make a tidy sum in tips at times.

I have to say I am most proud of the way we have been able to bring these kids together. They often will reach out to other bands if they have a gig and want other bands to play. I think many friendships have been formed and the kids learn that its not competition but more of a community.

Our biggest setback is getting the word out. We rely on the community for donations so we can keep creating events.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Of course we’d start with a day at the beach. We always like live music so that takes us around the South Bay to some great places, such as The Lighthouse, Project Barley, The End. I can’t wait for the comedy and Magic club to reopen, that has always been a favorite haunt, we love good comedy.

There are a lot of great restaurants in the South Bay, so I think we’d try to mix it up and go for different cuisines. Fritto Misto, The Hook and Plow, Havana Mania, China Bistro and of course there is always the Charthouse, a table with an ocean view. There are too many to choose from.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shout out to the two powerhouse women that have joined South Bay Music Connection in the last year, Chrysta Powell and Melanie Gourzis. I stopped producing events due to the pandemic. During that time, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When things started to open up again, I was still going through treatment and still am. The treatments can affect me in many ways, the least being extremely tired all of the time. These two women joined on and together we are able to create and produce some amazing events and opportunities for the local youth and young adult musicians. Just to let you know, we are all volunteers. We now have Michael Vercos, our lead sound technician and I’d also like to give a shout out to my Husband Tim Mackie, who is always there to help set up and to help take care of whatever needs to get done. He has my back and is always there for me.

Website: southbaymusicconnection.rocks

Instagram: @sbmconnect

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1665448126868800

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