Earlier this summer, Metro Art partnered with the community radio and arts foundation dublab to create Deep Routes with dublab to offer multimedia cultural journeys across Los Angeles to transit riders during the ongoing pandemic.

Episodes 1-3 of Deep Routes looks at musical histories of neighborhoods near new rail projects under construction — as seen from a Metro Bike! Episodes 4-6, timed to coincide with Bike Month, connected music and communities accessible via Metro Rail, Bus and Bike.

Give the episodes a listen!

• Episode 1: Downtown LA, Punk’s Edge
• Episode 2: Wilshire Blvd., LA’s Equator
• Episode 3: The Crenshaw Continuum
• Episode 4: Riot on the Sunset Strip, 1966
• Episode 5: Silver Lake, Industrial Strength Queer
• Episode 6: Frogtown, Music at the River’s Edge

Ale Cohen and Eli Welbourne of dublab

A visual livestream— or as we’ve affectionately coined it, a “bike stream”— of the geographies accompanied each airing on the dublab website to provide a sense of how the neighborhoods look and feel today.

The “bike stream” from Episode 6 will be streamed next Monday, October 19 at 2 p.m. (UPDATED TIME) on dublab.com. The episode is a poignant first-person narrative by Frogtown native and record collector Ruben Molina that looks back at the neighborhood where he grew up and the music that defined those times.

Other guests in the series include the legendary Nancy “Atomic Nancy” Sekizawa, celebrated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, consummate connector Ben Caldwell, cosmic vocalist Dwight Trible, energizing choir director Jimetta Rose, punk bassist Mike Watt, writer Sam Sweet of All Night Menu, author Dominic Priore of Riot on the Sunset Strip: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Last Stand in Hollywood, psychedelic songwriter/guitarist Johnny Echols of Love, Queer Maps founder Chris Cruse and many others.

All episodes were produced by Mark “Frosty” McNeill and Eli Welbourne for dublab in close collaboration with Metro Art. Special thanks to the Metro Bike program, as well. Episodes four through six were made possible through the Southern California Association of Governments’ Go Human program, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

A future microsite will also archive the episodes, alongside a compilation of related historical photos and other supplemental media.

Follow Metro Art on Instagram at @metro.art.la to receive updates on the microsite.

Click here for more information about Metro’s art program.

Here are some historical pics and a glimpse of what we saw on the visual livestreams.

Filming break for Heidi Zeller of Metro Art and Eli Welbourne of dublab

The Roxy, legacy site with ties to the ’60s Sunset Strip era, September 2020.

Ale Cohen of dublab preparing to ride at the Metro Bike Share Kiosk near Wilshire

Historic-Cultural Monument sign for the formerly and current Black Cat (…one of many historic LGBTQ sites in the area!)

Safe riding on the Sunset Strip (capture via livestream)

Archival Photo, Frogtown Mural by Ep. 6 host Ruben Molina, late 1970s.