Kyshona performs at the Grand Annex. (photo: Arturo Garcia-Ayala)
Downtown 6th Street is the cultural and commercial heart of San Pedro, where shops, creative spaces, and restaurants converge.
At the heart of it all lies the stunning 1931 Warner Grand Theatre, San Pedro’s beloved historic art deco movie palace that has become a cornerstone of the arts in the LA Harbor Area.
This historic movie-palace-turned-performing-arts-center recently closed its doors to make way for a long-awaited modernization project led by the City of Los Angeles. The renovation will make aesthetic improvements, bring the theater up to code, improve accessibility, and modernize its infrastructure. The renovation will take approximately two years. What are residents and performing arts lovers to do in the meantime?
For that answer, we walk a few doors down to the Grand Annex Music Hall, the storefront theater venue run by Grand Vision Foundation, a community arts organization that also serves as the official Friends Group of the Warner Grand. The cabaret-style Grand Annex is known throughout the Harbor area and South Bay as “the” place to see great live music in an intimate setting. The Grand Annex is poised to fill the void left by the theater’s temporary closure and solidify its place as the heartbeat of music and culture in Downtown San Pedro.
The Grand Annex is launching several new programs this year to showcase area artists and capture audiences with exciting and unique performances. These include curated concerts with world-class talent, a new singer-songwriter series, an online directory of San Pedro musicians, and crowd-pleasing tribute shows hosted at the Annex and throughout San Pedro.
Last year, the Grand Annex celebrated its 15th anniversary by installing a state-of-the-art lighting system to illuminate the acts on stage and create more ambiance in the room.
Against this backdrop, the February and March concert season will feature nationally known artists like blues/folk powerhouse Chris Pierce and rising Americana star Cristina Vane, indie rocker Paul Givant, tributes to Steely Dan and Linda Ronstadt, and St. Paddy’s shows by favorites John Kraus and The Goers and Bad Haggis.
GRAND VISION FOUNDATION STAFF & LEADERSHIP (l to r): Andrew Aragon, Christa Klee, Alexa Clement (seated bottom), Joselyn Wilkinson (top in black), Taran Schindler (artistic director), and Liz Schindler Johnson (executive director). (photo: John Mattera Photography)
New to the Grand Annex music calendar this year is Spotlight: A Singer-Songwriter Series, supported by a grant from the Live Music Society. This is a series of concerts, each featuring four singers and each co-hosted by a guest music presenter from greater Los Angeles.
The kickoff event on February 1 will be presented by the legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop. The audience will hear singer-songwriter and studio musician Dan Navarro. Navarro is known for writing the lyrics to Pat Benatar’s hit “We Belong,” and he recently sang on Disney’s mega-hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The evening will also feature Wendy Waldman, vocalist, producer, and writer of multi-platinum-selling songs, including Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last.” The Spotlight series will continue each month through the spring.
Abby Posner & The Big Fall perform at the Grand Annex. (photo: Andrew Aragon)
Artistic Director Taran Schindler expresses excitement about the series. “It’s been a joy collaborating with our guest curators who love the Annex and will bring exceptional talent to our audience,” she says.
Grand Vision is also helping local musicians thrive with the launch of the San Pedro Musicians Directory, an online resource connecting local performers with businesses and individuals looking to hire them.
Conceived with input from local musicians, including Windy Barnes, and supported by Arts United San Pedro, the directory is a testament to Grand Vision’s dedication to nurturing local talent and fostering relationships within the community.
The Musicians Directory is now open for submissions by professional San Pedro-based musicians, who can access the user-friendly application on Grand Vision’s website (grandvision.org/musicians-directory). The public can then browse the listings of musical talent available in San Pedro and hire performers to play at their venue, restaurant, special event, party, or art opening.
Front entrance to the Grand Annex. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
While the Warner Grand undergoes its transformation, Grand Vision is presenting larger concerts at alternative venues. The new Warner Grand on the Road series will kick off with a Tom Petty tribute concert at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on February 15. A series of free outdoor pop-up concerts at the West Harbor waterfront will bring live music to new audiences later in the spring.
The Grand Annex also makes its space available for rent. They welcome everything from performances to dance recitals, private parties, and plays, like the upcoming Shadows by local playwright Linda Delmar and a comedy night by Dandelion Productions featuring Fritz Coleman.
Grand Vision Foundation’s impact on San Pedro extends beyond the arts—it’s about building community, boosting the local economy, and enriching lives. Executive Director Liz Schindler Johnson reflects on the organization’s mission.
“Live music has the power to unite us, to bring people out into public spaces to connect with one another,” she says. “As we navigate the Warner Grand’s temporary closure, we’re reminded of how precious these shared experiences are. We are incredibly grateful to our community for keeping the arts alive in San Pedro, and grateful to the Grand Annex audiences because they make the Annex such a joyful place.”
As the Warner Grand prepares to enter a new era, Grand Vision Foundation’s community of staff, volunteers, and board members continues to lead the charge at the Grand Annex and beyond. Their work is a testament to the enduring power of music to inspire, uplift, and transform. spt
The Grand Annex Music Hall is located at 434 W. 6th Street in Downtown San Pedro. For more info and a calendar of events, visit grandvision.org.