Los Angeles Downtown News 09-07-20

September 7, 2020 I VOL. 49 I #36

THE FUTURE OF STAGE James Cromwell hopes portable theater will rise 2020 Census Los Angeles response is low Page 3

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Another Day in ‘Paradis’

Feuer settles with Weather Channel, IBM Page 4

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Ice cream shop unveils new flavors Page 6

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Kudos to the city of San Francisco for voting to reduce the amount of animal-based foods served in public hospitals and city jails. The move just begs one question: What are other cities waiting for?

Vegan foods are cholesterol free and generally low in saturated fat, and studies show that vegans are less likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other diet-related diseases. It only makes sense for hospitals to serve vegan meals.

Eating vegan meals helps reduce violence and bloodshed, too. Animals don’t commit crimes, but billions of them are confined to filthy, crowded cages; crates and sheds every year. They’re mutilated and killed in painful, unjust ways. It only stands to reason that prisons should serve affordable vegan foods as well.

Each vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, and studies show that the production of vegan food generates fewer greenhouse gasses and requires less land and water than the production of animal-derived foods, so it’s no surprise that people are opting for vegan foods from restaurants, grocery stores and other establishments. See peta.org for more information and a free vegan starter kit.

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Census response low in Los Angeles

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski he U.S. Census Bureau is urging Los Angeles residents to respond to the 2020 survey.

As of August 10, just 54.9% of Los Angeles residents have responded among the state’s 480 incorporated cities. And for every person who does not respond, the California Department of Finance estimates that state and local governments will lose out on $1,000 a year in federal funding tied to the population for the next 10 years.

“The response rate in the city of Los Angeles is well below the state’s, and it’s extremely important that everyone is counted,” said U.S. Census Bureau media specialist Patricia Ramos.

Nationwide and in California as a whole, responses to the 2020 census are on track, as Census takers can be easily identified by a valid more than 62% of households have responded government ID badge with their photograph, a online or by phone, or by mail if they received U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an a paper questionnaire in the mail or on their expiration date on the badge. doorstep.

Photo courtesy the Census Bureau “However, it is vitally important that everyone be counted,” Ramos said. “Results from the 2020 census inform planning and funding decisions for such critical public services as hospitals and health care, emergency and disaster response, and schools and education programs. In fact, census results will shape decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next decade.”

Downtown LA in the last decade has evolved, she said, with the population of the city center increasing.

“The regional office is in Downtown LA,” she said. “A lot of young people are there, with USC being in the area. It’s quite the hub for living in an urban area, “For a lot of youngsters, it might be their first census that they do—especially being that college age where they’re not at home anymore. It’s important to spread the word that they have four weeks. They can still self-respond to the 2020 census. It takes 10 minutes or less online.”

The website is 2020census.gov. Respondents can also answer via telephone in any of 13 core languages, including English, at 1-844-330-2020. The traditional way of answering is through the mail.

Census takers have started knocking on doors, too. They follow local public health guidelines when they visit. They wear masks and have completed a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing protocols and other health and safety guidance before beginning their work in neighborhoods.

The staff asks residents a few questions, including the name, age, race and sex of everyone who lived in the household on April 1, and enters the answers on secure Census Bureau phones.

Census takers will not ask for Social Security number, bank information or citizenship status, and no information will be shared with immigration or law enforcement agencies.

If no one is home when the census taker visits, he or she will leave a notice.

Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact the Los Angeles Regional Census Center at 213-314-6500 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

“They started knocking on doors August 11,” she added. “The city of LA, to date—the whole city of LA—54.9% of the population has been accounted for. We still have a way to go. It’s the second-largest city in the country, and we’re not going to leave anybody out.”

The door-to-door census takers are not responsible for counting the homeless. That is performed toward the end of September.

“We work very closely with nonprofit groups and city and government officials to make sure that people who are experiencing homelessness, that they are not left behind,” Ramos said.

“They need to be accounted for so programs can be offered that will help them and hopefully improve their situations.”

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Feuer settles lawsuit with Weather Channel, IBM

By Andres de Ocampo A City Attorney Mike Feuer announced a settlement with TWC Product and Technology LLC, owner and operator of the Weather Channel app, and its parent company IBM in a press conference on August 19.

Feuer’s 2019 lawsuit alleged that TWC used “misleading and deceptive statements” in the Weather Channel app, through disclosure screens, that didn’t clearly inform users about the usage of their shared location data.

The suit alleged the misleading statements led users to believe that their location data would be exclusively used for “personalized local weather data, alerts and forecasts”; however, users’ locations were being tracked for 24 hours a day on their whereabouts, like where users live, work and visit.

The suit further claimed that TWC, gathering unaware users’ data and information through the Weather Channel app, sent the information to its parent company, IBM, and third-party sources to be used for monetization purposes, such as advertising and other commercial purposes. IBM acquired the Weather Channel’s digital assets in 2015, like the Weather Channel app and website, excluding the TV network itself.

The settlement between Feuer and TWC and IBM includes an agreed revision to the app to fully disclose, to users of the app, the intended use and purpose of the shared location data gathered from its users.

“The Weather Channel app and IBM have agreed to make additional revisions to these disclosures,” Feuer said. “They’re now going to disclose all of that missing information, which will help ensure transparency and informed consent by users.”

“Users will now clearly know that they have the choice to provide access to their locations, that these locations may be given to third parties for ads, and that they can get weather reports without always providing access to their locations.”

TWC and IBM are expected, following the settlement, to give notice to the LA city attorney’s office about any changes to the app’s disclosure screens in the future for the next two years, along with the ability to challenge in court.

Separate from the settlement, “IBM will be donating a little more than a $1 million’s worth of material to the city,” Feuer said.

“While it’s not a condition of our settlement, IBM will donate a substantial amount of technology to assist with the county’s critical contact tracing efforts and the city’s continuing data storage needs,” he said.

Melissa Medori, IBM personal relations and spokeswoman, relayed IBM’s statement, saying, “The Weather Company has always been transparent about its use of location data. We fundamentally disagreed with this lawsuit from the start, and during the case we showed that the claims were baseless. However, in recognition of IBM’s long-standing relationship with Los Angeles and our history of providing technology solutions to improve its operations, we are donating technology to help the city and county deal with COVID-19 relief and contact tracing efforts.”

Feuer also highlighted that the city attorney’s office “… (will be) putting other apps on notice, that (they) are going to be vigilant and (they are) going to monitor (other apps’) practices on behalf of consumers.”

“The core of this resolution is that users have the choice not to sacrifice their personal data (and) location information if they didn’t want to share that and still get the benefit of (the app’s) information. … It provides transparency to users of the Weather Channel app,” Feuer said.

Feuer hopes this settlement and the resolution with TWC and IBM becomes a model for other companies to follow. Feuer stated, “It shows we don’t have to sacrifice our privacy for things of value.”

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Little Tokyo Service Center celebrating 40th anniversary

By William Bergholz ittle Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) is gearing up to celebrate four decades of operation with a virtual gala this October.

Traditionally, LTSC celebrates its anniversary with a formal gala every five years. But this year’s celebration, set for 6 p.m. October 10, was forced to move online due to COVID-19.

“There has never been a more important time to support Little Tokyo and the community,” said Erich Nakano, executive director of LTSC. “The gala is an exciting event that brings together people who genuinely want to make a difference.

“We face greater challenges in these coming post-pandemic years, especially our most vulnerable populations—low-income families, the elderly and those experiencing homelessness. Little Tokyo Service Center will work to provide services and programs, build affordable housing and create new initiatives.”

The gala’s theme is Better Together, celebrating the spirit of collaboration that fortifies LTSC’s work.

A social service and community development organization that has been creating positive change for the people and places in Southern California for 40 years, LTSC preserves and strengthens the unique ethnic communities of the region where people, culture and collective future matter—starting with its home in Little Tokyo.

For the event, guests can send a virtual toast, sit at the virtual honoree table or send a written tribute message. There will even be a silent auction.

The program is slated to include musical entertainment and special appearances, including June Kuramoto of the band Hiroshima.

A salute to longtime LTSC board member Alan Nishio, an educator and community activist, is also planned. Nishio’s commitment to social change resulted in a lifetime of activism and community service.

Hilda Solis, who represents the first district on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, will be recognized for her compassion for the people in her district and her support of LTSC programs.

And last, LTSC will present a special tribute to late Executive Director Dean

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Matsubayashi, whose passion and creative intellect continue to inspire the organization’s work.

The overall idea of the gala, however, is to highlight LTSC’s diverse programs and share its vision, which builds on decades of supporting seniors, preserving Little Tokyo, nurturing families and building community. The diverse programs include case management, mental health services, caregivers for the elderly, affordable housing and, during the coronavirus pandemic, hot meals for seniors.

“After the coronavirus, and once people are able to gather again, the Little Tokyo Service Center will be a great venue for community events and services for local residents,” Nakano said. “In the meantime, we’ve been pretty heavily engaged in the last several months and in the foreseeable future with COVID relief efforts.

“Like I mentioned, that includes delivering over 5,000 hot meals to seniors in Little Tokyo over the last three months. We’re also delivering groceries and fresh produce to a lot of the residents of our affordable housing building. We have an emergency cash-assistance fund to be able to help people who have lost their jobs, in particular, to help people pay their rent.

“A lot of our other services have generally happened virtually over the last period of time. We do hope that those kinds of activities will be able to happen in person.”

Attendees are encouraged to register for free before October 1 to be entered to win a Little Tokyo gift card bundle valued at $100. Gift cards include Cafe Dolce, Sake Dojo, Fugetsu-Do Bakery Shop, Bunkado, Rafu Bussan and Mitsuru Cafe.

Sponsorship opportunities are available at different levels, with sponsors including Aratani Foundation, City National Bank, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Barker Management, MUFG Union Bank, Keith & Cecelia Terasaki Family Foundation, Walton Construction Inc., JPMorgan Chase, NeighborWorks, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and Genesis LA. For more information, or to register or claim a sponsorship level, visit ltsc. org/40thanniversary.

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Paradis Ice Cream unveils new flavors

By William Bergholz aradis Ice Cream is seeing great success in selling customers popular ice cream flavors such as peanut butter chip, strawberry sorbet and sea salt caramel.

But the Downtown ice cream parlor is also unveiling new flavors, like watermelon sorbet and, for the fall and winter seasons, pumpkin pie, eggnog and Minty Wonderland.

New flavors are a regular occurrence at the shop, located at 755 S. Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles.

“We’re coming out with new flavors all the time,” said Albert Thomas, Paradis Ice Cream’s California commercial and operational director. “In a given month we probably roll out two to three new flavors.

For our recipe book, we’re probably in the hundreds.

We’re making ice cream almost every single day. It’s really good to have that kind of quick turnaround and to be able to develop flavors and keep things seasonal.”

One new flavor came this summer, when Paradis Ice Cream hosted a National Ice Cream Day giveaway where the grand-prize winner could create their own ice cream flavor. The contest resulted in a custom flavor called Bird of Paradis: a combination of papaya and strawberry.

Originally from Denmark, the brand name is a play on “paradise” and the Danish work for ice cream, “is” (pronounced “ees”). Founded in 2000, it has since grown to 46 franchises throughout Denmark and 13 locally owned ones in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Paradis Ice Cream takes on a bakery approach to producing ice cream, according to Thomas.

“We don’t have tubs and tubs and tubs of ice cream sitting in storage,” Thomas explained. “We make orders, so today, for example, we have chefs in our kitchen that are making the ice cream that’ll go out tomorrow. It’s constantly being produced so the quality remains high.”

The ice cream is produced at a manufacturing fa-

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cility in the San Fernando Valley, which hand delivers the various flavors Downtown daily.

Paradis partners with a local dairy to create its milk base, which is combined with other ingredients. This is a regular practice, as the company makes an effort to travel to find top-quality ingredients for ice creams and sorbets. Paradis uses organic cocoa from the Dominican Republic, bourbon vanilla from Madagascar and organic almonds from Spain.

Paradis exclusively uses fresh, ripe fruit sourced from local markets for its flavors—no frozen fruit or purees.

Rather than utilizing a packing process, Paradis puts its ice cream in stainless steel gelato pans so “the ice cream looks nice from the time it leaves the facility to the time it gets to the store. That’s something we’re really proud of,” Thomas said.

However, the ice cream is sold in to-go containers, too. Each container is divided into different spaces to make sure flavors don’t get mixed up.

Depending on the weather, the to-go containers can keep the ice cream frozen for about 45 minutes. If the ice cream has been stored in the freezer before a customer is ready to enjoy it, it may need some time to soften up. For best results, Paradis recommends customers leave the box out with the lid on until the ice cream is soft again and ready to eat.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Paradis Ice Cream has continued to sell out of its Downtown store, while complying with all CDC guidelines, including requiring all employees and customers to wear face masks.

As a result, Paradis has seen a rise in its online sales through platforms such as DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats and Grubhub. Paradis also caters.

Paradis Ice Cream 755 S. Spring Street, Suite 101, Los Angeles paradis-icecream.com

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The Microsoft Theater receives GBAC accreditation

By William Bergholz he Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles has reached the gold standard for prepared facilities.

On August 25, the theater received the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation. This makes the Microsoft Theater the first mid-sized theater in Southern California to receive this highest level of accreditation as determined under GBAC guidance.

“We know that when the time is right for our guests, athletes, artists and our team members to experience the incredible energy within our venues again that our GBAC STAR accreditation demonstrates that we are taking the proper precautions to protect everyone once it is safe to resume hosting events,” Microsoft Theater President Lee Zeidman said.

“We are honored to be one of the first GBAC STAR-accredited arenas and theaters of its size, leading the way in maintaining cleanliness and continuing to make the safety of

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everyone our No. 1 priority.”

The GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation ensures the public that the venues have implemented the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.

To achieve GBAC STAR accreditation, Microsoft Theater was required to demonstrate compliance with the program’s 20 core elements, which include standard operating procedures, risk-assessment strategies, personal protective equipment, emergency preparedness and response measures.

As the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s readiness for biorisk situations.

The international organization is comprised of leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery.

It provides training, guidance, accredita-

tion, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, forensic restoration response and remediation, the GBAC STAR facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals, and consulting for building owners and facility managers.

“GBAC STAR accreditation empowers facility owners and managers to assure workers, customers and key stakeholders that they have proven systems in place to maintain clean and healthy environments,” GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger said. “By taking this important step to pursue GBAC STAR, both Microsoft Theater and Staples Center have received third-party validation that it follows strict protocols for biorisk situations, thereby demonstrating its preparedness and commitment to operating safely.”

The Microsoft Theater’s enhanced sanitization procedures will provide the safest environment for hosting events and ensuring the safety of the athletes, artists, performers, team members and guests.

Microsoft Theater’s sanitization protocols will continue during live events with or without guests inside the buildings, as well as throughout the office workspaces.

Dedicated restroom attendants equipped with enhanced products will work constantly to keep these high-touch areas clean. A team of sanitization monitors will continually audit and evaluate all areas, especially hightouch guest areas such as arena seats and armrests, escalator and stair handrails, faucets, soap dispensers and other restroom fixtures. A high level of care and attention will also be used in food and beverage areas, ensuring food safety is carefully considered with EPA-approved sanitization methods.

Microsoft Theater 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles microsofttheater.com

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Covered California will help BUSINESS

Credit union introduces Lakers debit card

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski irst Entertainment Credit Union and the Los Angeles Lakers launched the Lakers debit card as part of their multiyear sponsorship agreement.

Separately, First Entertainment and power forward Anthony Davis entered into an individual sponsorship arrangement in March, when Davis stepped into the role of the institution’s first official brand ambassador with an ad campaign and TV spot titled “All Dreams Apply Here.” Both of these sponsorship arrangements are first steps in expanding First Entertainment’s brand story within the local Los Angeles lifestyle and entertainment space, and the Lakers-branded affinity debit card allows First Entertainment members to bring their passion for the team to their finances.

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Davis said he was looking for ways to build stronger connections to the city and Lakers fans.

“First Entertainment has been a great partner for me in exploring ways to support the community,” Davis said. “First Entertainment’s Lakers debit card presents a way for all of us to celebrate the partnership that has brought so many of us together, no matter where we are or where we’re from.”

As part of the overall Lakers sponsorship, First Entertainment and the Lakers are also working to increase awareness of the importance of financial literacy and responsibility and will soon launch initiatives that aim to educate students and young adults.

First Entertainment members can sign up for the First Entertainment Lakers debit card at FirstEnt.org/Lakers.

“Further establishing the relationship between the Lakers organization and First Entertainment is an endeavor we don’t take lightly, especially in a time when we’re missing events that have long played a critical part in creating a sense of community and home for Lakers fans,” said Amondo Redmond, chief marketing officer at First Entertainment Credit Union.

“The Lakers debit card is another way for us to tap into the rich legacy of both the Lakers and First Entertainment organizations while giving our passionate and creative membership a way to express their love for one of the greatest teams to ever play the game.”

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Andrew Kim joins Colliers as senior vice president

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski he global commercial real estate services and investment management firm Colliers International Group Inc. hired Andrew Kim as a senior vice president in Downtown Los Angeles.

Kim will focus on retail investment sales and net-leased properties at Colliers, leading networking opportunities between Colliers and Korean clients—based both locally and overseas—in the greater Los Angeles market.

“We are delighted to welcome Andrew and his distinctive skill set in the retail space to our elite team here at Colliers,” said Jodie Poirier, Colliers executive managing director for greater Los Angeles and market leader. “Aside from being an invaluable new member to our team, Andrew will better help us serve the Korean community in Southern California and further enhance our service offering in the region.”

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Prior to joining Colliers, Kim was a part of the Marcus & Millichap Senior Investment team at the Retail Group and Net Lease Group for more than six years. He closed more than $35 million worth of properties in 2019 alone and was ranked seventh of 60 brokers in the Downtown LA office for the firm.

“I’m honored to join the Colliers platform, where I’ll be able to best serve my clients,” Kim said. “With my strong roots in the Korean community, I look forward to capitalizing on the opportunities brought forth by South Korea and its investors.

With my knowledge of the market and strong connections, I have high ambitions for myself and the team here at Colliers.”

Kim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from California State University Northridge as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA in biology and earth sciences. He also holds a real estate license in Texas.

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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE

James Cromwell: Portable theater is stage’s future

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski elebrated actor and activist James Cromwell hopes to see theater head in a different direction, in light of social injustices and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Traditional community theater has very, very little relevance to people of color, to the young, to the progressives, to address the issues that are engaging them, that are important to them.”

Portable theater, he hopes, will rise from society’s ashes to address global warming, the broken health care system, the soon-to-be broken Social Security and Medicare, broken society and a broken post office.

Cromwell will discuss this and other facets of theater during the next installment of the Robey Theatre Company’s online series of Evening Conversations at 6 p.m. Friday, September 11, presented via Zoom. The Millena Gay-moderated event will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The event will be recorded and available for viewing on the Robey Theatre Company’s YouTube channel starting Friday, September 18.

The Broadway veteran starred in “American Horror Story: Asylum” and movies like “Babe.” He’s been an activist for progressive causes for decades, ranging from his support of the Black Panthers in the 1960s through his recent advocacy for environmental conservation and animal rights.

He appeared onstage for the Robey Theatre Company in its presentation of Discovered Voices in 2004.

The Downtown theater is a nonprofit organization founded 26 years ago by Danny Glover and Ben Guillory. The company is named after actor, activist and humanitarian Paul Robeson. Its emphasis is on telling stories of the global Black diaspora.

“It’s an important theater,” he said of the Robey Theatre Company. “It’s a great theater, and it’s a theater directed at an audience that usually doesn’t get to experience plays from a Black perspective with Black casts and issues concerning Black people and any kind of inclusion as in color-blind casting and dealing with subject matter that the commercial theaters will not deal with.”

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He supports communal theater without a hierarchy that would meet as a company and decide which issue it wants to address. For example, a joint-stock company in England worked with potato farmers in northern England before improvising vignettes and scenes from their points of view.

They called in the playwright and director, who were there to smooth over the performance but not make any factual changes.

“If the director should say, ‘Will you sit in the chair at the head of the table?’

The actor would say he’s the head of the household. He doesn’t sit at the head of the table. He eats first, alone, in front of the fireplace.

“The actors know what happens in the scenes, because they were there in the actual event. They bring a knowledge and sophistication that is superior to the director. The whole hierarchy is reversed.”

Cromwell is frustrated because “the lie is the truth and everything is fake” and “we don’t take responsibility for anything we do. We’re out for ourselves.”

“This applies not only to the idiot in the White House but corporations, and it seeps down to corporate media down into America. Roughly one-third of this country is bamboozled and misguided by the elites for their own purposes. Their best interests aren’t being served.”

The 1960s, he said, was the beginning of a revolution in this country, and it didn’t work out. However, it led to fights for civil, women’s and gay rights because of the tenacity of the supporters, which included traveling theaters.

“They went from venue to venue, playing in the street, a garage, anywhere,” he said. “They had a platform. They had a backdrop and multiple characters and costumes.”

Cromwell said theater like this impacts the community. If street theater actors head into Gelson’s Market and start a conversation about the earth’s destruction due to the consumption of meat, that’s going spark conversation among the shoppers. They may not realize actors started the conversation, but the key phrase is “conversation.”

James Cromwell will participate in the next installment of the Robey Theatre Company’s online series of Evening Conversations at 6 p.m. Friday, September 11, presented via Zoom.

Photo by Ryan Rodgers

“People are surrounded, listening to this argument,” he said. “You do get thrown out of the market, but they make a big impression. They don’t know it’s theater. They haven’t paid $40 to sit in a seat somewhere. They think they’re ordinary

people having a conversation about topics that are desperately important. Animal agriculture is at the center of our global climate crisis. The complexity of it becomes simplified when you see it in a play.”

The Robey Theatre Company’s Evening Conversations with James Cromwell 6 p.m. Friday, September 11 Register at robeytheatrecompany.org for the exclusive Zoom link $10 suggested donation

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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE Who’s Behind the Curtain?: Brad Arnold’s ‘Wicked Man’ tries to answer that question

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski arlier this year, Brad Arnold was preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 3 Doors Down’s debut, “The Better Life,” when the pandemic hit.

The singer for the Mississippi rock band was deeply affected by the COVID-19-dictated quarantine. He channeled his frustration, anger and sadness into his first solo record, “Wicked Man,” on his new Wild at Heart label.

“The opportunity just kind of presented itself,” Arnold said. “Greg (Upchurch), our drummer, has been writing at home, too. He sent me a guitar part a couple months ago.

The first idea was the theme of the song.

It’s not very hard to get that theme with so many things going on in the world around us.”

Arnold said in many of the events, there seems to be “someone behind the curtain,” and a lot of people agree with it.

“The inspiration for the song is there are

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so many things going on in the world. They have to be orchestrated. They’re not random events,” he said.

“There are people behind the scenes who have a lot to be gained from conflict and the loss of life. That’s what the song is really talking about and what I’m thinking about. It all goes back to money.”

Arnold also doubts the COVID numbers, saying he thinks they’re “a little overblown.”

“A lot of those numbers are grossly misquoted and misprinted, and we can go right back to the reason—the money,” he added.

“There are people at different institutions who get paid off if it’s hyped up. I live about a mile as the bird flies from a school. It was nice to see them running track and practicing football and cheerleading. It’s a brandnew school. Now it’s depressing to see the grass 2 feet tall. We’re on our way out of it, though. I have this feeling everything’s going to be gone when the election’s over.”

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Brad Arnold, the singer of 3 Doors Down, recently released the solo track “Wicked Man” about the pandemic, racial injustices and quarantine.

Photo courtesy Brad Arnold

Arnold, who recorded the song with Upchurch using the program GarageBand, wrote the lyrics in his typical fashion.

“I like to stand in the tile shower and sing,” he said with a laugh. “I can’t tell you how many parts of songs I’ve written in the shower, as kooky as it sounds.”

Arnold said he released the song not only for personal gain, but he’s hoping the public is hungry for music. It was therapeutic for him, too.

“I really wanted to do it, and it was some-

thing I really wanted to say,” he said. “I can’t wait to play a show now. I would play at a bar if I could.”

Fans of 3 Doors Down don’t have to worry about a possible breakup in light of Arnold’s release. He said he has “little giblets” of 3 Doors Down songs laying around. He just hopes fans like “Wicked Man.” “It’s cool to put out a song that’s about current events and put it out while the events are happening,” he said. “I hope fans take something from it.”

Brad Arnold “Wicked Man” https://bit.ly/3juyeJ0

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2020