SBMC Stokes Young Musicians’ Dreams

In 2018, Kimberly Koffler started what is now the South Bay Music Connection as a way to help her teenage son’s band get a few gigs in the area. “Although the South Bay is a great place for music, it’s harder to find a place for younger kids to play,” she says. “At first, I was just a mom helping out her son and his friends.” Koffler reached out to the City of Manhattan Beach’s Concert in the Park series to see if they would want to feature her son, Ethan Makauskas, and his band of fellow junior high schoolers as the opening act for one of their shows. “They told me, ‘That’s an interesting idea, why don’t you run with that?’ she remembers. The City invited her to book youth bands for several concerts, so Koffler began putting up posters around the South Bay and auditioning bands. Eventually, she applied for and received grants to get the nonprofit going. Six years later, SBMC is a burgeoning entity, giving hundreds of youth the opportunity to hone their craft in front of a live audience, not only at events like Fiesta Hermosa and the Hermosa Beach St. Patrick’s Day parade, but at restaurants and bars throughout the South Bay, including Project Barley in Redondo Beach, where they host a Teen Jam every week. The journey has been exciting, although it hasn’t always been easy. During the COVID pandemic, Koffler was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time that her organization’s concerts were stalled as events were shut down. But two other parents of youth musicians — Chrysta Powell and Melanie Gourzis, approached her and offered to help get things moving again as the pandemic slowed. Powell became the organization’s talent coordinator, while Gourzis serves as community liaison. “Honestly, I don’t know if I would have been able to continue if these wonderful women hadn’t joined in to help,” Koffler says. But SMBC blossomed once again, and the trio worked “to build SBMC into something that could be a lasting Hermosa staple.” After 18 months of treatment, Koffler is in recovery and couldn’t feel better — both physically and about the organization she launched. Her son is now attending LA College of Music in Pasadena, and although he’s “all grown up,” Koffler takes great pride in helping other young musicians get their start. SBMC currently has more than a dozen bands and 15 solo acts that they help find gigs for; at the same time, the group spends a great deal of time fundraising so they can accommodate even more budding musicians. Looking back, Koffler can’t believe what her small crew of moms has achieved. “Honestly, I do this for selfish reasons,” she says. “I love music and I love working with kids. And I consider each kid as my own. I just want to help them achieve their dreams.” ■