This past April 19 life changed for many people in the Santa Cruz area—and beyond—when Felix Lozano passed away suddenly at the age of 51. He was a father and a fiancé, a brother and a son. He was a bartender, a punk rocker and someone who I was lucky enough to call a dear friend and inspiration.
Anyone who knew him can attest to Felix’s love for his community, be it the Chicano community he had pride in, punks or his “guys” (as he called them) with developmental disabilities that he worked with for decades at Hope Services.
And on Saturday, August 23, the local community is showing up to celebrate his life with Felix Fest, a five-band punk show in the Catalyst main room with all proceeds going to his family. In full disclosure, I am one of the central organizers for the show.
In honor of Lozano’s time in local Latino punk band Los Dryheavers and his huge influence on the punk scene organizing shows for bands local and just passing through, Felix Fest is a blast from the past. There are three reunions of punk bands from the 1990s and early 2000s: Good Neighbor Policy (GNP), Here Kitty Kitty and headliners Fury 66. Before the headliners take the stage, there will be a special guest band (who will even have a few but crazy special guests within their set) that doesn’t want to be named but anyone paying attention will likely figure it out.
Opening the show is Fulminate, a self-described “Latin Punk Party” trio—and the only band currently playing regular shows.
“Without Felix and the Dryheavers there would be no Fulminante,” explains singer and guitar player Brenda Martinez. “He inspired a generation of Brown kids to play music and have a voice.”
When asked about her reaction to playing the benefit show, she said there was “no hesitation” from all three members.
“Felix made us feel a part of a community when it’s easy to feel alone,” she says.
This will be the first time Fury 66 has played together in nine years, when they packed out the Atrium for the 27th anniversary of Numbskull Productions.
“It was a no-brainer,” says the band’s lead singer, Joseph Clements, when asked about his reaction to playing Felix Fest.
Clements and Lozano’s friendship expanded over four decades. In the early 2000s Clements’ indie label, Lorelei Records, released both of Los Dryheavers’ full-lengths along with their 7-inch single “Seven Inches Just For You.” When Clements started his Buddhist hardcore project—The Deathless–it was Lozano he asked to play guitar.
Despite all that, Clements says he doesn’t exactly remember the first time he met Lozano (possibly in the early 1990s, when Fury 66 played with Lozano’s first band, STUBB, in King City) but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“Felix was one of those people who all of a sudden was my brother,” he states. “We just hit it off with all the stories of the people we knew and our mutual love of music. That’s just Felix. He treated people like you knew him your whole life.”
It’s a sentiment shared by GNP’s guitarist, Chris Jönsson.
“GNP played at The Blue a lot and Felix was always around so we became buddies like 20 years ago,” he explains. “Every time I walked in and Felix was working he would take time to come and talk. We’d have actual, real conversations about life. He always had a real positive but rational way of talking about things. He was just that guy, always.”
Of course, nobody performing knew Lozano better than his sister, Gabby, whose band Here Kitty Kitty will play for the first time in 12 years.
“It really means a lot,” she says while holding back tears. “But there’s also been a lot of emotions coming at me. The fact that people are doing this is so crazy to me because it’s such a huge show.”
Adding an extra touch of love and sentimentality, she will be playing some of the instruments and equipment her brother used during his time in Los Dryheavers.
It’s impossible to express how much Lozano meant to his friends, family and community in only 700 words. I could sit for hours and write pages upon pages, with many dedicated to what he meant to me alone. He touched the lives of everyone who will be on the stage on Aug. 23 and—most likely—a majority if not all of the people in attendance.
That’s just who he was. A person who gave a shit, who showed up for his friends and community and stayed true to who he was, cutting through all the B.S. we—and society—create. It’s my hope that Felix Fest will be a celebration for everyone and one that inspires others to go out and be a positive influence on the lives around them.
“I still get stopped by people who say, ‘Your brother was in Los Dryheavers,’” Gabby says. “And so many kids now are messaging me saying they got into music because of encouragement from my brother or they saw him play and thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
