Overview: The Riverside Art Museum will host an exhibition called “60 Miles East” from March 21 to April 12, 2026, which explores the history of the Inland Empire’s underground music scene from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The exhibit, presented by Travis Barker and the 98 Posse, features written, photo, video, and physical merchandise archives that capture the punk, ska, and hardcore culture of the time. The exhibit highlights the DIY networks and local venues that defined the music scene, including Spanky’s Café and the Showcase Theatre.
Aryana Noroozi
On view until April 12, the Riverside Art Museum will feature “60 Miles East” – an exhibition tracing the Inland Empire’s underground music history.
Presented by Travis Barker and the 98 Posse, the exhibit harmoniously brings decades of punk, ska and hardcore culture into focus – highlighting the people, spaces and DIY networks that helped shape a generation outside the spotlight.
The archives include written, photo, video and physical merchandise that serve as a time capsule into Riverside’s all-ages music scene from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Through archival flyers, photographs, cassette tapes and personal artifacts, the exhibit captures a time when local venues and word-of-mouth networks defined how music was discovered and experienced.
Zach Cordner and Ken Crawford went to Riverside Poly High School together in the 1990s. They bonded over skateboarding and hardcore music. Three decades later, they reconnected as Publisher and Editor of Riversider Magazine. Cordner and Crawford often talked about the romance and excitement of the 1990s’ music scene in Riverside and realized they had the contacts and resources warranted to do the story justice.
At the center of the exhibit is the story of Spanky’s Café, a downtown Riverside restaurant-turned-venue that became a cornerstone of the region’s music scene. Founded by Ezzat Soliman, Spanky’s evolved into a space where young people—many before deemed as outsiders—could gather, perform and build community.
“When Ezzat approached [local bands] about moving inside… what emerged became one of the most important venues in West Coast punk history,” one exhibit panel reads.
After redevelopment efforts of the Mission Inn in the early 1990s displaced venues like Spanky’s, the scene adapted. The Showcase Theatre in nearby Corona emerged as a major hub, drawing touring acts and local fans from across Southern California.
Other spaces, including UC Riverside’s Barn, further expanded access to live music, hosting bands like No Doubt, Incubus and Rage Against the Machine early in their careers.
The exhibit also highlights how the scene operated before the digital era. Fans relied on photocopied flyers, hand-drawn maps and verbal directions to find shows — often navigating warehouses, backyards and community centers across the Inland Empire.
“The effort required to find shows created investment in the experience,” one exhibit panel noted. “When everyone had to work to find shows, everyone was invested in making sure they happened.”
Local bands such as Smokestacks and The Skeletones helped define the sound of the era, blending genres like ska, funk, reggae and punk while cultivating a distinctly Inland Empire identity.
More than a retrospective, “60 Miles East” frames the scene as a cultural ecosystem — one built on collaboration, resourcefulness and a desire to create something meaningful outside of Los Angeles’ cultural gravity.
“This story is worth telling,” the exhibit reads. “We built something durable, something special, on the outer edge of the Los Angeles gravity field.”
Running through April 12, 2026, the exhibition offers a rare look at a formative moment in Riverside’s cultural history – one that continues to influence music communities today.Check out the playlist for 60 Miles East here on Spotify.