Several weeks ago, 16-year-old Erick Ramirez was living life like any normal kid in Long Beach; then he visited the doctor and was diagnosed with leukemia.
Despite the news, Ramirez still planned to attend his first concert ever: Skalloween.
Erick and his brother, 18-year-old Raymundo Ramirez, were set to go to Skalloween together, but as a result of chemotherapy treatments, Erick was in no condition to attend the show.
Raymundo said he has been by his brother’s side ever since he was admitted to the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center on Oct. 3.
As a result of his brother’s ailment, Raymundo didn’t plan to attend Skalloween, but Erick demanded that his brother go and fully enjoy the concert for both of them.
“The music is awesome… when you hear the instruments like the trumpets, I get a rush inside,” Raymundo said. “I just want to have a great time at the show for my brother.”
Skalloween is an annual concert that moved to Long Beach this year; it featured ska bands primarily from the Los Angeles area. Doors opened at 5 p.m., and the event took place at the Seaport Marina Hotel on Saturday.
“Ska has such a wide variety of sub-genres, such as ska-core, reggae ska and just regular ska,” said Braulio Agredano, a former ska band member of Sin Piedad.
Two separate stages showcased bands such as the River Ratts, La Infinita, South Central Skankers and Just Like Before. The bands brought lots of energy to their sets invigorating the passion of the “skankers” as they thrashed in the mosh pits.
Orange County ska-core band 8 Kalacas ended Skalloween with an electrifying set of rapid and upbeat music that featured the signature sound of trumpets of modern-day ska.
Festival goers dance at at Skalloween 2014 on November 1st.
Despite the brutal appearances and the lyrics of the music, 8 Kalacas gave an endearing shout-out to Erick.
“You can’t judge people by their looks and music because deep inside they really felt something towards my brother, and they show how good their hearts are,” Ramirez said.
Raymundo said Erick contacted 8 Kalacas through Instagram to let them know that he had anticipated skanking and moshing in the crowds to the music, but was not able to attend due to his condition.
“Our friend Erick is fighting cancer, and this show today is dedicated for him because he is in the hospital,” Jaime Hernandez, frontman of 8 Kalacas, said in Spanish. “Right now we are all happy, but you never know what is going to happen.”
The crowd cheered and applauded Erick for the fight he is going though, and Raymundo jumped into the mosh pit for his brother.
“You see people from different shapes, sizes, races in the ska culture,” Agredano said. “It’s great that nobody really judges you, and everyone is real friendly.”
Raymundo said the experience at Skalloween amplified his faith in his brother’s fight against leukemia and the genre in general.
“8 Kalacas saying that to the crowd makes me believe that Erick will come out of the hospital conquering cancer and we’ll head out to shows soon with my brother,” Ramirez said. “I’ll cherish these memories forever.”