A harvest moon hung in the October sky almost ripe for plucking. I was facing the Huron Street Substation, one of two remaining railway substations built in 1906 near downtown Los Angeles. It had to have been named (bad 1906 spelling) after the heron birds that had previously populated the nearby Los Angeles River and are slowly reappearing along with the disappearing trash — thanks to a lot of volunteers.  In fact, the whole neighborhood was much more gentrified since the decade I’d last been there. The imposing brick building with vintage/industrial architecture leads back to a set of massive doors that open up to a back garden with a fountain, fire-pits, and twinkly lights. I was there for the 15^th Anniversary celebration of Green Galactic. No, that’s not some autumnal pagan ritual observing the declination of the sun.

Green Galactic is an organization that enthusiastically promotes organizations and people who make the world more cognizant, healthy, and beautiful. It started in 1993 as Green House Record Pool –- one of the country’s only female-run record pools, providing vinyl 12” records to the top DJs on the west coast. GHRP was the first pool to specialize in underground house and techno music. Its motto, ”Green House Record Pool, Where Your Music Grows,” not only represents the business but its history as well.

Former Green Galactic employee Roy Ceballos, Green Galactic's founder, Lynn Hasty, former business partner Susan Mainzer, and former GG employee Charles Carroll. Photo by Anne Bray

In 1994 the company expanded and began using the name Green Galactic, which encompasses both the pool and the clubs/events. They started producing live “ambient” events under the name Public Space, first at Hollywood Moguls and eventually working with clubs and creative spaces all over LA, such as: The El Rey, Park Plaza, The Troubadour, Luna Park, Knitting Factory, The Roxy, Spaceland, and more. Experimental electronic and/or Detroit techno artists were usually the focus and remain, to this day, the music that owner Lynn Hasty is the most passionate about.

From ‘94 - ‘04, over 200 events were produced with such headliners as Autechre, Plaid, John Tejada, Pole, Ken Ishii, The Burden Brothers (430 West), Dan Bell/DBX, Claude Young, Anthony “Shake” Shakir, Stacey Pullen, Matthew Herbert, Kit Clayton, Mouse on Mars, Steve Roach, Phoenecia, Cluster, Alex Paterson, Thomas Fehlmann, Vladislav Delay/Luomo, and literally hundreds more.

In 1995, GG added publicity services to its growing list of promotional specialties, and in 1996, GG’s publicity clients started to grow beyond just music clients to include restaurants and film festivals.

By 1997, they became Green Galactic Communications, LLC, and by the end of the ’90s, GG handled PR for music, art, film, theatre, books, restaurants, retail, products, and even corporate clients. Their clients remain eclectic, with non-profits, charities, and humanitarian clients making up a larger portion of the client roster, and also fashion, jewelry, health/spa, and kids-related clients are part of the GG family by now.

This celebration of GG 2008 is for GG and its founder as they continue to love what they do and do what they love (new website debuts shortly), and that’s why I wanted to go to the party! New people, places, and things…or, as Robert Schumann composed in the 19^th century for his “Scenes from Childhood” -– “Strange Lands and People,” and what better place than Hollywood to make this come true.

Green Galactic's founder, Lynn Hasty in signature green, talking to journalist Ingo Harney (blond in foreground) and friend. Photo by Bill White

I was enthusiastically welcomed by Lynn when I arrived to this fantasy land in the middle of Cypress Park. I felt immediately comfortable in a “gemutlicht” sort of way. There was a variety of friendly people to mix and mingle, starting at the elaborate buffet, to the bar, to the fire pits and gardens outside. Even with the ongoing shows on the brick walls and the music, none of it was arch or presumptuous. Just nice, like a family birthday party without the thoughtless birthday presents.

Manifesto: Because of GG’s history and transmogrification, I wanted Lynn to confirm what I’d been reading about Green Galactica:

“It’s only recently that I’ve been able to put into words what “perhaps” is the purpose of my life with Green Galactic. I’m on some life-long quest to contribute, in some small way, to what I feel needs to be a paradigm shift in the way this industry called Publicity functions in order to bring tangible results to independent artists and creative thinkers at an affordable price. A favorite slogan remains: “Helping Creative Entities Get to Their Next Level.”

What a lovely, altruistic message! I believe Lynn will continue to make it happen for herself and her clients. I can’t wait to see where I’m invited next year and who I get to chat with.

Go Green Galactic!

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