Following a two-year postponement due to the pandemic, The Paramount has reopened as a live music venue with an eclectic lineup curated by a popular local DJ and an original bar food and cocktail menu that owners say pay tribute to Boyle Heights diverse history.
Once known as The Paramount Ballroom, the venue near César Chávez and Mott has already hosted performances by artists as diverse as Son Rompe Pera, Bobby Oroza and Twin Seas, and its upcoming lineup includes Mexican rocker Silverio on Dec. 10 and Los Angeles cumbia and funk band Buyepongo on Dec. 18.
Tickets recently went on sale for a 2022 performance by Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada, an up-and-coming Latin Alternative artist that will bring her Marchita tour to The Paramount on Feb. 11.
The Paramount’s musical lineup is curated by KCRW DJ José Galván, who calls Estrada “one of Mexico’s greatest young talents and vocalists.” The venue’s aim, according to a press release, is to book 15-20 musical showcases per month.
“Our goal is to honor the revered icons who have graced our beloved building and offer a creative space for the future generation of burgeoning artists,” Galván said in the release. “We look forward to continuing the venue’s legacy as a community-serving and progressive gathering place for talent, young entrepreneurs, and music enthusiasts alike as we usher in the next chapter for the historic building.”
A nearly 100-year history
The brick building at 2706-2708 East César Chávez was acquired in 1923 by a leftist Jewish cooperative that used it as a meeting place for Boyle Heights’ multiethnic community. It reopened in 1949 as a dance studio and later developed, in the 50’s and 60’s, as a popular venue for international Latin/Tropical orchestras and Eastside Chicano rock bands. In the 1970’s and ‘80s The Paramount was a popular venue for the East LA punk scene, but the ballroom was forced to close following a drive-by shooting that killed a concert goer. It remained boarded up for decades.
After it was acquired by real estate developer Frank Acevedo, renovation of the building began in 2010. A portion of the ground floor is used by the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, a nonprofit that trains local youth and operates a radio station. In November of 2020, chef Mario Chisterna opened his Brooklyn Ave. Pizza restaurant in one of the ground floor’s storefronts, with another eatery expected to open in 2022.
The Brooklyn Ave. Pizza menu is available to concert goers at The Paramount, but the club also offers a “bar food” selection created by the restaurant’s pizza maker Jorge Sandoval. It includes Chicken Quinoa Meatballs and a Jalapeño Mac & Cheese.
Craft cocktails created by mixologist Jason Schiffer include a Boyle Heights Iced Tea (with Japanese vodka, kosher gin, cognac, tequila and orange liqueur) and a Coco Loco (rum, orange juice, pineapple and coconut cream).
The Paramount requires that all persons entering the building for a ticketed show, provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the show. This applies to all ticket holders. Attendees will also be required to wear a mask, should any indoor mask mandates be in effect by either the City or State at the time of the show.
The Paramount is located at 2706 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, Free parking is available in the parking lot at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Mathew Street. Tickets and information at: https://paramountla.com/events/.
