Driving down Alliance Road on a weekend night, you might hear reverberating guitars, drums that vibrate through the floor, and the chatter of crowds of eccentric teenagers dressed in spikes and band tees.
Moss Oak Commons is a community-based space that hosts music, workshops, film screenings, and various other events. This space is run entirely by a small group of volunteers; they have no social media presence, and they value building community through music. In an interview with the Mad River Union, the organization stated, “We love music because of the ways it lends itself to a shared life in common.”
“Moss Oak Commons is like that one friend’s house where you can pull up whenever, say hello, and there will always be someone there, and it’s always your homie,” said Junior Josiah Hernandez.
On posters created to advertise events, you’ll see the expression “NOTAFLOF.” In the show community, this means “no one turned away for lack of funds.” In our area, only a handful of venues allow people in without payment, and not at every show. Moss Oak Commons follows this policy, regardless of crowd size. Instead, they have a donation jar at the door with “pay what you can” written on it.
A wide variety of musicians perform here. The lineups range from indie singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars, heavy metal bands, and experimental synth DJs.
As this space gains popularity, an increasing number of Arcata High students find themselves spending their Saturday nights here. Sophomore Max Fratkin began going to shows at Moss Oak a few months ago after his friend introduced him to the scene, “My first show with my friend Bella, we were just standing around feeling kind of awkward, but then she grabbed me and pulled me into the mosh, it was really fun.”
The space is comparatively small, meaning that the venue fills up quickly. Nate Johle, local guitarist and singer for Something Wicked and Kult of Indifference, recounts fond memories of playing at Moss Oak.
“The place was packed, and I kept doing a back and forth with the crowd between songs, telling them they needed to dance harder and faster, which they definitely obliged,” Johle said. “At one point, someone from the mosh pit slammed into my microphone stand, which made the microphone hit me square in the eye so hard I thought I’d get a black eye. It was awesome!”
