Good Luck Vinyl Club—Isaak Navarro’s monthly album listening session that takes over The Social List—is taking on Pride this Sunday. After hosting a special queer-centric Madonna listening session last year, they are returning to celebrate The Gays with totally different format. With queer DJs Jacqk Glam and Cocteau Twinks spinning from 10AM to 3PM, along with the amazing So Sentimental coffee popup handling caffeine, queers and allies alike are encouraged to peek by before or after the parade.
“I felt it would be nice to offer a more calm, recharge type of event away from the festival, where attendees can arrive pre- or post-parade,” Isaak said. “I felt it was super important to do something to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community and open our space for the weekend. Coffee will be flowing and records will be playing as we enjoy a beautiful morning in the LBC.”
Can we get an amen up in here?
What is, exactly, the story behind this Pride brunch edition of the Good Luck Vinyl Club?
Ivan Castaneda and Mino Sanchez—aka Jacqk Glam and Cocteau Twinks—have long been staples in the L.A. music scene at joints like Gold Line, Melody Lounge, Footsies, and, of course, The Social List for Good Luck Vinyl Club (for which Cocteau Twinks played for the aforementioned Madonna night). For Isaak, seeing them at Footsies for their monthly gay night not only brought friendship but the desire to bring them together to Long Beach.
“Aside from them being queer, they just have some of my favorite records to hear and they are some of my favorite DJs on the scene,” Isaak said. “Felt only right to bring them in during this amazing Pride celebration.”
Isaak is also bringing in Julian Park and Martin Fuerte of So Sentimental coffee, a popup which has blown up in popularity following their residency at Buvons Wine Bar.
“I heard through many coffee connoisseurs that these two dudes at a pop-up were serving up some really amazing stuff,” Isaak said. “So I hit up Julian, asked if he would be down to pop-up for Pride and he said he agreed… For these morning events like this, I love having the coffee element, since we don’t specialize in that at The Social List. It gives us the opportunity to open our space to the community and offer a different type of goods along with what the space offers on the regular. Kinda like a one-stop shop.”
Why Good Luck Vinyl Club is important to the Long Beach music scene.
“This is about returning to the act of collectively listening to an album— something I don’t think ever really disappears as long as people still love music.”
This is what Luis Navarro, co-owner of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine and The Social List, told me about the custom-built DJ booth now stationed on the eastern edge of The Social List. Most days, it’s a quiet fixture. But on the third Tuesday of each month, it becomes the room’s pulse.
A handpicked DJ steps in—not to hype a dance floor, but to guide a listening session. One artist. One album. Front to back. No skips. After that, the DJ pulls from their own crates—sharing records less to show off technical skills and more to spark connection, to honor what came before, and to nerd out on vinyl in its purest form.
“Honestly, just having a space where people can obsess over music and vinyl together feels like something the community really needs,” said Isaak Navarro, who helped launch the project alongside his mom, Brenda Rivera. “And that kind of shared experience has a way of bringing new people together.”
Good Luck Vinyl Club’s Pride brunch will take place at The Social List, located at 2105 E. 4th St., on Sunday, May 18 from 10AM to 3PM.
