Pop & Hiss

June 7, 2009 | 1:16 pm

Not every musician who performs at Staples Center rakes in big bucks from the appearance, but the perks can be nice.

Kimi Yoshino writes in today's Times about the official Los Angeles Lakers pep band, which has been making a cheery clamor in support of the home team since 1979. It's composed of former members of the USC marching band, an ensemble that has performed with the likes of Radiohead and OutKast at the arena.

During Laker games, however, the USC band alums are ensconced up near the cheap seats, delivering brassy renditions of hits from the likes of Katy Perry and System of a Down. Yet you may have to squint -- or bring binoculars -- to see them.

Yoshino writes:

Until a few years ago, they relied on old-fashioned lung power to make themselves heard. Now, microphones pipe their sounds through loudspeakers, a necessary byproduct of moving from the 400,000-square-foot Forum to the 1-million-square-foot Staples Center, said John Black, the team's vice president of public relations.
It's so effective, their playing often gets mistaken for canned music. "I just assumed it was the sound system," said Lakers fan Bridget Hatziris, whose company owns season seats in Section 117, across the arena from the band. "I come pretty often, but I didn't know."
Mortgage broker Hector Zuniga, 33, of Brentwood, knows the band all too well. Every home game, he sits in the first row of Section 307, so close to the band members that he sometimes has to squeeze by them in the aisle when he goes on a food run.

"I'm a trumpet player, so I appreciate it," Zuniga said. "But it gets annoying after awhile."

The gig comes with an extra ticket, but don't think of it as a future career -- band members only get paid $10 per game.

-- Todd Martens

Photo credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

The L.A. Times music blog

Lakers get the full band treatment