DIY to Stimulate Your Senses

Browsing the Shelves at Downtown L.A.’s The Smell

I define myself as much by my love for music as by my love for books. So my first trip to The Smell, a tiny do-it-yourself music venue in Downtown L.A., was an experience deserving of excessive cliché (eye-opening! life-changing!). The bands I heard altered my perception of how music could be played, distributed, and enjoyed. But as I waited for them to start (with the tardiness characteristic of DIY concerts), I was just as enlightened by the venue’s small but eclectic communal bookshelves.

The entrance to The Smell is dressed …