Nov 172016
 

Dante Elephante- Pasadena Dreams

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (11/17-11/11/20/16)-

Thursday

Los Angeles musician Devendra Banhart will be performing at MOCA Grand Ave as part of a series of in-gallery programs focusing on core ideas in the exhibition Doug Aitken: Electric Earth (free)

Artist Jack Whitten is giving a talk at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery (free with RSVP)

Death Valley Girls are playing at the Echoplex with Gateway Drugs, C.G. Roxanne and the Nightmares, and Kill A Punk For Rock and Roll with DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, and Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall) hosting

As part of Hammer Museum’s Bureau of Feminism Initiative, they are showing Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman, a film “about a young black lesbian trying to make a film about an obscure 1930s black actress”. Dunye will join curator Erin Christovale after the screening for a discussion. (free)

Rainbow Arabia is playing at Non Plus Ultra with KATIEE

Water Slice, Klangstof, and Slow Talker are playing at The Satellite

Friday

Slow Club are playing at The Echo with Annie Hart

It’s the first night of LA Zoo Lights, the annual  holiday event at the zoo

Ricky Eat Acid is headlining a night at Union

Fartbarf are playing with David and the Curse at El Cid

Saturday

The Great Los Angeles Walk returns and the route this year is Pico Boulevard from downtown to the ocean (free)

REDCAT is hosting The Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation (also Sunday)

The Egyptian Theatre is showing a double feature of the Warren Beatty films Shampoo and Heaven Can Wait

Meatbodies are playing with Feels, Melted, and Ivy Leaguers at The Hi Hat

Saturday and Sunday

DesignerCon at the Pasadena Convention Center mixes collectible toys and designer goods with pop art. The event also features panelists and art demonstrations happening over both days

Sunday

Dante Elephante are opening for The Orwells at Resident

Angels Flight Literary West is launching its monthly literary salon series, focused on writing about Los Angeles, at Clifton’s Cafeteria. This week’s authors are Dana Johnson and David Kukoff

For MOCA Grand Ave’s Artists on Artists series, Lauren Halsey will be leading an informal walkthrough of the exhibition Mickalene Thomas: Do I Look Like A Lady?

L.A. Drones!, Future Shoxxx, TV Heads and more are playing at The Echo for Subspace’s Zine Release Show

 

Nov 102016
 

Spring King- Who Are You?

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (11/10-11/13/16)-

Thursday

Spring King are playing with Triptides, Flaural and Psychic Jiu Jitsu at Non Plus Ultra

DTLA’s monthy art walk returns highlighting a one night only surrealist exhibition in their lounge

Das Hund, Samuel Levack and Jennifer Lewandowski’s music, spoken word and visual art performance, is happening at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel (free with RSVP)

Hammer Museum is hosting a reading/performance of Bryan Doerries Theater of War for Veteran’s Day. Michael Imperioli, Heather Goldenhersh, Riley Shanahan and Doerries will perform readings of Sophocles’s Ajax, “the ancient Greek play about the suicide of a great warrior, as a catalyst for a powerful public discussion about suicide, combat stress, and alcohol and substance abuse in the military community”. There will be a discussion afterwards. (free)

Gorilla Vs Bear and Cascine are hosting Angels in LA Night with Kristin Kontrol and Nite Jewel

Protomartyr are playing at The Roxy with Feels and The Gotobeds

Darlingside are playing at The Bootleg Theater

Friday

Sleepless: The Music Center After Dark is back with a night of art and music with a dream theme. This one includes multi-media artwork by Miwa Matreyek, Sohail Najafi and Kytten Janae; live retellings of classic stories; dream interpretation booths, and more all starting at 11:11 pm. ($20/online or $30 at the door)

STRFKR are playing the El Rey Theatre with Gigamesh and Psychic Twin

UK band Monarchy are playing at the Echoplex

Saturday

Artist Lara Schnitger is performing Suffragette City, “a procession through Westwood of sculptures that comprise images, forms, and texts explicitly addressing women’s rights” with a community gathering to follow at the Hammer Museum and an open mic to discuss the recent election

Cosmonauts, Winter and Frankie Flowers are playing at Non Plus Ultra

For the 50th Anniversary of the Sunset Strip Demonstration, Brenda Holloway, The Premiers, The Pandoras, The Creation Factory, Frankie and the Witch Fingers and more are playing at the Echoplex

Saturday and Sunday

Inglewood Open Studios is celebrating its 10th year and is a good way to check out established and emerging artists in their spaces and group shows

Jackalope Indie Artisan Market returns to Pasadena’s Central Park (free)

Sunday

Lara Schnitger returns to the Hammer Museum to further explore feminist speech with filmmaker Kerri Koch who will screen her work- Don’t Need You: A Herstory of Riot Grrrl,  followed by a screening of Inez Milholland: Forward Into Light, a short film by Martha Wheelock. There will also be a talk on contemporary witchcraft and a closing ceremony by Amanda Yates Garcia, the Oracle of Los Angeles.

Seth MacFarlane is hosting The Grove Christmas which includes a live musical performance, the lighting of the Christmas tree, and a fireworks finale (free)

Weirdo Night is back at El Cid with Dynasty Handbag,  Love Connie, Candy Pain, and Christina Catherine Martinez

Nov 032016
 

Deep Fields- Salazar

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (11/3-11/6/16)-

Thursday

Saint Motel are at Amoeba Hollywood for a free performance and album signing

Drink craft beer and make your own felt beer cozy at the Craft and Folk Art Museum ($10 includes materials, drinks and snacks)

Artist Amie Siegel is giving a lecture at the Hammer Museum

The lecture this week at MOCA Grand Avenue is The Idea of Oceans, with Scott Bolton, principal investigator of NASA’s Juno mission; Shawn Heinrichs, filmmaker and activist; Greg Long, big wave surfer; and artist Doug Aitken; moderated by Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans (free)

Bobcat Goldthwait is hosting the a 25th Anniversary screening of his directorial debut Shakes The Clown at the Regent Theater with a Q & A to follow

Goldroom and Autograf are playing at The Novo

Friday

Deep Fields are playing with Yeesh at Non Plus Ultra

The Getty is showing Derek Jarman’s Blue outdoors in their garden terrace (free but $10-15 parking and advanced ticket required)

Miss Kittin is part of a show at a secret location with Adana Twins

Union Station is hosting a free screening of the film noir classic Criss Cross

The New Beverly Cinema is showing the Academy Award winning film The Deer Hunter

Saturday

Wild Beasts are playing with Porcelain Raft at the El Rey Theatre

For the closing of Marnie Weber’s solo exhibition at GAVLAK Los Angeles, she will be performing with visual artist and experimental musician Daniel Hawkins as well as costumed birds (free)

Primal Scream are playing at the Regent Theater with Death Valley Girls opening

There are still tickets available for Stones Throw Super Fest ft. Common, Peanut Butter Wolf, MNDSGN, Chrome Canyon and more, as part of Red Bull Sound Select’s 30 Days in LA

From Indian Lakes are playing with Made Violent and Wild Wild Horses at The Echo

Saturday and Sunday

There are still tickets available for ComplexCon in Long Beach. The concert lineup includes Skrillex, Kid Cudi, Metro Boomin, Snoop Dogg, and 2 Chainz.  There are also art installations, vendors, and speakers including Vince Staples, DJ Mustard, Pete Rock, Ilana Glazer, Ice Cube, Angie Martinez, Lil B, Mike Judge, Pharell Williams and many more big names speaking on panels for different issues.

Sunday

It’s the last day to see Pat Graney’s Girl Gods dance performance at REDCAT which looks pretty incredible (tickets available 11/3-11/6)

Peach Kelli Pop and Upset are opening for The Regrettes at The Echo

The Rock N Roll Flea Market returns to the Regent Theater for its free monthly event

Sextile are playing with Bootblacks, Liste Noire and Second Still at Complex in Glendale

Deep Fields are playing with Avi Buffalo at The Smell ($5)

All weekend

The WestEdge Design Fair is at The Barkar Hangar in Santa Monica with exhibitors, seminars and more

Oct 282016
 

cityofladayofthedead

Here are some of the things to do to celebrate Día de los Muertos/ Day of the Dead in and around Los Angeles-

Saturday (10/29)

One of the biggest Día de los Muertos celebrations in Los Angeles is at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. For its 17th Annual event the theme is The Tree of Life. This year the featured performer is Julieta Venegas, and there are numerous music and dance performances on the various stages around the cemetery, as well as altars, an art exhibition, local food and arts and crafts vendors and more. ($20)

Sunday (10/30)

MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art)  in Long Beach is having an all day festival including a Day of the Dead procession, live music and performances, sugar skull decorating, face painting and more. You can also check out the Museum’s Day of the Dead art and altars exhibit. (free)

San Pedro is having a big Day of the Dead festival with live entertainment, food, an altar competition and more

Downey is having its 4th Annual Día de los Muertos Art Festival. Along with several dance performances, musical performances, two film screenings Macario and Book of Life, an altar contest, an exhibition with local artists and more plus free admission and parking

As part of Pasadena’s Day of the Dead celebrations they are having a free screening of Book of Life at One Colorado

Through November 2

Día de los Muertos events are occurring all week on Olvera Street– with community altars on display, performances, face painting and more

November 2

Self Help Graphics and Art is hosting a free Día de los Muertos party in Boyle Heights with Alice Bag among the musical guests performing, food and craft vendors, face painting, children’s workshops and a traditional ceremonial blessing

Through November 6

Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos Altars and Art Exhibition spans the park with many creative altars, some traditional and some more contemporary. There is a community altar created by Ofelia Esparza and there are lunchtime tours running through 11/5 with some of the artists.

Oct 282016
 

halloweenhouselosangelespentagram

 

Los Angeles is a great place to celebrate Halloween and with so many things to do it can get hard to choose. Here are some suggestions:

Friday (10/28/16)

It’s sold out on Saturday and Sunday but there are tickets available tonight to see Danny Elfman perform as Jack Skellington, Catherine O’Hara as Sally, Ken Page as Oogie Boogie, and Paul Reubens as Lock while a live orchestra plays in sync with the film for Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl: “Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas”

L.A. Girlfriend along with Nicky Blitz and Disco Shrine are playing The Goth Ball at Resident where costumes are encouraged

LACMA is screening Pan’s Labyrinth in conjunction with their exhibit Guillermo del Toro: at Home with Monsters

Saturday

The Santa Monica Zombie Crawl starts at 6pm and has food and drink specials all night as well as an after party ($12 for the wristband)

Villains Tavern in the Arts District is having a free Halloween bash with Rumprollers Organ Trio and a traditional NOLA jazz band

The Boulet Brothers 16th Annual Halloween Ball is at The Globe Theater which will be turned into a night club/haunted mansion. The party includes three floors of DJs, “interactive horror areas”, carnival games, performances and more, with Clive Barker and Drag Race star Violet Chachki in attendance for a meet and greet  ($30)

Cinefamily is showing Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie

Sunday

Cinefamily has two showings of the 1959 Vincent Price film The Tingler with their seats wired to simulate the effect used at the original film’s screening which had seats equipped with buzzer shocks for certain key moments in the film

cARTel Collaborative Arts LA is hosting SpiritSpirit: a cocktail and ghost story pairing at Think Tank Gallery with performances, music, a DJ, craft cocktails, “Summon the Spirits” immersive game, and one prize each for the best dressed- theme and non-theme ($15) . You can also combine it with Think Tank’s escape room and get $5 off with code SPIRITX2

All weekend and Halloween

The theme for this year’s free Haunted House presented by Rotten Apple 907 in Burbank is The Not So Enchanted Forest. Although it is free to go, donations are requested- this year’s charity is VBAS (Volunteers of Burbank Animal Shelter)

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park has a “Secret Society” theme this year and for the first time ever passengers will leave the safety of the hay wagon for a section of the trip. There is also a haunted suburb to go trick or treating in, a haunted maze, and more.

Think Tank Gallery is hosting Trap House-a combination art show/ escape room running all day and night. The sci fi/ horror themed art show is free. The escape room is a ticketed half hour experience with a human trafficking and organ harvesting theme.

If you missed The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Hollywood Bowl you could see it in 4D at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood

Halloween (Monday)

The biggest event in the city has to be the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval– a massive free street party (500,000 people!) on Santa Monica Blvd.  with multiple music stages and a chance to see some of the most creative costumes around.  Palihouse nearby has tickets for their rooftop party ($20) and there are also additional parties at several places in the area. Definitely don’t drive there though- it gets pretty hectic!

Organ virtuoso Clark Wilson is improvising a soundtrack for a screening of the classic silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

LA Opera’s incoming Artist in Residence, Matthew Aucoin will create and conduct a new score for chamber orchestra for the film Nosferatu at The Theatre at Ace Hotel

LACMA is showing The Bride of Frankenstein with extended access to the Guillermo de Toro (5-8pm) included in the ticket price ($15-20)

 

 

Oct 272016
 

Generacion Suicida- Criminal

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (10/26-10/30/16)-

*These listings do not include Halloween events which will be in a separate post.*

Thursday

Jacuzzi Boys are playing with Feels and D.A. Stern at The Satellite

LACMA is having a free screening of The Art of More starring Dennis Quaid, Cary Elwes and Christian Cooke who will also be present for a discussion following the film

UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture is having a free party to celebrate the release of Boom: A Journal of California, which “features student and faculty essays and projects from UCLA and Berkeley about Pacific Rim collaborations between architecture, urban studies, and the humanities”. There will be music, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres as well as complimentary copies of the journal.

Run River North are opening for Finish Ticket at the El Rey Theatre

Artists Daniel Kelm and Timothy Ely will be discussing the relevance of alchemy for contemporary artistic practice for The Getty’s lecture The Alchemy of the Handmade Book, which complements the exhibition The Alchemy of Color in Medieval Manuscripts. (free but advanced ticket required)

Friday

Amoeba Hollywood is having a Stranger Things Vinyl Release Party with a trivia contest and free candy (free)

Preoccupations (formerly known as Viet Cong) are playing at The Roxy

Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con begins (running through Sunday) at the Los Angeles Convention Center

As of this writing there are still some tickets left to see M83, Yeasayer, and Tennyson at The Greek Theatre

Roses are playing at The Hi Hat with Post Life and Crystals to celebrate their record release

Blind Pilot are playing an early and a late show at the Teragram Ballroom

Moving Units, L.A. Drones, and Second Still are playing at Complex in Glendale

Saturday

Generacion Suicida are opening for British punk band The Adicts at the El Rey Theatre

FIDLAR are playing with SWMRS and The Frights at the Hollywood Palladium

Highlights of the annual Grand Ave Arts: All Access event include- MOCA Grand Ave providing free admission, as well as a digital installation by Curate LA; Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Mark Taper Forum giving free tours; REDCAT having free film screenings; and pop up talks at The Broad (check the site for the full listing of participating venues and programming)

Skylight Books is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a cocktail party

The Magician is playing at Exchange LA with Slaptop, Le Youth and The Aston Shuffle

Cinefamily is hosting Super Tight, a music/comedy/magic/movie party with films by David O’Reilly and Galen Pehrson, a DJ set by YACHT, live music by Ducktails, comedy by Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher, magic by The Magic Castle and more

Sunday

Thee Oh Sees are playing with Useless Eaters at the El Rey Theatre

In observance of Veterans in the Arts and Humanities Day in Los Angeles County, LACMA will be showing short films created in their Veterans Make Movies program and after the screening, writer, director and veteran Norman Lear will discuss his latest projects (including how he involved veterans in a re-imagining of the sitcom One Day at a Time for Netflix). There will be additional guest speakers and a complimentary wine reception for attendees. (free)

Harmony Holiday is reading her poetry at MOCA Grand Ave (free with museum admission)

Oct 202016
 

The Moth & The Flame- Young & Unafraid

Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (10/20-10/23/16)-

Thursday

The Moth & The Flame are playing at the Troubadour with Young Rising Sons

MOCA Senior Curator Bennett Simpson is giving a walk through of the exhibition R. H. Quaytman, Morning: Chapter 30 at MOCA Grand Avenue (free and free museum admission)

The Faint are playing at The Mayan with Gang of Four

Art critic Douglas Crimp will be discussing and reading from Before Pictures, his autobiographical account of life as a young gay man in New York from the late 1960s through the 1970s, at the Hammer Museum (free)

Tkay Maidza is performing at the Bootleg Theater

Fever Charm and LAYNE are opening for Night Lights at Resident

Friday

Art Night Pasadena is a great way to check out Pasadena’s museums and cultural centers for free as well as live music and performances. Free shuttles are provided for getting around.

Front Porch Cinema at the Santa Monica Pier is showing Labyrinth starring David Bowie (free)

Lemaitre are playing at the El Rey Theatre with Chet Porter and Coucheron

LACMA is showing Guillermo del Toro’s 1993 vampire film Cronos

The Molochs are playing at Non Plus Ultra with the Paranoyds and Numb.er

Saturday

For Los Angeles–based artist Dan Levenson’s performance at Hammer Museum he will be leading a three-hour class that will consist of a lecture, drawing exercises, and critiques following the curriculum of the SKZ (State Art Academy Zurich), a Swiss modernist art school of his own invention. (free)

LACMA is screening two iconic experimental films of the 1960s: Walter De Maria’s Hardcore and Michael Snow’s Wavelength for their Desert/Ocean program, followed by a conversation between Jane McFadden and James Nisbet, two of the leading scholars of De Maria’s artwork, and moderated by Jennifer King, LACMA’s associate curator of contemporary projects.  (free)

The New Beverly is showing a horror double feature of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and Paul Wendkos’ The Mephisto Waltz starring Alan Alda and Jacqueline Bisset ($9.27 for both)

Saturday and Sunday

The Brewery Art Walk is a fun way to check out up and coming artists in their studios in the massive complex downtown

Beach Goth, a two day music festival taking place at The Observatory Grounds in Santa Ana, has a ton of great bands playing with single day and two day tickets still available. The Growlers are hosting with Eric Andre and bands include Bon Iver, Future Islands, Ru Paul’s Drag Race contestants, The Faint, Patti Smith, Violent Femmes, TLC, Grimes, Gucci Mane, The Drums,  The Pharcyde, Moving Units, TSOL, and many more.

Sunday

Vidiots is presenting Harry Dean Stanton with the first ever “Harry Dean Stanton Award” at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel. The evening will include conversations, film clips, and music, featuring performances and tributes from Kris Kristofferson, Father John Misty, Karen O, Inara George, John C. Reilly, Jack Huston, Harper Simon, and many more.

LACMA is hosting a book signing, film screening and discussion with noted Iranian painter, book illustrator, animator, and sculptor, Ali Akbar Sadeghi. (free)

Blitzen Trapper are playing at the Bootleg Theater

 

***If you are curious about Neal Unger, the older skateboarder in the above video, this video provides a bit more information on him and his philosophy. He only started skateboarding recently!