Blondie- Union City Blue
Deborah Harry wrote the lyrics to this song from 1979 during the filming of the movie Union City which she starred in. Pat Benatar, a friend of Harry’s, who had yet to make it in the music business, also has a small part in the film.
Blondie will co-headline with Melissa Etheridge at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday July 26.
Ducktails- Headbanging In The Mirror
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (7/23-7/26/15)-
Thursday
Chicano Batman are opening for Cubanismo for Santa Monica Pier’s free Twilight Concert this week
OOFJ are performing at Amoeba Records (free)
Artist Frances Stark will be discussing the work of Sturtevant, whose exhibition at MOCA closes this weekend- free and free entrance to the museum from 5-8 pm
Freedom Fry are one of the four bands playing for free at Mrs. Fish downtown
Culture Club are at the Greek Theatre (also Friday)
Friday
Ducktails, Matt Mondanile’s (the guitarist from Real Estate) solo music project, is hosting the Getty Center’s Friday Night Flights (free but parking is $15/$10 after 5)
Penelope Spheeris will be discussing her punk rock films Suburbia and Decline of Western Civilization Part III between their screenings at the Egyptian Theatre
Roaring Nights continues at the LA Zoo with musical performances, DJs, pop-up zookeeper talks, food trucks and full bars ($20)-
Imagine Dragons are playing at the Forum with Metric
Friday and Saturday
Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks is at the Hollywood Bowl
Saturday
LACMA is showing Christian Marclay: The Clock for 24 hours starting at 10am. This is a great chance to see what is included in the film during the hours the museum is not open (free during non museum hours)
Jazz musician Kamasi Washington is performing at California Plaza as part of Grand Performances
Saturdays off the 405 at the Getty this week is Tropicalifornia featuring the Do-Over All Stars-”the ultimate live-band tropical dance party”- free with the exception of the parking
Sunday
Exhibition organizer Rebecca Matalon conducts a walk through of Tongues Untied the current show at MOCA Pacific Design Center
Blondie is co-headlining with Melissa Ethridge at the Greek Theatre
*Special Note: Saturday through Tuesday LACMA is having a pop-up installation of the US premiere of Steve McQueen and Kanye West’s short film collaboration (9min) “All Day/I Feel Like That” (not up on their website yet)*
The Game- It’s Okay (One Blood) ft. Junior Reid
This song was the lead single off The Game’s second album Doctor’s Advocate from 2006. It also features Junior Reid whose song One Blood is sampled. It features the line “You 38 and you still rappin’, ugh”, a reference to Jay-Z, that might feel different to him now at 35.
This Saturday at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, The Game is performing as part of The Art of Rap Festival, which features a huge lineup that includes Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Afrika Bambaataa, Warren G, Xzibit and many more.
Real Estate- Crime
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (7/16-7/19-15)-
Thursday
Real Estate are playing at the Santa Monica Pier with Hippo Campus (free)
Fuzz are at the Troubadour with The Birth Defects
The Hammer Museum’s Summer of Soul continues with Sam Sparro, The Rebirth, and KCRW DJs (free)
Cold Showers are opening for Light Asylum at The Echo
Friday
At Skirball Cultural Center this week for the outdoor concert Into the Night, musical acts Tamaryn and Mystic Braves will perform while Joshua Light Show presents a “liquid light show” to accompany the music ($20)
Superhumanoids are playing with Tropics at Figat7th’s free downtown event
L7 are at the Fonda Theatre (tickets available for balcony only, or see them Thursday when tickets are available for the floor only)-
This week at Grand Performances is The Last Jimmy: A Hip Hop Musical with Dice Raw which “explores mass incarceration, the criminal justice system, and the prison-industrial complex through the eyes of young black males” (free)
Friday through Sunday
MOCA’s Step and Repeat returns to their Geffen location for three days of numerous performances that include music, performance art, comedy, poetry and dance- $12 for one night or $30 for all three- check the link for the list of all the artists-
Saturday
Artists/Street Artists Haunted Euth and T.S. Clair’s joint exhibition “Heroine” is at Stone Malone Gallery and opens tonight
Photographer Marcus Haney is screening his film “No Cameras Allowed” at Annenberg Space for Photography and afterwards will be discussing his current career and how he broke into the business through concert photography ($10)
Downtown Long Beach’s Summer and Music Festival continues with a free screening of The Wizard of Oz, a performance by the band MOVE, and for $5 you can get wireless headphones to participate in Silent Disco- all in the promenade parking lot
Willie Nelson is playing at the Greek Theatre
The Autry’s outdoor movie this week is Three Amigos
Sunday
The 18th Street Arts Center is having their “Champagne Social” with guided studio tours and of course, champagne (free)-
The second day of the Viva Pomona! festival at the Glass House has headliners Iceage, and Christopher Owens (formerly of the band Girls)
Jesse Thorn of Maximumfun is giving his talk Make Your Thing that “focuses on how he turned his college radio show into an independent media powerhouse” at Annnenberg Space for Photography ($10)
Jurassic 5- The Way We Do It
Both a new and old song, The Way We Do It was released last year and was Jurassic 5′s first new release in eight years. The track was recorded, however, during their 2006 Feedback sessions. Produced by the late Heavy D, it samples the White Stripes single My Doorbell.
Jurassic 5 are starting their US tour tonight (7/9) at Club Nokia.
Son Lux- Lanterns Lit
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (7/9-7/12/15)-
Thursday
Son Lux are playing at the El Rey Theatre
The theme for this month’s DTLA Artwalk is Street Art and Performance
The Hammer and KCRW’s event Summer of Soul begins tonight. For four nights this summer there will be a happy hour bar, DJ set, and band- tonight it’s Breakestra (free)
Jurassic 5 are back in the US and playing at the Nokia Theater
Morris Day is performing with Dam Funk at the Santa Monica Pier for the first of the weekly free summer concerts-
Friday
Active Child is performing at The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian
Trans Am are playing at The Satellite
Saturday
NELA Art Gallery Night is every second Saturday of the month and is a great way to check out the Highland Park/ Eagle Rock art scene
No Age is headlining Runaway 2015 at Jewels Catch One- a lineup that includes Mean Jeans, The Lovely Bad Things, No Parents and loads more
Back to the Future is being shown at Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall with band YoYa playing beforehand
Silverlake Flea Market is on
It’s 7-11 Day so grab a free small slurpee at a 7-Eleven store near you
Saturday and Sunday
Renegade Craft Fair is back and at Grand Park- a great way to support independent makers (free)
Sunday
Hammer Museum is having an event combining lecture, performance,and spoken word with a wide variety of contributors for Hip-hop Logic: The Role of Hip-hop in 21st Century Education & Poetics
*Starting 7/9 and running through the 19th of this month is Outfest, the LGBT Film Festival
Ginuwine- Pony
This song was the first single from Ginuwine’s 1996 debut album Ginuwine…The Bachelor and was produced by Timbaland. Channing Tatum strips to the song in his film Magic Mike and it will be (according to Wiki) used again in Magic Mike XXL, which was released yesterday. The lyrics of the song were also used by Rihanna in her single Jump.
On the television series Parks and Recreation, Ginuwine is said to be Donna Meagle’s cousin. He makes two appearances on the show and even performs a bit of Pony.
On Friday, July 3rd, he will be playing the Greek Theatre as part of a 90′s R&B showcase that includes Toni! Tony! Toné!, Blackstreet, SWV and Troop.
Blackstreet- No Diggity ft. Dr. Dre, Queen Pen
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (7/2-7/5)-
Thursday
The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) is hosting a craft night with mural/graffiti artist Man One– $8 includes supplies, drinks and snacks
Smokey Robinson is at the Hollywood Bowl for three nights with fireworks, but tonight has the best seat availability
Friday
The 90′s are back at the Greek Theatre with Blackstreet, Ginuwine, Tony!ToniTone!, SWV and Troop performing-
Television is playing the Teregram Ballroom
Friday and Saturday
Fireworks are on at Dodger Stadium today and on the 4th- the Dodgers are playing the Mets both nights
Saturday (July 4th)
Looking for somewhere to see fireworks for free? Grand Park is having a block party with DJs and perfomances- you can bring your own picnic but NO beverages of any kind, it is an alcohol free event
If you want to celebrate the 4th with beer and BBQ- Angel City Brewery is having ‘Merica Fest which will include games and live music- you could check it out before heading to see the fireworks in Grand Park
The Queen Mary in Long Beach has a fireworks event on the ship that includes a vintage traveling circus and carnival ($44) with a VIP option ($99) that adds “the ‘20s Gatsby Deck, hush hush ‘30s Speak Easy, and 2-steppin’ 2000s Country Deck with premium firework viewing”
KCHUNG Radio is having a BBQ/ performance at pehrspace
The park at the Los Angeles Coliseum is having free fireworks, as well as games, rides, and music
Sunday
The Regent Theater is having a boozy brunch bingo Sunday Funday with prizes including concert tickets- $25 (or 2 for $40) gets you bottomless mimosas, a brunch item and a cookie- and you can check out the Rock N Roll Flea Market as well
The Appleseed Cast are playing at the Echo
All weekend-
Anime Expo is at the Los Angeles Convention Center
The Roots- You Got Me ft. Erykah Badu
This Grammy Award winning song from 1999 is from The Roots fourth studio album Things Fall Apart. Musician Jill Scott co-wrote the song and recorded vocals for it but because she was still relatively unknown the label MCA Records insisted on replacing her with Erykah Badu. The rapper Eve also performs on the track.
As part of the BET Experience, The Roots will be at Club Nokia on Saturday 6/27 to present Dilla, a tribute to the producer J Dilla, with Erykah Badu.
Basement Jaxx- Where’s Your Head At
Things to do in Los Angeles this weekend (6/25-6/29/15)-
Thursday
MOCA Grand Avenue is screening Take None, Give None, a documentary about the nation’s first racially integrated motorcycle club (free)
Nosaj Thing is performing a free set and signing his new album Fated at Amoeba Records in Hollywood
Griffith Park’s free Shakespeare in the Park festival begins tonight. This year it’s Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing
Friday
Miwa Matreyek is performing two shows for free at Union Station of her multimedia work which involves her shadow interacting with projected animation
Lucky Dragons are the artists/performers for this session of Friday Flights at the Getty Center
The Echo is having a pre-party for Lolipalooza 2 with a lineup including Tropical Popsicle, and The Memories- $12 or free with Lolipalooza 2 ticket
Gardens & Villa are playing at the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
The Lovely Bad Things are at The Smell
Saturday
MOCA Grand Ave is having a panel and book signing in conjunction with the release of Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles, with artists Zoe Crosher, Bettina Hubby, Michael Shields, and Ed Templeton and moderated by David L.Ulin of the Los Angeles Times. The artists will “share their distinct visions of the city’s visual landscape”. (free)
Lolipop Records and the Echo present Lolipalooza 2 with a list of bands that includes White Fence, Cosmonauts, Corners, Winter, So Many Wizards and more
Roses, Dunes, Sandlot, and DYGL are all playing a house show downtown for $5 with free beer
The Roots are at Club Nokia with Erykah Badu
Chinatown Summer Nights returns with live music from The Janks as well as other bands, cooking demonstrations, acrobatic shows, a beer garden, DJs, and more
Tijuana Panthers are headlining Summer and Music a free festival in Long Beach
Sunday
Basement Jaxx are at the Hollywood Bowl with Bootsy’s Rubber Band featuring Bootsy Collins and Tuxedo opening
For the panel discussion Photography and Composition at the Hammer Museum, Thomas Demand, Elad Lassry, and Catherine Opie will discuss themes in the exhibition Perfect Likeness with curator Russell Ferguson
Devendra Banhart is talking with Zach Pennington, the head writer of the awesome LA app 5 Every Day, at LACMA’s Art Catalogues. There will be a DJ for the reception and a performance with Banhart’s band as well as a book signing (free)
All weekend–
The BET Experience is taking place at LA Live with a mix of free (including a Janelle Monae performance) and ticketed events-
Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) has events all weekend to celebrate the culmination of The Manifest Destiny Billboard Project, which had different artists putting up billboards along Interstate 10. Events include film screenings, artist talks, bus tours of the city, workshops and more