Come to the NoHo Arts District the first Thursday of every month for Hear NoHo and join the local arts community in celebrating the talents of emerging musicians from all over Los Angeles. This month, featured artists include Jac Leigham Raspa, Ghost Note, Atlantic Line Music, Veil Era, Peter Daily & The Royals, Flavia, and Whitney Irwin. Hear Noho happens because on this very special night, businesses throughout the NoHo Arts District host events, extend business hours, offer discounts and specials to those attending, and by donating their time and services, thus making Hear NoHo a true grass-roots, community event. It's a must-see adventure in music! Thursday, June 3, 8pm - 11pm, $10 for admission to all shows and venues. Venues are: Cella Gallery, 5229 Lankershim; Noho Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia; The Art Institute of California, Hollywood, 5250 Lankershim Blvd.
This year's Wine Fest features over 130 of the top small and local wineries, the best craft breweries and artisan spirits producers pouring their hand-made art for you to sample. Naturally, where there's wine, there's food. This year, the food is provided by top LA chefs and food trucks, as well as an extra-yummy treat - gourmet cheese and chocolate! The event supports the Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA, International Children's Tumor Foundation and the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles through a portion of your ticket proceeds as well as a huge raffle, where you have the chance to win tons of heavenly wine, food, and all things relaxing. Tickets start at $65 for a single one-day pass or $100 for a couple one-day or a single weekend pass. Get tickets at your local wine retailers. Saturday & Sunday, June 5 & 6 from 2:00p to 7:00p, at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. 650 N Bronson Ave
Check out some of the bands who are playing this year! All these bands are local and home-grown, so if you see a band you really like, you can be sure to catch them at local venues around LA! The Entrance Band, Foreign Born, The Growlers, The Living Sisters, Nico Stai, The Like, Radar Brothers, Spain, Division Day, Voxhaul Broadcast, Eulogies, Walking Sleep, Lilofee, So Many Wizards, Blue Jungle, Tijuana Panthers, Amanda Jo Williams, Seasons, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Spider Problem, Moses Campbell, Barry Holiday & The Remainers feat. Sweet Tony Beans and Dirt Bird are all scheduled to rock your socks off. Also check out comedy shows, theatre and performance art, food and vendors featuring hand-crafted and artisan goods from local businesses and boutiques. The festival also includes an interactive children's village, arts village, literary village and eco village. Myra Ave. in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. May 22 & 23, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. each day. $5 admission, kids and old folks are free! http://silverlakejubilee.com/
Outdoors, KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic host Jason Bentley and DJ Garth Trinidad will provide the perfect soundtrack for a night of dancing and fun. The Fowler Museum will keep their doors open after hours so visitors can enjoy their galleries and exhibition tours of the grand finale of Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth (on display through May 30), plus pop-up poetry readings and art workshops. Music starts at 8pm and there will be multiple opportunities to catch the Soundsuits in action before the night ends at 11pm. This is the largest presentation of the Chicago-based artist's Soundsuits, 10-foot tall multilayered, mixed-media suits extraordinarily decorated with ordinary items from everyday life, everything from vintage toys and sequins to buttons and pot holders. The materials create unusual sounds when the suits are worn and performed, hence the name "Soundsuits." This is a great way to kick off a summer of art, parties, and fun in LA!
This year features live speakers, live music, workshops, dance, and some of the hippest acts around! Beats Antique, DJ Wolfie, Daedelus, David Starfire, Heyoka, BLVD, Bass Cadet, Jupi3r, Booka Shade, Glitch Mob, Lucent Dossier, and Nico Vega are just some of the talent that will be gracing the stages of Lightening in a Bottle. The workshops lined up definitely cater to the Burning Man crowd - you can learn about yoga, dance, vocal therapy, hoping, sacred geometry, monkey chanting, and even how to release your inner prostitute. And do some good while you're there! Buy some art at the silent auction - proceeds go to support Sonic Muse, a nonprofit that helps supply musical instruments and art supplies to schools in need. Party, learn, and support your community all in one weekend! Oak Canyon Ranch, 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Irvine, CA. May 28 – 31, 2010
For the week of May 16 - May 23, the Temple Of Hip Hop will be hosting their 13th annual Hip Hop Appreciation Week. They’re featuring over 40 events throughout the world including 10 different countries and more than 40 cities. Throughout these events they'll be showcasing artists from hip hop legends to the best the underground hip hop scene has to offer, including emcees, DJ's, breakers, poets, and graffiti writers. If you’ve ever loved hip hop, or if hip hop has played a part in your musical journey, check out the events! If you want to be involved this year , hit them up as soon as possible, as slots will fill up quickly! Los Angeles City College, 855 N. Vermont Avenue, 90029, May 16 – May 23, times vary.
Ever wonder what happens when you put a bunch of monkeys into a room and give them typewriters? Do you get Shakespeare, or do you get a bunch of typewriters covered in poop? Come find out, in Rogue Machine's close approximation, Rant and Rave on Monday, May 17 at 8pm at the Rogue Machine Theater. Rogue Machine presents Rant and Rave, which shoves a group of local writers on a stage and gives them a topic and a time limit. It's an evening of cathartic thinking by some of the most dangerous minds in the city. Rogue Machine is a collective of award winning entertainment veterans bringing a new and distinctive voice to the Los Angeles Theatre. Writers this month include Daniel Jordan Booth, Kate Connor, Emmy Lou Diaz, Michael Coleman, Devon Gummersal, Rob Manuel, Jenny Martin, and J. Keith van Stratan. Produced by the intensely creative John Pollono and Roxanne Hart. Call (323) 930-0747 or online at http://www.roguemachine.com for reservations now! Tickets are $15, and a $5 discount is given if you can present a 'past due' bill of yours from the last two months (giving the folks with bad credit a break for once!) Rogue Machine Theater, 5041 W Pico Blvd, 90019.
Indie Music Fest on Saturday May 22, 2010 is the showcase/competition spot for unknown bands trying to make the cut from their garages. This unique, grassroots music festival has a bit of a hippie vibe to it, and is dedicated to promoting environmentally-friendly vendors and community partners in addition to the underground music from all over Los Angeles. The Fender Music Foundation is the official music charity and there will be over 50+ vendor booths, including themes of music, sports & recreation, health, family, food, eco-friendly and specialty products and services. There will two stages where the best local unsigned indie artists will be able to showcase their talents in all indie genre, including hip hop, urban, rock and punk. Be sure to check out the special V.I.P. lounges, DJ areas, showcases, seminars and workshops that make this annual event come together. The 2010 Indie Music Fest will also feature a competition for the chosen Top 10 Bands, who have submitted material from all over the country, to battle it out for over $80,000 worth of music resources. Music industry judges select the winners out of these Top 10 bands, and the whole thing will be streamed live online across the country, bringing even more exposure to these potentially great bands. The Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Boulevard, Saturday, May 22. http://www.theindiemusicfest.com/
Check out the events that are slated from Thursday - Saturday, mostly free, and all of it's a must-see! Thursday, May 13 is the kick-off party at the Hyperion Tavern at 1941 Hyperion Ave featuring Olentangy John, Cat Tracks, and The Mosby Raiders. Friday brings another concert at the Velaslavasay Panorama at 1122 West 24th St (90007), featuring Frank Fairfield, Joe Wack and Friends, and Triple Chicken Foot. This one starts at 8pm and is $15. Saturday is what you've been waiting for - workshops and a square dance, all for free! Workshops include: Intermediate Old-Time Fiddle, Beginning and Advanced Claw Hammer Banjo, West Virginia Fiddle, Clogging, Square Dance Calling, Shape Note Singing, and more! Square dance starts at 8pm, so don't be late! Saturday, May 15, Farmlab.org, 1745 N. Spring St, Unit 4, 90012 - Free!
This evening of Wine and Tapas at the Bazaar in Beverly Hills will be one of the most delicious evenings you've probably had in a long, long time. The 17th Annual Great Match featuring vivacious varietals and tantalizing tastes from all over Spain. This year's event offers the opportunity to experience more than 130 wines from many of Spain's 74 denominations of origin. Take that, local tapas bar! If you're not familiar with Spanish cuisine, this event is a great way to eat your way through all the different and delectable regions of Spain. Featuring food from LA heavy-hitters Bazaar, AOC, Campanile, Ciudad, Grace, Olivero, and Vinoteque, you'll get whisked away on a Spanish voyage of food, helmed by famous and unknown Spanish wines from both major wineries and smaller wine-producing regions. It's called Great Match in part because the tapas are specially paired with the wines for a true journey in taste. Proceeds benefit LA Works, a local nonprofit that helps match volunteers with other local organizations. 17th Annual Great Match Wine and Tapas, Wednesday, May 12, 2010, SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Bazaar by Jose Andres, 465 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Tickets are $40 and $45.
Shake the quake! Party at Royal-T and help the world. 100% proceeds to benefit Build Change. Help create earthquake awareness in Los Angeles and bring the community together to support an amazing cause. Proceeds also go to third-world fault line countries to educate them about safe building practices and earthquake proofing techniques. There's so much you can do at Royal-T to help Build Change fulfill their mission of earthquake safety. Aftershock LA features: the Porta Party, an unforgettable experience, interact with an awesome maid cafe/gallery space, Royal-T, special art exhibit show curated from CafeMode with amazing pieces up for the silent auction, fun noisy raffle with other great prizes, Rosalba and the Zahira bellydancers show and bellydancing lesson, earthquake media den and safety tips/demo, come stock up on supplies, DJ King Wo, live music, and dance floor, and a cash bar and lounge. With your ticket, you get a free signature drink ticket, a free art tote with guest artist design, free photobooth pictures, and free delicious food served up by the Royal-T maids. Tickets are only $20 advance tickets online, $25 door tickets. Build Change is a non profit organization that goes to disaster areas such as China, Indonesia and Haiti, and focuses on providing long term earthquake relief through knowledge of safe building practices.
The winners of the LA Times Critic's Choice and LA Weekly Go! are back in Venice at the Ivy Substation, presenting the famed Absinthe, Opium, and Magic show, designed to titillate and seduce even the most stoic of theater-goers. Be drawn into the Grand Guignolers world and experience the decadence that is 1920s Shanghai. If you're looking for an evening of decadence, join the Grand Guignolers on a 1920s luxury cruise to Shanghai, the most decadent city in the 1920s with Sing Song Girls (Chinese geishas), brawling gangsters, opium dens, a dummy, blood and magic. Come early for the pre-show on-board festivities include absinthe & tea tasting, Charleston, photo booth, dancing, tango, Flashlight Follies, live travelogue and more. Cocktail/Vintage attire is suggested and dressing up makes the show so much more fun! The pre-show starts at 8pm and features a real absinthe fountain. Showtime is at 8:30pm and the show runs until 10pm. The show runs May 7 - 29 at the Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Blvd in Culver City 90232. No late seating - the ship will leave without you. Passports unnecessary. Shanghai will take anyone. http://www.grandguignolers.com/
The Conga Room presents Cinco De Mayo Festival at the Nokia Plaza, celebrating Cinco De Mayo in the most Los Angeles way possible - with Sheila E and the E Family! Also performing is the Poncho Sanchez Orchestra and Mariachi Guadalajara. There's a lot of ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles, but this is one party you don’t want to miss! This Cinco De Mayo, celebrate with Sheila E of Prince-related and Nicole Richie-related fame. The tequila and Tecate will flow all day, as you rock to the sounds of KIiS FM and DJs live in the Nokia Plaza, from 6pm - 9pm. Then check out legendary percussionist Sheila E. along with the E. Family including father Pete Escovedo, and brothers Juan Escovedo and Peter Michael Escovedo, jamming along with Poncho Sanchez and his orchestra. Afterwards, check out the Conga Room where the party just keeps on going! It's a free event, and all ages are welcome.
Do you miss the days of old-school raves where pants were eighteen sizes too big, and everyone danced in an acid-trip Technicolor wonder world? It's time to break out the ridiculously oversized, undersized, and over-dyed clothes again for the Electric Daisy Carnival June 25 and 26 at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Tickets on sale April 20!The Electric Daisy Carnival has secured its reputation as the last stronghold of rave culture. And when Electric Daisy does anything, they do it huge! From 2pm to 2am each day, EDC presents two full days and nights of beats, freaks, fun and festivities as Insomniac transforms the LA Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park into a carnival for the eyes and ears. Expect tons of psychedelic and mind-bending attractions, full-size carnival rides, art installations and performers, like a little Burning Man meets an all-electro Coachella.On tap to perform this year are the heaviest of heavy hitters of all time in house music: Moby, Deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Armand Van Helden, Kaskade, Dirty South, Afrojack, Armin Va Buren, Groove Armada, MSTRKRFT, DJ Sasha, Above & Beyond, Laidback Luke, and BT. Tons more artists are expected to be announced closer to the date, so get your ticket now - it may sell out, and Electric Daisy only comes but once a year, and it talked about for the rest of the year. The party's just that huge.
When the economy gets bad, going out is one of the first things to get cut, but usually people still find the funds to treat themselves to a nice night on the town every once in a while. On April 29, combine this little gift to yourself with charity and help out those in need through Project Angel Food's restaurant bill donation night. This is your excuse to really eat for two! Dine out at participating Los Angeles restaurants for breakfast, lunch or dinner on Thursday, April 29, and 25% or more of your bill will be donated to Project Angel Food, which provides free delivered meals to people with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. With part of your restaurant bill going to such a great cause, this is your chance to explore new restaurants and eat out for all three meals! The current list of participating restaurants includes The Abbey, Barney's Beanery West Hollywood, BLD, BLVD 16, Buddha's Belly Santa Monica & West Hollywood, Cheebo, Gobi Mongolian BBQ, Grace, Hamburger Mary's, Il Cielo, Jar, Kitchen 24, La Vida Restaurant and Lounge, The Little Door Restaurant, The Little Next Door Cafe, Lucques, Meals by Genet, Nook Bistro, O!Burger, Off Vine, Palate, The Palm Restaurant West Hollywood, Picasso's Cafe, Porta Via, Prosecco Trattoria, Susina Bakery, Taste on Melrose, Taste at the Palisades, Tra di Noi, Upstairs 2 and Vermont Restaurant. Stay tuned for more restaurants added soon!
City Race is presenting a bike-centered Westside race for the most recent race, so grab your bike and head for the sands in this two-wheeled urban adventure. From the wide sands of Santa Monica to the far-out funkiness of Venice and the seaside charm of Marina del Rey, you and your team will exercise your brains and bodies as you solve cryptic puzzles along the sunny Los Angeles coastline. CityRace Urban Adventure Hunts send teams of 2 to 4 players on a challenging three hour quest for clues through the Westside neighborhoods, and lets you use brainpower, leg power, and teamwork to crack codes, solve tricky puzzles, research little-known facts in a fast-paced, fun-filled race against other teams to be the first to the finish with the most correct answers. You won't know in advance exactly where you'll be headed, but City Races tend to lead you to the tourist spots and the hidden gems of Los Angeles, so you'll not only be having a great time biking all over the Boardwalk, you'll also be learning about LA's beach cities as you go! And don't forget - the faster both your brain and your legs work, the faster you win!
The LA Times 2010 Festival of Books is hosting their weekend book and book-lovers matchmaking fair this weekend at UCLA. Reconnect with that old media you forgot about ever since the dawn of your Facebook account! Your books miss you, and somewhere, deep down in your technologically-hardened heart, you miss them. Get down to the Festival of Books and rediscover your love of the typeset, non-digitized word! Festival of Books features booksellers, publishers, literary and cultural organizations whose sole purpose is pushing the written word. Buy all the books that your little heart can handle. Multi-lingual? Kein problem! Thanks to the great diversity LA has to offer, you can find books in tons of languages, from tons of different cultures. That alone knocks the socks off any school book fair you ever attended. Still looking for a little entertainment? Check out any one of the nearly 100 book panels held in UCLA's lecture halls, or the outdoor readings and storytelling for the kids. Check out the website for more info, and in the meantime, turn off the TV and go read a book! April 24-25, 2010, at various locations throughout UCLA. Free admission!
Soup Kitchen Rocks, the collective of misfits who put on some of the best underground shows in all of LA is doing it again this Sunday at the Talking Stick in Venice, and they're throwing it down chick-style with a mainly girl line-up. This kitty's got claws! Fierce ladies will unleash their banshee roar through the amps, and delight your eyeballs with beautifully macabre baroque films surreal atmospheric decor. Discover the best artists you've never heard of! LA's best underground music, art, and film can only be found at Soup Kitchen Rocks, a creative collective that presents artists that defy genres and rise above the static of the LA arts scene. Soup Kitchen Rocks 9 will feature live performances by Mather Louth and Radio Noir, fresh from the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend; early Nirvana meets 60's surf punk rock band Electric Children; one woman band Diamonds Under Fire, fresh off the cover of Guitar Player Magazine! Last but not least Jessie Payo from the band Jupiter Rising, who has opened for The Black Eyed Peas. Filmmaker Wyatt Denny will feature his acclaimed film Alice and The White Hair, a psychedelic/drug-fueled film also featuring porn star Jayme Langford. Sandra Powers of Masque Films will be featuring her best work described as "beautiful, revolting, and impossible to look away from". Artist displaying art for this event will be provided by The Talking Stick artist residency. There's a ton of talent packed into this show - don't miss it! Sunday, April 25, 6pm - 10pm, The Talking Stick - 1411 Lincoln Blvd @ California, $5 at the door.
Create:Fixate is holding their April arts spectacular on April 24 from 7pm - 2am, with a Gallery Preview from 4 - 7pm. Featured is an optical lounge to please your eyeballs with art, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, and live painting, all set to pumping beats and psychedelic sounds to transport you far away to your dream world, while your body is energized. In a word, you’re vitalized. The Create:Fixate artists featured this go-round are: Aly Kourouma, Ando Pndlian, Brooke Shaden, Celine Diano, Chris Rowland, Crystal Sylver, George Jacob, Gunner Johnson, Jason Macaya, Kerianne Connor, Mads Christensen, Mario Canali, Patrick Haemmerlein, Walt Jones, Hans Haveron, Brooke Benson Designs, Delevo Designs, Maes Jewelry Designs, OSS Animal Medicine Jewelry, Simone Schulz, and Victoria Reyna Designs We all know that Create:Fixate isn't all about the art! It's about the fat rhymes, the dope beats, and the kicking bass! They’ve got house, techno, downtempo, world rhythms, and live music to get your soul moving. Featuring: George Sarah and String Trio : Mr.Caparro 16BIT&BEYOND – LA, Raffaele Live Flute : Eduardo Castillo The Eclectech/VOODOO : DJ D-Roc, AquaVee Miss Dreamedia/C:F : The Loomer Bass Ritual / Area 33 The whole affair is taking place at a smaller, more intimate venue than their usual downtown spot, so get there early - this place is bound to fill up soon! $15 admission before 9pm, $25 after; Gallery preview from 4pm - 7pm, $5 suggested donation. HIGH PROFILE PRODUCTIONS 5896 Smiley Drive, Culver City, CA 90232
Does anyone remember the Aqua Teen movie? Most don't - they were all drunk and/or high while watching it at midnight in theaters (thus making the first fifteen minutes REALLY funny). An interesting thing happened in the theaters – it became extremely evident that the average Aqua Teen fan's attention span was about fifteen minutes, the duration of the show on Adult Swim. It'll be even more interesting to see how the live show plays out. There's only one way to find out! Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live is a comedy stand up act mixing TV clips, music from their latest album, character impressions and audience participation games; and stars the show's creators, Dave Willis and Dana Snyder. Aqua Teen has a reputation of beyond-left-field weirdness and has rightly developed a huge cult following with characters including Master Shake, a sadistic, lazy, but incredibly and jaw-droppingly witty milkshake, Frylock, the floating box of fries who is the brains of the group, and Meatwad, a loving, gentle ball of meat that crawls wherever he goes. Get your tickets now - Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live may well sell out, that is, if some bright shiny object doesn’t distract the show's core market first.
