John C. Reilly will perform a special record release show at Largo tomorrow, Thursday, December 15, with Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau and very special guests.

Reps from Third Man Records will be on hand to sell Tri-Color copies of John’s singles “Becky & John: I’ll Be There If You Ever Want” and “John & Tom: Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar,” copies of the White Stripes Tri-Colors for “The Big Three Killed My Baby” and “Lord, Send Me An Angel”, as well as an assortment of regular Third Man releases and merchandise.

»continue reading Tomorrow–John C. Reilly Record Release Show w/ Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau & Guests and Third Man Records Merch Sale @ Largo

»continue reading An Evening with Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer @ Wilshire Ebell Theatre On Halloween–Win Tickets

HEADS UP
The Captains
Documentary Screening
Monday, July 25, 7pm
Hollywood Forever
FREE
More Info Here

Dress in character for a chance to meet William Shatner at the event. (N/b: Should you turn out fully picnic-prepared Monday eve, I prefer deviled eggs with my sauvignon.)

SIGNATURE COLLECTION BONUS
The second person to email me here with a mailing address and one fun fact about each captain in the film will be mailed a copy of the official movie poster, signed by writer/director/producer/captain William Shatner. Good luck; details for Monday’s screening below.

The Captains – an Epix Original Documentary produced and directed by William Shatner. In The Captains, he travels the world to connect with each of the actors who have played Captains over the long life of the Star Trek franchise. Shatner recalls his own experiences in the role that made him a star by interviewing Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks and Chris Pine while interweaving clips from their respective shows and movies.

»continue reading To Do Monday: Bill Shatner Screens The Captains, Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Free)

Some of us are really excited for the Eat Real event, so excited we might even brave the 405 closure debacle & cross from East to West side. Heck, some of us who think free labor is like running in public — the horror — might even volunteer.

Here’s the official blurb, interspaced with photos from the “Preview Event”, followed by further thoughts on the festivities inspired by the Eat Real Fest Oakland:

The Eat Real Festival, the urban food extravaganza that showcases food in all its tasty forms, has just announced highlights of the lineup for the jam-packed Los Angeles event taking place at the Helms Bakery District in Culver City, CA on July 16th and 17th, 2011. Offering an extraordinary opportunity for people to celebrate not only the very best of their regional foods, but also the people who grow it and make it. Attendees will get up close and personal with their food through two days of non-stop food skills and hands on DIY demos including a “flying knives” butchery contest, an eclectic array of local food producers in the marketplace and a curated selection of delicious street eats incorporating local and sustainable ingredients all priced at $5 or less. “Eat Real takes the idea of and old-time state fair and turns it on its head,” said Anya Fernald, founder of Eat Real Festival. “For two full days, attendees can dine and sip on delicious items that highlight local, healthy and sustainable ingredients. But eating and drinking is only part of the fun. We’ll also put people in touch with their food by showing how it’s made – from making jam, sauerkraut or bread, raising backyard chickens and bees, to seeing the artistry involved in butchering a steer or pig. We celebrate the very best southern California has to offer and will activate thousands of people to demand good food, all the time.”

There is no cost for entry into the Eat Real Festival. In fact, there is no cost for any of the festival activities that includes music, workshops, demonstrations and events like the canning and butchery contests. The only cost when attending the Eat Real Festival will come from shopping in the marketplace or purchasing food from the food vendors on site. By agreeing to take part in Eat Real, vendors commit to using 1-2 local or sustainable ingredients in their food, hormone free meat and ensure that all prepared food for sale on site will be priced $5 or less. There is also space devoted to local food craft folks (cheese, charcuterie, pickles, jams, and more) and urban homesteading where attendees can learn what it takes to get in touch with your inner backyard farmer.

»continue reading Eat Real Fest LA: For The Anti-Cool July 16 – 17

»continue reading Hootenanny 2011–This Saturday, July 2–Oak Canyon Ranch–Win Tickets

Venice High School acknowledged its Centennial tonight with a screening of the 1978 film Grease, starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and the late Jeff Conaway. The unmistakable significance of both the high school’s longevity and its place in Grease history was a special energy in the air that brought out Venice neighbors and alums and friends of friends with blankets to the football field. We waited for the sun to go down so we could all sing “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and wonder after the accomplishments of Travolta and Newton-John amid the peak of innocence of the salad days of 1978. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Jamba Juice had a presence at the back of the field, but the sheer idea behind a road stove notoriously entitled “The Greasy Wiener” went hand-in-hand with its parental advisory change to PG-13, mostly to the chagrin of those who blushed at Greased Lightning being called a Pussywagon and other things parents probably didn’t remember. But hey… Grease is the word. I had no idea the bleachers on the northwest end of the field are where Danny Zuko and the T-Birds sing “Summer Nights”, but thanks to the Class of ’11, a clearly-marked photo-op is what they were tonight. The establishing shot of “Rydell High” could not have been any more obvious to alums and students, and all gave a spirited round o’ applause for VHS upon first sight of the landmarks.

»continue reading “Grease” Sing-A-Long at Venice High, June 24, 2011

LA Taco Festival 2011
1st Street & Boyle Ave
Metro Gold Line: Mariachi Plaza
12-8pm; Free

Come join thousands of people at the first annual LA Taco Festival and enjoy the best flavors of Carne Asada, Carnitas, Pastor, Birria, Fish, Shrimp, Potato, etc.

Live Music, Fun for the Whole Family!

Les invitamos a celebrar el primer Festival del Taco de Los Angeles con miles de aficionados y disfrutar los ricos sabores de Carne Asada, Carnitas, Pastor, Birria, Pescado, Camarones, Papas, etc.

n/b: The press release listed the hours for this fest as 1-7pm, slightly shorter than those posted on the website. All proceeds from the First Annual L.A. Taco Festival will benefit Jovenes, Inc. (Youth, Inc.), whose mission is to bring opportunities to at-risk populations in Boyle Heights and East LA.

HEADS UP
Charles Phoenix Los Angelesland
830pm – 300-350 S. Grand Avenue
FREE

A Live Slide Show performance celebrating the City of Angels like it’s one big theme park!

Showman, author and humorist Charles Phoenix presents a fun-filled tour of the city’s many “lands” including Downtown and Boyle Heights – all new, and created especially for Grand Performances!

Charles is known for his retro slide shows, school bus “field trip” tours, “test kitchen” videos, coffee table books and Slide of the Week emails all celebrating classic and kitschy pop culture. You’ve seen him on Conan and the Martha Stewart Show and heard him on NPR.

Pre show will begin at 8:00 pm

>>Organist

8:30pm
>>Sign Spinners
>>Children’s Mariachi Band
>>Ballerina
>>Bob Baker’s Marionettes

Intermission

>>Charles Phoenix Los Angelesland program

Descendents, Death From Above 1979, Explosions In The Sky, Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Guided By Voices, Simian Mobile Disco (Live), The Dead Milkmen, Girls, No Age, Kid Dynamite, Glass Candy, Dan Deacon, Four Tet, The Head & The Heart, Off! , Yacht, The Weakerthans, Chromatics, Cults, The Olivia Tremor Control, Smith Westerns , Strange Boys, Japandroids, Nosaj Thing, Ty Segall, Mister Heavenly, Pink Mountaintops, Avi Buffalo, Cass McCombs, Title Fight, Fools Gold, Tijuana Panthers, Touche Amore, Purity Ring, Twin Sister, Future Islands & more TBA

Lightning in a Bottle struck again! Another wicked, whimsical weekend of beats, no-baths, and beyond is in the books for the Do LaB. Vibes (and most of the crowd) were high.

The 4-day festival sold out by Sunday, with a capacity crowd of 12,500 people – 11,000 of those camped on site at Oak Canyon Ranch, in Silverado, CA. LIB has been growing steadily since its debut in 2000, with so many people coming back year after year, it feels like a family reunion. The camping was a mini city of tents and RVs, divided into “patches” named after fruits and vegetables. (Our little settlement in the vast village was called Radish Patch, right off “Stay Outta The Lake Lane”.)

By day, the fest was like underground, anti-mainstream summer camp. Hula hooping workshops, yoga, juggling, acrobatics, dancing, chanting, crafting, and eco lectures were scheduled throughout the days. Micheline Berry, Venice-based yoga teacher, led a class in the Yoga Sanctuary called “Rock the Shakti” with DJ Drez and saxophone and flute players amongst the yogis. Energy was high and the sun was shining.

By night, the love fest shifted its focus to dancing and music and community. Walking around in the dark from stage to stage and through the camps was like navigating a forest of LED lights and people dressed up like spirit animals and feathered peaceful warrior princesses.

Friday’s DJ and live music lineup was capped by a crazed aerial circus performance by LIB veterans, the Lucent Dossier Experience. Kraddy (formerly of the Glitch Mob) shined in Saturday night’s lineup on the main Lightning stage, DJing womping glitchy dirty beats accompanied by a live drummer. Fire bursts around the stage surged at peak moments. Later, Pretty Lights took the stage, but in very un-Memorial Day un-So-Cal fashion, it started to drizzle and a couple power outages interrupted the set. Sunday’s lineup featured DJ sets from Eskmo, Bonobo, and others, culminating with Thievery Corporation playing a groovier dance set spotted with reggae and dub.

Rain or shine, day or night, the beats did not stop bumping at all the stages – Woogie, Bamboo, and Lightning – until it was time to pack it all up and disappear in a cloud of dust and gratitude on Monday afternoon. Once again, hats off to the Do LaB for leaving us all tired and inspired. Now that’s how you throw a festival.

Huge, colorful photo gallery of the weekend below.

»continue reading 2011 Lightning in a Bottle Festival, May 27-30–Notes & Photos

Following up a stellar showing at Coachella, The Do Lab crew is back with its next inspired event, Lightning in a Bottle.

Lightning in a Bottle is a 3-day festival this Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, in Silverado, CA, featuring music, art, performance, dance, yoga, workshops, camping, and something called the “Lucent Temple of Consciousness”.

“Lightning in a Bottle is the next generation of music festivals,” says Jesse Fleming, a founder of the Do Lab.

Headliners Thievery Corporation, Bonobo, Pretty Lights, and the Lucent Dossier Experience, are gonna cap off some amazing days of dancing, beats, DJs, community, art, fire, and open minds. Festivalgoers are invited to camp on site (this year there’s even more camping space) and enjoy nature’s surroundings at the Oak Canyon Ranch venue, nestled in the Santa Ana Mountains by a reservoir.

Grab your tents, bring the beats, and, as the LIB website says, “A new adventure begins.”

Check out Lightning In Your Ear 2011, a name-your-own-price digital album compilation of artists performing at the festival here. Proceeds benefit CriticalBeats.org.

»continue reading Giant New Year’s Eve 2011 @ Hollywood Palladium with ATB and Gabriel & Dresden–Win Tickets

Earlier this year at Coachella in the VIP bathroom, as I wiped sweat and desert dirt off my face, I saw an immaculately made-up woman with flawless hair pinned under a posh hat, perfect red lipstick, and a clean, white ruffled dress. AND HEELS. Who could pull that off in 100-degree, dusty, sweaty music festival conditions?

Of course: the impeccable Dita Von Teese.

At the Roxy Theatre this Wednesday night, Ms. Von Teese was as flawless and flirtatious as ever. It was her last show of a 3-day, 2-show-a-night burlesque showcase entitled “Strip Strip Hooray!” Dita oozed the old Hollywood, pin-up girl style and glam, and gave the Roxy equal doses of foxy and sexy.

She started off the night marching up and down her catwalk to and from a Swarovski crystal-encrusted carousel horsie, which she then seductively danced around on. She smiled at the audience as she waved giant, pink feather fans in front of herself, removing layers of crystal-sparkly clothing until she was down to just crystal pasties and thong. The woman puts vajazzling to shame. Meow.

»continue reading Dita Von Teese’s “Strip Strip Hooray!” Burlesque at the Roxy Theater, December 15, 2010

Upcoming UCLA Live Calendar

»continue reading Photos: Alice Coltrane Tribute, UCLA Royce Hall, December 5, 2010

KCRW once again returned to the Park Plaza hotel to throw a massive seasonal party, Saturday prior. DJ decks in tow. Mixers in tow. PA systems in tow. Food trucks in tow. Bottled water in tow. DJ personalities in tow. Cocktail service in tow. Costume checkpoints in tow, lighting systems in tow, heat lamps in tow, Henry Rollins in tow, the whole nine yards. I was on hand for the festivities. My rough timeline follows.

»continue reading KCRW Masquerade 2010: Year Two at the Park Plaza Hotel