All Hallows Eve, or Hallowe’en as it came to be known, marks the beginning of the Christian holiday All Saints Day. But what they don’t tell you in grade school is that the celebration is rooted in the Pagan tradition of honoring the dead. The ancient Celts believed the barrier between this world and the spirit world grew thin at summer’s end, allowing souls (both good and bad) to walk amongst the living.

The modern interpretation of Halloween is characterized by a breakdown in the barrier between our innermost desires and demons, and external displays of decorum. There’s only one day of the year when it’s socially acceptable to dress like the lead in a tacky porno, a serial killer, a superhero, or a serial killing superhero pornstar (I think I just hit on next year’s costume). And there’s no better time to indulge in Lucha VaVOOM, the hit stage show that mixes Mexican wrestling with burlesque.

Mexican wrestling is a soap opera for men. It pits the good guys (tecnicos) against the bad guys (rudos) in a battle for honor. But instead of utilizing manipulation and gossip, competitors wage war on one another with man-handling and grunts. In between matches in this macho telenovela (Lucha), show creators Liz Fairbairn and Rita D’Albert have woven sultry strip tease (VaVOOM). D’Albert hand selects dancers based on athleticism and mastery of a unique skill. Watch the videos below to get a glimpse of how the show plays out.

»continue reading What’s Halloween without a little Sexo y Violencia?

This past Halloween, thousands of Angelenos gathered at the beautiful Legendary Park Plaza near MacArthur Park for KCRW’s Masquerade: A Halloween Costume Ball & Dance Party.  With one look at the massive two-story venue (several large wings and two outdoor areas for lounging and dining at some of LA’s premier food trucks), the set list (DJ Shadow, Sea Wolf, Little Dragon, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, various KCRW DJs) and the full costume participation of the guests, we knew this was going to be a stellar night. 

»continue reading KCRW’s Masquerade: A Halloween Costume Ball & Dance Party, October 31, 2009

Der Golem, Wie Er In Eie Welt Kam

Direction, analog synths and miscellany by Brian LeBarton (Beck)
Percussion by Carla Azar (Autolux)
Cello by Vanessa Freebairn-Smith

Over the course of 90 minutes in a darkened room under Disney Hall last night Brian LeBarton, clad in a fur-and-rubber wolf mask, made enough improvised bleeps, blurps and flatulent noises to equal the output of six men with an array of vintage synths surrounding his workspace. Supporting musicians Carla and Vanessa were tastefully subdued, never at the forefront for any extended period of time. Nothing was rehearsed beforehand.

Golem, the movie itself, 90+ minutes of shadowy lighting and fantastic 1920 surrealist sets by Hans Poelzig (playbook of which Theodore Geisel must surely have taken a page from), has been scored a variety of ways over the ages (fun and notable example: dig the brief death metal montage by Mike Patton’s Fantomas, here). I’m not exactly sure the reason, but spacey free jazz and analog sounds lend themselves to silent German Expressionist films quite well, and last night’s performance was well-executed and no exception, drawing parallels for myself to the scoring of Murnau’s Nosferatu by the venerable Tortiose a couple of years ago up in Chicago.

»continue reading Brief Notes on Last Night’s Live Golem Score, REDCAT, Brian LeBarton & Guests

HEADS UP
Charles Phoenix Presents Halloween @ Bob Baker Marionette Theater Thu Oct 29
Charles Phoenix Presents Halloween @ Bob Baker Marionette Theater Fri Oct 30

Celebrate Halloween at LA’s legendary Bob Baker Marionette Theater, now in its 50th year. This Thurs & Fri night I’m thrilled to present … BOB BAKER’S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! … a vintage puppet show extravaganza starring dozens of bizarre one-of-a-kind marionettes…

Get the back story! …with slides and classic TV and film clips I’ll tell the story of Bob’s unparalleled career, which began in 1932…

»continue reading Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: BOB BAKER’S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! OCT 29 & 30

Cirque du Soleil’s “Kooza”
October 16th- November 29th at the Santa Monica Pier

After seeing a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s newest spectacular, “Kooza”, I have decided that if at all possible, everyone should see one Cirque show before they die. Cirque du Soleil has been revered since it’s inception for their crème de la crème performers, brilliant visuals, and otherworldly musical arrangements, and “Kooza” gives new Cirque audience members a taste of what everybody has been raving about.

»continue reading The Cirque is in Town: Cirque du Soleil’s “Kooza” @ Santa Monica Pier (Review)

Full photo gallery below.

»continue reading U2, Rose Bowl, October 25, 2009

Rarely does one think of Ballet and in the next thought think twisted, perverse and sadistic. These rare combinations of thoughts were combined for me last week at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse’s one-night production of the Lost Angels Ballet “Burn” & “Bathing for Beauty”.

»continue reading Ballet Review: Lost Angels’ “Burn” and “Bathing for Beauty”

Italy’s Calibro 35 play USC tomorrow night and the Henry Fonda this Saturday (10/17). Photo by Alice Pedroletti.

HEADS UP
(H)it Week @ The Music Box: Afterhours, Linea 77, Belladonna, Le Vibrazioni, The Niro + Dj Set @ Henry Fonda Fri Oct 16
(H)it Week @ The Music Box: Negrita, Giovanni Allevi, Africa Unite, Calibro 35, Amana, Marco Fabi @ Henry Fonda Sat Oct 17
(H)it Week: Franco Battiato @ The Broad Stage, Santa Monica Sun Oct 18

Forget Adam and Jimmy’s recent San Gennaro cheese party. Six days and nights of Italian culture in Los Angeles begin today and in the interest of keeping everyone felice e soddisfatto, we have free passes to hand out at this time:

Los Angeles – The first edition of (H)ITWEEK L.A, a celebration of Made in Italy: Music, Art, Poetry, Literature and Cinema, will be featured in a series of events throughout Los Angeles from October 13 through October 18. Leading Italian acts will appear at the Music Box (Henry Fonda Theatre) on October 16 and October 17 culminating on October 18 with a performance by the Italian art-rock legend Franco Battiato at the Broad Stage. The three shows are presented by 89.9 KCRW.

»continue reading LA’s Inaugural (H)ITWEEK: Six Days of Italian Music Begins Today: Win Two-Day And VIP Passes Now

Believe it: Dublab has been webcasting quality programming, throwing killer events and spinning wax all over town for ten years now. Big thanks to the entire crew for keeping things beyond bearable here in Los Angeles during that time.

To celebrate this watershed moment, the group is hosting ten glorious back-to-back anniversary events all over town over the course of ten days, beginning October 1. Said events include art shows, DJ nights, screenings, and special broadcasts. (By contrast, when Losanjealous turned four last spring, we ate a bowl of stale pretzels and read Victor’s post out loud in the Sandalwood conference room of the Marina del Rey Courtyard Marriott.) The full 10-day Dublab anniversary schedule is over on their their site and the final event threatens to be huge:

»continue reading Congrats Dublab on 10 Wonderful Years

When you go to watch a performance at the Getty Villa, you don’t expect to see a mountain of garbage in the center of the stage, nor have the play opened by a man dressed in a mariachi costume with a giant foam Dodgers finger on one hand. Performances of Greek comedies are not usually filled with scatological humor or rapid-fire sexual innuendos that would make even the Bard blush. However, this is exactly the kind of experience the theater group Culture Clash wants you to have. You can see a traditional interpretation of Aristophanes’ play another time, so for now sit back and listen to some fart jokes.

The play’s title is Peace, but it might as well be Shit, Weed, and Peace, because that more accurately describes the major themes of the play in order of emphasis and importance. The story follows Ty Dye (John Fleck), a crazed pot farmer who, having grown sick of the constant wars plaguing the world, decides to travel to the top of Mount Olympus in search of the goddess Peace. Riding on the back of a gigantic dung beetle, Ty Dye reaches the heavens only to hear from the very flamboyant god, Hermes (or rather, Hermés), that Peace has been captured and is being kept away from humanity in a cave by Mars, the god of War. Enter Mars, looking not unlike an oversized Marvin the Martian wearing an Army officer’s uniform emblazoned with a swastika and sheriff’s badge. Now Ty Dye must free Peace from War’s evil clutches with the help of some Guatemalan gardeners (writers Montoya, Salinas, and Siguenza), a feisty Malibu housewife-cum-Greek chorus leader (Amy Hill), and a trio of Mariachi ladies (Las Colibrí).

»continue reading Stage Review: Aristophanes’ Peace

This week marks the 199th anniversary of “el grito de Dolores” or, as we norteamericanos like to call it, “the Mexican Independence Day that we thought was Cinco de Mayo”. On September 16, 1810, Mexico threw off the shackles of Spanish rule following a call to arms by one Padre Miguel Hidalgo and what was surely as inspirational a speech as Taylor Swift would have delivered at the MTV VMA’s if given the chance. Since another historic Hidalgo incident, the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo, gave our fair state to the USA three decades and change later, it seems only fitting that at least one day a year, Los Angelenos get a chance to remember the good old days…

»continue reading Festival Run-Down: The Best and the Worst of Fiestas Patrias de California

Featuring Arrested Development, Built To Spill, Cody ChesnuTT & Martin Luther, Fool’s Gold, Mika Miko, Morris Day & The Time, The Sonics, Tiny Masters of Today and you (?) [< - Click a name to jump to that artist's photos]

Featuring Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Dengue Fever, The Delta Spirit, Islands, Les Nubians, Mary Wilson, Miss Derringer, Nico Vega, Rumspringa, Sly & Robbie, The Submarines, Warpaint & you (?) [< - Click a name to jump to that artist's photos]

»continue reading Devendra Banhart & Friends, Family: Photographs by Lauren Dukoff Signing & Exhibit, Space 15 Twenty, July 18, 2009

2009 OC Super Fair
Wed – Sat, Through Aug 9
 

For those interested in further celebrating MJ’s legacy, this one came in late last night:

In light of today’s events and in celebration of the life and work of Michael Jackson, The GRAMMY Museum has extended and repurposed the exhibit, Michael Jackson: HIStyle. Starting Friday 6/26, a collection of Jackson’s most iconic wardrobe pieces (including the suit he wore on the cover of the Thriller album) will be exhibited on the Museum’s third floor alongside video of some of his most exciting GRAMMY performances. This will all open to the public at 11:30am.

The Museum regrets having to e-mail under such unfortunate circumstances, but we hope this exhibit will serve as a fitting tribute to one of the most significant entertainers in music history.

More from the site:

Highlights include jackets worn on the Victory tour, at Jackson’s 1984 American Music Awards appearance, and at the dedication of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. All are elaborately bejeweled, beaded, and detailed – with one piece weighing nearly fifteen pounds. (source)

» Michael Jackson: HIStyle

»continue reading US Air Guitar Championships Tour, Troubadour, June 19, 2009: Gallery Two

HEADS UP
Arts at the Park After Dark: Brian White, Chris Pierce, Audible Mainframe, Warpaint, KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole @ Barnsdall Art Park Wed Jun 10 (hosted by Eric Garcetti)

Join me next Wednesday, June 10, when I’ll be hosting Arts at the Park After Dark, an event in partnership with Generation Obama Los Angeles at Barnsdall Art Park (4800 Hollywood Blvd.) to benefit the Summer Night Lights Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program.

The event will be emceed by Brian White, and special guests will include Chris Pierce, Audible Mainframe, Warpaint, and KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole.

Summer Night Lights is an innovative gang reduction and youth development program that provides arts and recreational programming at city parks throughout Los Angeles during the times when young people are most likely to be involved in or victims of gang violence. Last summer, crime was down in the areas around the parks with this program. We need your help to make it happen again.

Arts at the Park after Dark will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. General Admission tickets are $25 and VIP tickets are $150. All donations are tax deductible. To RSVP, send an email to summernightlightsevent@gmail.com or call my Hollywood office at 323-957-4500.

Hope to see you there!

Eric Garcetti is Councilman for District 13 and City Council President.

» Arts in the Park After Dark (show flyer)

Ok, people. The mighty gurgitators of the LA Metblogs are having a Hot Dog Death March to the Death on June 13 (week from Saturday). Information is here. They’ll be eating at Oki-Dog, Pink’s and Skooby’s, all during the same afternoon. Maybe you join them, let us know how you fare. Me, I’m steering clear. In fact in no way and at no time do I recommend you join this event. No, I must advise against it. For reasons to remain unblogged at present I no longer condone any sort of social experiment regarding Oki-Dog, Hollywood Toll Booth, Day-glo Bastion of Toothlessness, North Fairfax, Willoughby, Tinseltown USA. I will not be at this event; I will not be at the Oki-Dog. I will be nowhere anywhere near this event, at all. Do not let this stop you.

LA Metblogs Leads the “Los Angeles Hot Dog Death March” To Sample 3 Eateries in 1 Afternoon

Calling all hot dog lovers & pop culture fans! LA Metblogs (la.metblogs.com), obsessed with covering everything quintessentially “LA,” is gathering for a mass “meat-up” over three of LA’s best-loved hot dog stands.

»continue reading Under $10 And In No Way Advised: “Hot Dog Death March” (LA Metblogs)