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

From Rhino.com:

Rhino Records, the famed Westwood hole-in-the-wall storefront that begat the iconic catalog record label of the same name and defined the independent music store paradigm — just celebrated on “Record Store Day” — will be back for a very limited run from May 17 – 30…. It is expected that over 100,000 individual “pieces of product” will be sold over the course of Rhino’s reanimation with a goal of raising $100,000 for Chrysalis Enterprises, a non-profit organization that has helped address the problems of the economically disadvantaged of Los Angeles county for more than 25 years….a schedule of rhinoesque — there’s no other way to put it — events is shaping up. Some highlights:

Monday, May 17: Screening of “No Autographs, No Encores,” a 35-minute performance film of Nirvana’s live performance at Rhino Records in 1989, the band’s first gig outside Seattle
Wednesday, May 19: Mixology with DJ Clockwork
Thursday, May 20: The Blasters reunited in-store performance
Friday, May 21: Richard Thompson
Saturday, May 22: mike watt + missingmen in-store performance
Sunday, May 23: Spain in-store performance
Monday, May 24: Los Angeles Songwriters night – stay tuned for details
Tuesday, May 25: Roger Steffens screens and curates his Intimate Moments with Reggae’s Greats
Thursday, May 27: Peter Case and guests perform selections from Wig! to be released June 29 on Yep Rock
Friday, May 28: Life After Rhino: former Rhino employees plus in-store signing of Record Store Days by authors Gary Calamar and Phil Gallo: Screening Final Vinyl film chronicling historic Rhino Records in-store performances by Nick Lowe, Del Rubio Triplets, They Might Be Giants, Lucinda Williams, Steve Wynn and more.
Saturday May 29: First U.S. screening of One Man Beatles, Italian documentary film about the life of the enigmatic Emitt Rhodes. Members of his band The Merry-Go-Round will be in attendance.
Sunday, May 30: Return of Wharf Rat Tales with Wednesday Week, The Urinals a/k/a The 100 Flowers and The Last with Joe Nolte
Monday, May 31: Original Rhino Daze. A cast of characters closely associated with Rhino in its hey day will be on hand to whatever it is they do. Among those expected: Dr. Demento, Wildman Fisher, Ruben & The Jets, Barnes & Barnes (the “Fishheads” duo), Big Daddy, Temple City Kazoo Orchestra.

Label photo and an excellent piece on Rhino Records, the label, from Glorious Noise