All posts by Liz O.

I'm a longtime, cross-genre DJ and writer living in Los Angeles.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, July 18 – Wednesday, July 24

Voyage of the Rock Aliens

I’ve been juggling deadlines for the past IDK how long, so this is just a really quick post to let you know what’s happening in L.A. if you’re not stuck working or whatever. There is probably stuff missing, but that happens. Apologies in advance.

A few notes about this list. Most of the events are under $35, at least before fees. On the higher end of the spectrum are Fuck on the Beach at the Regent on Saturday night, which I feel the need to mention on account of the fact that I saw them play at the Cobalt Cafe (IYKYK) a gazillion years ago, and Sister Nancy at The Mayan on Sunday. The one legit high-priced ticket is the 24 hour movie marathon at Gardena Cinema, which I figure is justifiable on account of it being a literal day of movies, which would probably be a lot more if you tried to buy tickets for 24-hours worth of individual screenings.

I also added a couple weekday afternoon movie screenings to the list for those whose days off fall during the week. I’ll try to add more stuff like this in the future, although it seems to be getting harder and harder to find anything worthwhile happening on weekdays, which reminds me of the *long* lists of rants I’ve been meaning to write, some of which you may have seen referenced in my Instagram stories lately.

Tl;dr: Liz O. has a lot of complaints, but there’s a list of stuff happening in L.A. too, so let’s get to the list.

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, July 18 – Wednesday, July 24

Happening in L.A.: July 11 – July 17

Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground in Los Angeles with DJs Larry G and Liz O. on Friday, July 12, 2024

This Friday, I’m back at Club Underground with Larry G. for Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and tickets are available now. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it’s 21+. Find the Grand Star at 943 N. Broadway inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza next to the Bruce Lee statue.

Click here for more info on Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground. 

As for the rest of the weekend and into next week, your options include Pearl and the Oysters’s free show at Levitt Pavilion on Saturday. Also happening Saturday is Razorcake’s annual chili cook-off at Footsies and Décadanse’s tribute to Francoise Hardy at the Grand Star. On Monday, Ed Harcourt is playing at The Stowaway, which is a very intimate venue. Tuesday night, my favorite Schwarzenegger movie, The Running Man, screens at Vidiots in Eagle Rock. There’s plenty more happening in L.A. too. Check out the list below. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: July 11 – July 17

Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July 9, 2024

Christmas in July at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo with Christmas tree tiki mug, sand snow man tiki mug and gingerbread man tiki mug (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The Mermaid’s Christmas in July tiki mugs, including a Christmas tree, a sand/snow man and a gingerbread man. (Pic: Liz O.)

Splash! is Dolce Vita’s new Tuesday night ‘80s party at The Mermaid. You’ll still hear Italo disco in the mix, but you’ll also hear new wave, synthpop and more subgenres of the decade’s dance music . I played for the first time since the rebrand for the first half of the night tonight and it was lot of fun to get to drop some of my Italo favorites (Ken Laszlo, Pino D’Angio) with a few of the ‘80s night standards (OMD, The Cure, etc.), some tunes that I don’t get to play out so much (Olivia Newton-John “Twist of Fate”) and a few tracks from the era that are actually new to me (Angelyne “Sex Goddess,” thanks to the Dark Entries reissue). Oh, and I was able to work in the best song from Voyage of the Rock Aliens (Real Life “Openhearted”), a movie I’ve been trying to write about for a while, but I still can’t make sense of it, which might be the point. My only regret is not adding Pia Zadora to my ‘80s virtual crate. Next time. 

Also, it’s Christmas in July at The Mermaid. The tiki mugs in the top photo are part of the promotion. You can buy one solo or with one of the drinks on the Cocktails for a Cause menu, all of which have Christmas horror names, like Santa’s Slay. The mugs were so cute— my favorite is the sand/snow man in the center of the photo— so I had to take a photo. 

Anyhow, keep reading for the set list. Seen you next on Friday, July 12, for Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground.

Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on July 9, 2024

Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground Is Friday, July 12

Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground in Los Angeles with DJs Larry G and Liz O. on Friday, July 12, 2024

This Friday, July 12, is Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. I’ll be back to DJ alongside Larry G. for this special event, where both floors of the venue will be open.

Continue reading Yeah Yeah Yeahs x Siouxsie Nite at Club Underground Is Friday, July 12

Here’s What I Played at Disco Matinee on July 7, 2024

Pink pen with disco ball on top. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian
The disco ball spins!

Disco Matinee hit its first anniversary. We celebrated at the Grand Star, who has kindly hosted us on the first Sundays of the month since July of 2023. The coolest people on the planet were there. One of them is a friend of mine who I’ve known since the days of dialup internet. She brought me the sweet disco ball pen seen in the above photo. You might notice the blur in the photo. That’s because the disco ball spins too! You might also notice that I haven’t done my nails in quite a while. That’s because I don’t care about your Instagram beauty standards dictating that hands should only be seen when they are freshly manicured. 

Anyhow, here’s what I played. Thanks to everyone who came out and danced with us. 

Set One:

Michael Zager Band – Let’s All Chant

Anita Ward – Ring My Bell (Pontchartrain edit)

Evelyn “Champagne” King – Shame (Mr. Turner edit)

Cerrone – Supernature (Ethan Wood edit)

Kano – It’s a War (Purple Disco Machine, Lorenz Rhode edit)

Ken Laszlo – Hey Hey Guy

Telex – Moskow Diskow

Lime – Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight

Trans X – Living on Video

Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy

Marc Almond – Tears Run Rings

Divine – You Think You’re a Man

Alaska y Dinarama – A quien le importa

Stop – Wake Up

Righeira – Vamos a la Playa

New Order – Blue Monday

Prince – Erotic City

Set two:

Desireless – Voyage Voyage

Erasure – Oh L’amour

My Mine – Hypnotic Tango

Freeez – I.O.U. 

Mr. Flagio – Take a Chance

Yaz – Situation

Skatt Brothers – Walk the Night

Pino D’Angio (RIP)– Ma Quale Idea

Sheila E. – A Love Bizarre

George Clinton — Atomic Dog

Zapp – More Bounce to the Ounce

Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love

Herb Alpert – Rise (Daz Rise Up edit)

Bee-Gees- Love You Inside Out (Antton edit)

Blondie – The Tide Is High

Jeanette – Por Que Te Vas (David Kust remix)

Donna Summer – Last Dance

Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs.

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Here’s What I Played at Bigfoot Lodge on July 6, 2024

Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Inside Bigfoot Lodge

I brought two heaving bags of vinyl to play alongside DJ Felix for my pal Malvada’s night at Bigfoot Lodge. Of course, I worried that I didn’t bring enough music and, of course, I brought more than I needed. One of the records that made it onto the turntable, though, was Taleen Kali’s most recent album, Flower of Life. I played “Only Lovers Left Alive,” which is a terrific song that shares a title with one of the best ever vampire flicks. 

Anyhow, I posted the record in my Instagram story, tagged Taleen and then, very shortly after that, there she was at Bigfoot Lodge. Turns out she was already on her way there when I posted. It was a fun coincidence, but also a good segue into this reminder that you should get Flower of Life. It’s a fantastic album and— I swear this isn’t sponsored content— if you head over to Bandcamp, you can get it on vinyl or cassette or CD or digital. 

Keep reading for last night’s set list. 

Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Bigfoot Lodge on July 6, 2024

Here’s What I Played at Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024

Photo of full dance floor at Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown, Los Angeles on July 5, 2024
The scene at Grand Star Jazz Club for Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024

Decadanse x Underground was such a great time and I’m happy to have been a part of it. DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux played French pop on vinyl downstairs. Larry G. and I brought the indie vibes upstairs. We switched off on the controllers about every half hour or so. 

“Amour Ex Machina,” from L’Impratrice’s new album, Pulsar, did pretty well for my first time playing it out. “Digitalism in Cairo,” the Digitalism track that samples “Fire in Cairo” by the Cure, made a reappearance after many years. People probably don’t recall it was a big track back in the ‘00s. 

Anyhow, I’ll be back at Underground next Friday, July 12, for Siouxsie x Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nite. Tickets are already available on Restless Nites, Dice and Eventbrite

Check out my set list from Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on July 5, 2024.

Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Decadanse x Underground on July 5, 2024

Fourth of July in L.A. with Grupo Soñador, DJ Nu-Mark, Tropa Magica and Healing Gems

Healing Gems live at Gloria Molina Grand Park for the 2024 Fourth of July Block Party (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Healing Gems live at Gloria Molina Grand Park for the 2024 Fourth of July Block Party (Pic: Liz O.)

At 5 p.m. on the Fourth of July, the sun is still beating against Gloria Molina Grand Park. It’s not as hot in downtown Los Angeles as one might expect after hearing the word “heatwave” over and over again on the news. It’s definitely not as hot as the Twilight Zone episode I had just watched, “The Midnight Sun,” which, let me tell you, is not one you want to see right as you’re getting ready to leave your air conditioned bubble on a summer day. Still, it’s sweaty-hot and all-too-sunny in the section of the park across from City Hall on this Thursday afternoon, but Healing Gems is riding a party vibe.  

For Fourth of July, Grand Park throws a massive, free block party. There’s live music, DJs, rides, games and, for the second year in a row, a drone spectacle that lights up the sky without all the side-effects of fireworks. Once the sun sets, this 12-acre park will be packed, but we haven’t reached that point yet. Right now, a handful of folks have already staked claims on the park’s few shady spots with picnic blankets. A smattering of others brave direct sunlight for space in front of the stage. 

Continue reading Fourth of July in L.A. with Grupo Soñador, DJ Nu-Mark, Tropa Magica and Healing Gems

Happening in L.A.: July 4 – July 10, 2024

Decadence x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on Friday, July 5 with DJs Larry G., Liz O. Pierrot and Fife Laroux

This is going to be a whirlwind of a weekend. I’m playing four gigs in the next seven days and hope to see a few you out at least one of them. Friday night is Decadanse x Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club with Larry G. and me playing all your Underground favorites and Decadanse DJs Pierrot and Fifi LaRoux bring French heat to the dance floor.  Tickets are available through Eventbrite or Dice.

On Saturday, I’ll be playing records for Malvada’s party at Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz with DJ Felix. Sunday is the first anniversary party for Disco Matinee over at Grand Star and Tuesday I’ll be joining David Christian for Dolce Vita’s ‘80s night Splash over at The Mermaid. Details for all those gigs, plus a handful of recommendations for the rest of the week, are listed below. 

Thursday, July 4

4th of July Block Party w/Healing Gems, Tropo Magica, Grupo Soñador & more @Gloria Molina Grand Park

200 N. Grand Ave., DTLA 90012; 4 p.m.; All ages; No cover

96 Tears w/perksandkisses @ Grand Star Jazz Club

943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets

Subtract on the Pier 9 Year Anniversary @ Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier

15 39th Place, Long Beach 90803; 1 p.m.; 21+ ; Get tickets

Dávila 666, Self Improvement, Op-Ed, Space Horse @ The Paramount

2708 E. Cesar E. Chavez, Boyle Heights 90033; 8 p.m.; All ages; Get tickets

Friday, July 5

Decadanse x Underground w/Fifi LaRoux, Larry G., Liz O., PierrotGrand Star Jazz Club

943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30 p.m.; 21+; Get tickets

DJ Malvada Bigfoot Lodge DJ Liz O. DJ Felix

Saturday, July 6

DJ Felix, Liz O. @ Bigfoot Lodge

3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz 90039; 10 p.m.; 21+; No cover

Disco Matinee First Anniversary July 7, 2024 at Grand Star Jazz Club from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. with DJ Liz O. and DJ Jus' B playing disco, funk, dance punk and more.

Sunday, July 7

Disco Matinee 1st Anniversary Party w/Liz O. and Jus’ B @ Grand Star Jazz Club

943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 3 p.m.; 21+; $5 at the door, RSVP on Instagram or Facebook for free entry before 4 p.m.

Monday, July 8

Izzy Outerspace, Essencer, Ter, Voice on Tape @ Genghis Cohen

740 N. Fairfax, Hollywood 90046; 7 p.m.; 18+; Get tickets

Splash '80s Night by Dolce Vita with rotating DJs at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo. Tuesday nights at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, July 9

Splash w/David Christian, Liz O. @ The Mermaid

428 E. 2nd St., Little Tokyo 90012; 8 p.m.; 21+; No cover

Wednesday, July 10

The Future Is Female: L.A. Filmmaker Screening @ Vidiots

4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041; 7:30 p.m.; Get tickets

Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs.

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Daphne Guinness’ New Album, Sleep, Is Disco Perfection

Cover of Sleep by Daphne Guinness
Album cover for Sleep, by Daphne Guinness

It was before noon on the first day of July when I listened to Sleep, the new album from Daphne Guinness, for the third time that day. I’m not one to play albums on repeat, but this one resonated with me in a particular way. By the third listen, I had already started to memorize a few of the songs, but had yet to decide which ones will end up in my DJ sets.  This album is disco perfection and there are songs suited for nearly every kind of set I might play.

Continue reading Daphne Guinness’ New Album, Sleep, Is Disco Perfection