Still don’t have plans for Halloween weekend? On Friday, October 31, Club Underground is happening at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Both floors of the club will open with Larry G. and I DJing open-to-close. Dress your best because there will be a costume contest as well. Underground’s Halloween party always sells out and tickets are going fast on Dice right now, so get yours as soon as possible. This is a 21+ event.
Somewhere in the middle of Depeche Mode: M there’s a quote about technology and how, despite the access to advanced tech today, it’s the old school gear that feels more authentic. I’m paraphrasing, obviously, but that’s the gist of a statement that stuck with me through the rest of the film, partially because I agree with it, but mostly because I think that there’s more to it. Not only does vintage tech feel more authentic, but so does vintage content, y’know, the stuff we used to call art. I say that because the immediacy watching clip after clip of Depeche Mode’s concerts in your Instagram stories while the Momento Mori tour was happening does not compare to seeing M in the theater. Depeche Mode: M is a stellar concert film, one that I will confidently say is essential viewing for fans of the band.
It’s nearly dusk on a chilly-for-L.A. Saturday when synths and sax float through the breeze in a small nook of Elysian Park. A handful of people, and a few dogs, are crowded on blankets spread across the leaf-strewn ground. Pets, the East Coast trio, are in town for a weekend of gigs celebrating their debut album Spiral Question Mark, one of which is here, under a tree, where dark green leaves hang above them like the valance of a stage curtain. Their sound is smooth and rhythmic and more than a little melancholic. It’s a good fit for a day like this one.
“It’s not really about wallowing in that feeling,” says Jonny Campolo of the sad song-heavy debut. “It’s about a solitary kind of confidence that you can have when you’re alone or when you’re sad or emotional or melancholic.”
He adds, “Melancholic music, raw, emotional music is absolutely my favorite kind of music, the kind of records that you can just fall into and live in.”
“Estamos Unidos” by LADWP- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (Pic: Liz O.)
“Viento,” the Caifanes song, plays as a mild, downtown wind blows the papel picado hanging above Dia de los Muertos altars at Gloria Molina Grand Park. There’s a sizable crowd milling about on Sunday afternoon, investigating the details of the large, often elaborately decorated altars, or ofrendas, that local artists and community groups have made for the exhibition, which runs through November 2.
There are a lot of Dia de los Muertos events happening in Los Angeles between now and next weekend (check L.A. Taco for a comprehensive list). I try to always check out the ones at Grand Park and Olvera Street, which are walking distance from each other.
I didn’t take pics at Underground last night, so here’s one of Ora the Molecule at El Cid back in May. (Pic: Liz O.)
Someone asked about a song I played at Club Underground last night and I wasn’t sure what it was at the time, but it was probably “Nobody Cares” by Ora the Molecule, since it was the only new song in that chunk of time. Also, people have asked about it elsewhere recently. It’s my favorite song on, Dance Therapy, the latest album from Ora the Molecule (who, for those reading in L.A. on Saturday, is playing at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s costume ball tonight) and it’s been doing really well on the dance floor. I’m guessing it’s because the song is true— “Oh, you’re feeling weird?/ Well, guess what/Nobody cares.”
Anyhow, I played the second half of the night and the set list is below. The 2025 releases are in bold and link back to other mentions on this lil’ blog. Don’t forget to snag yourself a ticket or two or more for Club Underground’s Halloween Party.
Billy Kheel captures the Kiké Hernandez and Gavin Lux crotch bump in felt at Eastern Projects in Chinatown. (Pic: Liz O.)
It’s the first day of the World Series and while the Dodgers are in Toronto to face the Blue Jays, fans in L.A. can check out Dodger art just downhill from the stadium. Doubleplay, a joint show from L.A.-based artists Billy Kheel and Pat Riot, opened earlier this month at Eastern Projects in Chinatown and it’s on view at the gallery through November 22.
Ora the Molecule, seen here at El Cid earlier this year, plays Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s 3rd Annual Costume Ball on Saturday Night (Pic: Liz O.)
We’re heading into one of those weekends/weeks where there is too much to do in Los Angeles. It can be overwhelming. Trust me, I know, because I’m also overwhelmed with options, since I’m not DJing at a club this week. (I am, however, playing Halloween tunes with Hoseh on Dublab’s Version Sounds next Tuesday at 4 p.m.) Just narrowing down this list was tough, so keep reading for the highlights.
Halloween shopping? Maybe head down to the Piñata District (Pic: Liz O.)
Right now, if you head to the Piñata District, you might come face to face with oversized jack-o-lanterns, menacing scarecrows and grinning witches. The small strip of Olympic, roughly between the Fashion District and the produce markets, is decked out for Halloween with piñatas that range from creepy-cute to gruesome. There are characters you’ll recognize from bedtime stories, horror films and, maybe, some of your nightmares. There is also a bounty of Halloween decorations and candy. Lots of candy. And gum too. So much that I could feel myself turn into a hybrid of Augustus Gloop and Violet Beauregarde as I rummaged through rows of chocolates and lollipops and other sweet treats. This tends to happen anytime I’m in the Piñata District. It’s hands down my favorite place in L.A. to stock up on candy and, if you’re getting ready for Halloween, and are near downtown, I suggest hitting up the Piñata District.
Back in August, LAist reported that the Piñata District had been “pummeled” by the ICE raids that have dogged Los Angeles since the start of the summer, with one store reporting a 90% drop in sales and another noting that even price cuts weren’t bringing in customers. One of the reasons cited in the story is that people just aren’t having parties right now. But, with Halloween right around the corner, there’s a really good opportunity to support the Piñata District. You’ll be shopping in a way that’s budget-friendly for you while also helping out local businesses that have been impacted by the Trump administration’s cruel and absurd whims, rather than feeding more money into mega-corporations.
It was an ordinary Sunday in Los Angeles. I heard one driver blasting Zapp while walking from the Metro station to Salt Box Records, another blasting Debbie Deb as I walked back. Second Street was packed with teenagers dressed in goth garb and anime gear and indie sleaze vintage with Labubus hanging off their bags.
Salt Box Sessions was a blast. Did some digging through the vinyl bins. The Miracles 45 that I got made it into the set. I went more soul than disco in the set, but the song that got the biggest reaction was “Les Yeux de Laura” by Goût de Luxe. It really impressed a French guy, who took a photo of it. I don’t know anything about the band or the song and the only reason why I know the title means “The Eyes of Laura” is because I Googled it and the movie The Eyes of Laura Mars (which is amazing, see it, if you haven’t) was one of the results. It is, however, a 45 that I found in the bins at Salt Box not too long ago.
A balloon of Donald Trump as a scowling, oversized orange baby in a diaper floats over the crowd at No Kings events in downtown Los Angeles on 10/18/25 (Pic: Liz O.)
Right in front of Los Angeles City Hall, a massive inflatable Trump, scowling, raccoon-eyed and decked out in a diaper, hovered over the crowd. “Dump Trump” read the sign just below the inflatable, a caricature of the former reality TV star as an Oompa Loompa positioned like a turd hanging from the big orange baby’s bottom. Not too far from there was an old, worn couch tagged with “JD Vance was here.”
In the crowd, there was a zooful of people dressed in inflatable animal costumes, hippos, bears, chickens and, of course, frogs, amongst them. People hoisted signs loaded with dick jokes and memes. But, it wasn’t all comedy. “If there’s money for a parade? Then there’s money for Medicaid,” read a sign posted on a trashcan. Refuse Fascism set up an installation with photos of those who have been disappeared.
