Jalapeño and pineapple wontons at The Mermaid. (Pic: Liz O.)
It was a little unexpected, but I did turn up at The Mermaid on Tuesday night to provide the music for the first half of Dolce Vita. I also didn’t have a chance to eat dinner beforehand, which led to another unexpected delight. The jalapeño and pineapple wontons at The Mermaid are amazing. I hadn’t had them before last night and loved them. Even with the chili sauce, they won’t set your mouth on fire. It’s more of a subtle sweet-and-spicy hybrid. Plus, they are shaped like starfish, which I find endearing.
Anyhow, here’s what you may have heard if you were at The Mermaid between 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
It’s the rare week when I’m playing three nights in a row, so if you want to follow along for the ride, here are the details. On Thursday, March 7, Night Shift launches at Bar Franca, where I’ll be playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze from 9 p.m. until close. You’ll find Bar Franca downtown at 438 S. Main Street. There’s no cover and it’s 21+
The following night, Friday, March 8, is Depeche Mode x New Order night at Club Underground. Larry G., Scarlett Casanova and I will be playing your favorites from both bands as well the best in new wave, post-punk, indie and more. Underground is at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown’s Central Plaza (943 N. Broadway 90012) and it’s 21+. Tickets are available via Dice and Eventbrite.
This Saturday, March 9, is Razorcake Hearts Drinking Beer & Listening to Records at Footsie’s. This is an early, all-vinyl party with no cover. I’ll be playing alongside Nikki Nothing and Samantha Beerhouse between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. As for what I’m bringing, that’s still up for debate, but I’m in a dubby ‘80s mood, so we’ll see where that goes. Footsie’s is located at 2640 N. Figueroa St. in Cypress Park and it’s 21+. Since we’re done at 10 p.m., there will be more than enough time to check out other happenings in L.A., so that’s where this list of music events begins. Also, there are a few super cool movies screening this week, so I’ve added those to the list as well.
Intro “Lost Without Your Love” isn’t on Spotify, but it is in my record collection, so you’ll hear it in my vinyl sets.
Thank you to everyone who came out to Disco Matinee at Grand Star Jazz Club on Sunday, March 3 for our freestyle and hi-NRG party. Jus’ B and Gustavisimo played some jams for the crowd. I think I did too. At least, I got to play the Intro 12” for “Lost Without Your Love,” which I posted about on Instagram the other day.
The next Disco Matinee is Sunday, April 7. Check back here or follow me on Instagram for details, including our guest DJ and theme, because we’ll be announcing all that later this week. In the meantime, here’s my set list.
Club Underground‘s next Depeche Mode x New Order night is Friday, March 8. Larry G., Scarlett Casanova and I, Liz O., will be your DJs and both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open.
Tickets for Depeche Mode x New Order Night at Club Underground are available on both Eventbrite and Dice. Pick up yours as soon as possible and join us at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown on March 8. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and is 21+.
This Sunday afternoon, I’ll be DJing alongside Jus’ B and Gustavisimo for the freestyle and hi-NRG edition of Disco Matinee at Grand Star Jazz Club. I’m playing an all-vinyl set and am currently digging through my crates for gems by the likes of The Flirts, Divine, Shannon, Nocera, Lime and so much more. See my previous post about Disco Matinee for RSVP details, which will get you in for $5 before 4 p.m. We’ll be playing from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. and this is a 21+ event. The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza.
Keep reading for more L.A. music events happening between February 29 and March 6.
Hearts and skulls on display at The Mermaid, February 2024
I popped into The Mermaid on Tuesday night to play the opening set for Dolce Vita. The party starts at 8 p.m. now and there was already a good crowd at the bar by then, so I dropped more familiar tunes than I normally would for the early portion of the night. Also got to work in some themed portions of the set. I won’t disclose the themes right now, but if you look through the playlist below, you might be able to figure out what they are.
Next up is Disco Matinee on Sunday, March 3, at Grand Star Jazz Club. The theme is freestyle and hi-NRG and I’ll be playing it all on vinyl. Anyhow, keep reading to see what I played at Dolce Vita on February 27, between (roughly) 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Here’s the cover of my copy of Zoot Woman’s debut full length Living in a Magazine
For all-vinyl gigs, I often bring my copy of Living in a Magazine, the 2001 debut full-length from Zoot Woman, with me. The reason why is simple. No matter which song I play off this album, at least one person will come up to the booth and ask about it. In fact, that happened last Friday night, when I played the band’s cover of “The Model” at Club Synth. More than 20 years later, this album is still a vibe.
Living in a Magazine is one of my favorite records of the early ‘00s. In fact, I would argue that it’s one of the finest, and certainly most under-appreciated, albums of the era. The brand of soft funk-meets-indie disco that Zoot Woman cultivated on this album helped solidify a sound that persists this day, whether or not the bands who land Spotify playlists like Pollen and Indie Chillout realize it. At the turn of the 21st century, few outside of Zoot Woman and Phoenix were riding such a mellow groove. This was a handful of years before bands like Hot Chip and Holy Ghost hit the scene, before the fascination with “yacht rock” and definitely before the vinyl resurgence sent a new generation of crate diggers on the hunt for the smoothest sounds of the 1970s and 1980s.
The backside of Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, taken while we were loading out at the end of the night. (Pic: Liz O.)
I’ve been DJing for a very long time, but had never played a gig outside of Southern California until last weekend. I headed out to Phoenix with Klub Nocturno last weekend to play their Rockero Night at Crescent Ballroom. It was so much fun and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to play for such a wonderful crowd and meet some of the people who came out to the party on Saturday night. Thanks so much to Klub Nocturno and to everyone in Phoenix for making the experience so awesome.
There is definitely a challenge that come with playing in a different city, but it’s a fun one. I’ve been going to L.A. clubs since I was 18 and DJing at them almost as long, so I have a really good understanding of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to my hometown. But, playing a city that I’ve only visited once previously, and where I’ve never been to a dance club, means that I’m trying to figure all that out as I’m playing. So, I was paying attention to all these small cues in the crowd, like what band t-shirts people were wearing (Depeche Mode, The Faint), while I was scrolling through my collection. Anyhow, here’s what I played.
The Rio Room at the Stowaway on Friday, February 23, 2024 before the party started. (Pic: Liz O.)
Fun Times were had at Club Synth on Friday night. I was delighted to have the chance to drop vinyl on the turntables alongside Drayk and Jen Rock. Plus, some old friends stopped by the Rio Room at the Stowaway to join in the fun.
Tonight, I’ll be in Phoenix to play with Klub Nocturno on Saturday night at Crescent Ballroom. That said, this is a quick update and there is more info on some of the specific records played in this set coming next week. And, for those reading in L.A. (most of you), my next gig is another all-vinyl set on Sunday, March 3 for Disco Matinee: Freestyle Hi-NRG Edition at the Grand Star in Chinatown. RSVP on Instagram, Facebook or Partiful for $5 entry before 4 p.m.
This Friday, February 23, I’ll be at the Stowaway in downtown Los Angeles, playing alongside DJs Drayk and Jen Rock for Club Synth. This is an all-vinyl night dedicated to synth tunes, so expect a lot of fun finds from my our record collections in the mix. The party starts at 9 p.m. and goes until last call.
We’ll be playing in the Rio Room at The Stowaway, which is located at 416 S. Spring Street, DTLA 90013. This is a 21+ venue and there’s no cover. See you on Friday night!
On Saturday, I’m heading out to Phoenix with Klub Nocturno to play at Crescent Ballroom. I’m so excited to be playing new wave and darkwave for this two room event, which, I should probably mention, will be my first gig outside of Southern California. Head over to TicketWeb for more information on the party if you’re in the area. Klub Nocturno also has a party going on Saturday night at The Observatory in Santa Ana, information for which I’ve included with other local events below.
Here’s what’s happening in and around Los Angeles this weekend and early next week.
