Adventures in L.A., Places to Visit

Vidéothèque is Now Open in Highland Park. Go Rent a Movie.

Vidéothèque video store in Highland Park, Los Angeles. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

Vidéothèque is back! After moving from South Pasadena to Highland Park, the 20-year-old video store is open again for rentals from its catalog of 45,000+ releases. 

I stopped by on Saturday night to check out the new shop, which is located on Figueroa, near where Cypress Park and Highland Park meet, and was immediately impressed by how spacious it is. There’s a front room dedicated to movie posters and store merchandise. In the main room, you’ll find Xenon set up towards the front window and there’s now plenty of room for you and your crew to hang out and play a few rounds of pinball. Behind the maze of DVDs and Blu-Rays, you’ll find an alcove with a jukebox as well as the store’s record selection. 

If you already rent from Vidéothèque, you’ll enjoy the new space. If your reaction to this post is, “wait, video stores are still a thing?”, then you should make plans to visit and see what you miss when you stick with streamers. 

Continue reading Vidéothèque is Now Open in Highland Park. Go Rent a Movie. →
DJ Gigs, The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Taleen Kali’s Shoegaze Night at Harvard and Stone

Taleen Kali Flower of Life vinyl at Harvard and Stone for shoegaze night of Taleen Kali residency September 20, 2023 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Taleen Kali’s latest album, Flower of Life, on vinyl. (pic: Liz O.)

While eating a 1 a.m. Del Taco dinner, I thought about how amazing an opportunity it is to be able to DJ in the L.A. music scenes in which I’ve played for so long. Getting to connect with fantastic bands, DJs and other people through this world is a constant source of inspiration. So, I’m incredibly grateful that Taleen Kali asked me to DJ on Wednesday night for the shoegaze installment of the band’s September residency at Harvard and Stone. 

Taleen Kali, Izzy Outerspace and Lux Lawless all played fantastic live sets. Given the theme of the night, I put together sets that included some classic and contemporary shoegaze, psychedelic and indie rock. Check out the set list here. 

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Adventures in L.A., Food and Drinks

Breakfast at Philippe’s Is an Affordable Way to Start the Day

breakfast at Philippe's with a cup of coffee and a donut. Photo: Liz Ohanesian
At Philippe’s, you can get a cup of coffee for 46 cents and a donut for $1. (Pic: Liz O.)

I grew up in a family full of staunch Angelenos who love to dispense advice on crucial subjects like rush hour short cuts and where to get a good meal. When it comes to the latter, one of the best pieces of advice I heard from multiple family members was, “Get breakfast at Philippe’s.” 

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DJ Gigs, Happening in L.A.

Disco Matinee Returns to Grand Star Jazz Club on Sunday, October 8

Disco Matinee October 8, 2023 at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown Los Angeles with DJ Liz O., DJ Jus' B and DJ Mr. Michel

Disco Matinee returns to Grand Star Jazz Club on Sunday, October 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. Special guest DJ Mr. Michel (Dolce Vita, Playback Fantasy, Æomega Lab Moda L.A.) joins resident DJs Liz O. and Jus’ B for an afternoon of disco classics mixed with Italo disco, hiNRG, freestyle, nu-disco and lots more. Stop by if you’re game to dance to anything from Donna Summer to Taana Gardner to Lime to Daft Punk to Purple Disco Machine.

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DJ Gigs, Happening in L.A., Live Music

L.A. Music Events: September 15 – September 21, 2023

Taleen Kali Residency Harvard & Stone Los Angeles September 20, 2023 with DJ Liz O.

This coming week, I’ll be joining Taleen Kali’s residency at Harvard & Stone for a special DJ set before, after and in between the bands. More info on that below the jump. Plus, I’ve included a handful of other L.A. music events, including clubs, concerts and record fairs that are on my radar for the week. Keep reading and mark your calendars. 

Continue reading L.A. Music Events: September 15 – September 21, 2023 →
DJ Gigs, The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita’s Italo vs. Goth Night

A mermaid skeleton at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
I forgot to take pics while I was DJing, so here’s a mermaid skeleton at The Mermaid that I saw right before the night started. (Pic: Liz O.)

For years, I used to post most of my set lists. Then I stopped because I figured if people were that curious about what I’m playing, they would actually go to the party and Shazam (or, like, come up and ask me about) whatever song they don’t know. Now I’m rethinking that because Shazam doesn’t catch everything. Plus, I like having an archive and want people to actually know what songs are played. So, this is the set from Dolce Vita at The Mermaid on September 12, 2023. 

Continue reading Here’s What I Played at The Mermaid for Dolce Vita’s Italo vs. Goth Night →
Adventures in L.A., Event Recap, Live Music, Music, The Dance Floor

Weekend Recap: Echo Park Rising, Plus Dancing, Records and Trains

Nolune live at Echo Park Rising outside of Bar Henry, September 9, 2023 Photo by Liz Ohanesian
Nolune live outside of Bar Henry for Echo Park Rising

For one baffling moment, the thought of walking the 1.2 mile stretch of Sunset Blvd. between Spacedust and Bar Henry for Echo Park Rising on Saturday afternoon sounded doable. I quickly came to my senses and vetoed that option, though, on account of it being somewhere around 90 degrees, per the weather app on my phone. Plus, the list of things I wanted to do that day was out of control. So, instead, I stuck around Bar Henry long enough to see Nolune, Micah Preite and Datamaps play fantastic sets on the sidewalk as traffic whizzed past us. 

Continue reading Weekend Recap: Echo Park Rising, Plus Dancing, Records and Trains →
Adventures in L.A., Art, Places to Visit

Visit Corey Helford Gallery To See the Latest Work From Top New Contemporary Artists

An installation of wild animal sculptures by Camilla d'Errico for "Nurtured by Nature" at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, September 2023. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
An installation of wild animal sculptures by Camilla d’Errico for “Nurtured by Nature” at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, September 2023. (Pic: Liz O.)

If you’re interested in new contemporary art, you really should visit Corey Helford Gallery. Founded in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and television producer Bruce Helford, this hub of pop surrealism, street art, new figurative art and related styles has hosted shows from the likes of Eric Joyner, D*Face, Kristen Liu-Wong, Brandi Milne and so many others. But, what’s really cool about CHG is that the frequent shows here are accessible whether or not you’re able to buy art.You don’t need to wait for an opening or make an appointment to visit. They have regular, open hours five days a week.

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Adventures in L.A., Event Recap

Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night Brought Smooth Grooves to Silverlake Lounge

Joe Joe's Bizarre City Pop Night at Silverlake Lounge on September 6, 2023. Photo by Liz Ohanesian
Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night at Silverlake Lounge on September 6, 2023. (Pic: Liz O.)

I love it when I don’t know the music at a club. Maybe that’s a DJ thing or a music snob thing. It could just be a Liz O. quirk, IDK. Still, I’m the last person who will run up to the booth and say, “play something I can dance to.” I will, however, run up to the booth and compliment the DJ for playing something that’s unfamiliar to me, but sounds like funky Cocteau Twins, which is what happened on Wednesday during my friend Elvin Estela’s set at Silverlake Lounge for Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night. 

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DJ Gigs, Happening in L.A., Live Music, Music

L.A. Music Events: September 8 – September 14, 2023

Photo of a mermaid video projection The Mermaid bar Little Tokyo Music Events Los Angeles Liz Ohanesian Beatique
I’ll be your Dolce Vita DJ at The Mermaid (where you can see this mermaid video projection) on Tuesday, September 12. Stop by and check out these other L.A. music events throughout the week too.

Having a hard time keeping up on L.A. music events? Yeah, same here. But, to try and make it a little easier for people to get out and see what this city has to offer, I wrote up a list of events that I’m interested in attending this week. (I’ll for sure be at two of them, since I’ll be DJing.)  Check it out and if you make it to any of the shows or parties listed below, let me know on Instagram. 

Continue reading L.A. Music Events: September 8 – September 14, 2023 →