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
By some fluke of the algorithm, I saw a post on Instagram that Tinglez were playing at Oracle Tavern for Unusual Tuesdays last week. Since relevant event information has become increasingly rare on my timeline— I frequently see Insta flyers days after the fact— that this post even reached my eyeballs on a night when I happened to be free was surely a sign that I had to go.
And I did go to Unusual Tuesdays later that evening. Tinglez packed the dreamiest space disco into set that was shorter than Patrick Cowley’s remix of “I Feel Love.” The energy in the crowd was electric as people pulled in closer to the stage. I was glad to be there, not only to catch this set, but because it would be my last venture at Oracle Tavern.
Continue reading My Final Trip to Oracle Tavern
I’m not sure why we decided to drive to EightyTwo. It’s Saturday night, so parking in the Arts District will be scarce and, now that the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station is open, we could have just taken the A. But we didn’t. Instead, we’re driving around in circles past taco trucks and small armies of party people. We’ve probably spent more time looking for parking spot than we spent driving from home to wherever we are on Traction.
Continue reading A Lucky Night of Sopranos Pinball at EightyTwo
I’m back at Club Underground with Larry G. on Friday, September 8 for Siouxsie and the Banshees vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Both rooms of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open and advance tickets are available now for $8 on Eventbrite.
Continue reading It’s All About Siouxsie and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Club Underground on September 8
Sitting on the corner of Main and Cesar Chavez is the Italian Hall, a squat, two-story brick building that dates back to 1908. In the early 20th century, it welcomed guest speakers like Emma Goldman and Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón. During Prohibition, it hid a speakeasy. Today, it’s part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the historic district that include’s some of the oldest remaining buildings in the city, and is home to the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles.
Continue reading Exploring Pinocchio at Italian American Museum of Los Angeles
It took a while to get this recording on to Mixcloud, but you can now hear the first hour of my set from Club Underground for Gorillaz x Daft Punk night, recorded live at Grand Star Jazz Club on August 11, 2023.
Continue reading Hear One Hour of My Gorillaz x Daft Punk Set From Club Underground
What are you doing Labor Day Weekend? If you’re in Los Angeles, head down to Chinatown where I’ll be playing twice at Grand Star Jazz Club over the holiday weekend.
Continue reading Let’s Dance at the Grand Star Labor Day Weekend
The best way to experience King Richard’s Antique Center is when you have a lot of time on hand and, probably, a good amount of money to spend. However, on my most recent trip to the 57,000 square foot vintage and antique market in Whittier, I had neither and it was still a very good time.
Continue reading Lost in Time at King Richard’s Antique Center
Less than halfway through the mile-long track that runs the periphery of L.A. State Historic Park, I realize that today’s outfit is entirely inappropriate for the weather. I pulled over a KXLU hoodie that I’ve probably had since I was a DJ at the college radio station because there was a chance of more rain in the morning, but that chance looked slim-to-none by 10:30 a.m., so I wasn’t about to walk around with an umbrella. A hoodie was a good just-in-case alternative, I thought before leaving the apartment, failing to remember that it’s August, not January, and it’s muggy af outside.
I’m sweating more than I should be for something even less intense than a power walk, a lot more. I’m actually disgusted with myself and my inability to acclimate to a summer where the heat has been far from dry. I don’t know how to dress, let alone deal with moderately curly hair that’s prone to frizz, in this weather. It’s a culture shock— like that time I spent a Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta baffled by warm rain and people calling every woman “ma’am”— except that I’m at home.
Continue reading L.A. State Historic Park After the Storm
I chose the most inconvenient entrance to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station. It’s the one on the corner of 7th and Figueroa, the first one you’ll notice if you’re walking from Target, which I was, and the one that might be most convenient if you’re trying to take the Metro to Long Beach or Santa Monica, which I was not. I was going to Chinatown, which meant that I needed the A towards Azusa. This also meant that I would head down to the A/E platform, then upstairs to cross the tracks, then down again to board the Azusa train that might have been pulling up to the stop right as I hastened my pace. I darted up and down steps despite hauling two totes— one loaded with groceries, the other with a wet bathing suit and towel— and a purse.
Continue reading A Story About Public Bathrooms and Public Transit in Downtown Los Angeles