Tag Archives: indie dance

Happening in L.A.

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

Clarence Carrot and Mrs. Broccoli marionettes made by Bob Baker Productions in 1950 from Bob Baker Marionettes 60th anniversary exhibition at Forest Lawn in 2023 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Bob Baker Day is this Sunday at L.A. State Historic Park. Vintage Bob Baker marionettes from the 60th anniversary exhibition at Forest Lawn in 2023. (Photo: Liz O.)

No gigs for me this week, but stay tuned because I have three coming up the following week. If you want to get out of the house between April 18 and April 24, check the list below for some fun happenings. There is a decent amount of events that are all ages on the list this time around, including Bob Baker Day at L.A. State Historic Park on Sunday, which is ideal if you have young kids. Also, two of the events listed below are part of weekend-long happenings, Akiba Live in Little Tokyo and Plantstock over at Philosophical Research Society, so check out their websites and see if there’s anything else you might want to attend. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, April 18 – Wednesday, April 24 →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Underground on April 12, 2024

Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown, Los Angeles on April 12, 2024. DJ Liz O.
I took a photo while I was DJing and then remembered why I don’t take photos when I DJ.

Thanks to Larry G. for having me back at Underground on Friday night and for everyone who showed up and hit the dance floor. Some notes on last night’s set: I played the newest additions to my virtual crates really early, so you probably didn’t hear them. Mostly, I wanted to see what “Cadenas de la Infancia” and “I Forget” sounded like in a club. I might stick with them. I might not, but both Mueran Humano’s album, Reemplazante, and Jaako Eino Kalevi’s album, Chaos Magic, have been playing on repeat at home and I absolutely recommend getting both.  

I’m so happy to see people digging Pet Shop Boys’ recent single “Loneliness.” It’s a jam. The lyrics are poignant in a way that only PSB songs are. Plus, we’re only two weeks away from the new album and I, for one, can’t wait to hear Nonetheless. And— omg!— Neil Tennant sang “Rebel Rebel” with Johnny Marr in London last night. (And they did “Getting Away With It” too!) Anyhow, here’s the set list.

Continue reading Here’s What I Played at Underground on April 12, 2024 →
Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, April 11 – Wednesday, April 17

Club Underground Grand Star Jazz Club March 8, 2024 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
When everyone is vibing to Animal Collective at Underground and they realize I’ve turned my camera on the crowd.

I’m back at Club Underground on Friday night for The Strokes Nite. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, with Larry G. and me playing from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets are available now via either Eventbrite or Dice. Hope to see you there! Here’s what else is happening in L.A. this weekend and into next week.  

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, April 11 – Wednesday, April 17 →
Upcoming Gigs

The Strokes Nite at Underground Is This Friday

The Strokes Nite at Club Underground with DJ Larry G. and DJ Liz O., Friday, April 12, 2024 at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles

This Friday, April 12, is The Strokes Nite at Club Underground and I’ll be DJing alongside Larry G. for it. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, so you’ll get a good dose of hits and deep cuts from The Strokes, as well as all your Underground favorites. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.

Tickets are available now on both Dice and Eventbrite, so scoop up yours now.

The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Both street and lot parking is available and the venue is a short walk from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. This is a 21+ event.

See you this Friday at Underground!

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

Related:

HERE’S WHAT I PLAYED AT UNDERGROUND ON MARCH 8, 2024

HERE’S WHAT I PLAYED AT CLUB UNDERGROUND ON JANUARY 12, 2024

The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Night Shift at Bar Franca on April 4, 2024

CDJ with Taleen Kali "Flower of Life" Dildox Remix playing
I got to play Dildox’s remix of Taleen Kali’s song “Flower of Life” in my set last night.

Here’s most of the set list from Night Shift at Bar Franca on on Thursday, April 4. I was using flashdrives and wrote everything down because it just takes too long to wait around for the history to load into Rekordbox on my laptop and I have no patience for that. I definitely forgot to write down a couple songs and can’t remember what they were. There’s at least one instance where I couldn’t read my own handwriting, which is generally terrible and always gets worse the more I write. The important thing, though, is that the new tunes in last night’s set include Taleen Kali “Flower of Life” remixed by Dildox, “Monaco” by Ride, Optometry’s cover of “Into the Groove” and Pedal Steel Noah’s cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” They’re all keepers.

Next gig is Disco Matinee on Sunday at 3 p.m. With Jus’ B, Televandalist and I digging for our punkiest, funkiest jams, I have a feeling this will be a good one. Click here to get discount advance tickets now on Restless Nites.

Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Night Shift at Bar Franca on April 4, 2024 →
New Music, The Playlist

Pet Shop Boys, Optometry, Ride and More New Music

Cover for Interplay 2024 album by Ride
Cover for Ride’s new album, Interplay, which I was listening to for the first time while finishing this post.

It sounds like we’re on the verge of another Pet Shop Boys moment. Or, at least, that’s how I hope 2024 will sound and, judging from the response on the dance floor, the L.A. crowds seem to agree. But, then again, L.A.’s affinity for the British duo has endured since the 1980s. 

In January, I fell for the cover of “Being Boring” by TR/ST, with guest vocals from Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Shortly after that dropped, Pet Shop Boys themselves released “Loneliness,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Nonetheless. It’s a gorgeous dance song that reflects the strange isolation of 2020s life. (The Guardian has a good interview with the band, if you’re interested in reading more about Pet Shop Boys’ new music.) Around the same time, I stumbled across a cover of “Rent” that Sally Shapiro released last fall. I wondered how I missed this release last year, then snapped it up on Bandcamp. 

Continue reading Pet Shop Boys, Optometry, Ride and More New Music →
Happening in L.A.

L.A. Music Events: Thursday, March 28 – Wednesday, April 3

Flyer for Klub Nocturno at Catch One in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 30, 2024

I’m so excited to be back at Catch One with Klub Nocturno this Saturday, March 30, in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room. Playing Nocturno’s L.A. party in January was such a wild vibe, as was last month’s party at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Saturday night has in store. Tickets are already sold out online, but there will be a few at the door, so if you want one of those, please be sure to arrive early. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. for this 21+ event. Catch One is located at 4067 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles 90019. 

As for the rest of the weekend and into early next week, here are my recommendations. 

Continue reading L.A. Music Events: Thursday, March 28 – Wednesday, April 3 →
Happening in L.A.

L.A. Music Events and More: Thursday, March 21- Wednesday, March 27

Wicker Man 1973
The Wicker Man is screening at Videotheque this Friday night.

My next gig isn’t until March 30, when I’ll be playing with Klub Nocturno at Catch One, but, there are more than enough parties and shows to keep the good vibes going through this weekend and into next week. As always, I try to stick to lower-priced events. Everything here is under $30 a ticket and a number of them don’t have a cover. At the time of posting this list, there were tickets available for all the events on this list. (I double-checked because a few that I had initially planned to include were already sold out.) And, in what seems to be increasingly rare in L.A., two of the shows listed below are actually all-ages. 

Continue reading L.A. Music Events and More: Thursday, March 21- Wednesday, March 27 →
Upcoming Gigs

Night Shift Returns to Bar Franca on April 4

Night Shift at Bar Franca with DJ Liz O. playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave, shoegaze on Thursday, April 4, 2024

Thanks to everyone who made it out to Bar Franca on March 7 for the first installment of Night Shift. We’ll be doing it again on Thursday, April 4, so join me from 9 p.m. until last call for a night of post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze.

If you want to see what I played for the first Night Shift, check out my playlist. And if you want to RSVP for the next event, head over to Restless Nites.

Bar Franca is located at 438 S. Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Look for the neon cherries above the door. There’s no cover and it’s 21+.

See you on April 4 for Night Shift.