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 Mars 1 courtesy of Start Mobile |
Cultural Stimuli in LA
Issue 148: semi-formal flavor
Whether you're ready or not, it's time to kick 2005 to the curb. But there's no reason to do it without some fanfare. Among this week's New Year's Eve highlights: Giant Village shuts down a six-block stretch of Wilshire, sets up multiple stages, and delivers music from Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips, and more; Cirk-O-Six turns the LA Theatre into a live cabaret, with beatboxing and art installations; Breakestra perform funky hip-hop orchestrations; and Glenn Underground provides the backbeats for an affordable, all-night open bar. If you don't want to let '05 off the hook without first reviewing its most craptastic moments, you'll find yourself in good company at the Upright Citizens' IT SUCKED! Awards. And, if you prefer finding grace to getting sloshed, you can expand your mind by exploring the many altered states presented in the multimedia exhibit Ecstasy, and meditate on the passing of time at the Viewing Stones Show. Make a resolution, enter the F-List Contest, and spread it.
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flavorpill LA is an email magazine covering a hand-picked selection of music, art, and cultural events — delivered each Tuesday afternoon.
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Match Point. " ...a film worth begging to see" — Mike Corliss, Time magazine. Match Point is a drama about ambition and obsession, the seductive power of wealth, and the often discordant relationship between love and sexual passion. Nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture: Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress. LA/NYC December 28. Everywhere this January. |
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Spotlight
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Nice and Legal
The MoCA Geffen's Ecstasy offers a legal exploration of the outer edges of consciousness, displaying mind-bending work by more than 30 trippy artists.
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| Daily Updates |
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| MUSIC: Power pop |
We Are Scientists
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Tempting rock writers the world over with laboratory metaphors, the members of this Brooklyn three-piece have lighted upon a winning formula of contagious hooks and incendiary riffs. Both permeate their debut and are particularly epitomized by the lead single "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt." So tonight, don your lab coat if you must, but check your sullen head bob at the door, as these boys might just prove to be the catalyst you crave for a night beyond mere toe-tapping. (LT)
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| DJ |
Self-Scientific w/ DJ Muggs
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Make no mistake, LA hip-hop is alive and kicking. Need proof? Change, DJ Muggs' collaboration with Wu-Tang's GZA and Self-Scientific, is rife with innovative production. While Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs keeps busy doing his best RZA approximation, Self's DJ Khalil mixes soul with crackling cyber-funk, and Chace spits like the best of them. Live hip-hop has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, but this lineup should have no difficulty bringing the noise. (JDF)
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| MUSIC: Cabaret punk |
Dresden Dolls
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The Dresden Dolls are what would happen if Lemony Snicket's Baudelaire orphans grew up, poured over Weimar-era German history books, then took a serious interest in music. Angry and eloquent, singer Amanda Palmer pounds her piano mercilessly, spinning tales of strange creatures while drummer Brian Viglione bangs away. Their songs include tales of a half-boy/half-girl whose surgery went dreadfully wrong, a bruise-covered girl lost in time, and a coin-operated boyfriend. Seeing the Dresden Dolls perform these show-stopping burlesque melodies is the best thing you can do with the remains of 2005. (LLT)
 In his spare time, author Lemony Snicket plays accordion for which band? The second and third correct responses each win a Dresden Dolls CD and DVD.
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| ALSO ON THUR |
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MUSIC: Made for movies
Morricone Youth
Thur 12.29 (9:45pm) Tangier Restaurant (2138 Hillhurst Ave, Los Feliz, 323.666.8666) map $8
Event Info |
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Ennio Morricone is a rare composer whose soundtracks are often better known than the films that birth them. Morricone Youth cover songs from his catalog along with selections by John Carpenter and Henry Mancini. (DRC)
 
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| MUSIC: Salsa |
Son Mayor
| when: |
Fri 12.30 (10pm) |
| where: |
The Conga Room (5364 Wilshire Blvd, 323.938.1696) map |
| price: |
$15 |
| links: |
Event Info | Son Mayor |
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Trade embargoes and cigar-chomping dictators be damned; the best Cuban music is in LA. Son Mayor was formed by the five Ortiz Brothers in 1988 and now, 17 years and 7 additional members later, it's one of the hottest salsa bands around. These boys are so hot, in fact, that they were handpicked by Jennifer Lopez to play at her 2001 wedding to Cris Judd. And this intimate dancehall, one that could easily take on any juke joint in Havana, is the perfect venue to catch them. You'll want to dance, and, if you want to do it right, the Conga Room also offers Salsa lessons on Thursdays and Saturdays. (JCF)
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| FILM: Double Feature |
A History of Violence and Straw Dogs
| when: |
Fri 12.30 & Sat 12.31 |
| where: |
New Beverly Cinema (7165 W Beverly Blvd, 323.938.4038) map |
| price: |
$7 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Given this year's dearth of international aggression, some reflection may be in order. And few films offer a better opportunity to consider the implications of interpersonal hostility than this double bill. Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971), a story that sees a pacifist professor (Dustin Hoffman) take revenge on the men who raped his wife, is an unsettling commentary on the relationship between violence and masculinity. David Cronenberg's A History of Violence is the opposite, the tale of Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), a man trying to silence his sadistic mobster past. (DRC)
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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COMEDY
The 2005 IT SUCKED! Awards
Fri 12.30 (8pm) Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (5919 Franklin Ave, 323.908.8702) map $8
Event Info |
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Upright Citizens Brigade founding member Matt Besser and fellow members of the UCB tribe lambast Paris Hilton, R. Kelly, and other foolish celebs in a bout of pure pop punditry. Auld Lang Syne indeed. (CG)
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| NYE: Street Party |
Giant Village 6 feat. Death Cab For Cutie, the Flaming Lips, Junior Senior, and Junkie XL
| when: |
Sat 12.31 (8pm-4am) |
| where: |
Downtown LA (Wilshire Blvd and Hope Street, 323.464.7373) map |
| price: |
$80 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Giant Village is just that — a humongous impromptu community plunked in the middle of Wilshire Blvd. Ring in the New Year right with Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips, Junior Senior, and countless others, while DJ sets from John Digweed and the Crystal Method, as well as a host of other national names, keep you dancing well after the bell tolls. With six stages and three indoor lounges across six city blocks, this is one of the largest New Year's Eve parties in the world. (JCF)
Link Giant Village headliners Junior Senior to Ronnie Spector in four steps or less. The first correct response wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| NYE: Circus Party |
Anon Salon presents Cirk-O-Six
| when: |
Sat 12.31 (9pm-4am) |
| where: |
Los Angeles Theatre (615 S Broadway, Downtown, 831.601.6650) map |
| price: |
$70 / $65 advance |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Lavish and magnificent, the Los Angeles Theatre is the ideal backdrop for this bacchanalian extravaganza organized by the longtime impresarios of Anon Salon. The Buxoticas of Lucha Va Voom — who ply their sultry moves in tandem with masked Mexican wrestlers — head a bill that includes ethereal aerial artists, as well as March Fourth, a Mardi Gras/afro-beat/Norteño/samba marching band, and surrealist circus acts Lucent Dossier and Cirque Berzerk. Live music is provided by Rosin Coven, Alcyone, DMT, and Helios Jive, while DJs David Starfire, Patricio, Ooah, Vordo, and Les Shil spin as well. What's more, circus- and burlesque-themed art is on view in the lower ballroom. (CG)
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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NYE: Disco
L7's Totally Groovy New Year's Eve Party
Sat 12.31 (8pm-1am) Loews Santa Monica Hotel (1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, 323.848.9926) map $75
Event Info |
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With live disco music, top-notch DJs, easy beach access for that shoeless sunrise stroll, and tasty catered eats, this is a perfect chance to relive your prom (and actually have fun this time). (SND)
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NYE: Jazz
George Duke feat. Brian Bromberg and Terri Lyne Carrington
Sat 12.31 (8:30 & 10:30 pm) Jazz Bakery (3233 Helms Ave, Culver City, 310.271.9039) map $100 both performances / $75 each
Event Info |
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Pianist George Duke was a '60s and '70s jazz prodigy of unquestionable talent. Taking heavy influences from masters like Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, he hits the Jazz Bakery with Brian Bromberg and Terri Lyne Carrington. (SND)
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NYE: R&B
Sy Smith
Sat 12.31 (9pm) The Little Temple (4519 Santa Monica Blvd, 323.662.6802) map $20
Event Info | Sy Smith |
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Journey to "Syberspace" with sultry, dreamy soul from ex-Whitney Houston back-up singer and Ally McBeal actress Sy Smith. She keeps it sexy all night with a mix of downtempo slow jams and popping grooves. (JCF)
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NYE: Music
Marc Almond w/ ADULT. and DJ Carlos D of Interpol
Sat 12.31 (9pm) El Rey (5515 Wilshire Blvd, 323.936.6400) map $80
Event Info | El Rey |
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Join the beautiful club kids for LA's glammest NYE event. Soft Cell crooner Marc Almond performs, Carlos D mans the decks, ADULT. drop robotic beat-fuzz, and Clear Static offer hedonistic dance pop. (LLT)
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NYE: Funk Hop
Breakestra
Sat 12.31 (9:45pm) Temple Bar (1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, 310.393.6611) map $40
Event Info |
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If you spend New Year's Eve with this ten-piece hip-hop orchestra, you'll want to break off more than a piece of that Kit Kat bar. At midnight, the jiving collective takes the stage, with its hard funk grooves awakening an appetite for dance that's not easily nourished. (EJ)
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NYE: DJ
For Those Who Know presents Glenn Underground and Gene Hunt
Sat 12.31 (10pm-8am) Soulfolks Art Gallery (613 Imperial St, Downtown, 323.429.4000) map $20
Event Info |
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Get your drink on while taking in the deep, body-shaking sounds of house and garage spun by Glenn Underground, Gene Hunt, and friends. For 20 bucks, this may be the best-priced open bar in town. (JCF)
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| ART |
Viewing Stones Show
| when: |
Now through Thur 1.5 (garden hours) |
| where: |
Huntington Botanical Gardens (1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, 626.405.2100) map |
| price: |
$15 (gardens admission) |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Japanese bonsai gardeners spend decades sculpting their tiny trees into spiritually uplifting shapes. That takes a lot of patience, but those bonsai dudes have got nothing on the non-sentient creators of this exhibit's artifacts. Viewing stones are selected for their resemblance to natural scenes that inspire meditation — waterfalls, mountain ranges, or woodland creatures work best. The stones in question have, of course, been carved by the elements over thousands of years. Aiseki Kai, a Gardena-based collective, presents this show, which could benefit from a snappier title. How about "Meditation Rocks"? (DRC)
Note: Special holiday hours run through Thur 1.5 (10:30am-4:30pm). The
Huntington will be closed on Mon 1.2.
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| MULTIMEDIA |
webAffairs
| when: |
Now through 1.16 (Sun-Thur: 11am-9pm / Fri-Sat: 11am-midnight) |
| where: |
The Erotic Museum (6741 Hollywood Blvd, 323.463.7684) map |
| price: |
$12.95 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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The first of its kind, this two-part exhibition examines the visual and verbal culture of adult chat rooms. Combining captured images and typed dialogue, artist Show-n-Tell (her screen name) embraces the aesthetic technology of the virtual rooms, creating digital images and mediated fantasies whose improbable and archetypal narratives are divorced from reality while remaining intimately involved in it. Her distorted photographic portraits are lively, intelligent, and often abstract images capturing humans in their most revealing moments. (SND)
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| ART |
Ecstasy: In and About Altered States
| when: |
Now through Mon 2.20 (schedule) |
| where: |
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (152 N Central Ave, Downtown, 213.626.6222) map |
| price: |
$8 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Chances are, the last time you saw fluorescent mushrooms sprouting from the ceiling, you were raving the night away, late-'90s-style. Now, try licitly altering your reality with Ecstasy: In and About Altered States — an examination of similarly transcendent frames of mind. The two-part exhibition features works inspired by, incorporating, or created under the influence of drugs, with the second half offering mind-bending installations that unlock your doors of perception through shifting light, spatial disorientation, and sensory hallucinations. In other words, you can frolic in this psychedelic playground without guilt, a hangover, or the threat of Johnny Law. (LLT)
Note: The museum will be closed on New Year's Day.
What's the trippiest thing you've ever seen? The two most
psychedelic responses in 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to this exhibit.
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WORD OF MOUTH: WAV Magazine |
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WAV magazine's blend of counter-cultural art, politics, and music places it at the forefront of progressive thought. Now with national distro and a bangin' website, the publication's reach is starting to extend further and further beyond its SoCal home. The wide scope of its mission has it covering everything from the Bush Administration to hip-hop poet Saul Williams to the ubiquitous post-graffiti brilliance of artist Mear-One. With killer graphics and photography, streaming audio on its website, and a bold plan for blanketing the world in tolerance and humanism, WAV is worth a closer look. (SND)
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CD REVIEW: New Buffalo, Last Beautiful Day |
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Arts & Crafts
Released August 2005
$14.99 (Insound)
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Like Feist's Let It Die, New Buffalo's folksy twee-pop debut, Last Beautiful Day, hit American ears without much fanfare. Australian Sally Seltmann, the sole mind behind the project, is gathering notice in fits and starts. Her light, lilting vocals land a bit like Chan Marshall's, but without such an emphatically angsty undercurrent. When Seltmann introduces a melancholic line, she doesn't leave it to wither; instead, her emotions are conquered with thoughtful (but never naive) optimism. Each song contains a deceptively simple melody, usually plucked on guitar or quiet piano keys and adorned with stunningly delicate distorted guitar tones, horns, organ, synth sounds, and hand claps. It is these sometimes strange additions that propel the songs beyond standard, stripped-down singer/songwriter fare. And Seltmann is hardly standard — she's a more subtle talent, one whose arrival is thankfully imminent. (AP)
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STREAMS: Beats in Space |
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Tim Sweeney's WNYU radio show, Beats in Space, has again upped its already high ante with recent guest mixes. A sampling of the talent includes Planet E's Carl Craig previewing his new Fabric 25 CD, Eric Duncan from twisted disco dons Rub 'n Tug, and recent DFA signings Hot Chip. Sweeney also recently collaborated with partner in crime Tim Goldsworthy on their excellent DFA Holiday Mix. The latter is a clever summation of some of the label's releases this year, and is cheap as chips (99 cents) at the iTunes store. (CJN)
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Carl Craig: "Fabric 25 Preview Mix" (Techno)
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Rub 'n Tug: "11.29.05 Beats in Space Mix" (Electro/disco)
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Tim Sweeney: "AOL Music Mix" (Eclectic)
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| Red dust | Mars 1 courtesy of Start Mobile |
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