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 Zach Gold |
Cultural Stimuli in LA
Issue 170: fetish flavor
Everyone's got a little secret something that makes them swoon, and LA pinpoints a passle of ways to go weak in the knees this week. If you like your music rustic and rough, check out the lush, risqué rock of Bedroom Walls or the twang-core, Goth ballads of Murder by Death. If you're into more of a classic kink, try the record release show for the 80s Hits Stripped collection which features acoustic retoolings of all your hot-and-heavy, big-hair, backseat favorites. Avant-garde performance auteur and confrontational visionary Heather Woodbury debuts her latest work at the public library, and modern dance gets jiggy with the sensualist masterpiece Garden of Reason. The Latin lovers at favorite local spot the Conga Room say good-bye to patrons in anticipation of their move to Downtown, with crooner Francisco Aguabella in the house for the send-off, while a festival of the Danish-born Dogme 95 school of cinema offers up a series of excellent, but emphatically unsexy films. Develop a cultural crush, 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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Get inside the news van with Comedy Central's Dog Bites Man, Wednesdays at 10:30pm/9:30c. Travel with the hapless news team of KHBX — the world-weary reporter, the overzealous producer, the socially inept director, and the insanely annoying production assistant — in this brand new Comedy Central series, premiering on June 7th. |
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| Daily Updates |
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| MUSIC: Romanticore |
Bedroom Walls
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Highland Park's Bedroom Walls create layered, orchestral pop that's as much a soundtrack for walking as locked-in-the-attic-in-romantic-reverie music. Languorously dreamy, the melancholy songs are defined by sensuous male and female vocals, lullaby-like keyboard riffs, and sparse, lo-fi drums. The group's signature "romanticore" sound is soaring, not maudlin or emo as one might expect given its name. Tonight the band grandly showcases material from its gorgeous new release, All Good Dreamers Pass This Way. (RBD)
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| ALSO ON TUE |
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FILM: Sneak Preview
A Prairie Home Companion
Tue 5.30 (7:30pm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd, 323.857.6000) map $11
Event Info |
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Celebrities and tumbleweeds collide at this preview of Robert Altman's latest attraction, A Prairie Home Companion. In the film, members of the star-studded cast play oddball performers taking to the stage in the fictitious — and death-tinged — final broadcast of Garrison Keillor's famous homespun radio show. (LLT)
 
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| PERFORMANCE |
Heather Woodbury: Tale of 2Cities: An American Joyride
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Joyriding may be against the law, but Heather Woodbury is willing to break the rules for the sake of her art. A Hell's Angel for the thespian set, Woodbury is known for championing adventurous theatre — her first "living novel" was a ten-hour, solo-performance piece. In tonight's program, the writer previews her latest book, Tale of 2Cities: An American Joyride on Multiple Tracks, a work which straddles two coasts and multiple decades. Intertwining the stories of a contemporary Echo Park DJ and Chavez Ravine, the author cleverly engages issues of urban upheaval and erasure. (EJ)
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| FILM |
Coen Brothers Double Feature: Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing
| when: |
Wed 5.31 & Thur 6.1 (7:30pm) |
| where: |
New Beverly Cinema (7165 W Beverly Blvd, 323.938.4038) map |
| price: |
$7 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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The Dude may be its current darling, but the cult of the Coen Brothers goes way beyond The Big Lebowski. Coen masterpieces like Barton Fink (1991) and Miller's Crossing (1990) were already huge fan-favorites back when Jeff Bridges was still drinking vodka tonics. Fink is one of the best films ever made about the process of writing — particularly for the screen — and features John Goodman as a fiendish tormentor to John Tuturro's nebbish scribe. Miller's Crossing is up the with The Godfather and Scarface on the list of the most brutal gangster films around, and it sees Gabriel Byrne flourish amid a host of the Coen's classically eccentric characters. (DRC)
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| MUSIC: Conga |
Conga Room All Stars Jam Session feat. Francisco Aguabella
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After eight years of playing host to parties, performances, and celebrity spottings, the Conga Room is leaving Miracle Mile for a ritzier downtown location. But this isn't a sad farewell, and the music is anything but elegiac. The club says good-bye the right way with the sweet sounds of old-school Conga king Francisco Aguabella. The cool Latin crooner entertains alongside local favorites Son Mayor and salsa star Johnny Polanco. Like the club's history, tonight's music is varied, eclectic, and worth celebrating. (RM)
 Francisco Aguabella is said to be a master of which type of talking drum? The first five correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Indie/Experimental |
His Name Is Alive w/ NOMO
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While NOMO and His Name Is Alive both produce music that's often described as ethereal and transcendent, the members of these Michigan bands would probably prefer their live shows just be called "a rollicking good time." NOMO mixes African rhythm and free jazz sounds in the heat of communal improvisation and, though they've undergone multiple metamorphoses in their long career, HNIA remain similarly loyal to the spirit of experimentation. Records don't do justice to this type of creativity; the only way to really appreciate bands of this caliber and kind is to catch them in their natural environment — on the stage. LA locals Create(!) open. (RM)
NOMO bandleader Elliot Bergman cites which record store as the catalyst for his exploration of diverse musical genres? The third and fifth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON WED |
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ART
21st Century LA
Now through Sat 6.3 (11am-5pm) Jaxon House (1337 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 310.401.0080) map 
Jaxon House |
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While the nine painters in this exhibition employ vastly diverse styles — from photorealism and abstraction to rough linear urbanity and deceptively pretty, symbolic surrealism — their works combine to form a coherent, complex portrait of contemporary Angeleno life. (SND)
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| MUSIC: Old Wave |
80s Hits Stripped Release Party feat. the Motels, Naked Eyes, Jane Wiedlin, and Tommy Tutone
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While you can't toss a keytar without hitting a once-popular '80s band schlocking through its old hits, it is rare to see so many once-big names (and hairdos) in one place. Tonight, lost '80s performers like the Motels, Naked Eyes, Tommy Tutone, Men at Work's Colin Hay, and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's take up acoustic guitars in celebration of 80s Hits Stripped, a compilation featuring stripped-down versions of their old hits and others from the era. Come for Hay's acoustic "Down Under," and stay for Wiedlin's "Our Lips Are Sealed." (LLT)
Who would play at your '80s dream concert, and what would they wear? The five most fashionable responses in 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| FILM |
Danish Film: Dogme 95 Style
| when: |
Thur 6.1 - Sun 6.4 (schedule) |
| where: |
Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, 310.395.4990) map |
| price: |
$9 per screening |
| links: |
Event Info | Dogme 95 |
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A celebration of the stripped-down Dogme 95 school of filmmaking, this screening series showcases some of the edgiest films of the '90s. The Celebration (1998) is among the most intense of the Dogme films, with its candlelit interiors serving as the setting for a family's struggle with a legacy of child abuse. The Idiots (1998) tips the scale even further, with a full-penetration sex scene between cretins. In addition to all that weird action, Dogme 95 Style welcomes a host of guests, including various directors and His Royal Highness, Prince Joachim of Denmark. (DRC)
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| ALSO ON THUR |
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ART: Opening
UCLA MFA Exhibition No. 4
Thur 6.1 (5-8pm) UCLA New Wight Gallery (1100 Kinroos Ave, UCLA, 310.825.3281) map
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From figurative symbolism to macro-lens abstraction, quirky architectural views, and witty, outré nostalgic portraiture, these soon-to-graduate MFA students hold the future of photography in their hands. See them now before their asking prices go through the roof. (SND)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Thur 6.15 (Mon-Fri: 9am-4:30pm).
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MULTIMEDIA
Tribute to the Life and Art of Nam June Paik
Thur 6.1 (7:30pm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd, 323.857.6000) map
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The late, great Nam June Paik's pioneering compositions, videos, and performances are what gave birth to the international '60s new media revolution. Tonight's homage, featuring his work in various mediums, is suitably eclectic and sure to bring out the bohemian glitterati. (SND)
Note: Admission is free, but tickets are required and may be picked up at the box office starting at noon on the day of the event.
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| FILM |
Dance Camera West Festival
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Dance Camera West kicks off its fifth year with a festival featuring acclaimed dance films from around the world. This cinematic fling offers viewers the opportunity to experience the works of an impressive roster of choreographers, including well-respected individuals like Wayne McGregor and Wim Vandekeybus. REDCAT's bold audio and visual setup makes for a powerful (though still intimate) environment in which to experience the films, and its bar area proves to be an equally perfect setting for the opening night party after tonight's show. (ASM)
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| MUSIC: Hard Psych |
Howlin' Rain
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Forget cornball hippies like the String Cheese Incident and Phish — the members of Howlin' Rain are the real deal. A super collab of sorts, the band sees Comets on Fire's Ethan Miller and Sunburned Hand of the Man's John Moloney combine their powers to create a batch of heavy, psychedelic jams with all the mountain-girl snogging, druggy vibes of vintage Allman Bros. With songs about getting ripped in abandoned orchards and making love high in the canyons, it's the sexiest rock music since '73-era "Sugar Magnolia." Hide a joint in your beard, put some flowers in your hair, and come get free. (DRC)
Which horror flick does Howlin' Rain guitarist Ethan Miller cite as an influence on his albums with Comets on Fire? The first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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MULTIMEDIA
First Fridays
Fri 6.2 (7-11pm) Natural History Museum (900 Exposition Blvd, 213.763.3466) map $12-15
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The Natural History Museum stays up late, hosting a discussion with the artists behind Conversations: Los Angeles Leiden — an imaginative collaborative installation on display in the Netherlands. The night is rounded out with open access to the galleries and a sound piece by composer Jon Hassell. (RS)
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Opening
Simone White
Fri 6.2 (7pm-midnight) Equator Books (1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 310.399.5544) map $10 / FREE before 10pm
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Singer/songwriter Simone White exhibits a collection of her photographs, revealing a vivid visual background to her musical arrangements. Like her songs, White's photographs expose a personal sincerity in her sexuality, emotions, and quirky life experiences. (MG)
Note: This exhibit remains on display through Sat 7.15 (Mon-Thur & Sun: 10am-10pm / Fri & Sat: 10am-11pm).
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MUSIC: Hip-Hop
People Under the Stairs
Fri 6.2 (8pm) The Troubadour (9081 Santa Monica Blvd, W Hollywood, 310.276.6168) map $18 / $15 advance
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People Under the Stairs make nostalgic tunes in homage to Cali's underground hip-hop scene, loading their jams up with old-school key lines, rare breaks, and classic soul and funk samples. The group's Double K and Thes One step onstage in support of Stepfather, their first album in four years. (AB)
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ART: Opening
Phranc: Swim
Fri 6.2 (8-11pm) eastside studios (4626 Hollywood Blvd, 323.660.7874) map
Phranc |
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In addition to being a singer of politically progressive, lesbian folk music, Phranc is also an accomplished DIY cardboard sculptor. Her latest constructions celebrate summer, swimming, and all things hot and wet. (SND)
Note: This exhibit remains on display through Mon 7.31 (Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm).
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| ART: Opening |
Travis Millard & Mel Kadel
| when: |
Sat 6.3 (5-7pm) |
| where: |
Richard Heller Gallery, Bergamot Station Arts Center (2525 Michigan Ave, B-5A, Santa Monica, 310.453.9191) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info | Travis Millard | Mel Kadel |
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Whether it's fluffy white clouds, rusty saw blades, scatology, or spare truck parts, Travis Millard's subjects are always portrayed in idiosyncratic ways. The artist experiments with hybrid forms, creating pieces that hover in a space between realism and cartoon surrealism. He expresses his acerbic political views through imagery, creating cheeky atmospheres that possess an unspoken, underlying violence. His partner in art and crime, Mel Kadel, creates narrative, dreamlike pictures that are as intimate as diary entries and as fierce as blazing tattoos. (SND)
Note: This exhibit remains on display through Sat 7.1 (Tue-Sat: 11am-5pm).
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| ART: Opening |
Kehinde Wiley: Columbus
| when: |
Sat 6.3 (6-8pm) |
| where: |
Roberts & Tilton Gallery (6150 Wilshire Blvd, 323.549.0223) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info | Kehinde Wiley |
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Portraiture is a potent affirmation of power and status, and artist Kehinde Wiley uses the form to full effect. Employing the grandiose style of 19th-century paintings, Wiley — himself, a South Central LA native — replaces figures like Napoleon and Henry the VIII with colorful tributes to the inhabitants of urban neighborhoods. His recent pieces are based on masterworks from the Columbus Art Museum's collection, and will be on exhibition there in September. In addition to Wiley's explosive art, this opening features string ensemble the Young Eight's live renderings of electronic music by composer Patrick Grant. (MT)
Note: This exhibit remains on display through Sat 7.8 (Tue-Sat: 11am-6pm).
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| MUSIC: Rhythm and Skronk |
Liars
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The past few years have proved to be a pivotal turning point for the members of Liars, and it seems the experimental rock band's relocation to Berlin was just the artistic catalyst it needed to evolve. This year's Drum's Not Dead is a complex amalgam of heavy drumbeats, radiating guitars, swirling bass lines, and dronish vocals, ebbing and flowing with an ever-shifting intensity. Though the trance-inducing voyage is vividly industrial, it's also emotionally driven, at times ringing like the ritual music of some urban postmodern tribe. (DM)
What is the most interesting lie you've ever told? The tallest tale, in 50 words or less, wins a copy of Liars' new CD.
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| MUSIC: Indie Pop |
The Boy Least Likely To
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While Lee Hazlewood, Anne Sexton, Douglas Coupland, and John Hughes are obvious influences, the Boy Least Likely To may borrow most from the The Brady Bunch. With painfully infectious sing-along anthems ("I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star") and a Prozac-painted optimism, the British duo re-creates the kitschy ambiance of the American sitcom in all its glistening glory. And that's a good thing: listening to the band's debut, aptly titled The Best Party Ever, offers a brilliant and bizarre journey through perfectly crafted pop. (JH)
The members of the Boy Least Likely To cite which John Waters film as one of their favorites? The first ten correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Spazz-core |
Danielson
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Whether scorning rubberneckers from inside a giant tree costume or mourning
a mangled trumpet, Danielson mastermind Daniel Smith delivers his stories of
faith and folly with unnerving honesty. Cawing to high heaven, the singer
does Daniel Johnston one better, his voice cracking like a pubescent teen's
over complex orchestrations. And while he's possessed by a deep-seated
faith, Smith wields an outsider aesthetic and an unrelenting hysteria that makes him an equal
or greater treat for the secular set. (He attracted friends like Sufjan Stevens and members of Deerhoof and Why? to guest on his most recent record.) Smith appears tonight with a five-piece band, adding a sweet, choral backing to all his (un)holy yelping. (AP)
For his senior thesis at Rutgers University, Smith made a life-size sculpture of which family item? The first two correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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ART
Culver City Art Walk
Sat 6.3 (12-8pm) Various locations map
Event Info |
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Culver City joins the ranks of LA's other pedestrian-friendly culture communities as 30 galleries bound by Washington and Venice Boulevards fling open their shutters for this daylong art and culture event. (BK)
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Photo Shoot
Zach Gold: Know War
Sat 6.3 (2-6pm) Mystery Mesa, Santa Clarita
Event Info |
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As the American death toll in Iraq nears 2,500, award-winning photographer Zach Gold expresses the heartbreak and frustration of the war's opponents by photographing volunteer stand-ins for the dead in a dry valley. This ambitious shoot is sure to be a historical act of both art and protest. (SND)
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| MUSIC: Hip-Hop |
Kool Keith
| when: |
Sun 6.4 (8pm) |
| where: |
Knitting Factory (7021 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 323.463.0204) map |
| price: |
$15 |
| links: |
Event Info | Kool Keith |
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After leaving space-grooving hip-hop act the Ultramagnetic MCs in 1993, Kool Keith moved from his home in the Bronx to LA's salty shores. Reinventing himself as a solo artist — first as the pioneering change-up artist Dr. Octagon and then as Dr. Dooom — he has since become a legend of underground rap. Known for his originality, off-beat lyrical delivery, ornate and eclectic production, and hard to grasp lyrics ("Leave my diapers moist in the back seat of your Rolls Royce"), Keith always leaves minds blown, ears happy, and dance muscles nice and sore. (MT)
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| ALSO ON SUN |
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DJ
Part-Time Punks feat. DJ Alan McGee
Sun 6.4 (9pm) The Echo (1822 Sunset Blvd, Echo Park, 213.413.8200) map
Event Info |
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As a label owner, Alan McGee made magic happen for acts like the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Oasis. As a DJ, he drops discs like fairies drop magic dust, slyly sprinkling seeds of contentment over the denizens of LA's best indie-dance night. (BK)
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DANCE PARTY
Prom Night 1986: "Time After Time"
Sun 6.4 (10pm) Saints & Sinners (10899 Venice Blvd, Culver City, 310.842.8066) map
Event Info |
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Dust off those ruffled collars and rhinestones, kids, because it's Prom Night at Saints & Sinners. The bar's Palm Beach-style interior and unreasonable love of musical nostalgia make it the perfect place to get your Journey on. (SND)
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| MUSIC: Dark Country |
Murder by Death
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Inspired in equal parts by gypsy love poetry, Schoolhouse Rock, and Nick Cave's barroom ballads, Murder by Death's music is as unsettling as it is playful. While in many ways a down-home band, the heartland ensemble ventures into dark places and far away from mainstream folk and country acts, merging bluegrass twang and Goth sentiment. With song titles like "The Devil Drives" and "Sometimes the Line Walks You," MBD serve ready-made ghost stories, a practice which makes their live shows as strange and lovely as a Decemberists concert on Deadwood. (SND)
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| ALSO ON MON |
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MUSIC: Rock
Check One Two 2-Year Anniversary feat. Gram Rabbit
Mon 6.5 (8pm) The Viper Room (8852 Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, 310.358.1881) map $10
Event Info |
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Gram Rabbit, Porterville, and the Resistance hit the Viper Room to help celebrate two years of Check One Two, a weekly musical showcase inspired by Mark "Mr. Shovel" Sovel's visionary you-heard-it-here-first Indie 103.1 radio show of the same name. (SND)
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| PERFORMANCE |
Garden of Reason
| when: |
Now through Sun 6.11 (Thur-Sat: 8:30pm / Sun: 6pm) |
| where: |
Ivar Theatre (1605 N Ivar Ave, Hollywood, 323.461.7300) map |
| price: |
$25-32 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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In her latest work, director/choreographer Josie Walsh (formerly of the Joffrey Ballet) explores flesh and all its forbidden fruit. In a metaphoric dance that ventures deep into the Garden of Eden, her critically acclaimed troupe stirs up audiences with intelligently posed sexual politics and overwhelming energy. Risqué and riveting, the piece manages meaning without falling prey to the pretensions often associated with modern-dance metaphor. Performers include acrobatic aerialist Ingrid Hoffman and renegade industrial band KYO (on stilts), as well as Fiona Apple's sister Maude Maggart, whose operatic vibrato sweats even more steam into an already sex-drenched show. (JH)
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| ALSO ONGOING/UPCOMING |
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ART
Geoff McFetridge
Now through Mon 6.12 (Wed-Sat:
1-6pm) New Image Art (7908 Santa Monica Blvd, W Hollywood, 323.654.2192) map
Event Info |
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Geoff McFetridge's serenely monochromatic wallpaper, pencil drawings, and screened prints remind you of the picture books you read as a child — with photographs, colored-paper weaves, and printed text nestled within each and every one. (DN)
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KNOWLEDGE LOVES DUCKIES: The Show with Ze Frank |
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What rhymes with "yay," "hooray," "birthday," and many other awesome words? Ze! Ze Frank's personal website has been lowering workplace productivity for a few years now with its hilarious Flash games, greeting card designers, and "educational videos." (It also won Frank a Webby in 2002.) With his elastic face and geeky sexiness, the former neuroscientist and featured speaker at two TED conferences has made the next logical step — vlogging. Updated daily, The Show is an amalgam of random Internet humor and spot-on political satire. More scathing than Rocketboom's equally blonde Amanda Congdon (with whom he should totally make baby übermenschen), Frank is invariably ROTFLMAO funny, whether inviting viewers to make an Earth sandwich or merely thinking — so that we don't have to. Make no mistake, Ze Frank has earned his Morning News Editors' Award for Online Excellence, not to mention his Wikipedia entry. (GM)
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CD REVIEW: Boris, Pink |
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Southern Lord
Released May 2006
$11.25 (Insound)
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The question of what constitutes true metal has been brought before the
Metal Council. Lord Halford replies: "Shut up you sissies, and listen to
Boris." Sure, the trio's latest is called Pink, and opens with a
spaced-out, Sigur Rós-esque jam — but Sigur Rós are descended from
vikings and are therefore metal. Either way, after more than seven minutes of
lighter-waving, track two suddenly launches into pounding, fuzzed-out
riffage, and the subsequent barrage of flesh-searing solos, cowbells,
cacophonous drums, and uncharacteristically melodic vocals lets up only once — on "Blackout," a dark, sludgy cut that reminds listeners what the band used
to sound like. There are nods to St. Vitus and Motörhead scattered
throughout, but this album, above all, can be seen as a tribute to Guitar
Wolf and DMBQ, two compatriot Japanese outfits that have endured tragedies
recently. This is Boris' most accessible release to date, but heads are banging, so
stop asking so many questions. (GM)
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DOWNLOADS: Troubleman Unlimited |
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Though the label traces its roots to the early-'90s punk and hardcore scenes, Troubleman Unlimited has expanded beyond the realm of facile categorisation. The New Jersey-based brainchild of Mike Simonetti ranges far and wide stylistically, having released bands such as Black Dice, the Album Leaf, Erase Errata, and the Walkmen. Musicians and record honchos alike regard Troubleman as an incredibly influential and open-minded independent label — albeit one that keeps a low profile. Its highly collectible Troubleman Solo Singles Series, a favorite among vinyl enthusiasts, consists of solo projects from members of prominent bands, released on 7-inch in small pressings. Here, check out free MP3s of some of the label's best output in recent months. (CJN/JS)
(CJN/JS)
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Chromatics: "Healer" (Glam/disco)
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Glass Candy: "Nite Nurses" (Punk funk)
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Growing: "Track 1" (Space rock)
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