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 Kanardo |
Cultural Stimuli in LA
Issue 202: nomenclature flavor
Perhaps inspired by recent changes in Washington — or maybe just Britney's personal declaration of independence — culture shapers are tweaking history to their own ends this week. Multimedia artist Eduardo Villacis unveils Smoking Mirror, a mock museum chronicling an alternate reality in which Columbus' forces were defeated; 1947project offers an entire weekend of screenings, performances, bus tours, and conspiracy theories to "celebrate" the 60th anniversary of the still-unsolved Black Dahlia murders; and the Black Maria Gallery explores commandments that Moses might've missed. Current events are subjected to novel perspectives, too, as Strange New World explores the vibrant art and design of contemporary Tijuana; LACMA recasts British TV ads as microcinema; and the Egyptian screens 2006's Golden Globe nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. History might be written by the victors, but it's reimagined by the artists — so whatever you discover this week, make sure to spread it.
- Shana Nys Dambrot, Managing Editor
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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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The Next Generation Nissan Altima
With an unexpected combination of style and technology, luxuries once reserved for the few are now available to the many. Yup, it's that good.
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| MUSIC: Contemporary Classical |
Green Umbrella feat. the LA Philharmonic
| when: |
Tue 1.9 (8pm) |
| where: |
Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S Grand Ave, 323.850.2000) map |
| price: |
$21-45 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Acclaimed contemporary classical and experimental music series Green Umbrella kicks off its 2007 edition tonight with a performance by the profoundly versatile LA Philharmonic. Led by star conductor/composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra features a special guest appearance by globally renowned saxophonist Douglas Masek. Salonen closes the show with the US premiere of his original piece, Catch and Release. And, after the concert, the audience is invited to a reception with the artists, celebrating the evening's performance as well as Green Umbrella's 20th anniversary. (SN)
 The father of the LA Philharmonic's founder has a county named for him in which state? The third and fourth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to the Tue 1.23 edition of Green Umbrella.
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| ALSO ON TUE |
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MUSIC: Alt-Americana
AM w/ Gus Black
Tue 1.9 (9pm) Largo (432 N Fairfax Ave, 323.852.1073) map $8-10
Event Info
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Walking a fine line between folk-inspired Americana and thoughtful pop rock, the sweet, unassuming sounds of LA's own AM reexamine (but don't retread) the alt-folk path of early '90s acts like Wilco and Jeff Buckley. He performs tonight with Elliott Smithalike Gus Black. (EJ)
 
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| FILM |
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
| when: |
Wed 1.10 (8pm) |
| where: |
ArcLight Hollywood (6360 W Sunset Blvd, 323.464.4226) map |
| price: |
$11 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Hilariously directed by George Cukor, The Philadelphia Story was the definitive screwball comedy of its day, a side-splitter so inspired that it's been labeled "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress. Katherine Hepburn's Traci Lord (not to be confused with the '90s porn star) is a Maine matron torn between a mogul fiance and her ex-mate. The slapstick caper resurrected Hepburn's flailing career and was nominated for six Academy Awards — James Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar. Tonight, ArcLight screens the box-office blockbuster in its full glory on the big screen. (JH)
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| MUSIC: Lo-Fi |
Lou Barlow w/ Emperor X and Applied Communications
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Keeping track of Lou Barlow's musical guises got a lot more complicated last year as he blazed through classic power-fuzz jams on reunion tours with both classic lo-fi indie act Sebadoh and slash-and-burn alterna-punksters Dinosaur Jr. But now he's back in solo mode at the Smell, playing delicately existentialist indie-rock weepers from 2005's Emoh alongside a series of guitar-plus-sampler experiments and songs from earlier solo albums. Followers of his lo-fi legacy, old-school electronics enthusiast Emperor X and deconstructionist sound artist Applied Communications open. (DRC)
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| ART: Opening |
Eduardo Villacis: Smoking Mirror
| when: |
Thur 1.11 (6-9pm) |
| where: |
Bert Green Fine Art (102 W 5th St, 213.624.6212) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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In the years following Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas, the brave and fierce warriors of the Aztec empire mounted fierce opposition to incursions by Spanish forces. But, despite their best efforts, the nation's rich indigenous culture was all but trampled. In Smoking Mirror, Ecuadorian artist Eduardo Villacis imagines a world where Columbus lost the battle, creating an ambitious mock museum in service of this alternative history using newly crafted archaeological artifacts, religious relics, ancient scrolls, Western-style painting, and hand-wrought weapons. The convincing fiction that results is both poignant fantasy and an unsettling perspective on the roots of contemporary unrest. (SND)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 3.24 (Tue-Sat: 12-6pm).
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| MULTIMEDIA |
The Lost Weekend: The 60th Anniversary of the Black Dahlia
| when: |
Thur 1.11 - Tue 1.16 |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Now that Brian De Palma's cinematic homage to the Dahlia has re-whet the world's desire to know whodunit, Ramzi Abed, B. Beretta Unlimited, and 1947project examine the 60 years of speculation, clues, and drama surrounding LA's most infamous murder case. The city dives back in time this week with multiple screenings of Abed's Black Dahlia, 1947project's The Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus Tour, the Her Name Was Elizabeth art exhibit at Regent Galleries, and Requiem for a Dahlia, A Macabre Cabaret at 3 Clubs. And, if your hunger for answers lends way to more tangible desires, you can eat Dahlia-inspired gelato at Scoops. Yummy. (MP)
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| FILM |
Golden Globe Foreign Language Film Nominees Series
| when: |
Thur 1.11 - Sat 1.13 (schedule) |
| where: |
Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, 310.395.4990) map |
| price: |
$10 per screening |
| links: |
Event Info |
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With a group of fairly generic flag-flying patriotic epics vying for the Best Picture Award, it's no wonder movie buffs are looking to the foreign-film submissions for something a little more meaty. The Golden Globe Foreign Language Film Nominees Series celebrates these oft-overlooked celluloid offerings, introducing this year's five foreign-language candidates for the Golden Globe: Pan's Labyrinth, The Lives of Others, and Apocalypto alongside Almodovar ghost flick Volver and Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed Iwo Jima — told, refreshingly, from the "enemy's" point of view. Barring Mel Gibson, all of the nominated filmmakers are scheduled to attend. (JH)
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| ALSO ON THUR |
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FILM
a.k.a. Nikki S. Lee
Thur 1.11 (7pm) UCLA Hammer Museum (10899 Wilshire Blvd, 310.443.7000) map
Event Info
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Searing photographer Nikki S. Lee — best known for her Cindy Sherman-esque get-ups — screens and discusses a.k.a Nikki S. Lee, an autobiographical semidocumentary that follows her travels to New York, Seoul, Paris, Venice, Mexico City, and Santa Fe. (ML)
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Opening
Pieter Hugo: Looking Aside
Thur 1.11 (7-9pm) Stephen Cohen Gallery (7358 Beverly Blvd, 323.937.5525) map
Event Info
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Provocative in the best way possible, Pieter Hugo's Looking Aside explores Africa in a series of stunning photographic portraits, finding humanity and horror in subjects few in the rest of the world are willing to even face. (MSS)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 2.24 (Tue-Sat: 11am-5pm).
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| DESIGN: Opening |
Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana/Extraño
| when: |
Fri 1.12 (7-9pm) |
| where: |
Santa Monica Museum of Art, Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Ave, 310.586.6488) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Documenting Tijuana's arrival on the international art, design, music, and film scenes, Strange New World: Art and Design From Tijuana/Extraño offers an unprecedented survey of the city's recent cultural explosion. The 20 artists, architects, and designers represented in the exhibition take the city as a source of inspiration, but also as a treasure-trove of materials and resources (one has even created a virtual bus tour of the city on the museum's website). Film screenings and lectures are programmed throughout the show's run, and tonight's opening-night party features the global beat-and-image mixes of DJ Rafa Dro, DJ Wero, DJ Chucuchu, and VJ Sal. (SND)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 4.7 (Tue-Sat: 11am-6pm).
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| MUSIC: Roots Country |
I See Hawks in LA w/ Mike Stinson
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Though the Southland's last FM country station went off the air this year, outsider honky-tonk icons like I See Hawks in LA and Mike Stinson show that the city's underground country scene is still going strong. Stinson plays confessional roots-country in the vein of Steve Earle and Townes van Zandt, and pens occasional hits for pals like Dwight Yoakam. And, though headliner I See Hawks in LA's latest album features contributions from Flying Burrito Brother Chris Hillman, their underground status is understandable: the group writes steel-guitar space-outs about growing up hippie and living on the psychedelic fringes of California. (DRC)
What was Hawkeye's given name in the TV version of M.A.S.H.? Correct answers one, three, six, nine, and ten each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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ART: Opening
Lola: The Rememberlings
Fri 1.12 (7-11pm) Thinkspace Gallery (4210 Santa Monica Blvd, 323.913.3375) map
Event Info
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Inspired by the lush, mischievous illustration of classic children's books, the paintings in former tattoo artist Lola's The Rememberlings offer a frightening (though unquestionably engaging) cross between Dr. Seuss and Edward Gorey. (KB)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 2.3 (Thur-Sun: 1-6pm).
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FILM
British Television Advertising Awards 2006: Award-Winning British Commercials
Fri 1.12 (7:30 & 9pm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd, 323.857.6000) map $11
Event Info
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See the difference a turn of a phrase, a lot of innuendo, and an innate sense of wit make in the world of television advertising as LACMA screens 100 UK commercials deemed superb examples of British ingenuity. (MP)
Pitch us a product of your own creation. Our five favorite responses, in 50 words or less, each win a pair of tickets to this screening.
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| ART: Opening |
BMG Artists' Annual
| when: |
Sat 1.13 (6pm) |
| where: |
BLK/MRKT Gallery (6009 Washington Blvd, Culver City, 310.837.1989) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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BLK/MRKT's annual wunderkammer of intriguing art returns for another go-round, showcasing 33 artists and promising humdingers galore. Highlights in its cabinet of wonders include Gregory Euclide's rumbling, curvaceous landscapes; Rostarr's sensuous labyrinths; Adam Kurtzman's expertly naughty figurines; Martha Sue Harris's lumpy, dripping sculptures; and Mel Kadel's mesmeric flights of fancy. Meanwhile, New Yorker Mark Dean Veca takes over the project space with seething, playful intestinal explosions, and DC-based artist Mark Jenkins adds wit and trickery to the gallery's exterior in an uncompromisingly curious sculptural installation. (ML)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 2.17 (Tue-Sat: 11am-6pm).
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| ART: Opening |
Miguel Rio Branco: I won't take anything with me when I die, those who owe me something will pay me in hell
| when: |
Sat 1.13 (6-8pm) |
| where: |
Christopher Grimes Gallery (916 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, 310.587.3373) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Photographer Miguel Rio Branco tackles taboos, mixing poetic photography with intrepid photojournalism. Recently acclaimed for his work on the book companion to Babel, the veteran Magnum Agency correspondent uses the skill he's picked up at his day job to create inspired, boundary-crossing photos and video projects. Tonight's opening is an opportunity to rediscover one of his earlier works — a 1979 portrait series of prostitutes and other marginalized victims of global poverty and corruption. The saturated palette, rich, blood-red tones, visceral imagery, and surreal violence of his images transcend documentation, revealing the deep disturbances below the surface of his subjects. (SND)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 3.3 (Tue-Sat: 10am-5:30pm).
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| MUSIC: Full-Metal Fury |
The Fucking Champs w/ Earthless and Citay
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The Fucking Champs were playing ridiculously complicated, Iron Maiden-style epics long before metal found new popularity with the type of indie nerds who would totally get their asses whomped at a Metallica gig. The band continues to push its baroque, thrash stylings tonight alongside sister band Citay — both lineups featuring Tim Green. Where the Champs rock the joint plain and simple, Citay revive the art of delicate metal balladry in the vein of Black Sabbath's weepy hesher anthem, "Laguna Sunrise." San Diego stoner-rock avatars Earthless round out the bill, stretching the heavy side of Sabbath into longform drone jams. (DRC)
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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ART: Opening
5 Stories Higher
Sat 1.13 (6-9pm) Track 16 Gallery (2525 Michigan Ave, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, 310.264.4678) map
Event Info
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With contributions from artists like Don Ed Hardy and Rachel Lachowitz, this group exhibition of sculpture, painting, and mixed media engages everything from Asian tattoo to art history, subverting expectations and turning beauty on its head. (SND)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Sat 2.10 (Tue-Sat: 11am-6pm).
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ART: Opening
11th Commandment
Sat 1.13 (7-11pm) Black Maria Gallery (3137 Glendale Blvd, 323.660.9393) map
Event Info
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Who says there should only be ten Commandments? The artists in 11th Commandment do God one better in this Black Maria Gallery show, proposing their own, sometimes ironic, additions to the Old Testament's most well-worn set of rules. (MSS)
Note: This exhibition remains on display through Mon 2.12 (Tue-Sat: 12-6pm).
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| FILM |
Hair (1979) & Fame (1980)
| when: |
Sun 1.14 - Tue 1.16 (schedule) |
| where: |
New Beverly Cinema (7165 W Beverly Blvd, 323.938.4038) map |
| price: |
$9 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Nothing says the '70s like "The Age of Aquarius," and nothing says the '80s like "I Sing the Body Electric." Time blurs this week as the greatest Hollywood-musical double bill in history takes to the screen. No guarantees, but the fantastic fashions, lascivious dancing, wholesome nudity, and freedom of expression these films celebrate just might inspire a few toe taps, and, when that happens, spontaneous audience sing-alongs sure to follow. After all, when Irene Cara belts out "Hot Lunch" and Nell Campbell extols the sensual virtues of white boys, it's every hippie or hipster for themselves. (SND)
Which celebrity has the best hairdo and why? The three most stylish responses in 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to this screening.
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| MUSIC: Opera |
Deborah Voigt
| when: |
Sun 1.14 (7:30pm) |
| where: |
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N Grand Ave, 213.972.0711) map |
| price: |
$25-100 |
| links: |
Event Info | Deborah Voigt |
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Like many opera legends, Deborah Voigt often trades on her larger-than-life personality. Hot off her stint as Salome in Chicago's Lyric Opera, Voigt hits Dorothy Chandler for a one-night-only recital. Though recently criticized by opera diehards for her dramatic weight loss, the diva hasn't lost her vivacious persona or her sense of humor. Tonight's exclusive performance is a repertoire of rarities from Verdi, Strauss, Mozart, Amy Beach, and Leonard Bernstein preceded by a pre-performance lecture. (JH)
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| MUSIC: Avant-Jazz Revue |
The Toledo Show
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Like the Rat Pack meeting Death Row Records on the set of Cabaret, the Toledo Show mix attitude with outrageousness for an evening of seriously stylized fun. One of the longest-running shows in town, the band's weekly evening of horn riffs, sexy dancers, spoken word, and soul music combines the glitz, glamour, and clinking glasses of old Hollywood with a sexy, more modern sensibility. Toledo himself wears many hats, literally and figuratively, as the stage show touts irresistible dance grooves and hypnotic showmanship. (SND)
Which brand of automobile has been manufactured in Toledo, Ohio, since the '40s? The first two correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ART |
David Trulli: The View from Here
| when: |
Now through Sat 1.20 (Wed-Sat: 1-6pm) |
| where: |
Copro/Nason Gallery (2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, 310.829.2156) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info | David Trulli |
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David Trulli's white-on-black drawings depict lone figures in mysterious, post-apocalyptic surroundings. Evoking comic-book terror, his unique formula of ink, acrylic, and clay has the look and feel of etching board. The lines of his drawings are scrapped in deep black backgrounds, so that the rolling, sinister hills topped with radar towers and atomic clouds and the claustrophobic air of interior spaces share the same poetic, film-noir ambience. In his shadowy, illustrative universe, every place, gesture, and detail carries ambiguous menace and melancholy. (SND)
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| ALSO ONGOING/UPCOMING |
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THEATRE
Pageant of the 4 Seasons, A 99¢ Only Modern Something
Now through Sun 1.28 (Thur-Sat: 8pm / Sun: 7pm) Bootleg Theatre (2220 Beverly Blvd, 213.389.3856) map $20
Event Info
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Touting purple-and-white fluorescents, brilliant bargain booty, and supreme dedication to kitsch, LA's 99¢ Only stores are one-of-a-kind LA institutions. The chain gets its close-up in this creatively styled contemporary holiday extravaganza built around its trademark bling. (JH/SND)
Andreas Gursky's "99 Cent" photo recently sold at auction for how much money? The second and third correct responses each win a pair of tickets.
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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD: The Bridge |
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Social-networking sites make it easy to pimp your band and stalk your ex, but the Glue Network wants us to aim for more philanthropic endeavors. Glue attempts to increase social awareness and pool collective community resources for the greater good. In preparation for its 2007 launch, the network has started the Bridge to virtually connect nonprofit organizations, corporations, bands, brands, and individuals striving to make a difference. Users upload artwork, videos, and music representing their activism to symbolize one mile of the 24,902 that make the circumference of the globe. For each mile created, clothiers Active and Jedidiah, Adobe Systems, and the Quiksilver Foundation contribute cash to one of the Bridge's 12 chosen charities, and with 23,314 miles still to go, there's plenty of room to pave the way. (IB)
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CD REVIEW: Nellie McKay, Pretty Little Head |
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Hungry Mouse
Released October 2006
$12.97 (Amazon)
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Nellie McKay may have debuted on a major label, but the New York-based artist is as fiercely independent as they come. When her now-former label insisted she pare down this 23-track sophomore effort to a more digestible single album, the resulting conflict saw McKay jump ship, delaying Pretty Little Head's release by almost a year until she could put it out herself. She made the right choice, as the album's breadth of material spotlights exactly what makes her primarily piano-based paeans so remarkable: their sheer creative diversity and stylistic range. From jazz and folk to hip-hop, pop, and old-time Broadway, McKay ricochets across the spectrum, abetted by surprisingly complementary guests k.d. Lang and Cyndi Lauper along the way. At times comically lighthearted, at others achingly sad, the collection once more reveals that McKay, for all her youth and personal quirks, houses the musical spirit of a time-seasoned soul. (DL)
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STREAMS: Gomma |
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Germany-based collective Gomma is more than just an inspired collective of artists, photographers, and musicians — it's also a record label. Of the several albums it released last year, highlights included the standout punk/funk pop of Who Made Who, as well as an ongoing series of dance floor-leaning 12-inches from the likes of Tom Boy, In Flagranti, and Munk. Of course, the label's genre-spanning sound is best reflected in the archived series of DJ mixes and live performances available on its website. Featuring tunes by label artists and friends, the sounds range from banging electro to classic italo disco and funk. And if you're looking for a little reading along with your beats, check out Amore, Gomma's beautifully curated magazine of assorted posters, photos, graphic design, and typography. (CJN)
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| Riders | Kanardo |
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| Eagles | Daniel R. Chamberlin | | Minutemen | Shana Nys Dambrot | | Falcons | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Coxons | Julian Hooper | | Blazers | Doug Levy | | Walden Ponds | Sascha Lewis | | Crusaders | Jessica Mahler | | Firebirds | Mark Mangan | | Willows | Colin J. Nagy | | Cadets | Andrew Phillips | | Yachtsmen | Jonathan Schultz |
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| ABOUT US |
| Flavorpill LA is a free weekly email magazine covering cultural happenings across art, music, film, theatre, dance, literature, and DJ events. All content is produced by a local team of writers in LA. We don't include sold out events, and all listings are pure editorial — no money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Read more about us. |
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To let us know about an upcoming event that you think belongs here, please email us at events at least two weeks prior to the date.
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A twice-monthly email magazine highlighting the latest in electronic music — including news, reviews, and original features
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A monthly review focusing on smart, readable works of fiction and nonfiction, from current titles to past gems
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