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MAY 11 - MAY 17
This week LA seems determined to put a nu-mark on old heroes, from a tribute to a great African-American actor-musician-activist to one of comedy's late, great free radicals (from whom you might want to keep a safe distance, just in case any wrestling goes down). There's a sighting of the real Tuesday Weld (on Tuesday!), and classic rock guitar gets an aireoke revision. The lesson: The lesson: the new and old share something in common, so pick your favorite vintage and spread it. |
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Nike was born from a track coach's obsession with making his runners faster. With the Art of Speed project, we sought an outside perspective, asking 15 digital artists to create their own visions of speed through a Nike lens. It's both an exploration and a celebration of what speed means to the human experience.
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| | The Real Tuesday Weld (not the real Tuesday Weld) is the pseudonym of Stephen Coates, an Englishman whose latest work is an "imaginary soundtrack" to Glen Duncan's novel I, Lucifer — like the book, it's a sinfully good romp through the devil's mind. A pastiche of too many styles to name with songs that sound like they're beamed in from the past — or from the fantastic world of The Triplets of Belleville — his jazzy style marries Tin Pan Alley songcraft to beats both delicate and booming. Accompanied by a quartet featuring clarinet, TRTW channels the devil's own eclectic, electric cabaret for sinners. (PS)
  
 What was the birth name of the real Tuesday Weld, the actress (not the Real Tuesday Weld featured in this event)? The fourth correct answer wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | Anchored by 2002 National Poetry Slam Champion Sekou tha Misfit and LA Slam Team Grand Slam Champion Steve Connell, tonight's Flypoet event features both musical and spoken word magic. Other headline attractions include the soulful grooves of Impromp2, and rising star Maya del Valle, who in 2001 became the youngest person, the first woman, and the first Latina to win the National Poetry Slam Individual Champion crown. Play-by-play onstage art accompanies the entire program (which also features the rapid-fire ensemble work of New Voices), as Norton Wisdom delivers luscious, sexy, and very messy improvisational screen painting. (SND)
What is the name of Impromp2's latest single? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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THEATRE
Master Harold and the Boys
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| when: | Wed 5.12 (8pm) |
| where: | Skirball Cultural Center (2701 Sepulveda Blvd, 800.708.8863) |
| price: | $36-42 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | LA Theatre Works' ranks are packed with celebrities (David Schwimmer, anyone?), but they use that power to fight mediocrity by staging tough classics in unfamiliar ways. Set in South Africa in the '50s, Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys highlights the complex relationship between a rich young white man and his black servants. It's not just a stinging commentary on South Africa's brutal racial issues, but a poignant take on family and class issues as well. Presented in a reading format with top actors including Six Feet Under's stellar Keith David — this is beguiling live theatre. (MD)
Note: Performances continue Thur 5.13, Fri 5.14 (8pm) & Sun 5.16 (4 & 7:30pm).
What is the title of Fugard's newest play, which makes its world premiere in LA on Sat 5.22? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the Fri 5.14 performance of Master Harold.
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| | "Relax," insists Ambulance Ltd. frontman Marcus Congleton. "Don't think about/the way I treat you." Uttered like a mantra, the phrase forms the refrain of "Primitive," a highlight of the New York-based band's recently released self-titled debut. The quartet's soothing sounds compel you to obey Congleton's first command, but the latter is best ignored. The song considers an unhappy relationship, a term far from appropriate to describe the band's connection with its audience. Sonic squall, '70s soothers, and Velvets goldmine: these musical drivers don't need a siren to get your attention. (DL)
Ambulance Ltd. cover which Velvet Underground song on their debut? The fourth correct answer wins a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | Since arriving in LA in the mid-'90s, guitarist Skip Heller has emerged as post-punk's foremost rockabilly jazz cat. Heller weaves an American musical tapestry from equal parts Sun Ra, Chet Atkins, and Frank Zappa, while recklessly jamming with California punk rockers and fried Hollywood lounge leaders. He's a one-man NRBQ. As if to prove this point, Heller's current tour supports a record on which he reinterprets Prince and Les Baxter as greasy organ-quartet twists, and visits hoe-down venues like the western patio of the Fairfax Farmers Market. Hear what Mahler sounds like bathed in the red, white, and (rhythm &) blue. (PO)
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| | Paving the way for the likes of Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington, Paul Robeson was the first African-American actor to portray Othello, and was a political and cultural figurehead until his death in 1965. He was also a singer, best known for his rumbling bass on the standard "Ol' Man River." True to his unapologetic beliefs, he would often slyly toy with lyrics to the black spirituals, adding provocative stances on changing mores (and mores that needed changing). Willard White follows in Robeson's footsteps, having also appeared in Othello and gaining fame for his operatically trained, beguiling voice. Here White's virtuosity attacks Robeson's musical repertoire in all its complexity, the span of history enriching the legacy. (MD)
What is the name of Robeson's autobiography, published in 1958? The first four correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | Although it was the funkified electroclash of his 2001 masterpiece Kittenz and Thee Glitz that made Felix da Housecat an international superstar DJ, this Chicago stalwart's reputation among the club cognoscenti was secured long before. Felix's preference for equal doses of acid house and Prince — and the weirder the mix, the better — brings the grind like nobody's business. Since the success of Kittenz, he's stocked his crate with dub-plate remixes of everything from Sparks to Stevie Nicks — and the upcoming Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever is even more '80s-centric — but when the going gets late, purple-tinged house remains this cat's secret weapon. (PO)
Note: Tickets will not be available at the door, but a limited amount can be bought via pre-sale. Junkie XL also headlines this event.
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| | As themed group shows go, DiRT Gallery's latest comes as close as any to being quintessentially LA. As its title obliquely suggests, Stacked pays homage to Pamela Anderson. Curated by Mery Lynn McCorkle, it features the work of ten local artists, each with a distinct style and occasionally a sick sense of humor. Sculpture, painting, photography, and multiples (meaning editions) all contribute to the (de)construction of Pam — a new kind of post-feminist icon, or so says DiRT. (SND)
Note: This exhibit continues through Sat 8.21 (Thur-Sat: noon-5pm).
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DJ
Hands On Release Party featuring DJ Nu-Mark, Chaila 2na, and J-Live
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| when: | Fri 5.14 (9pm) |
| where: | Temple Bar (1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, 310.393.6611) |
| price: | $15 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | It's only a matter of time before turntablism is taught in school, and let us propose that when they publish the textbooks, DJ Nu-Mark has his own chapter. And who better to lead the class than sometime DJ, most-time rapper, and ex-8th grade teacher J-Live with Ozomatli/Jurassic 5 MC Chali 2na as his teaching aide? Having cut his teeth with undie hip-hop institution J5, Nu-Mark has since continued his art at the post-graduate level (read: the solo project). With Nu-Mark on the wheels and J-Live and Chali on the mics, school is definitely in session. (JCF)
DJ Nu-Mark appeared on a bonus track on the limited-edition version of which electronic hip-hop star's 2002 album? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | Jointz Magazine kicks off their Summer Series in grand style with hip-hop innovator Common, who has worked with numerous heavy-hitters in the genre including Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, Black Thought, and De La Soul. An artist in his own right, the words, rhymes, and rhythms on 2002's Electric Circus have earned him critical respect (and a gig shilling for Coke). Also on the bill tonight are Native Guns and DJs including Dusk, Al Jackson, Rashida, and IMI. (AB)
In which city was Common born? The second correct answer wins a pair of tickets to this event and a six-month subscription to Jointz Magazine. The third and fourth correct answers each win a subscription.
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| | Venice, CA, residents Esquire Jauchem, Miriam Moore, and Bonnie Cheeseman created a local version of Italy's famed Carnevale di Venezia in 2002. This year the team achieved the holy grail of Venice street closures with city approval to use Windward Circle as the festival site, while new sponsorship helped expand the annual event's size and scope. Entertainment includes drumming, dancing, skateboarding, roller skating, as well as music from John Vestor and Mark Lennon (of the band Venice), Champa 51, Wadada Reggae, Rebel Soul Band, the Bonedaddys, DJ Jason Saville (Club TARA), and Burning Man faves the Mutaytor. Prizes and extra attention for the best costumes. (RK/QofV)
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ART
Gallery Row Unveiling Ceremony
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| when: | Sat 5.15 (1pm) |
| where: | Biddy Mason Park, Broadway Spring Center Courtyard (333 S Spring St, 213.380.5969) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Event Info | Gallery Row |
| | Last year, the city of LA officially designated one of Downtown's most architecturally significant and yet popularly underutilized neighborhoods as "Gallery Row." This Saturday, the dozen galleries and performance spaces that have already opened there (more to come this summer) finally get organized. The unveiling ceremony at the Broadway Spring Center makes available maps and other information for a free, self-guided tour of the area, featuring exhibitions at superb galleries such as Bank (400 S Main), free readings presented by Strange Company at LA Theatre Center (514 S Spring), and street performances organized by Dangerous Curve. Be among the first to discover the next cultural hot spot. (SND)
Note: Self-guided festivities on Gallery Row continue until 10pm.
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PERFORMANCE
Highways' La Quinceanera
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| when: | Sat 5.15 (7pm-1am) |
| where: | Highways Performance Space (1651 18th St, Santa Monica, 310.315.1459) |
| price: | $50 with dinner / $15 after 9pm |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | This week, Highways Performance Space celebrates 15 years as LA's premier presenter of performance art. Tonight's bash — organized by performers Dan Kwong and Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, with kitchen help from Osseus Labyrinth's Hannah Sim — features a sit-down Mexican buffet dinner seasoned with guest appearances and interactive experiences. Participants include: wacky political commentator Paul Zaloom (on video); transgendered women of the cloth, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; diminutive burlesque queen, Selena Luna of the Velvet Hammer; and legendary star of alternative stage and screen, John Fleck. After-dinner grooves come from DJ Jason Saville and Super Awesome Electro Friends Forever. (RK/QofV)
Note: Performances start at 9pm (post-dinner). Discount coupons available.
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MUSIC: Party Rock
Get Licious
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| when: | Sat 5.15 (10:30pm) |
| where: | The Gig (7302 Melrose Ave, Hollywood, 323.936.4440) |
| price: | $10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | NYC's Get Licious maintained a fervent and nearly obsessive fan base before heading out to LA where Mike "Miguel" Happoldt (of Sublime and Long Beach Dub Allstars fame) is currently producing their studio debut to be released this summer. Their inventive storytelling, humor, and thoroughly danceable style of funk/rock/reggae has already won them a fiercely loyal left-coast audience. Get Licious team up with Miss USA 2003 Susie Castillo for this charity event in which all proceeds are donated to CoachArt, an organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children with life-threatening illnesses by providing free, personal lessons in the arts and athletics. Great music, great cause. (ASM)
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FILM
America's Heart and Soul
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| when: | Sun 5.16 (12:15pm) |
| where: | ArcLight Hollywood (6360 W Sunset Blvd, 323.464.4226) |
| price: | $11 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | The International Documentary Association created this intimate forum to explore the documentary's role in our culture — as befitting its "docs 'n lox" moniker, a Q&A brunch is served so that viewers can communicate with the screenings' filmmakers. Louis Schwartzberg, director of America's Heart and Soul, should have some stories to tell: following a tradition that includes Easy Rider and Robert Frank's brilliant photo essay The Americans, the filmmaker went deep into America to get oral and visual histories from those that history may forget, and those who may change it. (MD)
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| | Macedonian piano sensation Simon Trpceski plays the rarely performed Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor by Camille Saint-Saens in this last concert of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's season. The 24-year-old Trpceski finished second in the 2000 London World Piano Competition, and his 2002 CD debut was enthusiastically received. Also on the program are Manuel de Falla's fiery El Amor Brujo (Love, the Sorcerer) and the world premiere of Ecstatic Visions by Pierre Jalbert, LACO's composer-in-residence. As an extra treat, conductor Jeffrey Kahane joins Trpceski at the keyboard for a surprise piano work for four hands. (ABi)
Note: A pre-concert talk begins at 6pm. This event also takes place Sat 5.15 (8pm) at the Alex Theatre, Glendale.
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| | There's a gypsy riot goin' on. Leaving a trail of smashed accordions and wary club owners in their wake, Gogol Bordello bring their frenzied gypsy punk to the Troubadour. With a little help from his Balkan friends, Ukrainian ex-patriot turned New York rebel darling Eugene Hutz leads this cathartic and debauched show complete with vaudevillian border guards, the occasional stuffed elk, and a distinctly rambunctious and theatrical political message. Think the Clash and Fischerspooner with violins and a propensity for drunken mayhem. Gogol Bordello's antics even caught the eye of the Whitney Museum, who picked them for a memorable performance series last year. If you find yourself piling up the shot glasses and dancing on the bar, know that you've been warned. (MS)
The title of which Nikolay Gogol novel was nicked for a Joy Division song? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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COMEDY
Andy Kaufman: Dead or Alive? w/ Tony Clifton
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| when: | Sun 5.16 (8pm) |
| where: | House of Blues Sunset Strip (8430 Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, 323.848.5100) |
| price: | $50-250 |
| links: |
Event Info | Andy Kaufman |
| | If you faked your own death and vowed to return 20 years later, where would you reappear? The House of Blues, of course. On this, the 20th anniversary of the death of Andy Kaufman, the late comic's most intimate cohorts (personal and professional) gather to honor the late actor/wrestler. Bob Zmuda, founder of Comic Relief and genius by association, performs as Tony Clifton, the irascible lounge singer that Kaufman created. For the price they're charging, $50 and up, Kaufman may come back from the dead just to get the gate. (JS)
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| | Jolie Holland's lyrics are like a poetic diary that's sung rather than read, in a soulful voice that's just spooky enough to tingle ears and palpitate hearts. The mysterious girl with the ukulele is off to spread her bluesy folk around the world, performing material from her two most recent albums (both released in the last year). Her captivating voice may quickly make you agree with her song: "the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs." (BC)
Why do the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs? Our two favorite answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | This pastime sits somewhere between a harbinger of the apocalypse and a rollicking good time. The only thing more culturally insidious yet socially invigorating than karaoke is air guitar, and to combine the two is a recipe for a big fat guilty pleasure. Tempest offers Aireoke every Monday night, awarding free drinks to those who achieve "airness," which is defined as "the extent to which an air guitar performance transcends the imitation of a 'real' art form and becomes an art form in and of itself." Pompous? Sure, but consider it tee-ball compared to the main event: the Air Guitar World Championships held in Kuusisaari, Finland. (JCF)
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| | Chris Lindig lives in a world of his own — a world some simply call Oakland, populated by Dioists, a cultish tribe of mobsters with a penchant for heavy metal music and unspeakably bizarre sex acts. Fortunately for us, Lindig documents his adventures among this city's most dangerous residents in this series of paintings, drawings, and sculptures depicting their corrupt religion, creepy rituals, and churches and RVs. If you need an antidote to this madness, look no further than Brendan Fowler's video lounge installation in the gallery project room. Better known as BARR, Fowler is a speaker and performance artist who uses the power of "chill" to trick viewers into watching a promotional reel of his own new work. (SND)
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| | All the characters in the latest stage play from Owning Mahowny screenwriter Maurice Chauvet are deeply flawed personalities in one way or another. Providing consistent comic relief, Rob (David Roberts) steals the show, creating a sort of puerile Willy-Loman-as-egomaniac that is the sine qua non of 21st-century suburbia. Indeed, the play's sociological insightfulness is its greatest strength. Chauvet's otherwise compelling cast (most of whom appear in all of his works) includes talented-but-miscast East Coast wiseguy-type Peter Gregory as native Californian software millionaire Neil. Rosemary Boyce is earnest and excellent as Neil's co-dependent, compassionate sister, while the sets designed by Janne Larsen are authentically naturalistic. A Safe Distance represents real progress for both this writer and this venue, and is well worth a look. (DSM)
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| CD REVIEW: Automato, Automato |
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Coup De Grace
Released April 2004
$12.99 (Amazon)
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Originally slated for release on Capitol, the self-titled debut from Automato, New York's answer to the Roots, was rejected by the major label for its lack of commercial prospects. Odd then that the disc was produced by the DFA (Rapture, N*E*R*D*, Britney Spears), who infused the staid rhymes with Neptunes-worthy beats (electronic/organic polyrhythms, fuzzed-out keyboards, burping bass lines), effectively saving what might've been yet another backpacking snoozer of a disc. Like the Roots, Automato play real live instruments (maaaaaaan), and also like the Roots, their rhymes don't quite satisfy, thus weighting the DFA's contribution even more. But considering the production, that's nothing to complain about. (YS)
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| CELEBRATE ART: NoHo Arts District |
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Every year, the North Hollywood Arts District hosts the NoHo Theatre and Arts Festival, which features two days of art, music, dance, theatre, performance, and shopping for all tastes. This installment, held Saturday May 15th and Sunday May 16th (11am-8pm), offers everything: from tango lessons to juried art shows; portraits in chocolate by Australian Sid Chidiac to Moliêre's Impromptu de Versailles; a musical version of Little Red Riding Hood to something called the Funky Punk Circus Spectacular; and the most important thing — food, food, food. (SND)
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| STREAMS: Texture |
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At long last, Element Detroit have added streams to their site. In addition keeping track of the goings-on in D-town electronica, the site now has a radio element, Texture. Keep an eye out for additional live sets, updated weekly, as the town gets geared up for the world's largest free electronic music festival, Movement 2004. (NP)
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| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Pablo Picasso | Henry Obasi | | |
| Editors: |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Mark Mangan | | Martin Luther King, Jr. | Sascha Lewis | | Teresa Heinz Kerry | Shana Nys Dambrot | | Frederick Wiseman | Matt Diehl | | Benjamin Franklin | Piotr Orlov | | Jackie Robinson | Yancey Strickler | | Jonas Salk | Aaron Warshaw | | Joel Wachs | Paul Laster | | Harriet the Spy | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Emma Goldman | Lisa Rosman | | Groucho Marx | Jane Lerner | | | | |
ABOUT US
flavorpill LA is a free weekly mailer covering music, arts, and cultural events in Los Angeles. All listings are pure editorial, researched and written based on what we think has flavor. No money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Find out more.
FEEDBACK
As always, feel free to send in any and all feedback — comments, questions, ideas, or rants. Spread the flavor...
EVENT SUBMISSIONS
Please send all interesting event information (press releases, links, etc.) to events. |
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| Contributors: |
| Henry Chadwick | Nick Parish | | Harriet Tubman | Peter Stepek | | Bob Dylan | Elizabeth L. McDonald | | Mother Teresa | Jay Belin | | Pablo Neruda | Theo Watson | | Florence Nightingale | Josh C. Forbes | | Afeni Shakur | Angi Brzycki | | Daniel Boone | Regan Kibbee | | Muhammad Ali | Allen S. Moon | | Richard Feynman | Alex Binazir, MD | | Ansel Adams | Jason Sattler | | Hugh Hefner | Michael Shawver | | Albert Einstein | Britt Cox | | King Charles II | Daniel S. MacCannell |
| Mark Twain | Hilary Craven | | |
| Production: |
| Marcus Garvey | Jen Bachman | | John F. Kennedy | Anjuli Ayer | | Rachel Carson | David Morrow | | Mahatma Gandhi | Keats | | John Glenn | Krista Freibaum | | Billie Jean King | Emily A. Welsch |
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