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JAN 11 - JAN 17
They say LA is the city of dreams, and this week is dreaming — and thinking — big. Get your political mind in shape, or take a shortcut to nirvana. Explore familial extremes with Magnolia, or take your inner child ice-skating. Reminisce about the gloried past with the Motels, shudder for the present at American Gothic, or survey the future of verse with Def Poetry Jam. Hoist your flag in honor of a grand idea, and spread it. |
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The Answer VIII celebrates both the eighth innovation of this authentic basketball shoe, and Allen Iverson's eight years in the league. With the traction and reliability of a herringbone outsole, and the comfort and performance of soft, full-grain leather, this is the shoe for real ballers who truly understand how the game is played. |
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| | Call it coincidence, call it synchronicity, or just call it a fad, but indie rockers have stopped gazing at their feet, and are finally starting to dance with them. The jams du jour are being played by post-punk, nu-new-wave, garage rock acts such as Franz Ferdinand, Moving Units, the Futureheads, and now the Kaiser Chiefs. Less angular and more full of moxie than the competition, and propelled by addictively spastic lead single "I Predict a Riot," this five-piece is making the bandwagon quite a cozy and invigorating place to be (while the wheels stay on, at least). (JCF)
Note: The Chiefs also play Spaceland on Wed 1.12.
  
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READING
David Thomson
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| when: | Wed 1.12 (7pm) |
| where: | Los Angeles Public Library (630 W 5th St, 213.228.7000) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | The stimulating and iconoclastic film historian and critic David Thomson once amusingly defended Kevin Costner's dreadful The Postman as a work of independent cinema — a director's vision rather than a calculated studio package. That observation is classic Thomson, who's forever challenging easy and traditional assumptions about what's good and bad in the movies. Now the author of the argumentative and fascinating New Biographical Dictionary of Film hits the public library to discuss his new book, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood, with Steve Wasserman, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review. (SR)
Note: The performance is already standing-room-only. Enough seating for everyone usually becomes available at the last minute, but be sure to get there early.
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| | Every year, the Oscars celebrate outstanding documentaries, only for these flicks to be dwarfed by big budget features. The average TV watcher never even sees the depth of the talent pool that's considered; so, tonight, the Academy screens nominees as well as other notable feature-length and shorter films in the genre. The first screening features the innovative Terminal Bar, a creative visual history of a Times Square dive bar directed by Sundance winner Stefan Nadelman. There's also My Architect: A Son's Journey, director Nathaniel Kahn's Oscar-nominated film about the father he barely knew: Louis I. Kahn, an influential architect and serial womanizer. (TCR)
Note: Oscar-nominated filmmakers are in attendance for a discussion of their films and working in the documentary genre.
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ART: Opening
Pharmaka: Inside the Box
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| when: | Thur 1.13 (5-9pm) |
| where: | Bert Green Fine Art (102 W 5th St, 213.624.6212) |
| price: | FREE |
| links: |
Event Info | Pharmaka |
| | The LA-based artist collective Pharmaka takes its name from an ancient Greek term that means both "poison" and "cure." For the dozen or so painters associated with the group, this concept speaks to the nature of art in our society: simultaneously crucial and marginal. Though their styles range from abstract to narrative, monumental to precious, and delicate to rough trade, it's their commitment to preserving painting technique that binds them together. Fumiko Amano, Patricia Howard, and Vonn Cummings Sumner are always highlights, but the collective nature of the project is a captivating dynamic in its own right. (SND)
Note: The opening coincides with the second Thursday downtown gallery art walk (12-9pm). All details and maps are on the Bert Green website as well. The exhibition continues through Sat 4.2.
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| | The Edgemar Center for the Arts is known for cherry-picking fresh and undiscovered talent from all disciplines and experience levels, so it's only natural that they've got their hot little curatorial hands on Automated Response, a one-man show from the Venetian prodigy Nixon. New to the art scene, Nixon demonstrates his keen, self-possessed, and untrained eye by using sculpture, acrylic on canvas, and mixed-media to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer — whether it's disdain, pain, or happiness. The opening features live music, along with Act Natural, a film directed by the artist, to ensure that you don't walk away numb. (KH)
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| | An obsession with the Motels' gravel-and-sugar pop-torch songs is a chronic condition. You can control it, but never fully erase it from your psyche. While singer Martha Davis' bittersweet melodies are inextricable from the self-indulgent angst of coming-of-age in the '80s, such classics as "Only the Lonely" have a surprisingly long shelf-life. Their set is sure to include tracks off Davis' new CD, proving that age has only deepened the longing in her full-throated vibrato. Don't miss this chance to catch a charismatic brand of tragic noir where it belongs — right here in Hollywood. (SND)
Note: World Wide Spies, Sidis, and Jody Whiteside open the show.
 Tell us your best story about a motel. Our five favorite answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | The Hammer's series of free late-night events continues tonight, as the museum celebrates the closing of the Undiscovered Country, a very accessible survey of representational painting since the 1960s. The big highlight is the groundbreaking work of Lee Bontecou, one of the few female sculptors taken seriously in her '60s heyday. Her abstract figures and geometric designs offer an early glimpse into the meld of organic and industrial work to come. A cash bar, live music, and giveaways properly lubricate the occasion. (TCR)
Note: Tonight, admission to the museum's galleries is free as well.
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| | Every good director needs a muse. Hitchcock had Jimmy Stewart, Cassavetes had Gena Rowlands, and Paul Thomas Anderson has John C. Reilly — the "everyman" par excellence, whose doughy face and puppy dog eyes betray a tenderness and vulnerability that cuts you to the core. His characters are often the embodiment of arrested development: socially naive but emotionally pure children stuck in the body of a robust man. In Hard Eight, he plays a down-on-his-luck mope who's taken under the wing of Philip Baker Hall, an expert gambler and father figure. Reilly also plays the lovelorn cop in Magnolia, Anderson's sprawling Valley epic of sin, redemption, game shows, and frogs. (JCF)
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| | Some snarky writer's characterization of Spacek as the "Radiohead of soul" has been following the London trio around like a cloud — but in some ways that comment is really a ray of descriptive sunshine, fitting the group's combination of spare, pretty computer melodies and Steve Spacek's by turns hardened and heartened croon. This is quiet, space-age storm music whose body-movin' potential is primarily built for the boudoir — though we're sure the head-nodding legions on the Temple Bar dance floor would beg to differ. Gracing the stage alongside Spacek is Inglewood broken soul wunderkind GB, whose debut full-length is getting Chocolate City listeners all hot and bothered. (PO)
Note: GB goes on at midnight, while Spacek are scheduled to start playing at 12:45am.
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| | Russell Simmons' Tony award-winning Def Poetry Jam harmoniously synthesizes rap and poetry, assembling an all-star cast of poets from the hit HBO series for this theatrical show. The tour includes Black Ice, Georgia Me, Lemon, Poetri, Staceyann Chin, DJ Reborn, Suheir Hammad, Shihan, Flaco Navaja, and Ishle Park, performing a mélange of hilarious, introspective, plucky, and intelligent poems. Arrive early with a thick skin and an open mind, not a head will be left behind — was that just a haiku? Not for the narrow-minded, the performers expound on everything from obesity and poverty to sexism and materialism. (CW)
Which poet in the lineup has performed at both the Andy Warhol Museum and Sing Sing? The first five correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the 4pm show.
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| | UK artist Mark Titchner is known for referencing everything from trade advertising to religious art, and he often uses somewhat obsolete methods to convey his conceptual ideas. Working in a framework with significant nods to Big Brother, his US debut, Behold the Man, Waiting for the Man, features large-scale text-based banners and sculptures reminiscent of late '80s spiritual posters and corporate insignia. Taking one step to remain one step forward, Titchner's work has been shown throughout Europe and at the Tate in London. Examining the pseudo-intellectual and quasi-philosophical themes that have become common in marketing and mainstream culture, It's a true onslaught of subversion. (TCR)
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| | Another week, another chance to hear Nels Cline play guitar! This time, it's on a bill that's practically a jury-rigged jalopy for old-school jazz-punkers, complete with keys to the way-back machine and an SST sticker on its bumper. In Scarnella, Cline reunites with singer-songwriter Karla Bozulich (a one-time Ethyl Meatplow and Geraldine Fibbers hellion) for some strange sounds at the intersection of noise and roots. But the classic SoCal hardcore roll call doesn't stop there: Chuck Dukowski — Black Flag's pre-Hank singer — leads a sextet, while the reunion of Saccharine Trust, the second-best fusion band SST produced, continues unabated. (PO)
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DJ
Jasper
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| when: | Sat 1.15 (10pm) |
| where: | TBA (call 323.960.7990) |
| price: | $5 |
| | A standard-bearer of minimal techno in SoCal during the late '90s and early '00s, OC native Jasper (né John Mendez) remains one of the local club community's most underutilized resources. This is more of an indictment of techno's pecking order in LA than it is of Jasper's resumé, which boasts co-founding the great Cytrax label (think inspired West Coast weirdos Kit Clayton and Safety Scissors), not to mention a few bangers for Force Inc. Tonight, he'll be blasting away at some secret hole-in-the-wall ("old school sweatbox style," as the promoters are quaintly describing it), when he should be running a monthly! (PO)
Speaking of sweatboxes, what's your favorite way of getting all hot and sticky without exercising? The two most best answers each win a pair of tickets to the party.
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FILM
Ray Harryhausen Tribute: The Mysterious Island (1961) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
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| when: | Sun 1.16 (4pm) |
| where: | Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave, 323.466.FILM) |
| price: | $9 |
| links: |
Event Info | Ray Harryhausen |
| | With all due respect to today's CGI wizards, no one has had as much of an effect on an entire generation with special effects than Ray Harryhausen. He enchanted boomers and their parents by conjuring up strange, otherworldly creatures — including dueling skeletons and a monstrous Cyclops — for a series of live-action fantasy classics in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the octogenarian discusses his work between screenings of restored 35-millimeter prints of his The Mysterious Island and Jason and the Argonauts. (SR)
Note: Sat 1.15 at the Egyptian, Harryhausen will appear at screenings of The 3 Worlds of Gulliver and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
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| | Drinking games, long-shot dates — the best things in life can begin with a dare, and Will Oldham's new project is no exception. For the bewitching Superwolf album, Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy) challenged longtime friend and former Chavez frontman Matt Sweeney to write music for his brooding lyrics. Due out on Tue 1.18 from Drag City, the record has plenty of gorgeous (and familiar) acoustic ballads about whiskey, faith, and cuckoldry, but the earth-iness really moves when Sweeney rewires Oldham's mournful lo-fi ramblings into stumbling-drunk, Stones-era soul. You can preview a live recording here, but this surprise gig is your best bet to catch this extraordinary partnership in action. (TW)
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| | Rough, raw, fast, and hard indie-punk with little variance in melody, lyrics, chords, or tempo might not turn your head — but when it's played with the Thermals' ear-splitting yet addictive shrillness, it's impossible to ignore. Since 2002, they've taken the Ramones, Guided by Voices, and a dash of the Living End, thrown them in a blender with no top, and sprayed the results all over the walls. Each brief, urgent, and oh-so-satisfying song will leave you repeating the apt phrase with which they titled their last album: Fuckin A. (KH)
Who produced the Thermals' latest record? The seventh and ninth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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MUSIC: Indie Singer/Songwriter
Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists)
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| when: | Mon 1.17 & Tue 1.18 (9pm) |
| where: | The Hotel Cafe (1623 1/2 N Cahuenga Blvd, 323.461.2040) |
| price: | $12 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Named after a failed Russian revolution, Colin Meloy's the Decemberists are forever sailing their rickety, wooden ship in the passage between the old and the new, never quite reaching either shore. With his reedy voice and an affinity for old instruments (such as accordions and theremins) and older themes (such as gypsies and prostitutes), Meloy belts out chamber pop for the galleys. In true nomad style, Meloy has forsaken his standout band to embark upon this mini solo tour, hitting only "intimate settings." The word is that this vagabond has also stowed away some special tour-only EPs comprised solely of Morrissey covers. (JCF)
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MUSIC: Trip-Pop
Gomez
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| when: | Mon 1.17 & Tue 1.18 (9pm) |
| where: | House of Blues Sunset Strip (8430 Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, 323.848.5100) |
| price: | $22.50 / $20 advance / $35 for both nights |
| links: |
Event Info | Gomez |
| | Gomez should inspire any band fed up with the workings of the music industry machine. With little label support, the UK group has built up one of the most loyal fan bases on either side of the Atlantic, almost entirely through its exhilarating multiple-frontman-led stage shows. The fact that they're continuing to tour the States despite actually parting ways with their label after the release of Split the Difference, their fourth album, attests to Gomez's confidence in their dedicated following; the existence of fan incentives, meanwhile, such as a reduced price for those who attend both of these LA dates, speaks to the fact that every experience with this psychedelic blues crew is a new and worthwhile adventure. (DL)
Note: Local duo West Indian Girl open tonight's show, while singer/songwriter Patrick Park opens tomorrow.
How did Gomez get their name? The seventh correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Imagine a cross between the Hajj and Burning Man, produced by Baz Luhrmann in India, and you can see why filmmakers Maurizio Benazzo and Nick Day created this documentary. Kumbh Mela is a 2000-year-old tradition occuring once every 12 years that attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. Spiritual leaders (including the Dalai Lama), artists, musicians, philosophers, and acolytes gather to teach, learn, and feel the ecstasy of enlightenment. The climax, the ritual bath in the Ganges, is supposed to purify pilgrims so completely as to assure them a place in heaven. (SND)
Note: 100% of the opening night proceeds benefit tsunami relief efforts.
What's your shortcut to nirvana? Our five favorite answers each win a pair of tickets to the film.
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FILM
Golden Globe Best Foreign Language Nominees
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| when: | Wed 1.12 - Fri 1.14 |
| where: | Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave, 323.466.FILM) |
| price: | $9 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Contrary to what you might hear in the red states, the US is not the center of the universe. Furthermore, we could learn a lot from listening to our global neighbors, or at least by watching their films. With programming by the American Cinematheque, the Aero Theater has assembled the cream of the intercontinental crop to play from Wednesday 1.12 through Friday 1.14. This means you can be the one person at the awards party who doesn't say, "Those look so interesting — too bad they never played in my neck of the woods." On Saturday, there's a free roundtable discussion, with all of the Best Foreign Language nominees in attendance. (JCF)
Note: The program includes A Very Long Engagement, The Sea Inside, The Chorus, House of Flying Daggers, and The Motorcycle Diaries.
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ART
Cotton Puffs, Q-tips, Smoke and Mirrors: The Drawings of Ed Ruscha
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| when: | Now through Mon 1.17 (hours) |
| where: | Museum of Contemporary Art (250 S Grand Ave, California Plaza, 213.626.6222) |
| price: | $8 |
| links: |
Event Info | Ed Ruscha |
| | Ed Ruscha is everywhere these days, from an unprecedented repeat appearance at the 2005 Venice Biennale, to this traveling retrospective of his works on paper at MoCA. Among the hundreds of examples of his sleek, immaculate genius here — from the "Hollywood Sign" drawings to such iconic text works as "Brave Men Run In My Family" and "Honey I Twisted Through More Damn Traffic Today" — be sure not to miss the entire sketchbooks and early gunpowder and pencil drawings. The presence of these rarely-exhibited, tiny masterpieces alone makes the entire visit worthwhile. The re-creation of his decadent Chocolate Room just ices this affair. (SND)
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CITY GEM
Ice-Skating in Pershing Square
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| when: | Now through Mon 1.17 (Mon-Thur: 12-9pm / Fri-Sat: 10am-10pm) |
| where: | Pershing Square (532 S Olive St, 213.847.4970) |
| price: | $6 per hour / $2 skate rental |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Before ice-skating became a contact sport — courtesy of Tonya Harding and her thugs — skaters were distinguished for their grace, composure, and balletic prowess. Through Monday 1.17, Angelenos can partake in the more genteel version of the sport amidst the downtown skyline and palm trees in Pershing Square, as the city park is converted into a 4500-square-foot outdoor ice rink. At noon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, patrons can even skate to free reggae, rock, and jazz concerts. (CW)
Note: There is a mandatory half-hour break from skating every hour for resurfacing.
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ART
American Gothic: Talent for the Dark Ages
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| when: | Now through Sat 1.22 (Tue, Wed, and Fri: 11am-6pm / Thur: 11am-8pm / Sun: 12-5pm) |
| where: | Gallery C (1225 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach, 310.798.0102) |
| price: | FREE |
| links: |
Gallery C |
| | An artist himself, curator Tyler Stallings creates work about the symbolic distortion of the body. Although he is not showing his own art in this group exhibition, his predilection for the slightly horrific underbelly of the ordinary world is evident in his choice of twenty other artists, all of whom seem comfortable playing in the cemetery at midnight. Familiar figures, objects, and places are subverted, making for an exhibition that proves, with wit and beauty, that there are yet untold dark places in the heart of Man. (SND)
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| CD REVIEW: Slowdive, Catch the Breeze |
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(Sanctuary UK)
Released December 2004
$26.99 (toneVENDOR)
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My Bloody Valentine may have eclipsed their peers with the massive
wall-of-sound blueprint Loveless, but Slowdive actually
better embodied the UK shoegaze movement. Equal parts dreamy delay,
lush atmospherics, and musical opium dream, the band practically
defined the genre — named after its practitioners' propensity
to stare at their feet while manipulating elaborate effects rigs
— with a string of releases in the early '90s. Catch the
Breeze is a selective two-disc overview of the group's brief
career, from its early EPs to the quintessential Just for a
Day and Souvlaki LPs, and Pygmalion — the
more ambient final album. Blending ethereal male/female vocals with
even more ethereal instrumentation, the songs here are well
encapsulated by their titles ("Catch the Breeze," "Shine"); and even
those with more ominous names ("Machine Gun," "Dagger") are really
just weapons of mass seduction. (DL)
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| WISE UP: Heavyweight Presents Political Minded 4 |
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Boost your political intelligence this weekend, and we don't mean by watching CNN or reading the Sunday Times. From 9pm-2am on Fri the 14th, catch the opening bash for the fourth edition of Political Minded, an installation by the renowned design and live-painting crew Heavyweight Productions. Bombing gallery walls with portraits of activists and other socially conscious figures, these rabble-rousers remix propaganda for the masses. Since they treat canvas and pop icons like so much vinyl to be transformed and dissolved, it's hard to imagine a more promising opening party — except if you throw a rare West Coast appearance by DJ Language of legendary NYC party Negroclash into the mix. (LK/TW)
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| STREAMS: Fabric |
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As any visit to your local record store can attest, some electronic music has a
definite shelf life. For every Leftism or New Forms, there
seems to be 20 fluorescent trance compilations or happy hardcore mixes in the cutout bins. With both
their club and label, however, the folks at Fabric concern themselves with showcasing and
releasing only the finest, groundbreaking electronic music by DJs that are pushing
the scene forward. This vision can be seen from their very first release, Craig
Richards' 2001 mix of the minimal German sound — quite prescient given the
subgenre's popularity today. Other standouts include Radioactive Man's blistering
electro set, and, most recently, John Digweed's deep, engulfing frequencies, mixed with his trademark fluidity. (CJN)
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| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Retro charm bracelet | Jessica Bauer-Greene | | |
| Editors: |
| Rose tattoo | Shana Nys Dambrot | | Petoskey stone | Paul Laster | | Blue moons | Doug Levy | | Yoga mat | Sascha Lewis | | PDA | Mark Mangan | | Empathy | Piotr Orlov | | Chapstick | Colin J. Nagy | | Tiny dog | Lauren Ragland | | Troll doll | Todd C. Roberts | | Idea book | Philip H. Sherburne | | Pasta sauce | Peter D. Stepek | | Hook bracelet | Toby Warner | | |
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.
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Please send all interesting event information (press releases, links, etc.) to events. |
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| Contributors: |
| Pawa shell | Hilary Craven | | Keychain gnome | Suzanne Ely | | Unwashed sweatband | Josh C. Forbes | | Mother's earrings | Menaka Gopinath | | Cigar wrapper | Liam Gowing | | Prescription pills | Kate Hewitt | | Vintage Zippo | Lara K. Kelley | | Necklace | Nicole Levine | | Mood ring | Amanda M. |
| USB dongle | Steve Nalepa | | Squeeze ball | Steven Rosen | | Flask | Jeff S. Safran | | Ancient cell phone | Michael Shawver | | Mahakala mantra | Eve Smilack | | Bowling trophy | Yancey Strickler | | Sea glass | Christy Wegener | | |
| Production: |
| Ankh | Anjuli Ayer | | iPod | Todd Goldstein | | Discman | Jake Lancaster | | Horseshoe buckle | David Morrow | | Coffee mug | Amy Clarke | | Rally cap | Jonathan Schultz |
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MONTHLY BOOK REVIEW
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