Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: December 19 – December 25, 2024

Klub Nocturno presents new wave vs. post-punk at Catch One fundraiser

This Friday, December 20, Klub Nocturno presents a special new wave vs. post punk night at Catch One (4067 W. Pico, 90019, in the Noise + Tavern room) to benefit Refugee Children Center. This is an 18+ event for a great cause, plus I’ll be in the DJ booth with all the bangers from Joy Division to French Police, so click this link to pick up tickets for Friday night. 

On Sunday, I’ll be at The Mermaid (428 E. 2nd St. 90012) for Splash Sundays. Catch David Christian and I on the decks playing a cross-genre, cross-decade mix from 8 p.m. until last call. I’m playing the first half of the night and David will be closing. While you’re there, check out the Siren Who Stole Xmas menu with special holiday themed drinks benefitting Adopt-a-Family. There’s no cover, but this is a 21+ venue. 

Speaking of The Mermaid, the Little Tokyo bar will be open on Christmas Eve, which, as you likely know, is a rarity in Los Angeles. I actually stopped by their Christmas Eve karaoke party last year and it was a good time, so check it out if you’re in the area. 

As for the rest of the week, Ride, who released one of the best albums of 2024 (according to me), is playing The Fonda on Thursday, December 19. Tickets are still available. Maybe get one as a Christmas present to yourself. Meanwhile, The Monolators are at Scribble on Saturday night. The long-time local band has a smattering of seasonal jams to their credit like “Santa Claus vs. Dave Matthews” and “Hot Sleigh,”  so if you’re looking for something with super indie holiday vibes, this is the place to go. And, if you’re all like, “but I have kids and no babysitter,” bring them with you. The show is all ages *plus* there are discount tix for those 12 and under. 

Mostly, clubs and concert calendars are light between now and New Year’s Eve, but movie theater schedules are stacked. For the Westsiders, there’s a 50th anniversary screening of Phantom of the Paradise at the Aero on Thursday night. Across the city, you can catch holiday classics like Black Christmas, Die Hard and, one of my personal favorite, Tokyo Godfathers. Elf is screening on multiple days at multiple theaters, but I went to an Elf Movie Party at Alamo Drafthouse earlier this month and it was so much fun that I have to tell you to try and snag one of the few tickets left for Monday’s event. Also, although I didn’t list it below, Y2K is still showing around L.A. I caught it at Alamo recently and loved it. Go check it out before it becomes whatever the equivalent of a cable classic is today. 

Keep scrolling for details on these and other events happening in L.A. between December 19 and December 25, 2024. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: December 19 – December 25, 2024 →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Underground on Friday, December 13, 2024

Thank you for dancing!

Last night was a blast! Thanks to Larry G. for having me play at Underground last night and for everyone who turned up to my Friday the 13th darkwave birthday gig. I’ll be back at Underground for New Year’s Eve. Tickets are available now, so click this link to get yours asap.  Keep scrolling to see what I played last night. 

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New Music

The 15 Best Albums of 2024 According to One Really Opinionated DJ

Fontaines D.C. Romance Album cover
Spoiler alert: Romance by Fontaines D.C. is the album of the year.

Year-end lists are tough. I don’t even know how many versions of my top 2024 albums I drafted before settling on this one. It was, originally, a 10 album list. That just wasn’t working, though, so I expanded it to 15 and still ended up cutting a bunch of albums that are fantastic. What I’m getting at is that I’m not going to argue with anyone about what isn’t or isn’t on here. I already spent a few weeks arguing with myself and will probably continue to second-guess every choice until it’s time to make the 2025 list.  If you don’t like it, make your own list.

All of these are albums that I like to listen to in full. A few of the picks have songs that turn up in my club sets, but club-friendly music is not a requirement here. I’ll have another list for that and, likely, a mix as well, so keep checking back between now and New Year’s Eve. Until then, read on for my top 15 albums of 2024. 

Continue reading The 15 Best Albums of 2024 According to One Really Opinionated DJ →
Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, December 12 – Wednesday, December 18

Club Underground Grand Star Jazz Club Chinatown Liz O. Friday the 13th darkwave birthday party

I’ll be back at Underground with Larry G. this week. Join us at Grand Star Jazz Club for a special Friday the 13th edition of Club Underground. It’s darkwave night and my birthday party, so don’t miss out on this one. Advance tickets for Underground on Friday the 13th are available now and, while you’re at it, click here to pick up tickets for Underground’s New Year’s Eve bash. 

“What else is happening this week?,” you (didn’t) ask. Well, here’s the lowdown. Saturday night is going to be a busy one this week. Cut Chemist, one of L.A.’s very best DJs, and friends are playing at Lodge Room. Lara Sarkissian, an amazing producer who merges both modern electronic and traditional Armenian music, is playing live at Sooki Studio in Frogtown to celebrate the release of her debut full-length, Remnants. Plus, later in the evening French pop soirée Décadanse is happening downstairs at the Grand Star, while goth night Disintegration goes down upstairs. 

Sunday is the annual Depeche Mode Convention at Avalon, which is always a good time filled with DJs, tribute bands, contests and host Richard Blade. This year, Devotional and Blasphemous Rumors are playing live and the DJ lineup includes Alex Transistor, Larry G., Protokall and Dark Chrystal. It’s also an all ages event. On Monday, Museum of Home Video, the fantastic found footage livestream, will be at Vidiots, where IVOR hosts “A Holly Jolly Dollython” filled with music videos, live clips and TV performances. Check out the trailer to see what’s in store. There’s a lot more happening in L.A. this week too, so check out the list below. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, December 12 – Wednesday, December 18 →
Adventures in L.A., Movies

I Saw Y2K and You Should Too

Y2K Kyle Mooney Movie Promo poster
Y2K Kyle Mooney Movie Promo poster

We were looking for a movie to see because it was Tuesday, when tickets at Alamo Drafthouse are close to half-price. The problem was that little looked particularly worthwhile. I have absolutely no interest in ever seeing Wicked, Nightbitch looks like something I might eventually watch if it turns up on streaming and, IDK if I was really in the mood to be terrified by Hugh Grant in Heretic. 

But, this Y2K, the new movie directed by Kyle Mooney, sounds pretty funny, especially since we’re old enough to remember the build-up to that New Year’s Eve. In real life, people spent a full year playing “1999” ad nauseam and hawking survival kits, but, then nothing happened. The sky was not all purple. People weren’t running everywhere. We didn’t even get a computer crash. The world remained somewhat normal, or so we thought. And another two decades would pass before I could listen to “1999” again. 

Continue reading I Saw Y2K and You Should Too →
Music

Here’s What I Played at House of Hearts Book Release Party

Cake celebrating the paperback release of Francesca Lia Block "House of Hearts" at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles on December 8, 2024. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Book release party cake with cover of House of Hearts. (Pic: Liz O.)

When I was a teenager, I read Francesca Lia Block’s L.A. punk fairy tale Weetzie Bat for the first of many times. The book left a monumental impression on me— which is wild considering that it’s just a bit over 100 pages long— that it remains one of my favorites. In fact, every one of her books that I’ve read has left me in awe, including House of Hearts, which was just released on paperback last week. 

In an appropriately magical turn of events, I got to DJ the House of Hearts release party at Gold Digger’s last night. It was great fun, with live music from The Zero Collective and Movie Club, plus a VJ set from Crunch-ø-Matic. I played a 90 minute set at the end of the night with mainly indie and new wave jams. The set list is below. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played In the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room at Nocturno on 11/30/24

Klub Nocturno at Catch One in Los Angeles November 30, 2024 in the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room. Photo taken from the DJ booth by Liz O.
The crowd in Nocturno’s New Wave vs. Darkwave room on Saturday, November 30, dancing to Mareux “Lovers from the Past” (Pic: Liz O.)

It’s 9 a.m. and I just poured my second cup of coffee after waking up an hour ago, so last night is a still kind of a blur. I played in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Nocturno, which was lit almost from the start. Like, I remember seeing people dancing in the line for the bathroom by the third or fourth song of the set. 

I finally had the chance to play “Digital Slaves,” from Gesaffelstein’s latest album, Gamma. I’ve been listening to the album for a few months now and keep going back to that song because the lyrics are very 2024, but the sound is very 2004, and that juxtaposition makes a lot of sense in my brain. But, I haven’t had a gig where I thought it would work until last night, right after I heard the screams for She Wants Revenge “Tear You Apart” and noticed that the room was packed. Tl;dr is that “Digital Slaves” did really well and it’s a total keeper in the sets now, which is nice because I haven’t really played his music out since The Lash closed. 

Anyhow, overall, the vibe was more darkwave than new wave, which is always fun. Thanks to Nocturno for having me play and for everyone who hit the dance floor last night. Check out the set list below. 

Continue reading Here’s What I Played In the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room at Nocturno on 11/30/24 →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Underground on November 29, 2024

Club Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club on Friday, November 29, 2024
Underground at Grand Star Jazz Club 11/29/24 (Pic: Liz O.)

The first surprise of the night was playing Underground, which, as always, was a blast. The second was when my husband I realized that Ryo (@human_revo), who has been documenting his cycling journey across the U.S., was in Chinatown. In a joint effort, we invited him and his crew to Underground and they stopped by for a bit. The cross-country journey ends in Santa Monica today and I highly recommend watching along if/when they’re live. It’s so inspirational. 

Anyhow, here’s the set list from last night. I’ll be back at Underground for my Friday the 13th darkewave birthday bash (click for tix) and will be playing there New Year’s Eve. (Click here for NYE tickets.) Tonight is Nocturno with Depresion Post Mortem playing live. The party is already sold out, but if you have tickets, I’ll see you in the new wave vs. darkwave room. 

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Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: November 21 – November 27

Club Retro Boom one year anniversary flyer at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles with DJ Vanish, Liz O. and Filthy Rich

This Saturday, I’m heading down to Orange County to talk about live music at Irvine’s Great Park Gallery for “Concert Photography: Stories and Experiences,” a special event coinciding with the gallery’s current show, Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography. This is a free, all ages get together that takes place from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Great Park Gallery is located at 270 Corsair, Irvine 92618 and you can find more information on the Great Park website. 

I’ll be back in L.A. on Saturday night to DJ alongside Vanish and Filthy Rich for Club Retro Boom’s first anniversary party, on the second floor of the Grand Star. We’ve got a good mix of Rock en Español and ‘80s to play for you from 9:30 p.m. until last call. (My set time is 10:30 p.m., btw.) Discount, advance tickets are available now on Eventbrite, so click this link to get yours. This is a 21+ party and you’ll find the Grand Star at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza, next to the Bruce Lee statue. 

As for the rest of the week, the big ticket event that I will 100% recommend here is La Femme at the Palladium on Tuesday night. I normally try to keep this list of  recommendations to events that are $30 and under. La Femme is more, but the show will totally be worth it and I’m comfortable saying that because I saw La Femme at the Belasco a couple years ago and they blew my mind. (Click here to read the story I wrote about this show for Audiofemme.) Additionally, Sam Quealy, who I also interviewed for Audiofemme back in 2022, is opening again and she’s fantastic. If you’re going to the show, get there early enough to catch her set. I mean it. 

For free shows, Kingston Ska Orchestra and Los Rebeldes Romanticos are playing at Union Station’s tree lighting ceremony on Monday. This is an early evening event, but if your commute takes you through Union Station, I suggest making a detour and catching some of the show. On Tuesday, Oasus, the Oasis tribute band, is playing Zebulon. I DJed their show at Harvard & Stone last year and their set was so much fun. If Oasis is your jam, definitely check them out. 

There are a lot of great movie screenings happening this week, including The Devils at Videotheque and El Conde at Libros Schmibros on Friday night. Plus, Tokyo Godfathers, one of the best Christmas movies ever, is at Vidiots on Sunday. Also on Sunday is a holiday special at Philosophical Research Society with retro film clips and the Bob Baker marionettes. As for the night before Thanksgiving, I think the best party option is PIE! over at Akbar. The cover is low— free before 9 p.m. and $10 after that— the DJs are fantastic and there will be pies for sale. It’s also a canned food drive, so bring something with you if you’re going. 

More info on these and other events below. For more options, check out my nightlife picks for Discover Los Angeles. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: November 21 – November 27 →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on November 17, 2024

The Mermaid holiday decorations with Christmas tree and mermaid skeleton (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The holidays have arrived at The Mermaid (Photo: Liz O.)

The Legend of the Stardust Brothers is playing on one of the TV sets inside The Mermaid when I arrive. The movie is bonkers in the best way possible and, since it just started, I take that as a sign that tonight’s going to be a good night. And it is. I start playing a little before 8 p.m. and, not long into the set, someone starts dancing to Amy Winehouse, then continues through Freda Payne at Stevie Wonder. Someone else starts head-bopping to Talking Heads and the guy who was dancing to the soul jams sings along with Madonna. 

Splash!, on Sundays at The Mermaid, is not a genre-specific night, so really, anything goes at the DJ table. For two-and-a-half hours, I jump across decades, from the 1960s until today. I work in “My Generation,” from the latest La Femme album, which I’ve been listening to on repeat since I bought it earlier last week, and two songs from Fontaines D.C.’s album-of-the-fucking-year, Romance. 

The crowd ebbs and flows, as is usual at bars, but it’s always a vibe. A group sitting next to me ask about “Tears Run Rings.” It’s Marc Almond, I tell them, “y’know, from Soft Cell.” They don’t know. I realize that we’re at a point where young adult Angelenos don’t remember the good KROQ Flashback Weekends, when you could hear “Sex Dwarf,” and maybe even “It’s a Mugs Game,” several times before Sunday night came around. I think that my new calling might be preserving the legacy of Los Angeles as a city where Soft Cell is not a one-hit-wonder. 

The Phantom of the Paradise is playing when I finish up my set at around 10:30 p.m. David and Stefano take over on DJ duties. (Go listen to their project Tibia, especially if you’re into synthwave.) They’re playing jams and I hang out for close to an hour after I play to chat with them and wait for the rideshare prices to drop. Camp Flog Gnaw, which was happening at Dodger Stadium, must have just let out because Lyft is a good $3 more than it normally is at this time and Uber is more than double it’s usual price. When Lyft finally comes down to a rate that I’ll settle for paying, I head home. I mention the show and the surge prices to my driver, who starts telling me about how much less the drivers are making now than pre-pandemic. He said the drivers are basically “fighting for crumbs” right now, which I understand, and which you probably get too, because that’s life in the 2020s if you aren’t the sort of person who can pay to make elections go your way. It’s a conversation that I’ve had with a lot of drivers lately, but this one ends on a hopeful note, and I think that this same conversation keeps happening is hope. It means that people are seeing that tech wields far too much power over our existence right now and things have to change. 

But, anyhow, you probably just came here to see what I played last night, so here’s the set list. Maybe come out to a gig soon. Click on this link to see where I’m playing next. 

Continue reading Here’s What I Played for Splash! at The Mermaid on November 17, 2024 →