Bob Baker Day is this Sunday at L.A. State Historic Park. Vintage Bob Baker marionettes from the 60th anniversary exhibition at Forest Lawn in 2023. (Photo: Liz O.)
No gigs for me this week, but stay tuned because I have three coming up the following week. If you want to get out of the house between April 18 and April 24, check the list below for some fun happenings. There is a decent amount of events that are all ages on the list this time around, including Bob Baker Day at L.A. State Historic Park on Sunday, which is ideal if you have young kids. Also, two of the events listed below are part of weekend-long happenings, Akiba Live in Little Tokyo and Plantstock over at Philosophical Research Society, so check out their websites and see if there’s anything else you might want to attend.
Energy: A Documentary About Damo Suzuki, premiered in L.A. at Philosophical Research Society on April 13, 2024. Portrait in the background is of PRS founder Manly P. Hall. (Pic: Liz O.)
Energy: A Documentary About Damo Suzuki had its Los Angeles premiere on Saturday, April 13 at the Philosophical Research Society. Fortunately, I was able to attend, so I’m writing this post now to tell you that you should: 1. Seek out Energy and watch it. 2. Go to the Philosophical Research Society.
I took a photo while I was DJing and then remembered why I don’t take photos when I DJ.
Thanks to Larry G. for having me back at Underground on Friday night and for everyone who showed up and hit the dance floor. Some notes on last night’s set: I played the newest additions to my virtual crates really early, so you probably didn’t hear them. Mostly, I wanted to see what “Cadenas de la Infancia” and “I Forget” sounded like in a club. I might stick with them. I might not, but both Mueran Humano’s album, Reemplazante, and Jaako Eino Kalevi’s album, Chaos Magic, have been playing on repeat at home and I absolutely recommend getting both.
When everyone is vibing to Animal Collective at Underground and they realize I’ve turned my camera on the crowd.
I’m back at Club Underground on Friday night for The Strokes Nite. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, with Larry G. and me playing from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets are available now via either Eventbrite or Dice. Hope to see you there! Here’s what else is happening in L.A. this weekend and into next week.
Toto Coelo 12″ single with the extended dance mix of “Milk from the Coconut.” (Pic: Liz O.)
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the Grand Star on Sunday for Disco Matinee. It was so much fun to dig through my vinyl crates for this one and even more fun to play alongside Jus’ B and Televandalist.
This Friday, April 12, is The Strokes Nite at Club Underground and I’ll be DJing alongside Larry G. for it. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, so you’ll get a good dose of hits and deep cuts from The Strokes, as well as all your Underground favorites. The party starts at 9:30 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.
Tickets are available now on both Dice and Eventbrite, so scoop up yours now.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Both street and lot parking is available and the venue is a short walk from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. This is a 21+ event.
I got to play Dildox’s remix of Taleen Kali’s song “Flower of Life” in my set last night.
Here’s most of the set list from Night Shift at Bar Franca on on Thursday, April 4. I was using flashdrives and wrote everything down because it just takes too long to wait around for the history to load into Rekordbox on my laptop and I have no patience for that. I definitely forgot to write down a couple songs and can’t remember what they were. There’s at least one instance where I couldn’t read my own handwriting, which is generally terrible and always gets worse the more I write. The important thing, though, is that the new tunes in last night’s set include Taleen Kali “Flower of Life” remixed by Dildox, “Monaco” by Ride, Optometry’s cover of “Into the Groove” and Pedal Steel Noah’s cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” They’re all keepers.
Next gig is Disco Matinee on Sunday at 3 p.m. With Jus’ B, Televandalist and I digging for our punkiest, funkiest jams, I have a feeling this will be a good one. Click here to get discount advance tickets now on Restless Nites.
Kickstart this weekend on Thursday night with Night Shift, where I’ll be playing post-punk, synthpop, darkwave and shoegaze at Bar Franca from 9 p.m. until close. There’s no cover and there will be a drink special. Also, on Thursday, DTLA ArtNight is happening in various locations across downtown Los Angeles’ Historic Core from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., so maybe come by early, browse the galleries and get dinner beforehand. Bar Franca is located at 438 S. Main Street. Look for the cherry above the door.
(Click here to see what I played at last month’s Night Shift.)
Then, finish your weekend on Sunday afternoon with Disco Matinee at Grand Star Jazz Club. Guest DJ Televandalist, who always drops heat on the dance floor, will be joining Jus’ B and me from 3 to 7 p.m. The theme is punk ’n’ funk and if you want an idea of what I’m playing, head over to my Insta for a sneak peek. The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. This is a 21+ event. Advance tickets are $6.50. The cover at the door will be $8 (cash or Venmo).
Klub Nocturno is the be exception to the “nobody in L.A. goes out in the rain” rule. Saturday night was the second time I played a Nocturno event at Catch One and, just like the first time, a storm hit. Yet, the crowd was still massive. And so much fun. Shout out to Kill for Kickz and Color Void, both of whom played fantastic live sets in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room.
Cover for Ride’s new album, Interplay, which I was listening to for the first time while finishing this post.
It sounds like we’re on the verge of another Pet Shop Boys moment. Or, at least, that’s how I hope 2024 will sound and, judging from the response on the dance floor, the L.A. crowds seem to agree. But, then again, L.A.’s affinity for the British duo has endured since the 1980s.
In January, I fell for the cover of “Being Boring” by TR/ST, with guest vocals from Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Shortly after that dropped, Pet Shop Boys themselves released “Loneliness,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Nonetheless. It’s a gorgeous dance song that reflects the strange isolation of 2020s life. (The Guardian has a good interview with the band, if you’re interested in reading more about Pet Shop Boys’ new music.) Around the same time, I stumbled across a cover of “Rent” that Sally Shapiro released last fall. I wondered how I missed this release last year, then snapped it up on Bandcamp.
