William Finley as Winslow Leach and T.O.N.T.O. in Phantom of the Paradise
On its surface, Phantom of the Paradise, the 1974 sold-my-soul-for-rock-n-roll musical, may not seem like it’s a Brian De Palma film. It’s, essentially, a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera with a meta-dose of Faustian legend, along with touches of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s campy, drawing plenty of comparisons to Rocky Horror, the film adaptation of which came out the following year. But, if you stick around to the movie’s final concert scene— and you should— you might have the same reaction that I did, which is, “OMG, Carrie!”
I have just one gig this week, but it’s going to be a good one. Catch me on Friday, June 9 alongside Summer Rose and Crystal Heart at BLVD MRKT in Montebello for She Spins.
We’ll be playing vinyl from 7 – 10 p.m. while you dine and imbibe at the Montebello food hall. There’s no age limit, so bring the family and come hungry. The food (and drinks) are great here.
You’ll find BLVD MRKT at 520 Whittier Blvd. in Montebello.
What a week this has been! Got to finish it at Underground, playing upstairs all night for the party’s Cure Night. The crowd was amazing and I have so much to say about that night, but I also have a deadline to meet for a story, so I won’t be able to write about that just yet.
This Friday, May 26, is The Cure Night at Underground. Both floors of Chinatown’s Grand Star Jazz Club will be open. Catch Larry G. on the ground floor and me, Liz O., upstairs. Andy the Cure Fan is hosting the night, which will feature poster and DVD giveaways, plus a t-shirt raffle. This is going to be a really fun night, particularly for all of you who love The Cure, so get advance tickets now for only $8. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and is 21+.
Let’s keep the vibes going strong this week when Jus’ B and I head back for another night of Disco Heat at Songbird. We’ll be starting at 10 p.m. this week, right after the comedy show that’s preceding us.
There’s just one gig on my calendar this week and it’s one you don’t want to miss. So, head down to Songbird to join Jus’ B and I for a special Disco Heat on May 4.
May the Fourth be with you next Thursday night because Liz O. and Jus’ B are on the decks at Songbird in Chinatown for Disco Heat (and other galactic funk). Sci-fi vibes from 9 pm until last call. We’ve got Meco ready to drop alongside space disco, electro, Moroder, Cowley and more. Find us at 900 N Broadway # 1050, Los Angeles 90012 No cover. 21+
You won’t see much more than a few lights inside “Party/After Party,” but you’ll hear, and feel, a lot.
On April 16, “Party/After Party,” the sound installation from esteemed DJ/producer Carl Craig, opened at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo. I interviewed Craig for Southern California News Group prior to the opening, which you can read online. (If you don’t have a subscription, but do have a Los Angeles Public Library card, log in through the LAPL portal to read it.) However, I didn’t get to walk through “Party/After Party” until this past week. It was both an incredibly familiar and unusual experience.
Disco Heat is back at Songbird on Thursday, April 20. This week, our guest DJ is Maurice de la Falaise. It’s been IDK how long since Maurice and I have played together and I can’t wait to hear what he has in store for his international disco set. The party starts at 9 p.m. and there’s no cover, but I recommend that you RSVP on Eventbrite, Facebook or Instagram.
I hate to break it to you in the midst of this “indie sleaze” moment, but the late ‘00s weren’t that cool. It was the era when poseurs and paparazzi flocked to Hollywood and West Hollywood to catch a glimpse of the misadventures of Lindsay Lohan. Bottle service was on the rise, as were the profiles of well-connected, but barely competent DJs. People started dressing up for Coachella, a baffling development to anyone who ever stepped near a porta potty on the final evening of the festival. This was also the time when it was obvious that we were in an endless war and the divide between the haves and have-nots was just going to get bigger. The late ‘00s foreshadowed all of today’s bullshit, but people were too entranced by gossip blogs to notice.
Lest I ruin your enjoyment of early 21st century nostalgia, I’ll let you in on one really cool thing that happened in the midst of ‘00s L.A. That was Sean Carnage’s Monday Nights. Between the mid-’00s and mid-’10s, Sean put together weekly showcases of local and touring underground artists first at Il Corral in East Hollywood and then at Pehrspace in Historic Filipinotown. Over 1100 bands played the events. Some became well-known, at least in indie circles. Most were just really cool.
