This Sunday, February 23, I’m back at The Mermaid in Little Tokyo for Splash! Catch me in the DJ booth from 8 p.m. until close, playing a little bit of everything. Seriously. Check out my previous playlists to see what has made it into my sets for this night without genres. The Mermaid is located at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There’s street and lot parking, plus the venue is just a block or so away from Metro’s A/E station in Little Tokyo. There’s no cover, but The Mermaid is 21+.
As for the rest of this week, and early next week, some highlights include Kool Keith at The Paramount on Thursday, David Longstreth and Dirty Projectors on Friday and Saturday, DIIV in Ventura on Monday and Bon Entendeur at The Fonda next Wednesday.
Not surprisingly, there are loads of great movies back in the theaters this week, including screenings of Chungking Express at multiple theaters, The Juniper Tree at Philosophical Research Society on Saturday night and much more, so keep scrolling to get the list.
If you’ve been making your way through David Lynch’s oeuvre these past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed that Wild at Heart isn’t streaming. And that might be bugging you because perhaps you (like me) haven’t seen it in so long that you practically forgot half of the killer cast. Or, maybe you haven’t seen it at all and you want to know what’s so special about the 1990 film. Regardless, your best bet is to catch a screening in an actual movie theater this week in the L.A. area. At the time of writing this, there were still tickets available for showings at the Academy Museum, The Frida and NoHo 7.
If you need more Lynch this weekend, Fire Walk with Me is also playing at The Frida, which, btw, is a great theater and totally worth the trip from L.A. to Santa Ana if you can bypass traffic. (It’s almost exactly one hour from downtown if you ride Metrolink.) And, on Saturday, Vidiots is screening David Lynch’s short films.
In case you were wondering, I’m not DJing this weekend, but there’s a ton happening in L.A. Like, too much happening, actually. This list just scratches the surface. I intentionally left out some of the weekend’s biggest events because if it’s a concert at Crypto where the resale tix for nosebleed seats are nearly $300 or a festival, you probably already know about it. I also made an effort to include shows at various price points, so some of these are definitely a Valentine’s Day splurge, but there are also a good amount of low cover shows and DJ events listed, as well as some free events. As of the time I wrote this (Tuesday night), everything listed here had tickets available.
This Saturday night, February 8, Taleen Kali celebrates the release of new EP, Covered, at The Love Song Bar, right under the Regent Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Taleen Kali will play an unplugged set with cover songs, rarities and more. Plus, I’ll be DJing throughout the night. Tickets are available now, so click this link to pick up yours as soon as possible. Covered is out on Valentine’s Day and features covers of songs by Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, The Supremes, Garbage and Depeche Mode. You can pre-order a copy of Covered now on Bandcamp.
As for the rest of the week, here’s what’s happening in L.A., including David Lynch movie screenings, Whammy! Analog’s third anniversary, Stuart Murdoch’s Nobody’s Empire book tour and more.
Mulholland Drive! Lost Highway! Eraserhead! There are a lot of David Lynch screenings happening through greater Los Angeles this week and, as of Wednesday night, a handful of them still have tickets available. I did the digging for you and added the screenings that weren’t sold out to the list.
Elsewhere, there are some worthwhile local shows happening in L.A. Dildox plays Damaged Disco at Gold-Diggers tonight. Big Black Delta is at the same venue on Friday, while Pearl and the Oysters are at Alex’s Bar. On Monday, Total Pleasure kicks off their February residency at Zebulon on Monday night. For DJ-driven events, Saturday night is Boombox’s annual tribute to J Dilla, which is always a big night, and Junior Sanchez heads to Clinic Wednesdays on February 5. But, that’s not all, keep reading for more.
This Sunday, January 26, I’ll be DJing at The Mermaid for Splash! This is an open format night, so anything goes as far as the music is concerned. Music starts at 8 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m. There’s no cover and it’s 21+. You’ll find the Mermaid at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There is street and lot parking in the neighborhood and The Mermaid is just a couple blocks away from Metro’s A/E Line station. Hope to see you there!
As for the rest of the weekend, and early next week, check out the list below to see what’s happening in L.A. While Jamie XX’s dates at the Shrine are sold out, there are some other fantastic shows happening around town, from Tropa Magica at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach to Nuovo Testamento at Saturday night’s Abortion Access Benefit at the Lodge Room and Travis on Tuesday at The Wiltern.
From the looks of it, the David Lynch film screenings— like Fire Walk With Me at Brain Dead on Thursday night and Blue Velvet on Sunday at the Aero— are sold out. Some other worthwhile screenings include Oldboy at Gardena Cinema on Friday and Viridiana at Vidiots on Saturday.If you’re in/around Orange County, Tank Girl (!!!) Is playing at The Frida on Monday night.
Keep reading for details on these and more events happening in L.A. between Thursday, January 23 and Wednesday, January 29.
It’s David Bowie’s birthday, which means that Friday night, January 10, will be Club Underground’s annual Bowie night. Both floors of the Grand Star will be open so ready for some sound and vision with Larry G. and me in the DJ booths and Miho ready to make you up like Aladdin Sane. Underground’s Bowie Nights do sell out, so click on this link to get your tickets asap.
Did you make your plans for New Year’s Eve yet? On Tuesday, December 31, Club Underground takes over both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles’ Chinatown for a night of indie, new wave, darkwave, Britpop, post-punk and so much more. Larry G., Filthy Rich and I (Liz O.) will be your DJs from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
Tickets for New Year’s Eve at Club Underground are available now and you should click on this link and snap up yours as soon as possible because this event sells out every year.
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.
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.
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.
