Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, June 20 – Wednesday, June 26

Dum Dum Fest 2024 poster in Echo Park
A reminder outside The Echo that Dum Dum Fest with Taleen Kali, Sacred Skin, Dildox and more is Saturday at The Echo

No DJ gigs for me this week, but there are a ton of events happening in L.A. In fact, so much is going on that it took a good while to narrow down this list of concerts, DJ events and movie screenings for you. Which band do you check out on Friday night? IDK, but I have seen Melt-Banana twice and they slay. Should your Saturday night movie be The Legend of the Stardust Brothers or Liquid Sky? (That’s a tough call, friends.) Is it best to head to Alamo Drafthouse on Tuesday or Wednesday for Deep Red? (I would say go Tuesday, then head to Little Tokyo for Dolce Vita’s new ‘80s night, Splash, after that.) 

Since life is still really expensive, I only picked events that had at least one ticket available for under $30 before fees at the time of posting this. For all I know, it may be just one ticket in some cases, so don’t blame me if you can’t find anything but $100 resale floor tickets for Twin Tribes or whatever. But, just in case you didn’t know, even the Doobie Brothers have some cheap seats available for their show at The Forum on Sunday. Keep reading for more of what’s happening in L.A. 

Continue reading Happening in L.A.: Thursday, June 20 – Wednesday, June 26 →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Klub Nocturno on Saturday, June 15 2024

Sambas and fishnets (photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Summer 2024 DJ uniform: Sambas and fishnets.

On Saturday, it felt like summer had arrived. That is unfortunate if you, like me, have an aversion to sunlight and sweat. The upside was that I was DJing in the new wave/darkwave room at Nocturno on Saturday night, so I could avoid the sun. Since online tickets had already sold out, though, I had to prepare for a hot night. That’s when fishnets really come in handy. In fact, I think fishnets and Sambas might end up being my 2024 club uniform. After a four-and-a-half-hour DJ set, I felt pretty good. (Three cans of water probably helped too.)

It was a really fun night. There were stilt walkers who came out to the stage in the new wave/darkwave room twice, dancing to French Police and Sisters of Mercy during one set and Depeche Mode and Visage in the other. The crowd let out disco calls during “Blue Monday.” It was a vibe. 

Boy Harsher’s remix of Chelsea Wolfe’s song “House of Self-Undoing,” which was released earlier in the week, made its second appearance in my sets this weekend. Since it’s brand new, I’ve been testing it out early in the night, but I’m really into it, so you’ll probably be hearing this later in the nights going forward. The remix is available on Bandcamp, by the way, so get it into your own collection if you’re so inclined. (That’s not an ad or a sponsored link, btw, but Bandcamp is my personal first choice for digital music.)

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Club Underground on Friday, June 14, 2024

Actors In Real Life single cover
Cover of Actors single for “In Real Life.”

I forgot to take pics last night at Underground. It happens. But, it was another fun night on Friday, the memories of which become hazy after playing music for four hours. I do, however, recall that I really like the way Actors latest single, “In Real Life,” sounds with Roxy Music’s song “More Than This.” It makes sense in my head because Actors always sounded less like a “darkwave”  or “postpunk” band to me and more like people who have listened to a lot of Roxy Music, Bowie, Japan and Duran Duran. But, that doesn’t mean that two songs will go well together and I never know for sure until I try it. 

(Just in case you’re wondering, all my sets are improvised, but, when you’ve been DJing since you were 18 and you’re now a far cry from that, you have a good feel for which songs go together and which ones don’t.)

Also new to my set is “Hechizos” by Glass Spells, which you might have heard me play on Dublab last week. If not, you can click on this link to the archive of the show. Glass Spells are from San Diego and are currently on tour, but, unfortunately, don’t have an L.A. date. However, they will be at the Observatory in Santa Ana on July 17. Check Glass Spells’ website for other upcoming tour dates. The other new addition to my set is Boy Harsher’s remix of Chelsea Wolfe’s song “House of Self-Undoing,” which I love. Anyhow, here’s the set list.  

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Happening in L.A.

Happening in L.A.: Thursday, June 13- Wednesday, June 19

Pulp Nite at Underground with Larry G. and Liz O. at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles on June 14, 2024

This weekend is going to be amazing. Friday night is Pulp Nite at Club Underground. I’ll be playing alongside Larry G. at Grand Star Jazz Club, where both floors of the venue will be open. There will your favorite Pulp jams and deep cuts, plus so much more. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite and Dice, so pick up one for yourself or a few for your crew and dance with us at the Grand Star on Friday night. 

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Music

Pulp Nite at Underground Is This Friday

This Friday, June 14, is Pulp Nite at Underground and I’ll be back to DJ with Larry G. for the two-room bash at Grand Star Jazz Club. You’ll hear Pulp’s hits and deep cuts, plus ‘90s Britpop and indie, on the first floor. Up on the second floor, expect to hear all that plus more of your indie, post-punk, new wave and classic alternative favorites. 

Advance tickets for Friday night are available now. Purchase yours via one of the links below. 

Pulp Nite at Underground tickets on Dice

Pulp Nite at Underground tickets on Eventbrite

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New Music

Pulsar, the New Album from L’Impératrice, Is Out Now

L'Imperatrice Pulsar press photos by Augustin JSM
L’Impératrice (Photo by Augustin JSM)

In April of 2021, I saw L’Impératrice live at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Three years later, the thing that stands out about that show is how hard everyone danced.. There was one point when singer Flore Benguigui got low and the audience did the same.

I was in the balcony that night and, from my vantage point, I saw a broken heart totem and a crown totem bouncing above bobbing heads. When L’impératrice turned songs from Tako Tsubo, like “Submarine” and “Peur des filles” into full-blown disco jams — the latter sounding like “Love to Love You, Baby”— it felt like the crowd was moving as a single body. Before that night, I had spent more than a month listening to Tako Tsubo  on repeat, partially because I interviewed L’Impératrice for Audiofemme, but also because the album quickly became a favorite of mine for that year. But, L’Impératrice live is a whole other level of wild energy that I hadn’t heard in their recordings, at least until now. 

Continue reading Pulsar, the New Album from L’Impératrice, Is Out Now →
The Playlist

Here’s What I Played at Underground’s 2000s Nite on May 31, 2024

Dance floor scene at Club Underground 2000s Nite at Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles on May 31, 2024. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
The scene just before midnight on the dance floor at Club Underground. May 31, 2024. (Pic: Liz O.)

I’m not one for nostalgia, but ‘00s Nite at Club Underground on May 31 did make me feel a bit wistful for the final decade of life untethered to phones and social media and streaming platforms. I wouldn’t say the ‘00s were a particularly great decade (like I’ve written before, it wasn’t), but it was nice to not be connected to everyone, everywhere, all the time.

In keeping with this week’s theme at Underground, I busted out one of my favorite mashups, which I had downloaded and burned to a CD for gigs back in the ‘00s, and ended the night with the song that was my closer in the earliest years of that decade. Keep reading for the set list.

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New Music

Neutrals, Blood Club and More May 2024 Music

Album cover for New Town Dream by Neutrals released on May 31, 2024

On Memorial Day, right after turning in my last writing assignment of the month, I headed over to Bandcamp and played the new DIIV album. It was the first time I listened to Frogs in Boiling Water.Typically, I don’t like writing about an album unless I’ve given it a few spins, but, in that moment, DIIV resonated with me and I started typing. 

Frogs in Boiling Water is an album that sounds amazing when you’re eyes are about to fall shut at 11:30 a.m. because you had a DJ gig the previous night— your third over the holiday weekend— and you had to wake up early enough to finish some work. That is a very specific situation, but it’s one that I can hear reflected in the tough, hazy sound of the album. This album is not dreamy, as people often refer to shoegaze bands. It’s the sound of pushing forward even when your shoulders slump and you have to close your eyes ever couple minutes.

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Adventures in L.A., Live Music

Miki Berenyi Trio, Tolhurst x Budgie at Fonda Theatre, May 29, 2024

Miki Berenyi Trio live at Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on May 29, 2024 (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
This was the least crappy cel phone pic of Miki Berenyi Trio I took from the back of the room at Fonda Theatre.

Lol Tolhurst x Budgie were a couple songs into their set opening for Miki Berenyi Trio on Wednesday night when I noticed something strange. The sea of people in front of me at the Fonda Theatre was dark. There was not a single cel phone glowing above their heads. It was a sight I hadn’t seen since the year before the iPhone was released and it was jarring. Did I miss an announcement or something? Was security going to kick me out if I pulled out my phone?

Continue reading Miki Berenyi Trio, Tolhurst x Budgie at Fonda Theatre, May 29, 2024 →

Indie music and alt culture blog from Los Angeles. By Liz O.