I’m standing by a bin of records at Rubycon, talking to a friend, who also happens to be one of the DJs for an in-store event happening that day. She asks what records I pulled and I flip through the small stack of vinyl that I will soon purchase. I show off a 12” with wavy pink stripes and a large stick figure on the cover. The band’s name, Scream + Dance, is scrawled above the stick figure’s head in thick letters.
Disco Matinee is back on Cinco de Mayo at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Guest DJ Don French joins residents Liz O. and Jus’ B for an afternoon of disco, funk, dance punk and more. Tickets are available now for $6.50 on Restless Nites. The cover will be $8 at the door (cash, Venmo) on the day of the event.
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).
