Yoskay Yamamoto’s installation “Moonage Daydream” with painting by Luke Chueh in the background at Giant Robot Biennale 5. (Pic: Liz O.)
It’s a been a minute, but the Giant Robot Biennale is back. Between 2007 and 2015, the group exhibition developed by Erik Nakamura and the Japanese American National Museum popped up roughly every other year, bringing together a cross-section of artists that you might recognize from shows at the GR2 Gallery in West L.A., or from the pages of the magazine Giant Robot, which ran from 1994 until 2010 and helped introduce audiences to artists like Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara.
I forgot to take pics, so here’s an old one of a mermaid skeleton at The Mermaid that I saw right before the night started. (Pic: Liz O.)
I popped into The Mermaid at the last minute on Tuesday to play about 90 minutes of music for Dolce Vita. I knew that there was a screening of Dave Attell’s Netflix special happening beforehand. What I didn’t know, however, was that Dave Attell was actually going to make an appearance. We didn’t meet, but it was wild to be in the same room as him because I lovedInsomniac.
Jalapeño and pineapple wontons at The Mermaid. (Pic: Liz O.)
It was a little unexpected, but I did turn up at The Mermaid on Tuesday night to provide the music for the first half of Dolce Vita. I also didn’t have a chance to eat dinner beforehand, which led to another unexpected delight. The jalapeño and pineapple wontons at The Mermaid are amazing. I hadn’t had them before last night and loved them. Even with the chili sauce, they won’t set your mouth on fire. It’s more of a subtle sweet-and-spicy hybrid. Plus, they are shaped like starfish, which I find endearing.
Anyhow, here’s what you may have heard if you were at The Mermaid between 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
For as long as I’ve been DJing, I’ve been keeping track of my set lists. Somewhere in my, er, archives (really, boxes of folders that I haven’t gone through since college), there are probably old playlists of my KXLU shows and crumpled bits of paper from my early club sets. I started sharing the set lists online before social media mostly so that people who went to the clubs could familiarize themselves with the new music and people who weren’t in L.A. knew where they could dance to Ladytron or Miss Kittin or whoever when they visited our fine city. (And, that actually worked, I did meet people from as far as London and Berlin who saw my set list in some electro-indie-whatever forum.)
You have two chances to catch me in the DJ booth this week. First up is Club Underground’s Bowie Nite this Friday, January 12, at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Underground is taking over both floors of the Grand Star this week, with Larry G. playing open to close on the main floor and me, Liz O., doing the same on the second floor. Discounted tickets are available now via either Dice and Eventbrite.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles 90012. It’s inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. Both street and lot parking is available in the neighborhood. The venue is also right across Broadway from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it is a 21+ event.
On Tuesday, January 16, you’ll find me at The Mermaid loaded up with Italo disco jams for L.A. Industrial’s weekly party, Dolce Vita. There’s no cover and it’s 21+, so stop by with your pals for some tasty cocktails and a soundtrack filled with tunes by the likes of Fancy, Fun Fun, Ken Laszlo, Sabrina and more.
The Mermaid is located at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There’s typically loads of free parking available after 9 p.m., which is the same time that Dolce Vita starts. The bar is also a (very) short walk from Metro’s A/E line stop in Little Tokyo.
Records from Musical Youth, Detroit Grand Pubahs and Body of Light inside Going Underground Records (Pic: Liz O.)
My first quandary of 2024 occurred late in the afternoon on January 1 inside Going Underground Records as I quickly flipped through a crate of indie releases alphabetized by the letter F. There, I found Kate Fagan I Don’t Want to Be Too Cool and Future Islands As Long As You Are on vinyl, both of which I could use in my collection. But, when it comes to new vinyl, I need to exhibit some restraint. Which should I choose?
October might have been stressing me out this year, but I felt an instant sense of relief inside The Mermaid last night. I was there to DJ another week of Dolce Vita’s Italo Horror Disco, this time with DJ Alex Arias. The first thing I noticed is that the Halloween display in the bar has grown larger and more detailed since I last played there earlier this month. The centerpiece is a mermaid skeleton, who is surrounded by a bounty of odds and ends, from crystal balls to eyeballs to skeleton hands. The glow-in-the-dark paints and swaths of fabric help give the impression that you stumbled upon this altar while underwater. It’s super cool. Stop by The Mermaid and check it out this week if you have a chance.
Other than that, it was great to play with Alex for the first time. I loved his set. Plus, some friends stopped by, which made the night all the better. Here’s what I played in my sets last night. Also, a reminder that I’ll be playing Underground’s Halloween party on Friday, October 27 and there’s a low ticket alert for the party, so get yours as soon as possible.
This coming week, I’ll be joining Taleen Kali’s residency at Harvard & Stone for a special DJ set before, after and in between the bands. More info on that below the jump. Plus, I’ve included a handful of other L.A. music events, including clubs, concerts and record fairs that are on my radar for the week. Keep reading and mark your calendars.
I forgot to take pics while I was DJing, so here’s a mermaid skeleton at The Mermaid that I saw right before the night started. (Pic: Liz O.)
For years, I used to post most of my set lists. Then I stopped because I figured if people were that curious about what I’m playing, they would actually go to the party and Shazam (or, like, come up and ask me about) whatever song they don’t know. Now I’m rethinking that because Shazam doesn’t catch everything. Plus, I like having an archive and want people to actually know what songs are played. So, this is the set from Dolce Vita at The Mermaid on September 12, 2023.
Inside L.A. Art Book Fair at Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on August 13, 2023. (Photo: Liz O.)
Late in the afternoon on the final day of Printed Matter’s L.A. Art Book Fair, the line outside of MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary stretched to the Japanese American National Museum. I had just stumbled upstairs from the Little Tokyo Metro station and across 1st Street, which was closed to traffic and lined with people hanging out on the sidewalk. That had nothing to the with the book fair though. It was also Nisei Week and the parade was set to start soon. But, I didn’t know that at the time. I just saw throngs of people, flashed back to the years in which I reported from Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con and groaned.
