Johny Barbata Residents can experience rock ‘n’ roll history on June 11 at a book signing event with drumming legend Johny Barbata. At the event, held at the Santa Monica Music Center from 12 - 5:30 p.m., Barbata will be signing his new book and he said he is looking forward to interacting with music fans as part of his book... Read more →

Blue Daisy There's a two to three block span on Wilshire Blvd. from 23rd to 25th street that will afford you some great morning time fare. Show up at 10 a.m. on a Saturday and you will see the 'breakfast corridor' will be slammed. Lines of people at NY Bagel, Blue Daisy Cafe, Bread and Porridge, Snug Harbor, to Bru's Whiffle spill out onto... Read more →

Image courtesy Bruria Finkel What happens when an artist, dependent upon head, hand and heart, loses the full use of one of them? Local artist Bruria Finkel faced that dilemma when she was seriously injured in a car accident, losing her ability to turn her head. For more than six months during her recovery Finkel was forced to wear... Read more →

First Cronuts, now Wownuts! Why are we so blessed? We are truly living in a golden age of donuts. Approximately one year ago, Santa Monica's favorite donut shop, DK's Donut's was spearheading the Cronut craze in Los Angeles. The Double Decker O-Nut (DK's spin on the trademarked Cronut) garnered a social media frenzy that caught the... Read more →

Cults SM PIER — What are you doing every Thursday night of the summer? City officials have announced the lineup for the 30th annual Twilight Concert Series. The free shows will be held Thursday nights on the Santa Monica Pier. This year's calendar, which starts with the indie-rock band Cults and ends with soul man Charles Bradley,... Read more →

TAKING IT ALL IN TOGETHER: The crowd during the opening reception for ‘Robert Swain: The Form of Color’ at the Santa Monica Museum of Art recently. (Photo courtesy Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging) I am going to be gone for the summer, so next week’s column will be my last for awhile. I want to give you a heads-up about what’s coming... Read more →

MAIN STREET — Top hats and monocles are not required to participate in the inaugural Mainopoly fundraiser but organizers are hoping to see a few Monopoly-themed costumes strolling along the sidewalk on May 25. The event is a self-guided restaurants walk featuring 19 eateries along Main Street. Participants will receive 20 tasting tickets... Read more →

SMC — Santa Monica College’s Public Policy Institute (PPI) is inviting Santa Monica residents to experience the intersection of policy and art at the organization’s annual symposium. “Arts and Citizenship: Affecting Public Policy Through Personal Narrative” runs through May 18 at 1900 Pico Blvd. with new activities available to... Read more →

ON STAGE: Sarah Drake (center) in an earlier spring performance of Westside Ballet’s dances featuring Faust. (Photo courtesy Todd Lechtick) SMC — Local dancers will present a unique ballet experience on May 18 at the Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s spring performance. The show will have two parts, one a modern dance and a... Read more →

In case you missed “Incognito,” the unique “guess-the-artist” annual fundraising art show benefiting Santa Monica Museum of Art, you still have a chance to get in on another great art show and sale that serves a worthy cause while honoring two local arts leaders. From May 29 through June 1, the Rosamond Felsen Gallery at Bergamot... Read more →