I’m going to be honest with you. There is probably more going on, but you’ll have to do a little digging on your own, kiddies, because as I finish this up it is my dadgum birthday and I have a friend in from out of town and we are going to shoot us some hoops, right now, right here in SM, OK? Thank you.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
TODAY/TONIGHT! -- LA PHIL, DUDAMEL – MAHLER’s 8TH (be still my racing heart, nothing in the world of classical grandeur can match The Dude giving us Gustav’s “Symphony of A Thousand” with every stray Phil player they can dig up, that mighty French fries organ and the LA Master Chorale, the Pacific Chorale, the LA Children’s Chorus and the National Children’s Chorus, let’s see… yup, that’s 1,000, problem is this is such an event, the first time ever for the 8th to be performed in Walt Disney Hall, that — well, look at the end where I usually list the ticket prices), Thurs 11 a.m. (exclusive invitational rehearsal for Friends and Patrons subscribers, also 8 p.m., Fri 11 a.m., Sun 2 p.m., Disney Hall, DTLA, long ago sold the heck out but, you know, go and beg a spare ducat, wear your tux, especially Fri morning, people will stare and some will stop to talk and one may have that extra ticket to paradise. And if anyone has a spare ticket for Sunday -- I’m available.
LA OPERA – LA TRAVIATA (Verdi’s classic tale of the fallen woman redeemed, almost, coming out of his personal experiences and longstanding resentment of authority, made into a dozen major films since 1911 including those featuring Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo, and Isabelle Huppert, middle opera of the trilogy he wrote and premiered in the mid-1850s -- three in less than two years! -- leaving behind the mythic foundations of Wagner and his predecessors for realism, courageous and groundbreaking in its time, the censors deemed his previous libretto, very similar, to be of “repulsive immorality and obscene triviality” but settled for changing the title, The Hollywood Reporter promises that, set in the Art Deco era, “Domingo’s lavishly gorgeous settings and flamboyant costumes provide a feast for the eye” but look out for that simple twist of fate and of course sumptuous music), Sat 7:30 p.m., next Sun, June 13, 16, 19, 22, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, DTLA, $49-$374.
LOVE Revisited (let’s just say it is the legendary LA band LOVE because this is very very close to it even with only one original founding member, guitarist JOHNNY ECHOLS, who has assembled and played for years with a band, originally Baby Lemonade, who can play and sing the original material so dang perfectly that if you closed your eyes you would expect to see Arthur Lee when you opened them, they’re going to the UK after this for a farewell tour, complications from Brexit has made it no longer feasible to perform there, Echols told me, but lucky lucky us, a few years ago they played in SM at our Moose Lodge, so just go to the Valley Sunday to the very nice Federal Bar, get mimosas, a bagel or brunch and help out for this benefit to pay someone’s medical expenses, your mind may be blown!), 11 a.m., The Federal, N Hollywood, free.
RECOMMENDED:
PARKENING INTERNATIONAL GUITAR COMPETITION (want to discover the next Segovia, or… Christopher Parkening? -- this is the place, where 15 of the finest young classical guitarists from around the globe compete for trophies and cash with the thrilling final round on Saturday), Thurs 9 a.m., Fri 1 p.m., Sat 7:30 p.m., Pepperdine University, Malibu, $20-$70.
LA PHIL – FLUXUS FESTIVAL (what a feast for the senses! -- can you last all 12 hours? -- too much to list, go to the website), Sat 12N-12M, Disney Hall, DTLA, $10.
PICO BLOCK PARTY (community arts festival, workshops, performances, handmade goods, food trucks), Sat 3-6 p.m., 18th Street Arts Center, SM, free.
SAMOPRIDE (first ever, City-sponsored festival to celebrate the LGBQT+ community, starts with an early morning run and yoga and continues through the whole month, check SMpride.com for events listings), Sat-June 30, all over SM, free.
VENICE ART CRAWL AND FLOWER FEST (just barely south of us, OK you think Rose Ave especially has been yuppified beyond recognition but there are some good restaurants there and if it’s a nice day this sounds like a great excuse to stroll, look, eat, drink by the beach), Sat 2-6 p.m., Rose Avenue, free (to look).
LIQUID KITTY PUNK ROCK BBQ (is back! FREE ADMISSION! FIVE BANDS! CHEAP BOOZE! FREE HOT DOGS! -- LAWNDALE, THE NEPTUNAS, Desi Ramone, Glitter Trash, Brainspoon, excellent lineup! -- stay indoors on a beautiful Sunday, get wasted, get fed, boogie down, what better ya got to do?), Sun 1-6 p.m., Harvelle’s Santa Monica, free.
-- then come back that evening for THE TOLEDO SHOW, should be on everyone’s bucket list, a really entertaining show in so many ways.
Last week this show was still scheduled: MIGHTY DIAMONDS - Dub Club (the real rasta deal out of Trenchtown, this is their 50th year! the same three, Tabby, Bunny and Judge, specializing in righteous lyrics and killer harmonies, they wrote and had a hit with “Pass the Koutchie” before Musical Youth had their cleaned-up hit with it, I’ve caught them a few times including 1982 at Sunsplash in Jamaica, don’t miss), but after I wrote it up and went to the Echoplex page to check on time and price, no show, who knows, it’s reggae mon but after half a century these guys are solid and you should know about them and they will pass through LA again but not often so if you want to go to Santa Cruz to Moe’s Alley you can catch them a week from Sat at 5 -- probably.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: FATHER JOHN MISTY, JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 7; DIANE MICHELLE album release party, the Church in Ocean Park, SM, June 9; YELLOWMAN & ALBOROSIE, Regent Theater, DTLA, June 9.
BAND NAMES OF THE WEEK: Meow Meow, Cold Cave, Dancing Tongues, Potty Mouth, Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, Adult, Biblical Proof of UFOs, Hollywood Undead, Sacred Cowboys, Typical Sisters, Acid Mothers Temple, Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, Wascally Wabbits, Potty Mouth, Pinky Pinky, Trevor McSpadden, Broken Baby, Insane Clown Posse, The Red Pears, The Letter Openers, Bad Snacks, Free the Robots, Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs, No Small Children, Love Canal, Decry, Shattered Faith, Carnage Asada, Bird Concerns, Dog Tag Tattoo.
BODACIOUS BIRTHDAY: -- TOM MORELLO (1964) may be the most awesome guitar slinger you don’t know the name of. Rage Against the Machine -- that was his band, and he’s all over the place since that ended, from Johnny Cash to Run DMC to a comic book series. My most vivid memory of him was when Rage decided to play a set across the street from the Democratic Convention in 2000, here in LA, completely unauthorized. They were not allowed to crank it up and that put a damper on things, but I’ll never forget the sight of them on stage raging while a phalanx of LAPD, armored and armed to the hilt, came marching up the street next to them. And then we got Al Gore, and then he gave in to GOP illegal vote bullying and then we got George W. and it has been seriously downhill ever since.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 2,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 33 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
