HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
NEIL YOUNG – He’s 77 and he’s a rock and roll pioneer, an icon, a legend, but he hits the stage like a 19 year old with something to prove. He’s always had a terrible voice but it’s perfect for his songs and somehow he manages to hit most of the notes and besides, they’re his notes and we love them. He slashes at his vintage Gibson Les Paul like he’s still reaching for that imaginary Best Rock Guitar Player Ever title. He does not dress up or worry about his scraggly hair or how beat up or ugly his old hat is, he frankly usually looks like hell and clearly does not care. He’s up there for one purpose only: Rockin’ the whole damn Free World, and the parts that aren’t free too. Some of his projects and albums are unabashedly noncommercial, maybe outright weird. He has always been an outspoken social critic, when other artists are hiding under a rock for fear of losing part of their audience. If there’s anyone who always plays by their own rules, it is Neil Young. How does he pull it off and stay so popular that he’s selling out half a dozen shows in LA? He’s immensely talented and completely authentic, and it seems there’s an audience for that. Thank God. Fri, Sat, Mon, Wed 8 p.m. Ford Theater, Hollywood, $150-200.
THE HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – from their website: "Hot Club’s brand of virtuoso, Django-style 1930s gypsy swing jazz is found nowhere else and even if it were, it couldn’t possibly be this good. These guys are masters, individually and collectively. You will find it hard to stop smiling all night. - Santa Monica Daily Press" And may I add, they manage to record and play high-profile gigs and still show up every Monday night here, for years. Aren’t we lucky? Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, no cover.
RECOMMENDED:
TONIGHT! - Interview, Q & A, book signing by our own SUSAN HAYDEN , of her first book, "NOW YOU ARE A MISSING PERSON." The woman who launched or enhanced hundreds of writing careers, as the founder and "Presenter" for 14 years of the amazing LIBRARY GIRL monthly spoken word and music series at the Ruskin Theatre Group at Santa Monica Airport, is now the "Presented." A cosmic shift, and apparently the universe approves because the recent launch at Beyond Baroque was packed! And respected writers like Cameron Crowe and Dave Alvin are giving it high praise. You can now get it in stores, and online, and tonight you only have to go as far as Culver City to catch her talking about her book, which she calls "a lyrical, hybrid memoir of stories, poems and fragments." Perhaps the first time a memoir has been presented in quite this form. I’ve known Susan for at least seven years, maybe more, and I remember at our first meeting she told me about this long-simmering, oft-neglected "project" she was determined to finish. But in fact it took a lifetime, her lifetime, to finish it. What an accomplishment. Thurs 7 p.m., "The Marriage of Love and Grief," with NYT Bestseller author Steve Leder, The Village Well, Culver City, free but please reserve.
"QUEEN MARGARET’S VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE’S WAR OF THE ROSES" – "What compels those who rule to make war, not love? The pendulum swings, and a petty universe of leaders works alone, ignoring the needs of those they supposedly govern. Human values erode as governments vying for power overtake the mere living of life." – does that sound centuries old, or like a City Council meeting but with much better dialogue? Theatricum’s production encompassing Henry VI Part I, II, III, and Richard III, centers on Queen Margaret and the women and children of Shakespeare’s civil war saga. Sat 7:30 p.m., Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga Canyon, $15-60.
"A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM" – TB specializes in Shakespeare, and they do "Midsummer" every single season, 50 years now. If it ain’t broke, and the people love it, don’t axe it, but they do tinker with it a little every summer, and that means if you saw them perform it last year, or 10 years ago, you will see something a bit different, but still Will’s welcome warhorse. Who doesn’t love it? Puck, yes! Sun 3:30 p.m., Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga Canyon, $15-60.
"MACBETH"’ – In this bloody, depraved corner, M’Lord and M’Lady, reigning still as the unchallenged monstrous couple of political pushiness, gruesome greed, absolute ambition and murderous mayhem. Some things never change. No wonder this one by Will (Shakespeare, not Geer) remains perhaps his best-known work (but hardly beloved). Sun 7:30 p.m., Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga Canyon, $15-60.
TOLEDO DIAMOND – Unique, riveting, first class act. There’s nothing like it, it is high performance art and great fun. Degeneracy is rarely so well disciplined. Could be the most memorable 12 bucks you ever spent. Sun 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, $12.
Next Thurs - LYLE LOVETT – Hard to remember that Texas troubadour Lovett has been around 37 years. Through 14 albums and four Grammys, being named Texas State Musician, receiving the very first Trailblazer Award from the Americana Music Association, we sometimes forget that he is more than just a Texas Guy. He’s much bigger than Texas. Through his Large Band, and smaller ones, acoustic and electric, duos and solo efforts, he has pushed horizons and expanded the entire landscape of American music. Singer, composer and actor, he is a gentle and engaging storyteller. How many performers or bands boast they play "country, jazz, blues, folk, swing and gospel," and you wonder if they have any idea what they’re talking about. But if you listen carefully to Lovett, you will hear all that. He respects great American music, and spreads the word most tunefully, and I like that. Next Thurs 8 p.m., Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, $68-148.
Next Thurs - DUDAMEL Conducts FALLA, RAVEL – What a fun night. Falla’s "Nights in the Gardens of Spain," Dukas’ "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" (I challenge you to not think of Mickey Mouse once), and Ravel’s "Mother Goose Suite," under the warm skies of summer with Gustavo Dudamel leading the mighty LA Phil. Enjoy it while you can. Next Thurs, Hollywood Bowl, $6 (are you kidding me?)-134.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: "QUEEN MARGARET’S VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE’S WAR OF THE ROSES," Theatricum Botanicum, 7/8, 16, 23, 30; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s, 7/9, 16, 23, 30; "MACBETH," Theatricum Botanicum, 7/9, 16, 21, 30; "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM," Theatricum Botanicum, 7/9, 23, 28; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 7/10. 17, 24, 31; JAKE SHIMABUKURO, Saban Theatre, 7/8; HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR with TURTLES, Little Anthony, others, Saban Theatre, 7/9; LIQUID KITTY’S PUNK ROCK BBQ, Harvelle’s, 7/9; NEIL YOUNG, Greek Theatre, 7/10, 13; DUDAMEL Conducts VERDI’S REQUIEM, Hollywood Bowl, 7/10 (Invitational Rehearsal), 7/11; RICK SHEA, Cinema Bar, 7/13; ELLINGTON, GERSHWIN with DUDAMEL, Hollywood Bowl, 7/13; JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT, Greek Theatre, 7/14; KOOL & THE GANG, VILLAGE PEOPLE, Hollywood Bowl, 7/14, 15; DIANA KRALL, Hollywood Bowl, 7/19; REGGAE NIGHT XXI with BERES HAMMOND, STEEL PULSE, Hollywood Bowl, 7/23; GERSHWIN, DVORAK, LA PHIL, Hollywood Bowl, 7/25; DAKHABRAKHA, Ford theater, 8/4.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 37 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com (the real mr music…)
