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Today StubDog.com, the one-stop online source for deeply discounted entertainment options to fit every personality and budget, teamed up with the Houston Arts Alliance to support artists and art-related projects in Southeast Texas negatively affected by Hurricane Ike. While StubDog.com continues tracking fresh, affordable entertainment prospects for theatre-goers in Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston to enjoy at half-price, they are teaming up with clients and online customers to help Houston’s arts community recover from the ravages of the hurricane’s aftermath this fall.

For a four-week period beginning today (November 12-December 12, 2008), StubDog.com will donate half of the profit — $2 for every ticket sold — in each of their three markets: L.A., Houston & Dallas/Fort Worth.

StubDog.com is offering clients the opportunity to sell additional tickets from which 100% of the sales will be donated to the Hurricane Ike Arts Relief Fund. A small icon will denote the tickets these generous clients are offering in support of Houston’s struggling arts community.

Joining StubDog.com to offer support are:

A Noise Within, ComedySportz LA, Westside Eclectic, Chance Theatre, The New LATC, and Write Act Repertory Theatre.

If you were looking for an excuse to go to the theatre, here it is! This season has been a particularly devastating hurricane season, and every little bit helps for each and every person affected by all the hurricanes this year. 

The buzz in LA this week is sonic-alt-indie band Swing Hailey, hailing from Downey. Fans of nearly everything will find something to like about this band; but especially fans of Sonic Youth, the PIxies, Iggy Pop, all that new pop on 103.1 nowadays, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, etc, et all. They sound like an aural version of the Bloody Marys at the Golden Cafe in Burning Man: It’s a mix of a whole ton of spices, flavors, and other influences thrown into a blender on a chainsaw in the middle of a crazy party in a Tunisian-style tent in the middle of the desert; everything gets all mixed up together, and the end result is an ethereal, completely tangible yet indescribable heaven to your senses, to live in legend and infamy for the rest of days. 

Catch Swing Hailey and all its awesome aural gloriousness at the next S.O.U.P Kitchen 4, along with S.O.U.P themselves, Custom Deluxe, The Last Holy Fools, and plenty of inter-band jamming. Fun times abound indeed! And it’s always considered courteous to bring a form of alcohol to share, beer is favored amongst S.O.U.Pers. 

The buzz this week in LA is the Inglewood Open Studios Art Walk, taking place in 15 places around Inglewood. Artist for 2008 include Benjamin Anderson, Kavin Buck, Ericka Chapman, Edward Ewell, Rob Faucette, Renee A Fox, Todd Gray, Ulysses Jenkins, Elisa Johns, Michael Massenburg, Gale McCall, Christopher Mercier, WIllie Middlebrook, Kenneth H Ober, Claudia Parducci, Joan Robey, Kyungmi Shin, Dustin Schuler, Stanley Smith, May Sun, Cindy Suriyani, and Monalisa Whitaker. 

These artists studios are located all over Inglewood, so please refer to Renee Fox for artist locations. Should be a blast! It takes place Saturday, Nov. 8, from 2pm-7pm. 

The buzz this week in LA is Glendale’s upcoming S.O.U.P Kitchen en las Dias de la Muertas, Saturday Nov. 1. It’s hosted by a cavalier band of experimental noise makers, band S.O.U.P, who have been known to draw comparisons to Sonic Youth…….on acid, Built to Spill………on acid, and Pink Floyd…….on even more acid. 

It’s a backyard BBQ in its base form, but it’s the most gosh-darn fun backyard BBQ that I’ve ever been to. S.O.U.P. sets their own equipment up for open jamming between bands, there’s a psychedelic sculpture garden, there is beer…. and lots of it, and if you stick around long enough, tipsy band members from all manner bands will scurry up to the instruments, and create the most wonderfully odd versions of original and cover songs. 

Por ejemplo, at S.O.U.P Kitchen Take 2, members of What’s Their Name?, Jed’s Dead, and S.O.U.P temporarily banded together to take the audience on a wild, captivating, mind-melding head trip of “The End”, by the Doors. Oh - and speaking of crazy-arse covers, don’t miss S.O.U.P’s version of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. They usually play first, so get there early to catch it. It’s what would have happened if Queen existed in dank, smoked-out and tuned-in basements of suburbia 1960s. 

Check out their myspace for more info - see you there!

The buzz in LA this week is most obviously the Los Angeles 2008 Decompression Party held in the Los Angeles Historic State Park. Decom is usually held under the bridges of Downtown LA, which does give a post-apocalyptic feel to the whole thing, but having it in the park made it feel more like a little Burning Man. And because we weren’t able to make it to BM this year, that’s exactly what were were looking for. 

Notable for 2008 Decom: 

The inordinate amount of monkeys. Sure, monkeys are cute, fun, sometimes drunk, and mostly hilarious. But people acting like monkeys is…..cheesy? So obviously trying to be funny that it’s just stupid? Uncreative? I don’t know. But the unofficial monkey theme presented itself nearly every hour, and every time, we asked ourselves, “What the hell is with all the monkeys??”

Gooferman. Gooferman is the clown band from San Francisco whose lead singer sounds a little too much like the guy from Soul Coughing. Bands dressing up in costume does sound a little lame, but Gooferman does it well. I haven’t seen them sans makeup, but unlike other brand-name bands from the 70s that we all knew and loved to a point, Gooferman has solid music that withstands a good face-washing. They’re playing at the Derby on Oct. 17. 

Thanks to the Hare Krishnas for all the food, and thanks to the city for doing whatever they did to make Decom happen in the State Park. It looked like a State Fair from the outside, but for this long-time burner, it was reminiscent of regional burns back east, where I first got introduced to Burning Man. Overall, this was the best Decom yet, with more people than ever participating. Thank you, ever-present gods of party!

The 5th Annual Grand Avenue Festival will hit the streets of Downtown on Sunday, Sept. 28, anchored by MOCA Downtown and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The family-oriented (I say this because Folsom’s happening this weekend in SF) music, arts & culture festival is another attempt to make Downtown LA a destination. Here are some highlights of the event:

• Free performances, art-making activities and specialty programs in legendary venues along Grand Avenue
• Street entertainment
• Culturally diverse crowd
• Audience ranging from young professionals to families to downtown residents
• Access to acclaimed restaurants located on Grand Avenue
• The 2008 festival is expected to draw more than 30,000 visitors from the Southern California region
• FREE admission

Click here to view the full Grand Avenue Festival schedule for the day (9/28).

The buzz in LA this week is The Royal Gents‘ upcoming gig at the vaguely monthly S.O.U.P Kitchen art, music, film and beer parties. For those of you living in a cave for the past decade or so, The Royal Gents were voted Best Band of 2007 for their smash single, “Sometimes A Girl.” They’re on at 8:30pm, and you don’t want to miss them!! There’s just something about a band, no matter how big or small, playing a relaxed venue like a backyard BBQ. There’s no fancy lighting or sound, no superficial barriers between artist and fan, and there’s no pressure. This is why we can’t wait to check out S.O.U.P Kitchen Mach Drei featuring the Royal Gents. Other bands include the seminal What’s Their Name?, Triclops, the host band, S.O.U.P, Scimon, Hollywood Kill, Swing Hailey. Film screenings by Thad, Ryu, and Missing Kitty Pictures. Art by Sunny Dayz, LA Deck, and Blinkeyteque. Past players in the S.O.U.P Kitchen have included Finland Station, Big Dave and the Dirty Liars, Jed’s Dead, and Virgo Serena. S.O.U.P finally got a myspace page, which serves as the online repository for all things S.O.U.P Kitchen. The bigger these things get, the better they get, because S.O.U.P is able to keep that relaxed backyard vibe for everyone. And, it’s free!! BYOB and Potluck food. You remember those slightly dirty, kinda smelly kids who always had way too much energy and always seemed to be doing fun and really cool things that you were too shy and/or awkward to take part in? S.O.U.P is those kids, and S.O.U.P Kitchen is that really fun and cool thing! And this time, you’re invited! 

 The buzz in LA this week is upcoming Riot Life/Redrawn Arts fashion show at the Libertine. Designers Keoki Tavares and Trisha Hanudel have teamed up for Tavares’ first fashion show since his store on Melrose, Riot, got cleaned out. Both male and female models from Fierce Models will be sporting Riot graphics in Redrawn Arts cuts.This show is notable, as it’s the first time Redrawn Arts has cut their signature t-shirt corsets for the fellows. We’re sure we’re not the only ones on the edge of our seats waiting to see what boy corsets will look like. However, it’s called Fierce Models for a reason, and we can’t wait for the four-on-the-floor fierceness to be raging in the new boy corsets!Where: Libertine No, Really: 8210 Sunset Blvd, LA, CA, 90046When: 8/20/08, this Wednesday, 7pm-2amWhy: Fierceness, Fabulousness, and Fashion!!  

The buzz is all about heading down to the Downtown Film Festival this week & weekend to enjoy the fun filled days and nights that are on the slate. I’m heading to see the Centerpiece Gala Film “Piccadilly” playing Friday the 15th at 8:00pm at the Los Angeles Theater in the Historic Theater District. This 1929 silent film will be accompanied by live music and only costs $15 a ticket. Excitingly, it will be followed by a awesome Gala party at 9:30pm on the rooftop terrace of the Roosevelt. To purchase tickets and to get more info about the show and the festival go to www.dffla.com. Click here to read more about the film, actress Anna May Wong, and the film in its entirety. In addition to all sorts of screenings there are many events and after-parties as well. I studied Anna May Wong in college and went to a screening of her film “Toll of the Sea” at a theater in Silverlake in 2003. She is quite beautiful and it is soo interesting to see the scandalous typecasting of Asians in the films from that era. I will report back after the viewing.

The buzz in LA today is that the (SSMOA) Santa Monica Museum of Art presents “The Puppet Show” in its main gallery at the Bergamot Station. This show closes this Saturday, August 9th so head on over to check it out.

This image above is from the film “Puppet Conference 2003″ by Christian Jankowski. Along side this one, the gallery is showcasing puppet related art from 27 different artists internationally. Among the diverse presentations are film, video, 2D, 3D, sculpture, time based media and animation. I’m heading to go see it tomorrow for an exclusive Gen Art Collector’s Circle viewing. One of the many perks of being a member of Gen Art in LA. The cool thing about Bergamot Station, for those of you who don’t know, is that this space houses a number of art galleries in the same complex and is a historical space that used to be a trolley stop in 1875.  When you go to see the puppet show you can feel free to visit several other galleries too.

Santa Monica Museum of Art
Bergamot Station G1
2525 Michigan Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90404

310.586.6488
310.586.6487 fax
info@smmoa.org

Okay, so free to LOOK AT my dear…no false advertising here.

The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum (FIDM for those of you in the know) is presenting this special exhibit of television costumes through September 2.

The exhibit features  100  costumes from more than to dozen TV shows, many by award-winning designers such as the Emmy Award-winning fashion designer Bob Mackie, who designed the burgandy gown for actress Anjelica Huston that greets attendees at the entrance.

Bored? Wait! There’s crazy stuff too, and all has grazed the very naked (well I guess I can’t verify their commando status) bodies of some of your favorite celebs. For example, a stars-and-striped mermaid costume from “Pushing Daisies” and a gold $4,000 Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo from “Dirty Sey Money.”

And, like I said, admission is FREE!

The buzz in LA is the upcoming Watts Festival, Aug. 8-10. It’s a festival of all things Watts! This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Values for Next Year’s Generation.” Offhand, I can think of a ton of other places to have this festival that would better spin this festival in a positive light than Watts. In any case, there’s an Elder’s Village, an Art Exhibit, concerts (but only in Afro-Latin, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, and R&B. Those are your choices as per the musician sign-up sheet.), a fashion show, social services, a children’s village, concessions, and a film festival. Fun times are sure to be had by all.  

The buzz this week in LA is that the Skirball understands. It knows you’re strapped for cash, it’s taking the bus too.  And thus, it offers you free entertainment. Because they can’t afford anything either. Aw, heck, they’ll even give you a discount if you and all your buddies cram into the same car.

Baka Beyond starts it off on July 24, 8pm with the music of the Cameroonian Baks Forset people.  Jan Sebon and Kazak International are up next on July 31, 8pm with their LA debut performance that blends Haitian music, dance, and poetry. Daby Toure goes on Aug. 7 at 8pm, what with his birthright from the Toure Kunda of Mauritania and all.

And it goes on! Yair Dalal is on Aug. 14, 8pm, known for preserving the musical traditions of the Iraqi Jews.  Ahimsa does their US premier on Aug. 21 at 8pm, rife with captivating, daring, and technically mind-melding fusions of South Indian Carnatic music and jazz. Sexteto Roberto Rodrigues wraps it all up on Aug. 28, 8pm, with his NYC influenced Cuban and Jewish avant-gardeness. 

It’s all at the Skirball and it’s all free!  

To add to the post below about Glow. It was indeed lame. And suspiciously well marketed. Ah yes, the art, the music…..the public library-sponsored feel of it all. Here’s my story:

After months of being cooped up in school libraries, we get pumped about Glow, the free Santa Monica beach/block party with art and music and the promise of more crazy shenanigans like a fish parade. I get all dressed up as an anime schoolgirl assassin babydoll, we pound our 40s in the car while listening to a live piano bar show on the radio. We bounce happily and giddily to the pier, glowing with alcohol and the dogged determination that This IS Our Burning Man, as we can’t go this year.

We stumble along, cram our way onto the pier towards the music, and DANCE, GOSHDARNIT!! Thing is, about 50 million other people were on also crowded around the DJ. Surely there must be a dance party on the beach! So off we go.

Off in the distance, we see people spinning glowsticks. We run as fast as we can across the sand in our steel-toed boots towards our people. We arrive in a cloud of sand just long enough to sling our not-quite-bored-but-getting-there derision on those amateurs, and we flit on off to the SWINGSET!!! The ROPES! The MONKEYBARS!  After we expend some energy and calm down a bit, we realize that no one else is dressed up. There are no burners. These are not our people. This is one lame free party and we definitely got our money’s worth.

We decide to go up to the Promenade because we heard there was punch and pie in the form of more art and music. The Promenade looked like any other Saturday night. Again, I was the only fool that dressed up. We made the most, we challenged an illiterate fire and brimstone heretic with a microphone, we danced with the dancing Jews, we saw…..the Fish Parade….

In sum, it was Burning Man if no one participated. If no one was on acid back in 1997. If no one was on psychedelics every year thereafter. If your mom’s book club of 20,000 decided to go. If there were rules. If there were inhibitions. Granted, it was a city block party, but for Zeus’ sake, let’s not invite Santa Monica again. 

The Buzz in LA today is certainly glow.

A project of the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation. This multi-location all night event in Santa Monica promised big, and delivered huge crowds. It was free to the public and included music, dancing, art installations, video installations.

Although the event failed to deliver the goods it promised– at least for the early crowd before midnight– it’s a strong concept that resonated. Very large turnout of angelinos with a few strong hits:

1. Video projected on huge water spray
2. Digital shadow puppets (user participatory)
3. TagTool (MOST awesome)
4. KCRW DJ’s on the pier

We think it’s got serious legs, great potential, and just needs bigger vision for the various artpieces so it’s consistent with the scale of the event. That’s going to take some bigger budget for sure.