Friday's Musical Kaleidoscope, August 23, 2013

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LATE BREAKING NEWS...
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Added after today's edition was published...
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LINDA RONSTADT revealed today that she has Parkinson's Disease. She discussed it in an interview with AARP, revealing she now "travels with a wheelchair" and uses poles "to get around." The diagnosis came long after the symptoms became evident, she said.
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She "knew something was wrong" when she "couldn't sing," she said.
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NBC broke the story. You can read it at:
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http://m.nbcnews.com/entertainment/linda-ronstadt-i-have-parkinsons-disease-8C10990756
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We join millions of others in wishing her the very best, and we wish that eight years of stem cell research had not been lost to stupid, acrimonious politics.
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Here's the edition as originally published.
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The BIG weekend edition – a full and long-range edition – is almost ready for the press. But why make anyone wait for FRIDAY NIGHT’s events? So, here is a Friday-only edition, chockfull of tonight’s temptations. We really will have the whole weekend for you in a short while.
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We have included this weekend’s FESTIVALS in this edition. They include the first-ever CALIFORNIA CELTIC CLASSIC festival with music, those bizarre, strenuous heavy athletics of the “Highland Games,” food of the British Isles and Ireland, and more; Pacific Symphony’s “Dark Side of the Moon” Pink Floyd festival, with BONNIE RAITT and notable others performing; the FREE “FIESTA LA BALLONA” in Culver City; and a whoooole lot more! Let’s get started…
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In this edition of the Acoustic Americana Music Guide...
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♪ THIS Weekend’s Festivals
♪ Friday's LIVE MUSIC
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♪ THIS Weekend’s Festivals (there’s a BUNCH of ’em!)
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Fri-Sun, Aug 23-25,
FREE FESTIVAL,
in Culver City:
Annual “FIESTA LA BALLONA” in Veterans Park, 4117 Overland Av, Culver City 90230.
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This free festival has quite a variety of live music performances, and all kinds of things for families and kids.
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Friday evening brings:
♪ JUMPIN’ JOZ BAND with swing, jump, jazz and early rhythm and blues (4:30 pm).
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Saturday:.
♪ MARIACHI VOCES DE MEXICO play at Noon.
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Sunday, the best music day, brings:
♪ RICARDO LEMVO & MAKINA LOCA.
♪ KATIA MORAES & PURE SAMBA.
♪ LISA HALEY & THE ZYDEKATS (Grammy nominees, based here, who play the whoooole world).
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FREE festival.
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Sat & Sun, Aug 24 & 25,
FESTIVAL,
in OC (Dana Point):
10 am-8 pm The First-Ever "CALIFORNIA CELTIC CLASSIC" includes a Celtic Music Festival, exciting Highland Games, Strong Man Competitions, and more, at Sea Terrace Community Park, Dana Point 92629; www.calcelticclassic.com
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Presented by EventWerks, The City of Dana Point, and World Champion Scottish Athlete Francis Brebner. Their intention is "to put together one of the most exciting [events of its kind] ever produced," with "World Class Competitions, Great Music and Celtic Culture." They’re certainly attempting it on a grand scale.
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Celtic Music & Dance includes:
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♪ Kris Colt & the Black Rose Band
♪ Highland Way
♪ Brick Top Blaggers
♪ Anita & the Yanks
♪ The Ploughboys
♪ Those Manning Bhoys (on Sunday Only)
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There are "Value Packed Family Prices" available on their website.
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Adult admission, either Sat or Sun, is only $10 if you buy in advance, online; at the gate, $15.
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Tix and more info at www.calcelticclassic.com
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Thu-Sun, Aug 22-25,
FESTIVAL,
in OC (Costa Mesa):
Times vary  “WAVELENGTH FESTIVAL OF MUSIC” brings performances by
♪ BONNIE RAITT
♪ THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
♪ PACIFIC SYMPHONY
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Performing the music of PINK FLOYD: “THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON,” played live in its entirety with Pacific Symphony (with KCRW’s Jason Bentley announcing), at the OC Fair & Event Center at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (the former Pacific Amphitheatre) in Costa Mesa.
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Over four summer evenings, "Wavelength" features a diverse array of contemporary musicians, in most cases performing with members of the PACIFIC SYMPHONY. It’s a key part the symphony’s 35th anniversary season initiatives, and described as “the launch of a new musical endeavor.” Get tix promptly.
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Info & tix, www.pacificsymphony.org
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Thu-Sun, Aug 22-25,
FESTIVAL,
in downtown L.A.:
Annual “LOS ANGELES FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL” in front of Walt Disney Concert Hall is the Third Edition of Los Angeles' ultimate food and wine event. More than 100 celebrity chefs from around the Country, including Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, Michael Chiarello, Michael Mina, Rick Bayless, take part, and more than 200 wines from around the world are available during the four-day extravaganza. Music is included. Info at 855-433-LAFW(5239) or www.musiccenter.org
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Daily, Jun 28-Sep 1, 
FESTIVAL, 
in Laguna Beach:
47th Annual "SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL" at the spacious, art-filled permanent festival grounds, 935 Laguna Cyn Rd, Laguna Beach 92651; 949-494-3030; www.sawdustartfestival.org 
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There's music each day on several stages, including acoustic and often, Folk-Americana. 
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Sawdust is operated by a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting the art created in Laguna Beach. Visitors are invited to shop along sawdust-covered paths through a handcrafted village of fine arts and superb craftsmanship.
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Full summer schedule, including who's-on-what-stage, at what time, at http://sawdustartfestival.org/entertainment-schedule
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Friday, August 23, 2013
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Friday’s Sections:
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1) Note on Festivals happening this weekend.
2) Concerts, nightclub gigs, coffeehouses, showcases, etc.

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1) NOTE: there are some wonderful FESTIVALS
– some of late summer’s BEST –
this weekend, and these are profiled in their own
special section in this edition.
See “THIS WEEKEND’s FESTIVALS”
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2) FRIDAY’S CONCERTS, nightclub gigs, coffeehouses, showcases, etc.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Long Beach:
5:30 pm DAR STELLABOTTA & DAN McNAY play DiPiazza, 5205 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach 90804; 562-498-2461. This is the first of their multiple gigs tonight.

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Fri, Aug 23, in N San Diego Co (Carlsbad):
6-8 pm BIG TIME OPERATOR plays the last concert of the 2013 season in Calavera Hills Park, 2997 Glasgow Dr, Carlsbad 92010.
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This Big Band Swing group holds the series record with 13 previous concerts. Top notch players, and they’ll tell you it’s THEIR favorite gig. It evokes the big band ballrooms, cheek-to-cheek dancing, and starry serenades.
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Fans arrive as early as 3 pm for picnics. Bring blankets, low chairs, your picnic, and your dancing shoes. Expect a packed crowd -- allow for traffic and parking time.
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More at www.dances.com
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Fri, Aug 23, in Monrovia:
6-10 pm Weekly "MONROVIA FAMILY FESTIVAL" always includes music on stages, in restaurants, and on street corners, most if it acoustic, plus carnival rides, kids activities, general hoopla, and the dulcimer-friendly "KATTYWOMPUS CONCERT / JAM" of trad / folk musicians at 8 pm at Dollmakers Kattywompus, 412 S Myrtle Av, Monrovia 91016; 626-357-1091.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Arcadia:
7 pm WRECK 'N' SOW play raucous bluegrassy music and more at Matt Denny’s Ale House 145 E. Huntington Dr, Arcadia 91006; 626-462-0250.

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Fri, Aug 23, in downtown L.A.:
7 pm DAR STELLABOTTA & DAN MCNAY play the Tribal Café, 1651 E Temple St, downtown Los Angeles 90012; 213-483-4458. The second of their gigs tonight.

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Fri, Aug 23, in SFV (Northridge):
7-10 pm “Friday night music showcase” at Pho-King Delicious, 9350 Corbin Av, Northridge 91324.
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♪ 7-7:45 pm -- Bryan Chan and Jimmy Eaton play the blues. Check ‘em out on You tube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcrIBv1ug4c and www.jimeatonmusic.com
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♪ 8-8:45 pm -- Jeff Winter is a singer-songwriter whose lyrics reflect a deep concern for political corruption, moral behavior, and the current state of the American social landscape.
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♪ 9-9:45 pm -- Piper Grey are two artists long known individually throughout Southern California's "Acoustic Underground" for their solo work. Both David Piper (who has released three albums on the Trough label, most recently “Lemonade Shoes” which debuted on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks” in 2005) and Earl Grey (whose “Lover's Ridge” album is widely regarded as one of the finest acoustic-rock CDs to emerge from L.A.'s acoustic music scene) have earned highly-regarded reputations in their own right.
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In 2006, David and Earl, who had always respected each others' music, began sitting in on the other's live performances. It didn't take long until something magical clicked. The combination of Piper's classic blues/folk guitar licks and playful sense of humor, and Grey's electrifying guitar wizardry and sixties-style lyricism and musicality - and the unbelievable beauty of their tenor voices singing in duet - literally made audiences stop what they were doing to listen. They've been playing solidly together ever since, and have been working on APPLES for nearly 18 months, carefully crafting each second of the record into an amazing work of American folk-pop. More at www.piper-grey.com
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Pho-King Delicious has a variety of noodle dishes, salads, spring rolls, soups and sandwiches. Of course it is known for its delicious pho. No cover.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Huntington Beach:
7 pm WIMBERLEY BLUEGRASS BAND plays the “Gospel Night” at Calvary Baptist Church, in the fellowship hall, behind the main sanctuary, 8281 Garfield Av, Huntington Beach 92646. The Wimberleys tell us, “It starts at 7 pm with a jam / sing-along of good old Christian gospel music, southern gospel songs, and hymns. At 8 pm, we will provide some great gospel bluegrass!”
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Info, call Dan Ward: 714-894-8201, or read online at www.cbchb.org
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More at www.wimberleybluegrassband.com
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Fri, Aug 23, in Tehachapi:
7 pm HOMESICK ELEPHANT plays Fiddlers Crossing, 206 East F St (at Robinson St), Tehachapi; 661-823-9994; www.fiddlerscrossing.org
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In a Google story in 2006, a homesick elephant named Ruby was about to "pack her trunk and move to Los Angeles." At the same time, Sara & Kevin Kelly had just moved from Philadelphia to L.A. where Kevin had a new job teaching composition in the music department of Los Angeles City College. When they saw the headline for Ruby's story, they knew that "Homesick Elephant" was the perfect name for their vocal act. Although accompanied mostly by a single guitar, the music of this husband and wife duo is not your usual folk fare. The original songs are quirky and whimsical, yet crafted with the skill of an accomplished composer and poet. (What to rhyme with Connecticut? Why, etiquette, of course!) Imagine Frank Zappa and the Beatles together on an Irish vaudeville stage! Homesick Elephant will bring that kind of slightly off-kilter magic to the Fiddlers Crossing stage Friday, August 23. This is a show the poets, in particular, won't want to miss.
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Tix $15; coffee and goodies included. Doors at 6:30 pm for the best seats. You can watch YouTube clips of Homesick Elephant and other Fiddlers Crossing performers on the venue’s website.
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Fri & Sat, Aug 23 & 24, & Aug 28-Sep 1,
LIVE THEATRE,
in Griffith Park (L.A.):
7-9:35 pm “As You Like It” is staged by the “Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival” at The Old Zoo at Griffith Park, near 4730 Crystal Spring Dr, Los Angeles 90027 (cross streets, Crystal Springs Dr / Los Feliz Blvd); 818-710-6306.
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Independent Shakespeare Co. returns with the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, celebrating 10 years of Free Shakespeare in the Park. In “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, directed by Cassandra Johnson, the question is posed, What would you do if you could break all the rules? One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies tells the story of a kingdom in disorder. Its rightful leader is banished, a young man is denied his due by his malevolent elder brother, and a woman is exiled from the place that has always been her home. All of their paths lead away from the painted pomp of the court into the heart of the forest of Arden. It’s a place where natural laws outweigh the laws of man and the force of love reigns supreme.
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It’s FREE admission, and kid-friendly. There is no seating at the site. Bring a blanket or low-backed chair. It is also very cool when the sun goes down. Dress warmly. There are light food services. It’s wheel chair accessible. More at www.iscla.org
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Fri, Aug 23, in Ventura:
7 pm SONGMAKERS monthly “BELL ARTS SONG CIRCLE” at Bell Arts Factory, 432 N Ventura Av, Ventura 93001. Info at www.songmakers.org

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Fri, Aug 23,
FILM SCREENING,
near UCLA:
7:30 pm “BOLSHOI BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET” at The Crest Westwood Theatre in Westwood is a “Ballet in Cinema Screening” of “One of the greatest of all love stories…and one of the most brilliant ballet scores ever written,” wrote the Moscow Times. It’s presented with fresh passion in Yuri Grigorovich’s version, which he originally staged in 1978 with his wife, prima ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova, as Juliet. Plays tonight only Info at www.musiccenter.org
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Fri, Aug 23, in San Diego:
7:30 pm BILLY JOE SHAVER plays the AMSD Concerts series at 4650 Mansfield St, San Diego 92116; 619-303-8176.

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Fri, Aug 23, in San Diego Co (Poway):
7:30 pm SIDE BET plays the “San Diego Folk Heritage” series at Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway 92064; 858-566-4040.
Presented by

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Fri, Aug 23, in Altadena:
8 pm BILL BERRY, CYNTHIA CARLE and GARY STOCKDALE are “COMING TOGETHER AND COMING APART: THE REMATCH,” at The Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; Reservations (by phone, only, 10 am-10 pm) 626-798-6236.
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After a SOLD-OUT show at the venue in May, these three quirky and unique songwriters reunite with a full band,and an entire evening of musical fun. Venue impresario Bob Stane says, “There'll be a lot of laughs, but as we warned last time: They can just as easily spin a tale that will tear at your heartstrings. Since that last appearance,Cynthia has become the star of LA's acclaimed TOP TUNE show,she and Gary have played The Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas (a convention of scientists,skeptics,and free-thinkers from around the globe),and Bill has just finished scoring a new web series. Gary is an Emmy-nominated songwriter and composer,Bill has composed for films and television,and Cynthia has earned national acclaim for songwriting, screenwriting AND choreography! (As before,Bill and Gary are still not planning to engage in terpsichore. But,anything can happen.)”
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Cynthia Carle was nominated for an LA Weekly award for her choreography on the hit “Re-Animator the Musical.” Screenwriter of “The Sixth Man” and “You Wish,” actor on and off-Broadway and in Louis Malle's “Alamo Bay” opposite Ed Harris, she performs her whip-smart songs all over Los Angeles. More at www.cynthiacarlemusic.com
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How cool is it that Bill Berry appears as “The Transit TV Music Man” on video screens on Metro buses all over the county? His new musical “Monkey Mind” premieres in September, he just produced the music for the series "Funtastix!" and ABC's "Sons and Daughters", and he’s recording a new album of original songs. More at www.Billberrymusic.com
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Gary Stockdale is an Emmy-nominated songwriter and TV composer, most recently for “Penn & Teller: BULLSH*T” on Showtime. His musical “Bukowsical,” written with Spencer Green, won the 2007 NY Fringe Festival, and just finished playing to rave reviews at the New Line Theatre in St. Louis. More at HYPERLINK "http://www.garystockdale.com" www.garystockdale.com
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Tix, $15.
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Fri & Sat, Aug 23 & 24, in Hollywood:
8 pm KRISTIN CHENOWETH plays the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave , Los Angeles , 90068.
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It's an orchestra-backed performance by the the Emmy- and Tony-winning actress and recording artist, joined by the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic. The acclaimed star performs from her Broadway, television and film successes ("Wicked," "Glee," "Les Misérables"), plus some of her personal favorites, including some time-honored greats and entertaining surprises.
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Don't dawdle with your ticket purchase: www.hollywoodbowl.com
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Fri, Aug 23; Wed-Sat, Aug 21-24; and Aug 27, in Pasadena:
8-9:30 pm "CITIZEN TWAIN," the stage show with VAL KILMER as Mark Twain, at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S El Molino, Pasadena 91203; tix, 626-356-7529;
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Tix, $30-$75.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Arcadia:
8 pm BB CHUNGKING and THE BUDDAHEADS play the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia. We are told they will perform the song "No Blues Today" and premier a new song, "Jump in your Fire."
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Reasonable cover, full bar, good food with generous portions. But take earplugs. Seriously.
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Fri, Aug 23, in SFV (Chatsworth):
8 pm JIMI NELSON plays the Cowboy Palace, 21635 Devonshire St, Chatsworth; 818-341-0166. This is L.A.’s last real honky-tonk, with dancing to live music every night, a full bar, and no cover. It’s lots of fun.
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Fri, Aug 23, in downtown L.A.:
8 pm “Loca, Child of the Moon,” the Bilingual Foundation's Flamenco opera, is the first of two offerings for the final weekend of the summer’s “GRAND PERFORMANCES at CALIFORNIA PLAZA” series, atop Bunker Hill at the California Plaza Water Court Stage, 350 S Grand Av, Los Angeles 90071; 213-687-2020.
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Consistently rated #1 nightlife on Yelp and hailed as "Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series" by Los Angeles Magazine, Grand Performances presents high-quality music and more in the heart of Downtown – except this year has been mostly “out there” world music, so The Guide has had no reason to report on it. The series’ final weekend concludes Saturday with the cerebral virtuosic sounds of Fared Shafinury (Sat, Aug 24, 8pm). Free.
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Fri, Aug 23, in L.A.:
8 pm TALAVYA plays one of the summer’s final shows at the Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, in MacArthur Park, 2230 W 6th St (at Park View), Los Angeles 90057; 213-384-5701.
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Bring a beach chair or blanket and a picnic dinner (no alcohol) or buy food from on-site vendors. You can ride the Red Line subway to MacArthur Park Station and you’re right there. Free concert.

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Fri, Aug 23, in Pasadena:
8 pm LOCURA plays one of the summer’s final shows at the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena, in Memorial Park, 85 E Holly St (on Raymond between Walnut & Holly), Old Pasadena 91103; 626-683-3230.
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Bring a beach chair or blanket and a picnic dinner (no alcohol) or buy food from on-site vendors. You can ride the Gold Line light rail to Memorial Park Station and you’re right there. Free concert.

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Fri, Aug 24,
Concert & Screening,
in Hollywood:
8:30 pm Musical documentary, "HECHO EN MEXICO," preceded by a live musical performance, for Director Duncan Bridgeman’s newest project screening in a special world premiere of the director’s cut for the "REEL LIVE MUSIC" series at the John Anson Ford Theatres (aka Ford Amphitheatre), 2580 Cahuenga Bl East, Hollywood 90068; 323-461-3673; www.fordtheatres.org
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Presented by the Topanga Film Festival, the film takes you on a musical journey of Mexico while exploring the country's identity and diverse population. Interviews and performances are featured throughout, from some of Mexico's most iconic artists and musical luminaries, including Café Tacuba, Lila Downs and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
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In an evening that celebrates the cultural vibrancy of contemporary Mexico, a trio of special musical guests will also take the stage prior to the film screening. The live performances feature some of Mexico’s brightest talent including Gull, Grammy®-nominated Ximena Sariñana and Sergio Arau.
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Extra feature: "What does Mexican culture mean to you?" Capture it in a photo and you could win a trip for two to Mexico. Find out how on the venue's website.
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Tickets $25; $20 if purchased by Aug 16. Students: $18, children $15. VIP tix, $50, includes premium seating, pre-show reception, and post-show meet & greet.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Venice:
9 pm REBECCA PIDGEON plays Witzend, 1717 Lincoln Bl, Venice 90291; 310-305-4792.
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Fri, Aug 23, in Echo Park:
9 pm Honky Tonk king MIKE STINSON returns to L.A., joined by DAN JANISCH, to play a full-band show at The Echo, 1822 Sunset Bl (just E of the Glendale Bl underpass), Echo Park 90026; 213-413-8200; www.theecho.com/event/338755-mike-stinson-los-angeles
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We’ve been fans of his for ’purt near a decade. Mike Stinson and his Texas band say they are glad to be getting back to L.A. in support of his new record, “Hell and Half of Georgia.”
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Three years ago, Mike Stinson took a big chance. After clawing his way to the top of the country music club scene in Los Angeles where he was described by Billboard Magazine as the king of the neo-honky-tonkers, Stinson, who wrote Dwight Yoakam’s stellar “Late Great Golden State,” packed a U-Haul, chucked his place in the West Coast pecking order, and moved to Texas to start fresh.
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And Texas certainly had an effect on the cerebral Virginian who called L.A. home for 18 years. He fell in love with the space, the torrential rains, and the laid back feel of his new home, Houston. With two stellar, critically praised albums of hardcore honky-tonk and “barnyard rock and roll” in his LA past, immediately upon arrival in Texas he dropped The Jukebox In Your Heart, recorded with Jesse Dayton and his band at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studios. “No One To Drink With” from the album was voted “Best Song of the Year” by the Houston Press in 2010.
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But while these tunes certainly received a Texas treatment under Dayton’s guidance, these were songs written prior to the Texas move. Stinson’s already-completed next album, Hell and Half of Georgia, is a mixture of muscular Joe Ely-ish roadhouse bruisers and sawdust-floor tonkers mostly written since relocating. And with noted roots producer R.S. “The Ionizer” Field commanding the ship, Stinson completed the best sounding, most hook-filled album of his career.
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A rare voice in this cluttered world of country pop and banjos-for-the-sake-of-banjos alternative country, Stinson has set the bar as high it goes with the monumental “This Year.” One listen to this gripping song establishes that Stinson’s pen is as sharp as any. Stinson is the king of broken hearts, and with “This Year,“ he captures the torment of love like few can. He also shows his cleverness by turning his problems with punctuality into a scorching Bob Dylan-ish burner called “Late For My Funeral.”
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Anyone who knows Stinson knows he’s a stubborn cuss, and he lets his attitude roam with loose rein on radio-friendly head-bobber “May Have To Do It” with its slightly dangerous warning: “May have to do it, don’t have to like it.” Suffice to say the witty troubadour has had some day jobs in his past he’d just as soon forget. He also works in the Dylan-ish verse, “Aunt Jemima said that Uncle Sam wants to send me to Afghanistan / He‘ll bring me home with a family plan and I hope you don‘t mind the sand.”
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Fact of the matter is, “Hell and Half of Georgia” elevates Stinson’s game to new heights. And with his crack road band, he remains one of the only bands on the circuit who can do a four-hour two-step honky-tonk gig one night and do an hour-and-a-half rock showcase the next without a change of expression.
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It’s no wonder longtime Los Angeles writers like Robert Hilburn and Chris Morris flipped for Stinson’s legitimacy, his “realness,” his utter sincerity, and his ruthless pursuit of his art. Texas writers like the Houston Press’s music editor Chris Gray did too: “Mike Stinson moved here as the pen inside Dwight Yoakam’s “The Late Great Golden State” and soon gave Houston its best honky-tonk album of the young decade, The Jukebox In Your Heart. A wounded warrior-poet like Bruce Springsteen (“Atlantic City” is a set highlight), Stinson has recorded an as-yet-unreleased follow-up that steps on the gas and lets the heartaches fly.”
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“The leader of one of the hardest working bands around, Stinson is winning fans one stellar song and one barn-burning show at a time.” – Kim Grant. Producer, Grand Ole Echo series.
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What other critics say:
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"Country music is at a bit of a crossroads these days. You have the CMA iteration and the purists who complain it’s too pop, you have “Accidental Racist” and that whole conversation, you have Taylor Swift and whatever genre-lines she’s crossing, and you have singer-songwriters and Americana still tangentially related to the label. But then you have the honky-tonk variety country, the kind of music that no one, nowhere, will argue is anything but country. And in the honky-tonk world of southern California (and now, Texas), Mike Stinson is king." -- American Songwriter.
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"Mike Stinson’s outlaw honky-tonk music bristles with the sidearm-carrying immodesty of Billy Joe Shaver and the trailer-park poeticism of John Prine. But Stinson’s broken heart doesn’t slump in a deep depression; it rides on to the endless possibilities of the road ahead, eliciting sanguine statements like “Heaven is a beer joint and a South Texas song… With one foot in the shadows of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard and the other in the neo-Texas currency of guys like Mike Zito, Stinson’s music deals with life after last call." -- Elmore Magazine.
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"This follow-up, produced by R.S. Field, is heavier on rock and blues bar sounds, with organ, electric guitar (courtesy of Lance Smith and Dave Gonzalez) and backing vocalist that give the arrangements a kick. The hoarse edge in Stinson's voice turns into an appealing husk in this milieu, and his sung-spoken delivery is nicely framed by the hotter settings… Houston's clearly lit a new fire in Stinson's music, and R.S. Field turns out to be the right man to get it on tape." — Hyperbolium.
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"(Mike Stinson's) new album is so sweeping and sky high that it should be the one to wake up the world about the musician's true talents. Because when it comes to songwriters, right now Stinson has few peers. He has taken country and rock and boiled them down to their essence before injecting everything with the kind of ju-ju that Gram Parsons died for, except Stinson is the stone cold real deal and would never need the Rolling Stones for street cred. Hell, he doesn't need anybody because at the end of it all he's got it all." -- Bentley's Bandstand.
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More at www.mikestinson.net
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Show is 21+.
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Tix, $10 at the door; in advance at: www.ticketf.ly/15aqlhY
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Direct to the current editions /
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Contents copyright © 2013,
Lawrence Wines & Tied to the Tracks.
All rights reserved.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. We’re on it.
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