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Event listings in this edition are OBSOLETE as of February 21st. See the new edition for all the updates.
UPDATED Thursday, Feb 20, noonish.
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Whether you need to meet obligations of keeping a sweetie thinking you're wonderful, or you're fortunate enough to be on a great "get acquainted" date, we've gotcha covered.
News is first (non-annoying news), feature stories next, plus a dip into today (Thursday) in history, then a rich catalog of the Guide's select events, and finally, our recommendations for the best continuing events (before they get away without you going).
'Nuff said. Let's get started!
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Before we get to the music news...
Quickie news roundup of the larger world
from the Guide's editor
A victory for the planet...
New CEO of oil giant BP, Bernard Looney, announced Tuesday that his company is terminating searches for new oil to extract, and will instead move into development of green and sustainable energy.
Environmental activists and fighters against climate change see it as their greatest victory to date over Big Oil.
But what about greedy capitalist backlash? Well, this morning, BP stock is up, while intransigent extractor Exxon stock is down.
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Getting screwed by more bloated overconsolidation...
This week a federal judge removed the last barrier to the merger of telecom giants T-Mobile and Sprint. That means consumer choice takes it in the shorts yet again.
Jobs will be lost, but even with lower overhead of a smaller work force (and fewer ways to respond to customers), cell phone rates WILL GO UP. That's because corporacratic investors always demand higher rates from noncompetitive environments, AND they always pay themselves back for legal and other costs they incurred while manipulating the system to overcome obstacles to their monopolization of EVERYTHING.
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Bernie wins New Hampshire... what now?
Late night host James Cordon speaks for many when he says, "It's finally begun. New Hampshire has been decided, and that kicks-off the election. Except it feels like the campaign has already been going-on for six hundred years!"
Independent progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Granite State (getting 25.9% of the vote, and 9 delegates, on a crowded ballot). Bernie edged-out corporatist darlings Pete Buttigieg (24.4%, 9 delegates), the smalltown ex-mayor, and Amy Klobuchar (19.8%, 6 delegates) the senator from Minnesota who opposes "Medicare for all" and would keep the oligarchs of for-profit interests ruling health care and whether medical claims are denied to save corporations money.
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| Bernie Sanders shows resolve with his victory in the New Hampshire primary. Sanders is in the pole position for the Democratic nomination. Photo: Jesse Costa, WBUR |
Meanwhile, two early favorites finished far back, in distant 3rd and 4th places, respectively: progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren got only 9.3% (0 delegates) and corporatist ex-VP Joe Biden, whose entire pitch has been "I'm the most electable," attracted a measely 8.4% (0 delegates), following his goofy insult to a woman voter whom he called a "lying horse-faced pony soldier."
Billionaire businessman candidate Tom Steyer (0 delegates) finished with miniscule numbers, while his fellow billionaire, ex-NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg (0 delegates) sat this one out in favor of the multi-state Super Tuesday in three weeks. (That's when California votes, with the biggest haul of convention delegates of any state.) Both billionaires have the bucks to stay-in, so their tv ad blitzes have already arrived in California.
Whether it should surprise anyone in our media-hyped, celebrity-obsessed, metadata-branded, Rorschacted-predictive-analytics society, Bloomberg's $350 million dollars in tv ad spending (so far) are swiftly elevating him in the preference polls. Plus, he bought a rule change by donating to the Democratic National Committee, and that is expected to get him a podium in the next candidates' debate, before Super Tuesday.
But the blows dealt by little New Hampshire left a mark. The bulk of the oligarchy, terrified of being forced to pay taxes, will now channel all their negative money into fighting Bernie. That's instead of continuing to divide it between smearing both him and Warren.
Clearly they are abandoning Old Slow Joe, evidenced by his money drying-up. Instead, they're pouring money into Buttigieg's campaign -- and funding Klobuchar to keep her available as their relief pitcher. They need her in case people suddenly discover that (a) articulate Pete has no relevant experience, and (b) America's peculiar version of evangelical religionista Taliban -- who inscrutably love all-Ten-Commandmends-breaker-Trump -- will never, ever vote for a gay candidate. (Just to make sure "the base" gets that message and knows what to parrot, the fresh recipient of Trump's Presidential Medal of Freedom -- reprehensible hate-monger Rush Limbaugh -- is wasting no time with on-air homophobic rants aimed at Buttigieg.)
The predictable post-NH spates of throwing-in-the-towel have begun: businessman and "math guy" Andrew Yang and Sen. Michael Bennett (D, CO) both bowed-out Wednesday morning, and more will soon follow (usually, they drop-out early enough to hang onto some of their unspent campaign money, which they can then use for anything they want.)
We'll say it along with you: ALL of this is crazy -- IN ITS ENTIRETY -- because New Hampshire is TINY and its small population is uniformly as white as its snow.
On the GOPper side, Trump continues to gratify his "U-S-A, U-S-A"-grunting base of red hats by recklessly lying about literally everything and always appearing to be too powerful to care. And certainly never to apologize -- even for saying all American troops were "fine, but some had minor headaches" following a missile barrage that left over 100 of them with permanent brain injuries. He continues making himself "great again" by purging the palace of those who followed the law and testified. And Wednesday, he got his Justice Department to make a bid for getting his convicted crook henchman (and Monopoly game caricature buddy) Roger Stone, out of a long prison sentence.
If we had a dime for every time a political hack has said, "We've never been here before," we'd hop on a cruise ship with that money. Oh, wait -- they're all holding Coronavirus quarantined people, aren't they? But it just might be that we really haven't been in such crazily contentious times since the days of Nicollo Machiavelli.
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And now...
Time for La Musica, n'est-ce pas?
What scrambled language is that? Espiranto? No, the languages of Valentine's Day! An amalgam of the romance languages! The language of making beautiful music together!
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New music, out today...
CALLIE McCULLOUGH, Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter
⊙ Callie's new single, “After Midnight,” hits the cyber record racks today, February 13th
⊙ Her new ep (same title) arrives March 27th
NASHVILLE (February 13, 2020) – Nashville’s Callie McCullough, a modern singer-songwriter inspired by timeless bluegrass and old-school country music, has released the title track from her forthcoming "After Midnight" EP today, February 13.
The song also features musicians from Union Station and The Time Jumpers (personnel list below).
McCullough’s debut "After Midnight" EP — set for release on Friday, March 27 — delivers well-crafted Americana/Bluegrass-tinged tunes. The six-song collection features the lead single, “Five Dollar Pearls,” which The Bluegrass Situation made a spotlight pick, along with the second single, “Feathers,” which had Americana Highways saying: “With a fast paced Western upswell, ‘Feathers’ will have you riding horseback on the open range with a sorrowful breakup song. McCullough’s powerful vocal range will free you from your tethers as you rise aloft with her on After Midnight.”
Callie McCullough has chased her unique muse for years, making contemporary roots music that nods to the legends who came before her. It's a sound anchored by intimate ballads and McCullough's gorgeous voice, whose Alison Krauss-worthy tone and Dolly Parton-sized beauty stand in contrast to her dry humor and larger-than-life personality.
Emotional and eclectic, "After Midnight" — tracked in her adopted hometown of Nashville — also features first-class picking from members of the Grammy-winning bluegrass band Union Station and western-swing super-group The Time Jumpers. The result is a collaborative and intimate EP that laces McCullough's voice with touches of dobro, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and acoustic guitar, mixing the fresh energy of a rising star with the finesse of a hotshot backing band.
To bring those songs to life, McCullough turned to Nashville-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Dustin Olyan, who helped assemble a top-tier studio band whose members include:
⊙ Grammy-winning banjo/guitar player Ron Block
⊙ Upright bassist Barry Bales
⊙ Dobro player Brent Burke
⊙ Drummer Billy Thomas
⊙ Accordion and piano player Jeff Taylor
⊙ Celebrated fiddler Stuart Duncan
Recorded in iconic Nashville-area studios including the Tracking Room and the Sound Emporium (as well as Olyan's home studio, the Tone Distillery), "After Midnight" blends hushed, nocturnal soundscapes with traditional influences, contemporary twists, sharp songwriting, and the expressive singing of a front-woman who's truly found her own voice.
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New music, out tomorrow, previewed today...
The Reverend Shawn Amos, "Stranger Than Today"
⊙ New Video sneak peak today, announced release tomorrow
⊙ Debut album, "Blue Sky," recorded with THE BROTHERHOOD, releases April 17th
(This is gently percussion-driven Americana for those who appreciate pedal steel, with nice harmonica passages and a tasty bit of electric guitar. Good stuff! - ed.)
by Justin Schmidt
February 13, 2020 – Americana roots artist The Reverend Shawn Amos has shared a new video for his track "Stranger Than Today." The video is currently streaming via "American Songwriter" who writes, "After making the move from Los Angeles to Texas, Amos found himself with an abundance of freedom that he had not felt before as an artist. This new free-spirited way of life created a desire to explore his past while still pursuing his future." Amos will release his new album Blue Sky on April 17th.
Listen now (link): The Reverend Shawn Amos and The Brotherhood - "Stranger Than Today"
"Blue Sky" is The Reverend Shawn Amos' debut with the newly formed BROTHERHOOD band. The new album is a full-circle moment for the Rev, featuring a group of masterful musicians. They include:
⊙ drummer Brady Blade (Dave Matthews, Indigo Girls)
⊙ bassist Christopher Thomas (Norah Jones, Carly Simon, Macy Gray)
⊙ longtime Rev guitarist Chris “Doctor” Roberts
While his previous release, 2018’s politically-charged "Breaks It Down," reckoned with the calamity of our current society, this new album looks inward as the Rev explores his own identity and embraces his singer-songwriter past.
“On this album, I wanted to connect the dots between my current love of blues and my singer-songwriter past,” says The Rev. “When I first started recording blues material, I pulled up the bridge behind my Americana catalogue. Five years into this blues journey, I was ready to revisit that terrain, but in the end, I really believe that blues music is roots music. Making this album has allowed me to bring both sides of myself as a writer together.”
Amos recently performed at the "30A Songwriters Festival," where "American Songwriter" documented his powerhouse performance, writing, "The singer alternated between blues and R&B-drenched, harmonica-pumped originals, including tracks from the upcoming album, 'Blue Sky,' and nuggets like Bowie’s 'The Jean Genie,' reconstructed as a slow-burn blues, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 'I Put a Spell on You.' He certainly put a spell on that audience with moves including belting that tune, punctuated by harp wails from a pub-height chair, his hat nearly hitting the canoe dangling from the ceiling."
"Blue Sky" marks a major step forward for The Reverend Shawn Amos, both sonically and personally. With a recent move to Texas from his hometown of Los Angeles, he found himself immersed in a world wildly-different from his own, yet still somehow familiar. Surrounded by a variety of new sounds and genres, the Rev injects his bluesy, gritty sound with a revitalized creative energy while embracing a newfound sense of home.
"Glide" magazine described the new album’s debut track “Counting Down The Days” as, “a blackened riff howl of workmanship blues and Texas boogie that never surrenders,” while "Elmore" said, “this material showcases Shawn Amos’s songwriting like no previous Rev outing, alternately furious, vulnerable; crazy, forlorn and tender.”
The Rev is also embracing collaboration in a new way – unlike past Shawn Amos collaborations, THE BROTHERHOOD is in it for the long haul. More than a band, they have become a tight-knit group of brothers, who provide critical emotional and spiritual support as the Rev reckons with loss, dislocation, reinvention, and his own lifelong journey in understanding his blackness. “I sound free, because I’m as free as I’ve ever been as an artist,” explains the Rev. “I’m around people who make me feel safe, people I can lean on emotionally. It’s very much a collaborative experience...I couldn’t imagine making this music with people who are not friends.”
Shawn Amos has been featured on NPR Weekend Edition and ABC News, with accolades from Relix, Purevolume, Elmore and more.
Prior to emerging as "the Reverend" in 2013, he made a name for himself in the industry:
⊙ as the producer of "Solomon Burke’s Live in Nashville," and the Shout! Factory box set "Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones";
⊙ as a content creator for companies looking for ways to tell their stories on the internet;
⊙ and, as an Americana singer-songwriter who’d grown up in a dramatically dysfunctional L.A. home, a story the Rev details in his serialized “Cookies & Milk” feature with The Huffington Post.
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood will tour through 2020 in support of the new release. Dates, cities, and venues, coming soon.
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Music + Arts + Culture (link story): Black History Month...
The power of a song in a strange land
Note...
This is a must-read for our readership, whether or not "Black History Month" is invoked. It appears today in "The Conversation" as "Singing to survive in a strange land," which really is s better title than the original, above.
The Conversation's Kalapa Jain, their senior religion and ethics author, wrote this fine synopsis:
"The lives of slaves in early America were characterized by loss, terror and abuse. Enslaved people sang out their sorrows as their hope for a better life – a musical genre that came to be known as the Negro spiritual.
"The University of Dayton’s Donna M. Cox sang the songs of her ancestors in the small churches in Virginia and North Carolina during her childhood. Now her scholarship is centered on explaining the power of spirituals. They 'are not songs of anger,' she writes, 'but of survival' that convey the 'abiding faith' of enslaved people in the 'ultimate triumph of good over systemic evil.'"
Here's the full piece.
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by Rev. Dr. Donna M. Cox, University of Dayton
Spirituals were created out of the experience of enslaved people in the US. They weren't songs of anger – but of an abiding belief in the victory of good over evil.
From the moment of capture, through the treacherous middle passage, after the final sale and throughout life in North America, the experience of enslaved Africans who first arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, some 400 years ago, was characterized by loss, terror and abuse.
The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 made it illegal to buy and sell people in British colonies, but in the independent United States slavery remained a prominent – and legal – practice until December 1865. From this tragic backdrop one of the most poignant American musical genres, the Negro spiritual, was birthed.
Sometimes called slave songs, jubilees and sorrow songs, spirituals were created out of, and spoke directly to, the black experience in America prior to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, that declared all slaves free.
West African roots
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| A studio group portrait of the Fisk University Jubilee singers. James Wallace Black/American Missionary Association |
Spirituals have been a part of my life from childhood. In small churches in Virginia and North Carolina, we sang the songs of our ancestors, drawing strength and hope. I went on to study, perform and teach the spiritual for over 40 years to people across the U.S. and in various parts of the world.
Despite attempts, white slave-owners could not strip Africans of their culture. Even with a new language, English, and without familiar instruments, the enslaved people turned the peculiarities of African musical expressions into the African American sound.
Rhythms were complex and marked by syncopation, an accent on the weak beat. Call-and-response, a technique rooted in sub-Saharan West African culture, was frequently employed in spirituals. Call-and-response is very much like a conversation – the leader makes a statement or asks a question and others answer or expound.
An example of this is the spiritual, Certainly Lord. The leader excitedly queries, “Have you got good religion?” and others jubilantly respond, “Certainly, Lord.” Using repetition and improvisation, the conversation continues to build until everyone exclaims, “certainly, certainly, certainly, Lord!”
In Africa, drums were used to communicate from village to village because they could be used to mimic the inflection of voices.
As early as 1739 in the British colonies, drums were prohibited by law and characterized as weapons in an attempt to prevent slaves from building community and inciting rebellion.
As a result, enslaved people “played” drum patterns on the body. Hands clapped, feet stomped, bodies swayed and mouths provided sophisticated rhythmic patterns. This can be observed in Hambone, an example of improvised body music.
Oral tradition
Some spirituals were derived from African melodies. Others were “new,” freely composed songs with a melodic phrase borrowed from here and a rhythmic pattern from there – all combined to create an highly improvised form.
The spiritual was deeply rooted in the oral tradition and often created spontaneously, one person starting a tune and another joining until a new song was added to the community repertoire. The sophisticated result was beautifully described in 1862 by Philadelphia musicologist and piano teacher Lucy McKim Garrison.
“It is difficult to express the entire character of these negro ballads by mere musical notes and signs,” she said. “The odd turns made in the throat; the curious rhythmic effect produced by single voices chiming in at different irregular intervals, seem almost as impossible to place on score.”
Textually, the spiritual drew from the Hebrew-Christian Bible, particularly the Old Testament, with its stories of deliverance and liberation. Songs like “Go Down Moses” direct the awaited deliverer to “go down” to Southern plantations and “tell ole Pharaoh” – the masters – to “let my people go.”
Songs of survival
For the slaves, the spiritual proved to be an ingenious tool used to counter senseless brutality and the denial of personhood. In order to survive emotionally, resilience was critical. In the spirituals, slaves sang out their struggle, weariness, loneliness, sorrow, hope and determination for a new and better life.
Yet these are not songs of anger. They are songs of survival that voice an unwavering belief in their own humanity and attest to an abiding faith in the ultimate triumph of good over systemic evil.
Interspersed within these seemingly hopeless texts are phrases that reflect the heart’s hope: the words “true believer” amid the acknowledgment that “sometimes I feel like a motherless child,” for example; and “glory, hallelujah” interjected after the text, “nobody knows the trouble I see.”
Songs declaring, “I’ve got a crown up in a dat kingdom. Ain’t a dat good news” proclaimed the certainty of a future hope totally unlike the day-to-day reality of enslavement.
People whose every movement was dictated audaciously declared, “I’ve got shoes. You’ve got shoes. All God’s children got shoes. When I get to heaven gonna put on my shoes, gonna walk all over God’s heaven.” In the same song they denounced the hypocrisy of the slaveholders’ religion: “Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t going there.”
Spirituals weren’t simply religious music. In his seminal work, “Narrative Of The Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave,” published in 1845, the abolitionist explains,
“they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains.”
The spirituals were also acts of rebellion. They were used to organize clandestine meetings, and announce activities of the Underground Railroad. For example, songs like “Great Camp Meeting,” were used to announce when secret gatherings were being planned.
The spiritual served as a mediator between the dissonance of oppression and the belief that there was “a bright side somewhere.”
Four hundred years after the birth of slavery, as the world still struggles with racial division, injustice and a sense of hopelessness, spirituals can teach how to build hope in the face of despair and challenge the status quo.
[ "The Conversation," where this piece originally appears today, thoughtfully covers a vast variety of interesting topics. You can sign-up at the link, FREE, for their daily newsletter. ]=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=
Pickin' and grinnin' for small fry...
NEW "Goodtime Jr." Banjos - First Look from Deering
We still haven't caught-up with all those NAMM product reviews, and along comes yet ANOTHER "somethin' new." But this one is new, right now, so we've put it at the head of the line.
The "Goodtime Jr." is a shorter scale version of Deering's universally famous "Goodtime" Openback sibling, making it a perfect beginner banjo for kids -- or players of smaller stature -- who, in the maker's words, "are looking to add a splash of fun to their playing!"
The iconic blonde maple aesthetic of the Goodtime banjos is accented in a choice of (get the artistic license of their paint shop) "Chevy Orange, Sinbad Purple or Seawater Teal appointments," which include the tension hoop, tailpiece and coordinator rod, as well as "beautiful matching fret marker inlays."
The Spring Valley, CA-based instrument maker is successful for a bunch of reasons. Mostly because they build good stuff down there in San Diego County.
You can read their whole pitch here for the new Lilliputianish line.
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The importance of being Ernest...
"Saving the Republic" getting airplay
Ernest checked-in this morning to report, "I'm very excited that my song 'Saving the Republic' will be included in Robert Sherman's February 23rd broadcast of his show, 'Woody's Children,' on WFUV. Robert puts great care into programing his show, and I'm honored to be part of it. This show has been airing since 1969 and has an international audience."
Listen to "Saving the Republic" by Ernest Troost, here.
You can read about Robert Sherman and his venerable radio show, here.
In the New York City area, the show streams live 4-5 pm (that's 1-2 pm Pacific), on Sunday, February 23, on WFUV, and you can get it live, here.
It'll be archived for two weeks, and you stream that when the time comes, or the two most recent shows anytime, from the WFUV website, here.
And you thought the spirit of Woody Guthrie was only alive on "FolkScene."
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Best tv series reruns...
"American Ride"
It's not just the delightful acoustic blues soundtrack, or the occasional roots-Americana string picking. "American Ride" is a thoroughly enjoyable, often emotionally moving, very up-close-and-personal exploration of America by burly biker Stan Ellsworth on his Harley.
It's on five days a week, at a ridiculously early hour, BYU TV. That's the award-winning college station from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But the show isn't "some Mormon thing."
It ran ten seasons, and in his opening montage for some of those, Stan proclaims, "This ain't your high school history class. THIS is American Ride."
Thing is, Stan taught high school history, and took an unconventional approach. The enthusiasm of his students eventually led to him "putting a leg over" and taking his viewers out on the highway to discover the people, places, and events that got us where we are -- for good and bad.
Even historians report they learn something they didn't know when they watch Stan.
This week and next are the season Stan did on the Civil War and Reconstruction, in detail, scheduled to coincide with Black History Month. But you could watch these episodes in any season and they'll make you cry. It's very different from Ken Burns, but just as good. Check it out.
And if you just can't handle the early hour or don't get the channel, you can download the BYU-TV app and watch on-demand, at:
https://www.byutv.org/apps
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MUSIC, ARTS, WORLD EVENTS
Today is Thursday, February 13, 2020.
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"The crucial disadvantage of aggression, competitiveness, and skepticism as national characteristics is that these qualities cannot be turned off at five o'clock."
~ Margaret Halsey, novelist (born Feb 13, 1910, died 1997)
(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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On this day...
Music copyrights...
ASCAP -- the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers -- was established in New York City to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members, on this day in 1914.
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Lucy in the sky with...
Today in 2004, forty-three years after the BEATLES broke-up, the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
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Science deniers...
Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome today for his trial before the Inquisition of science-denying religionista judges. That was in 1633, but some things don't change.
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"Trial of the Century"...
A jury in Flemington, New Jersey found Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, on this day in 1935. It was the second in a string of sensationalized court trials during the 20th century that was brestglessky dubbed as "The trial of the century!," finally ending with the O.J. trial. But anyone who knows a damn thing about history knows the only REAL trial of the 20th century was the series of Nazi war crimes trials in Nuremberg.
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Wars and rumors of wars
Today in 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama proclaimed Tibetan independence. That followed a period of domination by the Manchu Qing dynasty. It initiated a period of almost four decades of independence, until the Red Chinese invaded and annexed the entire nation as a part of China, and that's still how things stand.
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WWII...
Today in 1945, flying from the Western Front, Royal Air Force bombers by night, followed by US Army Air Force bombers by day, were sent in massed aerial armadas to completely destroy the city of Dresden, Germany with a massive bombardment of incendiary bombs that killed nearly the entire population. For some reason, it is rarely compared to the two atomic bombings of Japan. It should be.
Simultaneously today on the Eastern Front, the siege of Budapest concluded with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Soviet Red Army.
Despite being crushed from three sides (counting the Allied Italian Campaign in the South), Nazi Germany needlessly watched its civilian population be killed for nearly two more months. Or seen from another perspective, the Allied need to force Germany to surrender was relentlessly about giving no quarter -- which is why anyone at all survived the Nazi concentration camps.
Forty-five years later, to the day, in 1990, German reunification was assured by agreement on a two-stage plan to reunite the country that was divided by the victors at the end of WWII.
Korea...
Today in 1951, the Korean War Battle of Chipyong-ni began. It would be the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea.
Today in 2017, Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Gulf War...
Today in 1991, two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroyed the "Amiriyah shelter" in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military outpost, but over 400 civilians who were sheltering inside were killed.
Nukes...
Today in 1960, France became the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.
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Black History Month...
One hundred years ago today, The Negro National League was formed, to give black baseball players an avenue to professionally pursue careers in sports. The Negro Leagues would produce many stars who never played with or against white ballplayers, until the Dodgers hired Jackie Robinson and broke the "color barrier" in the 1950s.
Today in 1960, black college students staged the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three segregated drugstore lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Righting Native rights...
For the first time in well over 100 years, the Umatilla, a Native American Indian tribe, were able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park today in 2011. That restored a centuries-old tradition that had been guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
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Ancient alien hokum...
Today in 1961, an allegedly 500,000-year-old rock was "discovered" near Olancha, California, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug. Our editor comments, "Having done industrial archaeology around the tragically dried-up Owens Lake -- which had a surface area bigger than Lake Tahoe until L.A. stole all the water from Owen's Valley -- it is obvious to me that the spark plug was tossed into the potash mud of the lake as it was drying-up. Those minerals and a soup of salts can harden like rock as they dry. So the 500,000-year-old rock was more like 50 years old."
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DaVinci Code...
Today in 1967, American researchers discovered in the National Library of Spain the "Madrid Codices" written by Leonardo da Vinci. (Thosr are the REAL "DaVinci Codes.")
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Happy birthday today to...
Oddly enough, we found no musicians or artists born on this date.
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In memorium to departed musicians and artists born on this date...
Hugo Becker (1863-1941), German cellist and composer.
Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938), Polish-American pianist and composer.
Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), Russian opera singer.
Margaret Halsey (1910-1997), American novelist, supplier of today's quote.
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On to the Guide's select Events
What's going on out there (with fresh additions & updates)...
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Thursday
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"FELIX ART FAIR 2020" at the Hollywood Roosevelt, 7000 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood / Los Angeles CA 90028
* Runs Thu, 6 pm-8 pm; Fri, 11 am-8 pm; Sat, 11 am-8 pm; Sun, 11 am-4 pm.
* With 60 exhibitors, "Felix LA 2020" showcases a diverse selection, including galleries from China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
* This, its second year, features "a new, redesigned format throughout the hotel’s guest rooms for optimal access and client experience, while keeping the scale intimate and personal."
* Installations appear throughout the hallways, ballrooms, bungalows, and lobbies of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
* Experiences range from installations and paintings to video and performance and a unique installation by Luis Flores on the chandelier in the Hollywood Roosevelt lobby.
* TIX, $25, at www.felixfair.com
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Thu, Feb 13; FREE FILM SCREENING:
3 pm-5 pm & 6 pm-8 pm - "ECHO IN THE CANYON" (2018) the landmark music documentary, screens twice today in the "Thursday Films" series at Peninsula Center Library Community Room, 701 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates CA
* A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon, featuring the music of iconic groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas. It includes conversations with Michelle Phillips, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, Cat Power and Norah Jones, Lou Adler, Fiona Apple, The Beach Boys, and Beck. As the movie opens, we watch Tom Petty and Jacob Dylan talking guitar shop, and Richenbackers in particular. Directed by Andrew Slater.
* Palos Verdes Library District's Thursday Films is a series featuring a variety that includes world cinema (foreign-language films shown in their original language with English subtitles), mainstream and documentary films, "and everything in between" in the library's Community Room on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 3 pm & 6 pm. It's always free and open to the public, but seats are limited and first come, first served.
* More info, call 310-377-9584 ext. 601, or sign up for the FILM newsletter www.pvld.org/newsletters
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8 pm - MAVIS STAPLES plus SON LITTLE play the Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (formerly Valley Perfirming Arts Center st CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge CA 91330; 818-677-3000
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Thu, Feb 13:
8 pm - RAY BONNEVILLE plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* Ray Bonneville, touring in support of "At King Electric," his latest independently released album, has earned a raft of accolades, including a Juno Award for his 1999 album, "Gust of Wind," and the "International Folk Alliance’s" 2009 "Song of the Year Award" for his post-Katrina ode, "I Am the Big Easy." In 2012, he won the solo/duet category in the "Blues Foundation’s" "International Blues Challenge."
* He has guested on albums by Mary Gauthier, Gurf Morlix, Eliza Gilkyson, Ray Wylie Hubbard and other prominent artists, and shared songwriting credits with Tim O’Brien, Phil Roy and Morlix, among others. Slaid Cleaves placed Bonneville’s “Run Jolee Run” on his lauded 2009 album, "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away."
* Bonneville is "a poet of the demimonde who didn’t write his first song until his early 40s, some 20 years after he started performing."
* This blues-influenced, New Orleans-inspired “song and groove man” -- as he’s been so aptly described -- was born in Quebec, and his family moved to Boston when he was 12. His style draws comparisons to JJ Cale and Daniel Lanois.
* Celebrated keyboard & piano player Richie Lawrence, from LOOSE ACOUSTIC TRIO and I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. joins Ray tonight.
* TIX, $20.
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Thu-Sat, Feb 13-15; STAGE PLAYS:
8 pm - “LOVES ME/LOVES ME NOT” is a Valentine’s Day treat of five short plays centered around love, at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
* Two plays by Steven Korbar, two by Mark Henry Levine, and one by Little Fish company member Kathryn Farren.
* RUNS Thu, Fri, & Sat at 8 pm.
* TIX, all seats $20, plus $1 service fee, at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
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__________________
Friday
__________________
♡ Friday, February 14th -- Happy Valentine's Day ♡
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Three passages for Valentine's Day
First, "The Bard," William Shakespeare, from his Sonnet 116:
Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
_
Second, Khalil Gibran, from "The Prophet":
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, I am in the heart of God.'
And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
(Read Gibran's entire "Love Poem" from "The Prophet," here.
_
Third, poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning famously pursued a romantic correspondence -- one of the most epic in literary history.
One of Elizabeth's most famous poems ever is part of that, and was published in 1850:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
___
That creepy closing reference to death, just above? It gets to the crazy thing about Valentine's Day: It was named for an early Christian priest, St. Valentine, who was martyred on this day, February 14th, in 269 A.D. Kinda odd, but we get all warm and mushy because a guy was murdered on this day!
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles."
~ George Jean Nathan, author and editor (born Feb 14, 1882, died 1958)
That has immediate resonance: The UN has released an explosive report naming corporate interests that are making money by doing business in illegal settlements on stolen land. They include Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. These travel giants are making money from renting-out rooms for vacations and holidays on stolen land, and the money is going to the exploiters who got the land, NOT to the indigenous residents who had their land stolen from them. Global anticorporatist / social justice organization Avaaz (55-million-people strong) says, take a "moment to push corporations to stop profiting from stolen land." They have a petition to the heads of these corporations -- NEWLY OUT TODAY -- that you can sign and share now:
https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/free_palestine_22_control/?
(Avaaz is a 55-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. The word "Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages. Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages.)
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MUSIC TO HEAR, NEWLY OUT TODAY...
1) Today, Grammy-winning songwriter DAN WILSON continues his run of monthly single releases with "Superfan," his second song release of 2020:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FdNhMpdil6I&feature=youtu.be
2) THE DRYES, husband and wife country duo, music video out today for “Take You Dancin.’” Filmed at a local American Legion where the couple go every week for “Honky Tonk Tuesdays":
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=UYHhKas9l6Y
3) KERRY HART, acclaimed by Folk Alley, Forbes, The Bluegrass Situation, Atwood Magazine, and more, today releases her debut album "I Know A Gun." The album, which has already seen notable critical acclaim, has been met with enthusiastic fan response, with over 2 million streams on Youtube, and well past half a million streams on Spotify and Apple Music.
Today Hart, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, is also spotlighting her new track "Great Water" for fans. She describes the song as "a modern hymnal, a worship song to the water, to the sky, and to the Great Spirit. It's an offering of one's burden on to the alter of Spirit, a pledge of faith to a higher power, a wider perspective. Within it, a potent lamentation, and a prayerful willingness to receive absolution."
"Great Water":
https://youtu.be/pBPeESYkVks
"I Know A Gun":
https://fanlink.to/IKnowAGun
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HEART OF EARTH...
For Valentine's Day, this week's edition of the ESA (European Space Agency) "Earth from Space" program features a beautiful heart-shaped geographical formation in the dramatic landscape of the southern highlands of Bolivia. It's an image captured by a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite. Enjoy and share with your sweetie!
Oh, by the way... it was 25° below zero F this morning in International Falls, Minnesota, and it was 65° F above zero this week in Antarctica. (Evoking the ghost of Mr. Rogers: "Can you say Climate Change? I KNEW you could!")
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Happy Birthday today to...
Eric Andersen, American singer-songwriter, record producer, music influencer.
Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician.
Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter.
Maceo Parker, American saxophonist.
Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter.
Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter.
Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress.
Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter.
Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress.
Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer.
Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress.
Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress.
Asia Nitollano, American singer and dancer.
Terry Gross, American radio host and producer.
Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author, known as half of Woodward & Bernstein who pursued Watergate.
Michael Bloomberg, American billionaire businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City, currently spending more money than anyone in history trying to buy the Democratic Party nomination to run for president.
___
In memorium to these musicians and notable others born this date
Gregory Hines (1946-2003), American actor, singer, and dancer.
Tim Buckley (1947-1975), American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1859-1896) American engineer, inventor of the Ferris Wheel.
Jack Benny (1894-1974), American comedian, film actor, producer, tv pioneer, & musician who played violin very well, but pretended to be awful.
Thelma Ritter (1905-1969), American actress and singer.
John Barrymore (1882-1942), American actor.
Florence Henderson (1934-2016), American actress and singer who had major Broadway roles, but is remembered as mom to the Brady Bunch.
Magic Sam (1937-1969), American singer and guitarist.
Jessica Dragonette (1900-1980), American singer.
Julian Scott (1846-1901), American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient.
Sally Gray (1916-2006), English actress and singer.
Anna German (1936-1982), Polish singer.
Michael Costa (1808-1884), Italian-English conductor and composer.
Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (1679-1735), German organist and composer.
Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676), Italian composer.
Domenico Ferrabosco (1513-1573), Italian composer.
Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886), Union general, Civil War hero wonded stopping "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg, unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the US presidency.
___
Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
___
See Thursday for the Thu-Sun "FELIX ART FAIR 2020."
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Fri, Feb 14:
6 pm & 9 pm - "MY VINTAGE VALENTINE" dinner show aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* Bring the one you love aboard the Queen Mary this Valentine’s Day for an evening of romance and glamour.
* Burlesque beauties, French cancan dancers, and acrobats take you on a journey through a “four-course love story,” as you dine on a delectable meal in one of the Queen Mary’s historic salons. This tantalizing dinner show sells out every year, so get your tickets promptly.
* TIX, https://www.seetickets.us/event/My-Vintage-Valentine/404482
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Fri, Feb 14:
6 pm-11 pm - "BETTER TOGETHER VALENTINE'S POP UP" sponsored by Good Hands Market & Ace Hotel, at the Ace Hotel, 929 S Broadway, Los Angeles CA 90015
* We're not at all sure what you're getting into with this, musically. That said...
* Skip the box of chocolates and shop local. Ten vendors will be selling all things handmade and vintage at the Ace Hotel DTLA.
* Come for after dinner drinks and dancing while supporting L.A. crafy artisans and makers.
* Good Hands Market is a collective of working hands, teaming up to create a thriving community market and promote shared success. They host market parties where the community can explore small local brands.
* TIX: free event, but please RSVP through eventbrite, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/good-hands-market-ace-hotel-better-together-valentines-pop-up-tickets-90210689601
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Fri, Feb 14:
7:30 pm - STEPHEN MENDEL plus MERLIN & DEBBIE SNIDER play the " Fireside Concert" series at the Borchard Community Center, 190 N Reino Rd, Newbury Park CA
* STEPHEN MENDEL was born and raised in Montreal Canada and has lived for many years in Southern California. He came to California to pursue an acting career which he did for over 40 years working in film, television, on stage and lending his voice to thousands of projects including: tv and radio commercials, documentaries, audiobooks, video games, animation, educational and training films, and more.
* You may recognize him from his five-year stint as "Detective Fred Carson" on the CBS police drama, "Night Heat," or guest star roles on shows such as "Grey’s Anatomy," "Mad Men," "Criminal Minds," "NCIS," and many more.
* Stephen is joined tonight on guitar and vocals by AL JOHNSON, who has played lead guitar for such luminaries as Blood, Sweat & Tears, David Clayton Thomas, Hoyt Axton, and Minnie Ripperton, to name but a few.
* On bass and vocals is JODI FARRELL, who performs under her own name and is an award-winning teacher of voice, piano and guitar. Also joining Stephen tonight on cajon, guitar and vocals is ROCKY DALONZO (all the way from Ottawa, Canada). Rocky fronts two music acts, the Celtic group, Mariner’s Curse and the band, Smokey Joe and the Stogies.
* MERLIN & DEBBIE SNIDER is a folk singer-songwriter duet. They bring him as guitarist, born in Joliet, Illinois and raised in Southern California. His songs blend all sorts of American roots music from folk and blues to rock, gospel and jazz.
* Bob Stane of the Coffee Gallery Backstage said Merlin “does all the right things on stage and is the genuine article when it comes to wit and humor . . . In other words, he delivers the real goods."
* "Merlin Snider is a craftsman,” wrote Wildy’s World, “about as fine a songwriter and storyteller as you’re likely to find.”
* One listener wrote that “his spiritual consciousness and diversity are embedded in everything he writes. To attend one of his concerts is to spend an evening running the gamut of emotions. He makes us look at human comedy and human tragedy, confront the elephants in the room.”
* Merlin was a "Premiere Showcase Artist" at the "Folk Alliance Region West" 2009 Conference. His latest album, "One Light Many Windows," was the No. 2 Album on the "FOLK DJ" chart in April 2017.
* This series is hosted by Bob Kroll, and sponsored by the Conejo Recreation & Park District.
* Adults only - No Children admitted.
* TIX at the door.
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Fri-Sun, Feb 14-16 & Feb 21-23; MUSICAL:
7:30 pm - “THE WIZARD OF OZ,” performed by the Palos Verdes Performing Arts Conservatory in a student-cast production at the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Dr, Rolling Hills Estates CA
* RUNS two weekends: Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, through Sun, Feb 23.
* TIX, $15-$25 + facility fee; at 310-544-0403 or www.palosverdesperformingarts.com
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - THE HEALERS featuring JOHNNY MAIN, TOMMY ELFIF, HENRY CARVAJAL, JR LOZANO, MIKE HIGHTOWER, & CHEF DENIS, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, bring an evening of "some serious blues love with your Valentine," to the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - HAWKTAIL plays the famous concert hall in back of McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405; 310-828-4497
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - RAY BONNEVILLE plus RICHIE LAWRENCE play a house concert in Los Angeles; reservations get directions, at: colman@mightycheese.com
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY: "Let’s Fall in Love - An evening of the most gorgeous love songs falling on Valentine's Day," at the Moss Theater, 3131 Olympic Bl, Santa Monica CA 90404
* With Kevin Axt on bass and Mitch Forman on piano
* Voted by Broadwayworld.com as "Performer of the Year" and two years in a row as "Best Jazz Vocalist," Ann is born entertainer. Her unique singing style blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters, jazz clubs and recording studios, on television, and in film.
* Doors at 7 pm.
* TIX, $40-$50, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ann-hampton-callaway-live-at-moss-theater-tickets-90737872419
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Fri, Feb 14; Opening night; MUSICAL:
8 pm - "LAW AND ORDER: THE MUSICAL!" in its world premiere at Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood CA 90038.
* A parody in accordance with fair use law.
* This musical by Ilyse Mimoun and Jeremy Adelman spoofs the popular TV series.
* Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm. Ends March 15.
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - THE FOLK COLLECTION plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* These guys deliver the full catalog of '60s "folk revival" classics.
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - "BACH’s CIRCLE" presented by the SOUTH BAY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY features flautist Janice Tipton, oboist Allan Vogel, violinist Elizabeth Baker, bassoonist Julie Feves, cellist Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, and harpsichordist Patricia Mabee, performing in the Music Department Recital Hall at L.A. Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Pl, Wilmington CA
* In addition to works by J.S. Bach, pieces by Telemann, Fasch, and Vivaldi are in the program.
* Repeats Sunday at 3 pm in a different venue: the Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga, Rancho Palos Verdes CA
* FREE admission; FREE parking.
* More: www.sbcms.net
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Fri, Feb 14; Thu-Sat, Feb 13-15; STAGE PLAYS:
8 pm - “LOVES ME/LOVES ME NOT” is a Valentine’s Day treat of five short plays centered around love, at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
* Two plays by Steven Korbar, two by Mark Henry Levine, and one by Little Fish company member Kathryn Farren.
* RUNS Thu, Fri, & Sat at 8 pm.
* TIX, all seats $20, plus $1 service fee, at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
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Fri, Feb 12:
8:30 pm - LOVE ME IN THE DARK, a new Americana band, plays their debut album release concert for Valentine's Day, joined by THE GREENHORN BROTHERS and STUDEBAKER, at Corazón Performing Arts, 125 S Topanga Canyon Bl, Topanga CA 90290
* With Steve McCormick, Heather Donavon, Eric Lynn, Brian Chapman, Mario Calire, Ricky "RC" Cortes, and more.
* They have some special guests, too, including MARK JOSEPH of THE BIG WU.
* "The Bluegrass Situation" premiered their lyric video for their song, "Old Soul" on Feb 12th. Watch it here.
* TIX for tonight, $15-$20, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-me-in-the-dark-debut-album-release-greenhorn-brothers-studebaker-tickets-88547440779
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Fri, Feb 14:
8 pm - "BACH’s CIRCLE" presented by the SOUTH BAY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY features flautist Janice Tipton, oboist Allan Vogel, violinist Elizabeth Baker, bassoonist Julie Feves, cellist Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, and harpsichordist Patricia Mabee, performing in the Music Department Recital Hall at L.A. Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Pl, Wilmington CA
* In addition to works by J.S. Bach, pieces by Telemann, Fasch, and Vivaldi are in the program.
* Repeats Sunday at 3 pm in a different venue: the Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga, Rancho Palos Verdes CA
* FREE admission; FREE parking.
* More: www.sbcms.net
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Fri, Feb 14; Thu-Sat, Feb 13-15; STAGE PLAYS:
8 pm - “LOVES ME/LOVES ME NOT” is a Valentine’s Day treat of five short plays centered around love, at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
* Two plays by Steven Korbar, two by Mark Henry Levine, and one by Little Fish company member Kathryn Farren.
* RUNS Thu, Fri, & Sat at 8 pm.
* TIX, all seats $20, plus $1 service fee, at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
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Fri, Feb 12:
8:30 pm - LOVE ME IN THE DARK, a new Americana band, plays their debut album release concert for Valentine's Day, joined by THE GREENHORN BROTHERS and STUDEBAKER, at Corazón Performing Arts, 125 S Topanga Canyon Bl, Topanga CA 90290
* With Steve McCormick, Heather Donavon, Eric Lynn, Brian Chapman, Mario Calire, Ricky "RC" Cortes, and more.
* They have some special guests, too, including MARK JOSEPH of THE BIG WU.
* "The Bluegrass Situation" premiered their lyric video for their song, "Old Soul" on Feb 12th. Watch it here.
* TIX for tonight, $15-$20, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-me-in-the-dark-debut-album-release-greenhorn-brothers-studebaker-tickets-88547440779
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Fri, Feb 14; BENEFIT:
8:30 pm - "VALENTINE'S DAY AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE FUNDRAISER" with performances by Ben Lee, Scout Willis, Charlie Hickey, Harrison Whitford, Sharon Silva, and more, at the Bootleg Theater - Bar Stage, 2220 Beverly Bl, Los Angeles CA 90057
* Proceeds to WIRES, Wildlife organization for animals impacted by Australian Wildfires
* TIX: $10 mininum donation
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Fri, Feb 14:
9 pm - OTTMAR LIEBERT, guitar master, plays the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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__________________
Saturday
__________________
Today is Saturday, February 15, 2020.
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News quickie...
New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio has endorsed Independent Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2020 Democratic primaries.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
“There will be opened a gateway and a road to a large and excellent science into which minds more piercing than mine shall penetrate to recesses still deeper.”
and,
“In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.”
~ Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer and scientist who defended the scientific proof that the Earth was not the center of the universe and was, as the result, tried by the Roman Inquisition for heresy and put under house arrest to silence him for the rest of his life.
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 |
| A regional Temminck’s Ground Pangolin. Photo, Will Clothier, via Wild Tommorow Fund |
"Many people think that elephant ivory or rhino horn is the most sought-after illegal wildlife product. In reality, it is the scales of the pangolin," says the Wild Tomorrow Fund.
Pangolins are in the middle of a poaching and trafficking crisis. And now there is an unfair hysteria trying to link them to the spread of the Coronavirus.
"Despite an international ban on trade of all pangolins and their products, pangolins are still being poached in Asia and Africa and their parts are being sold around the world via the internet," explains the World Wildlife Fund. WWF's appeal continues, "They're coveted for their meat and scales in Asia, and their skin is used in leather products like bags, boots, and belts around the world, including in the US. As a result, all eight species are endangered and protected by the countries they inhabit, as well as under CITES—the international wildlife trade law."
Nonetheless, over one million pangolins were lost to poaching in a decade. Last year alone, the scales from 195,000 pangolins were seized by anti-trafficking law enforcers worldwide.
Watch a video of these fascinating creatures here.
Learn how you can help protect pangolins against the threat of wildlife trafficking while there is still time, here.
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Happy Birthday today to...
Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress.
Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter.
Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Arlene Dawn Kole, Canadian-American musician.
Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer.
Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter.
Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter.
John Adams, American composer.
Mick Avory, English drummer.
John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player.
Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter, creator of "The Simpsons."
Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter.
Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter.
Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer.
Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor.
Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter.
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In memorium to musicians and influential others born this date
Chris Farley (1964-1997), American comedian and actor, "Saturday Night Live" cast member.
Harold Arlen (1905-1986), Jewish-American composer and songwriter who wrote over 400 songs including “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “Stormy Weather,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and “Over the Rainbow,” which was the last song he wrote for the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Of “Over the Rainbow,” Garrison Keillor says, "It came to him on a rainy day as he was driving down Sunset Boulevard in his convertible."
Hank Locklin (1918-2009), American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Henry E. Steinway (1797-1871), German-American businessman, founded piano makers Steinway & Sons.
Joseph Willcox Jenkins (1928-2014), American composer, conductor, and educator.
Robert Fuchs (1847-1927), Austrian composer and educator.
Totò (1898-1967), Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter.
Georges Auric (1899-1983), French composer.
Jean Langlais (1907-1991), French organist and composer.
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), pioneer in the women’s suffrage movement.
Norman Bridwell (1928-2014), American author and illustrator, created "Clifford the Big Red Dog."
Elihu Root (1845-1937), American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate.
Miep Gies (1909-2010), Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family.
Roger B. Chaffee (1935-1967), American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut who died in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire with fellow crew members Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Ed White.
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Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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See Thursday for the Thu-Sun "FELIX ART FAIR 2020."
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9 am-6 pm - Annual "SCOTSFESTIVAL & INTERNATIONAL HIGHLAND GAMES" at the Queen Mary Events Park, 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* Experience the rich culture and history of Scotland first hand through an array of authentic activities, athletics, dancing, entertainment, and cuisine, paying homage to the Queen Mary’s Scottish legacy.
* Eighty-nine years ago, in the quaint seaside town of Clydebank, Scotland, construction began on the Queen Mary. Exemplifying the finest craftsmanship of the country, the Queen Mary’s heritage is celebrated throughout the two-day festival honoring Scottish culture and nearly fifty clans and vendors.
* Guests can witness professional and amateur competitions in piping, drumming, massed bands, darts, Highland dancing, and Highland athletics: the all-new North American LightWeight Women’s Championship and the North American Professional Male Championship.
* Whisky tasting sessions with aged malt experts are available for adult festivalgoers while the laddies & lassies can bear witness to Queen Mary’s coronation and knighting ceremonies, and take part in the Wee Highland Games.
* With falconry, sheep herding, axe-throwing and archery, there is plenty of accessible culture.
* TIX range from $15-$80, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/27th-Annual-ScotsFestival/392790
___
Sat, Feb 15; FESTIVAL:
11 am-2 pm, or 3 pm-6 pm - Annual "CRUSH VALENTINE'S WINE FESTIVAL" has two sessions at City Market Social House, 1145 San Pedro St, Los Angeles CA 90015
* A tasting festival celebrating wine on Valentine's weekend, for friends and lovers alike.
* Sample a remarkable variety of wines from esteemed and emerging vineyards across California and the world.
* Join representatives from wineries to taste their current releases and learn about what makes their vintages special.
* This is a wine festival that's about the play and precision defining viticulture today, and an opportunity to have fun with tarot card readers, florists, jewelry vendors, and more.
* Food prepared by chefs from local restaurants while you enjoy music and the gift shop vendors.
* TIX & info: https://crushwinefest.com/los-angeles/
___
 |
| Lisa Margaroli. Photo: Ron Lyon, Easy Reader News |
2 pm - “IT'S SO EASY: A LINDA RONSTADT TRIBUTE,” performed by LISA MARGAROLI at El Segundo Public Library, 111 W Mariposa Av, El Segundo CA
* This promises "All the hits, and more." Easy Reader News says, "Margaroli and and her band have enough classic Ronstadt tunes to keep you humming for hours."
* Info, 310-524-2728 or www.eslib.org
* Free.
___
Sat, Feb 15; FREE CONCERT:
3 pm - CLASSICAL VOCAL CONCERT with tenor XAVIER PRADO from Chile and soprano CAMILA LIMA from Argentina, accompanied by pianist DOUGLAS SUMI, performing at the First Lutheran Church & School, 2900 W Carson St, Torrance CA
* The program includes works by Manuel Penella, Fernando Obradors, Joaquin Turina, Carlos Guastavino, Francesco Paolo Tosti, Jules Massenet, Ernesto De Curtis, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Charles Gounod.
* Info, 310-316-5574.
* FREE, donations appreciated.
___
Sat, Feb 15; FREE FESTIVAL:
4 pm-9 pm - "SOUTH PASADENA ART CRAWL" indoors and out, at multiple venues with multiple music stages throughout the charming old downtown of South Pasadena CA 91030
* Things are centered on Mission Street, between Fair Oaks & Meridian.
* It’s the Winter counterpart of the big summer Celebration of the Arts in "South Pas" -- in fact, it's now quarterly (4x/year) as artists, musicians, and merchants turn-out to celebrate the winter season with another fun and family-friendly “Neighborhood Night-on-the-Town.”
* Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and produced by SPACE, the South Pasadena Arts Crawl welcomes you to this free event which offers art exhibitions and activities, live music, open houses, food and drink specials, and sales throughout the business district. Mission Street and adjacent blocks will be lively with event activities.
* The winter Arts Crawl theme is “With Love & Light,” inspired by the Valentine's Day season and the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” In honor of “With Love & Light,” local artist Andy Ledesma (@charmingdevilstudios) will create original papier-mâché lanterns to illuminate the Crawl route. Keep an eye out for them in front of all participating businesses and stop by Andy’s booth at the Artisans’ Alley to take home one for yourself.
* Live music stops at the Crawl include:
⊙ The Community Room at the South Pasadena Public Library, hosting “Warming Up for Carnegie Hall” by the PASCALE CHAMBER PLAYERS (of the Pascale Music Institute) until 5 pm.
⊙ “Songwriter Showcase,” where you will get to see "the area’s top songwriters" perform two songs each from 7:30 pm-8:30 pm, including Cole Gallagher, Brad Colerick, Chauncey Bowers, Redd Carter, and more.
⊙ Winter River from 6 pm-8 pm
⊙ Retreat features Jackson Crow and a jewelry trunk show by Amanda Lockrow.
⊙ Simplee Boba showcases live music by Tisha Thompson.
⊙ Berry Opera promises live jazz music and a screening of animated musical movies.
⊙ The Munch Company offers the opportunity to get behind the mic yourself for "Love Song Karaoke," while enjoying their tacos and artisan pop-up.
⊙ For your post Crawl musical destination, head over to Griffins of Kinsale for a pint and the band, THE DRIVE, performing from 9 pm-midnight.
* Plus there are many galleries, impromptu galleries, and art installations to peruse.
* It's free, and you can get there aboard the Metro Gold Line line rail to the South Pasadena Station.
* MORE at: www.SouthPasadena.net
___
Sat, Feb 15:
Time tba - MOIRA SMILEY returns to her old L.A. stomping grounds for a concert at Nichols Canyon Music.
* Moira Smiley tours the world as part of the best vocal groups of our time. She is renowned in Los Angeles for her former ensemble VOCO, which was based here.
* Details not yet available at press time. They'll appear at: https://moirasmiley.com/
___
Sat, Feb 15; GALLERY OPENING:
6 pm-9 pm - “LOVE HURTS” opening reception at ShockBoxx Gallery, 636 Cypress Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Features work by Debbie Korbel, Dustin Grabiner, Mike Collins, Wendy Layne, and KT.
* Participating artist KT says, “With the theme of this show I was even more excited since the topic of Love is miserable.”
* RUNS through Feb 29.
* MORE at: www.shockboxxproject.com
___
Sat, Feb 15; GALLERY OPENING:
6 pm-9 pm - “LOVE HURTS” opening reception at ShockBoxx Gallery, 636 Cypress Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Features work by Debbie Korbel, Dustin Grabiner, Mike Collins, Wendy Layne, and KT.
* Participating artist KT says, “With the theme of this show I was even more excited since the topic of Love is miserable.”
* RUNS through Feb 29.
* MORE at: www.shockboxxproject.com
___
Sat, Feb 15:
7 pm - BRIAN WOODBURY AND AMY ENGLELHARDT play the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* BRIAN WOODBURY has been hailed as a “consummate writer of instantly memorable pop tunes” (All Music Guide). He studied songwriting with TOM LEHRER, and music composition with PAULINE OLIVEROS. With Disney cartoon themes, theater scores, Bollywood orchestrations, his own big band and a marriage equality country anthem to his name, he straddles the art-pop divide, sharing inspiration with peers like THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS and mentor VAN DYKE PARKS, who has said of Brian’s music, “Not since… the wondrous works of young Brian Wilson… have I heard sound of this romantic design. Indispensable.” BBC Radio 3's Mixing It called him “… a multi-talented musician, bordering on genius. …He should be up there with Zappa and Beefheart.” His songs have been sung by Nathan Lane, Lisa Loeb, Jill Sobule & Terre Roche.
* AMY ENGLELHARDT was, from 1998-2012, the sole female voice/writer/arranger for Grammy®-nominate vocal quartet THE BOBS. As "Mother Superior of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl" in Amazon Prime’s GOOD OMENS promo campaign last year, Amy led a gaggle of rocking, satanic a cappella nuns though premieres in L.A., New York and London, and produced their EP "Unholy Night." She's currently recording her second independent solo album, "FINISH WHAT YOU." She’s been described as Carole King meets Tom Lehrer. "Brilliant, empathetic and endearingly funny" - Sisyphus Journal.
* TIX, $18
___
Sat, Feb 15:
7 pm - MARTY AXELROD & NICOLE GORDON play the "Live at the A-Frame" hose concert series in Kagel Canyon, above Tujunga CA
* Info: bit.ly/LiveAFrame
___
Sat, Feb 15:
7:30 pm - RAY BONNEVILLE plays the "AMSD Concerts series" at Sweetwater Community Church, 5305 Sweetwater Rd, Bonita CA 91902; 619-201-0520
___
Sat, Feb 15:
7:30 pm - JOHN ZIPPERER plus PETTY CHAVEZ play the Ojai Underground, 1016 W Ojai Av, Ojai CA 93023; 805-340-7893
___
Sat, Feb 15:
7:30 pm - SIERRA HIGHWAY plus BILL DEMPSEY play "The Living Tradition" concert series at Anaheim Downtown Community Center, 250 E Center St, Anaheim CA 92805; 714-955-3807; www.thelivingtradition.org
___
Sat, Feb 15; Fri-Sun, Feb 14-16 & Feb 21-23; MUSICAL:
7:30 pm - “THE WIZARD OF OZ,” performed by the Palos Verdes Performing Arts Conservatory in a student-cast production at the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Dr, Rolling Hills Estates CA
* RUNS two weekends: Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, through Sun, Feb 23.
* TIX, $15-$25 + facility fee; at 310-544-0403 or www.palosverdesperformingarts.com
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm - RICKY Z, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm - ELVIN BISHOP & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE play the Poway Center for Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd, Poway CA 92064; 858-668-4797
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm - SUNNY WAR plays the famous concert hall in back of McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405; 310-828-4497
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm - LICITY COLLINS plays the NAMBA Performing Arts Space, 47 S Oak St, Ventura CA 93001
* Info: www.nambaarts.com
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm - TRACY NEWMAN plus ART PODELL -- two former NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS -- play Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City CA 90230; 310-398-2583
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm ('til late) - PADDY'S PIG, trad Irish band, plays the Buccaneer Lounge, 70 W Sierra Madre Bl, Sierra Madre CA 91024
* It's "The full 5-piece Paddy's Pig mud-drenched curly-tailed band."
* Their newest album, "All Downhill From Here," is getting airplay on Celtic Radio's broadcast channels including Highlander Radio. (You really do need to bookmark www.CelticRadio.net)
* While you're marking things, they also perform:
• Sat, Mar 14, 1 pm, at Bella Terra Beer Garden in Huntington Beach CA
• Sun, Mar 15, tba, at "a special IRISH DINNER show" in North Hollywood CA
• Mon, Mar 16, 6 pm, at O'Caine's Irish Pub in Rancho Mirage CA
* This female-fronted bunch is always tunefull and fun.
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8 pm-11 pm - "SWING PEEDRO" featuring the FABULOUS ESQUIRES BIG BAND, in Janny’s Showroom at People’s Place, 365 W Sixth St, San Pedro CA
* A beginner’s dance lesson is included, starting at 7 pm.
* Info, 310-547-2348
* TIX, $25 / person, $40 / couple.
___
Sat, Feb 15; Thu-Sat, Feb 13-15; STAGE PLAYS:
8 pm - “LOVES ME/LOVES ME NOT” is a Valentine’s Day treat of five short plays centered around love, at the Little Fish Theatre, 777 S Centre St, San Pedro CA
* Two plays by Steven Korbar, two by Mark Henry Levine, and one by Little Fish company member Kathryn Farren.
* RUNS Thu, Fri, & Sat at 8 pm.
* TIX, all seats $20, plus $1 service fee, at 310-512-6030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org
___
Sat, Feb 15:
8:30 pm - SON LITTLE plays Pappy and Harriet’s Place, 53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown CA 92268; 760-365-5956 (Yucca Valley area)
___
Sat, Feb 15:
9 pm - OTTMAR LIEBERT, guitar master, plays the Canyon at the Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills CA 90211; 323-655-0111
___
__________________
Sunday
__________________
Today is Sunday, February 16, 2020.
___
THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date
"[Most Americans] had no time for thought; they saw, and could see, nothing beyond their day's work; their attitude to the universe outside them was that of the deep-sea fish."
~ Henry Adams (1838-1918), historian and philosopher.
Henry Adams was caught between a past he inherited and a future he foresaw and didn't like. He was the grandson of President John Quincy Adams and great-grandson of President John Adams, and Henry would become the posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner in 1919.
He was a post-Civil War journalist for "The Nation" and anticorruption reformist journalist, editor and author. His own journey was from "Boston Brahmin" of his ancestry to cynic who believed individuals could not face reality; that to endure, one adopts illusions.
He wrote epic and authoritative histories including a nine-volume set that's still important, plus his dark and pessimistic autobiography, "The Education of Henry Adams" (1918), in the final year of his life, from which we get the quote that fits our time like a tailored suit, 102 years later.
Of course, some critics claimed "he hid a misanthropic alienation from the world." Others saw (and see) a romantic figure who sought meaning in the chaos and violence of the 20th century.
As Adams described it, he was in pursuit of “…a world that sensitive and timid natures could regard without a shudder.”
___
Update to "Bernie wins New Hampshire... what now?"
When we wrote the piece for the main news section in this edition (It's near the the top, if you scroll back), we told you the panicked corporacratic oligarchs would pull-out all the stops to promote pro-corporate "centrist" candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar and trash and slander Bernie Sanders now that he is in the lead.
Well, ALL of today's "Sunday shows" booked the two corporate darlings and kept Bernie off the air. Meanwhile the shows' panelists and editorial comments were ALL about fomenting mass hysterical fear -- not fear of Coronavirus, but fear of Bernie Sanders.
It was an utter disgrace, but revealed (yet again) that corporate media has its own agenda.
Here's a cartoon that also saw it coming.
___
This day in history...
First US military involvement in the Muslim world
Stephen Decatur led a raid by US Navy and Marines to burn the American frigate USS Philadelphia, which had been captured by pirates, in the First Barbary War, today in 1804.
"Born in Arizona, raised in Babylonia..."
Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun today in 1923, kicking-off Tutmania and a fascination with all-things-Egyptian, reaching from the flapper and opening of L.A.'s Egyptian Theatre in the '20s, to Steve Martin's "King Tut Boogie" topping the record charts in the '80s. (The latest is the exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts recovered from underwater, now on special exhibition at the Reagan library in Simi, CA.)
Making stuff...
Today in 1937, Wallace H. Carothers received a US patent for nylon, back when we still made stuff, before an "industrial manufacturing" economy became a "services" economy that became an "information" economy -- in which we now exchange, at unprecedented speed, information on all the stuff we don't make here anymore.
Wars & rumors of wars...
The Austrian Civil War ended with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund today in 1934. Authoritarianism led to the Austrian Anschutz and absorption of the nation into the Nazi German Reich.
Fidel Castro became Premier of Cuba today in 1959, after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1st.
The US Navy submarine USS Triton set sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe, today in 1960.
The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army today in 2006.
Tech...
In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system went into service today in 1968.
Ten years later, the first computer bulletin board system was created (CBBS in Chicago) today in 1978.
___
Happy Birthday to musicians born on this date...
The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer.
John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer.
Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Ava Max, American singer and songwriter.
John Corigliano, American composer and academic.
Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer.
Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer.
Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor.
Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer.
Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter.
Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer.
___
In memorium to musicians and influencers born this date...
Edgar Bergen (1903-1978), Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor who hosted a popular radio show with his dummy, "Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy." (Ventriloquist on radio. Let that sink in.)
Jimmy Wakely (1914-1982), American country music singer-songwriter & actor.
Bill Doggett (1916-1996), African-American pianist & composer.
Sonny Bono (1935-1998), American actor, singer, and politician.
Otis Blackwell (1931-2002), American singer-songwriter & pianist.
James Ingram (1952-2019), American singer-songwriter and producer.
Wayne King (1901-1985), American singer-songwriter & conductor.
James Baskett (1904-1948), African-American actor & singer.
Gretchen Wyler (1932-2007), American actress, singer, and dancer.
Vera-Ellen (1921-1981), German-American actress, singer, & dancer.
John Bradbury (1953-2015), English drummer, songwriter, and producer.
John Balance (1962-2004), English singer-songwriter.
Pierre Rode (1774-1830), French violinist & composer.
Georges Ulmer (1919-1989), Danish-French actor & composer.
Henry Adams (1838-1918), American journalist, historian, author, who gave us today's quote.
___
Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
See Thursday for the Thu-Sun "FELIX ART FAIR 2020."
___
Today is Sunday, February 16, 2020.
___
THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date
"[Most Americans] had no time for thought; they saw, and could see, nothing beyond their day's work; their attitude to the universe outside them was that of the deep-sea fish."
~ Henry Adams (1838-1918), historian and philosopher.
Henry Adams was caught between a past he inherited and a future he foresaw and didn't like. He was the grandson of President John Quincy Adams and great-grandson of President John Adams, and Henry would become the posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner in 1919.
He was a post-Civil War journalist for "The Nation" and anticorruption reformist journalist, editor and author. His own journey was from "Boston Brahmin" of his ancestry to cynic who believed individuals could not face reality; that to endure, one adopts illusions.
He wrote epic and authoritative histories including a nine-volume set that's still important, plus his dark and pessimistic autobiography, "The Education of Henry Adams" (1918), in the final year of his life, from which we get the quote that fits our time like a tailored suit, 102 years later.
Of course, some critics claimed "he hid a misanthropic alienation from the world." Others saw (and see) a romantic figure who sought meaning in the chaos and violence of the 20th century.
As Adams described it, he was in pursuit of “…a world that sensitive and timid natures could regard without a shudder.”
___
Update to "Bernie wins New Hampshire... what now?"
When we wrote the piece for the main news section in this edition (It's near the the top, if you scroll back), we told you the panicked corporacratic oligarchs would pull-out all the stops to promote pro-corporate "centrist" candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar and trash and slander Bernie Sanders now that he is in the lead.
Well, ALL of today's "Sunday shows" booked the two corporate darlings and kept Bernie off the air. Meanwhile the shows' panelists and editorial comments were ALL about fomenting mass hysterical fear -- not fear of Coronavirus, but fear of Bernie Sanders.
It was an utter disgrace, but revealed (yet again) that corporate media has its own agenda.
Here's a cartoon that also saw it coming.
___
This day in history...
First US military involvement in the Muslim world
Stephen Decatur led a raid by US Navy and Marines to burn the American frigate USS Philadelphia, which had been captured by pirates, in the First Barbary War, today in 1804.
"Born in Arizona, raised in Babylonia..."
Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun today in 1923, kicking-off Tutmania and a fascination with all-things-Egyptian, reaching from the flapper and opening of L.A.'s Egyptian Theatre in the '20s, to Steve Martin's "King Tut Boogie" topping the record charts in the '80s. (The latest is the exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts recovered from underwater, now on special exhibition at the Reagan library in Simi, CA.)
Making stuff...
Today in 1937, Wallace H. Carothers received a US patent for nylon, back when we still made stuff, before an "industrial manufacturing" economy became a "services" economy that became an "information" economy -- in which we now exchange, at unprecedented speed, information on all the stuff we don't make here anymore.
Wars & rumors of wars...
The Austrian Civil War ended with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund today in 1934. Authoritarianism led to the Austrian Anschutz and absorption of the nation into the Nazi German Reich.
Fidel Castro became Premier of Cuba today in 1959, after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1st.
The US Navy submarine USS Triton set sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe, today in 1960.
The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army today in 2006.
Tech...
In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system went into service today in 1968.
Ten years later, the first computer bulletin board system was created (CBBS in Chicago) today in 1978.
___
Happy Birthday to musicians born on this date...
The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer.
John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer.
Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Ava Max, American singer and songwriter.
John Corigliano, American composer and academic.
Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer.
Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer.
Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor.
Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer.
Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter.
Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer.
___
In memorium to musicians and influencers born this date...
Edgar Bergen (1903-1978), Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor who hosted a popular radio show with his dummy, "Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy." (Ventriloquist on radio. Let that sink in.)
Jimmy Wakely (1914-1982), American country music singer-songwriter & actor.
Bill Doggett (1916-1996), African-American pianist & composer.
Sonny Bono (1935-1998), American actor, singer, and politician.
Otis Blackwell (1931-2002), American singer-songwriter & pianist.
James Ingram (1952-2019), American singer-songwriter and producer.
Wayne King (1901-1985), American singer-songwriter & conductor.
James Baskett (1904-1948), African-American actor & singer.
Gretchen Wyler (1932-2007), American actress, singer, and dancer.
Vera-Ellen (1921-1981), German-American actress, singer, & dancer.
John Bradbury (1953-2015), English drummer, songwriter, and producer.
John Balance (1962-2004), English singer-songwriter.
Pierre Rode (1774-1830), French violinist & composer.
Georges Ulmer (1919-1989), Danish-French actor & composer.
Henry Adams (1838-1918), American journalist, historian, author, who gave us today's quote.
___
Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
___
See Thursday for the Thu-Sun "FELIX ART FAIR 2020."
___
Sun, Feb 16, FESTIVAL:
9 am-6 pm - Annual "SCOTSFESTIVAL & INTERNATIONAL HIGHLAND GAMES" concludes today at the Queen Mary Events Park, 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* See Saturday listing for details.
__
Sun, Feb 16; Fri-Sun, Feb 14-16 & Feb 21-23; MUSICAL:
2 pm - “THE WIZARD OF OZ,” performed by the Palos Verdes Performing Arts Conservatory in a student-cast production at the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Dr, Rolling Hills Estates CA
* RUNS two weekends: Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, through Sun, Feb 23.
* TIX, $15-$25 + facility fee; at 310-544-0403 or www.palosverdesperformingarts.com
___
* RUNS two weekends: Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, through Sun, Feb 23.
* TIX, $15-$25 + facility fee; at 310-544-0403 or www.palosverdesperformingarts.com
___
Sun, Feb 16:
8 pm - "BACH’s CIRCLE" presented by the SOUTH BAY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY features flautist Janice Tipton, oboist Allan Vogel, violinist Elizabeth Baker, bassoonist Julie Feves, cellist Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, and harpsichordist Patricia Mabee, performing at the Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga, Rancho Palos Verdes CA* In addition to works by J.S. Bach, pieces by Telemann, Fasch, and Vivaldi are in the program.
* FREE admission; FREE parking.
* More: www.sbcms.net
___
3:30 pm - ELIAS STRING QUARTET plays the COLEMAN CONCERTS series in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium, on the campus in Pasadena CA
* The COLEMAN CONCERTS, in their 116th season, are the nation's oldest chamber music series. So they're "celebrating a rich history of bringing the community the finest in chamber music." Founded in 1904, these concerts, sponsored by the Coleman Chamber Music Association, have been held in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium since 1965.
* The Quartet, formed in 1998 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, takes its name from Mendelssohn's oratorio, "Elijah" ("Elias" is its German form).
* In 2009, the Elias was a recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. With the support of the Trust, the Quartet mounted "The Beethoven Project" to study and perform all of Beethoven's string quartets as cycles, while sharing the experience through a website and social media. The Project culminated with a cycle of six concerts recorded for "Wigmore Hall Live"; it became a profound element of the Quartet's tapestry of music. As "The Scotsman" wrote, "From recent years of working through all Beethoven's quartets, the Elias have unearthed magical secrets."
* Program for this performance:
Beethoven: Quartet in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2
Beamish: Quartet No. 3, "Reed Stanzas"
Mendelssohn, Felix: Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
* Tickets are required: $55, $45, $35, $25; $20 youth; Caltech/JPL discounts available. Tix at: https://events.caltech.edu/
___
Sun, Feb 16:
7 pm - JAMES LEE STANLEY w/ SCOTT BREADMAN plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* James Lee Stanley, in celebration of his successful cancer surgery, performs selections from his catalog of THIRTY-FOUR (yep, 34) CDs, as well as favorites from his colorful past.
* Spend an evening with this remarkable guitarist, extraordinary vocalist, composer, raconteur and political activist, and someone reminds us, "gee, still such a humble guy."
* James Lee is joined tonight by world-renowned percussionist Scott Breadman, last seen with James at his Grammy Museum Concert last year.
* TIX, $20.
___
Sun, Feb 16:
8 pm - JULIE CHRISTENSEN, STONE CUPID, & FRIENDS play "A Valentine’s Weekend Retrofestive" in the famous concert hall in back of McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405; 310-828-4497
___
Sun, Feb 16, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 1, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries, debuting tonight, purports to reintroduce America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, so we do not know if this is history or Hollywood. We do know that it's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 2 is tomorrow night, same time.
___
Sun, Feb 16:
9 pm - OTTMAR LIEBERT, guitar master, plays the Canyon Club, 28192 Roadside Dr, Agoura Hills CA 91301; 818-879-5016
___
Mon, Feb 17:
7:30 pm - THE HONEY WHISKEY TRIO, past National Vocal Champs, play the Grand Annex, 434 W 6th St, San Pedro CA 90731; 310-833-6362
___
Mon, Feb 17:
8 pm - JACKSH*T plus HAPPY TRAUM & ADAM TRAUM play "Sings Like Hell" at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara CA 93101; 805-963-0761
___
Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 2, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries debuted last night, reintroducing America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, but after catching part 1, we can safely say this is much more history than Hollywood. It's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 1 reruns tonight, 6-8 pm.
___
Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
9 pm - BETH HART is the subject of tonight's "L.A. STORIES" with GISELLE FERNANDEZ, for those with Spectrum cable.
* Beth Hart is the blues singer who was immediately compared to Janis Joplin when she won a tv performance competition shoe at age 19.
* She was promptly signed by Atlantic Records, earned a Grammy nomination, and performed in the White House for Pres. Obama.
* But addiction took hold and nearly killed her. Now she is celebrating five years sober and looking at a career once agsin ascending. The preview for the show looked great and the show includes multiple examples of her stunning singing voice.
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Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
11:35 pm - "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" on CBS has guests STEVE MARTIN and the STEEP CANYON RANGERS. Grammy winners together and separately.
7 pm - "ARTISTS FOR BERNIE" with funny friends MIKE E. WINFIELD, JESUS TREJO, TAYLOR TOMLINSON, NATASHA LEGGERO, and more to be announced, at the Laugh Factory, 8001 W Sunset Bl, Hollywood CA 90046
* It's "an evening of entertainment, [to] have a few laughs and join the political revolution!" in "a grassroots FUNdraiser for Bernie 2020."
* Senator Bernie Sanders will not be there.
* All ages welcome, but bring an I.D. for 21+ bar trade.
* Doors at 7 pm. Show at 7:30 pm.
* Info: email maleastenzelgilligan@berniesanders.com
* TIX: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/laughfactoryfeb18
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Today is Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
"There's nothing that makes you so aware of the improvisation of human existence as a song unfinished. Or an old address book."
~ Carson McCullers, writer (born Feb 19, 1917, died 1967)
(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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Black History Month
Tonight at 10 pm, an important new documentary, "BLACK PATRIOTS: HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION," premieres on the History channel.
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Short intro today; sorry, no time to get to musician birthdays.
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Wed, Feb 19, on tv:
6 pm-8 pm (Pacific) - "DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE" live from Las Vegas, before Saturday's Nevada Caucuses, on MSNBC.
* With independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders in a solid early lead, and corporate Big Media going crazy to trash him and scare people half to death by strangely horrific comments that misinterpret his policies? The raft of candidates sponsored by oligarchs and "corpirate" interests are joined tonight by billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who bought a podium here -- even though he isn't eligible to compete for delegates in Nevada or anywhere else until Super Tuesday.
* On that topic of Big Media putting its thumb on the scale? Give a listen to the Feb 14, 2020, episode of "CounterSpin," with the topic, "Corporate Media Are Not Observers of the Electoral Process; They Are Participants," here.
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Wed, Feb 19:
7 pm - "THE WINE & SONG SERIES at the BLUE GUITAR" presents IKES CREEK plus YOSI MESBAH at the Arroyo Seco Golf Clubhouse, 1055 Lohman Ln, South Pasadena CA 91030; 323-255-1506
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■ Black History Month event...
Wed, Feb 19; FREE GALLERY TALK:
7 pm - "PLACE IS THE SPACE: RECASTING BLACK PRESENCE AND POWER THROUGH ART" at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles CA 90049
* Artists Genevieve Gaignard and Rashaad Newsome address why and how they create spaces for Black histories.
* This talk is moderated by Tyree Boyd-Pates, associate curator at the Autry.
* FREE TIX & details: http://getty.edu/visit/cal/events/ev_3101.html
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Wed, Feb 19:
7:30 pm - "INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT" With Mike Dawes, Cenk Erdogan, Olli Soikkeli, & Jim Kimo West, at the California Center For The Arts, Center Theatre, 340 N Escondido Bl, Escondido CA 92025; 800-988-4253
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Wed, Feb 19:
7:30 pm - LYLE LOVETT & HIS ACOUSTIC GROUP play the California Center For The Arts, Concert Hall, 340 N Escondido Bl, Escondido CA 92025; 800-988-4253
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Wed, Feb 19; MUSICAL:
8 pm - “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” the big musical comedy, returns, opening Feb 19 in the Ahmanson Theatre at the L.A. Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* Runs through March 29th.
* TIX start at $45, at 213-972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
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Wed, Feb 19, on tv:
10 pm-11:03 pm (Pacific) - "BLACK PATRIOTS: HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION" premieres tonight on the History channel.
* This new documentary introduces us to heroes of the American Revolution who aren't typically found in history books. They are a writer, a double agent, a martyr and a soldier — and they are all black.
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the executive producer. He is a Hall of Fame basketball player, writer, activist, and a 2016 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* ILLUSTRATION: John Trumbull's painting hangs in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Titled, "The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill," it appears to include black patriot hero Peter Salem as the figure in the lower right. The fact that is hidden is the perfect metaphor for why this new documentary is needed.
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Thu, Feb 20:
7:30 pm - 9th Annual "MUCK SPEAKEASY" celebrates the 100th anniversary of Prohibition at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W Malvern Av, Fullerton CA 92833; 714-738-6595; www.TheMuck.org
* The Muckenthaler staff has been hosting this event almost as long as the institution of prohibition lasted.
* Once again, they convert the Muck into a 1920's Speakeasy bringing the Gatsby Era to life.
* The live music and flowing booze -- will they attract the constabulary? The Muck says, "You bet it will!"
* This event is 21+ only.
* TIX, $30, at: https://themuck.org/programing/2020-02-20-speakeasy
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO plays the CAP UCLA concert series in Royce Hall on the UCLA Campus in Westwood CA 90095; 310-825-4401
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - JOSHUA RADIN & FRIENDS plus BEN KWELLER & WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS at the Belly Up Tavern, 143 S Cedros Av, Solana Beach, San Diego CA 92075; 858-481-9022
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LYLE LOVETT & HIS ACOUSTIC GROUP play UCSB in Campbell Hall, 574 Mesa Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93106; 805-893-3535
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LISA FINNIE & FRIENDS plus THE BEECHWOOD BELLES, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* Two local, female-fronted acts combine forces -- sharing the stage together for the first time, for a dynamic evening of music that draws from folk, blues and jazz traditions.
* LISA FINNIE, a Pasadena native, is described by the LA Weekly as a “torch-hillbilly enchanteuse” with “hip-chick atmospherics” and a “sultry, languid approach." Her music digs deep into Americana soil as she explores themes of love and loss, and always with a groove.
* A fixture on the local roots music scene for the past two decades, the singer-songwriter-song stylist is equally at home in a honky-tonk, a cocktail lounge or a literary salon.
* Joining Finnie are her three main men, the stunningly versatile, guitarist-in-demand, Dylan Thomas (King Cotton, The Dickies, 45 Grave); bassist/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Tim Fleming (Sofia Talvik, Brad Colerick, Little Silver Hearts); and her longtime collaborator, percussion maestro/harmonica slinger, John Palmer (Johnny Rivers, Wanda Jackson, Ronnie Dawson).
* LISA FINNIE also produces and hosts “The Dylan Hours”, a specialty radio program devoted to the music of Bob Dylan, at 88.5 FM/KCSN.
* THE BEECHWOOD BELLES are the new close-harmony duo of CYNTHIA BRANDO and CAIT LEOW who are each known on the Los Angeles singer-songwriter circuit as solo artists.
* Cynthia and Cait met at the long running Los Angeles venue, “Kulak’s Woodshed,” uniting over their love of early 20th century jazz and blues and '60s folk music. They fuse these influences into popular cover songs of those times, newer and more recent covers, and original tunes in their “vintage vamp” style.
* CYNTHIA BRANDO’s vocal style has been described by the Pasadena Weekly as, “equal parts Silk and Stevie Nicks.” She performs all over the Los Angeles area and beyond, sharing her unique “vintage vibe” powerful vocals and steady acoustic folk-rock rhythms in clubs, homes and as a street performer. She has played notable shows at House of Blues in Hollywood and music festivals, and has completed her second tour across the country with her 2018 album, “The Treehouse Trio Sessions,” which Music Connection Magazine included in their “Top 20 Prospects of 2018” list.
* CAIT LEOW hails from Ohio and has made a splash on the Los Angeles music scene with her original music and many favorite cover tunes -- influenced by her strong background in musical theatre, folk, oldies and jazz. She lends her voice and ukulele and violin skills to various projects and tours the country with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in their outreach program, “It Gets Better” tour. Watch for Cait later in the season in the popular show
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Thu & Fri, Feb 20 & 21:
8 pm - L.A. PHIL presents "DUDAMEL EXPLORES DVOřáK & IVES" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Music Center, downtown Los Angeles CA
* "Charles Ives was our first great American composer." ~ Leonard Bernstein.
* Gustavo Dudamel conducts.
* Revealing unpredictable connections between the two composers, Dudamel’s unexpected pairing of symphonies by Ives and Dvořák begins with each showing us new ways to view vernacular music in a symphonic context.
* GO EARLY for "Upbeat Live with Christopher Russell," starting at 6:45 pm: Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around – including members of L.A. Phil – guide you through the evening’s music, complete with a Q&A sessio. This free event is held in the main auditorium, accessible after your ticket is scanned.
* TIX & info: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/718/
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm - THE STRING REVOLUTION plays the Fiddler's Crossing concert series at Mountain Bible Church, 630 Maple St, Tehachapi CA 93561
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm ' BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET, Cajun legends, plays the Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad CA 92008; 760-438-5996
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Fri, Feb 21:
7:30 pm - WILLY PORTER plays the "AMSD Concerts" series in Sweetwater Community Church, 5305 Sweetwater Rd, Bonita CA 91902; 619-201-0520
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - DIANA REIN, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - JOSHUA RADIN & FRIENDS plus BEN KWELLER & WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS play the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - THE TILLERS play Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City CA 90230; 310-398-2583
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - L.A. PHIL presents the second of two nights of "DUDAMEL EXPLORES DVOřáK & IVES" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Music Center, downtown Los Angeles CA
* "Charles Ives was our first great American composer." ~ Leonard Bernstein.
* Gustavo Dudamel conducts.
* Revealing unpredictable connections between the two composers, Dudamel’s unexpected pairing of symphonies by Ives and Dvořák begins with each showing us new ways to view vernacular music in a symphonic context.
* GO EARLY for "Upbeat Live with Christopher Russell," starting at 6:45 pm: Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around – including members of L.A. Phil – guide you through the evening’s music, complete with a Q&A sessio. This free event is held in the main auditorium, accessible after your ticket is scanned.
* TIX & info: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/718/
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO plays the "Lobero Live" serues in the Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara CA 93101; 805-963-0761
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Sat, Feb 22, FREE FESTIVAL:
6 pm - "BEN VAUGHN's WONDER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL" at the Palms Restaurant, 83131 Amboy Rd, Twentynine Palms CA 92277
* Psych folk rockers I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. say, "Come out to the deep desert for a night of strange magic. It's a land where a man can take a stand!"
* PERFORMERS:
⊙ 6:00: BEN VAUGHN DUO
⊙ 6:15: ROSA PULLMAN
⊙ 7:00: GWENDOLYN
⊙ 7:45: THE SIBLEYS
⊙ 8:45: DRAGSTER BARBIE
⊙ 9:45: BEN VAUGHN ENSEMBLE
⊙ 10:45: I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
* FREE admission. Camping on site. Music starts at 6 pm.
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Sat, Feb 22; See now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
* "Untitled (Questions)" features large-scale queries, alternating between English and Spanish, created by the artist.
* This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
* "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
* "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
* Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
* Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau, NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
* Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
* Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
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Sat, Feb 22; FREE CONCERT:
6 pm-9 pm - LISA HALEY & THE ZYDEKATS play the L.A. Farmers Market, 3rd/ Fairfax, Los Angeles CA
* Come catch zydecosis with these Cajun-Zydeco Grammy nominees. Get there early for a seat.
* Gig is free, but parking there costs and is expensive. Park at the Grove, get it validated there, and walk two blocks to the Farmers Market.
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Sat, Feb 22:
8 pm - BEN RICE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Tue, Feb 25:
8 pm - JUDY COLLINS plays the lovely McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Dr, Palm Desert CA 92260; 760-340-ARTS or 866-889-ARTS
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - LEO KOTTKE plays the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles CA
* Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
* The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
* Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
* TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Thu, Feb 27:
FREEBO & His FABULOUS FRIENDS, featuring an opening set by CATFISH HODGE, at Bogie’s Bar in Westlake Village CA
* Freebo tells us, "I am always excited to play with my amazing band of world-class musicians, FUZZBEE MORSE, CHAD WATSON, JT THOMAS, and DAVID GOODSTEIN. These great players take my songs to a higher and deeper level, allowing for some very cool jams, solos, and sweet interplay…. a real treat for me and the audience."
* Opening the show, says Freebo, is "my old friend and compelling blues singer CATFISH HODGE. Catfish and I were in THE BLUESBUSTER BAND together for 5 years, I produced several records for him, and we’ve spent many wonderful and memorable times on stage together over the years. This will be a reunion of sorts… I’ll play bass with Catfish and have him join the band on a few tunes."
* Bogie’s Bar, says Freebo, has "great food, drink, and sound!"
* More at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freebo-his-fabulous-friends-tickets-88746630561
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - EDI ROQUE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Sat, Feb 29:
7 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Museum of Making Music, Carlsbad CA
* Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
* The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
* Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
* TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Sat, Feb 29:
=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=÷=
7 pm - JAMES LEE STANLEY w/ SCOTT BREADMAN plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* James Lee Stanley, in celebration of his successful cancer surgery, performs selections from his catalog of THIRTY-FOUR (yep, 34) CDs, as well as favorites from his colorful past.
* Spend an evening with this remarkable guitarist, extraordinary vocalist, composer, raconteur and political activist, and someone reminds us, "gee, still such a humble guy."
* James Lee is joined tonight by world-renowned percussionist Scott Breadman, last seen with James at his Grammy Museum Concert last year.
* TIX, $20.
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Sun, Feb 16:
8 pm - JULIE CHRISTENSEN, STONE CUPID, & FRIENDS play "A Valentine’s Weekend Retrofestive" in the famous concert hall in back of McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica CA 90405; 310-828-4497
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Sun, Feb 16, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 1, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries, debuting tonight, purports to reintroduce America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, so we do not know if this is history or Hollywood. We do know that it's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 2 is tomorrow night, same time.
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Sun, Feb 16:
9 pm - OTTMAR LIEBERT, guitar master, plays the Canyon Club, 28192 Roadside Dr, Agoura Hills CA 91301; 818-879-5016
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Monday
__________________
Today is Presidents Day, Monday, February 17, 2020.
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On this day...
Presidential crisis on what would become Presidents Day...
A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr, Vice President by the US House of Representatives today in 1801. And we still haven't dumped that elitist system in favor of a vote of the people to choose our leaders.
A stake in freedom of speech...
On his way to be burned at the stake for heresy, the philosopher Giordano Bruno has a stake put through his tongue to prevent him continuing to speak, this day in Rome in 1600.
Today in 1933, "Newsweek" magazine is first published.
Immigration...
Myles Standish was appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America today in 1621.
Arts...
"Madama Butterfly" premièred today in 1904 at La Scala in Milan.
The Armory Show opened in New York City today in 1913, displaying works of artists who became the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
Today in 2015, 18 people were killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti.
Afloat...
The first ship passed through the Suez Canal today in 1867. It fulfilled a dream dating to the ancient Egyptians, of being able to sail from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez and the Indian Ocean. Of course the British needed to take over and finish the failed French effort so they couldn't handily control their huge colony called India.
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Black History Month
The House of Representatives passed the Missouri Compromise for the first time today in 1819. It perpetuated slavery by setting a geographic line South of which slavery would be perpetuated; it extended west into territories not yet part of the US.
Huey P. Newton (1942-1989), American activist, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was born today in 1942.
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War and rumors of war...
Today in 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic, in Charleston harbor, South Carolina; the Confederacy was pushing every option to block the Union naval blockade of its coastline.
A year later, today in 1865, Columbia, South Carolina, the state's capital, was burned as Confederate forces fleed from advancing Union forces.
Today in 1871, the victorious Prussian Army paraded through Paris, France, after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. (Coveting and conquering Paris goes wsy back before the two World Wars.)
"The Troubles" in Northern Ireland hit a bloody peak today in 1978, as the Provisional IRA detonated an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30 others, all Protestants.
Today in America's "post Vietnam" age, the Sino-Vietnamese War began in 1979 between the unified Vietnam and communist China.
Today in 1995, the Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ended in a ceasefire brokered by the UN.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia today in 2008.
Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime began today in 2011, as, in Bahrain, security forces launched a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in in Manama, a day known there as "Bloody Thursday."
Today in 2016, military vehicles exploded outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.
Dealing with war and misery...
A group of citizens in Geneva, Switzerland, founded an "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded" today in 1863; it later became the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Spaciness...
Project Vanguard launched Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, to measure cloud-cover distribution, today in 1959. The Russians had been first with Sputnik 1, but all it did was beep. After several failures -- including launch pad explosions -- Vanguard finally opened the era of scientific data returned from space.
A scant six years later, today in 1965, Project Ranger launched the Ranger 8 probe to the Moon to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region, in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis -- the "Sea of Tranquility" -- would become the site chosen for Apollo 11, the first human landing on another celestial object.
Today in 1996, NASA's Discovery Program began as the "NEAR Shoemaker" spacecraft lifted-off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
Tech...
Today in 1996 in Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beat the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
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Happy Birthday today to these musicians and influencers
Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist, step dancer.
Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Hal Holbrook, American actor and director, and for many decades the definitive Mark Twain impersonator.
Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director, starred as Richie Valens in "La Bamba."
Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, & producer.
Lou Ann Barton, American blues singer-songwriter.
Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter & drummer.
Daniel Merriweather, Australian singer-songwriter.
Kevin Rudolf, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, & producer.
Chord Overstreet, American actor & singer.
Patricia Routledge, English actress & singer.
Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, & director.
Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, & producer.
José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, & actor.
Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, & composer.
Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter.
Lars Göran Petrov, Swedish singer and drummer.
Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer.
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In memorium to musicians and other influencers born on this date
Margaret Truman (1924-2008), American singer and author; her concert debut -- while her father, Harry S Truman, was President of the United States -- received an awful review, whereupon Harry send a letter to the reviewer threatening to beat him up if they ever met.
Gene Pitney (1941-2006), American singer-songwriter.
Wayne Morris (1914-1959), American actor, singer, & producer.
Buddy DeFranco (1923-2014), American clarinet player & bandleader.
Tommy Edwards (1922-1969), American R&B singer-songwriter.
Kathleen Freeman (1919-2001), American actress & singer.
Marta Romero (1928-2013), Puerto Rican actress & singer.
Quorthon (1966-2004), Swedish guitarist and songwriter.
Vladimír Padrůněk (1952-1991), Czech bass player.
Jiřina Jirásková (1931-2013), Czech actress & singer.
Ron Goodwin (1925-2003), English composer & conductor.
Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947), Finnish composer & critic.
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881), Belgian violinist & composer.
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Italian violinist & composer.
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Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
Today is Presidents Day, Monday, February 17, 2020.
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On this day...
Presidential crisis on what would become Presidents Day...
A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr, Vice President by the US House of Representatives today in 1801. And we still haven't dumped that elitist system in favor of a vote of the people to choose our leaders.
A stake in freedom of speech...
On his way to be burned at the stake for heresy, the philosopher Giordano Bruno has a stake put through his tongue to prevent him continuing to speak, this day in Rome in 1600.
Today in 1933, "Newsweek" magazine is first published.
Immigration...
Myles Standish was appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America today in 1621.
Arts...
"Madama Butterfly" premièred today in 1904 at La Scala in Milan.
The Armory Show opened in New York City today in 1913, displaying works of artists who became the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
Today in 2015, 18 people were killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti.
Afloat...
The first ship passed through the Suez Canal today in 1867. It fulfilled a dream dating to the ancient Egyptians, of being able to sail from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez and the Indian Ocean. Of course the British needed to take over and finish the failed French effort so they couldn't handily control their huge colony called India.
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Black History Month
The House of Representatives passed the Missouri Compromise for the first time today in 1819. It perpetuated slavery by setting a geographic line South of which slavery would be perpetuated; it extended west into territories not yet part of the US.
Huey P. Newton (1942-1989), American activist, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was born today in 1942.
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War and rumors of war...
Today in 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic, in Charleston harbor, South Carolina; the Confederacy was pushing every option to block the Union naval blockade of its coastline.
A year later, today in 1865, Columbia, South Carolina, the state's capital, was burned as Confederate forces fleed from advancing Union forces.
Today in 1871, the victorious Prussian Army paraded through Paris, France, after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. (Coveting and conquering Paris goes wsy back before the two World Wars.)
"The Troubles" in Northern Ireland hit a bloody peak today in 1978, as the Provisional IRA detonated an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30 others, all Protestants.
Today in America's "post Vietnam" age, the Sino-Vietnamese War began in 1979 between the unified Vietnam and communist China.
Today in 1995, the Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ended in a ceasefire brokered by the UN.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia today in 2008.
Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime began today in 2011, as, in Bahrain, security forces launched a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in in Manama, a day known there as "Bloody Thursday."
Today in 2016, military vehicles exploded outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.
Dealing with war and misery...
A group of citizens in Geneva, Switzerland, founded an "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded" today in 1863; it later became the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Spaciness...
Project Vanguard launched Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, to measure cloud-cover distribution, today in 1959. The Russians had been first with Sputnik 1, but all it did was beep. After several failures -- including launch pad explosions -- Vanguard finally opened the era of scientific data returned from space.
A scant six years later, today in 1965, Project Ranger launched the Ranger 8 probe to the Moon to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region, in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis -- the "Sea of Tranquility" -- would become the site chosen for Apollo 11, the first human landing on another celestial object.
Today in 1996, NASA's Discovery Program began as the "NEAR Shoemaker" spacecraft lifted-off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
Tech...
Today in 1996 in Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beat the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
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Happy Birthday today to these musicians and influencers
Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist, step dancer.
Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Hal Holbrook, American actor and director, and for many decades the definitive Mark Twain impersonator.
Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director, starred as Richie Valens in "La Bamba."
Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, & producer.
Lou Ann Barton, American blues singer-songwriter.
Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter & drummer.
Daniel Merriweather, Australian singer-songwriter.
Kevin Rudolf, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, & producer.
Chord Overstreet, American actor & singer.
Patricia Routledge, English actress & singer.
Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, & director.
Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, & producer.
José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, & actor.
Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, & composer.
Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter.
Lars Göran Petrov, Swedish singer and drummer.
Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer.
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In memorium to musicians and other influencers born on this date
Margaret Truman (1924-2008), American singer and author; her concert debut -- while her father, Harry S Truman, was President of the United States -- received an awful review, whereupon Harry send a letter to the reviewer threatening to beat him up if they ever met.
Gene Pitney (1941-2006), American singer-songwriter.
Wayne Morris (1914-1959), American actor, singer, & producer.
Buddy DeFranco (1923-2014), American clarinet player & bandleader.
Tommy Edwards (1922-1969), American R&B singer-songwriter.
Kathleen Freeman (1919-2001), American actress & singer.
Marta Romero (1928-2013), Puerto Rican actress & singer.
Quorthon (1966-2004), Swedish guitarist and songwriter.
Vladimír Padrůněk (1952-1991), Czech bass player.
Jiřina Jirásková (1931-2013), Czech actress & singer.
Ron Goodwin (1925-2003), English composer & conductor.
Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947), Finnish composer & critic.
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881), Belgian violinist & composer.
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Italian violinist & composer.
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Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Mon, Feb 17:
7:30 pm - THE HONEY WHISKEY TRIO, past National Vocal Champs, play the Grand Annex, 434 W 6th St, San Pedro CA 90731; 310-833-6362
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Mon, Feb 17:
8 pm - JACKSH*T plus HAPPY TRAUM & ADAM TRAUM play "Sings Like Hell" at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara CA 93101; 805-963-0761
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Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 2, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries debuted last night, reintroducing America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, but after catching part 1, we can safely say this is much more history than Hollywood. It's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 1 reruns tonight, 6-8 pm.
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Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
9 pm - BETH HART is the subject of tonight's "L.A. STORIES" with GISELLE FERNANDEZ, for those with Spectrum cable.
* Beth Hart is the blues singer who was immediately compared to Janis Joplin when she won a tv performance competition shoe at age 19.
* She was promptly signed by Atlantic Records, earned a Grammy nomination, and performed in the White House for Pres. Obama.
* But addiction took hold and nearly killed her. Now she is celebrating five years sober and looking at a career once agsin ascending. The preview for the show looked great and the show includes multiple examples of her stunning singing voice.
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Mon, Feb 17, on tv:
11:35 pm - "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" on CBS has guests STEVE MARTIN and the STEEP CANYON RANGERS. Grammy winners together and separately.
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Tuesday
_______________________
Today is Tuesday, February 18, 2020.
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On this day...
Bernie's first boost...
Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union today in 1791, effective March 4th that year, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto / independent / largely unrecognized state.
The-times-they-are-familiar...
Today in 1970, the "Chicago Seven" are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. That convention had nominated sitting VP Hubert H. Humphrey, despite the fact he arrived without the requisite number of delegates, and delegates representing murdered peace candidate Bobby Kennedy might have combined with peace candidate Gene McCarthy's delegates -- but the party establishment blocked them. Lacking support from Progressives of the day -- those who saw an "inside job" in the convention, and a police riot against protesters in host-city Chicago's parks and streets -- "HHH" would lose in November to Republican Richard Nixon.
When you could watch...
Today in 1979, Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth "Daytona 500" auto race after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag. Alas, that was before Trump could take a pre-race / post-impeachment victory lap on the very same track and harangue the crowd, making the bread and circuses show unwatchable.
The Old West...
John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and inciting young William Bonnie to become Billy the Kid to avenge the death of his mentor, Tunstall. It all started today in 1878.
Black History Month...
Today in 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is published in the United States for the first time today in 1885. The novel depicted the last days of paddlewheel steamboats that competed as floating wood castles on the Mississippi River -- and made America confront slavery and its assumption that people with black skin were automatically inferior. The book is still subject to banning from libraries that focus on its "n-word" language instead of its historical and still-resonant message.
Come Josephine in my flying machine...
The first official flight with airmail takes goes from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away, today in 1911.
"Elm Farm Ollie" becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft, today in 1930. Which must have given today's airlines the idea to operate flying cattle cars where everyone has their knees in their armpits.
Spaciness...
While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto, today in 1930. Pluto is still a cartoon dog (Walt Disney named his character that because of hoopla over the discovery) but Pluto was demoted from being a planet and assumed unimportant -- a probe launched while it was still a planet took Clyde Tombaugh's ashes there, and discovered a wondrous world with subterranean water oceans, jagged mountains made of ice, and a giant heart-shaped, gleaming flat feature. Not to mention thst it has a big moon, Charon, which alone makes it a PLANET (duhh.)
Nukes...
Today in 1955 "Test Shot Wasp" is successfully detonated with a yield equivalent to 1.2 millions TNT. It is the first of fourteen nuclear detonations in "Operation Teapot" at the "Nevada Test Site," and cancer cases downwind would be rampant for decades.
Spy vs. Spy...
Today in 2001, FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for decades for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Today in 2010, WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of cl
Religionistas...
Today in 1954 the first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, based on ideas of sci-fi novelist L. Ron Hubbard.
Wars and rumors of war... gads, WHAT a day for militarists...
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with Muslim leader al-Kamil to regain Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem for the Christian Crusaders, with no military engagements and no support from the papacy, today in 1229 during the Sixth Crusade.
In the "Eighty Years' War" off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them, today in 1637.
In the "Fourth Anglo-Dutch War," Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa today in 1781. That's a Black History Month item, too, since Europeans were there as exploiters, with exploitation that included the slave trade.
Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad in the "French Revolutionary Wars" today in 1797.
The Battle of Montereau was fought in the Napoleonic Wars, today in 1814 -- the same year that the young United States ended the War of 1812, its second war for independence from the British Empire, making Andrew Jackson a hero in the process.
Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia in the American Civil War, today in 1865.
Ottoman Empire authorities execute Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski by hanging him in Sofia today in 1873. When the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were both dissolved in the outcome of WW I, a kind of chaos ensued that eventually produced the Soviet Empire, the NATO military alliance, and the EU. Long time getting to living in peace.
In the "Second Boer War" in South Africa, Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on "Bloody Sunday," the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg, today in 1900.
Today in 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army began the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese population in Singapore. Chillingly, on this same day before it was called WW II, the Empire of Japan created the independent state of Manzhouguo (in English texts, Manchuko, the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) -- declaring it separate from the Republic of China and installing former Chinese Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi as its Chief Executive -- in 1932, and then on this same day in 1938, during the "Nanking Massacre" of Chinese civilians by Japanese troops in the
"Second Sino-Japanese War," the "Nanking Safety Zone International Committee" is renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee", and its safety zone, in place for refugees, is dismantled by military action, producing more carnage.
Today in 1943, in Imperial Japan's Axis ally Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels delivered a key speech and members of the "White Rose" movement were arrested and disappeared into the concentration camps (a network that numbered over 20,000 concentration, slave labor, and extermination camps).
Three years later, today in 1946 with WW II over, sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied in Bombay harbour agsinst British colonial rule, from where the action spread throughout the Provinces of British India to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments, and 20,000 sailors, helping lead to independence for India and Pakistan.
Today in 1947 in the "First Indochina War," French colonial troops gained complete control of the city of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains. The US would fail to see that nothing in Vietnam could be won for long, since the French were driven-out of Indochina, the Americans came-in, fought for years, and never lost a set-piece "battle" in Vietnam, but were also driven-out.
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Happy Birthday today to musicians & influential others born this date
Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer.
Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician, widow of Beatle John Lennon.
Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter.
Irma Thomas, American singer.
Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter.
Dennis DeYoung, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player.
Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer.
Susan Egan, American actress and singer.
Merritt Gant, American guitarist.
Cheetah Chrome, American musician.
Raine Maida, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Robbie Bachman, Canadian rock drummer.
Miles Tredinnick, English singer-songwriter and playwright.
Paul Hanley, English drummer and songwriter.
Marlos Nobre, Brazilian composer.
Herman Santiago, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter.
Derek Pellicci, English-Australian drummer.
Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor.
Jean M. Auel, American author whose bestselling novels imagine prehistoric hunter-gatherer cultures.
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In memorium to musicians and influential others born this date
Pee Wee King (1914-2000), American singer-songwriter and fiddler.
Skip Battin (1934-2003), American singer-songwriter and bass player.
Keith Knudsen (1948-2005), American singer-songwriter and drummer.
Cybill Shepherd, American actress and singer.
Fabrizio De André (1940-1999), Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Oscar Feltsman (1921-2013), Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer.
Rolande Falcinelli (1920-2006), French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.
Ted Gärdestad (1956-1997), Swedish singer-songwriter.
John Hughes (1950-2009), American director, producer, and screenwriter.
Helen Gurley Brown (1922-2012), American journalist and author.
Toni Morrison (1931-2019), American novelist and editor, Nobel Prize laureate.
Johnny Hart (1931-2007), American cartoonist, co-created "The Wizard of Id."
Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), Italian physicist, invented the battery.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), American stained glass artist.
Wendell Willkie (1892-1944), American captain, lawyer, and politician, Republican presidential candidate in 1940 who lost to FDR. Willkie was the Republican field's only interventionist; all the others fought Lend-Lease and everything else Franklin Roosevelt did to help Britain survive agsinst the Nazis and help China survive against Imperial Japan before the US entered WW II because we were attacked at Pearl Harbor.
Lewis Armistead (1817-1863), American general who led the only part of the Confederate army that breached Union positions and briefly captured Yankee cannon in "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg. With no reinforcements and Armistead shot and mortally wounded, the charge would fail and the moment became known as the "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy. Captured and dying, Armistead asked about his best friend, Winfield Scott Hancock, Union commander of the very position he had attacked. Hancock was also wounded but survived to run for president as the Democratic nominee in 1880. It was that kind of war.
André Mathieu (1929-1968), Canadian pianist and composer.
George Henschel (1850-1934), German-English singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor.
Johann Christian Kittel (1732-1809), German organist and composer.
Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632-1692), Italian violinist and composer.
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Tue, Feb 18:Today is Tuesday, February 18, 2020.
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On this day...
Bernie's first boost...
Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union today in 1791, effective March 4th that year, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto / independent / largely unrecognized state.
The-times-they-are-familiar...
Today in 1970, the "Chicago Seven" are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. That convention had nominated sitting VP Hubert H. Humphrey, despite the fact he arrived without the requisite number of delegates, and delegates representing murdered peace candidate Bobby Kennedy might have combined with peace candidate Gene McCarthy's delegates -- but the party establishment blocked them. Lacking support from Progressives of the day -- those who saw an "inside job" in the convention, and a police riot against protesters in host-city Chicago's parks and streets -- "HHH" would lose in November to Republican Richard Nixon.
When you could watch...
Today in 1979, Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth "Daytona 500" auto race after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag. Alas, that was before Trump could take a pre-race / post-impeachment victory lap on the very same track and harangue the crowd, making the bread and circuses show unwatchable.
The Old West...
John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and inciting young William Bonnie to become Billy the Kid to avenge the death of his mentor, Tunstall. It all started today in 1878.
Black History Month...
Today in 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is published in the United States for the first time today in 1885. The novel depicted the last days of paddlewheel steamboats that competed as floating wood castles on the Mississippi River -- and made America confront slavery and its assumption that people with black skin were automatically inferior. The book is still subject to banning from libraries that focus on its "n-word" language instead of its historical and still-resonant message.
Come Josephine in my flying machine...
The first official flight with airmail takes goes from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away, today in 1911.
"Elm Farm Ollie" becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft, today in 1930. Which must have given today's airlines the idea to operate flying cattle cars where everyone has their knees in their armpits.
Spaciness...
While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto, today in 1930. Pluto is still a cartoon dog (Walt Disney named his character that because of hoopla over the discovery) but Pluto was demoted from being a planet and assumed unimportant -- a probe launched while it was still a planet took Clyde Tombaugh's ashes there, and discovered a wondrous world with subterranean water oceans, jagged mountains made of ice, and a giant heart-shaped, gleaming flat feature. Not to mention thst it has a big moon, Charon, which alone makes it a PLANET (duhh.)
Nukes...
Today in 1955 "Test Shot Wasp" is successfully detonated with a yield equivalent to 1.2 millions TNT. It is the first of fourteen nuclear detonations in "Operation Teapot" at the "Nevada Test Site," and cancer cases downwind would be rampant for decades.
Spy vs. Spy...
Today in 2001, FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for decades for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Today in 2010, WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of cl
Religionistas...
Today in 1954 the first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, based on ideas of sci-fi novelist L. Ron Hubbard.
Wars and rumors of war... gads, WHAT a day for militarists...
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with Muslim leader al-Kamil to regain Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem for the Christian Crusaders, with no military engagements and no support from the papacy, today in 1229 during the Sixth Crusade.
In the "Eighty Years' War" off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them, today in 1637.
In the "Fourth Anglo-Dutch War," Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa today in 1781. That's a Black History Month item, too, since Europeans were there as exploiters, with exploitation that included the slave trade.
Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad in the "French Revolutionary Wars" today in 1797.
The Battle of Montereau was fought in the Napoleonic Wars, today in 1814 -- the same year that the young United States ended the War of 1812, its second war for independence from the British Empire, making Andrew Jackson a hero in the process.
Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House on fire during the burning of Columbia in the American Civil War, today in 1865.
Ottoman Empire authorities execute Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski by hanging him in Sofia today in 1873. When the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were both dissolved in the outcome of WW I, a kind of chaos ensued that eventually produced the Soviet Empire, the NATO military alliance, and the EU. Long time getting to living in peace.
In the "Second Boer War" in South Africa, Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on "Bloody Sunday," the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg, today in 1900.
Today in 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army began the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese population in Singapore. Chillingly, on this same day before it was called WW II, the Empire of Japan created the independent state of Manzhouguo (in English texts, Manchuko, the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) -- declaring it separate from the Republic of China and installing former Chinese Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi as its Chief Executive -- in 1932, and then on this same day in 1938, during the "Nanking Massacre" of Chinese civilians by Japanese troops in the
"Second Sino-Japanese War," the "Nanking Safety Zone International Committee" is renamed "Nanking International Rescue Committee", and its safety zone, in place for refugees, is dismantled by military action, producing more carnage.
Today in 1943, in Imperial Japan's Axis ally Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels delivered a key speech and members of the "White Rose" movement were arrested and disappeared into the concentration camps (a network that numbered over 20,000 concentration, slave labor, and extermination camps).
Three years later, today in 1946 with WW II over, sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied in Bombay harbour agsinst British colonial rule, from where the action spread throughout the Provinces of British India to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments, and 20,000 sailors, helping lead to independence for India and Pakistan.
Today in 1947 in the "First Indochina War," French colonial troops gained complete control of the city of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains. The US would fail to see that nothing in Vietnam could be won for long, since the French were driven-out of Indochina, the Americans came-in, fought for years, and never lost a set-piece "battle" in Vietnam, but were also driven-out.
___
Happy Birthday today to musicians & influential others born this date
Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer.
Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician, widow of Beatle John Lennon.
Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter.
Irma Thomas, American singer.
Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter.
Dennis DeYoung, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player.
Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer.
Susan Egan, American actress and singer.
Merritt Gant, American guitarist.
Cheetah Chrome, American musician.
Raine Maida, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
Robbie Bachman, Canadian rock drummer.
Miles Tredinnick, English singer-songwriter and playwright.
Paul Hanley, English drummer and songwriter.
Marlos Nobre, Brazilian composer.
Herman Santiago, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter.
Derek Pellicci, English-Australian drummer.
Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor.
Jean M. Auel, American author whose bestselling novels imagine prehistoric hunter-gatherer cultures.
___
In memorium to musicians and influential others born this date
Pee Wee King (1914-2000), American singer-songwriter and fiddler.
Skip Battin (1934-2003), American singer-songwriter and bass player.
Keith Knudsen (1948-2005), American singer-songwriter and drummer.
Cybill Shepherd, American actress and singer.
Fabrizio De André (1940-1999), Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Oscar Feltsman (1921-2013), Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer.
Rolande Falcinelli (1920-2006), French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.
Ted Gärdestad (1956-1997), Swedish singer-songwriter.
John Hughes (1950-2009), American director, producer, and screenwriter.
Helen Gurley Brown (1922-2012), American journalist and author.
Toni Morrison (1931-2019), American novelist and editor, Nobel Prize laureate.
Johnny Hart (1931-2007), American cartoonist, co-created "The Wizard of Id."
Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), Italian physicist, invented the battery.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), American stained glass artist.
Wendell Willkie (1892-1944), American captain, lawyer, and politician, Republican presidential candidate in 1940 who lost to FDR. Willkie was the Republican field's only interventionist; all the others fought Lend-Lease and everything else Franklin Roosevelt did to help Britain survive agsinst the Nazis and help China survive against Imperial Japan before the US entered WW II because we were attacked at Pearl Harbor.
Lewis Armistead (1817-1863), American general who led the only part of the Confederate army that breached Union positions and briefly captured Yankee cannon in "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg. With no reinforcements and Armistead shot and mortally wounded, the charge would fail and the moment became known as the "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy. Captured and dying, Armistead asked about his best friend, Winfield Scott Hancock, Union commander of the very position he had attacked. Hancock was also wounded but survived to run for president as the Democratic nominee in 1880. It was that kind of war.
André Mathieu (1929-1968), Canadian pianist and composer.
George Henschel (1850-1934), German-English singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor.
Johann Christian Kittel (1732-1809), German organist and composer.
Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632-1692), Italian violinist and composer.
___
Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
___
7 pm - "ARTISTS FOR BERNIE" with funny friends MIKE E. WINFIELD, JESUS TREJO, TAYLOR TOMLINSON, NATASHA LEGGERO, and more to be announced, at the Laugh Factory, 8001 W Sunset Bl, Hollywood CA 90046
* It's "an evening of entertainment, [to] have a few laughs and join the political revolution!" in "a grassroots FUNdraiser for Bernie 2020."
* Senator Bernie Sanders will not be there.
* All ages welcome, but bring an I.D. for 21+ bar trade.
* Doors at 7 pm. Show at 7:30 pm.
* Info: email maleastenzelgilligan@berniesanders.com
* TIX: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/laughfactoryfeb18
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Tue, Feb 18:
7 pm - RELOCATED: weekly "SONGWRITER SERENADE" temporarily relocates due to damage to its regular venue. This week the show is at Old Oak Cellars, 2620 E Foothill Bl, Unit D, Pasadena, CA 91107; 626-674-9244
* Artists playing this week:
⊙ Mick Rhodes
⊙ Bobbo Byrnes
⊙ The Furious Seasons
⊙ Pat Nason & Bill Burnett, splitting a set, covering for booked artist Emily Zuzik who has the flu.
⊙ Bobbo Byrnes
⊙ The Furious Seasons
⊙ Pat Nason & Bill Burnett, splitting a set, covering for booked artist Emily Zuzik who has the flu.
* See the photo for the damage to the series' regular venue, Matt Denny's Ale House in Arcadia.
* Host JC HYKE asks, "Please donate to replace the lights that were destroyed, and to design and obtain a new banner for the show for other venues and house concerts." More at: www.jchyke.com
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Tue, Feb 18, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 3 -- conclusion, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries debuted last night, reintroducing America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, but after catching part 1, we can safely say this is much more history than Hollywood. It's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 2 reruns tonight, 6-8 pm.
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Tue, Feb 18, on tv:
8 pm-10:05 pm - "WASHINGTON" part 3 -- conclusion, on the History channel.
* This new miniseries debuted last night, reintroducing America to GEORGE WASHINGTON, the Founding Father who historians call "The Indispensible Man."
* We did not see a press preview screening, but after catching part 1, we can safely say this is much more history than Hollywood. It's giving top billing to its narrator, JEFF DANIELS, who, early in his career, was true-to-life playing Civil War hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the big-screen "Gettysburg."
* Part 2 reruns tonight, 6-8 pm.
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Wednesday
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Today is Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
"There's nothing that makes you so aware of the improvisation of human existence as a song unfinished. Or an old address book."
~ Carson McCullers, writer (born Feb 19, 1917, died 1967)
(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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Black History Month
Tonight at 10 pm, an important new documentary, "BLACK PATRIOTS: HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION," premieres on the History channel.
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Short intro today; sorry, no time to get to musician birthdays.
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Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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Wed, Feb 19, on tv:
6 pm-8 pm (Pacific) - "DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE" live from Las Vegas, before Saturday's Nevada Caucuses, on MSNBC.
* With independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders in a solid early lead, and corporate Big Media going crazy to trash him and scare people half to death by strangely horrific comments that misinterpret his policies? The raft of candidates sponsored by oligarchs and "corpirate" interests are joined tonight by billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who bought a podium here -- even though he isn't eligible to compete for delegates in Nevada or anywhere else until Super Tuesday.
* On that topic of Big Media putting its thumb on the scale? Give a listen to the Feb 14, 2020, episode of "CounterSpin," with the topic, "Corporate Media Are Not Observers of the Electoral Process; They Are Participants," here.
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7 pm - "THE WINE & SONG SERIES at the BLUE GUITAR" presents IKES CREEK plus YOSI MESBAH at the Arroyo Seco Golf Clubhouse, 1055 Lohman Ln, South Pasadena CA 91030; 323-255-1506
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■ Black History Month event...
Wed, Feb 19; FREE GALLERY TALK:
7 pm - "PLACE IS THE SPACE: RECASTING BLACK PRESENCE AND POWER THROUGH ART" at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles CA 90049
* Artists Genevieve Gaignard and Rashaad Newsome address why and how they create spaces for Black histories.
* This talk is moderated by Tyree Boyd-Pates, associate curator at the Autry.
* FREE TIX & details: http://getty.edu/visit/cal/events/ev_3101.html
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Wed, Feb 19:
7:30 pm - "INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT" With Mike Dawes, Cenk Erdogan, Olli Soikkeli, & Jim Kimo West, at the California Center For The Arts, Center Theatre, 340 N Escondido Bl, Escondido CA 92025; 800-988-4253
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Wed, Feb 19:
7:30 pm - LYLE LOVETT & HIS ACOUSTIC GROUP play the California Center For The Arts, Concert Hall, 340 N Escondido Bl, Escondido CA 92025; 800-988-4253
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Wed, Feb 19; MUSICAL:
8 pm - “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” the big musical comedy, returns, opening Feb 19 in the Ahmanson Theatre at the L.A. Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* Runs through March 29th.
* TIX start at $45, at 213-972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
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Wed, Feb 19, on tv:
10 pm-11:03 pm (Pacific) - "BLACK PATRIOTS: HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION" premieres tonight on the History channel.
* This new documentary introduces us to heroes of the American Revolution who aren't typically found in history books. They are a writer, a double agent, a martyr and a soldier — and they are all black.
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the executive producer. He is a Hall of Fame basketball player, writer, activist, and a 2016 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* ILLUSTRATION: John Trumbull's painting hangs in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Titled, "The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill," it appears to include black patriot hero Peter Salem as the figure in the lower right. The fact that is hidden is the perfect metaphor for why this new documentary is needed.
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Thursday
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Today is Thursday, February 20, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment."
~ Ansel Adams, photographer (born Feb 20m 1902, died 1984)
(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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Short intro today; sorry, no time to get to musician birthdays.
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Today is Thursday, February 20, 2020.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...
"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment."
~ Ansel Adams, photographer (born Feb 20m 1902, died 1984)
(thanks to A.Word.A.Day)
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Short intro today; sorry, no time to get to musician birthdays.
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Now, here are TODAY'S EVENTS...
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7:30 pm - 9th Annual "MUCK SPEAKEASY" celebrates the 100th anniversary of Prohibition at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W Malvern Av, Fullerton CA 92833; 714-738-6595; www.TheMuck.org
* The Muckenthaler staff has been hosting this event almost as long as the institution of prohibition lasted.
* Once again, they convert the Muck into a 1920's Speakeasy bringing the Gatsby Era to life.
* The live music and flowing booze -- will they attract the constabulary? The Muck says, "You bet it will!"
* This event is 21+ only.
* TIX, $30, at: https://themuck.org/programing/2020-02-20-speakeasy
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO plays the CAP UCLA concert series in Royce Hall on the UCLA Campus in Westwood CA 90095; 310-825-4401
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - JOSHUA RADIN & FRIENDS plus BEN KWELLER & WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS at the Belly Up Tavern, 143 S Cedros Av, Solana Beach, San Diego CA 92075; 858-481-9022
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LYLE LOVETT & HIS ACOUSTIC GROUP play UCSB in Campbell Hall, 574 Mesa Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93106; 805-893-3535
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Thu, Feb 20:
8 pm - LISA FINNIE & FRIENDS plus THE BEECHWOOD BELLES, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA 91001
* Reservations by phone only, 10 am-10 pm, 7 days, at: 626-798-6236
* Two local, female-fronted acts combine forces -- sharing the stage together for the first time, for a dynamic evening of music that draws from folk, blues and jazz traditions.
* LISA FINNIE, a Pasadena native, is described by the LA Weekly as a “torch-hillbilly enchanteuse” with “hip-chick atmospherics” and a “sultry, languid approach." Her music digs deep into Americana soil as she explores themes of love and loss, and always with a groove.
* A fixture on the local roots music scene for the past two decades, the singer-songwriter-song stylist is equally at home in a honky-tonk, a cocktail lounge or a literary salon.
* Joining Finnie are her three main men, the stunningly versatile, guitarist-in-demand, Dylan Thomas (King Cotton, The Dickies, 45 Grave); bassist/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Tim Fleming (Sofia Talvik, Brad Colerick, Little Silver Hearts); and her longtime collaborator, percussion maestro/harmonica slinger, John Palmer (Johnny Rivers, Wanda Jackson, Ronnie Dawson).
* LISA FINNIE also produces and hosts “The Dylan Hours”, a specialty radio program devoted to the music of Bob Dylan, at 88.5 FM/KCSN.
* THE BEECHWOOD BELLES are the new close-harmony duo of CYNTHIA BRANDO and CAIT LEOW who are each known on the Los Angeles singer-songwriter circuit as solo artists.
* Cynthia and Cait met at the long running Los Angeles venue, “Kulak’s Woodshed,” uniting over their love of early 20th century jazz and blues and '60s folk music. They fuse these influences into popular cover songs of those times, newer and more recent covers, and original tunes in their “vintage vamp” style.
* CYNTHIA BRANDO’s vocal style has been described by the Pasadena Weekly as, “equal parts Silk and Stevie Nicks.” She performs all over the Los Angeles area and beyond, sharing her unique “vintage vibe” powerful vocals and steady acoustic folk-rock rhythms in clubs, homes and as a street performer. She has played notable shows at House of Blues in Hollywood and music festivals, and has completed her second tour across the country with her 2018 album, “The Treehouse Trio Sessions,” which Music Connection Magazine included in their “Top 20 Prospects of 2018” list.
* CAIT LEOW hails from Ohio and has made a splash on the Los Angeles music scene with her original music and many favorite cover tunes -- influenced by her strong background in musical theatre, folk, oldies and jazz. She lends her voice and ukulele and violin skills to various projects and tours the country with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in their outreach program, “It Gets Better” tour. Watch for Cait later in the season in the popular show
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Thu & Fri, Feb 20 & 21:
8 pm - L.A. PHIL presents "DUDAMEL EXPLORES DVOřáK & IVES" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Music Center, downtown Los Angeles CA
* Gustavo Dudamel conducts.
* Revealing unpredictable connections between the two composers, Dudamel’s unexpected pairing of symphonies by Ives and Dvořák begins with each showing us new ways to view vernacular music in a symphonic context.
* GO EARLY for "Upbeat Live with Christopher Russell," starting at 6:45 pm: Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around – including members of L.A. Phil – guide you through the evening’s music, complete with a Q&A sessio. This free event is held in the main auditorium, accessible after your ticket is scanned.
* TIX & info: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/718/
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Friday
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TICKET ALERT...
The DAVE MATTHEWS BAND plays Sep 11 & 12 at FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine CA, on their Summer Tour 2020. TIX available starting Fri, Feb 21 at 10 am, at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/dave-matthews-band-tickets/artist/746531
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TICKET ALERT...
The DAVE MATTHEWS BAND plays Sep 11 & 12 at FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine CA, on their Summer Tour 2020. TIX available starting Fri, Feb 21 at 10 am, at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/dave-matthews-band-tickets/artist/746531
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm - THE STRING REVOLUTION plays the Fiddler's Crossing concert series at Mountain Bible Church, 630 Maple St, Tehachapi CA 93561
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Fri, Feb 21:
7 pm ' BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET, Cajun legends, plays the Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad CA 92008; 760-438-5996
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Fri, Feb 21:
7:30 pm - WILLY PORTER plays the "AMSD Concerts" series in Sweetwater Community Church, 5305 Sweetwater Rd, Bonita CA 91902; 619-201-0520
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - DIANA REIN, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - JOSHUA RADIN & FRIENDS plus BEN KWELLER & WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS play the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - THE TILLERS play Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City CA 90230; 310-398-2583
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - L.A. PHIL presents the second of two nights of "DUDAMEL EXPLORES DVOřáK & IVES" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Music Center, downtown Los Angeles CA
* "Charles Ives was our first great American composer." ~ Leonard Bernstein.
* Gustavo Dudamel conducts.
* Revealing unpredictable connections between the two composers, Dudamel’s unexpected pairing of symphonies by Ives and Dvořák begins with each showing us new ways to view vernacular music in a symphonic context.
* GO EARLY for "Upbeat Live with Christopher Russell," starting at 6:45 pm: Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around – including members of L.A. Phil – guide you through the evening’s music, complete with a Q&A sessio. This free event is held in the main auditorium, accessible after your ticket is scanned.
* TIX & info: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/718/
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Fri, Feb 21:
8 pm - LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO plays the "Lobero Live" serues in the Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara CA 93101; 805-963-0761
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Saturday
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Sat, Feb 22, FREE FESTIVAL:
6 pm - "BEN VAUGHN's WONDER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL" at the Palms Restaurant, 83131 Amboy Rd, Twentynine Palms CA 92277
* Psych folk rockers I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. say, "Come out to the deep desert for a night of strange magic. It's a land where a man can take a stand!"
* PERFORMERS:
⊙ 6:00: BEN VAUGHN DUO
⊙ 6:15: ROSA PULLMAN
⊙ 7:00: GWENDOLYN
⊙ 7:45: THE SIBLEYS
⊙ 8:45: DRAGSTER BARBIE
⊙ 9:45: BEN VAUGHN ENSEMBLE
⊙ 10:45: I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
* FREE admission. Camping on site. Music starts at 6 pm.
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Sat, Feb 22; See now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
 |
| Barbara Kruger, ’WHO BUYS THE CON’ mural, on the façade of NeueHouse Hollywood. Photo, Fredrik Nilsen |
* This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
* "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
* "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
* Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
* Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau, NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
* Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
* Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
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Sat, Feb 22; FREE CONCERT:
6 pm-9 pm - LISA HALEY & THE ZYDEKATS play the L.A. Farmers Market, 3rd/ Fairfax, Los Angeles CA
* Come catch zydecosis with these Cajun-Zydeco Grammy nominees. Get there early for a seat.
* Gig is free, but parking there costs and is expensive. Park at the Grove, get it validated there, and walk two blocks to the Farmers Market.
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Sat, Feb 22:
8 pm - BEN RICE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Sunday
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Sun, Feb 23:
2 pm - "THEATRE 40 MUSICAL MATINEE" is a special production of Theatre 40, in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S Moreno Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90212
* This is "Ninety minutes of musical theatre Heaven" as the vocal talents of Theatre 40's performing artists sing the great songs of musical theatre.
* Southern Cal theatre guru Philip Sokoloff tells us, "If you love musical theatre, this is the show for you."
* Directed by Gail Johnston. Musical director, Carol Weiss. Presented by Theatre 40, the professional theatre of Beverly Hills, on the campus of Beverly Hills High School.
* Ample free parking beneath the venue; enter parking from driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.
* Since this is a revue, the Guide expects it will appeal to a broad audience. So, get your tix early.
* TIX: all seats $25 at 310-364-3606 or http://theatre40.org
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__________________* This is "Ninety minutes of musical theatre Heaven" as the vocal talents of Theatre 40's performing artists sing the great songs of musical theatre.
* Southern Cal theatre guru Philip Sokoloff tells us, "If you love musical theatre, this is the show for you."
* Directed by Gail Johnston. Musical director, Carol Weiss. Presented by Theatre 40, the professional theatre of Beverly Hills, on the campus of Beverly Hills High School.
* Ample free parking beneath the venue; enter parking from driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.
* Since this is a revue, the Guide expects it will appeal to a broad audience. So, get your tix early.
* TIX: all seats $25 at 310-364-3606 or http://theatre40.org
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Tuesday
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8 pm - JUDY COLLINS plays the lovely McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Dr, Palm Desert CA 92260; 760-340-ARTS or 866-889-ARTS
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Thursday
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - LEO KOTTKE plays the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 949-496-8927
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Thu, Feb 27:
8 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles CA
* Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
* The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
* Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
* TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Thu, Feb 27:
FREEBO & His FABULOUS FRIENDS, featuring an opening set by CATFISH HODGE, at Bogie’s Bar in Westlake Village CA
* Freebo tells us, "I am always excited to play with my amazing band of world-class musicians, FUZZBEE MORSE, CHAD WATSON, JT THOMAS, and DAVID GOODSTEIN. These great players take my songs to a higher and deeper level, allowing for some very cool jams, solos, and sweet interplay…. a real treat for me and the audience."
* Opening the show, says Freebo, is "my old friend and compelling blues singer CATFISH HODGE. Catfish and I were in THE BLUESBUSTER BAND together for 5 years, I produced several records for him, and we’ve spent many wonderful and memorable times on stage together over the years. This will be a reunion of sorts… I’ll play bass with Catfish and have him join the band on a few tunes."
* Bogie’s Bar, says Freebo, has "great food, drink, and sound!"
* More at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freebo-his-fabulous-friends-tickets-88746630561
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Friday
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Fri, Feb 28:
8 pm - EDI ROQUE, plus on the 2nd stage, BOBBY BLUEHOUSE, at the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA
* Fun venue, two stages for continuous music, dance areas for each, ample seating, friendly crowd, full bar, pool tables, tasty menu offerings (generous portions, two can share); but bring earplugs -- seriously.
* Doors at 7 for an early start on food, bar, pool.
* TIX online advance always save substantially over admission at the door, but the venue is never expensive, anyway.
* More & TIX, at: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
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Saturday
__________________
Sat, Feb 29:
7 pm - BEYOND THE PALE plays the Museum of Making Music, Carlsbad CA
* Combining fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, accordion and clarinet, they have carved their own niche.
* The exciting acoustic Toronto, Ontario-based band finishes a two-week western US tour with two shows in Southern Cal, Feb 27 & 29 in different cities.
* Playing eleven shows in 15 days, spanning the Pacific Northwest, California and New Mexico, they made a fun lil' one-minute music video to promote it, here.
* TIX & more at: www.beyondthepale.net
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Sat, Feb 29:
8 pm - WISHBONE ASH plus THE BOBBY BLUEHOUSE BAND and various special guests, play the Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia CA 91006
* Fun venue, two stages to assure continuous music, pool tables, bar specials, tasty menu (generous portions, two can share). But bring earplugs. Seriously.
* Advance online tix save money, but this venue is never overpriced, anyway.
* Upcoming events, more: www.arcadiabluesclub.com
* TIX for all concerts here, at: http://arcadiabluesclub.eventbrite.com
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Sat, Feb 29:
Benefit Concert
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Sun, Mar 1; FREE EVENT:
2 pm - "(Re)IMAGINING MEXICAN MUSIC & THEATRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* Join Dr. John Koegel, Cal State Fullerton Professor of Musicology, for a visually and musically illustrated history of Californio/Mexican music and early theatrical traditions in Southern California between 1840 and 1940.
* A light reception follows his presentation.
* Free, free parking; reservations are recommended at: https://homesteadmuseum.typeform.com/to/CVHhbM
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Sat, Mar 7:
8 pm - CHRIS WEBSTER & NINA GERBER play Russ & Julie’s House Concerts in Oak Park CA (Agoura Hills / Thousand Oaks area)
* It's a return performance at the series for singer-songwriter Chris Webster and master guitarist Nina Gerber -- they sold-out last time.
* Individually and together, music fans know Chris Webster & Nina Gerber. They've played all the major folk festivals for more than a decade and they are two of the most skilled and artful musical talents from the Bay Area.
* As Russ & Julie say, "Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while Gerber’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they are magical."
* Chris Webster is a soul singer. Her voice conveys a passion that connects with the longings of her audience. She expresses sometimes-troubled feelings that everyone understands. Performing live, her intensity brings a hush to every room she plays.
* Guitarist Nina Gerber first earned recognition for her accompaniment of Kate Wolf. Since then, her acute skills as performer, producer and arranger have continued to deepen. She has accompanied and/or recorded with Karla Bonoff, Peter Rowan, Eliza Gilkyson, Nanci Griffith, Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky, Mollie O’Brien, Rosalie Sorrels, Laurie Lewis, and many others.
* Chris Webster & Nina Gerber perform a delightful mix of originals, tasteful covers, soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk... a great show.
* LISTEN & WATCH: Chris Webster & Nina Gerber - "Wild Ride"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyv3aucxzHU
* NOTE: Russ & Julie have ended their monthly house concert series and will now be occasional presenters. That tells us their shows will selk-out QUICKLY, so don't dawdle.
* Hosts have their usual “potluck” style coffee and dessert buffet. Doors at 7:30 pm.
* TIX: "suggested donation" $20 per person, payable in cash at the door. All the money goes to the performers.
* Reservations get directions: rsvp@houseconcerts.us
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Thu, Mar 12:
7 pm - JOEL RAFAEL, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE, & ANDY & RENEE team-up for a house concert worthy of a big venue, hosted By Andy Hill in Torrance CA 90504.
* Reservations get directions.
* SARAH LEE GUTHRIE's lineage is undeniable: granddaughter of Woody, daughter of Arlo. But if you close your eyes and forget that her last name is synonymous with the river-legacy of a widening current of American folk music, you’d still be drawn to the clarity and soul behind her voice.
* There is a gentle urgency to Sarah Lee's interpretations of the songs she sings and the classic music of her heritage. It flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life today and the river of songs that have guided her to where she now stands.
* Over the last two decades on the road and in the studio, she and her husband JOHNNY IRION have created a signature pop-fused folk-rock sound that is appealing and engaging through a series of critically-acclaimed albums: "Exploration," "Folksong," "Bright Examples," and "Wassiac Way."
* On 2009’s "Go Waggaloo" she created a family album of original songs (and a few with Woody’s lyrics) that won a "Golden Medallion" from "The Parents' Choice Foundation."
* Sarah Lee Guthrie now ventures on a road that leads back to the rich culture of her family running through the warmth of her own bloodlines. This is a rare opportunity to witness the growth of one of America's finest young folk singers.
* JOEL RAFAEL, as a solo performer and with his band, has opened shows and shared stages with artists who include Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, John Lee Hooker, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, John Trudell, Laura Nyro, Kris Kristofferson, Dar Williams, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Odetta, and Taj Mahal.
* "Rose Avenue" (2019), Joel Rafael’s latest work, gracefully defines him and his contribution to the American canon. The ten-song masterpiece includes nine originals that reflect the honest accounting of a man in his 70th year, with a lifetime’s insight into the songs he writes; as well as a full measure of gratitude for what has been, and what lies ahead.
* ANDY & RENEE are the longtime leaders of Aaard-winning band HARD RAIN, and performing hosts of the annual "DYLANFEST." They've toured internationally, and always come back to small Southern Cal venues to play for a loyal fanbase.
* Doors at 6 pm, show at 7 pm.
* BYOB & Pot Luck.
* TIX, $25 ("donation," It's a house concert.) Space is limited....Get tickets for this gig AND FOR DYLANFEST, at: http://www.andyandrenee.com/store.php
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Sat, Mar 14:
"SHAMROCK 'n' ROLL" aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* The Queen Mary presents a party that hosts claim "would make St. Paddy proud: Shamrock 'N' Roll!"
* Celebrate the revelry, tradition, and spirit of Ireland with a rocking event unlike any other.
* This features a lineup of live entertainment "sure to make you dance a jig all night long, with music perfect for fans of the 70's and 80's, Ska, punk, folk, soul, and of course, Irish rock," says the promo.
* Four diverse bands perform throughout the evening: YACHTLEY CREW, HOIST THE COLORS, THE UNTOUCHABLES, and DIRTY OLD TOWN.
* TIX, $30, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/Shamrock-N-Roll/407629
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Sun, Mar 15; FREE EVENT:
2 pm-4 pm - "RAGTIME, JAZZ, & SWING: EARLY 20th CENTURY DANCE & SOCIETY" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* In the first half of the 20th century, dancing was central to almost any occasion when men and women came together. Restaurants and night clubs featured dance floors and live bands.
* Big cities like Los Angeles were home to multiple mega-ballrooms with rooms for thousands; and in taxi dance halls, lonely men paid women for anonymous foxtrots.
* Join Walter Nelson as he describes this era and its popular dances using contemporary writings, images, and film clips.
* The presentation is followed by an optional 45-minute Jazz age foxtrot introductory class.
* Free, free parking; reservations are recommended:
https://homesteadmuseum.typeform.com/to/TkzG0Y
___
Sun, Mar 29; FREE FESTIVAL:
Noon-4 pm - "SILK ROAD UNITY FESTIVAL 2020" at Brookhurst Community Center & Park, 2271 W Crescent Av, Anaheim CA 92801
* Celebrating the cultures along the Ancient trade route through their art, performances, cuisine, and more, this is an event for the whole family.
* Features a day-long stage presentation of acts that originated around the world, an international food court, a bazaar, and a kid’s crafts zone.
* Sponsored by the Fullerton-based Muckenthaler Cultural Center.
* Info, incl. signup for free email updates: https://themuck.org/silk-road-unity-festival
* Free.
___
_______________________
later in
2020
_______________________2 pm - "(Re)IMAGINING MEXICAN MUSIC & THEATRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* Join Dr. John Koegel, Cal State Fullerton Professor of Musicology, for a visually and musically illustrated history of Californio/Mexican music and early theatrical traditions in Southern California between 1840 and 1940.
* A light reception follows his presentation.
* Free, free parking; reservations are recommended at: https://homesteadmuseum.typeform.com/to/CVHhbM
___
Sat, Mar 7:
8 pm - CHRIS WEBSTER & NINA GERBER play Russ & Julie’s House Concerts in Oak Park CA (Agoura Hills / Thousand Oaks area)
* It's a return performance at the series for singer-songwriter Chris Webster and master guitarist Nina Gerber -- they sold-out last time.
* Individually and together, music fans know Chris Webster & Nina Gerber. They've played all the major folk festivals for more than a decade and they are two of the most skilled and artful musical talents from the Bay Area.
* As Russ & Julie say, "Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while Gerber’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they are magical."
* Chris Webster is a soul singer. Her voice conveys a passion that connects with the longings of her audience. She expresses sometimes-troubled feelings that everyone understands. Performing live, her intensity brings a hush to every room she plays.
* Guitarist Nina Gerber first earned recognition for her accompaniment of Kate Wolf. Since then, her acute skills as performer, producer and arranger have continued to deepen. She has accompanied and/or recorded with Karla Bonoff, Peter Rowan, Eliza Gilkyson, Nanci Griffith, Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky, Mollie O’Brien, Rosalie Sorrels, Laurie Lewis, and many others.
* Chris Webster & Nina Gerber perform a delightful mix of originals, tasteful covers, soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk... a great show.
* LISTEN & WATCH: Chris Webster & Nina Gerber - "Wild Ride"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyv3aucxzHU
* NOTE: Russ & Julie have ended their monthly house concert series and will now be occasional presenters. That tells us their shows will selk-out QUICKLY, so don't dawdle.
* Hosts have their usual “potluck” style coffee and dessert buffet. Doors at 7:30 pm.
* TIX: "suggested donation" $20 per person, payable in cash at the door. All the money goes to the performers.
* Reservations get directions: rsvp@houseconcerts.us
___
Thu, Mar 12:
7 pm - JOEL RAFAEL, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE, & ANDY & RENEE team-up for a house concert worthy of a big venue, hosted By Andy Hill in Torrance CA 90504.
* Reservations get directions.
* SARAH LEE GUTHRIE's lineage is undeniable: granddaughter of Woody, daughter of Arlo. But if you close your eyes and forget that her last name is synonymous with the river-legacy of a widening current of American folk music, you’d still be drawn to the clarity and soul behind her voice.
* There is a gentle urgency to Sarah Lee's interpretations of the songs she sings and the classic music of her heritage. It flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life today and the river of songs that have guided her to where she now stands.
* Over the last two decades on the road and in the studio, she and her husband JOHNNY IRION have created a signature pop-fused folk-rock sound that is appealing and engaging through a series of critically-acclaimed albums: "Exploration," "Folksong," "Bright Examples," and "Wassiac Way."
* On 2009’s "Go Waggaloo" she created a family album of original songs (and a few with Woody’s lyrics) that won a "Golden Medallion" from "The Parents' Choice Foundation."
* Sarah Lee Guthrie now ventures on a road that leads back to the rich culture of her family running through the warmth of her own bloodlines. This is a rare opportunity to witness the growth of one of America's finest young folk singers.
* JOEL RAFAEL, as a solo performer and with his band, has opened shows and shared stages with artists who include Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, John Lee Hooker, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, John Trudell, Laura Nyro, Kris Kristofferson, Dar Williams, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Odetta, and Taj Mahal.
* "Rose Avenue" (2019), Joel Rafael’s latest work, gracefully defines him and his contribution to the American canon. The ten-song masterpiece includes nine originals that reflect the honest accounting of a man in his 70th year, with a lifetime’s insight into the songs he writes; as well as a full measure of gratitude for what has been, and what lies ahead.
* ANDY & RENEE are the longtime leaders of Aaard-winning band HARD RAIN, and performing hosts of the annual "DYLANFEST." They've toured internationally, and always come back to small Southern Cal venues to play for a loyal fanbase.
* Doors at 6 pm, show at 7 pm.
* BYOB & Pot Luck.
* TIX, $25 ("donation," It's a house concert.) Space is limited....Get tickets for this gig AND FOR DYLANFEST, at: http://www.andyandrenee.com/store.php
___
Sat, Mar 14:
"SHAMROCK 'n' ROLL" aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* The Queen Mary presents a party that hosts claim "would make St. Paddy proud: Shamrock 'N' Roll!"
* Celebrate the revelry, tradition, and spirit of Ireland with a rocking event unlike any other.
* This features a lineup of live entertainment "sure to make you dance a jig all night long, with music perfect for fans of the 70's and 80's, Ska, punk, folk, soul, and of course, Irish rock," says the promo.
* Four diverse bands perform throughout the evening: YACHTLEY CREW, HOIST THE COLORS, THE UNTOUCHABLES, and DIRTY OLD TOWN.
* TIX, $30, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/Shamrock-N-Roll/407629
___
 |
| Click image to enlarge to read |
2 pm-4 pm - "RAGTIME, JAZZ, & SWING: EARLY 20th CENTURY DANCE & SOCIETY" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* In the first half of the 20th century, dancing was central to almost any occasion when men and women came together. Restaurants and night clubs featured dance floors and live bands.
* Big cities like Los Angeles were home to multiple mega-ballrooms with rooms for thousands; and in taxi dance halls, lonely men paid women for anonymous foxtrots.
* Join Walter Nelson as he describes this era and its popular dances using contemporary writings, images, and film clips.
* The presentation is followed by an optional 45-minute Jazz age foxtrot introductory class.
* Free, free parking; reservations are recommended:
https://homesteadmuseum.typeform.com/to/TkzG0Y
___
Sun, Mar 29; FREE FESTIVAL:
Noon-4 pm - "SILK ROAD UNITY FESTIVAL 2020" at Brookhurst Community Center & Park, 2271 W Crescent Av, Anaheim CA 92801
* Celebrating the cultures along the Ancient trade route through their art, performances, cuisine, and more, this is an event for the whole family.
* Features a day-long stage presentation of acts that originated around the world, an international food court, a bazaar, and a kid’s crafts zone.
* Sponsored by the Fullerton-based Muckenthaler Cultural Center.
* Info, incl. signup for free email updates: https://themuck.org/silk-road-unity-festival
* Free.
___
Fri-Sun, Apr 3-5, 2020:
"HISTORYCON" is a national event, conference, and exhibition at the at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena CA
* Discover and experience history at this three-day convention.
* Be sure to check-out a lecture with Josh Garrett-Davis, associate curator at the Autry, and stop by the Autry's booth.
* Experience history coming to life, from Civil War reenactors to living historians, it’ll be like stepping back in time.
* Authors, history programs, explore a vast variety of things like "the origins and evolution of soul food" with the panel "Slow-Cooked and Southern: A History of Soul Food."
* Exclusive content from tv, meet & greets, photo ops with stars.
* Get 15% off convention tickets by using code AUTRY15 at check-out.
* Details and Tickets: https://www.historycon.com/
___
* Discover and experience history at this three-day convention.
* Be sure to check-out a lecture with Josh Garrett-Davis, associate curator at the Autry, and stop by the Autry's booth.
* Experience history coming to life, from Civil War reenactors to living historians, it’ll be like stepping back in time.
* Authors, history programs, explore a vast variety of things like "the origins and evolution of soul food" with the panel "Slow-Cooked and Southern: A History of Soul Food."
* Exclusive content from tv, meet & greets, photo ops with stars.
* Get 15% off convention tickets by using code AUTRY15 at check-out.
* Details and Tickets: https://www.historycon.com/
___
Sat, Apr 11:
10 am-2 pm - "ORANGE COUNTY JAMBOREE" at Irvine Park, Irvine CA
* Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association, in cooperation with The Orange County Parks Historical Division.
___
Tue, Apr 14:
"TITANIC SEANCE: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER" dinner show aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* On the anniversary of the night Titanic sank, "you will become a passenger of that ill-fated voyage and experience an evening that you will never forget," says the promo.
* Dine on a 5-course gourmet meal, inspired by the final first-class dinner served aboard.
* View artifacts from the ship and hear the tales of the passengers who both lived and died on that cold April night.
* Then, attend a seance.
* If the whole idea doesn't give you the creeps.
* TIX, $315 & $415, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/A-Night-to-Remember/406381
___
Thu-Sun, Apr 16-19; FESTIVAL:
Annual "SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL" in William S. Hart Park and nearby concert and theatrical performance venues in Old Town Newhall, Santa Clarita CA; www.cowboyfestival.org
___
Fri, Apr 17:
8 pm - SOURDOUGH SLIM plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA; www.coffeegallery.com
* More: www.sourdoughslim.com
___
Sat, Apr 18:
7:30 pm - SCOTTISH FIDDLERS OF LOS ANGELES present their 39th Anniversary "SPRING CONCERT" at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, 710 Pier Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Acclaimed Cape Breton fiddlers ANDREA BEATON and TROY MacGILLIVRAY join a 40-person orchestra for a lively evening of foot-stomping good fun.
* MORE at: http://scottishfiddlers.org/
* Adv tix available via Brown Paper Tickets as of Jan 6, at: https://m.bpt.me/event/4478119
* TIX: $15 Gen'l, $25 Preferred (1st 5 rows); FREE for ages 18 and under.
___
Sat & Sun, Apr 25 & 26; FREE FESTIVAL:
1 pm-5 pm - Annual "VICTORIAN FAIR" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* Explore Los Angeles during the Victorian Era.
* Enjoy music, dancing, fashion shows, historic house tours, demonstrations, and much more.
* Period attire is encouraged.
* Free event & free parking, but bring spending money for food and shopping.
___
May 2:
11 am-3 pm - "RANCHO DAYS FIESTA" at Heritage Hills Park in cooperation with The Orange County (CA) Parks Historical Division.
* Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association.
___
Sat, May 16:
8 pm - BRANDI CARLILE plays the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Long Beach CA
* TIX, $96.50-$156.50, available now at: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/brandi-carlile/event/0B005843D5934C3F
___
10 am-2 pm - "ORANGE COUNTY JAMBOREE" at Irvine Park, Irvine CA
* Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association, in cooperation with The Orange County Parks Historical Division.
___
Tue, Apr 14:
"TITANIC SEANCE: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER" dinner show aboard the RMS Queen Mary, permanently docked at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach CA 90802
* On the anniversary of the night Titanic sank, "you will become a passenger of that ill-fated voyage and experience an evening that you will never forget," says the promo.
* Dine on a 5-course gourmet meal, inspired by the final first-class dinner served aboard.
* View artifacts from the ship and hear the tales of the passengers who both lived and died on that cold April night.
* Then, attend a seance.
* If the whole idea doesn't give you the creeps.
* TIX, $315 & $415, at: https://www.seetickets.us/event/A-Night-to-Remember/406381
___
Thu-Sun, Apr 16-19; FESTIVAL:
Annual "SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL" in William S. Hart Park and nearby concert and theatrical performance venues in Old Town Newhall, Santa Clarita CA; www.cowboyfestival.org
___
Fri, Apr 17:
8 pm - SOURDOUGH SLIM plays the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena CA; www.coffeegallery.com
* More: www.sourdoughslim.com
___
Sat, Apr 18:
7:30 pm - SCOTTISH FIDDLERS OF LOS ANGELES present their 39th Anniversary "SPRING CONCERT" at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, 710 Pier Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Acclaimed Cape Breton fiddlers ANDREA BEATON and TROY MacGILLIVRAY join a 40-person orchestra for a lively evening of foot-stomping good fun.
* MORE at: http://scottishfiddlers.org/
* Adv tix available via Brown Paper Tickets as of Jan 6, at: https://m.bpt.me/event/4478119
* TIX: $15 Gen'l, $25 Preferred (1st 5 rows); FREE for ages 18 and under.
___
Sat & Sun, Apr 25 & 26; FREE FESTIVAL:
1 pm-5 pm - Annual "VICTORIAN FAIR" at the Homestead Museum, 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry CA 91745
* Explore Los Angeles during the Victorian Era.
* Enjoy music, dancing, fashion shows, historic house tours, demonstrations, and much more.
* Period attire is encouraged.
* Free event & free parking, but bring spending money for food and shopping.
___
May 2:
11 am-3 pm - "RANCHO DAYS FIESTA" at Heritage Hills Park in cooperation with The Orange County (CA) Parks Historical Division.
* Features Western Music by the California Chapter of the Western Music Association.
___
Sat, May 16:
8 pm - BRANDI CARLILE plays the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Long Beach CA
* TIX, $96.50-$156.50, available now at: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/brandi-carlile/event/0B005843D5934C3F
___
Sun, May 17, FESTIVAL:
All day - Annual "TOPANGA BANJO FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL" at Paramount Ranch in Santa Monica Mtns Nat'l Recreation Area, off Kanan Rd in Agoura Hills CA
* Info, contest registration, more, at: https://www.topangabanjofiddle.org/
* Tix go on-sale Jan 13th at 10 am
___
May 26-31; PEACE CONFERENCE:
"NO WAR 2020: DIVEST, DISARM, DEMILITARIZE" (#NoWar2020) is a conference to bring conversion for a peaceful, green, & just future, and it happens this year (its 5th), in Ottawa, Canada.
* It is timed to coincide with "CANSEC" -- Canada's biggest weapons expo -- to bring international attention to Canada's complicity in the global arms trade.
* The conference is part of a weeklong series of events starting May 26th, including nonviolence training, art-making workshops, film screenings, and nonviolent direct actions at CANSEC, the weapons expo.
* #NoWar2020 is the product of a truly global effort.
* "World BEYOND War" -- the organizers of this, their 5th global conference -- have this to say: "We're working hand-in-hand with dozens of allies, including 350.org, the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, and Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, to pull together this week of education and nonviolent action. And a big thank you to Jim Prues of Panoptic Media for creating the new promo video!"
* You can watch the new video about it on YouTube, here.
* "World BEYOND War" is a global network of volunteers, activists, and allied organizations advocating for the abolition of the very institution of war. Their "success is driven by a people-powered movement." They seek the support of individual citizens throughout the world, saying, "our work [is] for a culture of peace."
* IF YOU GO... go early, so you can catch LEE CAMP, host of "Redacted Tonight," in his live show in Ottawa on May 24th (info & tix at link below).
* More on the conference, including registration to attend, is at:
https://nowar2020.worldbeyondwar.org/
___
Sat, May 30; FESTIVAL:
All day - 30th Annual "DYLANFEST" in the tree-shaded courtyard at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Torrance CA
* This is a splendid live music event, reliably wonderful year after year. Sponsors and award-winning host band ANDY & RENEE & HARD RAIN always book many of L.A.'s top musicians, and for this big three-decade anniversary, you can expect a lot. You can also expect it to sell-out early.
* TIX on sale soon as of our Jan 8 press time; keep watch, and more info, at: www.andyandrenee.com
__
Sat & Sun, Sep 26 & 27; FESTIVAL:
9 am-7 pm - 26th annual "DULCIMER FESTIVAL" presented by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DULCIMER HERITAGE (SCDH); Saturday at Riviera United Methodist Church, 375 Palos Verdes Bl, Redondo Beach CA 90277;
Sunday at two other locations (Fullerton and Lakewood).
* This charming annual event mixes workshops, vendors of traditional and vintage string instruments, jams, group performances, and featured top-flight artists doing Mid-Day & Twilight Concerts.
* This year's top artists doing instructional workshops and concerts are:
⊙ Tina Bergmann - Hammered Dulcimer https://allroadsleadhome.com
⊙ Tull Glazener - Fretted/Mountain Dulcimer http://www.TullGlazener.com
* Sunday's FOCUS WORKSHOPS, Sep 27, are both 10 am-2 pm:
◇ Hammered Dulcimer & Mixed Instruments - Fullerton
◇ Mountain Dulcimer - Lakewood area/ Long Beach
* More, and TIX when available (plus other dulcimer concerts & events), at:
www.scdh.org
___
All day - Annual "TOPANGA BANJO FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL" at Paramount Ranch in Santa Monica Mtns Nat'l Recreation Area, off Kanan Rd in Agoura Hills CA
* Info, contest registration, more, at: https://www.topangabanjofiddle.org/
* Tix go on-sale Jan 13th at 10 am
___
May 26-31; PEACE CONFERENCE:
"NO WAR 2020: DIVEST, DISARM, DEMILITARIZE" (#NoWar2020) is a conference to bring conversion for a peaceful, green, & just future, and it happens this year (its 5th), in Ottawa, Canada.
* It is timed to coincide with "CANSEC" -- Canada's biggest weapons expo -- to bring international attention to Canada's complicity in the global arms trade.
* The conference is part of a weeklong series of events starting May 26th, including nonviolence training, art-making workshops, film screenings, and nonviolent direct actions at CANSEC, the weapons expo.
* #NoWar2020 is the product of a truly global effort.
* "World BEYOND War" -- the organizers of this, their 5th global conference -- have this to say: "We're working hand-in-hand with dozens of allies, including 350.org, the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, and Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, to pull together this week of education and nonviolent action. And a big thank you to Jim Prues of Panoptic Media for creating the new promo video!"
* You can watch the new video about it on YouTube, here.
* "World BEYOND War" is a global network of volunteers, activists, and allied organizations advocating for the abolition of the very institution of war. Their "success is driven by a people-powered movement." They seek the support of individual citizens throughout the world, saying, "our work [is] for a culture of peace."
* IF YOU GO... go early, so you can catch LEE CAMP, host of "Redacted Tonight," in his live show in Ottawa on May 24th (info & tix at link below).
* More on the conference, including registration to attend, is at:
https://nowar2020.worldbeyondwar.org/
___
Sat, May 30; FESTIVAL:
All day - 30th Annual "DYLANFEST" in the tree-shaded courtyard at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Torrance CA
* This is a splendid live music event, reliably wonderful year after year. Sponsors and award-winning host band ANDY & RENEE & HARD RAIN always book many of L.A.'s top musicians, and for this big three-decade anniversary, you can expect a lot. You can also expect it to sell-out early.
* TIX on sale soon as of our Jan 8 press time; keep watch, and more info, at: www.andyandrenee.com
__
Sat & Sun, Sep 26 & 27; FESTIVAL:
9 am-7 pm - 26th annual "DULCIMER FESTIVAL" presented by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DULCIMER HERITAGE (SCDH); Saturday at Riviera United Methodist Church, 375 Palos Verdes Bl, Redondo Beach CA 90277;
Sunday at two other locations (Fullerton and Lakewood).
* This charming annual event mixes workshops, vendors of traditional and vintage string instruments, jams, group performances, and featured top-flight artists doing Mid-Day & Twilight Concerts.
* This year's top artists doing instructional workshops and concerts are:
⊙ Tina Bergmann - Hammered Dulcimer https://allroadsleadhome.com
⊙ Tull Glazener - Fretted/Mountain Dulcimer http://www.TullGlazener.com
* Sunday's FOCUS WORKSHOPS, Sep 27, are both 10 am-2 pm:
◇ Hammered Dulcimer & Mixed Instruments - Fullerton
◇ Mountain Dulcimer - Lakewood area/ Long Beach
* More, and TIX when available (plus other dulcimer concerts & events), at:
www.scdh.org
___
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_____________________________________
Continuing Events
(UPDATES ADDED, as needed)
_____________________________________
See now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
* "Untitled (Questions)" features large-scale queries, alternating between English and Spanish, created by the artist.
* This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
* "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
* "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
* Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
* Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau, NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
* Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
* Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
___
ONGOING, Jan 14-Feb 16; MUSICAL:
"THE LAST SHIP," the acclaimed musical stage production written by STING, plays in the Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center in downtown L.A., 135 N Grand Av, Los Angeles, CA 90012
* "This unbelievable show has some of the best talent in the industry... The Last Ship consistently delivers the strongest stage performers around and has a track record of performing in front of sold out audiences..."
* Enjoy a thorough review of the show in the South Bay "Easy Reader News" at: https://easyreadernews.com/the-last-ship-in-port-at-the-ahmanson/
* Photo of Sting as Jackie White. By Matthew Murphy, Easy Reader News.
* WATCH A VID CLIP of the show on Broadway: https://youtu.be/XEfztIeQcfg
* TIX at: http://www.ahmansontheatre.net/events/
___
Opens Feb 14; through Mar 15; MUSICAL:
"LAW AND ORDER: THE MUSICAL!" in its world premiere at Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood CA 90038.
* A parody in accordance with fair use law.
* This musical by Ilyse Mimoun and Jeremy Adelman spoofs the popular TV series.
* Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm. Ends March 15.
___
Opens Feb 19; through Mar 29; MUSICAL:
8 pm - “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” the big musical comedy, returns, opening Feb 19 in the Ahmanson Theatre at the L.A. Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* TIX start at $45, at 213-972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
___
Thu, Mar 12-Sat, Mar 21:
"HAMILTON" touring cast plays the Hollywood Pantages theatre, Hollywood CA
* TIX, $253-$1,250 each (gasp), at ticketmaster.
___
Feb 18-Feb 26:
"ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE" touring cast brings the JIMMY BUFFETT musical to the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood CA
* TIX, $35-$152, at Ticketmaster.
___
ONGOING, indefinite; FILM:
"EARTH" (Not Rated) 115 mins, is a new documentary film that opens Fri, Feb 7 at the Laemmle, Glendale CA, then moves to other Laemmles as part of the "Culture Vulture" film series.
* This German-English-Spanish-Hungarian-Italian production was filmed at seven locations completely transformed by humans:
(1) mountains being moved in California;
(2) a tunnel being sliced through rock at the Brenner Pass;
(3) an open-cast mine in Hungary;
(4) a marble quarry in Italy;
(5) a copper mine in Spain;
(6) the salt mine used to store radioactive waste in Wolfenbüttel;
(7) a tar sands landscape in Canada.
* Initially shown from above as abstract paintings, the terrain is then explored on the ground.
* The film weaves together footage of machines in operation and conversations with workers.
* Opens today in Glendale. Coming to these other Laemmle Theatres on dates indicated:
• Claremont 5 on 02-10-20
• Town Center 5 on 02-10-20
• Playhouse 7 on 02-10-20
• Royal on 02-10-20
* TIX, and/or watch the trailer for this documentary about protecting Earth:
https://www.laemmle.com/trailers/342462
___
ONGOING, ART EXHIBITION opened Feb 8:
Annual "MASTERS ART EXHIBITION AND SALE" opens Feb 8 at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027
* Paintings and sculptures by 64 premier Western artists ate in the exhibition, to see and purchase.
* "Masters" opens with an artists' dinner on Friday evening, and then a full day of festivities on Saturday — including artist talks, an awards presentation, and an evening cocktail reception, where approximately 250 fixed-price works are sold through a drawing.
* Note: All-weekend VIP tickets are SOLD OUT, but Saturday-only tickets are available at the door.
* Proceeds from "Masters" support the "Campaign for the Autry," which helps provide essential support for the Autry’s educational programs, innovative exhibitions, and over 100 public events annually.
* Special events with "Masters" include:
• "TRUNK SHOW AT THE AUTRY STORE" Sat, Feb 8, 10 am-4 pm.
• "GALLERY NIGHT WITH DUBLAB" on Thu, Feb 20, 6:30-9 pm.
* Note that Feb 8 the museum and store both close at 4 pm.
* Opening weekend schedule of all related events: https://theautry.org/exhibitions/masters-art-exhibition-and-sale/masters-opening-weekend-schedule
* PHOTO GALLERY of artists and artwork:
https://theautry.org/exhibitions/masters-american-west/artists-and-artwork
___
ONGOING, Feb 8-Feb 23; LIVE THEATRE:
2:30 pm - "ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING" presented in the West Coast Premiere of Joanna Lipari's show about a senior who refuses to let society make her invisible.
* At the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Bl, Sierra Madre CA 91024
* Runs Saturdays & Sundays at 2:30 pm.
* Ends Feb 23.
___
ONGOING, through Feb 29:
"MATTHEW PERDONI EXHIBITION" at Encinitas 101 (aka E101) Gallery, 818 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas CA
* This, Perdoni's most recent series, was inspired by a past CROSS-COUNTRY TRAIN-HOPPING TRIP that spawned an entire collection of scenes and characters gathered while riding the rails.
* Otherwise, he creates fine art paintings and public artworks in San Diego.
* His work is heavily illustrative, often exploring stories and themes that resonate in his own life experiences.
___
ONGOING, Feb 6-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
6 pm - "THE MANOR" is Theatre 40's production of Kathrine Bates' drama about a murder and suicide that took place at Greystone Mansion a century ago.
* It's AT the Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90210
* Runs Thu & Fri at 6 pm (Saturdays and Sundays are sold out.)
* Ends March 1.
___
ONGOING, Feb 7-Feb 16; LIVE MUSICAL THEATRE:
"FRIDA -- STROKE OF PASSION" is Odalys Nanin's play with songs about the last days of artist Frida Kahlo.
* At Casa 0101, 2102 E First St, Los Angeles CA 90011
* Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm.
* Ends Feb 16.
___
ONGOING, through Feb 16; LIVE THEATRE:
"SUNDAY DINNER" in its World Premiere run, written and directed by Tony Blake. A Chicago priest returns to his family's home in the Bronx for a Sunday dinner. Members of his family are harboring secrets. So is he.
* At Theatre Forty, 241 S Moreno Av, Beverly Hills CA 90212
* Runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm.
* Ends Feb 16.
___
ONGOING, through Mar 21; KIDS MUSICAL THEATRE,
(but it's an Equity show):
"THE ADVENTURES OF PETER RABBIT" with book and lyrics by Anthony Gruppuso, who directs. Music by Matt Dahan.
* At Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Bl West, Los Angeles CA 90068
* Runs Saturdays at 1 pm.
* Ends March 21.
___
ONGOING through Feb 22; MUSICAL THEATRE:
"DAY AFTER DAY (THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DORIS DAY)" in its West Coast Premiere, produced by the P3 Theatre Company at the Ernest Borgnine Theatre (inside the Long Beach Scottish Rite Cultural Center), 855 Elm Av, Long Beach CA 90813
* This is a brand new musical telling the dramatic personal life story of Doris Day through her music. Songs including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Sentimental Journey," "Secret Love," "It’s Magic," "A Guy is a Guy," and "Que Sera, Sera," turned Doris Day into America’s Sweetheart.
* Take a deep and personal look into this star’s dramatic personal life while appearing as the quintessential “girl-next-door” in Warner Bros. musicals. Blending factual life events and her songs, this show is a love letter to this extraordinary icon.
* Written by Tony Santamauro, starring Deborah Robin as Doris Day.
* "(Deborah) Robin absolutely shines in her role, fully inhabiting Day’s perky demeanor and delicious voice from her early years as a big-band singer and top recording star– beginning with “Sentimental Journey” after World War II– through to her movie roles opposite leading men such as Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and James Garner." -- Anita W. Harris, Signal Tribune.
* TIX: 800-595-4849 or www.P3Theatre.biz
___
ONGOING, STAGE PLAY, Feb 28-Mar 15:
World Premiere of "LYING WITH BADGERS" presented by "NATIVE VOICES AT THE AUTRY" at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027
* This dark comedy — featuring puppets who interact with humans — tells the story of two estranged brothers of the Blackfeet Nation.
* Runs Thursdays and Fridays, 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 2 pm.
* TIX, $15 non-mbrs / $10 Students, Seniors (60+), & Military (w/ ID), at: https://theautry.org/events/performing-arts/native-voices-presents-world-premiere-lying-badgers-previews
___
ONGOING, Feb 29–Mar 15; CONTEMPORARY OPERA:
"SWEET LAND" presented by The Industry at L.A. State Historic Park, at 1724 Baker St, Los Angeles CA 90012 (in the NEZ corner of the State Historic Park)
* L.A.’s contemporary opera company brings a performance that disrupts the dominant narrative of American identity.
* The Arrivals wash up on the shore. They make contact with another civilization they call “the Hosts.” And from there, the story splinters, following diverging perspectives. Starting as a procession through the L.A. State Historic Park, "Sweet Land" becomes an opera that erases itself.
* The company that created "Invisible Cities" and "Hopscotch" now brings "a grotesque historical pageant."
* It's the result of a highly collaborative and multi-perspect approach.
* Composer Du Yun is a Chinese immigrant whose recent work originates from what she states “is a lack of understanding and empathy around immigration”. Her last major opera, "Angel’s Bone," won a Pulitzer Prize for music and explores the psychology behind human trafficking.
* Composer Raven Chacon, "United States Artists" fellow and winner of the "Creative Capital Award," is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation.
* Librettist Douglas Kearney is a poet whose “polyphonic diction pulls history apart, recombining it to reveal an alternative less whitewashed by enfranchised power” (BOMB Magazine).
* Librettist Aja Couchois Duncan is a mixed-race Ojibwe writer who works to advance equity and social justice.
* Cannupa Hanksa Luger is a multidisciplinary artist who interweaves performance and political action to communicate stories about 21st-century Indigeneity. He co-directs "Sweet Land."
* Yuval Sharon, co-director, is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Industry and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow.
* Info: https://theindustryla.org/projects/sweet-land/
* TIX: https://theindustryla.org/sweet-land-tickets/
___
THERE'S PLENTY MORE HAPPENING. And with the Guide in our new topical news feature story format, we can get to things and get them out to you without bogging-down in endless tail-chasing exercises, trying to complete everything for inclusion in a calendar-driven format.
See ya soon. Stay Tuneful!
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(UPDATES ADDED, as needed)
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See now; ART EXHIBITION, unknown duration:
"UNTITLED (QUESTIONS)," by artist BARBARA KRUGER at Los Angeles Union Station, Alameda Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* This exhibition, part of "FRIEZE WEEK 2020," is still up. Everything else from the big frieze officially ended after the advertised Feb 10-16 run.
|
| Barbara Kruger, ’WHO BUYS THE CON’ mural, on the façade of NeueHouse Hollywood. Photo, Fredrik Nilsen |
* This project brings Kruger’s provocations/interrogations, which "are indeterminate and open to subjective interpretation," into physical proximity with the public. It's part of "Frieze Week Los Angeles," presented at sites throughout the greater L.A. area.
* "Wallpaper" says, "Graphically bold and politically audacious, Barbara Kruger is known for plastering her unmissable slogans all over the place – an assimilation of mass media imagery and words reassembled and thrown back in the face of passive spectatorship. Sex, society and politics are Kruger’s primary materials – three topics that are as hot in the US today as they were when she started making work in the 1980s."
* "Untitled (Questions)" debuted in its original form, 1990-2018 at MOCA. At Union Station, it's co-presented by "Metro Art" and "Frieze Los Angeles."
* Beyond the iconic train station, a series of 20 questions composed by Kruger such as ‘IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?‘ or ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?‘ will be installed outside a number of prominent art spaces, civic landmarks and public centers across the city, on digital billboards, light pole banners, murals, print and digital media.
* Frieze partnered with multiple venues, including Metro (at Union Station), the West Hollywood Design District, L.A. Tourism & Convention Bureau, NeueHouse, The Forum, The Standard, and Banc of California Stadium.
* Tip: avoid traffic and expensive parking by taking Metro to downtown events, aboard the Red / Purple Subway, Gold Line light rail, or Silver Line express bus, all direct to Union Station. The Orange Line from Chatsworth / West SFV connects at NoHo; Blue and Expo light rail connects at Metro Center, 7th and Figueroa, DTLA. Plus, Foothill Transit's Silver Streak from points east gets you there.
* Riding a bus or train, getting out of the individual encapsulation of your car, helps you "get" the point of this exhibition. Transcendent point -- Transit: try it, you'll liiiike it.
___
 |
"THE LAST SHIP," the acclaimed musical stage production written by STING, plays in the Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center in downtown L.A., 135 N Grand Av, Los Angeles, CA 90012
* "This unbelievable show has some of the best talent in the industry... The Last Ship consistently delivers the strongest stage performers around and has a track record of performing in front of sold out audiences..."
* Enjoy a thorough review of the show in the South Bay "Easy Reader News" at: https://easyreadernews.com/the-last-ship-in-port-at-the-ahmanson/
* Photo of Sting as Jackie White. By Matthew Murphy, Easy Reader News.
* WATCH A VID CLIP of the show on Broadway: https://youtu.be/XEfztIeQcfg
* TIX at: http://www.ahmansontheatre.net/events/
___
Opens Feb 14; through Mar 15; MUSICAL:
"LAW AND ORDER: THE MUSICAL!" in its world premiere at Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood CA 90038.
* A parody in accordance with fair use law.
* This musical by Ilyse Mimoun and Jeremy Adelman spoofs the popular TV series.
* Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm. Ends March 15.
___
Opens Feb 19; through Mar 29; MUSICAL:
8 pm - “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” the big musical comedy, returns, opening Feb 19 in the Ahmanson Theatre at the L.A. Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, downtown Los Angeles CA
* TIX start at $45, at 213-972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
___
Thu, Mar 12-Sat, Mar 21:
"HAMILTON" touring cast plays the Hollywood Pantages theatre, Hollywood CA
* TIX, $253-$1,250 each (gasp), at ticketmaster.
___
Feb 18-Feb 26:
"ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE" touring cast brings the JIMMY BUFFETT musical to the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood CA
* TIX, $35-$152, at Ticketmaster.
___
"EARTH" (Not Rated) 115 mins, is a new documentary film that opens Fri, Feb 7 at the Laemmle, Glendale CA, then moves to other Laemmles as part of the "Culture Vulture" film series.
(1) mountains being moved in California;
(2) a tunnel being sliced through rock at the Brenner Pass;
(3) an open-cast mine in Hungary;
(4) a marble quarry in Italy;
(5) a copper mine in Spain;
(6) the salt mine used to store radioactive waste in Wolfenbüttel;
(7) a tar sands landscape in Canada.
* Initially shown from above as abstract paintings, the terrain is then explored on the ground.
* The film weaves together footage of machines in operation and conversations with workers.
* Opens today in Glendale. Coming to these other Laemmle Theatres on dates indicated:
• Claremont 5 on 02-10-20
• Town Center 5 on 02-10-20
• Playhouse 7 on 02-10-20
• Royal on 02-10-20
* TIX, and/or watch the trailer for this documentary about protecting Earth:
https://www.laemmle.com/trailers/342462
___
ONGOING, ART EXHIBITION opened Feb 8:
Annual "MASTERS ART EXHIBITION AND SALE" opens Feb 8 at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027
* "Masters" opens with an artists' dinner on Friday evening, and then a full day of festivities on Saturday — including artist talks, an awards presentation, and an evening cocktail reception, where approximately 250 fixed-price works are sold through a drawing.
* Note: All-weekend VIP tickets are SOLD OUT, but Saturday-only tickets are available at the door.
* Proceeds from "Masters" support the "Campaign for the Autry," which helps provide essential support for the Autry’s educational programs, innovative exhibitions, and over 100 public events annually.
* Special events with "Masters" include:
• "TRUNK SHOW AT THE AUTRY STORE" Sat, Feb 8, 10 am-4 pm.
• "GALLERY NIGHT WITH DUBLAB" on Thu, Feb 20, 6:30-9 pm.
* Note that Feb 8 the museum and store both close at 4 pm.
* Opening weekend schedule of all related events: https://theautry.org/exhibitions/masters-art-exhibition-and-sale/masters-opening-weekend-schedule
* PHOTO GALLERY of artists and artwork:
https://theautry.org/exhibitions/masters-american-west/artists-and-artwork
___
ONGOING, Feb 8-Feb 23; LIVE THEATRE:
2:30 pm - "ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING" presented in the West Coast Premiere of Joanna Lipari's show about a senior who refuses to let society make her invisible.
* At the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Bl, Sierra Madre CA 91024
* Runs Saturdays & Sundays at 2:30 pm.
* Ends Feb 23.
___
"MATTHEW PERDONI EXHIBITION" at Encinitas 101 (aka E101) Gallery, 818 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas CA
* This, Perdoni's most recent series, was inspired by a past CROSS-COUNTRY TRAIN-HOPPING TRIP that spawned an entire collection of scenes and characters gathered while riding the rails.
* Otherwise, he creates fine art paintings and public artworks in San Diego.
* His work is heavily illustrative, often exploring stories and themes that resonate in his own life experiences.
___
ONGOING, Feb 6-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
6 pm - "THE MANOR" is Theatre 40's production of Kathrine Bates' drama about a murder and suicide that took place at Greystone Mansion a century ago.
* It's AT the Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90210
* Runs Thu & Fri at 6 pm (Saturdays and Sundays are sold out.)
* Ends March 1.
___
ONGOING, Feb 7-Feb 16; LIVE MUSICAL THEATRE:
"FRIDA -- STROKE OF PASSION" is Odalys Nanin's play with songs about the last days of artist Frida Kahlo.
* At Casa 0101, 2102 E First St, Los Angeles CA 90011
* Runs Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm.
* Ends Feb 16.
___
ONGOING, through Feb 16; LIVE THEATRE:
"SUNDAY DINNER" in its World Premiere run, written and directed by Tony Blake. A Chicago priest returns to his family's home in the Bronx for a Sunday dinner. Members of his family are harboring secrets. So is he.
* At Theatre Forty, 241 S Moreno Av, Beverly Hills CA 90212
* Runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm.
* Ends Feb 16.
___
ONGOING, through Mar 21; KIDS MUSICAL THEATRE,
(but it's an Equity show):
"THE ADVENTURES OF PETER RABBIT" with book and lyrics by Anthony Gruppuso, who directs. Music by Matt Dahan.
* At Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Bl West, Los Angeles CA 90068
* Runs Saturdays at 1 pm.
* Ends March 21.
___
ONGOING through Feb 22; MUSICAL THEATRE:
"DAY AFTER DAY (THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DORIS DAY)" in its West Coast Premiere, produced by the P3 Theatre Company at the Ernest Borgnine Theatre (inside the Long Beach Scottish Rite Cultural Center), 855 Elm Av, Long Beach CA 90813
* This is a brand new musical telling the dramatic personal life story of Doris Day through her music. Songs including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Sentimental Journey," "Secret Love," "It’s Magic," "A Guy is a Guy," and "Que Sera, Sera," turned Doris Day into America’s Sweetheart.
* Take a deep and personal look into this star’s dramatic personal life while appearing as the quintessential “girl-next-door” in Warner Bros. musicals. Blending factual life events and her songs, this show is a love letter to this extraordinary icon.
* Written by Tony Santamauro, starring Deborah Robin as Doris Day.
* "(Deborah) Robin absolutely shines in her role, fully inhabiting Day’s perky demeanor and delicious voice from her early years as a big-band singer and top recording star– beginning with “Sentimental Journey” after World War II– through to her movie roles opposite leading men such as Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and James Garner." -- Anita W. Harris, Signal Tribune.
* TIX: 800-595-4849 or www.P3Theatre.biz
___
ONGOING, STAGE PLAY, Feb 28-Mar 15:
World Premiere of "LYING WITH BADGERS" presented by "NATIVE VOICES AT THE AUTRY" at the Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park / Los Angeles CA 90027
* This dark comedy — featuring puppets who interact with humans — tells the story of two estranged brothers of the Blackfeet Nation.
* Runs Thursdays and Fridays, 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 2 pm.
* TIX, $15 non-mbrs / $10 Students, Seniors (60+), & Military (w/ ID), at: https://theautry.org/events/performing-arts/native-voices-presents-world-premiere-lying-badgers-previews
___
ONGOING, Feb 29–Mar 15; CONTEMPORARY OPERA:
"SWEET LAND" presented by The Industry at L.A. State Historic Park, at 1724 Baker St, Los Angeles CA 90012 (in the NEZ corner of the State Historic Park)
* L.A.’s contemporary opera company brings a performance that disrupts the dominant narrative of American identity.
* The Arrivals wash up on the shore. They make contact with another civilization they call “the Hosts.” And from there, the story splinters, following diverging perspectives. Starting as a procession through the L.A. State Historic Park, "Sweet Land" becomes an opera that erases itself.
* It's the result of a highly collaborative and multi-perspect approach.
* Composer Du Yun is a Chinese immigrant whose recent work originates from what she states “is a lack of understanding and empathy around immigration”. Her last major opera, "Angel’s Bone," won a Pulitzer Prize for music and explores the psychology behind human trafficking.
* Composer Raven Chacon, "United States Artists" fellow and winner of the "Creative Capital Award," is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation.
* Librettist Douglas Kearney is a poet whose “polyphonic diction pulls history apart, recombining it to reveal an alternative less whitewashed by enfranchised power” (BOMB Magazine).
* Librettist Aja Couchois Duncan is a mixed-race Ojibwe writer who works to advance equity and social justice.
* Cannupa Hanksa Luger is a multidisciplinary artist who interweaves performance and political action to communicate stories about 21st-century Indigeneity. He co-directs "Sweet Land."
* Yuval Sharon, co-director, is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Industry and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow.
* Info: https://theindustryla.org/projects/sweet-land/
* TIX: https://theindustryla.org/sweet-land-tickets/
___
ONGOING, Jan 29-May 27; FILM SCREENING of LIVE THEATRE:
"NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE," a series of productions filmed live on London's West End, screening at Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N Mentor Av, Pasadena CA 91106; www.bostoncourtpasadena.org
* Boston Court, itself renowned for live theatre, brings these brilliantly filmed plays from across the pond; some have two dates, and the near-term one is sold-out; get tix early:
■ "ALL ABOUT EVE," starring GIllian Anderson:
Wed, Jan 29, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "HAMLET" (encore), starring Benedict Cumberbatch:
Sun, Feb 2, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
■ "FLEABAG," written & performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; two dates:
Thu, Jan 30 - Sold out; Wed, May 20, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "PRESENT LAUGHTER," starring Andrew Scott; two dates:
Fri, Jan 31, Sold out; Wed, May 27, 7:30 pm, get tix now.
■ "ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS" (encore), starring James Corden; two dates:
Sat, Feb 1, 1:30 pm; Sat, May 16, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
■ "THE AUDIENCE" (encore), starring Helen Mirren:
Sun, May 10, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
■ "HANSARD," starring Alex Jennings and Lyndsey Duncan:
Tues, May 12, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "CYRANO DE BERGERAC" – New, starring James McAvoy; two dates:
Mon, May 18, 7:30 pm; Fri, May 22, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
* TIX, $20; Box Office, 626-683-6801, 11 am - 5 pm, Tue-Fri.
___
ONGOING, Feb 26-Mar 12:
“WHAT IS IT ABOUT TREES?” is on view in the El Camino College Art Gallery, 16007 Crenshaw Bl, Torrance CA
* Featuring "a forestful" of artists.
* OPENING RECEPTION is Wed, Feb 27, 7 pm-9 pm.
* Artists’ talk on Tue, Mar 3, 1 pm, in the gallery.
* Info, 310-660-3010. Closes March 12th.
* Pictured, “Blue Ridge Forest, Fiddle Music, Forky Deer 1920,” by Nancy Mooslin.
___
ONGOING, Feb 15-Feb 29:
“LOVE HURTS” opening reception at ShockBoxx Gallery, 636 Cypress Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Features work by Debbie Korbel, Dustin Grabiner, Mike Collins, Wendy Layne, and KT.
* Participating artist KT says, “With the theme of this show I was even more excited since the topic of Love is miserable.”
* GALLERY OPENING: Sat, Feb 15, 6 pm-9 pm.
* MORE at: www.shockboxxproject.com
___
ONGOING, PODCAST, on-demand:
"RECORDING ARTISTS: RADICAL WOMEN" is a new podcast series from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. In it, art historian HELEN MOLESWORTH explores the lives and work of six artists — ALICE NEEL, LEE KRASNER, BETYE SAAR, HELEN FRANKENTHALER, YOKO ONO, and EVA HESSE.
* What was it like to be a woman making art during the feminist and civil rights movements? In this season of "Recording Artists," Molesworth delves into their lives and careers, spanning several generations. Hear them describe, in their own words, their work, relationships, and feelings about the ongoing march of feminism. Contemporary artists and art historians join the conversation, offering their own perspectives on the recordings and exploring what it meant—and still means—to be a woman and an artist. Share this with one who'll appreciate it.
* HERE'S THE LINK. The whole series is here in individial episodes so you can pace yourself or binge it. You'll hear rare audiotaped interviews and fresh perspectives on what it meant — and still means — to be a woman making art:
http://www.getty.edu/recordingartists/
___
ONGOING, through Feb 23; FREE:
11am-5 pm - "FALLEN FRUIT: SUPERSHOW!" at PDC Gallery, 8687 Melrose Av, West Hollywood CA
* Runs Sun, Nov 24 through Feb 23; free.
* Opening day Sunday features outdoor jamming, preceded by an artist talk with FALLEN FRUIT (aka DAVID BURNS and AUSTIN YOUNG), and Young will be taking his trademark portraits of whoever wants one inside the installation, plus music and apparently, cheerleaders.
* This is "A gorgeous mile of fruit and flower garland wallpaper in a gradient of saturated hues containing within its two story installation multiple scenarios and vignettes of photography and ceramic, faux Grecian luxury statues, gilded mirrors, chaises and sundry objects. All of this exists in the mode of a secular temple to beauty, as well as a sort of public living room where communities are formed through the universal language of shareable fruit."
* Might be the right thing for a memorable date.
___
ONGOING, through Mar 1:
“MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS 2019: DIRECTOR’S CHOICE” at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles CA 90049
* This intends to be the first of many annual exhibitions that highlight the Getty Museum’s acquisitions made throughout the year.
* Highlights key works of newly added art selected by the Museum's director. It includes ancient gems and sculpture; Renaissance and 19th-century paintings; Renaissance sculpture; medieval manuscripts; old-master drawings; and 20th-century and contemporary photography.
* "It’s a small but succinct show, just one gallery, but with a variety of work, including [an] early Crucifixion in which our Lord appears to have four arms, a sort of biplane Jesus." -- Easy Reader News.
* Open 10 am-5:30 pm Sun-Fri, Sat 10 am-9 pm, closed Mon.
Holiday closures: Dec 25, Jan 1; early closings Dec 24 & 31 at 4 pm; short hours Dec 23 & 30, 10 am-5:30 pm.
* Free admission, parking costs. Info, 310-440-7300 or www.getty.edu
___
ONGOING, through May 29:
“INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: BUGS” opened mid-Dec at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl, Palos Verdes Peninsula CA
* Gawd, we love experiential learning. Whichever journey Garden visitors decide to take, they are transformed into that bug – literally (via props).
* This program interactively educates visitors about the butterflies, spiders, ants and bees that can be found in the Garden.
* Full info, 310-544-1948 or www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org
___
ONGOING, through April 12, daily:
10 am-5 pm - "EGYPT'S LOST CITIES" exhibition at the Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley CA 93065
* Akin to your best fantasies of Atlantis, these are artifacts recovered from beneath the sea.
* One day as the Mediterranean sun beat down on the bay of Aboukir, two bustling cities of ancient Egypt slipped into the sea without a whisper of wind, buried for centuries.
* These cities, before they sank beneath the waves, were known throughout the world as cultural centers of power, of wealth, of trade, and novel artistry.
* Time may have eroded the memory of a civilization, but not the mystery -- or the breathtaking artifacts -- of what it was.
* This exhibition runs Oct 5, 2019–Apr 12, 2020.
* View the holiday tree exhibit (through Jan 5; see our listing) and the Air Force One Pavilion, along with this current special exhibition, all during one visit for the price of museum admission. But allow yourself PLENTY of time.
* Open seven days a week, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
* Facility features a nice cafeteria-style cafe.
* TIX include the exhibition and the 125,000 square feet of all the permanent exhibits and displays, including Air Force One; you need to allow three to four hours to enjoy all of the galleries and grounds. Gen'l adm $29.95, discounts for youth, kids, seniors; active US military get in free. Free parking. Tix available in advance or at the door. It's worth adding the $7 "audio tour." Online adv. tix:
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/online-ticket-sales/
"NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE," a series of productions filmed live on London's West End, screening at Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N Mentor Av, Pasadena CA 91106; www.bostoncourtpasadena.org
* Boston Court, itself renowned for live theatre, brings these brilliantly filmed plays from across the pond; some have two dates, and the near-term one is sold-out; get tix early:
■ "ALL ABOUT EVE," starring GIllian Anderson:
Wed, Jan 29, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "HAMLET" (encore), starring Benedict Cumberbatch:
Sun, Feb 2, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
Thu, Jan 30 - Sold out; Wed, May 20, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "PRESENT LAUGHTER," starring Andrew Scott; two dates:
Fri, Jan 31, Sold out; Wed, May 27, 7:30 pm, get tix now.
■ "ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS" (encore), starring James Corden; two dates:
Sat, Feb 1, 1:30 pm; Sat, May 16, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
■ "THE AUDIENCE" (encore), starring Helen Mirren:
Sun, May 10, 1:30 pm, get tix now.
■ "HANSARD," starring Alex Jennings and Lyndsey Duncan:
Tues, May 12, 8 pm, get tix now.
■ "CYRANO DE BERGERAC" – New, starring James McAvoy; two dates:
Mon, May 18, 7:30 pm; Fri, May 22, 7:30 pm; get tix now, either date.
* TIX, $20; Box Office, 626-683-6801, 11 am - 5 pm, Tue-Fri.
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“WHAT IS IT ABOUT TREES?” is on view in the El Camino College Art Gallery, 16007 Crenshaw Bl, Torrance CA
* Featuring "a forestful" of artists.
* OPENING RECEPTION is Wed, Feb 27, 7 pm-9 pm.
* Artists’ talk on Tue, Mar 3, 1 pm, in the gallery.
* Info, 310-660-3010. Closes March 12th.
* Pictured, “Blue Ridge Forest, Fiddle Music, Forky Deer 1920,” by Nancy Mooslin.
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ONGOING, Feb 15-Feb 29:
“LOVE HURTS” opening reception at ShockBoxx Gallery, 636 Cypress Av, Hermosa Beach CA
* Features work by Debbie Korbel, Dustin Grabiner, Mike Collins, Wendy Layne, and KT.
* Participating artist KT says, “With the theme of this show I was even more excited since the topic of Love is miserable.”
* GALLERY OPENING: Sat, Feb 15, 6 pm-9 pm.
* MORE at: www.shockboxxproject.com
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ONGOING, PODCAST, on-demand:
"RECORDING ARTISTS: RADICAL WOMEN" is a new podcast series from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. In it, art historian HELEN MOLESWORTH explores the lives and work of six artists — ALICE NEEL, LEE KRASNER, BETYE SAAR, HELEN FRANKENTHALER, YOKO ONO, and EVA HESSE.
* What was it like to be a woman making art during the feminist and civil rights movements? In this season of "Recording Artists," Molesworth delves into their lives and careers, spanning several generations. Hear them describe, in their own words, their work, relationships, and feelings about the ongoing march of feminism. Contemporary artists and art historians join the conversation, offering their own perspectives on the recordings and exploring what it meant—and still means—to be a woman and an artist. Share this with one who'll appreciate it.
* HERE'S THE LINK. The whole series is here in individial episodes so you can pace yourself or binge it. You'll hear rare audiotaped interviews and fresh perspectives on what it meant — and still means — to be a woman making art:
http://www.getty.edu/recordingartists/
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ONGOING, through Feb 23; FREE:
11am-5 pm - "FALLEN FRUIT: SUPERSHOW!" at PDC Gallery, 8687 Melrose Av, West Hollywood CA
* Runs Sun, Nov 24 through Feb 23; free.
* Opening day Sunday features outdoor jamming, preceded by an artist talk with FALLEN FRUIT (aka DAVID BURNS and AUSTIN YOUNG), and Young will be taking his trademark portraits of whoever wants one inside the installation, plus music and apparently, cheerleaders.
* This is "A gorgeous mile of fruit and flower garland wallpaper in a gradient of saturated hues containing within its two story installation multiple scenarios and vignettes of photography and ceramic, faux Grecian luxury statues, gilded mirrors, chaises and sundry objects. All of this exists in the mode of a secular temple to beauty, as well as a sort of public living room where communities are formed through the universal language of shareable fruit."
* Might be the right thing for a memorable date.
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ONGOING, through Mar 1:
“MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS 2019: DIRECTOR’S CHOICE” at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles CA 90049
* This intends to be the first of many annual exhibitions that highlight the Getty Museum’s acquisitions made throughout the year.
* Highlights key works of newly added art selected by the Museum's director. It includes ancient gems and sculpture; Renaissance and 19th-century paintings; Renaissance sculpture; medieval manuscripts; old-master drawings; and 20th-century and contemporary photography.
* "It’s a small but succinct show, just one gallery, but with a variety of work, including [an] early Crucifixion in which our Lord appears to have four arms, a sort of biplane Jesus." -- Easy Reader News.
* Open 10 am-5:30 pm Sun-Fri, Sat 10 am-9 pm, closed Mon.
Holiday closures: Dec 25, Jan 1; early closings Dec 24 & 31 at 4 pm; short hours Dec 23 & 30, 10 am-5:30 pm.
* Free admission, parking costs. Info, 310-440-7300 or www.getty.edu
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ONGOING, through May 29:
“INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: BUGS” opened mid-Dec at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl, Palos Verdes Peninsula CA
* Gawd, we love experiential learning. Whichever journey Garden visitors decide to take, they are transformed into that bug – literally (via props).
* This program interactively educates visitors about the butterflies, spiders, ants and bees that can be found in the Garden.
* Full info, 310-544-1948 or www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org
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 |
| "When the sea shall give up her dead." The many displayed artifacts recovered from the ocean floor include the Stele of Thonis-Heracleion (SCA 277), loaned by the National Museum of Alexandria – IEASM excavations. Photo by Christoph Gerigk ©Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation |
10 am-5 pm - "EGYPT'S LOST CITIES" exhibition at the Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley CA 93065
* Akin to your best fantasies of Atlantis, these are artifacts recovered from beneath the sea.
* One day as the Mediterranean sun beat down on the bay of Aboukir, two bustling cities of ancient Egypt slipped into the sea without a whisper of wind, buried for centuries.
* These cities, before they sank beneath the waves, were known throughout the world as cultural centers of power, of wealth, of trade, and novel artistry.
* Time may have eroded the memory of a civilization, but not the mystery -- or the breathtaking artifacts -- of what it was.
* This exhibition runs Oct 5, 2019–Apr 12, 2020.
* View the holiday tree exhibit (through Jan 5; see our listing) and the Air Force One Pavilion, along with this current special exhibition, all during one visit for the price of museum admission. But allow yourself PLENTY of time.
* Open seven days a week, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
* Facility features a nice cafeteria-style cafe.
* TIX include the exhibition and the 125,000 square feet of all the permanent exhibits and displays, including Air Force One; you need to allow three to four hours to enjoy all of the galleries and grounds. Gen'l adm $29.95, discounts for youth, kids, seniors; active US military get in free. Free parking. Tix available in advance or at the door. It's worth adding the $7 "audio tour." Online adv. tix:
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/online-ticket-sales/
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ONGOING, Feb 5-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
"THE FATHER" starring acclaimed actor ALFRED MOLINA in "a tour-de-force performance that will leave you breathless," at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S El Molino Av, Pasadena CA 91101; 626-356-7529; www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
* 90 minutes, no intermission.
* “Savagely honest … Hugely rewarding” -- The Guardian.
* Directed by Boston Court Pasadena Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. Written by Florian Zeller, translated into English by Christopher Hampton.
* About the play: André was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was André an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control.
* An Open Captioned performance is Sun, Feb 23 at 2 pm.
* TIX: $25, less 20% off tickets with code MEMORY. Restrictions may apply.
* TIX at https://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/event/the-father/
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ONGOING, Feb 5-Mar 1; LIVE THEATRE:
"THE FATHER" starring acclaimed actor ALFRED MOLINA in "a tour-de-force performance that will leave you breathless," at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S El Molino Av, Pasadena CA 91101; 626-356-7529; www.pasadenaplayhouse.org
* 90 minutes, no intermission.
* “Savagely honest … Hugely rewarding” -- The Guardian.
* Directed by Boston Court Pasadena Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. Written by Florian Zeller, translated into English by Christopher Hampton.
* About the play: André was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was André an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control.
* An Open Captioned performance is Sun, Feb 23 at 2 pm.
* TIX: $25, less 20% off tickets with code MEMORY. Restrictions may apply.
* TIX at https://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/event/the-father/
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THERE'S PLENTY MORE HAPPENING. And with the Guide in our new topical news feature story format, we can get to things and get them out to you without bogging-down in endless tail-chasing exercises, trying to complete everything for inclusion in a calendar-driven format.
See ya soon. Stay Tuneful!
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☆ THE ENTIRE CATALOGUE of all past editions of The Guide is available (and searchable!) FREE, in our archive. If you don't see the navigation pane on the left side of your screen, just click "view web version" and it'll magically appear (along with the correct photo, art, and page formats that you've been missing if you don't see that left-sidebar.)
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We have lots of MUSIC NEWS
features in the works, and they'll
be along as we get them dressed,
shoes tied, cowlicks combed down,
bowties cranked straight,
and strings tuned.
Find a comfortable spot by the
wood stove, play a round or two
of checkers, and we'll be along...
directly.
features in the works, and they'll
be along as we get them dressed,
shoes tied, cowlicks combed down,
bowties cranked straight,
and strings tuned.
Find a comfortable spot by the
wood stove, play a round or two
of checkers, and we'll be along...
directly.
_________________________________________________
On to the necessary boilerplate...
Boilerplate? What "boilerplate"? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox?
Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff...
Alright already, it's right down there...
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LEGALESE, CONTACTING US, 'N SUCH...
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Direct to the Guide's current editions /
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Or at
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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS – and views of interest to artists everywhere – more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers -- and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. Thanks for sittin' a spell. The cyber porch'll be here anytime you come back from the road.
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We'll be back again soon with music news and more "News of the Non-Trumpcentric Universe." (c)
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Til we catch ya again on the flip side
in this new decade...
in this new decade...
as Buford the Wonder Dog looks on
and in our best Kathy Baker
"Hee Haw" voice: "THAT's all!"
"Hee Haw" voice: "THAT's all!"
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