Where To Play In L.A. This Week
Short and sweet, just like a birthday, New York Dolls set by Sylvain Sylvain, Santa Anita's Derby Party, psychobilly's finest: The Guana Batz, a Piñata Protest and Manic Hispanic double header, and the closing days of Paper-Thin Hotel. Annddd... they're off!
Lethal Amounts Presents The Return of PURE TRASH
May 4 9pm to 2am
El Cid
4212 Sunset Boulevard
The glam rock stars have aligned for my birthday and yours, dropping upon Los Angeles another killer event presented by Lethal Amounts: Pure Trash. Time to throw on your trashiest glam punk attire and rock 'n' roll all night to the tunes of one the greatest bands of all time. In honor of their 45th Anniversary, the legendary Dolls' founder SYLVAIN SYLVAIN will will be performing a New York Dolls solo set and storytelling. Special guests are expected. Word is it's sold out, but higher priced tix should still be available at the door. I think I already jizzed myself, did you?
https://www.lethalamounts.com/events/ for tix and more info
Santa Anita Derby Party
May 5, First Post Time 12pm
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia
First Saturday in May yields the annual Kentucky Derby. Perhaps the Cinco de Mayo celebrations will only make the day wilder, but you still better put your bets in and your giant ornamental sun hat and dress on and root like a crazy person. Santa Anita Race Track advertises they will hold the "largest Derby party west of Kentucky." Parking will probably be a nightmare, but this event is super kid friendly complete with bounce castles, face painting, pony rides, and a petting zoo, and adult friendly with gambling, gourmet eats for the pretentious palate, the Californian Vintage Motorcycle Show, and Mint Juleps, the official drink of The Kentucky Derby, in abundance. Wherever you are, NBC is the channel to watch. Lucky for the relatable few and myself, this is first time in my "adult" life that I have cable. I've tried to stream it any which way I could for the past 5 years, and let me save you the trouble, there is no way to watch it in real time solely with access to the internet. Find a neighbor or a bar or an OTB. Derby post time is 6:50pm EST / 3:50pm PST
http://santaanita.com for tix and more info
The Guana Batz
May 5 at 6pm
The Slidebar Rock N Roll Kitchen
122 E. Commonwealth Avenue, Fullerton
The music situation this weekend is a bit overwhelming if you're into punk rock. One of my favorite psychobilly bands of all time and soon to be yours, The Guana Batz. A trek, to Fullerton, well worth it for the intimate venue's outdoor patio stage allowing you to closely bask in the sweat of musical genius as your rock the fuck out. Did I mention it's all ages and FREE?! First come first serve though Unfortunately, there are just too many things to do and drunk people in the street to hit on Cinco de Mayo.
http://slidebarfullerton.com for more info
Piñata Protest & Manic Hispanic
May 5 to May 6
Now, these bands can stand on their own without a Mexican Holiday, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out they were booked together with Cinco de Mayo in mind---hell they were booked for the whole weekend. We're talking about none other than Manic Hispanic and Piñata Protest. They will share the evening stage May 5th and May 6th at Alex's Bar, which is a bit of a hike to Long Beach, but once again, well worth it, if someone you know is still capable of operating a motorized vehicle. Piñata Protest are the main objective for this punk junkie, and lucky for us, on Cinco de Mayo they are also playing a "Backyard Party" at Station 1640 in L.A. This bash is claiming ten hours of bands, booze (including beer garden and margaritas from twelve of L.A.'s hottest bartenders, culminating in a best margarita contest) , and food from Noon to 10PM. Piñata's set is at 4:30pm. Wait for it...they are also playing this Tuesday May 8 at Five Star Bar---break this piñata all over town.
Piñata Protest (set at 4:30pm)
May 5 12pm to 10pm
Station1640 Lot
1640 N Cahuenga Boulveard
https://www.facebook.com/events/234190820473000 for tix and more info
Manic Hispanic, Piñata Protest, Shiners Club, Penetrator
May 5 at 6pm
Alex's Bar
Manic Hispanic, Piñata Protest, Viernes 13, The Henchmen
May 6 at 2pm
Alex's Bar
2913 E Anaheim Street, Long Beach
https://www.ticketfly.com/venue/16203-alexs-bar/ for tix and more info
Piñata Protest
May 8 at 7:30pm
Five Star Bar
267 S Main Street
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pinata-protest-en-los-angeles-tickets-45507557329?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing for tix and more info
Paper-Thin Hotel
Daily until May 5
Corey Helford Gallery
It's last licks for this badass interactive exhibit.
Artists David Connelly and Zoey Taylor (together known as Dosshaus collective) will be wandering in cardboard costumes about the multi-room cardboard crafted exhibition every Saturday at 1pm until May 5.
http://coreyhelfordgallery.com for more info
The Exhibition Back-burner.
(for when there's still time for you to find time)
Something Resembling Truth
Daily until May 13
The Broad
Jasper Johns retrospective of over 120 pieces never to be see in LA. Free admission first Thursdays April 5 and May 3 from 4-7pm. The Broad is always a fun time, and if it sucks, MOCA is right across the street.
http://thebroad.org for tickets and more info
Happy Place
Daily April 26 to May 27
LA Live - 1005 Chick Hearn Court
Seems like things are just "popping up" all over the damn place these days. Well, we are quite the non-committal community in Los Angeles. Complementary to that County characteristic, we now have pop up experiences, like Happy Place. It is an immersive multi room larger than life installation heaven haven-ed on the Event Deck at L.A. Live. Just a warning, Happy Place appears like another one of those Museum of Ice Cream/Yayoi Kusama timed entry non-transferable get your tickets now before they are all sold out type of exhibits, not that there's anything wrong with that. I am an enjoyer of immersion in foreign spaces so however lame, I am game, especially if my face looks like a smiling emoji when I leave. Plus, they claim to have the "world's largest confetti dome," so there's that. I can cross another Guinness holder off my list right next to the world's largest ball of twine. Most appealing, it feels like the kind of event that will allow me to crawl on the floor like a baby, channeling my inner child and inner comedic commentary whilst people watching. Win. And you have another thirty days to set a date.
http://happyplace.me for tix and more info
King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh
Daily until January 19
California Science Center
The collection is the largest ever to be displayed outside of Egypt. LA is just one location as part of a years-long international tour. Why now? Well, it's the centennial of the discovery of King Tut's tomb by British archeologist Howard Carter in 1922. Don't worry, you have plenty of time, it's open from 10am to 5pm daily until January 19th of next year.
http://californiasciencecenter.org for tickets and more info
Museum of Failure
Daily until March 8, 2019
Hollywood & Highland
From Sweden to Hollywood, this exhibit with spend 1 year inviting Los Angelans and beyond a look into great failures over human history. This museum is a reminder when in this world it seems there is no time for failure (or that any misstep is death sentence of perpetual inability), failures often precede works of art, and if we don't learn to learn from and later laugh at ours, we will become resistant to trying and in turn resistant to living with our imperfect selves or imperfections. They are there for a reason, and they have a purpose. Our greatest failures as artists have the potential to birth our greatest assets if we take the time to channel them.
http://failuremuseum.com for tickets and more info
Noah's Ark
Permanent Exhibition
Skirball Cultural Center
A permanent collection for kids, yet playing and climbing a life size arc filled with animals sounds like a great time for me. Finding your inner child as an adult is a must if you are going to survive in this world where people, places, and things old and new become less and less mind blowing. Ya feel me? Oh they invented a flying car? Figured they'd do that.
Sensory Sensitive Fridays encourage and accommodate through art special demos and activities for children with developmental disabilities such as Autism. I find this very very spectacular as studies show that Autistic children learn from and interact best with other children their own age as opposed to adults. Add art to the equation = gold.
https://www.skirball.org/noahs-ark for tickets, calendar of events, and more info
Something I missed? If you have an event, let me know, submit via email art@theanalartist.life
GOOD LUCK.