LAist gets a lot of press releases, and we go through most of them to curate a list of our favorite events happening in L.A. Here are 22 events you should know about this week. Read on for all the details.
MONDAY, JULY 14
MUSIC: Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts is a citywide, cross-cultural collaborative music and art series that brings together art forms and people from different cultures and communities. Throughout July and August, these artistic and musical collaborations will be featured in different venues across LA, from Boyle Heights to Beverly Hills. On Monday at 8 pm at The Echoplex, there’s a concert by Wil-Dog of Ozomatli with the RB sounds of Jarell Perry. Free, but RSVP required.
FILM: The Old Pasadena Film Festival continues its month-long, (mostly) outdoor free screenings on Monday with the money/economics documentary Money Life (2013) at 7 pm at Conscientious Projector at the Pasadena Senior Center. There’s a discussion following the film.
COMEDY : This Tour is So Gay kicks off at NerdMelt on Monday at 9 pm, hosted by comedian and author Sara Benincasa. She’s gathered “hilarious, funny people to tell amazing stories that will make you giggle and blow your mind.” Guests include: Dave Ross (Terrified podcast), Jake Weisman (Funny or Die), Yassir Lester (Nerdist podcast) and Ian Harvie (Amazon’s “Transparent). The show’s title comes from Benincasa donating all her national tour proceeds from ticket sales to the youth development/mentoring program of the LA Gay Lesbian Center. Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
FOOD: Calling all gourmands and deal lovers: DineLA Restaurant Week returns to Los Angeles for two weeks starting on Monday, July 14 and running through July 27. Participating restaurants offer prix-fixe menus for lunch, dinner or both ranging from $15 to $45. Check out the dozens of participating restaurants then make a reservation.
TUESDAY, JULY 15
Stuart Ward and Dani de Waal from the ONCE Tour Company. The show begins its run at the Pantages on Tuesday. (Photo: ©Joan Marcus)
MUSICAL : Once, the winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, has its L.A. premiere on Tuesday at 8 pm at the Pantages. The musical is based on the sleeper-hit film of the same name starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as struggling Dublin musicians. The show has a four-week run through Aug. 10. **We originally listed this under Thursday.
TV: To celebrate the release of Adult Swim’s Black Dynamite: Season One, the cast and creative team are doing a signing at Amoeba on Tuesday at 6 pm. Expected guests are: Michael Jai White (voice of ‘Black Dynamite’), Carl Jones, Tommy Davidson (voice of ‘Cream Corn’) and Byron Minns ( voice of ‘Bullhorn’).
MUSIC: Fun show alert at the Bootleg HiFi on Tuesday: The Polyphonic Spree brings their choir-ly act to the stage to promote its upcoming release Aug. 12 EP release Psychphonic, a remix LP of their current album, Yes, It’s True. Sarah Jaffe opens. Doors at 8 pm, and show at 9 pm. Tickets: $20-$25. The show is 21+.
COMEDY: There’s a free show on Tuesday by the iO Improv Group The James Gang, who headline Long Hard Tuesdays at the Straight Jacket Society Theatre at 8 pm.
MUSIC: The San Francisco-based lo-fi pop group Melted Toys plays a gig at La Cita on Tuesday. The band celebrates its self-titled LP, out on Tuesday, via Underwater Peoples. Also on the bill are Devon Williams and Catwalk. Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door. 21+.
VARIETY SHOW: The Victory Lap variety show returns to The Virgil at 9 pm. Hosted by Seth W. Owen (Movie Night @ The Roosevelt) and Stuart Jenkins (Associate Producer, BBC America’s The Nerdist), the evening promises “slightly unhinged entertainment” with a lineup that includes Maria Bamford (Arrested Development), Andre Hyland, Professor Blastoff’s David Huntsberger (Huntsberger Junk Show) and magician David Blatter and his assistant Leeman Parker. Audience prizes from The Hollywood Bowl and Boo’s Philly Cheesesteak. There’s no cover, and the Virgil has great specials, $6 cocktails, $5 wine and beer all night long. 21+. Free admission. There’s valet so you don’t have to worry about finding a parking space in the neighborhood.
FILM+MUSIC: The Album Leaf’s documentary Beyond There, which follows the indie band through Asia and its attempts to change music distribution, screens on Tuesday at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Temple. The Album Leaf performs live after the screening, too. 8 pm. Tickets: $25.
MUSIC: Clockwise celebrates the release of his Dancing World EP by headlining a show on Tuesday night at the Troubadour. Also on the bill are Mosco Rosco and Folk Riot. Doors at 8 pm, music at 8:30 pm. Tickets: $12 or $15 day of show
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
Lily in the Grinder trailer from Michael Morgenstern on Vimeo.
FILM: Lily in the Grinder is a short, surreal film about existence, set to an original string quartet score. It screens at Raleigh Studios on Wednesday at 8 pm, followed by a QA with director Michael Morgenstern and others on the symbolism within the film. Following the screening, there will be an alternate version of the film that’s closer to experiencing a concert. Wine and cheese will be provided, and the event is free with RSVP.
MUSIC: LP rocks the ukulele and shows her vocal chops when she plays a free show on Wednesday at The Grove as part of the 2014 Summer Stage Series. The free live performance takes place at The Grove’s park at 7:30 pm.
COMEDY QUIZ: The comedy quiz show What Do You Know? is getting a shot at Comedy Central and they want you to be there to watch the magic happen. The show takes place at 8 pm on Wednesday at the Comedy Central Stage at the Hudson Theater. Participating in the What Do You Know? FOOD! quiz are Suzi Barrett (FoD: I Hate California, Drunk History), Ryan Meharry (Bangarang!), Drew Tarver (How I Met Your Dad), and Joel Spence (Modern Family). The contestants don’t always have to be right, but they have to be funny. Tickets are free.
COMEDY / VARIETY: On Wednesday, The Super Serious Show celebrates four years of bringing stand-up, sketch, music comedy and videos to Los Angeles audiences. The celebration at the Virgil features host Andy Peters with Garfunkel Oates, Jen Kirkman, Jimmy Pardo, Sklar Brothers, Daniel Van Kirk and videos by Peter Atencio. Happy hour at 7 pm with drink specials, a food truck and desserts. Show at 8 pm. Tickets: $7+ fees.
FILM: On Wednesday FIGat7th presents the next installment of its FLIX at FIG series, holding a free movie screening of Weekend at Bernie’s (which just celebrated the 25th anniversary of release. Be one of the first 150 guests for complimentary kettle corn for the show. Take the Metro or park your car for $5 after 4 pm and stay all night. Live DJ and happy hour begins at 5:30 pm and the film begins around 8ish. Free to attend the screening.
FILM: Saatchi Saatchi’s New Directors’ Showcase debuts on Wednesday at the Ace Hotel in DTLA at 7 pm. The New Directors’ Showcase features the best new director talent from around the globe and is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Tickets: $20-$30.
THURSDAY, JULY 17
DANCE THEATER : Bronx Gothic, a work of dance theater by performer/choreographer Okwui Okpokwasili, makes its West Coast premiere on Thursday, continuing through the weekend. She was Hippolyta in Julie Taymor’s Midsummer and Goneril in Young Jean Lee’s Lear and now traverses rarely traversed terrain, earning its title with the “crude and sometimes brutal text she delivers. And there is a nod here to the epistolary form, but played out in school notes between two 11-year olds in the Bronx in the 80s.” The show runs at 8:30 pm from Thursday to Saturday at the Highland Park Ebell Club. Tickets: $20.
MUSIC: On Thursday, celebrated musician and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III (and father of Rufus and Martha) previews his upcoming album Haven’t Got The Blues (Yet) at the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park at 8 pm. Free.
MUSIC + DANCE: KCRW and the Hammer team up for free summer shows on Thursday at the Hammer Museum with live performances and DJ sets. Made in L.A. Music begins with a happy hour at 6:30 pm and the music begins at 7:30 pm. Thursday’s lineup is hosted by Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe The Magnetic Zeroes, with live performances by crash, The Shoe, My Hawaii some surprises.
FILM FESTIVAL: The Topanga Film Festival celebrates 10 years this week with film screenings, live entertainment and special guests. Running from July 17-20 in Topanga Canyon, the Opening Night Gala on Thursday is hosted by Kelly Carlin at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. There’s pre-show entertainment featuring live contemporary pole dancing by Jagged (from Matthew Celia’s dance documentary Off The Floor, screening Friday). Reception at 6:30pm, stage show at 8:00 pm and Short Films in Competition at 8:30 pm. Opening night tickets: $25.
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