Shalom.

Marci of Co-op 28 and her counter of books

Me, I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than go to a mall the week before Christmas. I prefer to do most of my holiday shopping at places like Unique LA or Handmade, so how happy was I to hear about Co-op 28 in Los Feliz.

Behind a fairly unassuming store front, Co-op 28 houses a gallery and what a more pretentious blogger might call a “curated” gift shop/boutique. The shop hasn’t been open long, but it has the feel of a place that should become a neighborhood staple. You’ll recognize some of the artists/designers from Unique LA if you go there, but of course, Co-op 28 is open every day and doesn’t cost $10 at the door. Not that it’s cheap–I easily spent far more than I intended–but most things are priced as you’d expect for handmade, one-of-a-kind items. The owner Marci Siegel has put together a great collection–a rack of clothes, a table of bath items including eucalyptus bombs that steam up your shower, fun and fancy jewelry, guitar straps, clocks made from old pulp fiction novels and Dr. Seuss books, purses . . . even a selection of classic candies. Because who doesn’t want a handful of bit-o-honeys to go with that lomography print?

To make the whole thing irresistible, the shop is on Vermont right off of Prospect, which is to say, next door to Paradis, the amazing Danish ice cream shop that earns my wholehearted love for periodically featuring licorice ice cream. So go, finish your shopping, have an ice cream, chat with Marci, and avoid the mall. Merry whatever-it-is-you-celebrate.

How about a pair of Mychael Darwin jeans? According to their website, Mychael Darwin’s customers include “International Kings, World Entertainers, Hall of Fame Athletes, The Champion Los Angeles Lakers, Hollywood A-List Celebrities and Stylish Denim Enthusiasts.” Their “bespoke” jeans are custom cut to fit to your exact measurements. With extras like silk-lined pockets and “the world’s best denim fabrics” it’s no wonder that prices start at $1,200.  For a couple hundred more you can get sterling silver buttons and rivets, and eighteen karat gold or platinum hardware will set you back $3252.50 or $5232.50 respectively to start.

Normal delivery time is two weeks, so you’re looking at more of a new year’s present most likely, but for a fee, you can get a pair as quickly as 48 hours apparently.  And you know, once you’re in for a few grand on a pair of jeans what’s an added convenience charge?

House of Davids pic via b.la's la_koga

Via Curbed Los Angeles comes the news that the House of Davids is having an estate sale. Not only are the Davids themselves all for sale, but their holidays outfits, the hanging dining room table, and many other treasures of Youngwood Court will be sold off this month–including much of Norwood Young’s own wardrobe which apparently is so extensive it’s accessed via those same electric racks they use at your dry cleaner. If you looked at the pictures in Curbed’s previous post about the house you have some idea of the wonders in store for us at the estate sale.

The sale will be two weekends: October 15 & 16, and October 22 & 23. Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm and Sundays from noon to 4 pm. Thank you Curbed for keeping us all posted about such delights.

Cathy Cole's photo used through Creative Commons license

One of the things I love about LA is the way bad weather is regarded as such a bizarre, unforeseen anomaly. (Insert lyrics to “Camelot.”) It’s chilly by LA standards in Chatsworth today (66) and grey. I walked outside to second-hand smoke with my boss this morning, and she looked up at the dreary sky and said “What weird weather,” this being a fairly common response to 66 and overcast here in the Valley. When I first moved to LA years ago, after an extended stint in the upper midwest, it used to crack me up when people would say that. Cloudy sky? “What weird weather.” Drizzle? “What weird weather.” June gloom in September? You got it: “What weird weather.” I used to think of these exclamations as symptomatic of Angelinos’ hot house flower-ish inability to withstand anything but a narrow, precipitation-free  temperature band. This dismayed surprise, like the hats and scarves that get put out on the shelves when the temperature drops below 70, made me smile the vague smile of superiority that anyone who has lived ten Midwestern winters can’t help but feel when an Angelino complains that it’s cold.

Well, it took about two and half years for my blood to thin sufficiently that I am now compelled to bust out my wool beanie and flannel sheets when it’s in the 50s. And not only has my standard for what constitutes “cold” changed radically, but I now understand that weather-induced bewilderment totally differently. I no longer see it as a sign of weakness, but more like a synecdoche for a pervasive culture of optimism–like “How strange that it should not be a nice day!” And what’s so wrong with believing it’s going to be beautiful? Raised on the east coast, I was brought up to be suspect of too much optimism. I come from a family of sardonic, leftist Jews who regarded unadulterated  cheer as some sort of borderline retardation. But LA has changed me. I’ve lived here long enough that I find myself surprised on a day like today when the sun doesn’t come out. Weird.

Let me say it again: A ZOUNDS GIG AT THE ECHO THIS SUNDAY.

I am so freaking excited. I didn’t even know Zounds was touring the US. I refer you back to my parenthetical disclaimer below that my favorite music came out between 1977 & 1983. Zounds is a sort of punk inspired anarcho-pop band. Here’s one of my favorite Zounds songs (admittedly one of their least political):

You can give a listen to a lot more of their music here. They are one of the best relatively forgotten bands of the late-70s early 80s, and they’re playing LA in three days! If you like Wire or The Fall or Gang of Four and you don’t know Zounds give them a listen. I’ll bet you’ll love them. A big shout out to the Echo for hosting the show.

Enter the Eagle Rock Music Festival. I went two years ago because I wanted to see No Age and Peanut Butter Wolf. It was free then–now they’re asking for a $5 donation–and it was just crowded enough but not too crowded. I admit I don’t know most of the bands listed this year (not that that’s any indicator–most of my favorite albums were released between 1977 and 1983), but in 2009 two of my favorites were bands I’d never heard before: Nico Stai and The Mormons. The latter cycled up, handed out pamphlets, and did a renegade performance on instruments they had ported on their bikes including a strap-on drum set and an amp with a shoulder strap–tres punk rock. Kudos, Mormons. This year, I’m sure there will be other musical surprises. It’s easy enough to stroll Colorado Boulevard from one end of the festival to the other and stop when you hear something interesting. Really, how can you go wrong in a festival where the line-up at the family stage concludes with The Ukulele Orchestra of the Western Hemisphere followed by a Neil Diamond Tribute Band? Anyway, I’m super sad I’ll be out of town and will miss it this year, but you b.la readers should go and let me know how it is.

[An aside: Please someone over at the Sunset Junction website learn the difference between "it's" and "its." Thank you.]

Chris Yarzab's photo used through Creative Commons license

What do you do to promote an album called Valleyheart? You play a free show in the Juniors department of Macy’s at Northridge Mall, that’s what. According to Racked (to whom my metaphorical cliched hat is tipped), She Wants Revenge is playing the Northridge Macy’s this Saturday at 2:00 and Skylar Gray will be opening. To the parents brave enough to take their tweens, I salute you. You are good people. The first 300 people to buy at least $35 of select merchandise will get a free autographed picture. The rest will just get the memories.

Ruscha’s Back of Hollywood will be part of the exhibit, which opens 1 October at MoCA’s Geffen Contemporary, along with 500-some other pieces “including documentary, staged, and conceptual photographs; abstract and representational paintings; freestanding sculptures, installations, and environments; performances and public demonstrations; narrative and documentary films and videos; zines and posters; ceramics and models; works on paper; decorative crafts and design objects; and ephemera.” Well okay then! I guess the last sensory overload at the Geffen, the street art exhibit, was so successful why not overstimulate us again, right?

If October 1 seems too long to wait, you can whet your appetite with the Ruscha exhibit at the Hammer. I haven’t been yet, but it’s on my short list. It a small show with just six large Ruscha canvases that all use text from Kerouac’s On the Road in front of snow capped mountains.

“This town is magic to me and it hasn’t grown old, and I love the colors and the layout and the mountains and the ocean and desert,” says Anthony Kiedis to Edward Ruscha as they drive down Sunset Boulevard.

Amen to that, say I.

Rafael Tovar's photo used through Creative Commons license

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 30 years since Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980) were released. For those of us whose formative years were the 80s, Joy Division was emblematic of a dark, introspective aesthetic that was, at the time, almost self-parodic. Even now, the quality of the music itself can be eclipsed by the specter of hipster couples with matching skinny jeans and “Love Will Tear Us Apart” tattoos in script on their forearms. Nonetheless, if you can look past the silliest of the fans, and give them a fair listen, it’s hard to argue with the fact that Joy Division’s music is just damn good. Closer and Unknown Pleasures are among the very best post-punk albums ever.

And guess what, kids? You have the chance to hear Peter Hook, who once upon a time was Joy Division’s bassist and backing vocalist, and the Light perform either Closer at the Music Box on Wednesday the 14th or Unknown Pleasures at the El Rey on Friday the 16th. And, to make it even more special, Moby will be singing a couple of Joy Division songs at both shows. I have a free pair of tickets to the show of your choice to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me which show you’d prefer to see. A winner will be chosen randomly by the end of the day Monday. Please be sure to leave a current email address when you comment and watch your email Monday night/Tuesday morning. Enjoy (or something).