Image from the DubLab

So what are you doing after the upcoming Grilled Cheese Invitational? Why you’re heading downtown to party at the Natural History Museum, duh!

This Saturday, Cinefamily and Cinespia are hosting a FREE ADMISSION museum-wide party at the Natural History Museum, presented as the closing event to the “Art In The Streets” film retrospective. First, they’re showing Cave of Forgotten Dreams directed by Werner Herzog at 5:30pm. (the film-rsvp list is already closed, but there will be some seats held for the standby line) Also, the Herzog Q&A will be projected live in the Museum’s Whale Room at approximately 7PM, for those who are unable to get into the screening. Once the movie is over, then the party starts!

At 8PM, the doors open and guests are invited to wander the Museum’s exhibit halls for FREE! There will be live bands, DJs spinning, food trucks, cash bar & an art installation by Mastodon Mesa.

Live Music Schedule

On the Fin Whale Passage stage:
Live performances by Nite Jewel, Islands, White Magic and Matt Baldwin starting at 8:30pm.

In the African Mammal Hall:
DJs Dntel (aka Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service), David Holmes and Carlos Nino will spin records starting at 5pm.

In the Gems & Mineral Hall:
DJ collective Dublab will also host a second set of live performances starting at 5pm.

This whole event is generously sponsored by: First Fridays at The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, in association with History Films, Sundance Selects, Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, Dublab

cave of forgotten dreams: herzog premiere & museum-wide party
Saturday, April 23rd
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90007
5:00-11:00pm
Admission: FREE

Would you like to see the final show on Something Corporate’s Reunion Tour? Leave a note in the comments section below telling me why you want to see this show, or your favorite Something Corporate song.

Winners (we’ve got more than one pair of tickets) will be notified via email by midnight Wednesday. Keep an eye on your email, as you need to respond by noon on Thursday. If all winners have not responded by noon, those tickets will be passed to the next lucky winner(s.)

Thanks to our friends at Goldenvoice. Don’t want to take a chance on winning tickets? You can purchase tickets for Saturday’s show here.

Angels Flight, archived image

Now I can really feel it – I feel the wooden seats that remind me of historic streetcars other cities have been spoiled to have. I poke at the hanging light bulbs I probably shouldn’t be touching. I feel the car rattling up the steep incline, and the California sun beating on my shoulders through the open windows. I drop a quarter into the old-fashioned fare box, save a souvenir ticket for my collage, and run my fingers along the woodwork outside the little building housing the operator, overlooking California Plaza.

I make sure to ride on each car – both Olivet and Sinai, whom I’ve come to know as individuals via their ridiculous Twitter Account.

The railway may have moved a bit from its original location 100 years ago, but it acts like a little time machine. Moreso than the new downtown skyscraper on the site of what once was, or a snazzy, remodeled loft inside an historic piece of architecture, the simple ride makes me feel as if I’m inside those black-and-white photos of Angels Flight I downloaded from library archives, and transports me to the Bunker Hill of yesteryear – when one might take the funicular to get back to work up the steep hill after a lunch date. I think of how I need to get around to taking this ride at sunset, who I need to bring along with me next time, and out-of-towners I should take here on their next visit. It connects us to the rich history of Downtown L.A., the kind you don’t get anywhere much further away from the river on which this city was founded.

And just like that, after a few brief moments, the ride is over. But it’s only a quarter, so why not take it back down the hill again?

Check out the rest of the L.A.’s Greatest Landmarks series here.

For the last couple of months owners Larkin Mackey (of the eponymous Larkin’s in Eagle Rock) & Joshua McBride have been getting great pre-opening press for their newest venture, Mac & Cheeza. I was drawn in, and twice made special trips downtown for the creamy cheesy goodness. I was not disappointed. With news of the Grand Opening comes regular hours, and I can now go back for more anytime I like.

The concept is simple: first, choose your size (Baby Mac all the way up to Mac Daddy.) Next, do you want regular or rice noodles? Penultimately, regular or house-made soy cheese? Now it gets complicated; now you complement your base with a choice of veggies, meats and toppers. How will you ever choose? It’s like Pinkberry for mac & cheese. This is a problem for me, because I want them all!

As if this weren’t enough, there are also homemade desserts straight from Larkin’s mom’s kitchen. Have the banana pudding; it’s fantastic. On top of it all, Larkin and his crew are always friendly, helpful, and all-around good guys.

If for some reason you can’t make the Grand Opening today, check them out soon. Mac & Cheeza is located at 223 W. 8th Street (near 8th & Broadway.) They’re open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-2am.

In addition to fairly regular concert appearances around southern California and frequent work on Jay Leno’s show(s,) The Dan Band has appeared in movies such as Old School, Starsky & Hutch, and The Hangover.

They’re mostly known for performing covers of songs originally recorded by female artists, in their own unique style with a liberal application of NSFWoYC (Not Safe For Work or Young Children) language.

While good, the video clips linked above don’t really do justice to the live spectacle that is The Dan Band. Luckily, Dan and the boys will be returning to Club Nokia at LA Live this Friday, April 2 and thanks to our friends at Goldenvoice, I’ve got several pairs of tickets for you, dear readers.

Follow me past the jump to find out how to win your tickets, and see a live video clip of The Dan Band from a recent show at Club Nokia…

Want to join me at the show? Leave a note in the comments section with one or more of the following:
a.) your favorite Dan Band song/cover,
b.) song by a female artist or group that you’d like to see The Dan Band perform, and/or
c.) your favorite gender-opposite (female if you’re male, male if you’re female) song to sing at karaoke. Bonus points if you link to video of yourself singing said song.

I’ll start: I’d love to see The Dan Band perform Lady Gaga’s “Lovegame,” and I like to sing the Kiki Dee part of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” but only if I’ve got a solid partner for the Elton John part. No, you will never (ever) see video of said performance.

Leave your entry below. Winners will be chosen at my whim (or randomly if you all make it too hard to choose, as you usually do,) and notified via email. Don’t want to take a chance? You can purchase tickets here, but get them quick as The Dan Band usually sells out.

Three weeks after this year’s Grammy Awards show, The Dan Band played at Club Nokia. Here is their stunning recreation of Pink’s Grammy performance of “Glitter In The Air.”

This weekend, the Vaudeville-style throwback troupe will be performing a very special Valentine’s Day Love Spectacular for you love birds and singles alike. Experience an incredibly intimate and sensual feast of esoterically erotic vintage comic book stories that explore love and all of its many splendored things.

Special guest performance by The Blankenship Ballet Company of Venice.

Captured Aural Phantasy Theater is a live, radio hour like show where the performers act out dramatic readings from vintage comic books. Set underneath the stained glass ceiling of the infamous Palm Court Ballroom in the historical Alexandria Hotel, the show often features live music numbers, audience interaction, period costumes and snark galore.

Your very own author (pictured below) had the privilege of being crowned Prom Queen of the Captured Aural Phantasy Theater show in September last year. So much fun, highly recommended. Great punch too.

Captured Aural Phantasy Theater's 2009 Prom Queen & King. Me and some other guy.

The Valentine’s Day Love Spectacular is two nights only, Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13 at 8:00 PM both nights. Admission is $10.

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures

Do you like history and tradition? Are you a sucker for a classic Christmas film? Then dress up in your Sunday best, grab a shoe shine, and head Downtown this weekend.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is presenting Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, at the newly restored Million Dollar Theatre (1918), Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children twelve and under. A limited number of tickets are available at The Conservancy’s website.

Make it your new family tradition. Your kids will be able to tell their kids what Broadway was like before the return of the streetcar!

The Million Dollar Theatre is located at 307 South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, walking distance from the Metro Red Line Pershing Square Station and Civic Center Station.

Downtown Los Angeles was no stranger to adaptive reuse. Dr. Walter Lindley built California Hospital at 315 W. Sixth Street in 1887. Years later, you could yourself buy a hat for $2.00, or rent a room for 50 cents at “The Lindley.”

The year was 1912.

Photo from the USC Digital Library

Every year Kim’s original blog, 1947project, undergoes a re-casting and covers a different year in Los Angeles history. But this year it becomes “In SRO Land,” named alternatively after the Single Room Occupancy hotels that are so prevalent in the area, and “Standing Room Only”–the common refrain of Broadway, whose golden era was a cavalcade of dancers and entertainers, criminals and movie stars, freaks and fans.

I am so stoked to have this new blog up and running, and I’ll be sure to check it every day. Welcome to the party, In SRO Land.

Also, a great big Congrats to Kim Cooper’s husband & Esotouric curator Richard Schave, the newly-minted Director of the Downtown LA Art Walk.

Photo by In SRO Land contributor Rob Clampett.

BSG @ California Plaza

Last weekend, Bear McCreary opened the  2009 Grand Performances series with The Music of Battlestar Galactica. I’ve seen the talented composer conduct his unforgettable score live on a couple of other occasions. Every concert has been fantastic, but this most recent one really blew me away. From the gorgeous outdoor setting, complete with water features, in downtown L.A. to Katee Sackhoff joining McCreary on the piano for the opening bit to his version of  “All Along The Watchtower,” it was a pretty magical evening. A good friend of mine got permission to videotape the entire show and is in the process of posting the footage, which you can see here. Check out the “…Watchtower” clip below.

I hope to go back for more of this summer’s Grand Performances. I found California Plaza to be a beautiful, unique venue under the stars that I’d love to revisit. The weekly event runs through the end of August with one show in each September and October. The concert days and times vary each week, so check the calendar for specific details. Another important thing to note is that all of the performances are free!

The address for parking is 351 S. Olive in downtown Los Angeles. I found it quite convenient to take the Metro Red Line to Pershing Square and walk the one block to the plaza.