Halloween Hoedown at the Hammer

This Friday, the Hammer Museum at UCLA will host a bluegrass-infused Halloween party. Joshua Tree's Shadow Mountain Band will provide live music. JP Craft Captain (aka Julianna Parr, the mastermind behind Craftnight), will help you make your own Halloween decorations.

From the Hammer website: "Your hostess Darlin’ will serve up drag hospitality in gingham as you enjoy the cash bar and seasonal menu at the Café Hammer. Costumes encouraged… think Westwood Hillbillies!"

Friday, October 30, 7:00 pm. FREE. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability. Reservations not accepted, RSVPs not required.

Discover new musical talent in NoHo

Hear NoHo is a new festival showcasing emerging musical acts in North Hollywood. On the first Thursday of the month, various businesses in the NoHo Arts District will host different local bands and performers. Admission to all venues is only $10 for the whole evening.

This month's event will be produced in conjunction with the Los Angeles Women in Music Association and features the music of some of Los Angeles’s best emerging female singer-songwriters. Artists will include: Abbot Kinney, Canon, Ready-Set-Go, Steve Bardwil, Two Spot Gobi, and many more!

Purchase a wristband for $10 at your first stop on this self-guided musical tour, and it will get you into all the other concerts that night. Businesses in the NoHo Arts District will have extended business hours, many featuring their own musical events. The fun starts at 6 pm on Thursday, August 6, and goes until 11 pm.

For more info, click here.

Free concert at the Hollywood Bowl

Sorry for the 3-month absence, folks. I almost decided to give up this blog, but for now I'm going to continue with it and try to get more traffic. If you find these posts useful, please tell your friends!

There will be a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, October 3. The program, called "Bienvenido Gustavo!", will culminate in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's new conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, leading the LA Phil and the LA Master Chorale in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with fireworks.

Tickets will be available beginning this Saturday, August 1, at noon, from Ticketmaster or at the Bowl box office. For more information, click here.

McCabe's Annual Holiday Show

Tomorrow, December 7th, McCabe's Guitar Shop will host its Annual Holiday Show. From the McCabe's newsletter:

This decades-long tradition sees McCabe's uber-talented staff, friends, and hangers-on take to the stage in a semi-spontaneous expression of seasonal joy. Sometimes Bob destroys stuff, too, which is always a good time. We'll provide the victuals, libations, and spectacle, and you just show up. Did we mention that it's all FREE!? Doors open about 6:45. Show starts at 7:00.

McCabe's is at 3101 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. Click here for parking info.

Skateboard and street art show

It's a record release party! It's a group art show! It's a film screening! It's a celebration of skate-punk subculture, graffiti and custom motorcycles. MOVERS & SHAKERS SESSION 1 will take place tomorrow night, December 6, in Pasadena.

Los Angeles-based band Rebirth will be celebrating their latest release, Episode 6. The art show will feature work by several stars of the skate world, including Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi. There will be custom bikes on display from Earl's Bikes and Shinya Kamura.

As if that weren't enough, there will also be two movie screenings: "Bomb It!", a documentary about graffiti art, and "Choppertown," a doc about renowned motorcycle gang The Sinners. The event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, December 6, 6-11 pm. Salon Sessions Studio, 112 S. DeLacey Ave. in Pasadena. For more info, click here.

Free family concert

Travel four hundred years in one hour with John Schneider and the "Classic" Guitar on Saturday, December 6 at 2 p.m.

Southwest Chamber Music, in collaboration with the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, will present Music Unwrapped in the Luckman Intimate Theatre at California State University, Los Angeles. Music Unwrapped is a free family series where audiences learn about music through various compositions and interaction with prominent musicians and composers.

This special program will feature John Schneider, an internationally recognized guitarist and acclaimed host of KPFK’s Global Village. Mr. Schneider will focus on the evolution of the classical guitar and its immense repertoire. He will discuss his career as a guitarist and perform compositions from the past four centuries by Isaac Albéniz, John Dowland, Johanne Sebastian Bach, Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Agustín Barrios, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Mason Williams.

Mr. Schneider will “unwrap” the music with examples, questions and answers with the audience, and insights into the preparation and performance of the works presented. Click here for more information about Music Unwrapped.

The Intimate Theater, Luckman Fine Arts Complex is located at 5151
State University Drive in Los Angeles. Click here for more info and directions.

Mariachi Festival

Tomorrow is the 18th Annual Mariachi Festival in Boyle Heights, featuring Jose Hernandez y su Mariachi Sol Mexico. There will be children’s art activities, local artisans and food booths.

Sunday, November 23, from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Historic Mariachi Plaza, First Street and Boyle Ave. Free! Click here for info on taking the Metro.

Festival of Sacred Music

First of all, apologies for abandoning this blog for the past two months. (Did anyone notice, I wonder? I suspect my readership is small, if not completely imaginary.) Between working 14-hour days, 6 days a week, not actually being in L.A. during that time, and having spotty Internet access at my hotel, it just became impractical to keep up.

But then, to add insult to injury, my laptop died a month ago. The truth is, it was murdered. I ran over it with a 15-ft. cube truck. Not on purpose, mind you--so it was perhaps more like involuntary machine-slaughter than outright murder.

But now I have a brand-new computer, and I'm slowly getting back to normal in terms of my Internet activity. I realize I have a lot of catching up to do, so I'd better get started!

The Festival of Sacred Music got underway this past weekend. This 16-day extravaganza of performing arts takes place all over the city, and only happens once every three years. Tickets range in price, but many of the events are free and open to the public.

For instance, tomorrow night, there is a concert at the Japanese American National Museum of traditional and contemporary world music by artists from Iran and Greece. Thursday, September 18, 6:30 pm. 369 E. 1st Street (Little Tokyo). Free. For more info, go to janm.org

The festival will close on Sunday, September 28 with a giant ceremony and celebration on Santa Monica Beach. There will be an opening procession of Oaxacan brass and Scottish drums and bagpipes, followed by a performance of traditional Hawaiian chant and hula. And that's just the beginning! Three hundred artists will present sacred traditions from seven world cultures. The event is free.

For more information about the closing ceremonies and other events, click here.

A Hawaiian 4th of July

Looking for a different kind of Independence Day celebration? Tonight, there will be a special free concert at Levitt Pavilion in Macarthur Park. One Hawaii is a gathering of top musical acts from the 50th state, including Keali'i Reichel and Na Leo, performing along with guest hula dancers.

Levitt Pavilion will host free concerts throughout the summer, every night of the week except Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is Musica Latina, Thursday is World Music, Fridays are Night Rhythms, Saturdays are American Roots, and Sunday is Children's Night. Click here for the full schedule.

Fourth of July celebration with One Hawaii. Friday, July 4, 7:00 pm. Macarthur Park. Free. Click here for more info.

Chinatown Anniversary Party

Los Angeles' Chinatown was founded 70 years ago this week. Back then it was called "New Chinatown" because it replaced the original settlement, which was displaced by the construction of Union Station.

This weekend, Chinatown celebrates the 70th Anniversary of its birth with a free celebration in Central Plaza, located at 951 N. Broadway Street. There will be live 1940's style Big Band music, dancing, a costume contest, vintage cocktails, martial arts demos, lion dances and more.

Saturday, June 28, 7:00-11:00 pm. Chinatown. For more info, visit the Chinatown web site.

Get your groove on at the Getty

This Friday, celebrate the end of the work week with an evening of free music and spectacular city views at the Getty Center's Fridays Off the 405. Art-pop duo No Age will perform outdoors in the museum courtyard, preceded by reggae-infused grooves from DJ King Shade. In addition, the galleries will be open late.

Friday, June 27, 6:00-9:00 pm. Free. Visit the Getty website for directions and parking info.

Free concerts at Caltech

This weekend, Caltech presents "Dance Under the Stars", free outdoor concerts featuring two different local artists.

On Friday, June 20, I See Hawks in L.A. will present their unique blend of alt-country songcraft, social commentary and environmental awareness. On Saturday, June 21, Grammy-nominated Spanish-language vocalist Perla Batalla will perform.

Both concerts take place on Beckman Mall on the Caltech campus at 8:00 pm. Free. Bring a blanket to sit on and a picnic. For more info, click here.

Free Irish concert at the Getty

Friday Nights at the Getty is a free performance series featuring an eclectic mix of music, dance, theater, and spoken word events. Tonight is the final performance of the 2007-2008 season; the series resumes in September.

From the Getty web site:

Two of Ireland's most celebrated musical ambassadors, soprano Ailish Tynan and pianist Hugh Tinney, perform a recital of songs by Brahms and Faure and arrangements of Irish folksongs by Herbert Hughes from Tynan's recently released CD A Purse of Gold. This concert is part of the Music for Museums series, a collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland.

Friday, June 13, at 7:00 pm in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium. Free; reservations required. Call (310) 440-7300 or click here to make a reservation.

Free J.A.M. sessions at the Ford

Get your creative juices flowing at the Ford Amphitheatre’s FREE J.A.M. (Jazzed and Motivated) Sessions. Dance, sing, play your favorite instrument and engage in other activities guided by artists from the Ford season. Beginner, intermediate and advanced participants are all welcome.

The next one is called "The Groove Divine" with Viver Brasil Dance Company and takes place on Tuesday, June 17, at 7:00 pm. Come for an orixá dance movement workshop with live music and get a sneak peek at their upcoming performance.

If you've never been to the Ford Amphitheatre, it's a wonderful outdoor theater in the Hollywood Hills, on the other side of the Cahuenga Pass from the Hollywood Bowl. During the summer, they have a variety of programs and performances for the whole family.

Click this link or call the Ford Box Office at 323 461-3673 for more information and to make a reservation.

ARTWATER in Atwater

This Saturday, April 26, is the ARTWATER Festival in Atwater Village. If you haven't been to Atwater Village lately, it's a vibrant, funky neighborhood with many new restaurants, galleries and boutiques. "A Celebration of Music and Arts" will take place along Glendale Blvd. between Brunswick and Glenfeliz from 2 to 10 p.m. There will be three stages for live music and dance performances, local artisan vendors and interactive art activities. Free.

Free family arts festival

The next Getty Family Festival will be Sunday, May 4, at the Getty Villa in Malibu.
Held in conjunction with the exhibition The Color of Life, the all-day festival includes live performance, flamenco dancing, music by Fishtank Ensemble, storytelling and children's art workshops.

It's free but a ticket is required. (Parking is $8 per vehicle.) Tickets available beginning tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Call (310) 440-7300 or visit the Getty website for more info or to make a reservation.

Rose Bowl Flea Market this Sunday

The Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, touted as the largest of its kind on the West Coast, takes place on the second Sunday of every month. Attendees range from veteran antique-dealers to Hollywood hipsters, experienced collectors to casual browsers, and the wares also cover the spectrum. Regular adult admission is $8.00, although early admittance (before 9:00 am) is available for an additional fee. Visit the official web site for more information.

Also on Sunday, and just down the road in Altadena, The Coffee Gallery Backstage will be having a free bluegrass jam from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. No reservations are necessary; just show up with or without an instrument. The jams will continue on the second Sunday of every month--just like the Rose Bowl Flea Market! The Coffee Gallery is at 2029 N. Lake, Altadena, CA 91001. For more information, contact David Naiditch at (626) 797-1827, or french10 at pacbell.net.

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum

This Friday, March 7, expand your mind at The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. First Fridays are monthly events incorporating after-hours tours, discussions and live music, all for less than $10.

The current series is called "Discovery in the Age of Mammals: Building Brains and Making Minds." Following a behind-the-scenes tour at 5:30, distinguished guest lecturer Daniel Dennett of Tufts University will speak on the topic “From Animal to Person: How Cultural Evolution Furnishes Our Minds With Thinking Tools” at 6:30.

From 7:00 to 10:00 pm, live bands will play and DJs will spin in the African Mammal Hall. Personally, I can't think of a cooler setting for a dance party.

Admission is $9 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and students with ID, $2 for kids and free for museum members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the First Fridays web site.

Hot Cajun music in a cool setting

They say that the best things in life are free... Well, I can think of a few things in life that aren't free that are pretty darn great. Like food. But I digress. It's true that some of the best things in L.A. are free, like Friday Nights at the Getty.

This monthly concert series features diverse bands and musicians from around Los Angeles and the world. This Friday, for example, "3 Leg Torso's eclectic synthesis of modern chamber music, tango, and Middle Eastern and Eastern European folk traditions is coupled with a cinematic sense of musical storytelling." That's pretty darn eclectic.

Unfortunately, 3 Leg Torso is already sold out. (The series is free but reservations are required.)

However, the reservation line opens tomorrow for the next concert on March 14: The Savoy Family Band, a Cajun group from Louisiana. "The band brings the raw energy of the dancehalls of southwest Louisiana to the stage, peppered with humorous and informative anecdotes about life on the Louisiana prairies."

Call (310) 440-7300 or go to the Getty's web site to make reservations. Parking at the Getty Center is $8 per vehicle.