Avant-garde jams, Outfest screenings, East L.A. Meets Napa, punk legends live and more.
The Sun Ra Arkestra Directed by Marshall Allen
Monday, July 22, 2019 / 8-11 p.m. / Zebulon
Emerging in the 1950s, jazz legend Sun Ra created a musical movement deeply informed by his philosophical ideas and cosmic mysticism. Marshall Allen was a student of Ra’s teachings and led his reed section for 40 years before taking the helm of the Arkestra in the mid-1990s after Ra’s passing. Blending big band swing, free jazz, electronic instruments and the mood of the moment, they continue to be one of the most important living influences of avant-garde music. They put on a spell-binding show worthy of an alien invasion.
Tickets: $25 / More Information
Watch Your Mouth: Womxn in Food Media
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 / 7-9 p.m. / As We Dwell
The food media landscape is changing thanks to the empowered movers and shakers championing diversity on our screens. In this discussion moderated by L.A. Times cooking editor Genevieve Ko, a panel of innovative and trailblazing womxn of color in food media discuss the challenges they face in dismantling the status quo.
The panel features Buzzfeed Tasty’s Rie McClenny, chef Nyesha Arrington, Netflix Global Marketing Specialist Whitney McGowan and video producer/food writer Taylor Henriquez. After all that food talk, quell your rumbly tumbly with food bites from Pikunico (provided by Caviar), consciously farmed iced teas by Kollo and Calidad’s Mexican-style lagers.
Tickets: $25 / More Information
‘Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts’ Screening
Wednesday, July 24, 2019 / 8:30-11 p.m. / Ford Theatre
Director Nicholas Zeig-Owens spent nine months embedded in the life of drag queen/folk singer Trixie Mattel, the “Skinny Legend” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 3 winner. Following Mattel around at home and on tour, the documentary captures plenty of her dark, edgy humor while also revealing some of the frustrations that come with notoriety. The film also documents some unexpected rocky terrain on the set of her Viceland TV show, “The Trixie & Katya Show.”
“Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts” screens as part of the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, and Mattel is scheduled to perform live before the film.
Tickets: $16-$20 / More Information
Filmforum at MOCA Presents ‘Breaking the Frame’
Thursday, July 25, 2019 / 7-10:30 p.m. / MOCA Grand Avenue
Marielle Nitoslawska’s feature-length documentary on Carolee Schneemann, “Breaking the Frame,” paints a poetic portrait of this pioneer in performance art and avant-garde cinema. Throughout her prolific six-decade career, Schneemann eschewed taboos and pushed boundaries fearlessly. In fact, she was almost strangled to death during a 1964 performance of “Meat Joy.” A man in the audience became so enraged at the sight of Schneemann and her friends writhing on the floor rubbing raw fish, chicken and sausages across their half-naked bodies that he strangled her and was fought off by two other women from the audience.
Afterward, she got back up an resumed the performance.
Tickets: $15; free for MOCA and Los Angeles Filmforum members / More Information
East L.A. Meets Napa
Friday, July 26, 2019 / 7-10 p.m. / L.A. Live
Every year, this Latin-themed food and wine festival pairs culinary delights from L.A. chefs with wines and spirits from the Napa Valley and beyond. This time around, the festival hones in on Argentina. Which means Malbec will be flowing as empanadas slathered with chimichurri dance on the taste buds alongside an array of offerings from other Spanish-speaking countries.
More than 70 L.A. restaurants and vintners are coming together, with live music provided by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Mongorama. Proceeds benefit AltaMed Health Services, which provides quality healthcare to underserved communities in Southern California.
Tickets: $200 / More Information
80’s Weekend #8
Saturday, July 27, 2019 / 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. / Microsoft Theater
Ah, the ’80s. Weren’t they glorious good old days? Experience some of the most nostalgic music from the era when MTV still played music videos with this delightfully fun lineup of pop acts hosted by the quintessential KROQ DJ of that decade, new wave champion Richard Blade.
Erasure’s Andy Bell tops the lineup, followed by The Alarm, General Public/English Beat, Modern English, The Motels, Naked Eyes, Vanilla Ice (“Ice Baby”), Young MC and Tone Loc. You know it’s going to go off when Loc does the “Wild Thing.”
Tickets: $44-$505 / More Information
Loteria! Peter & Arwen Lewis, Alice Bag, Gitane Demone and More
Sunday, July 28, 2019 / 6-10 p.m. / Cafe NELA
To honor the passing of longtime musician Richard M. Derrick, who recently succumbed to Parkinsons’s and was known for organizing one-off bands whenever he played, 25 veterans of Southern California punk, rock and experimental music threw their names into a hat and were divided into five bands. Each conglomerate will perform whatever they’ve come up with, then Moby Grape founding member Peter Lewis — whose new album, “The Road to Zion” comes out this month — and his daughter Arwen will play a set featuring some unannounced special guests. Door proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The full roster of musicians playing Loteria includes Alice Bag, Gitane Demone, Joe Baiza, Brian Christopherson, Woody Aplanalp, Dave Arnson, Jonathan Hall, Willie Aron, Pat Hoed, Joe Berardi, John Collinson, Steve Gregoropolous, Joe Dean, Marc Doten, Jim Mills, Richard Jones, Laura Smith, Vince Meghrouni, Carey Fosse, Dave Travis, Bob Lee, Dan McGough, Heath Seifert, Andy Sykora and Jon Wahl.
Tickets: $10 / More Information