Posts Tagged ‘Left Coast’

Celebrating this coast and all it has to offer has never seemed more pertinent – if for no other reason than because it’s December 4 and the weather outside is anything but frightful.  You need nary more than a blazer out there!  Since LA is the entertainment capitol of the world, it’s only fitting that we celebrate our side of the States with a music festival, namely the LA Philharmonic’s “West Coast, Left Coast” Festival on now at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

We’ve told you about the upcoming concerts, seen Kronos Quartet (and loved ‘em), and now have one last suggestion: this weekend’s performance featuring Brian Wilson (he of Beach Boys fame), Dave Alvin, The Living Sisters, and Harper Simon.  Talk about an LA tour de force – Brian Wilson will be on hand to perform an acoustic set of some of his greatest hits including “God Only Knows” and “California Girls” (another reason to celebrate this state).  He’ll share the stage with Dave Alvin, a blues and Americana hero originally from Downey, CA.  Up next is LA’s own The Living Sisters (who include the ethereal Eleni Mandell, Becky Stark, and Inara George) followed by singer/songwriter Harper Simon.  All in all, Disney Hall has never sounded more like the hippie, carefree state it calls home– and we doubt it ever will again.

Here’s the best bit… we’ve got tickets to giveaway! The performance will be held at Disney Hall on Sunday, December 6 at 8:00pm and we want you to be there.

Some Extra! Extra! details you’ll want to jot down: by entering into this raffle, that makes you eligible to win the next three we’ve got coming down the pike! All we need is your first name, last name, and your email address, and voila – you might just feel like the age of Aquarius is upon us all over again.

(Click here if you can’t stand the heat and you’d rather just buy your own tickets.)

Halloween has come and gone — you’ve hung up your wigs and put away the sumo wrestler fat suits.  It’s high time to return to thinking seriously about the coming months.  By seriously, we mean – it’s time to think about all the openings and parties you’ll be heading to through the holiday season.

Lady Gaga isn’t someone you’d readily associate with Los Angeles’ contemporary art scene, but Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli would like to politely disagree.  For MOCA’s 30th Anniversary Gala, Vezzoli will put on the first and only performance of his Ballet Russe Italian Style (The Shortest Musical You Will Never See Again) starring Lady Gaga and dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet.  Also on offer at the gala will be a preview of “Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years,” featuring 500 works from the museum’s permanent collection by such luminaries as Jeff Koons, Ed Moses, Nancy Rubins, and Ed Ruscha.  The exhibition itself opens to the public on November 15, but you’ll want to see Ms. Gaga’s performance on the 14th, just to see if she still gets dressed in the dark.  There is also an Engagement Party event on November 21 for MOCA members featuring My Barbarian’s The Fourth Wall to celebrate the museums second 29th birthday.

Los Angeles Philharmonic has decided to keep things interesting this fall with their “Eureka! West Coast, Left Coast Festival.” A celebration of the culture of California and how it works to inspire musical and artistic masterpieces, the festival will run from November 21 through December 8 and will include such performances as Kronos Quartet led by Leonard Slatkin in a world premiere by film music composer Thomas Newman and multifaceted Mike Einziger in a solo performance with a number of guest collaborators.  Gustavo Dudamel will conduct the LA Phil in Esa-Pekka Salonen’s LA Variations and also, the festival will include a slew of multidisciplinary events.

The gallery scene doesn’t disappoint this season either with a number of openings that should fit well in your schedule.  Roberts and Tilton in Culver City will bring Delphine Courtillot and her cinematic, almost Californian paintings back for her second exhibit in their space on November 21.  On November 7, you can celebrate the opening of Tomoo Gokita’s exhibit “Heaven” at Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City.  Photographer (and Fine Arts LA team member) Gray Malin’s work will be shown at David Streets Gallery in Beverly Hills now through the holiday season.  LA><ART will throw their Third Biannual Benefit Auction on Sunday, November 15 featuring participating artists like John Baldessari, Dave Muller, and Allen Ruppersberg.

In case the Luis Melendez exhibit at LACMA has been making you nothing but hungry, November 18 sees a rare chance to head to the museum on a Wednesday (when they’re normally closed).  They present “The Art of Wine and Food: Spain in the Time of Luis Melendez” featuring a buffet inspired by what Melendez might have munched on during painting breaks.

Make sure to keep a couple of your Saturdays open.  We’ll be back with more where this came from… So stay tuned!

(Image by Tomoo Gokita)