It's almost that time of the year — 'tis the season to booze with the Africans mammals and have a dance-off with T-Rex. That's right, the Natural History Museum announced that First Fridays are going to be kicking off again in January. more ›

Tonight’s the last First Friday of the season at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. So it’s your chance to get educated while rocking out at the same time. Tours and discussions begin at 5:30 and topics include shells and the dinosaur-bird connection. The music begins at 8 pm with live performances by Gayngs and Dirty Beaches. KCRW DJs Anthony Valadez and Dan Wilcox spin in the lounge at the African Mammal Hall. Tickets: $5-$12. more ›

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum have been running 8 years strong, and the folks in charge continue to keep programming fresh and interesting every time, even for the regulars. This month, Dr. Janet Kubler conducted a lecture on biomimicry and explained how it can give humans ideas for improvements of our daily life. For example, the inspiration for velcro came from burrs sticking to a man’s socks. Hopefully in the future we can harness the organizational skills of a swarm of locusts to clear up some traffic on the 405. more ›

The Natural History Museum’s First Fridays series picked up again last week, celebrating the normally unremarkable date of February 4th and continuing this year’s engaging amalgamation of intellectual, cultural, and musical intrigue. Unlike January’s, in which lines of anticipating concert-goers stretched far out into Exposition Park, this month’s turnout was impressive but modest; it was enough to make you feel like you’re a part of a pretty badass show while still able to escape from the madness in one of the stoic exhibits. more ›

First Fridays is back at the Natural History Museum! This past friday, lucky ticket holders were treated to Little Dragon and Sister Crayon as the first bands of the 2011 Nostradamus Edition kickoff.
more ›

They came, they got kicked out, they found a new home, and now they've (temporarily?) lost their new home. Food trucks and Venice's First Fridays' rocky relationship continues with word today that Bigfoot Entertainment will not be hosting a parcel of mobile eateries in their parking lot during tonight's festivities. It seems in this threesome--Bigfoot, the Abbot Kinney Merchants Association (AKMA) and the SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Association--all is not fair in love and fusion tacos. more ›

First Fridays in Venice draws crowds, and so do the food trucks that park along the vibrant strip of Abbot Kinney to take part in the monthly festivities. However, there has been concern growing about the impact the mobile businesses have on the neighborhood, reports The Argonaut, and now the Neighborhood Council has formed a task force to explore the issue. more ›

It’s the end of the first week of May, and if you’re a nerd (just admit it) and like good music, then you might’ve considered yourself a hot dog wrapped in bacon the other night at this season’s fifth First Friday at the Natural History Museum. If you haven’t heard, First Fridays are a miraculous transformation in which one of the most prestigious science museums in the world transforms into a rump-bumpin’, hip-happenin’, love-makin’ nightclub. I wouldn’t be surprised if I discovered a secret switch that flips the DJ table from out underground, or maybe that certain elephant tusk you tug on twice to descend a disco ball from the ceiling. more ›

There's an opening reception for Everything But the Kitschen Sync, the 13th annual juried group show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery tonight from 8-11 pm. The gallery brings together more than 150 pieces from commercial illustrators, tattooists, scenic painters, students and animators. The show includes artists previously exhibited at La Luz de Jesus and also features a large selection of work from merging artists. more ›

Local indie band (and LAist favorite) Castledoor tweeted yesterday that "No easy way to say this... tomorrow at Spaceland will be the last show for Castledoor as we know it. Spread the word." Once branded in 2008 by Buzz Bands' Kevin Bronson as a "Band to Watch" alongside The Airborne Toxic Event and The Deadly Syndrome, the band self-released a full-length album last year ( in 2008). more ›

The Natural History Museum brought out the big guns for their second installment of 2010's First Friday's series. All musical talent aside, it was like the Pitchfork version of Maxim's Hot 100 List with the beautiful ladies of Warpaint opening for the handsome gents of Yeasayer. An intense amount of excellent genetics in one room upstaged only by key picks from their respective oeuvres. (Speaking of which, you should really grab the latter's Odd Blood if you haven't already. Good stuff.) more ›

With advance tickets selling out two weeks ago and people lined up yesterday before noontime (and in the rain no less!) to buy the remainder, interest in last night's edition of First Fridays at the Natural History Museum, with performances by Warpaint and Yeasayer, was at a near-record pace. It was the most ambitious project yet for Spaceland Productions, who set up a whopping 14 videocameras, four of which were also used for the live webcast via Stickam, and two RED ONEs converted for shooting in 3D. more ›

You're encouraged to "have a drink with the dinosaurs" at the Natural History Museum's First Fridays showcase, which is a helluva lot more exciting than you'd think. It's not just dioramas and deciphering Latin genus-species information, folks. more ›

Tonight at 7 pm, the Graphic Artists Guild is holding a Los Angeles Area Graphic Artists Meet & Greet at Dinah's Family Restaurant1 near LAX. Graphic artists--whether guild members or not--are welcome to attend. A round of complimentary appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided, but there's food and booze available for purchase, too. more ›

Last week, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park continued its monthly First Fridays program with a sold-out show of music by The Phatal DJ and Chico Sonido in the African Mammal Hall and performances by the New Zealand-based The Ruby Suns and Australians Wolfmother in the North American Hall. more ›

The Natural History Museum mixes music and science tonight for its First Friday series. The museum’s celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin all year, and it’s reflected in the tours and discussions. At 5:30 and 6 pm there will be tours of the Vertebrate Paleontology Collections with Dr. John Harris, NHM Chief Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, followed by “Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins” with paleoanthropologist Dr. Donald C. Johanson. The live music kicks off at 7 pm courtesy of Wolfmother and The Ruby Suns and DJs in the African Mammal Hall. Tickets are $9. more ›

The Aero begins a two-night stint featuring the “The Erotic Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” and Italian filmmaker, screenwriter, essayist, poet, critic and novelist. He considered himself a Catholic Marxist despite having being kicked out from the Communist Party for being gay. Tonight’s double feature begins at 7:30 pm with The Decameron (1970), which is based on a Giovanni Bocaccio novel. The film’s followed by the way more intense Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). The film depicts “with cold precision the sexual and psychological atrocities visited on 16 young men and women, held hostage by a group of depraved nobles at the end of WWII.” Due to the graphic sexual nature of these films, no one under 18 will be admitted to the screenings. more ›

Tonight’s the opening night of John Gabriel Borkman, by Henrik Ibsen at CalArts in Valencia, directed by MFA directing candidate Maureen Huskey. The play’s story is still so familar: A turn-of-the-century family tries to forge a new path through the their past failures. “The clash between generations and the tenuous grip of family loyalty provide the backdrop for a beautifully grotesque dance between the forces of death and destruction and the life-giving impulse to move forward.” The play runs at 8 pm through March 14 (except for March 8) at the Walt Disney Modular Theatre at CalArts. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. more ›

It’s the first Friday of the month, meaning that the First Fridays series continues at the Natural History Museum tonight. It’s a little gathering where you learn a little and party a whole lot more. First up at 5:30 (and 6) pm is a tour of the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection with NHM Curator Dr. Lawrence Barnes. At 6:30 pm, there’s a discussion and book signing on “Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters” with Dr. Don Prothero, tackling evolution, creationism and “intelligent design.” Now after all that learning, grab yourself a drink and listen to the live music from 7-10 pm featuring the music of Jukebox the Ghost and The Bird and the Bee with DJs The Phatal DJ and DJ Michael Stock (dublab.com) in the African Mammal Hall. Admission is $9. Dinner and drinks are on sale beginning at 5 pm. And, if you see our News Editor Andy Sternberg wandering the crowd, wish him a happy birthday and buy him a beer! more ›

Charles Darwin would have turned 200 this year. The Natural History Museum celebrates the scientist at its monthly First Friday event. At 5:30 pm take a tour of the Ornithology (bird) Collections with Kimball Garrett; then follow that up with the 6:30 pm book signing and discussion on “Darwin's Evolution” with writer Lyanda Lynn Haupt. If that’s not enough to entice you then stay for the music and (7-10 pm) by The Little Ones and Plants and Animals, and DJ sets by The Phatal DJ and DJ Kutmah. more ›

Tonight is one of those nights where you find yourself asking, "Who isn't playing in LA?" You've just about always got Jon Brion (LAist Review) jamming with friends at Largo at the Coronet. Joshua Tree-based indie rockers Gram Rabbit (LAist Review) will be headlining the Troubadour with English psych rocker Pop Levi in tow. LA's own buzz band the Afternoons (LAist Review, #2) are slated to rock Spaceland with equally buzzworthy Xu Xu Fang (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4, #5). The Hotel Café will be hosting its usual bevy of singer-songwriters, including Greg Laswell (LAist Interview, Review, #2, #3, #4) and HoneyHoney (LAist Review, #2). And, lastly, LAist favorites One Trick Pony and Tenlons Fort (LAist Review, #2) are poised to put on a stellar set at the hole-and-corner Pehrspace. But as enticing as the aforementioned shows may be, we strongly suggest heading over to the Museum of Natural History, where they'll be kicking off the fifth annual First Fridays Series. LA locals the Little Ones will be accompanied by Montreal's finest, Plants And Animals. more ›

Carbuncle is an independent film made over the course of five years. It’s about a director with Asperger’s Syndrome making a movie about a mentally challenged woman who is manipulated by her alcoholic social worker.” We think it’s a comedy. more ›

Two weeks ago, local bands Castledoor (MySpace) and The Watson Twins (MySpace) performed for First Fridays (MySpace) at The Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. more ›

The event has been going on for a couple years now, although a bit under the radar. Like Echo Park's First Saturdays, it's more of a neighborhood event with lots of locals. The concept: local merchants open up their doors a little later than usual for a Friday night and invite musicians and supply wine to those perusing the store -- it's all in the name of community and making the boulevard a more popular place to go shop, eat and see art. And as quaint as Abbot Kinney First Fridays are right now, it's actually quite enjoyable. Although, it could definitely use a map. And to that, one merchant said it's on its way and to watch out -- as summer approaches First Fridays on Abbot Kinney are going to be hot. more ›

more ›

Earlier this month, A-Trak (MySpace) and Kid Sister (MySpace) performed as the co-headliners of First Fridays (MySpace) at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. more ›

Two weeks ago, locals Sea Wolf (MySpace), whose album was number six on Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2007, performed as the headliner of First Fridays (MySpace) at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. more ›

You Me and Iowa more ›

You work a 9-80, freelance like us, or maybe you don't have job. Whatever the case is, Councilman Tom LaBonge has something for you tomorrow morning. So be alert and be ready to report to Fire Station 27 in Hollywood for the new First Fridays: "Growing up in Los Angeles during the Cold War, we practiced drills every first Friday each month as the city's air raid sirens went off. While the Cold War... more ›

FRIDAY more ›