We just really liked this photo of a Manhattan Beach sunset. / Photo by karthikkito via LAist's photo pool. FILM: What We Do Is Secret, The Germs’ biopic finally hits LA. Watch the rise and fall of the punk scene embodied by lead singer Darby Crash—and true to rock legend form—played hard and died too young. The Nuart has multiple screenings tonight with Q&A and introductions from original Germs Lorna Doom, Pat Smear and......

French-Algerian rocker Rachid Taha had a rough time with prejudice growing up as an immigrant Arab kid in France, and so it’s almost natural that he brings a mix of politics and punk attitude to his music. LA audiences will get to experience Taha’s rock at the free California Plaza's Grand Performances on FridaySaturday night. Taha career started with various rock bands in the early ‘80s, tackling subjects of intolerance and xenophobia. His music......

They are the rock stars of the string quartet. They've played with everyone and everything (such as 'Purple Haze' to the left). And they, the uber-famous and sometimes over-popular Kronos Quartet, are playing for free this Thursday night Downtown. You can't beat that. There are not many Grand Performances left for the summer. If you've never had the chance, pack some food and alcohol (no red wine allowed, it stains the granite), find a spot......

El Vez, a Mexican Elvis impersonator famous in his own right for his adding a Latin and political flavor to the King’s undying legend, is playing a free concert in downtown LA tonight at the California Plaza as part of the Grand Performances summer series. El Vez doesn’t impersonate Elvis as much as redefines him, adding a Mexican twist to all we know about the King. Elvis classics become social commentaries on immigrant rights......

Tambuco Percussion Ensemble Free at Grand Performances in Downtown LA From contemporary percussion chamber music to world rhythms, this Mexico City based quartet is a staple of the percussion scene . While they do their own thing, you may see the three time grammy nominated ensemble collaborate with the likes of Kronos Quartet and the locally based Southwest Chamber Music. Check out the tunes "Hook" and "Metro Chabacano" on their MySpace page for two......

Grand Performances Downtown, Free, Outdoors, Take the Red Line Thursday - Musicology 102, Music Theory: Melody/Harmony with Alan Chapman Friday - Paulist Choristers of California and Sinfonia Orchestra Saturday - Alan Chapman and Karen Benjamin Celebrate the American Songbook www.GrandPerformances.org Hollywood Bowl Outdoors, Drink Wine, Fireworks Monday thru Wednesday - July 4th Fireworks Spectacular Saturday - The Decemberists with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Sunday - Mozart's Magic Flute www.HollywoodBowl.com LA Opera in Beverly HIlls Outdoors,......

Show Date: Tonight, Friday June 22nd, 2007 Venue: Grand Performances, California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue $0 @ 8:00 p.m. Artist:Ojo de Brujo Album: Techari + Techari Remixes Label: Six Degrees Records Barcelona-based flamenco-fusion-epxerimentalists Ojo de Brujo kick off their North American tour tonight in Los Angeles with a FREE concert at Grand Performances, California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue. This band of gypsy instrumentalists and DJs is touring in support of their most......

I call it Performance Row. That stretch downtown along Grand Avenue between Temple St. and the California Plaza. You can easily walk between 9 performance spaces in 5 minutes. Starting at the Music Center Plaza at Temple and heading South, you first are at the Ahmanson, Center Theatre Group's (CTG) proscenium stage that is used for dance, musicals and other traditional performances. Next is the Mark Taper Forum, a theatre used for newer theatrical......

Don't have the extra $75 for Giant Village this Saturday? Maybe you're concerned over the possibility of a freak rainstorm canceling the party? Don't worry. We've got you covered thanks to the Music Center and their latest "make Downtown a hip place to be" event. And hey, it's so hip, you can't even take photos of the skyscrapers (via LAO). The first of four NocTOURnals begins Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. But it's sort......

Landon is from South Central and is pretty much done with it and all of L.A. He's also 6 foot, 8 inches... whoa. Where should Landon go? Little Rock or NYC? hmmmmm..... Video taken at the Pershing Square Red Line Station after the Sounds Eclectico concert at Grand Performances......

This week ExperienceLA.com slyly launched their new site design and features to the public, beta style. Now you can RSS Feed "What's Hot" events, upcoming events, closing events, or even better: design your own feed (how genius is that?). Go to it, use it, experience Los Angeles. Tonight is a perfect way to Experience L.A. the way MTA, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and other civic organizations want you to - use the......

Sometimes grabbing an ice cream cone on a mellow LA evening can be a quick, inexpensive, and wholly satisfying thing. Having recently found ourselves exiting the Red Line at Pershing Square, on our merry way to an evening of Grand Performances, we were presented with the idea of snagging a cone at the just about to close for the evening Grand Central Market. The Market happens to be one of our favorite destinations for......

Here it is again... the weekend. Will it cool down? It's all relative, we suppose. Just remember, whatever you do, keep your cool! There are plenty of things to do around town that are indoors, or outdoors, to suit your mood and temperment, in addition to the other events we're talking about. Friday --Delve into the primitive roots of electronic music (and we mean primitive) with a free screening of the documentary Theramin: An......

It's the weekend already? LAist throws enthusiastic support in the corner of the 4-day work week, and even though perhaps we didn't work as much this week, we're still going to play this weekend. Here are some things going on around town this lovely weekend. Friday LAist loves Grand Performances! Tonight is Algerian-born rai musician Khaled at 8:00 p.m. at the California Plaza. Saturday Take a tour of Chinatown from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00......

At outdoor events in downtown Los Angeles, such as the Grand Performances series that included Friday night's Ozomatli concert, or the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's summer performances, part of the fun is people-watching, and much of what you see people doing is turning their heads side to side and murmuring, "This is so cool. I've never seen downtown like this." California Plaza, where the Grand Performances concerts are held, can be a lovely scene......

On Monday we plan on being in someone's backyard, beer in one hand, grilled meat product in another, head turned skyward to look at falling bits of colored light (or we could head out to some of these spots for more intense fireworks and Fourth-of-July action). So we've got the holiday covered. What about the rest of the weekend? Here are some quirky, cultural, and historical things going on around town--lots of them are......

For Independence Day weekend, here are some events that involve hanging out with social activists while listening to good music and wearing cute clothes: Friday, July 1 Free concert by social activist and good-time band Ozomatli at California Plaza, downtown Los Angeles, part of the Grand Performances series. 8 pm, but it's a good to get there as early as possible; this one will be crowded. Saturday, July 2, and Sunday, July 3 American......

Well, the Solstice has come and gone, which means our days our longer, and our nights are longer, too, somehow. This weekend there is no shortage of fun things to do, and no excuse for us to not get out there and do them. That is, unless, you are one of the lucky few with an ocean breeze or a good air conditioning system to keep you coolly behind your doors--this weekend's forecast is......