Results tagged “largo”

Tonight at 8:30 pm, REDCAT hosts the world premiere of filmmaker Christine Panuska’s and spoken word artist Alberto Araiza’s Mosca and the Meaning of Life. The multimedia piece has animated characters leaping off the screen and joining a live performance. The program also includes other films by Panushka, as well as an excerpt of Biting the Pillow, a performance by Araiza. Both artists will be in attendance at tonight’s performance. Tickets: $9, students $7 and CalArts students, faculty and staff $5.

Today marks the start of the four-day Digital Hollywood Fall at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. There are waayy too many panels and speakers to mention, since the conference has multiple tracks on each day. But trust us, there are a lot of good sessions on the very long agenda. Tickets are $95-$300. If you can’t make it, then follow dhollywood on Twitter feed or the hashtag #DH09.

Doug Benson is one stoner/comic who happens to get a lot done. Crowned High Times Magazine's Stoner Of The Year in 2006, you'll know Benson from his popular podcast "I Love Movies" (which he records on the regular before Comedy Death Ray at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater in Hollywood,) Last Comic Standing (sixth place) and VH1's Best Week Ever.

If you want to see the epitome of collaboration, you need look no further than the band Works Progress Administration (WPA). This new folk-pop supergroup, named after FDR's New Deal agency, was born out of many Largo at the Coronet shows and impromptu post-show jam sessions. Over the last year, it has evolved into an "expandable collective" of musicians who can individually and collectively make your jaw drop with their skill and improvisation.

There’s a free Hip Hop Get Down J.A.M. session at the Ford Amphitheater tonight at 7 pm with artists from Culture Shock LA, Crewest Gallery, Aesthetics Crew and the Scratch DJ Academy who’ll demonstrate the four elements of hip hop: breakdancing, deejaying, emceeing and graffiti art. This is a fun event for all ages, and bring a picnic to enjoy on the Ford grounds beforehand.

The Grammy Museum welcomes veteran singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw for “The Drop” -- a program where musicians talk about their recently or upcoming releases. Crenshaw will discuss and perform selections from his newest album Jaggedland. He’ll be in conversation with Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli about the songwriting, collaboration, and production behind his first new studio recording in six years. He’ll also take a few questions from the audience. The event begins at 8 pm tonight, and tickets are $14.95 ($12 for members).

Seeing Jill Sobule live, you immediately know you are in the presense of an intelligent artist who has the ability to tell a story and the truth. Her songs evoke laughter and tears. Many know Jill from her hits songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel". Now she's turned her considerable songwriting chops to making sense of her new life in California.

Last week Mike Doughty, former frontman for Soul Coughing, was in town for a two-night stint, first at the Hotel Cafe on Tuesday followed by Largo on Wednesday.

It's always fun to spot the first-timers at one of Jon Brion's Friday night shows. They're usually the ones with their jaws hanging open as they try to figure out how he's looping instruments into a 10-layered live performance, or how he's using the piano as percussion. Perhaps the greatest moments of awe occur as they realize he's improvising something that's never been heard before, and will probably never be heard again. It's no wonder some people have seen his show hundreds of times and keep coming back for more! LAist's two-part interview with Brion followed the same pattern as his live show--which often starts with a solo set, then incorporates other musicians during the second half. In part one of the interview, Brion discussed his early experiences with music and improvisation. In this second part, he talks about some of his favorite musicians--from the 60s to the modern day. In addition, LAist asked him about his sock collection, how he discovers new music and why he loves Los Angeles.

This week is a great one for comedy, as a lot of heavy hitters are performing all over town. the Comedy Central Stage is getting a lot of love, as is Largo with back to back nights featuring Aziz Ansari and Sarah Silverman. Beer Shark Mice is back at iO, and Harold Night tonight at UCB promises great things. I will too, if you send me a link to the show's you're interested in and want to hype. Hit me up.

It is no surprise that Jon Brion did not ask for any requests last Tuesday evening. The last time he did that to warm up the crowd for Greg Proops, some wise acre asked for Free Bird. It does not matter that Brion rose to the challenge and melted our faces off with, get this, a piano solo, what matters is that Brion was not going to allow the audience to choose his song again. To be honest, I don't know what he was thinking the first time. Who does he think attends the Greg Proops Chat show, if not smart ass goobers? (For anyone who is offended by that, know that I include myself in this category.) So instead he chose the safe course and sat down at the piano without so much as a glance at the audience, and promptly stunned us all into awed silence with his playing. It must be very handy being able to do that on command. I would even possibly qualify it as a minor superpower. Nothing as flashy as moving objects with your mind, but still very impressive.

Describing the breadth of Jon Brion's career can be a trying task. He's a man who wears many hats--among them multi-instrumentalist, producer (Aimee Mann, Kanye West, Dido), film scorer (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Punch-Drunk Love) and singer/songwriter (Meaningless). But to Brion, it's all one body of work, and he's most happy when he's making music. Brion is also one of the reasons why LA residents can call themselves geographically fortunate, thanks to his weekly gigs at Largo. Each Friday night show is its own animal--a chemistry of sound that includes everything from one-man-band live looping to special guests. It's a rare opportunity to hear new takes on old classics, as well as to witness the creation of new music on the spot. Earlier this month, LAist sat down with Brion a couple hours before he took the stage at Largo. As the venue began to come to life for the night, he opened up about his early experiences with music, his first night at Largo and his love of improvisation.

On April 10, Mandy Moore turned 25. With a new album, a tour, volunteer work, and upcoming film projects, she really knows how to keep busy. If you want to try to keep up with Mandy, you can follow her on Twitter, check out her blog, and see her play at Largo. LAist talked to Mandy last month as she was putting the finishing touches in her new album Amanda Leigh. She was home recovering from having wisdom teeth removed, gushed on and on about her collaborator Mike Viola, and didn't let on even a hint that she and Ryan Adams were about to tie the knot. We asked Mandy about her new album Amanda Leigh, her long list of collaborators, and what she has planned for her show at Largo on April 25.

Around Los Angeles, Largo has long been known as a solid comedy spot to see great people doing exactly what made you love them in the first place. Six months ago, you probably wouldn’t have found as much experimental comedy going on there as you do know, and that is certainly a good thing. Lately, it seems, Largo is undergoing another comedy renaissance; with the arrival of the Doug Benson Interruption, the emergence of Largo from a once-or-twice-a-month spot into a weekly venue for great laughs is becoming unavoidable, and completely welcome. The Reno 911! Benefit Show last Wednesday is a great example of where Largo is headed, and the future looks bright.

John Wesley Harding loves a sense of occasion, highly theatrical imagery, and collaboration. He is a busy songwriter, novelist, and new dad. His latest album Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead came out in March. Recently Wes completed his third novel. He is the father of two small children. Since his critically acclaimed 1990 debut, Here Comes the Groom (lauded by the LA Times as “the first great rock record of the `90s”) John Wesley Harding has recorded ten records for both major (Sire, Hollywood) and independent labels.

You will be doing yourself a very large disservice if you don't get your ass over to Largo tonight to check out the Reno 911! Benefit Show, to raise money for Planting Peace, a charity that works to help children in impoverished nations. Every member of the show, including Tom Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts, will be sharing stage time with a roll call list of the greatest class clowns you'd kill to have in homeroom. Rob Heubel and Paul Scheer from MTV's Human Giant, Andy Daly (the principal on Eastbound and Down), Nick Kroll, Matt Besser and Matt Walsh (founders of Upright Citizens Brigade theatre) Nick Swardson, and even Rainn Wilson, to NAME JUST A FEW.

Largo at the Coronet, on La Cienega, is absolutely killing it this week. The Reno 911! benefit show is an absolute must, and CDR at UCB should be it's usual long-as-hell-but-also-gut-busting self. Naked Babies on Thursday should prove to be a great improv show from a lot of top names, and The Improv has the Sklars on Saturday. Hot DAMN folks. This recession can go to hell.

The voice rang out through warm Largo darkness, "FREE BIRD!" Jon Brion sighed like he was stuck on a bad blind date,but he'd asked for it when he began his set by announcing that he'd be taking requests. Opening for the Greg Proops Chat show the multi-talented musician was foolish if he thought his audience was mature enough not to do that. Shaking off the malaise Brion launched into the most beautiful instrumental version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit I had ever heard. Jon Brion managed to make the guitar sing as if it had been possessed by Ronnie Van Zant himself.

Comedian Margaret Cho has never been afraid to push the envelope, challenge stereotypes and use humor to make some stunningly valid points. This year, Cho is embracing a new role--that of a singer/songwriter. She's now working on her first full-length music album, with the help of some well-known friends. Of course, Cho infuses the songs with her unmistakable wit, so it's safe to say her lyrics are just as memorable as her melodies. You don't have to wait until her album release to hear the new music. She's incorporated some of the new tunes into Fingerbang!--her exclusive comedy/variety show hosted at Largo at the Coronet. This month's show on Tuesday, March 24, will include guests such as Susie Suh and Grant-Lee Phillips. LAist recently caught up with Cho and chatted about her Largo show, songwriting and burlesque.

After a childhood in Boston and living most of his adult life in NY, Mike Viola has arrived...in LA. We met Mike at a screening of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and had the opportunity not only to watch the film but hear about how Mike and the team of songwriters created a catalog of songs for a fictional music star.

When Sean Nelson takes the stage in Largo at the Coronet's Little Room this weekend, the majority of his song choices will come from the Harry Nilsson songbook--from which he painstakingly selected 15 tracks for his unreleased album, Nelson Sings Nilsson. Although the record is still in search of a label, those in search of a great live show need look no further. Nelson has crafted a fresh and fitting look back to a talented man who was ahead of his time. Plus, it's not hard to imagine that if Nilsson were alive today, he'd probably be playing at Largo. In addition to the Nilsson project, you may also know Nelson from the band Harvey Danger (best known for "Flagpole Sitta"), as the co-owner of Barsuk Records, or from his work as a journalist, screenwriter and actor. LAist chatted with Nelson last Sunday from his home in Seattle, during which he candidly spoke about Nilsson, Largo, Harvey Danger and Proustian minefields.

                        

LAist couldn't resist doing a little shopping at The House of Love and Luck on La Cienega just north of Largo at the Coronet. This gorgeous new vintage jewelry store opened six weeks ago. Walk inside to find a treasure trove of beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets and more. Every item in the store is hand picked by owner Ricki Nolan. She has a great eye for spotting classic pieces that fit with currents styles. If you need something unique for your Valentine, this is the place.

The songwriting process for Fiction Family's first record didn't follow standard procedure, and that's probably one of the reasons why it's such a fun and fascinating album. When Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot decided to write music together, they knew they'd have to do much of their songwriting while one (or both) of them was on tour. So they established something of an electronic pen pal system for writing the music and getting each other's feedback. Along with that, they established some ground rules: 1) no tuning of vocal tracks, 2) no amp simulators, 3) no shlepping of gear back and forth, 4) no pussyfooting around each others musical feelings and 5) no crap. Thus they began a collaboration that would have been technologically impossible 20 years ago, while making sure they maintained an organic sound. The result is Fiction Family's self-titled debut, which was released on Jan. 20. Last Friday, LAist spoke with Watkins to learn more about the new record, surfing, Guitar Hero and Fiction Family's gig at Largo at the Coronet this Saturday night.

         

Good art makes you think. (Or at least scratch your head and ask, “wtf”?). This weekend’s ART LA 2009 promises to have plenty of both.

As you read last week, New York-based pop band Fountains of Wayne begins a two-night acoustic stand at Largo tonight. LAist recently got its hands on a review copy of the quartet’s first DVD No Better Place - Live in Chicago slated for release in March.

Looking for an appropriately festive way to send off our lame-ass-duck Commander In Chief on Monday night? Harry Shearer's throwing a party for your kind of people at Largo.

Was Adam Schlesinger born to write music? Maybe if his neighbor had been a rocket scientist, he would had made another choice. Lucky for us, his childhood best friend's dad worked as a composer. Adam started writing songs at a very young age. He is one of the most sought after and prolific songwriters working today.

                     

Earlier this month, local singer-songwriter Gary Jules concluded his "Old School Tuesdays" residency at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, supported by openers Simone White (MySpace), Oren Lavie (MySpace), and Jim Bianco (MySpace). At first a space for jazz musicians, the Hotel Cafe was revitalized as an alternative to Largo -- for early-adopters Jules, Bianco, and Joshua Radin (MySpace) -- a fact that hasn't been lost on Jules, who reminsinced during his set about those early days.

Randy and Jason Sklar are two faces that you probably recognize; and not just because they share the same face. Born as identical twins, the pair have decided to stick with it, and have achieved a surprising level of comedic success, without having a ‘good-looking one’ to fall back on. They have since gone on to appear in numerous television shows and stand up houses all across America, including their successful Cheap Seats show that enjoyed a four-season run on ESPN Classic.

Brian Wilson may have boogalooed it at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday night--but just a few miles away, on the Largo stage in WeHo, Wilson's former writing partner and bong-buddy Van Dyke Parks was tinkling the ivories behind a more recent collaborator, singer-songwriter Inara George.