Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: January 12-15

I had the privilege of attending the House Museum’s Fire Memorial event in the Palisades last week, and I was so moved by the ingenuity of the team preserving the remaining chimneys from houses burned in the fire, the beauty of the space and the resilience of the community. While last week was filled with somber events, this one was bittersweet but overall so positive, and that’s the energy I hope we can all bring into 2026.

Music and art are scientifically proven to make you feel good. Licorice Pizza has your music picks, including Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman doing a live performance of her ‘American Fiction’ score at the Blue Note L.A. on Monday. On Tuesday, legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz will be in conversation at the Grammy Museum. On Wednesday and Thursday, powerpop brothers the Lemon Twigs will be at the Troubadour. Also on Thursday, local indie rock hero Ty Segall will be doing an early DJ set — 5 p.m. for my fellow in-bed-by-10 friends out there — at Sid’s Bar at the Sid the Cat Auditorium, free with RSVP.

Elsewhere on LAist.com, you can check out Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas' new song inspired by his experience in the Eaton Fire and get our full coverage of the one-year anniversary of last year’s devastating wildfires from the LAist team.

Events

'Bakeries and Synagogues: The Shared Greek and Jewish Space of the Late Imperial Mediterranean'

Monday, January 12, 6 p.m.
Getty Villa + online
17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Getty’s president, Katherine Fleming, will speak about her research expertise at the Getty Villa in a lecture titled "Bakeries and Synagogues: Shared Greek and Jewish Space of the Late Imperial Mediterranean." (I would have called it "From Babka to Baklava," but no one asked me. It’s part of The Gennadius Library’s Thalia Potamianos Lecture Series, and Fleming’s research expertise focuses on Mediterranean, Jewish and Greek history and religion, including the emergence of the Modern Greek state. The event is also available to join online. Dr. Maria Georgopoulou, Director of the Gennadius Library, said Professor Fleming’s scholarship "not only illuminates the past but also fosters a greater understanding of the enduring impact of these traditions on the modern world."

Grease Drive-In 

Thursday, January 15, 4 to 9:30 p.m.
Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
COST: FREE, CURRENTLY WAITLIST-ONLY; MORE INFO 

Put on your poodle skirt and slick your hair back for a drive-in screening of Grease on the Santa Monica Pier. There’s a waitlist for driving onto the pier, but I imagine it will be a fun, costumed, summer-lovin’ scene all the way down to the beach.

'Radical Histories: Chicano Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum'

Through Tuesday, March 31 
The Huntington 
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
COST: $29; MORE INFO

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Courtesy The Huntington

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Experience the history of the Chicano rights movement through vibrant posters by 40 artists and collectives, on loan to The Huntington from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The exhibit is broken down by theme rather than chronologically, and it looks at moments like the Delano Grape Strike, the anti-war movement and more, all through the medium of printmaking. Free admission days — the first Thursday of each month — are available to book in advance.

Foo Fighters: A Show Benefitting Hope United 

Wednesday, January 14, 7:30 p.m. 
Kia Forum
3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood 
COST: FROM $109; MORE INFO 

I have rarely felt better than after Dave Grohl has screamed at me for a couple of hours. Maybe I’m oversharing here, but you too can let it all out (and to be sure, there’s a lot to let out lately!) at the Forum when the Foo Fighters play Dave’s annual birthday show; this year, $25 of each ticket sale benefits Hope United. Sadly, they will have a substitute guitarist for the gig since Pat Smear injured his foot in a “bizarre gardening accident,” but the band – as they always do – are taking the setback in stride and with a sense of humor.

Writers Bloc: Jacob Soboroff 

Tuesday, January 13
Writers Guild Theater
135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills
COST: $25; MORE INFO

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Writers Bloc

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Continuing the fire anniversary events this month, Palisades native and MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff has a new book out about the L.A. fires, Firestorm. He’ll be in conversation with Mariana van Zeller at Writers Bloc to discuss.

Zinque Dry January NA Cocktail Challenge

Monday, January 12, 5 to 10 p.m. 
Zinque
3446 Via Oporto, Newport Beach 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Zinque

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We're in the middle of dry January, so have a great, well-balanced non-alcoholic drink. The experts behind the bar at Zinque are hosting a $10 mocktail challenge, where guests will try three different NA drinks for $10 each and vote on the favorite that will make the menu all month long. On Jan. 12, the event is at the Newport Beach location; on Jan. 13, the event is at Zinque in West Hollywood.

Coquito cocktails

Monday, January 12, 6 to 9 p.m. 
DTLA Proper Hotel 
1100 S Broadway, Downtown L.A. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Proper Hotel

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If you’re having a more damp than dry January, check out this creative cocktail night, where some of SoCal’s top bartenders will debut their own bold versions of the classic Puerto Rican holiday rum-based drink, the Coquito. Bacardi Reserva Ocho will be featured as the rum, and guests will have the opportunity to sample each drink and vote for their favorites.

CAP UCLA: Seth Parker Woods, Julia Bullock and Conor Hanick From Ordinary Things

Thursday, January 15, 8 p.m.
The Nimoy 
1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood
COST: FROM $38.08; MORE INFO

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Courtesy UCLA

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Take a trip through the American songbook with a trio of elite musicians — Seth Parker Woods, Julia Bullock and Conor Hanick — at The Nemoy. 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award winner Woods is joined by Bullock, a Grammy-winning classical singer and artist and Hanick, a pianist “praised for his precision and articulation of classic and contemporary fare.” They will play works from George Walker, John Tavener, Maurice Ravel, Andre Previn and Nina Simone, as well as a new commission by Tania Leon.