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Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: August 11-14
Luna Li plays a live set and album signing at Amoeba in Hollywood this week.
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Emma McIntyre
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Getty Images
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Our Picks
If things are feeling a little pricey — and, really, is there a glass of wine in this town that’s less than $14? Gab, save us! — then maybe it’s time to turn to searching for gold. In the 1930s, some Angelenos did just that, as LAist reporter Cato Hernández found out. Legend has it that Spanish bullion was buried downtown, and the enterprising and inventive George Warren Shufelt even built a gold-digging machine to see if he could find it. Hmm… what’s today’s version? A secret bitcoin mining machine in a Silicon Beach garage somewhere? If you find it, please pass some coin our way.
Our friends at Licorice Pizza have music picks, including my favorite band of the '90s, Counting Crows, at YouTube Theater on Tuesday, Alabama Shakes at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday and Horsegirl at the Teragram Ballroom on Thursday.
More from LAist: get the latest on the restoration of the Burbank Tardis, check out the new gallery inside Boyle Heights' abandoned Sears Tower and get a ticket to AirTalk live at the Skirball for a conversation about the history of news media in L.A. on Tuesday.
Events
Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 p.m.
An Evening with Walter Murch
ArtCenter College of Design, Hillside Campus, Ahmanson Auditorium
1700 Lida St., Pasadena
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Oscar-winning film editor, director and sound designer Walter Murch (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The English Patient) joins the ArtCenter for a conversation about his wide-ranging career working with directors like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Anthony Minghella. Murch and his wife, Muriel "Aggie" Murch, will stay to sign copies of their new books, Something Clicked: The Languages of Film Editing and Sound Design and Harvesting History While Farming the Flats.
Wednesday, August 13, 6 to 8 p.m.
The Donn of Tiki screening
Newport Beach Historical Society
3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach
COST: $20; MORE INFO
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Newport Beach Historical Society
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Southern California has given so much to the world, and the tiki bar is one beloved favorite. A new film, The Donn of Tiki, puts the spotlight on Donn Beach, the godfather of the tiki bar, who opened the first tiki bar in Hollywood in 1937. It premiered at Dances with Films and this week heads to a special screening in Newport Beach. For more on the film’s origins and tiki history, check out this interview with the film’s director, Alex Lamb, on AirTalk earlier this year.
Wednesdays to Sundays through August 31
Doctor Faustus
Old L.A. Zoo
4801 Griffith Park Drive, Griffith Park
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe gets his due as the Independent Shakespeare Company puts on the satirical Doctor Faustus in the park through the end of the month. Two special nights are coming up; first on Thursday, Aug. 14 is Civic Engagement Night, where you can register to vote and write postcards to your elected officials. On Aug. 16, Silverlake Wine hosts a special wine tasting.
Tuesday, August 12, 5 p.m.
Luna Li in-store performance and album signing
Amoeba Records
6200 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 18: Luna Li performs onstage at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival 'Full Metal Jacket' screening at RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place on September 18, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
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Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
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Getty Images North America
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Multi-instrumentalist Luna Li celebrates her latest album, When a Thought Grows Wings (Reimagined), with a live set and album signing at Amoeba. The Korean-Canadian artist was nominated for a Juno Award for When a Thought Grows Wings and decided to revisit the album with collaborators including Raveena, MAVI, Hope Tala and more. The show is free and all-ages; album purchase is required to attend the post-show signing.
Through Saturday, August 16
Burbank Comedy Festival
Flappers Comedy Club and other venues
Downtown Burbank
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
With secret guests, open mics almost every night and Jay Leno-hosted showcases, Burbank is where it’s at for comedy this week. Flapper Comedy Club is the hub for the annual Burbank Comedy Festival, but venues all around downtown Burbank are hosting events, so check the schedule and get out there to see some new talent.
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Friday, August 15, 7 p.m.
The Wildwoods
The Hotel Cafe
1623 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood
COST: $20, MORE INFO
The Wildwoods take their soulful stylings to the Hotel Cafe for an intimate night of folk and Americana tunes. The trio — husband-and-wife duo Noah (guitar) and Chloe Gose (violin), joined by longtime friend and bassist Andrew Vaggalis — hail from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I’ve had their cover of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ “Home” on repeat. Their latest album is Dear Meadowlark.
Through Sunday, August 31
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
The Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: FROM $30; MORE INFO
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Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
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In 2011, the irreverent play The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis took the New York theater scene by storm. Guirgis, who went on to write the 2015 Tony-winning play Between Riverside and Crazy, takes a look at love, commitment and redemption in this earlier play. The Odyssey production aims to revisit the work with a 2025 perspective, directed by Jolie Oliver (Dream of Dance) and starring Lodric D. Collins, who currently stars in the BET drama series The Oval, as Jackie.
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Viewing Pick
Thursday, August 14, 6 p.m.
Patagonia Film Festival
Patagonia Santa Monica
1345 3rd St., Santa Monica
COST: $20; MORE INFO
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Patagonia Santa Monica
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Make your way to the beach for an hour of short films focused on water issues at the Patagonia Film Festival, presented with L.A. Climate Week. There will be beer and wine, pizza and popcorn, with all sales benefiting Surfrider Los Angeles.
Dine & Drink Deals
Every Thursday in August, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Wine garden pop-up at Summer Music Series 2025
The Original Farmer’s Market
6333 W. 3rd St., Fairfax District
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Wine? Garden? Pop-up? My three favorite words. Travel Paso and the Original Farmer’s Market are getting together weekly throughout August to celebrate Paso Robles wine country with free tastings, music and a chance to win an exclusive trip to wine country. Bar 326 within the Farmers Market is also featuring a Paso Robles-focused wine menu this month.
Thursday, August 14
Chef Aarthi Sampath and Chef Surya Kumar collab dinner
Fitoor
1755 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica
COST: $105; MORE INFO
A plate of dahi kachori at Fitoor in Los Angeles.
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Ryan Tanaka
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New York-based chef and TV personality Chef Aarthi Sampath (Chopped) will be teaming up with Fitoor Executive Chef Surya Kumar for a one-night-only collaboration dinner. The four-course immersive dining experience will offer guests two dishes with each course, one created by each chef.
Open now
Bar 109
641 N. Western Ave., Ste A, Melrose Hill
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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SHELBY MOORE
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Bar 109 — the first part of the Corridor 109 project — is officially open for business in the hottest neighborhood in town, Melrose Hill. Chef and owner Brian Baik started Corridor 109 four years ago as a seafood tasting menu pop-up run out of his parents' restaurant, Kobawoo House. Expect that spot to return in a new form soon, but for now, try a shrimp cocktail or a cocktail cocktail at the new place.
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