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Here are 20 of our favorite events happening in L.A. this week.
MONDAY, MAY 22
SCHOOL NIGHT: MAGIC GIANT (Music)
School Night welcomes live music and DJ sets from both up-and-coming and seasoned artists every Monday night at Bardot in Hollywood. Playing live this week are: Magic Giant, Pop Noir, Azul and Glades with DJ sets by Mackswell and Lincoln Jesser. Free with RSVP for those 21+; $10 for 18+ with RSVP. Doors at 8 pm.
THAT ANNOYING COMEDY SHOW (Comedy)
Brooklyn comedy duo Shannon Coffey and Rob Michael Hugel co-host That Annoying Comedy Show, and they bring out their friends for a night of comedy that is annoyingly good. (Get it?) The next show takes place on Monday at 8 pm at Open Space cafe and theater on Fairfax. This month's acts are: Chris Redd; Chris Fleming; Sara Weinshenk; Caitlin Gill; Sierra Katow; and Jackie Cuccaro. Tickets: $5 in advance, $7 at the door.
WEHO: ONE CITY ONE PRIDE (Festival)
West Hollywood’s One City One Pride Festival features 40 Days of arts and culture events from Monday (Harvey Milk Day) through June. 30. The kick-off event is an artist-led protest sign-making workshop in preparation for the #ResistMarch (which is organized by Christopher Street West/LA Pride and takes place on Sunday, June 11, during Pride weekend). The workshop will be held from 5-9 pm at The Chapel at The Abbey. All supplies for making protest signs and pins will be provided. The event is free to attend.
TUESDAY, MAY 23
QUICK AND FUNNY MUSICALS (Comedy)
Quick and Funny Musicals is at UCB Sunset on Tuesday at 8:30 pm. Three-hour musicals can be way too long so the Quick & Funny Musicals company shows that musicals can be fast and funny. Tickets: $7. 8:30 pm.
ALOUD: DENNIS LEHANE (Book talk)
The ALOUD series presents An Evening with author and screenwriter Dennis Lehane (Live By Night; Moonlight Mile; Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; and The Given Day) on Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Writer’s Guild Theater (note: not the Central Library). He’ll be in conversation with writer and producer Attica Locke (of Empire) and author of Pleasantville, the 2016 winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. They’ll discuss Lehane’s latest work, Since We Fell. Tickets start at $38.
FENECH-SOLER (Music)
The U.K. duo Fenech-Soler plays The Roxyon Tuesday night in support of the band’s latest release, Zilla. Knox Hamilton and Hawai are also on the bill. Tickets: $16. All ages show. Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24
CRAFT NIGHT (Craft + tacos + beer)
The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM)presents Craft Night: Downtown LA Tacos & Beer with Billy Kheel at Angel City Brewery in DTLA on Wednesday from 6-8 pm. Kheel demonstrates making beer bottles and tacos out of felt, with demonstrations at 6 and 6:30 pm. Tickets: $10, free for members (includes materials). Space is limited. RSVP requested.
FLUX SCREENING SERIES (Art + film)
The Flux Screening Series returns to the Hammer Museum on Wednesday at 7:30 pm, featuring innovative short films, music videos and visual art from around the world. This week’s program includes the U.S. premiere of Anne Breymann's Nocturne, Eva Michon's video "Right Hook" for Harrison, Alma Har'el's JellyWolf and Oscar Boyson's Jeff Koons. New music videos will feature Kendrick Lamar, Cassius, A Tribe Called Quest and others. Filmmaker presentations and an after-party follows in the courtyard after the screenings. Free.
DESERT SOUL CLUB MODE SOUL PARTY (Music)
On Wednesday from 9 pm to 1 am, there’s a Desert Soul Club Mod Party at Gold Diggers in Hollywood. It’s a night of '60s/early ‘70s soul/mod/funk/r&b.
VERY FORWARD (Progressive comedy)
The progressive standup comedy show Very Forward is at the Lyric Hyperion Café in Silver Lake on Wednesday at 8 pm. Hosted by Teresa Lee and Claire Downs, the lineup features comedy with Dulce Sloan, Michael Kosta, Bridey Elliott and others. Tickets for this month’s show are available for $5 on Eventbrite and $10 at the door.
BURGERS BOURBON + BEER (Food + drink)
Los Angeles Magazine presents its second annual Burgers Bourbon + Beer event on Wednesday night from 7-9:30 pm at The Victorian in Santa Monica. Ticket holders can taste unlimited bites from local burger and sip boutique bourbons and craft beer from Golden Road Brewing. There will be one crowned winner at the end of the night.
BLOOD DRIVE (Grindhouse + TV)
On Wednesday at 7:30 pm, Alamo Drafthouse and the American Cinematheque present a free screening sneak peek at the new grindhouse-esque series Blood Drive from Syfy. L.A.’s last good cop is forced to take part in a cross-country death race, in which the cars run on human blood. The show premieres on Syfy on June 14 at 10/9, but L.A. gets a chance to see the show first. RSVP required for admission, but seating is not guaranteed. Seating is on a first come, first served basis until theater is full. Free popcorn and soda for attendees.
THE MERMAID COMEDY HOUR (Comedy)
The Mermaid Comedy Hour returns to the Hollywood Improv - Lab on Wednesday night at 10 pm. The woman-centric comedy show welcomed its first man on the lineup last month as Dave Chappelle did a surprise two-hour set. There might be more surprises this week as the lineup features Karen Kilgariff, Jackie Fabulous, Subhah Agarwal, Jenny Yang, Virginia Jones, Samantha Hale and drop-ins. The show is produced and hosted by Valerie Tosi. Tickets: $5, and two-item minimum purchase per person in the showroom required.
CONCERT FOR AMERICA (Music + variety)
Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out! is an evening of songs, comedy and commentary, created and hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley. It stops at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Wednesday at 7 pm with performers including Chita Rivera, Cheyenne Jackson, Rachel Bloom, Wayne Brady, Helen Reddy, Jane Lynch, Kate Flannery, Megan Hilty, Dan Bucatinsky, Ricki Lake, Barrett Foa, Alec Mapa, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angele and more. Proceeds from Concert for America benefit five organizations working to protect human and civil rights: Southern Poverty Law Center, National Immigration Law Center, The Sierra Club Foundation, NAACP and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Tickets: $20-$100.
THURSDAY, MAY 25
BAND OF HORSES (Music)
Band of Horses plays the Greek Theatre on Thursday night with Scottish rock band Frightened Rabbits playing in support. Doors at 6 pm, show at 7:30 pm. Tickets: $25-$59.95 (plus fees).
MEMORIAL LAWN PARTY AT THE BLOC (FUN)
Kick off Memorial Day Weekend with a party at The Bloc—a new shopping/retail complex in DTLA (near the 7th & Metro station) on Thursday night from 4:30-7:30 pm. The event features free beer, food + wine (available for purchase), live music and games like Cornhole, life-sized Chess, Bocce Ball and more. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.
JR JR (Music)
The Detroit duo Jr Jr plays The Echo on Thursday night. A portion of ticket sales of this all ages event will go to the JED Foundation, which helps teens with mental health issues and works on suicide prevention. 7 pm. Tickets: $22-$24.50.
HELLO KITTY + DODGERS (Baseball)
Ok, if you need more of an excuse to watch the Dodgers play at Chavez Ravine, maybe this will do it: Hello Kitty returns to the stadium for Hello Kitty Night on Thursday (7:10 pm game start against the St. Louis Cardinals). A special ticket purchase gets fans a limited edition Hello Kitty x Dodgers t-shirt. Tickets: $34-$139.
FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL (Film fest)
Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett bring the Found Footage Festival—their touring showcase of odd and hilarious found VHS tapes—back to L.A. on Thursday and Friday at the Downtown Independent. This is the festival’s first new program since 2015 and includes VHS finds (found in garage and sales, thrift shops, etc.), commentary, comedy and exclusive footage from the duo’s latest prank. 8 pm both nights. Tickets: $15.
OLD PASADENA HISTORIC PUBS & TRIVIA TOUR (Walking + dinner)
Pasadena Heritage presents Old Pasadena Historic Pubs & Trivia Tour on Thursday from 4:30-7:30 pm. A docent leads participants to Old Pasadena bars and haunts, where they will pepper participants with facts and trivia. Dinner and a set of flight glasses are included in the tour. Tickets: $80 for Heritage members and $87 for nonmembers.
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
