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LAist gets a lot of press releases and we go through all most of them to curate a list of our favorite events happening in L.A. Here are 21 events you should know about this week.
MONDAY, MAY 5
MUSIC: The Echo has two diverse shows in store for L.A. tonight. In the Echoplex is It's A Punky Cinco Party with The El Vez Punk Rock Revue, featuring El Vez, The Schitzophonics and Diana Death at 8 pm. Tickets: $12-$14. At The Echo, In the Valley Below and The Mercy Beat begin their Monday night May residency with guests Soft Swells and Pillar Point at 8:30 pm. Free with RSVP.
STORYTELLING:
The weekly Tiger Lily storytelling show takes over the ioWest Main Stage tonight with a great lineup: Kate Walsh, Myq Kaplan, Andrew Santino, Melinda Hill, Baron Vaughn and Emily Maya Mills. Tickets: $5.
TUESDAY, MAY 6
ART: Graffiti artist and muralist Man One curates an evening of art and music on Tuesday in DTLA with an opening from 8-11 pm. Music in Our Paint takes over the Farmers & Merchants Bank with music by DJ Phyz Ed and Young Einstein and new works for sale by Razer (UK), Easi (UK), Man One, Steve Martinez (UGLARWORKS), Inkie (UK), Vyal Reyes, Isaias Crow, Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca, Sand One, Ritzy P., Codak Smith, Siner, Eriberto Oriol, The Black Light King, Leba, Hex TGO, Chase, Robert Vargas, Huit and Pablo Cristi. The show remains on view through Wednesday from 11 am-6 pm. The reception is free and all ages.
COMEDY: Babe Island is a new bi-monthly comedy show at Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village from Josh Androsky, Solomon Georgio, Miles K, and Jon Schabl every first and third Tuesday. The scheduled lineup: David Koechner (Bill F*CKING Brasky), Ian Karmel (Chelsea Lately, RIP CITY), Tony Sam (MTV, Gave me Cat Medicine), Clare O'Kane (Bridgetown, Puerto Rican Sk8 Magazines) and Nick Rutherford (Good Neighbor, Great Drinker). Free.
MAGIC + COMEDY: Sleight of Mouth returns to NerdMelt at 8 pm. The show mixes magic, comedy, music, talk and variety, hosted by magician Justin Willman (Food Network's Cupcake Wars, The Nerdist Channel). Willman's special guests: Bo Burnham, David Deeble and Bushwalla. Ages 16+. Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
FILM TALK: The Modern School of Film's Film Masters Seriescontinues on Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Egyptian Theatre with Tool/Puscifer frontman Maynard Keenan joining in a discussion after the screening of Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986). The film is based on Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Tickets: $15 general public.
SCIENCE FICTION: Sci-Fest,the first science fiction, one-act play festival takes over The ACME Theatre for the month featuring rotating weeks of works. Evening ‘A’ short plays run May 6-11 and May 20-25. The plays featured are “Forwarding Address” by John-Paul Nickel, directed by Jack Kenny (“Warehouse 13”), “Freedom of Speech” by Adam Esquenazi Douglas, directed by Jon Kroll (“Amanda and the Alien”), “The Ringer” by Minnesota Plates, directed by Jim Fall (“Trick”), and “Kaleidoscope” by Ray Bradbury, directed by Pat Towne (“Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage”). Tickets: $32+.
MUSIC: The guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela plays two night in L.A. this week as they promote for the two's latest release 9 Dead Alive—their first album in five years. The duo play The Orpheum Theatre ($49.50-$62.50) on Tuesday and then The Palladium ($39.50+ fees) on Wednesday.
FILM : The Skirball Cultural Center presents a classic film series: Hollywood Biopics Under the Hays Code. The 1930 code set the moral guidelines for American film and some of Hollywood’s film studio giants responded by "producing blockbuster biopics of famous individuals who triumphed in the face of adversity." The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) screens at 1:30 pm. The French scientist, who led major discoveries in vaccinations and pasteurization, was considered a quack by his medical contemporaries. Free, no reservations needed.
OUTDOOR FILM : The Los Angeles Film Festival announces its full lineup on May 6, and to celebrate, Film Independent hosts and outdoor screening of Clueless (1995) directed by Amy Heckerling, at Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live. Heckerling and actors Stacey Dash, Elisa Donovan and Donald Faison introduce the film. 7 pm. Free.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
MUSIC: Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson plays a show at the Wiltern on the heels of the release of her fifth studio album, Lights Out. Also on the bill are: Sugar & The Hi-Lows and Storyman. Tickets: $25-$35+ fees.
COMEDY: The Super Serious Showtakes over The Virgil starting at 7 pm with happy hour, music and drinks. The show at 8 pm features a live recording of Andy Peters' latest comedy album. The evening also features Karen Kilgariff (Mr. Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show) and Eddie Pepitone (Conan, Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Tickets: Free with RSVP. Oh and another bonus? We just noticed that the Virgil is offering $15 whiskey flights.
FOUND FILM : The Lost & Found Film Club returns to Cinefamily with a 10:30 pm screening of ephemera. It's a curated mix of industrial, educational and sponsored films in 16mm. "Any given program may contain children’s films, social engineering and training films, advertisements, mental hygiene madness, animation, documentaries, student experiments, home movies on rusted reels — pretty much anything that isn’t a commercial feature film." The films on the Motorama program focus on cars, driving and "“auto-rotica.” Grilled cheese sandwiches will be available to snack on, too. Tickets: $10.
THURSDAY, MAY 8
WRITING: The Hammer Readings series features Some Favorite Writers: Mona Simpson with David O. Russell on Thursday at 7:30 pm. Simpson, author of novels (My Hollywood, A Regular Guy, Anywhere But Here) has just published her latest novel Casebook. She’s joined by director Russell for a dialogue about the new work. Free.
FOOD TALK
In honor of Mother's Day, KPCC presents the program Make What Your Mama Gave Ya: Dishing on family eats and tradition in LA, a panel discussion on moms, food, and family and cultural traditions. Moderated by KPCC producer Kevin Ferguson, panelists include: Bricia Lopez of Guelaguetza; Jenn Harris of the Los Angeles Times, writer Dominic Riley, Nguyen Tran of Starry Kitchen. Doors at 7 pm, program at 7:30 pm. Free with RSVP.
FILM: The Modern School of Film's Film: Masters series continues at the Egyptian on Thursday at 7:30 pm with the British black comedy Withnail & I (1987), a favorite of actor Will Arnett. There’s a post-screening discussion moderated by Modern School of Film founder Robert Milazzo with Arnett. Tickets: $15 general, $10 Cinematheque member; $12 Student/Senior. No vouchers accepted for this or any other specially-priced program.
TALK SHOW: The Kennedy Administration is a live, late-night talk show that’s not taped or televised—but happens anyway on the second Thursday of the month at Echoes Under Sunset in Echo Park. This month’s show features Natasha Leggero, Zach Sherwin from the web series Epic Rap Battles of History, Magician Joel Ward, band Incan Abraham and guest vocalist Adele Jacques joining the house band for a surprise song at the end of the night. 9:30 pm. Free.
OPERA: The LA Opera brings the music of Thaïs to One Colorado in Pasadena for two performances at 7 pm and 8 pm. Singers from the La Opera will perform selections from the upcoming production, followed by a sing-along of opera favorites. It’s a family event for opera under the stars.
MUSIC: Cal State L.A. presents Eagle-Con, a comic book event inspired by Comic-Con. The two-day program on Thursday and Friday examines “issues of race, gender, orientation, identity and representation in comic books, fantasy and science fiction, while celebrating the boundless imagination of artists who turn ‘ordinary humans’ into life-long superhero devotees.” Guest writers and artists include: Elliot S! Maggin, Dr. De Witt Douglas Kilgore, Hannibal Tabu, Jason Reeves, Chocolate Covered CosPlay, The Gibbs Sisters, and steampunk writer Balogun Ojetade. Tickets: CSU L.A. community (with ID): $5 for one day, $8 for both days. General public: $10 for one day, $15 for both days.
FILM: Fester LA, the new, monthly screening of "mindf*ck movies," returns to the Downtown Independent in DTLA with a focus on wild, weird short films about love. The films selected include zombies, robots and a “very lucky baby.” Tickets: $10. Submit your own films at http://fester.la. Doors at 8 pm, screening at 8:30ish pm.
ART : JNA Gallery at Bergamot Station Art Center presents Invitation to a Dream, the first L.A. solo exhibition of California artist and jewelry and purse designer Shayna Saide LaBeouf (yep, Shia's mom). The gallery has included approximately 30 small mixed media works and a dozen freestanding sculptural purses. "The subject matter and modes of execution in LaBeouf’s work link to 20th century art currents such as the magical naïve art of Henri Rousseau, the personal surrealism of Frida Kahlo, and the celebration of the Feminine by artist Judy Chicago." The artist reception takes place on Thursday from 7-10 pm and the exhibit runs through May 14.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide To May: 20 Cool Events Happening In Los Angeles
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
