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Cats are cute and cuddly, but they have a long history of being part of the darker arts. And a show and fundraiser happening tonight seeks to conjure that interpretation of our favorite felines.
Catopia will take place tonight at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood. Guests can expect to mingle with real live cats up for adoption via Grace Animal Rescue, but the rest of the night promises to highlight the “strange and esoteric nature” of cats. And it's going to be weird.
Paul Koudounaris, an art historian and photographer who is lecturing at the show tonight, is something of an expert on demonic cats. (And people who have sex with ghosts.) Catopia, as a fundraiser for a local cat rescue, was also his idea.
When he came up with the idea, he said, he mentioned it to Sara Landeau, who plays guitar in The Julie Ruin.
He knew Landeau liked cats and that she'd be coming to L.A. while on tour with The Julie Ruin, so he suggested that she put together "a cat-oriented rock band" for the show. Landeau worked with costume designer and musician Rebecca Sevrin and the band Cat Sabbath was born. Koudounaris describes the band as a "cat-oriented, all-girl Black Sabbath tribute band" which comes complete with a slideshow.
In attendance will be Alexandra Crockett who will sign copies of Metal Cats, her photography book of cats and the meatheads that love them. There will also be a performance by the bizarre band Clowns & Fetuses and L.A.'s Cat Museum, a rock band with a trippy projection show about cats.
So leave your familiar at home, donate to a good cause and learn about the dark side of your furry friends.
Catopia. Steve Allen Theatre, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. November 5, 8 p.m. $12.
