Chicano Batman ... CyberFrequencies ... ghosts of the past as Peruvians vote in LA ... downtown LA's power list ... downtown LA treasure: San Antonio Winery ... a stickfighting dojo ... Pato's response to the Friday haters ...
Dog Brothers bond over Sticks and Kicks
Off-Ramp's Raghu Manavalan speaks to Marc Denny, president of Dog Brothers Martial Arts, about why he started an anything-goes fighting group. Sticks, knives, and whips are all a part of the friendship amongst fighters.
CLICK THROUGH to see the Dog Brothers in action
Gary Leonard Turning 60 - to "Hold Selling Out at 60" sale
Gary Leonard, the ubiquitous freelance photographer who's been covering LA for decades, is bracing for his milestone 60th birthday. He doesn't mind turning 60, he says, but he hates parties. However, his family and friends prevailed on him to throw a big party and sale at his downtown LA gallery. CLICK THROUGH for all the details of the April 22d event. And listen to our interview, done a couple years ago, when he opened his downtown LA gallery, "Take My Picture Gary Leonard," on Broadway at 9th.
Typically, when I ran into him this morning outside his gallery - Take My Picture Gary Leonard - Gary was off to cover something. A groundbreaking. Who covers groundbreakings, and ribbon cuttings, and topping-off ceremonies (below) anymore? Gary does.
(Image: John Rabe)
I maintain that in the next century, Gary will be recognized as the most city's important photographer, because he documented everything from the Dodgers to the Punk scene to the riots to the raising of the LA Live tower (above). You only need browse the LA Public Library's online photo archive, searching under "Gary Leonard," to see how much he's done.
To celebrate his 60th birthday, on April 22 from 7-11pm, Gary is throwing what he calls his "Selling Out at Sixty" sale. Every thing at Take My Picture Gary Leonard, in downtown LA at the corner of Broadway and Ninth, will be 50% off. And for the first fifty people with cash, he'll be selling the big stuff - Crash, Warhol, etc. - for crazy cheap.
There will be cake. And possibly edible insects, if his daughter has her way.
Hard Times: LAUSD teacher Rosanna White
For the last few months, Off-Ramp has been asking every day people the same simple question: now that recession is supposedly over, how are you making ends meet? This time Off-Ramp's Kevin Ferguson talks to Rosanna White, a teacher with LAUSD.
LA Downtown News' Power List Includes Movers/Shakers You Should Know
The usual suspects make the LA Downtown News' "42 Most Powerful People in Downtown" list, but Off-Ramp host John Rabe talks with executive editor Jon Regardie about the names that might surprise you. CLICK THROUGH for a link to the whole list.
Peruvian Americans speak out about elections at home
This Sunday, you can find nearly every Peruvian citizen living Los Angeles in Gardena, of all places.
They'll be taking part in their country's first round of presidential elections. This time one of the top vote getters might be Keiko Fujimori. She's the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori--and she's promised that once she's elected, she'll cut short the sentence her father is serving for human rights violations. For some Peruvians, Sunday's election brings back memories of more turbulent times.
Tour an unexpected treasure: Downtown LA's San Antonio Winery
UPDATE: The San Antonio Winery turns 95 this month; another reason to lift a glass!
Steve Riboli takes Off-Ramp host John Rabe on a tour of his family's San Antonio Winery, which has made it more than 90 years through wars, Prohibition, recessions and a Depression, not to mention the Great California Wine Revolution. It's one of the last remnants of LA's Little Italy, and still sells more sacramental wine than any other maker worldwide.
Tip for Off-Ramp listeners: The winery's wine shop is probably the best one in downtown Los Angeles, and it doesn't only sell its own makes.
The first piece of audio is the short version. Come on in for the one-hour tour we released as a special Off-Ramp podcast ... all the more reason to sign up for them at i-Tunes!
Slideshow: Rabe tours San Antonio Winery
COME INSIDE for an exclusive slideshow of my tour of the San Antonio Winery with Steve Riboli. (Photos and slideshow by Gina Delvac.)
RH Greene: Friday Phenom a Frankenstein Story
Off-Ramp contributor R.H. Greene, a filmmaker himself, says the hullabaloo over Rebecca Black's "Friday" video is a sort of Frankenstein story.
John Frame Came Down from the Mountain with a Dream
The artist John Frame has come down from the mountains with a new exhibit that came out of a dream. “Three Fragments of a Lost Tale” is at the Huntington in San Marino until June 27th. It blends found objects, dozens of eerie hand-carved mannequins, stop-motion animation, and the sets the movie was filmed on. Off-Ramp host John Rabe met Frame at the Huntington.
CLICK THROUGH to watch Frame's movie, “Three Fragments of a Lost Dream."
LA Record talks with latin rockers Chicano Batman
Local band Chicano Batman, yes that's their real name, formed just a couple years ago but have a sound that spans decades and continents: Brazilian tropicalia, Mexican cumbia, Chilean funk, even American psychedelia.
They take to the stage wearing crushed velvet blue shirts that look ripped right from their fathers’ closets and play an organ that sits on top of an ironing board. They just got back from a tour of Colombia and sat down with Chris Ziegler from LA Record. Click here for info on this Sunday's Chicano Batman show!
Cyberfrequencies takes a fresh look at sampling
Girl Talk, Biz Markie, Gilbert O'Sullivan, what do they all have in common? Sampling. Tanya and Queena talk to Johanna Blakley about the decades old--and potentially illegal--practice of using pieces of old songs to make new ones