Please come to the Magical Musical Lunch benefiting The Downtown Women’s Center next Sunday, September 12 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Dick and Jane Family Orchestra are performing, along with Madame Pamita, The Queen of The Sideshow Carnival, who will also be telling fortunes! Also scheduled are special surprise guests that are so big that we can’t mention them here.
The Downtown Women’s Center provides housing and a daytime refuge for homeless women on Skid Row. From permanent housing to just a warm meal and a daily shower, this place is incredible.
100% of all proceeds for this event — absolutely no overhead–is going to the Downtown Women’s Center — no money wasted on overhead.
Special thanks to Sino Tequila, which is donating the margaritas, and El Chavo for donating the all of the food and beer and hosting the event. (El Chavo owner Melanie Tusquellas’ mother has been doing volunteer work and donations for the Center since the 1970s when it first opened.)
Tons of fabulous raffle prizes, buffet lunch, margaritas, beer and great music are all included in the $40.00 ticket. We realize that ‘s a lot of money in the current economic environment, but it’s for a very worthy cause and ticket are totally tax-deductible. And if you can’t make it, please forward this on to someone you think might be able to help.
To get tickets, go to the following website. After your purchase, you will receive a Tax ID receipt: www.firstgiving.com/DWC-ElChavo
“Speed – Speed – Speedfreak: A Fast History of Amphetamine” by Mick Farren Book release, reading, signing and story contest
Friday September 10, 6 pm – 9 pm La Luz de Jesus Gallery (Wacko / Soap Plant) 4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90027 323-666-7667 www.laluzdejesus.com www.soapplant.com
Elvis Presley, the Hell’s Angels, Hunter S. Thompson, Truman Capote, the Beatles, Judy Garland, Hank Williams, the Manson Family, Jack Kerouac, Johnny Cash, JFK, and Adolf Hitler. All of the above were, at one time or another, to put it bluntly, speedfreaks. Speed – Speed – Speedfreak: A Fast History of Amphetamine” traces the criminal and cultural use of amphetamine and its growing use through each new and destructive cycle. The book will be printed in rounded pill capsule form, like the vaunted “black beauty” of pharmaceutical history
Photo by Wendy Phillips
Author Mick Farren is a pillar of the counterculture and one of the last Bohemians standing. He is the author of close to forty books both fiction and otherwise and has released some 20 albums. His lyrics have been performed by Hawkwind, Motorhead, Metallica, Brother Wayne Kramer and others. The exhaustive research on “Speed – Speed – Speedfreak: A Fast History of Amphetamine” was helped by his own youthful taste for what was laughingly called the devil’s dandruff. For the reading part of the fun, he will be accompanied by master guitarist Andy Colquhoun.
Attendees are encouraged to come up to the microphone and share their favorite stories and tales involving amphetamines: real, imagined, personal, anecdotal, second-hand, historical, nightmarish and/or cautionary. While no one involved in this event advocates the use of narcotics, we recognize their pervasiveness–at a time when an estimated 40% of Montana’s youth is on speed, for instance, it is blatantly apparent that a great number of adults have either taken speed or know someone who has. Prizes will be awarded for the most popular stories told!
“Speed – Speed – Speedfreak: A Fast History of Amphetamine” by Mick Farren – Die cut paperback, 175 pages 8.4 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches, published by Feral House, www.feralhouse.com, English, ISBN 13: 978-1932595826
Make no mistake about it: the art world, the traditional art world is over. – Douglas Rushkoff
ART-TOYS is a massive collection of Brian McCarty’s meticulously composed photographs that uniquely chronicle the Art-Toy movement. For six years, McCarty worked alongside a host of international artists, photographing their toy characters in actual locations ranging from the Grand Canyon to Times Square. The resulting photos are sometimes dark, often funny, and always hinting at a deeper story. The moments that McCarty manufactures in front of the camera feel real, as if he’s simply documenting the day-to-day lives of toys.
Each of the over 100 photographs stand alone on a page, allowing viewers an unfettered look at the world from McCarty’s toy-based perspective. An extensive behind the scenes section is included at the back of the book, providing a narrative glimpse at McCarty’s methods and the artists with whom he collaborates. Snapshots taken on set reveal the brilliantly simple techniques behind some of his most magical and iconic images.
Because the toys that McCarty photographs are simultaneously art objects and consumer goods, many of his images were created to serve both creative and commercial goals. As such, they provide a unique perspective on the art and commerce of the Designer Toy / Urban Vinyl movement. A number of books have explored the content of the Art-Toy movement before, but this is the only collection that captures the energy and the attitude of a new era in Pop Art from the perspective of a fellow artist.
Artists with toy work included: Alex Pardee, Amanda Visell, Andrew Bell, Ashley Wood, Attaboy, Bob Dob, Brandt Peters, Craig Anthony Perkins, Frank Kozik, FriendsWithYou, Gama-Go, Gary Baseman, Greg “Craola” Simkins, James Jarvis, Jeremy Fish, Jermaine Rogers, Joe Ledbetter, Kathie Olivas, Lili Chin, Luke Chueh, Mario “MARS-1” Martinez, Mark Mothersbaugh, Mark Nagata, Mark Ryden, Meredith Dittmar, Michelle Valigura, mr clement, Noferin, Patrick Ma, Ralph Cosentino, Roy Miles, Sam Flores, Santa Inoue, Sara Antoinette Martin, Sebastien Roux, Sergey Safonov, Scott Musgrove, Scott Tolleson, Simone Legno, Tim Biskup, Wilfrid Wood, Yoskay Yamamoto, and others.
The special, limited edition of ART-TOYS features an alternate cover free of text, packaged in a vinyl slipcase. Each book is individually numbered and signed by Brian McCarty and eighteen world-known artists whose work is showcased inside. Included are Attaboy, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Hugh Brown, Luke Chueh, Lili Chin, Bob Dob, Frank Kozik, Joe Ledbetter, Patrick Ma, Mark Nagata, Craig Perkins, Mark Ryden, Greg “Craola” Simkins, Scott Tolleson, Michelle Valigura, Amanda Visell, and Yoskay Yamamoto. Mario “MARS-1″ Martinez and Sam Flores are also included in a rare number of “chase” books.
We have been living for too long in the wake of Walter Benjamin’s prescient but ultimately depressing essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” He correctly demonstrated how photographs of art remove works from their original contexts – the media successfully diminishing a painting’s original “aura” of context and place. Now, and thanks to the Art-Toy movement, we may actually be entering an era when a work of art’s aura is not diminished but enhanced or even *created* by the media supporting it. – Douglas Rushkoff
Hard cover, 240 Pages, 10.5″ x 9″, Published by Baby Tattoo Books, Los Angeles
Brian McCarty
Brian McCarty (mccartyphotoworks.com, brianmccarty.com) is a Memphis-born photographer currently living and working in Los Angeles. McCarty studyed at the Parsons School of Design in New York City and the Benetton-supported creative research center Fabrica in Treviso, Italy. According to McCarty, “About the time I was supposed to grow up and stop playing with toys, they transitioned into subjects for my photography.” In the twenty years since, his toy photography has been exhibited internationally and seen via commissioned projects for clients such as Rockstar Games, Cartoon Network, MTV, and Kidrobot. In addition, McCarty spent nearly four years as in-house photographer at Mattel.
McCarty’s postmodern integration of concept and character has earned his photography a prominent position in the growing Urban Vinyl / Art-Toy movement. McCarty is featured in several books chronicling the artistic movement such as Vinyl Will Kill, Dot Dot Dash, and Toys: New Designs from the Art-Toy Revolution. McCarty’s work has earned notable praise from such places as Bizarre Magazine (July, 2010),L’Uomo Vogue (February, 2007), ABC World News(October 31st, 2006), FHM Germany (April, 2010), and XLR8R Magazine (January, 2009). In addition to his still photography work, McCarty recently co-created, produced, and art-directed an animated series based upon his photography that went into development for Nickelodeon.
Continuing to expand his work, Brian is currently developing a documentary film and photo essay on children’s experiences of war as expressed by principles of play and art therapy.
THE DICK AND JANE FAMILY ORCHESTRA
Featuring buxom high priestess of splendor, one of LA’s first 100 punks, Miss Jane Cantillon and her husband Richard Ross’ memorable audience participation provoking LA-centric original compositions, The Dick and Jane Family Orchestra also perform favorites by Dylan and Leonard Cohen along with acoustified Jaynettes, Jimi Hendrix and Captain Beefheart songs. Dionysus Records’ Lee Joseph plays bass and Michael Peffer, formerly with Cleveland’s Biblical Proof of UFOs plays percussion.
RUTHANN FRIEDMAN
Ruthann Friedman is an enduring gem, a jewel in the headband of 60s culture. With a serious clutch of songs, she defines an exact space and time. Her smooth and undulating vocal line is combined with polished stone-washed lyrical poetry. Her legend starts with “Windy”– The Association took it on and pushed it to the top of the charts in 1967. A former housemate of David Crosby and the Jefferson Airplane, her jazz-touched, melodically complex songs go beyond mere hippie confessions.
AZALIA SNAIL
Azalia Snail has been making her uniquely sweet, viscous, noise-inflected, tempo-bending psychedelia for over two decades, recording a dozen or so albums between 1990 and 2010 on labels including Dark Beloved Cloud and Powertool Records. The music has its share of discordant moments and harsh textures, but somehow these are enveloped in a softening sheen. She has toured the USA, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. She has jammed with Beck, The Black Heart Procession, The Grifters, Trumans Water, Low, and many other unique musical artists. Joining Azalia for this show will be sax player Emily St Amand Poliakoff.
Saturday, August 14 at 8 pm The Skip Heller Trio, Patria Jacobs, Chris Lockett
Playing for you at
Rafa’s Gallery & Lounge
1836 W Sunset Bl
Los Angeles, CA
$5 cover, there’s coffee and beer. Right around the corner from the Echoplex,
La Cita
336 S. Hill St. (across from Angel’s Flight)
Los Angeles, CA www.lacitabar.com
This month’s Velvet Lounge is gonna be hotter than the weather featuring Nica Tine churning out some Boss Jamaican sounds, Frankie the Face making a public appearance from his Secret Affair, and local L.A. Icon Lee Joseph of Dionysus Records making his rounds around town and stopping by to lay some tracks down!
Come by after the Dick and Jane Family Orchestra set at the Lotus Light Arts Fundraiser!
Next Month Velvet Lounge will have the 45 Flying Dutchman: Kula Baker, Powder from the old school days of L.A. Mod, Rocksteady Lounge’s Nina and Viktor plus… many others! Tell your friends and spread the word, cause The Velvet Lounge is still here and is 100% drama free!
Christopher Ulrich “Illuminator: The Royal Wedding”
August 6 – 29, 2010
Reception for the artist: Friday, August 6, 2010, 8pm – 11pm
Print Release & Signing will precede, from 7-8 pm
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90232
323-666-7667
info@laluzdejesus.com
www.laluzdejesus.com
Choice Oil on canvas
36″ x 48″ in 44″ x 71.5″ frame This is Christopher Ulrich’s second show with Billy Shire. The first was “The Fourth Enochian Key,” which debuted on June 13, 2009. This next chapter is a continuance of the “Demoneater” series recently catalogued and exhibited at the Grand Central Art Center Museum at CSUF. “Illuminator: The Royal Wedding” is the second chapter of three in Ulrich’s ongoing journey. It was on this very day 38 years ago that Ulrich was born. Each piece in the series is designed to be its own portable temple marked and charged by the number 8. There are 16 paintings with 16 illustrated studies, 1 additional drawing, hidden, conceptual notes and 16 print editions that complete the show.
“Illuminator: The Royal Wedding” is a merger, a multi-faceted view of the crystal. Light and dark begin to dance within the circle. As the black continues it’s metamorphic process, the heat and flame of experience (and a time-crunching deadline) increase and the whitening begins. The white aspect of the alchemical process is the manifestation of a deep healing process. What happens is it gives birth to axioms. These insights form the images, which create personalized alchemical recipes. Various figures from history -both real and imagined- have folded with cross-cultural counterparts significant to the artist. This manifested array marks the interior witnesses that revolve around the axis of the third part, that which has yet to be. All the works can be viewed simultaneously, as if they are all happening at the same time in different places and dimensions. Poetic conception is the moment in which a certain resonance rings out throughout the universe; dark beacons echoing across the depths of space and time. As the piper plays his hypnotic melodies so, too, the aspirant chooses his card. As the Promethean hare reveals nuclear magic to primates so, too, St. Margaret rises from the belly of the dragon. These moments capture a singular message. And that is an awakening with the white and black truly integrated. The red man and the white woman merge and not only give birth to the divine child but absorb its golden aura, which is the backdrop of the whole show. The entire universe spirals above, below, and within. The Royal Wedding heals all wounds, and establishes treaties amongst all houses; a rekindling of friendship; truce between enemies; the harvesting of fruits of labor; the newborn gifts between lovers; a new manifestation between father and son, god and warrior, mother, sister and friend. :Illuminator: The Royal Wedding” has revealed that there are no mistakes, no regrets and no lies. All parts of the greater whole bear witness that life is a magical process with “magic” defined as the transforming agent. The ability to make the unreal reality, to make impossibility possible, to bring a sense of inspiration, joy and insight is your birthright. We live in abundance, not scarcity. Everyone is invited to experience his or her own inner awakening by witnessing the call that the artist has truthfully labored to answer.
Grace
Graphite on strathmore
12″ x 17.5″ (plus 3″ matte & frame)
Also available as a proof edition lithograph (1/16)
There is a great wedding occurring. The bride and groom could be myth and reality or science and religion. Seeming opposites come together. You have to choose: there are four paths with four different directions all going to the same place. All who attend this show will see various paths revealed. The Universe will be drawn back to its singularity. There is no expansion without contraction. Each guest is invited to contribute and share their own gifts within the court. May the masks come off and the archetypes dance. Who knows what they will bring forth. Amen, Glory, Peace, and Triumph!
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Contact the Gallery Director for availability and purchase info: (323) 666-7667
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is located in the Soap Plant/Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 7pm, Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm and Sunday 12-6pm. For high resolution jpegs, interview requests and more information contact: Lee Joseph Publicity, leejemail@gmail.com, p (818) 848-269, f (818) 848-2699.
Lotus Light Artswishes to raise $2000 for the amazing curriculum that will help them bring yoga and art to at-risk teen women. Your $5 donation at the door will be a much appreciated contribution to helping us bring much needed healing and healthy life tools to the under-served in our LA community. Tony’s is also being gracious enough to give Lotis Light Arts a percentage of liquor sales, so please have a good time – but of course, drink responsibly!
3 FANTASTIC BANDS:
7:00 Neil Morrow in Memphis 54(with our dear friend Ronnie Mendoza on guitar!)
8:00 The Dick and Jane Family Orchestra (with our dear friend Lee Joseph on bass!)
9:00 The Jane Doe’s
Tony’s is a full bar with a wide selection of whiskey, great atmosphere and FREE PARKING!!!
There will be RAFFLES for some great pieces of ART from local artists, gift baskets, GIFT CERTIFICATES from places such as Malo, Wacko / Soap Plant …and more…
A few art, yoga clothing and t-shirt VENDORS will also be there!
$50 gift certificate from Malo
$25 gift certificate from Wacko / Soap Plant Aveda gift basket
Mosaic art pieces from artist Leigh Adams
Watercolors from artist, Kara Hamer A vintage condom machine from the ’50′s
2 cds by fantastic Runyan Canyon Yoga teacher, Daniel Overberger
The Dick and Jane Family Orchestra
Other Ways to Help:
*Pass this invite along to everyone!
*Pass along our website info: http://www.lotuslightarts.org
*Volunteer as a yoga or art instructor for us! (contact info@lotuslightarts.org)
*Donate yoga or art supplies
*Donate something for the raffle
*Sell your art, jewlery, crafts, etc. at the fundraiser
Most importantly, PLEASE ATTEND! Your presence and support mean the world to me. Plus, it will be lots of fun!!!
Sunday · 5:30pm – 9:00pm Grand Ol ‘Echo at *ECHOPLEX*
1822 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
all ages/free/5-9 pm
The Skip Heller Trio with Lee Joseph on acoustic bass and Mark Borinstein on drums.
Skip delivers his originals songs in the tradition of Roger Miller, Hoagy Carmichael, Dylan, Tom T Hall, etc.
Patria Jacobs
Patria sings from her eclectic pool of nautical/country, dirgy/folk and lovelorn original tunes.
The Grand Ole Echo bring you the best of LA’s Americana/country and roots music every Sunday, April-September, curated by the lovely Ms. Kimberly Grant and the inimitable Ms. Madame Pamita.
Bullet DJs laying down top Mod, Soul and Garage vinyl sounds!
Jackie Hoodoo
Lee Joseph
Dan Melendez
Dr. Ray
Jason Ringgold
Suzi Q
- Big dancefloor
- Booth seating
- Intelligent lighting fx
- live video mixing and projections
- Outside smoking/drinking area
- Food Service til 1030pm
- $5 Jack n Cokes / $3 Stellas before 1030pm
- FREE PARKING
- FREE ENTRY
- FREE CHAMPAGNE! (while supplies last)
- FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT
