blogdowntown weekly :: september 30, 2010

NEWS NIGHTLIFEFOOD EVERYDAYTriathlon runs through Downtown

dineLA returns with 36 Down-town deals

Get your groove on and dance

Details set for L.A.’s first CicLAvia

8 10 7

LIFE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES / BLOGDOWNTOWN.COM / SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 1.9

ART WALK IS DEADLONG LIVE ART WALK

FREE

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When it comes to bringing attention and visitors to Down-town Los Angeles, the Downtown Art Walk is in rarified company. Staples Center and nightlife maven Cedd Moses could certainly make their claims, but one could fairly argue that the monthly event has done more to change the percep-tion of a night out in Downtown than any other venue or event. On any given Art Walk Thursday in 2010, one could expect to see 20,000 participants wandering the streets of the Historic Core, reveling in the night’s energy and events.

In that context it is easy to see why many in the commu-nity were up in arms last Friday afternoon when Jay Lopez, Executive Director of the non-profit set up to run the Art Walk, sent out a release saying that the event was “ceasing all event operations until January 2011” and would be returning as a daytime, gallery-focused affair.

While it now seems that the October Art Walk will continue as planned on the 14th — though without Lopez at the helm — weak organization and significant challenges related to the

Continues on Page 4

By Eric Richardson

UPCOMING SHOWSALL THAT SKATE L.A. STAPLES CENTER OCT 2, 3

OOHLALA FESTIVAL CLUB NOKIA OCT 2

THE WIGGLE ROOM COMPANY OF ANGELS OPENS OCT 1

12GOTAN PROJECTINTERVIEW

WEEKEND WITH YOKO ONO

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Photo IllustratIon by Ed FuEntEs

Images Downtown’s Week in Pictures

1Performers from Cirque Berzerk fly above the stage at Club Nokia during a press event to announce January dates at the venue. sEPtEMbEr 28, 2010

3Cyclists participating in Critical Mass talk to an LAPD offer along for the group ride while waiting at a light at 4th and Los Angeles.

sEPtEMbEr 24, 2010

4The top of U.S. Bank Tower is a perfect vantage point to watch as sunset approaches West L.A. during the YMCA’s Stairclimb to the Top.

sEPtEMbEr 24, 2010

2An ice cream cart proves a popular break from the heat in what would prove to be Los Angeles’ hottest day ever, at 113 degrees.

sEPtEMbEr 27, 2010

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1

3

Photo by ErIC rIChardson

Photo by MIkEy Wally


blogdowntownWeekly2 Online at blogdowntown.comSeptember 30, 2010

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A Look BackHistory Lesson: The Short Life of Good-man’s Department Store

Walking west along 7th street, there’s a faded sign on the side of the building that today is the Great Western Jewelry Plaza. “??? Market in the Basement of Goodman’s Department Store,” it reads.

Broadway, Robinson’s, May... I’ve heard of all those. But Goodman’s?

Turns out that if you blinked too long around the turn of 1923, you might well have missed it.

Preparation

On April 22nd, 1922, the L.A. Times talks of a lease being done for a building being constructed on the southeast corner of 7th and Hill. A Mr. S. Goodman is listed as the lessee, with the Duns Williams Company owning the building.

“The structure, now under way, will be six stories and basement, of class A construc-tion throughout. The new department store will be known as the Bon Marche. A feature of the building will be an attrac-tive arcade, running to the main building from Seventh street. This arcade will contain more than 600 feet of display windows.”

“The basement will be occu-pied by a public market, which will have a stairway entrance from the sidewalk from both the Hill and the Seventh-street frontages of the building. The basement will also be served by five elevators, which are to be installed in the department store.”

The cost of the structure was to be $750,000. The land had been purchased for approximately $1,000,000.

The Department Store Opens

S. Goodman did open his depart-ment store that year, but it wasn’t called “Bon Marche.” It was the “Goodman Department Store” that opened on November 18th, 1922. Mr. Goodman was quite effusive in his opening speech.

“Having visited every city of importance the world over,” said S. Goodman, head of the new Goodman Department Store, “I decided that America is the country with the greatest future; the Pacific Coast has the broadest business scope; Los Angeles the city whose outlook

is brightest and that the corner of Seventh and Hill streets is the best store site in this wonderful metropolis. There-fore, to carry out my ideals of business, ideals cherished since my boyhood days in England, I have taken up this site and here I hope to put in effect those ideals as to business integrity, progress and breadth of busi-ness scope.”

The six department store floors were open that first day, but the market in the basement was still under construction.

The Market

By December the store’s market, known as the “Arcade Market,” was open for business. An ad that ran on December 9th, 1922, offered patrons a free 5x8 photo of them-selves upon placing their first order. It read:

The Arcade Food Market, in the Basement of Goodman’s Department Store, will issue an order on the Photo Studio, 5th floor, entitling customers making their first purchase of a dollar or more from any booth in the Arcade Market to a 5x8 photo of themselves absolutely free.

This is done to induce your early acquaintance with the most sanitary, centrally located market in Los Angeles.

The Downfall

Goodman’s store was incredibly short-lived. The next mention in the Times is just three months later. The February 24th, 1923, article was titled “Store Head Seeks Huge Sum in Suit.”

Apparently S. Goodman and Dunn-Williams didn’t see eye to eye in the months after the fanfare filled launch. Goodman filed a $1,500,000 suit against the build-ing owners alleging fraud.

The complaint, which is seventy typewritten pages long, charges that in Mr. Goodman’s absense Mr. Williams and his associates took over the store by the exercise of fraud, assert-ing that the plaintiff owed them money. By this action, he says that he was prevented from paying his just debts and

that convessionaires to whom he had sublet portions of the property were threatened with expulsion.

Who won? I don’t know. What I do know is that in May the “Seventh and Hill Building” was running ads immediately selling off all the store’s fixtures at an auction on May 28th.

$70,000 worth of fixtures in the Goodman’s Department Store, 7th and Hill Sts., Los Angeles, to be auctioned at 714 South Hill street, on Monday, May 28 at 10 A.M.

Complete fixture equip-ment, comprising fixtures for every merchant’s needs, such as showcase -- wall cases -- counters -- tables, etc. Includ-ing Grand Rapids revolving show cases of latest type for women’s ready to wear apparel. All fixtures may be inspected prior to sale.

These fixtures must be sold on Monday, May 28. They are practically as good as new and have been installed only a few months. A marvelous opportunity for all merchants to supply their needs in high grade equipment at practically their own prices.

The department store’s beauty parlor was noticed separately to be rented out.

The market isn’t specifically mentioned in the liquidation ads, but it ran only two ads in the Times and none after April of 1923.

In February of 1924 the San Diego pair of J.D. Spreckels and A.B. Spreckels bought the building for approximately $2,750,000.

Lingering Questions

It’s a story that could seems ripe for further investigation. How could a department store open so large and implode so quickly? Who was S. Goodman? What does the S. stand for?

Perhaps Downtown will never know.

Aging Paint

The most remarkable thing about all of this is that the signage on the side of the building is over 87 years old and is still strong enough to make out. That’s certainly a testi-ment to mild Los Angeles weather.

It also leads one to wonder: What signage from today will be around in 2089?

Originally published on blog-downtown.com on September 1, 2006.

dIsCussonlInE bdtwn.com/ 2317


blogdowntownWeekly 3Online at blogdowntown.com September 30, 2010

News

Triathlon Runs SundayRace from the beach ends at L.A. Live, includes run up Grand Ave

Photo by rICh CrusE2009 female champion Lisa Norden passes Disney Hall during a run up Grand Avenue

By David MarklandThe 11th annual Los Angeles Triath-lon takes place on Sunday, and 2009 winners Javier Gomez (ESP) and Lisa Norden (SWE) will be in the field to defend their crowns.

The competition begins at 7:15am with the swimming segment at Venice Beach. Participants will

cycle west on Venice and Olympic Boulevards before entering Down-town and making their way to the final transition point at Flower and Olympic.

The last leg puts competitors on foot for a run of two circuits up and down Grand Avenue before they reach the finish line at L.A. Live.

As with any race, the event will bring road closures and traffic impacts.

There will be no crossing breaks along the route, which will run under the 110 on Olympic to Figueroa, up to 9th, east to Flower, down to 11th, along Grand north to 1st and south to 11th, then back

to L.A. Live. However, those who need to get east-west can pass under Grand via 2nd, 3rd or 4th.

Roads will be opened on a roll-ing basis as athletes finish the race. Organizers anticipate all streets will be opened by noon.

By David MarklandU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secre-tary Shaun Donovan was on the job site of the future New Genesis apartment project on Main Street

Monday alongside Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mayor Anto-nio Villaraigosa, and Councilwoman Jan Perry. HUD TCAP funds provid-ed $9-million for the $35-million project, which is scheduled to open

in December 2011.Skid Row Housing Trust spokes-

person Molly Rysman said that when the New Genesis opens in December 2011, the New Genesis will provide 79 apartments for people at risk of becoming home-less, with the remaining 27 apart-ments reserved for artists with incomes 60% or less of the area median.

Resident applications will begin to be accepted 3 to 6 months prior to opening.

The Skid Row Housing Trust, which developed the project, will pursue community servicing retail, such as a coffee shop, art gallery, or a news stand, for the ground floor shops, according to Rysman.

Donovan said that a total of 500 jobs will be created as part of the New Genesis’ project, including 200 for construction alone, and 20 for ongoing permanent positions for tenant services and building operations.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the project was held last March, while the previous building, The Genesis, which was also a low income apartment complex, was demolished in July.

HUD Secretary Checks Out Downtown Development

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan speaks during a visit to the site of the New Genesis development, accompanied by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Councilwoman Jan Perry.

Agency funds at work on Main Street residential job



Second Connector Hearing MondayBy Eric RichardsonMetro this month released envi-ronmental documents for the Regional Connector, a project designed to connect all but one of Metro’s light rail lines into a single system. Staff took the unusual step of recommending up front that the agency’s board select the underground option despite its larger price tag. They did so largely based on the community’s vocal support for the option at community meet-ings and hearings that have been held on the project since 2007.

Metro is hosting a pair of meet-ings to collect comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The first session took place on Tuesday evening, but the transit agency will be hold-ing another next Monday from 11:30am to 1pm at the Police Administration Building’s Deaton Auditorium (100 W. 1st).

After the 45-day comment peri-od, Metro’s Board of Directors will vote on whether to take the staff recommendation and make the fully-underground option its “locally preferred alternative.”


event’s growth make it unclear how the event will move forward and who will be running it if it does. At the same time, Lopez is moving forward on a pair of events that continue pieces of the Art Walk’s aims.

GROWTH OF AN EVENT

The first Downtown Art Walk took place on September 9, 2004, with eight galleries participating. The event was the brainchild of gallery owner Bert Green, who had moved his Bert Green Fine Arts to the corner of 5th and Main earlier in the year.

The first event was tiny, attracting less than 100 people. It quickly grew, though, and six months later Green told the L.A. Times that his gallery was seeing approxi-mately 200 visitors each walk.

When Green decided to hand over the reins after four and a half years, those numbers had climbed into the thousands, but the night had also hit growing pains. In the Spring of 2009 LAPD for the first time cracked down on unpermitted art and craft vending taking place on the sidewalks. In March, art supply store Raw Materials had its front window broken out by a drunken shoplifter.

New director Richard Schave created the event’s first real structure, registering the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk as a Cali-fornia public benefit corporation in June of 2009. While Schave’s tenure as head of the event did not last long — he resigned five months later — the structure he created lives on.

Lopez was picked as the non-profit’s second director in December of 2009, a time when the event was attracting 10,000 participants monthly.

His tenure now proves to be similarly short-lived. A Sunday release by the non-profit board called Lopez the event’s “former director.”

SUCCESS CREATES CHALLENGES

The Art Walk’s explosive growth has left it straining against that organic structure as those involved try to figure out who should be paying for services such as trash and security.

Because the Art Walk takes place on Spring and Main, cleanup after the event has largely been left to the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District (BID), an entity funded by an assessment on neighbor-hood property owners. That was ok when the Art Walk was small, said BID Executive Director Russell Brown. “Back then, instead of our normal five people in the evening, we would have eight people in the evening,” he explained. These days, the BID requires a staff of 25 to manage logistics on Art Walk night.

This summer, the BID presented the Art Walk non-profit with a bill for its services. “After months and months and months of saying ‘these are the costs, this is what we’re doing,’ we actually just put it in writing,”

Brown said.The BID isn’t the only group looking to

see costs reimbursed. To maintain order as crowds grew, LAPD has also played an increasingly large role in the event. Reserve and off-duty officers have been volunteer-ing their time to show up to the event, but the department is now looking to the non-profit to cover policing costs for the event. Current discussions would have the depart-ment supplying 16 officers each month at a cost of just over $7,000 per event.

The night’s boisterous atmosphere has also brought it into increasing conflict with neighborhood residents who chafe at the noise generated by the night’s many bands and DJs. Some long-time residents of the Historic Core now avoid the night and its scene rather than stay to enjoy it.

WHO CONTROLS ART WALK?

Sunday’s release also said that the board is “currently engaged in discussion of poten-tial changes and improvements.” While it did not lay out what those options might be, commenters on the initial announce-ment questioned how any one group could control the fate of an event that has become so strongly associated with life in the Historic Core.

There are signs that the non-profit board has been questioning its own usefulness. Multiple sources told blogdowntown that the board had chosen earlier this month to dissolve itself. While board member and press representative Wicks Walker would not confirm that on Tuesday, he said that the body was considering many options. “Our agenda is to juggle everybody’s interests, and to try to preserve the good that’s coming out of this thing,” he said. “To that end, what-ever structure, whatever budget, whatever organizational plan is best to preserve that is what we’ll do.”

Walker said that it was too early to know exactly what costs the non-profit would be responsible for in keeping the event going, but that he believes the funds are out there. “The overwhelming response from everybody is that we want to find a way to keep this going,” he said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Among business owners, though, opinions of the Art Walk seem split.

Furniture store (Sub)Urban opened last year in the heart of Art Walk at 5th and Main. Owner Ronnie Gene said Monday that “part of my business plan is built around Art Walk.” While Art Walk attendees may not buy much on the night of event, Gene said that the event has been an important piece of creating awareness for the store.

Jonny Cota of avant-garde boutique Skin-graft tells a similar story. “[Art Walk night is] a headache,” he says, “but the week after Art Walk is always the best of the month” for sales.

Old Bank DVD was an early Art Walk participant, but co-owner Erik Loysen said the store stopped providing wine and cheese during the event three years ago. “People came in to eat dinner,” he said. While the

store is wary of signing people up during Art Walk night since many attendees are from out of the area, he does believe that the event has a long-term benefit for his store as people are surprised to see a DVD store in the area.

That’s not the case for all business cate-gories. Startup restaurants and bars have long counted on the Art Walk to make their monthly rent.

FINDING SOLUTIONS

Developer Tom Gilmore thinks it is impor-tant to keep Art Walk intact because of the way it shows Downtown’s potential. “When it is at its best, Art Walk provides an unbe-lievable opportunity to see what Downtown is capable of in the coming years,” he said.

Still, he said that it is important to work with all involved to set a structure for the event. “The crowd ultimately conforms to the format you put in place,” he said. “If you focus it as a party, it’ll become a party.”

In a meeting with property owners that will take place after this issue goes to press, Gilmore plans to suggest some ground rules dealing with music on the sidewalks and alcohol served in galleries and events.

He feels that property owners are going to need to play a more direct role in funding the event.

UP IN THE AIR

As of press time on Tuesday evening, the downtownartwalk.com website still shows

Lopez’s 149-word announcement about the cancellation of the 2010 events. Walker said Tuesday that the board is still attempting to get access information from Lopez to change the site back and restore its content.

He said that the board is meeting with stakeholders throughout the week as the event’s future is decided.

As for Lopez, he says the weekend’s controversy does not change his vision for the weekend Art Walk. He is proceeding with the plans he announced on Friday to reshape the Art Walk into a quarterly event that would take place on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6pm. He said that it is important that the Art Walk remain about the galleries, and that the new structure will make that happen.

He also hopes to launch a new event called Off Broadway, bringing performing arts, theatre and cinema to venues on and around Broadway at free or low cost.

That event, which he hopes to launch in December, would take place on the familiar second Thursday of each month.

A few days back it looked like that might be a quiet night. Now it might just be one with a little extra going on.

Art Walk Changes


Continued from Page 1


Everydayyday

they may have noticed is the brand new, eight-sided high-definition scoreboard that even includes underside LED screens for those with premium seats to keep up on

the action.At an unveiling the day before,

the Lakers’ Sasha Vujacic, the Clip-pers’ Craig Smith, and the Kings’ Matt Greene were on hand to press

the Staples “easy button,” activating a presentation on the panoramic displays in broadcast quality 720p HD.

Lee Zeidman, General Manager of Staples Center, said that in 1999 the previous scoreboard was state of the art, but in 12 years it had become outdated. He boasted that the new screen is “the best you’ll see in any venue in any arena anywhere.”

The scoreboard is made of four 22’ x 14’ HD screens with 720p displays, a number of smaller boards in the corner gaps, two LED “halos” circling the top and bottom of the screens, and the four underside screens — an extra perk for anyone with seats alongside Jack Nicholson.

“These boards underneath will allow the fans who are close to the rink or court to see replays, scoring, and things they havent seen before,” Zeidman explained.

Panasonic, which became a part-ner with the L.A. Live complex in 2009, custom designed the score-

board for Staples Center.Due to the arena’s busy schedule,

preliminary construction began at the Convention Center next door. Installation shifted to the arena immediately after the Sparks’ WNBA season ended, giving the venue a tight 50-day schedule in order to have it ready for tonight’s NHL pre-season game.

While Panasonic and AEG looked at arena screens around the world for ideas on the board’s features, they then had to make them work within the confines of the arena. Because the existing hoist system was being reused, the scoreboard’s weight couldn’t change, and the final design needed to fit into the existing nesting position so that the board could be tucked away for concerts.

Still, Zeidman doesn’t think that led to any compromises.

“I don’t think there’s any other place on the planet that has this,” he said. “Fan excitement is gonna be amazing.”

By David MarklandWhen Kings fans entered Staples Center last Thursday for the team’s inaugural pre-season game against the Phoenix Coyotes, the first thing

Staples’ New CenterpieceArena unveils new scoreboard designed in partnership with Panasonic


By Pamela RousePershing Square’s statue collection currently contains two war memo-rials and a famous composer, but it could soon be adding its first emperor.

Cyrus the Great was founder of the Persian Empire in 600 AD. He reigned for approximately thirty years and is credited with leading massive military campaigns that expanded the empire into South-west and Central Asia. He is known for fairness, allowing freedom of religion and cultural diversity under his rule.

He’s also a historic figure that Downtown property owner and Iranian-American Ezat Dalijani thinks more Downtowners should know about.

City Council on Tuesday voted to move forward on Delijani’s offer to pay for the design, fabrication,

installation and maintenance of a statue to Cyrus the Great in the Downtown park.

Councilwoman Jan Perry, who introduced the statue motion in May, says that she admires the reasoning behind Delijani’s request.

“He was inspired by a similar monument in Australia that was designed as a symbol of Cyrus the Great’s commitment to multicul-turalism and cultural tolerance,” she explains. “This will be a great historic and artistic focal point in Downtown.”

The Australian work is a bas relief sculpture designed by Fereshteh Sadegh and created by artist Lewis Batros which was placed in Sydney’s Bicentennial Park in 1994.

The statue must still be approved by the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners and the Cultural Affairs Commission.

Pershing Getting Cyrus?Council votes to add statue of Persian emperor

Broadway Centennial Summer for June 2011Month of films, art, theatre and tours to honor oldest theatres

Bringing Back Broadway on Tuesday announced the Broadway Centennial Summer, a month of films, art, theatre and tours to honor the street’s three oldest surviving theatres.

The Arcade Theatre (original-ly the Pantages) turned 100 on September 26, while the Cameo Theatre (originally Clune’s Broad-

way) follows on October 10. The Palace Theatre (originally the Orpheum) has its centennial on June 26, 2011.

“It will be an honor to bring atten-tion to these centennial milestones of history, culture and entertain-ment born on Broadway,” said Councilmember José Huizar. “The theatres and movie palaces stand

as tribute to where we have come from, as we build a bright future for this important and beautiful part of Los Angeles’ legacy.”

Taking part in the festivities will be the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats series, which will be in its 25th year of screenings.

The Cameo Theatre (left), the Arcade Theatre (middle) and the Palace Theatre (right) were all opened within a nine month stretch in 1910-1911.

Calling All SuperheroesBy David MarklandPull out your best spandex and join comedian Will Ferrell on Saturday morning at L.A. Live in an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for the “Largest Superhero Gather-ing.”

What is being billed as a promo-tion for the upcoming DreamWorks Animation film “MegaMind,” out

November 5th, sounds more like some sort of plot to contain all the world’s superheroes all in one spot as part of a criminal mastermind’s nefarious plan.

The event is “open to all caped crusaders wishing to join the fun,” but according to Guinness rules, “all interested participants must arrive dressed as an easily recognisable

superhero that has appeared in a published book, comic, television program or film.”

Costumed superheroes should meet at L.A. Live at 8am, where they’ll be served a “mega-breakfast” from hosts DreamWorks Anima-tion before attempting to break the record at 10am.

1,501 participants will be need-ed Saturday to officially break the record.


Details Set for First CicLAvia October 10th event will turn eight miles of streets over to cyclists, pedes-trians and skateboarders

By David MarklandAngelenos will be able to celebrate 10-10-10 by literally playing in the steets.

On October 10th, an eight mile ribbon of city streets will be closed off to cars for CicLAvia, a five hour event aimed at encour-aging the public to walk, skate or ride a bike.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Coun-cilmembers Eric Garcetti, Jose Huizar, Tom LaBonge and Bill Rosendahl joined cycling advocates last Wednesday to offi-cially announce L.A.’s first “open road” day for October 10th, the path of which will run between Melrose and the 101 to the west and 4th Street near Hollenbeck Park to the East.

On the event’s website, participants are encouraged to “walk, bike, skateboard, skate, run, dance, explore, hang out, walk dogs, or come up with your own exciting activities.”

Villaraigosa said that he had seen similar events in Copenhagen and Mexico City, and believed Los Angeles needed its own open

street day to “give people a break from the stress of car traffic,” and show them “what’s possible if more of us get on a bike and out of our cars.”

Councilmembers Garcetti and Huizar expressed their belief that the event would create community, giving neighbors a chance to get to know each other.

The event is inspired by the ciclovías of Bogotá, Colombia, which began 30 years ago as a response to growing traffic and air pollution.

The city is covering the costs of road closures and public safety, while CicLAvia has raised over $70,000 so far for additional expenses. The group hopes to expand the event to multiple neighborhoods in 2011.

“It is my hope that events like CicLAvia will make cycling, skating, and walking more prevalent around this great city and help Angelenos feel more connected with their great communities,” the Mayor said.

on october 10th, Ciclavia will close off the following downtown streets: 7th from west of the 110 freeway to spring, spring between 1st and 7th, 1st between spring and Central, Central between 1st and 4th, 4th from Central to east of the los angeles river.

“soft closures” at the following

locations will allow autos to cross the route on normal light cycles: along 7th at Figueroa, Grand, and broadway; along spring at at 6th and 3rd; crossing 1st at los ange-les; and crossing alameda at 3rd.

For additional maps and details visit ciclavia.org.


David Verdecia, Anaheim Fire Department

A Loaded ClimbFor those competing in the Full Gear division of last Friday’s YMCA’s Stairclimb, just getting up there isn’t enoughBy Eric RichardsonDavid Verdecia’s time of 24:53 wasn’t anywhere near the fastest among those who climbed the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower on Friday for the YMCA’s Stairclimb to the Top. Elite competition winner Tim Van Orden’s 9:43 would have left Verdecia in his dust.

But Van Orden wasn’t making the climb wearing an extra 50 pounds of firefighting gear.

“This is something that as a firefighter, we may have to do,” Verdecia explained at the tower’s base. “If the 73rd floor of this build-

ing is on fire, we’re going to have to climb up there in our gear.”

Along with the weight of a three-layer turn-out, helmet and oxygen bottle, those making the climb in fire gear also had to deal with the added factor of the suit’s heat retention and their body’s inability to breathe properly.

“The question really is how much work can we do once we get up there,” Verdecia pointed out, noting that in such a situation firefighters would often require time to recov-er before being able to do any firefighting.

Increasing the climb’s realism was impor-

tant to Eric Ingstad of L.A. City Fire Station #57, who made his fourth climb up the tower in full gear.

For Friday’s climb he added a hose pack and an axe to his normal gear, tacking on an additional 20 pounds. He also talked the other climbers from his station into doing the same.

“A fireman isn’t any good without a hose up at the top,” he noted. “If it really was a fire we want to have our equipment: we’ve got forceable entry in case we need to get in if it’s locked, we’ve got our masks and masks and face piece in case we need to go on oxygen and we’ve got a hose so that we could put the fire out.”

All participants in the climb helped to raise money for Downtown’s Ketchum YMCA. The stairclimb is the facility’s biggest fundraiser, with this year’s event expected to raise over $300,000.


Food

DINNER$26Border Grill; CASA Cocina & Can-tina; The Farm of Beverly Hills at L.A. LIVE; Magnolia Downtown; O Bar & Kitchen; Soi 7; Urban Noodle; Wolfgang Puck Bistro; The Lazy Ox Canteen

$34Cafe Pinot; Chaya Downtown; Daily Grill; First & Hope; Katsuya - L.A. Live; LA Market by Kerry Simon; Maria’s Italian Kitchen; Noe Restau-rant & Bar; Pete’s Cafe & Bar; Rosa Mexicano at L.A. Live; Roy’s Hawai-ian Fusion Cuisine; Sai Sai Modern Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar; The Palm Restaurant; The Restaurant at The Standard; Traxx; Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live; Yojie Japa-nese Fondue & Sake Bar; Zucca Ristorante

$44Drago Centro; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse: L.A. Live; L.A. Prime; Morton’s The Steakhouse; Rivera Restaurant; Water Grill

LUNCH$16Border Grill; Magnolia Downtown; O Bar & Kitchen; Soi 7; Starry Kitchen; Wolfgang Puck Bistro; The Lazy Ox Canteen

$22Cafe Pinot; Chaya Downtown; First & Hope; LA Market by Kerry Simon; Maria’s Italian Kitchen; Rosa Mexi-cano at L.A. Live; Sai Sai Modern Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar; Seoul Jung; Smeraldi’s Restaurant; The Palm Restaurant; The Restaurant at The Standard; Traxx; Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live; Yojie Japa-nese Fondue & Sake Bar; Zucca Ristorante

$28Drago Centro;Morton’s The Steak-house; Rivera Restaurant; Water Grill

By Pamela RouseTony Pardines didn’t start out in hot dogs, rather he fell into it by chance. Pardines’ background is commercial photography, video and film work. When the economy started to take a turn, he looked for a way that he could pursue his artistic side while making a living.

In March of this year, Tony took up the hot dog vending business and established his location in the heart of the Old Bank District’s Harlem Alley.

Pardines says running a cart has low over-head and allows him to be a little creative when coming up with different hot dogs.

Many of the hot dogs are named after streets in Los Angeles. He has something called the “Mulholland” which is a bacon bacon Swiss dog. He named his Chicago style dog “The Wilshire,” and the “The Fairfax” is a New York style dog, loaded with sauerkraut and served with brown, deli style mustard.

He likes to change his menu around, introducing new items now and again. He’s

Dogs in the AlleyTony’s Arts-n-Eats Serves Up Hot Dogs in Harlem Alley

dineLA ReturnsStarting on Monday, 36 Downtown restau-rants will be taking part in dineLA, a two-week dining event assembled by the the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau (LA INC.), American Express and approximately 300 Los Angeles eateries with the goal of inspiring you to get out and try the city’s culinary offerings.

Between October 3rd and the 15th (but not the 9th), participating restaurants are providing specially priced three-course lunch

and dinner menus. Diners simply need to show up at any of the DineLA locations with an empty belly and their wallet, no tickets necessary.

Depending on the location, menu items will have one of three tiers of pricing for the lunch or dinner meal: Lunches: $16, $22, and $28. Dinners: $26, $34, and $44. (All prices exclude tax, gratuity, and beverages.)

To check out the menus, visit dinela.com.

Photo by PaMEla rousE

36 Downtown Eateries Participating with Lunch and Dinner Deals

Continued on Page 11


Nightlifeg

By Michael F. RobletoDowning artisanal cocktails and microbrews around downtown is undoubtedly the way most of us roll, but occasionally you get drawn to tear up a dance floor. This guide will list the top hot spots to dance Downtown, other than the obvious choices of The Standard and The Conga Room at L.A. Live.

Club 740

Situated in a grandiose former Broadway theater, this club is noth-ing short of being impressive to the eye. The grandeur of the balconies and the ornate décor takes you back to the Mad Men era.

Focus on the dance floor takes center stage at Club 740 and a large investment has been made on high-end lighting and laser shows reminding one of a Vegas based mega club.

However the similarities end there. The bathrooms aren’t great and you can see significant wear and tear throughout the club. Bartenders are light on the pour and heavy on the credit card charg-es, so it’s best to pay with cash. The crowd is generally not a Downtown one and leans to be a bit on the sketchy and overly-aggressive-to-women type of crowd. The club is at its best for reserving a VIP booth when your favorite DJ or hip hop artist is performing.

Open Friday and Saturday nights with special events once a month on Sundays. Enter through alley

between Broadway and Spring. Cover charge varies. 740 S Broad-way (at 8th Street) 213-627-6277

B-52

One of the newer dance halls Downtown, B-52 has a very year-2000 vibe to it. The large open hall feel is reminiscent of a small industrial rave, the large underlit bar screams South Beach and linge-rie clad go-go girls are straight out of a import car show.

Add in a serious sound system and dramatic lighting and you have a place that is prime to get your dance on. Best of all there is rarely a line here and the massive bar houses a gaggle of bartenders making it easy for one to get a drink.

The crowds vary from your stan-dard ethnic group theme--with the most diversity on Thursday nights. The open schedule is sporadic with Thursdays through Sundays being the possible nights of business.

Note, all seating in the club is by reservation, so call ahead to book if you are coming with a group. Cover charge is $20. 801 S. Hill. 213-489-4342

Elevate Lounge

This club seems to rule the roost when it comes to Downtown dance clubs. The views are a big plus, taking advantage of the venue’s location up on the 21st floor, tucked amidst the Downtown skyline.Exposed and ample seating wraps around the entire club doubling as a

smoking lounge, yet the club never seems smokey.

The club features one main bar and two small temporary bars that are always busy, so exercise patience when ordering. The dance floor is on the smaller size when compared to other clubs in Downtown but the crowd is definitely on the more upscale end proving value with the line that often forms outside. Gener-ally men pay a cover charge and women are allowed in free. One tip is to have dinner at Takami located on the very same floor. Take care of your waiter and you can most often get in without the line hassle or cover. Dress code in the form of collared shirts for guys is strictly enforced. Currently only open Friday and Saturday unless is it a

special events. 811 Wilshire Blvd 213-623-7100

Exchange LA

This is Downtown’s most often talked about club. The former Stock Exchange has been upgraded with impressive décor, lighting and sound as well as a stage for musical performances, but unfortunately the crowd hasn’t upgraded along with it. The Exchange needs some work in the form of a crowd draw to become a downtown favorite. Credit card purchases require a $30 minimum and the wait is most often four to five people deep. The the look and potential of this location are the best part and most Downtowners often go here for special events like the Official DTLA ArtWalk after party. Cover charge is $20 for guys and girls. Open to the public Friday and Saturday nights. 618 S. Spring St 213-627-8070

Get Your Groove On

J Lounge

Running double-duty as a club and a restaurant J Lounge gets really jumping on Friday and Saturday nights. The multi levels and a massive outdoor patio make it easy for large groups to land and roam throughout the night. An Asian-fusion crowd is the norm. An upstairs room features a large dance floor with an oddly low ceiling so it tends to get a little warm, but you can always dip to the outside smoking lounge located on the same floor to cool off. Drinks are priced reasonably and bottle service is available. Cover charge ranges from $15 to $20 depending on the night.

1119 S. Olive St 213-746-7746

LA Cita

The king of dive bar dancing, La Cita is the strongest draw for down-town locals liking to dance. Heavy on the Mexican vibe, the crowd is an eclectic mix of Latino immi-grants and hipsters looking to get away from anything mainstream. Drinks here are cheap and the music is played loud. A large outdoor patio features a separate bar and an escape from the thumping bass inside. Crowds vary according to themes like ‘Mustache Mondays’ for the gay crowd and Punk Reggae for the alternative crowd. The general feeling is this place is always upbeat so if you don’t care about fancy plac-es and just want to get sweaty on the dance floor, La Cita is for you.

The Mayan

Not frequented by Downtowners as much as some of the other main-stays, The Mayan is nothing short of massive and nothing short of being 90 percent Hispanic. Modern salsa and hip hop dominates the main dance floor and Spanish music packs the basement dance floor. Drinks are cheap, incredibly

Looking for Downtown spots to dance? Here are a few suggestions


Photo CourtEsy ExChanGE l.a.

An active dance floor at Elevate Lounge, found on the 21st floor amidst the highrises

One of the bars inside Exchange L.A., which recently opened inside the historic Stock Exchange building

Photo CourtEsy ElEvatE lounGE


Part of the Cedd Moses arsenal of cocktail cathedrals, Cana Rum Bar is part dive and part tiki hut and 100% delicious. One of the more intimate bars in DTLA, Cana specializes in drinks and straight rum and they done it very well. Cana is a membership based bar (member ship is waived if you hold a DTLA resident card) and the membership has it’s benefits, includ-ing free end of the month tastings to get you better acquainted with this lesser known spirit.

To aid in your run education I stopped into Cana to chat with Julian Wayser, the resident cocktail encyclo-pedia and get the goods on one of his favorite drinks served at Cana. Julian chose to share the recipe of the Nils-son Sling, a drink he claims “is ideal for drinking at 3 in the afternoon, preferably within 100 yards of water”. I am sure a rooftop pool would appease Julian’s recommendation.

Julian Wayser is a globe trotting bartender with tenure in Chicago, Paris and Los Angeles. An eclectic fellow Julian “likes the idea of cock-tails as rudimentary portraiture” and claims to enjoy hot air balloon-ing when he is not slinging drinks behind a bar. His favorite drink is a shot of rye whiskey followed by a shot of Amaro Ramzzotti followed by a tennis match.

BY MICHAEL F. ROBLETO

THE NILSSON SLING MARGARITA OF CAñA AS CRAFTED BY JULIAN WAYSER

Ingredients:1.5 oz Barbados Rum

.5 oz Dolin Bianco Vermouth

.25 oz Benedictine

1 oz lime juice

2 small strawberries

Can Sugar Coca Cola (the Dutch or Mexican variety)

Candied Papaya

Ice

Directions: In a tin: Muddle strawberries, the n add all ingredients except the Coke. Shake with a pinch of crushed ice to incorporate. Strain into a tall Collins glass filled with ice. Top with Coke. Garnish with candied papaya. Then consume.

Mix Like a MasterDTLA’s cocktail recipes broken down

Caña Rum Bar714 W. Olympic(213) 745-7090www.canarumbar.com@213downtownla

strong and it is most often a very friendly vibe. If you are not into the whole Latin thing, try checking this venue out for one of its many special events and or concerts like Lucha Va Voom in October. Cover charge is $10 before 10:30 and $20

after. Open Friday and Saturday. 1038 S. Hill St 213-746-4287

Hopefully this guide will get you off that bar stool and into one of the many spots we have in Downtown LA just remember to leave your glow sticks at home.

Have a favorite spot in Downtown

LA to dance that is not listed here? Well then, chime in and share with the community in the comment section online.


Get Your Groove OnContinued from Page 10

Continued from Page 9planning to add iced teas (such as a Thai Iced tea), and some fresh fruit coolers with 100% fruit juice.

“Everything is fresh,” he says, so if a dog or one of his “Art House” sandwiches isn’t moving, he may choose to drop it from the menu.

Right now you can partner your dog or kielbasa with the usual suspects, soda, sparkling water, bottled water.. and a variety of “Tim’s” brand chips (maker of Maui Onion kettle chips).

He runs the cart Monday through Friday from about Noon to 4 PM (or later if it stays busy). His long opening is Art Walk, when he comes in for his regular hours and stays through the whole evening. “I closed down around Midnight that night” he noted.

If he has a catering job or free-

lance work and can’t make it, he’ll make sure customers know. “He’s so nice,” says frequent customer Mark Dean. “He’ll leave a note on the wall if he can’t make it.” When that happens, he says he’ll come back for lunch the next day.

“I like this neighborhood,” Pardines says of the Old Bank District, proud that something as simple as a hotdog can make the people there happy.

Tony’s Arts -N- Eats, 116 1/2 W. 4th (in Harlem Alley), Los Angeles, CA 90013

Besides serving up a really good dog, Pardines caters events as well. Inquiries can be made at 323.377.3210

Tony’s Arts-n-EatsPhoto by PaMEla rousE


514 S. Springthelatc.org

It is back to basics for LATC with the bilingual story of a family in “search of a better life, separated by borders, lost dreams and lost identity.” The play was the first production put on by the Latino Theatre Company and the revival marks their 25th Anniversary.

MUSICJerry RiveraThu Sep 30 8pmConga Room L.A. Live800 W. Olympiccongaroom.com

Puerto Rico born Jerry Rivera, the Golden Boy of Salsa, hits the Conga Room.

MUSICJosh Walchez GroupThu Sep 30 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E S OnizukaSuite 301(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.com Josh Walchez (trumpet) with Matt Otto (tenor sax), Ryan Seward (guitar), Ryan Mc-

CalendarMUSICPerformance ForumThu Sep 30 11amThayer HallThe Colburn School200 S. Grandcolburnschool.edu

Solo and chamber music performances by Conserva-tory students, as selected by Conservatory faculty.

TALKAloud: The Tenth ParallelThu Sep 30 7pmLos Angeles Central LibraryMark Taper Auditorium630 W. 5thlfla.org

For Aloud at Central Library, Eliza Griswold discusses “The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam” with Loyola Marymount University professor Amir Hussain.

TALK‘Ideas on Trial’Thu Sep 30 6:30pmMOCA Ahmanson Auditorium250 N. Grandmoca.org

USC Professor of Philosophy Edwin McCann will discuss the trial as a source of social and cultural tensions and how post-World War II era abstract expressionists and early pop artists approached it as sub-ject. Free.

MUSICJim J. BullockSep 30 7:30pm and 9:30pmFirst & Hope Supper Club710 W. 1stfirstandhope.com

Jim J. Bullock may be known as Monroe Fiscus on the 80s sitcom “Too Close For Comfort,” but it is his work on stage, including his stint as Wilbur in “Hairspray” on Broadway and for the National Touring Company, that has be-come notable.

THEATER PREVIEWLa Victima; 25th Anniversary RevivalThu Sep 30 at 8pm (Runs until October 31)Los Angeles Theatre Center (Theater 3)

Gillicuddy (bass) and Jason Harnell (drums).

MUSICClovis de la ForetThu Sep 30 8pmRedwood Bar and Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.com

Clovis de la Foret, The Far-away Places, Loch & Key.

MUSICPhil the HouseFri Oct 1 7:30pm and Sat Oct 2 1:35pmDisney Hall111 S. Grandlaphil.com

Conductor Manuel Lopez and the Los Angeles Philharmonic explore the history of the piano with music by Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and more. Free and families welcomed.

FILMCarrieFri Oct 1 8pm Pershing Square 532 S. Olive laparks.org/pershingsquare

Pershing Square’s Friday Night Fright Flicks series kicks off with a screening of direc-tor Brian de Palma’s 1976 film Carrie. Picnics welcome, but alcohol prohibited at the out-door screening.

MUSICThe Avett Brothers & Brandi CarlileFri Oct 1 8pm Nokia Theatre L.A. Live 800 W. Olympic nokiatheatrelalive.com

Rock, country, folk or what-ever you may call it, The Avett Brothers will play its version of twang-with-bang at Nokia Theatre, featuring an appear-ance by Brandi Carlile. Open-ing act; Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

MUSICBenise: The Spanish GuitarFri Oct 1 8pmClub Nokia800 W. Olympicclubnokia.com

Spanish Flamenco guitarist Roni Benise and his theatrical music and dance spectacle “The Spanish Guitar.”

MUSICWhite Flag DownFri Oct 1 8pmRedwood Bar and Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.com

White Flag Down with The Karma Dealers, Dirty Eyes and Bat Bombs.

MUSICAmber Weeks Fri Oct 1 8:30pm and 10:30pmFirst & Hope Supper Club710 W. 1stfirstandhope.com

Jazz vocalist Amber Weeks

October 9 will be the 70th anni-versary of John Lennon’s birth, and the week leading up to the date will see a number of events held Downtown, including two concerts and a conversation with his widow, Yoko Ono.

Ono will bring the Plastic Ono Band, which made its debut in 1969 with Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” and was revived in 2009, to Broadway’s Orpheum Theater on October 1 and 2.

The avant-garde selection includes Iggy Pop, Tune-Yards, and Perry Farrell. Lady Gaga will join Ono on October 2, while other guests inked are Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Harper Simon, the RZA, Carrie Fisher and Sean Lennon.

On Sunday, October 3, Ono will be the guest of the Grammy Museum’s “An Evening With” series for a quieter public trib-ute to her fallen husband that will also introduce the upcoming Grammy exhibit, “John Lennon, Songwriter.”

“John Lennon, Songwriter” opens to Grammy Museum members on October 3 and to the general public October 4.

Ono has loaned the exhibition a number of personal items, includ-ing guitars, original drawings and handwritten lyrics, and a pair of round wire-rimmed glasses that in the later years of Lennon’s life became as iconic as the hairstyle from his earlier days with The Beatles.

While Ono won’t be pres-ent, the Beatles tie-ins continue through October as a pair of trib-ute bands take to Downtown stag-es. “The Fab Four will play Nokia Theater on October 9, while “The Fab Faux” will be at the Orpheum on October 23.

Yoko Ono: We Are Plas-tic Ono BandFri Oct 1 8pm and Sat Oct 2 8pmOrpheum Theatre842 S. Broadwaylaorpheum.com

The Wiggle RoomFri Oct 1 8pm (Runs through Oct 24)Company of Angels at The Alexandria 501 S. Spring, 3rd Floor companyofangels.org

Written exclusively for Company of Angels, the Wiggle Room officially opens the Fall Season for CoA. It also seems to be written exclusively for Downtown.

Set in 2008 on the day the Dow lost 777 points, the Wiggle Room is the story of Luke and Phil, who inherit their father’s rundown hotel and hope to turn it into something profitable. That is until they become entangled with three attractive sisters who are set on changing their plans.

Critically acclaimed playwright Oliver Mayer considers the Wiggle Room as a metaphor for the bank of life, and the cast in their own way, reexamines society and how people are valued.

OCT 1ST THROUGH OCT 24TH THURSDAY-SATURDAY AT 8PMSUNDAY AT 7PM

Photo by CoMPany oF anGEls


MUSICLucia ImanFri Oct 1 8pmCafé Metropol cafemetropol.com

Lucia Iman returns to Café Metropol with Lorca Hart and Joey Maramba.

COMEDYDowntown Comedy Club Fri Oct 1 8pm, 9pmThe Exchange114 W. 5thdowntowncomedyclub.com

The 8pm show features Liz Stewart, Tara Igoe, Jeremy Beth Michaels, Fia Perrera, and Maria Shehata. The 9pm show features Margaret Smith, Nancy Reed, Cindy Burns, Laura Maninno, Nancy Jo Perdue.

MUSIC Aids WolfThe Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgAids Wolf with Audacity, Todd Congelliere and Xbxrx

MUSICMatt OttoFri Oct 1 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E S OnizukaSuite 301(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.comMatt 0tto (sax) with Jamie Rosenn (guitar), and Jason Harnell (drums)

TALKBest Friends ForeverSat Oct 2 2pmJapanese American National Museum369 E. 1st janm.org

JANM hosts a reading of “Best Friends Forver, A WWII Scrap-book” by its author Beverly Patt. The story of a fictional scrapbook between 14-year-old Louise Krueger and her best friend, Dottie Masuoka, who must move to a concen-tration camp for Japanese Americans in Washington State. There will be a book signing after the program.

By Mark FisherFans were certainly disappointed when the French band Air recently announced the cancellation of their performance at the Shrine Audito-rium in October. Fortunately, these same fans have an opportunity to seek refuge with other French musi-cians playing in Los Angeles this week.

Paris-based Gotan Project will be making a rare special appearance at Club Nokia L.A. Live on Satur-day, October 2nd, making the show one of only four North American appearances on their Fall/Winter tour.

The last time Gotan Project played Los Angeles was in 2006 with Zero 7 and Matthew Herbert at the Hollywood Bowl for KCRW’s World Festival series. The legendary radio station welcomes them back to Downtown L.A. this time around thanks to the Ooh LA L.A. Festival.

The culturally diverse trio consisting of Philippe Cohen Solal, Eduardo Makaroff and Christoph H. Müller formed in Paris more than 10 years ago. Although it may sound strange on paper, Gotan Project has managed to successfully mix tango, jazz and folkloric music with vari-ous electronic samples and beats. They’ve done it so well, in fact, that BBC Radio 1 DJ and taste-maker Gilles Peterson took notice and introduced the musicians to his global audience by way of radio spins. Since their formation, the group has released three studio albums, sold more than 2,000,000

records and performed in over 400 concerts around the world. The group has also picked up several TV and film credits along the way including “The Bourne Identity,” “Ocean’s 12” and “Knight and Day.”

Gotan Project is touring in support of their new album Tango 3.0, which was released in April 2010. The record includes contri-butions from Dr. John (“Tango Square”), football commentator Victor Hugo Morales (“La Gloria”) and the late Argentinean author Jules Cortázar (“Rayuela”). Gotan Project’s live show offers a capti-vating and unique performance that offers plenty of interesting eye candy and live instrumentation. It would be an injustice not to mention the pinstripe 3-piece suits from the 30s that the band wears on stage.

Founding member Müller took a moment to hang up his fedora and speak with blogdowntown all the way from Paris for this exclusive interview.

How did Gotan Proj-ect come to be?

I grew up in Switzerland and started with electronic music in the early 80s. I had a band in Swit-zerland that was successful in the late 80s (Touch El Arab). After that, I moved to Paris in the early 90s and met Philippe Cohen Solal. We worked together for a few years on different kinds of music, which was somewhat electronic. We also worked on films, visuals, advertis-ing and that kind of stuff. At some

point, Eduardo Makaroff (who moved from Argentina to Paris) got in touch with our label. He had some ideas of doing something with his tango music and that is how this all came together.

Why did you move from Switzerland to Paris in the first place?

Actually, there were two reasons. At the time, I was studying Histo-ry and Sociology and could get a scholarship for my studies. During this same time, I had a music proj-ect with a singer from New York who lived in Paris. We did a record together and this brought me to Paris to work together with her. It was electronica-folk music. I was supposed to stay for one year and now it’s been almost 17 years.

Would you say that tango was a strong influence from the beginning or was it just something that came to be?

When we started, we were one tango musician and two guys coming from electronic music. This is how the project started. Our idea was to try something with the music and experiment with this style. We were looking for new inspiration within the electronic music we were doing. We were working with Brazil-ian music and other stuff, but were looking for a new kind of feeling. We wanted more club-oriented music at that time. Tango seemed to be a very interesting angle, but not very obvious. It started off as some kind of one-off experiment.

Were you into electronic music growing up?

When I started getting interested in music, I was an electronic music “purist.” My big influences were Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, early Depeche Mode, The Residents, and a lot of new wave/post-punk music. Gradually, I started to evolve by getting into early hip-hop like Afrika Bambaataa. I then started getting interested in traditional music from different parts of the world. I began to discover jazz which I didn’t know very well. I continued to evolve and got into Latin American music. It seems to be some kind of natural evolution.

Gotan Project is known to perform a very visual live show. Can we expect the same with the latest tour?

Absolutely. We have a complete-ly new show very much based on visuals. We have completely new videos. It’s really different from

what people may have seen in the past. We’re still Gotan Project with seven musicians on stage, but the videos may be even more important than before.

How are these visuals coor-dinated? Does someone come to you with ideas?

There’s a video artist named Pris-ca Lobjoy. She has been working with us from the very beginning. She does our videos and CD covers. For the first time ever, she came into the studio while we were working on the music. She listened to the music and we brainstormed ideas. This time we developed the visuals almost parallel to the music. I think the result is very interesting. She doesn’t illustrate the music. It’s like another story or layer to the music. I think people can really get into the music through the images. Thy give you more access to it.

Air and Phoenix are pretty big in the States. Are you fans of these acts and are there other French artists you’re into?

CM: We know the guys from Air pretty well. We’re definitely aware of their music. We really like Daft Punk. There are some younger electronica producers that are also interesting.

You’ve been to the U.S. before, but how’s the reception here?

I wish we could visit more places. It looks like we have good support on the West Coast and in New York and other parts on the East Coast. It’s been difficult to touch other parts of the United States. It might be that our music is in Spanish, which seems to be a little bit of a handicap.

What are some the coun-tries that are respon-sive to your music?

Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and France. As they say, no one is a prophet in their own country.

What connection do you have with football and the World Cup?

We did a track (“La Gloria”) on the new album with a really famous commentator named Victor Hugo Morales. We basically wanted to do something with football. We like to play around with the myths and pop icons from Argentina. People like Evita Perón, Diego Maradona and Che Gueverra. Tango and


Getting to Know the Gotan ProjectThe French band talks inspiration in advance of their L.A. show


SPECIAL EVENTAll That Skate L.A.Sat Oct 2 7pm and Sun Oct 3 3pmStaples Center1111 S. Figueroa staplescenter.com

The impressive slate of performers, who have lifted competitive skating, include Olympic champion Yuna Kim and local skating legend Mi-chelle Kwan. They are joined by athletic Chinese pairs skat-ers Shen Xue & Zhao Hongbo, the 2010 Olympics dance champs Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, bronze medalists Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, and the fun Johnny Weir.

MUSICAustralian Pink FloydSat Oct 2 8pmNokia Theatre L.A. Live777 Chick Hearn Courtnokiatheatrelalive.com

Selling out large venues and concert halls, Australian Pink Floyd playing a ‘greatest hits’ type show rather simulating one concept album. Or as guitarist Damian Darlington recently said: “We will of course bring a huge light show with us again.”

MUSICThe Satin Dollz with Dean MoraSat Oct 2 8pmFirst & Hope Supper Club710 W. 1stfirstandhope.com

The Satin Dollz with vocalist Dean Mora recreate a staple of 20s night club entertain-ment; cute dames and singer who is the cat’s meow.

MUSICOohlaLA FestivalSat Oct 2 8pmClub Nokia L.A. Live

800 W. Olympicclubnokia.com

A roving ensemble of Franco-themed musicians, including tango-techno trio Gotan Proj-ect, the rockish soulful free-form jazz of General Elektriks, and Colombian-lovin’ hipsters El Hijo De La Cumbia.

MUSICHot Club of DetroitSat Oct 2 8pmCafé Metropol923 E. 3rdcafemetropol.com

Hot Club of Detroit plays traditional jazz from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s with a rocking European Gypsy twist.

MUSICHenry Grimes and FriendsSat Oct 2 8:30pmREDCAT631 W. 2ndredcat.org

In the 50s and 60s, bass-ist Henry Grimes toured and recorded with jazz greats. After a 33-year disappear-ance (which he was presumed dead) he emerged from Los Angeles and moved to New York in 2003 to resume his jazz career. This is his first ap-pearance in Los Angeles since 2004.

MUSICDeath Hymn #9Sat Oct 2 9pmRedwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.com

Death Hymn #9 with San Di-ego’s one man band Chango Rey and his Broken Heart Beat, and Brownbird Relic.

MUSICA Night of VoicesSat Oct 2 8pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E S OnizukaSuite 301(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.com

Cathy Segal Garcia with Dave McKaymon, David and Theo Saunders, Cheryl Barnes and Phil Cabasso, Joyce Kwon and Jonathan Richards.

MUSICPsychic HandbookSat Oct 2 8pmThe Smell247 S. Main Stthesmell.org

Psychic Handbook with Last Eyes and Via Speculator.

By Mark FisherAlt-prog rockers Muse returned

to Downtown on Saturday, Septem-ber 25th, with two straight sold-out appearances headlining at Staples Center to showcase Resistance, their fifth studio album that was released last year. Since being signed to Madonna’s Maverick Records in late 1998, the UK band has spent the last decade building global domination with millions of records sold, numerous awards received, and tour dates at huge concerts and festivals with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Chemical Romance and U2. Quite a feat considering the group started out playing small L.A. venues like the Roxy Theatre and Viper Room.

Muse played The Mayan in Downtown L.A. back in May 2004. Since then, the band has graduated to a large-scale, high-budget stage production.

Muse went through all the bells and whistles to put on a spectacular rock show. Three tall skyscraper towers that hovered over the stage. After an introduction, the struc-tures split apart to reveal vocalist-guitarist Bellamy, bassist Christo-pher Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard. Each member was positioned on their own plat-form roughly 15 feet in the air, surrounded on all sides by multi-media and video screens.

Muse frontman Matthew Bella-my, well-known for his relationship with Kate Hudson, was outfitted in a flashy, reflective silver disco ball-like suit that could either ring Anita Ward’s bell or at the very least nuke a Hot Pocket. The band dropped in with a riff version of “Uprising,” followed by the self-titled track off

their latest album. The three plat-forms dropped into the floor and “New Born” was accompanied by a visual laser light spectacle.

Muse played their hit single “Supermassive Blackhole” before embracing the back and side sections of the Staples Center. The band shifted their set equally throughout the night including during “MK Ultra” and a few other tracks which provided an engaging 360-degree perspective.

This was a smart move that sold more tickets and gave equal opportunity views and experiences to those seated behind the stage. While these fans may not have been able to see the opening support act, they were certainly rewarded with amazing views and interaction from the back of the house during the headliner’s set.

The opera-influenced space rock-ers continued to rip through a setlist that included “Hysteria,” ”United States of Eurasia” and a cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” which was voted “greatest cover song of all-time” in a poll conduct-ed by NME. Wolstenholme joined Howard on the drummer’s rotating platform for a mellow drum and bass showcase known as “Helsinki Jam.” Muse then used their 2006 smash hit “Starlight” off Black Holes and Revelations to up the ante and get the entire audience clapping and singing along to lyrics.

General admission ticket hold-ers that stood on the floor deserve credit for fueling much of the band’s fire throughout their hour and 45-minute set.

Giant eyeball balloons dropped down from above during “Plug in Baby” before Bellamy took to the

side of stage and treated the crowd to a short instrumental snippet of “House of the Rising Sun.” The crowd had no problem providing the lyrics to a song The Animals made popular in 1964. The band closed their set with “Unnatural Selection” before returning with an encore that ended with “Exogenesis Pt. 1,””Stockholm Syndrome,” and “Knights of Cydonia.”

Bellamy hurled a variety of differ-ent guitars in the air several times throughout the night, allowing them to drop and hit the stage in typical rock star fashion. Bellamy, an outstanding singer that can hit any vocal range, engaged his audi-ence. His vocal ability has always been impressive, just as the band’s ability to grow and evolve into one of today’s biggest touring acts that has influences from Queen, Radio-head, Rage Against the Machine, and Black Sabbath. If their history and track record is any indication, a future date at Dodger Stadium looks inevitable.

Massachusetts’ Passion Pit opened the show with a nine-song set that included two tracks off their six-song EP Chunk of Change. The synth-pop quintet has been tour-ing since last year in support of Manners, their debut full-length album.

Muse will continue touring the U.S. through the end of October with scheduled appearances at Austin City Limits and Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. A two-week Australian arena tour will follow in December before work begins on a new album sometime next year.

Photos onlInE bdtwn.com/ 5702

Muse Rocks Two Sold-Out NightsAlt-prog rockers’ transition to the arena is complete with two nights at Staples

Photo by Mark FIshEr


MUSICRobert HenkeSun Oct 3 7pmREDCAT631 W. 2ndredcat.org

The electronic music compos-er performs Monolake Live, and discusses the technical and creative process of his composition.

MUSICSabine Pothier and Sandra BookerSun Oct 3 9:30pmFirst & Hope Supper Clubfirstandhope.com

New Orleans jazz vocalist San-dra Booker and Russian-born pianist Sabine Pothier join together to present a night of jazz and cabaret.

MUSICSabine Pothier and Sandra BookerSun Oct 3 9:30pmFirst & Hope Supper Club710 W. 1stfirstandhope.com

New Orleans jazz vocalist Sandra Booker and Russian-born pianist Sabine Pothier join to perform from the Great American Songbook celebrat-ing jazz and cabaret.

MUSICThe Vice FiveSun Oct 3 8pm316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.com

The Vice Five with Cactus Pricks, and Crawlspace.

MUSICSo CowSun Oct 3 8pmThe Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgSo Cow with Neonates and Peter Pants

MUSICKim RichmondSun Oct 3 7pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E S OnizukaSuite 301(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.com

Kim Richmond (sax) and his quartet.

FILMErieMon Oct 4 8:30pmRedcat631 W. 2ndredcat.org

West Coast Premiere of “Erie,” single-take, 16mm black-and-white sequences filmed in and around communities near Lake Erie. “The scenes relate to African-American migration from the South to the North.”

TALKDrunk Stoned Brilliant DeadMon Oct 4 7pmLos Angeles Central LibraryMark Taper Auditorium630 W. 5thifla.org

Aloud talks “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Writers and Artists Who Made the Nation-al Lampoon Insanely Great” with National Lampoon alumni Rick Meyerowitz, Ellis Weiner, and Ted Mann.

TALKAn Evening With Rosanne CashTue Oct 5 8pm The Grammy Museum800 W. Olympicgrammymuseum.org

Rosanne Cash discusses her songwriting process, her latest album “The List” (Manhattan Records) and her recently re-leased memoir “Composed.”

TALKGay, Straight, and the Rea-son WhyTue Oct 5 7pmLos Angeles Central LibraryMark Taper Auditorium630 W. 5th

Neuroscientist Simon Le-Vay discusses his book “Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orien-tation” with USC professor Larry Swanson.

MUSICA History Lesson, Part 1Tue Oct 5 10pmThe Redwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.com

It’s not just music tonight. Director Dave Travis’ new film, A History Lesson, Part 1 documents an local punk scene since the 80s, capturing footage of the Minute Men, the Meat Puppets, Redd Kross and Twisted Roots. Travis also becomes punk in residence at The Redwood with his band Carnage Asada.

EXHIBITNot Only Time: Zhang Peili and Zhu JiaThrough Nov 21REDCAT 631 W. 2ndredcat.orgVideo and photography about contemporary China from Hangzhou-based artist Zhang Peili and Beijing-based artist Zhu Jia.

Strange Kozmic ExperienceThrough Feb 3 2011GRAMMY MuseumL.A. Live800 W. Olympicgrammymuseum.orgMore than 60 diverse artifacts and 30 rare photographs from The Doors, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix.

RememberingAngel IslandThrough May 29, 2011Chinese American Museum425 N Los Angelescamla.orgRemembering Angel Island commemorates the 100th year anniversary of the opening of Angel Island Immigration Sta-tion through its history, legacy, and unforgettable stories

Forty Years of Sesame Street Illustration: Selec-tions from the Publishing Archive of Sesame Work-shopThrough April 4 2011Central Library 630 W. Fifthlapl.orgShowcases the talent and di-versity of artists who created works inspired by city streets, communities, and Sesame Street characters.

THEATREThe Glass MenagerieThrough Oct 17Mark Taper Forum135 N Grand Avecentertheatergroup.orgThe production arrived with high expectations and it has

not dissapointed. There is more truth from this rendition of Wingfield family that has the characters, and the audi-ence, feel fragile.

Leap of FaithThrough Oct 24Music Center135 N. Grandcentertheatergroup.orgCon man Jonas Nightingale brings his gospel-charged tent revival to rain-starved Kansas. Four-time Tony Award-nominee Raúl Esparza and Golden Globe Award-nominee Brooke Shields star in this world premiere Broad-way-bound new musical. Based on the film comedy starring Steve Martin.

Mysterious SkinThrough Oct 10East West Players Theater Union Center for the Arts120 Judge John AisoDark drama with loner Brian who believes he was ab-ducted by aliens as a child. It is the opening production for East West Players closes this week.

The ReckoningThrough Oct 24Los Angeles Theater Center514 S. Springthelatc.org“One plantation. Two families. So many secrets.” Produced by The Robey Theatre Com-pany.

OPERA Il PostinoThrough Oct 16Dorothy Chandler Pavilion135 N Grandlaopera.comIl Postino by Daniel Catan is based on the popular 1994 Italian film and stars Placido Domingo as the poet Pablo Neruda. In a tiny Italian fishing village, a shy young postman finds the inspiration to live out his dreams dur-ing his daily deliveries to his only customer, a famous poet. Also starring Amanda Squit-ieri, Cristina Gallardo-Domas and Nancy Fabiola-Herrera. Grant Gershon conducts.

Cast of “Leap of Faith” at the Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theater.Photo by CraIG sChWartz

Ongoing

football are big there. We wanted to do something different with a twist. The track is like a fake foot-ball game. People think we used a sample, but Morales recorded it specifically for us. He’s a very busy guy.

You’ve been to Los Ange-les several times. What are your thoughts on L.A.?

I love playing in Los Angeles. It’s an incredible place. We spent time in Hollywood, but I’ve never even been to the beach. We played the Hollywood Bowl in 2006 so this is now my favorite place.

The new album just came out in April. What are your plans from here?

I think we’ll tour until the end of 2011. I also hope we’ll come back to the U.S. next year. We’re lucky to have this worldwide audience.

Are there any artists that you’d like to play or work with?

We wanted to do a track with Gil Scott Heron. We had this track and wanted some spoken word and sing-ing with political content. It was a dream, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. We played together at the same festival in Austria this summer. We met and spoke with him. He was completely open to it, but somehow it fell through. It would have been great. You never know though. It could still happen.

I also like this guy from L.A. called Flying Lotus and a band from Argentina called Tremor.

Are there any messages that people should pick up from your music?

I really hope people get inspira-tion from our music. What we’re really trying to do with our live show is to give people something for their ears, eyes, heart and brains. It’s important to be inspired and stimulated on all levels. We hope people will stay open-minded to new and interesting music.

Gotan ProjectContinued from Page 13

The Marriage of Figaro Through Oct 17 Dorothy Chandler Pavilion135 N Grandlaopera.comPlácido Domingo conducts opera’s greatest comic mas-terpieces. Le Nozze di Figaro turns convention upside down when the wily Figaro (Daniel Okulitch) outwits his master, Count Almaviva (Bo Skovhus). Martina Serafin takes the part of the Countess. Rebekah Camm and Marlis Petersen share the role of Susanna.


blogdowntown weekly :: september 30, 2010

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