Catching Up with Dave Stewart and Friends at The Roxy

When I got the invite to catch Dave Stewart and Friends at The Roxy on the Sunset Strip for December 8, 2014, I was intrigued as Dave Stewart had a storied career during the 1980's with Annie Lennox in the Eurythmics, and he has been on his own for decades as a successful record producer and writer. Then a strange thing occurred, Molly Tuttle, a recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, whom I have been following for over three years as a member of The Tuttles and A.J. Lee, had mentioned on the Tuttle's Facebook page that Molly would be part of Dave Stewart and Friends at The Roxy.

Molly Tuttle is a rising Americana star coming out of the bluegrass world who was recently recognized by the International Music Bluegrass Association with a Momentum award nomination and early last year released her first solo album. She also performs with John Mailander as a duo, and also in a four person all girls band, The Goodby Girls, that has toured Sweden, resulting from friendships at the Berklee College of Music.  Molly Tuttle herself is a great example of a recent influx of Americana greats coming out of the Berklee College of Music such as Sierra Hull and Sarah Jarosz.  And I have had the opportunity to previously see Molly perform at intimate club setting and bluegrass festivals, sharing my pictures and video, and will soon see her perform for the first time with her family band, The Tuttles and AJ Lee at Freight and Salvage.

About a month before, Molly had posted up that she was meeting Dave Stewart for the first time and was getting to play his guitar in his office.  From what I understand, Dave Stewart had stumbled upon Molly Tuttle at one of her performances, and was blown away by her musical talents and vocal abilities, resulting in the Roxy invite and also being taken under his wing as shown on the Dave Stewart management web site.  I had to double check with Molly to be sure she was on the bill, as the Dave Stewart and Friends press release for The Roxy talked only about Hollie Stephenson and his newest project as Stewart and Lindsey with Thomas Lindsey.  The lead photo above is one of Dave Stewart and his daughter Kaya Stewart with Molly Tuttle in the background.  Molly Tuttle and Kaya Stewart were to be surprise guests.

The Roxy evening with Dave Stewart and Friends had an electrifying opening performance by seventeen year old Hollie Stephenson who channels the sound and energy of the late Amy Winehouse and can be seen in my Flickr photo set:



Molly Tuttle soon got her own opportunity to play with Dave Stewart, and then a solo performance before an audience that appeared to be captured by surprise by Molly's strong instrumental skills  developed from a decade of performing with the Tuttles and A.J. Lee, and vocals that can remind one of early Joni Mitchell depending upon what she was signing.  The following Flickr picture set focuses on Molly Tuttle's Roxy performance, including playing the banjo on a performance by Stewart and Lindsey and later doing backup singing for Kaya Stewart.




One of the songs that Molly performed solo wowing the audience at The Roxy was White Freightliner Blues, and below is a version that was recorded in Dave Stewart's office that can be found on YouTube



Kaya Stewart as a 14 year old has a great stage presence and will remind one of the teenage version of  Miley Cyrus. She has major potential and one can see her musical growth over the last three years from videos posted on YouTube. She can channel Annie Lennox in tandem with Dave Stewart. Watch out for her. Here is my Flickr photo set of Kaya Stewart followed by a YouTube video from her channeling the Beatles that demonstrates her stage presence and current look.:





A most interesting project of Dave Stewart is teaming up with Thomas Lindsey whom Dave Stewart discovered in Louisiana with  rock and blues infused music, tremendous on stage energy, and soon to have an album release.  The picture set is below, followed by actual official video footage just uploaded on YouTube from that evening at The Roxy that shows off Thomas Lindsey Louisiana inflected vocals .





Finally here is a picture set focusing on the most excellent Dave Stewart, still going strong in his 60's, and we are all blessed by his many passion projects, and I can't wait to purchase his upcoming Stewart and Lindsey CD and to see his potential influence on Molly Tuttle's solo career.

SHEL's Recent Performance at the Hotel Cafe In Hollywood

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of SHEL and interview the four twenty-something Holbrook sisters at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, an esteemed Los Angeles live music destination that had been on my list of venues to check out for many years.  When my music industry friend Angela suggested that I catch this performance of SHEL, I was totally unfamiliar with the band.  I did my usual research for going out to hear a band for the first time by watching the SHEL YouTube channel, reading reviews on the SHEL website, and scrolling through their posts on the SHEL Facebook page (with 18,000 fans). Wow I thought to myself, I can't believe that I am just discovering these four young women for the first time.   After seeing them perform, they were even better in person, then what can be seen on YouTube, as SHEL engaged a large enthusiastic audience within the confines of the Hotel Cafe.  They have great stage presence and I got some good pictures of SHEL under difficult low lighting at Hotel Cafe and my many photographs hosted on flickr can be seen below:

I have conjured up the label of alt-Americana band to describe SHEL due to their unpredictability of their musical style when combining keyboard, fiddle, percussion (including a squeezebox), and mandolin that showcased sounds of irish/celtic, classical, alt-folk, americana, alt-country, and steam punk.  These Holbrook sisters, Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza, from Fort Collins, Colorado, now residing in Nashville, are in the recording studio for their second album, but it is a mystery as to the direction it might take.  Frankly, I was blown away by these accomplished musicians and songwriters, as they very well could be the next big thing.  It wasn't so long ago that Mumford and Sons were playing Hotel Cafe, and look at them now, and you could say that SHEL is what an all girls version of Mumford and Sons might be like.

Some writers have compared SHEL to the Dixie Chicks early in their career, but to me, SHEL reminds me of an all girls vocal version of the Punch Brothers, minus the esteemed sounds of Noam Pikelney's banjo.  I do have to acknowledge, however, that in the second half of the concert, electric guitars were introduced into the mix, as can be seen in my photographs. As one gets to know, SHEL, one discovers that Eva is an extraordinary designer of hats.  Thus, it is fun seeing what hat the Eva might be wearing that she designed.  In their officially produced videos, many times, you will see all of the girls in specially designed hats by Eva.  The hats are exquisite and quite fitting for their music,

What very well might launch  the awareness of SHEL is being part of the soundtrack for the upcoming Nicholas Spark's Best of Me movie performing Hold On. The soundtrack album was released today, October 7, 2014 and the movie is scheduled for release on October 17, 2014. Appearing with SHEL on stage for the last song was Gareth Dunlop from Ireland who recently collaborated with SHEL on Hold On for the Best of Me movie. The song can be seen on YouTube as a duet with Gareth and Eva the night they wrote the song,  On the Best of Me soundtrack album, they are appearing with many of my own favorites such as Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Colbie Caillat, and Kacey Musgraves.  Being a fan of the soundtrack, could very well get me to see the movie. Incidentally, Gareth Dunlop opened for SHEL at the Hotel Cafe.

SHEL skipped the September 2014 Nashville Americana conference, awards, and performance week to perform in Claremont for the Levitt Pavilion stage and then the Hotel Cafe.  I hope that their Pasadena sister Levitt stage noticed and might consider booking SHEL for summer 2015.  Again, thank you Angela for recommending SHEL and I had a great time interviewing these four young talented women of SHEL which can be seen here in my eight minute and a half minute hosted on my trekntravel YouTube channel below.

White Arrows to Appear at Troubadour on December 15

The other day I had the chance to sit down with John Paul ("JP") Cabellero and Steven Vernet from the five member Los Angeles based White Arrows who in 2012 released their first LP ("Dry Land is Not a Myth"), including a vinyl version, and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia.  For those who saw the White Arrows open the 2012  Labor Day weekend FYF Fest at the Metro friendly, Chinatown adjacent, State Historic Park, you can see them up close and personal at the historic West Hollywood Troubadour for KCRW presents the Invisible Children Holiday Benefit Show on Saturday night, December 15, 2012.  White Arrows, who got their start almost three years ago, had a residency at the old Spaceland in Echo Park club, giving them a chance to refine their sound and live performance persona. They have already come a long way in such a short time, playing SXSW twice, and their USA/Europe/Australia tour, White Arrows, knock on wood, are hoping to get a Coachella 2013 invite.  Their sound is described as psyschotropic, but is a blend of driving rhythms and pop.

During 2012, White Arrows was on the road so much, that they were glad to have places in Los Angeles to rest and recover, since they were home no more than 3 weeks at the longest, before hitting the road again. They consider the "Eastside" of Silver Lake and Echo Park as their spiritual home, with band founders Mickey and Henry Church having grown up in Pacific Palisades, and JP having grown up in Hermosa Beach and Steven in the Montclair area.  JP described himself as a contrarian, and so as to not do PE, he joined the marching band at Mira Costa High school playing percussion instruments and bass. While Steven started playing the drums in elementary school, but when he couldn't convince his parents to invest in a drum set, he learned the bass guitar which he played in band while at Montclair Prep.

Touring SAINT MOTEL to Appear at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on December 15

I am always looking for the opportunity to help promote breaking bands on ExperienceLA, and Saint Motel in this post, when there is an emotional hook that gets my attention and gets me out to check out a band in a live performance, getting me exposed to different genres of live music. Thus I was intrigued to get out to Dim Mak Studios for the free Lookbook.nu fashion inspiration holiday party in Hollywood to see Saint Motel last month, and had a chance to briefly talk to A/J Jackson, lead singer and lead guitarist, of this foursome of independent pop/rockers who came out of the Chapman College film program. Below is my flickr slideshow from that night, and a direct link for those with an Ipad.


Saint Motel, who appear to have a loyal following of young women, is currently on tour along the west coast and is returning to Southern California with an appearance at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on Saturday evening December 15, 2012. Tickets can be bought online for $12, or at the door for $15. You will see lots of energy on stage, catchy tunes, and a band having fun. They have previously played in a number of Los Angeles venues, including the El Rey, and could be found in Austin, Texas for the world renown SXSW Music Festival.

Experience Hollywood at the Hollywood Block Party

This Saturday, May 19 from 10AM-1PM, Hollywood is taking it to the streets with a block party. The event offers local residents* a rare opportunity to experience Hollywood like never before. Staff from L.A.'s own permanent Cirque du Soleil show, IRIS, will be on hand to demonstrate the magic of make-up. Visitors will have a chance to tour the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theatre for free. Madame Tussaud's Hollywood is offering free admission. There will also be opportunities to enter to win, with prizes including a one-night stay at the  Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.

A Simply Stylish Saturday

In case you've been looking to infuse your Saturday afternoon with a dose of fashion-fueled fun, then we've got just the event for you. Simply Stylist has opened its doors to the public (finally!) and is offering a celebrity-hosted luncheon (ClosetRich.com's Elizabeth Kott to be exact) and seminar THIS Saturday, March 3rd at the W Hotel in Hollywood.

Hollywood CityPASS and Aquarium of the Pacific added to survey prizes

New prizes: Hollywood CityPASS and Aquarium of the Pacific

We're happy to share that we've just added some outstanding prizes to our already awesome list of rewards for taking our user survey. Thanks to LA Inc. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau and CityPASS for contributing several Hollywood CityPASS cards, and to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for a pair of passes to the aquarium.

Alice Wallace to Play Hard Rock Hollywood on Thursday Night

I met Alice Wallace, a rising alt-country/rocker/blues talent, when she played right before the Greencards at The Mint several months ago (which was covered on the ExperienceLA blog), and felt I was seeing an emerging artist. What was interesting about that night was that here was The Greencards, a Grammy nominated nouveau bluegrass band promoting and producing themselves. since they had been dropped by their record label. The Greencards raised enough funds through their friends, fans, and family to produce their Bricks CD which is tracking very well on the Americana charts as they tour America. They are their own boss.

But back to Alice Wallace who is appearing at the Hollywood Hard Rock Cafe on Thursday night, September 8, 2011 from 10 pm to midnight, and there is no charge for the music. She refers to this as a semi-acoustical set, and will be joined by her band. You can discover Alice Wallace on your own at her brand new website, which she just launched to promote her debut full length CD that she is finishing off in the recording studio. What intrigued me was that she used Kickstarter which is actually owned by Amazon.com to finance her studio time. The way Kickstarter works is that you decide how much money you want to raise and the time period, and then appeal to your friends to donate for the cause. If you don't hit your goal, then the pledges are not collected.

There are aspects of Alice Wallace that remind me of early Tift Merritt, and then her yodeling song, is not just channelling Patsy Cline, but would remind one of the spirit of The Dead Ringer Band when Kasey Chambers was a teenager. Incidentally, Randy Lewis, the LA Times music critic just reviewed and praised Kasey's current CD release "Little Bird" and I would suggest that it be sampled, as it is tracking near the top of the Americana charts at number 4. Kasey Chambers in the Little Bird CD in some ways shows a mature Kasey Chambers returning to her Americana roots.

So if looking to stay out late on Thursday night, take the Red Line to Hollywood getting off at the Hollywood and Highland station, and be entertained by Alice Wallace and her band at the Hard Rock Cafe. Wouldn't it be something if her guitar made it on the wall one day. Here are my pictures as a slideshow of Alice playing at The Mint in very difficult lighting conditions ( and for those with an iPad, the link is here:

Curing Raw Green Olives from the Farmers Market

ExperienceLA has promoted and provided a Los Angeles Farmers Market database since inception. Over the last three years, my wife and I have bought raw Manzanilla green olives from Paso Roble’s Scott Peacock, owner of Peacock Family Farms during the Fall months. Scott has been coming to the Sunday Hollywood Farmers Market since inception and can also be found at the Santa Barbara Saturday Farmers Market. The first year we bought one pound of raw olives, then the second year we bought 3 pounds, and then this past year we bought an entire flat of 27 pounds. We wanted to cure these olives without using lye and we looked at our curing/preserving cookbooks and checked out what was on the Internet.

The first year we started small and worked our way up to the larger quantities. Frankly, we were a bit intimated about doing this, and the purpose of this posting is to offer encouragement on home curing of raw green olives that you might find at your local farmers market beginning in October and later. Raw olives need to be cured, and are not ready until then. Otherwise, they are bitter, and the brining will leach out the bitterness. These curing recipes go back hundreds and even thousands of years. With no refrigeration, one needed methods to preserve food, and salt was always a favorite.

For our basic brining recipe, we settled on a recipe from Karen Solomon’s “Jam it, pickle it, cure it and other cooking projects” published by Ten Speed Press in 2009. When you go on the Internet, you can find recipes that even call for changing out the water on a daily basis without the use of salt. But here are the basics from Karen Solomon:

One cup of kosher salt to one gallon of cool water

Wash the olives and place a slit in each olive. This can be time consuming depending on how many olives you bought

Place olives in a glass container with a lid. Make sure the olives are completely submerged. One way to do this is to fill a small plastic bag with water which will push the olives below the water. Store in a cool dark place, check weekly, stir, and skim the scum from the top.

Olives will be ready to eat in 6 – 8 weeks but can keep curing for many more months. When you are ready to stop the curing, then change out the salt brine liquid by changing the kosher salt and water ratio to a half cup of kosher salt to one gallon of water and refrigerate. Once you have diluted the water, the curing process has stopped. So taste the olives, if they are still bitter, then keep curing.

This is the essence of the Karen Solomon recipe. Once the olives are ready to eat, they can be eaten as is or fancied up. But more on this later, as the following are some additional comments on curing based on our own experience.

When researching recipes on the Internet, we noted that some people had one changing out the brine on a weekly basis, while others might suggest a change of the brine every month. We noticed that the initial salt brine really accelerated the leaching of the bitterness in the initial week. In fact one time, we noticed that it had actually produced some bubbles. Karen Solomon did not have one changing out the brine liquid, but we changed it out every month or so. Olives being stored in a salt brine in a cool dark place can keep for six months or so.

Other Internet recipes had you smash the olives to speed up the curing process. We found that patience is the best virtue, as someone even suggested that we try pitting the olives to speed it up. Yes it did speed it up, but the flavor was not as full.

So since we had cured 27 pounds of olives, and we were not likely to consume or give them all away in six months, we did set aside 10 pounds for pressure canning so as to extend the shelf life and not require refrigeration. This process ends up cooking the olives to some degree and they are similar but much better than any canned green olives you might purchase at the store.

But the fun part is flavoring the cured olives after being removed from the curing liquid, and one can use your imagination to come up with your own variations. This year we did the following three different flavors all packing the cured olives in a quality virgin olive oil and then refrigeration. But don’t get alarmed when you see what happens to the olive oil while in the refrigerator. Just take it out, and once at room temperature looks like olive oil again.

So here are three of our recipes from this year, you can experiment with the amount of the flavorings as you put the cured green olives without the brine in quality olive oil using canning jars or plastic containers:

· Mix the cured green olives in olive oil with garlic, rosemary, a few chili peppers, and lemon peel version. Refrigerate making sure that the olives are covered with the olive oil.

· Mix the cured green olives in olive oil with a couple of teaspoons of liquid smoke for smoked olives. Refrigerate making sure that the olives are covered with the olive oil. Note I did try smoking the olives in a barbecue, but one needs to have it at a really low heat, otherwise the olives cook.

· Mix the cured green olives in olive oil with a a couple of tablespoons of herb de provence. Refrigerate making sure that the olives are covered with the olive oil.

Anyway, Scott Peacock and his helpers have been fascinated by what we have done with their Paso Robles green manzanilla olives. And for those who might want to learn more about olives, one can check out the Paso Robles Olive festival on August 20 or ride the Metro Gold Line into Pasadena to visit the Beyond the Olive store or ride the Metro Blue Line into Long Beach transferring to the Long Beach Transit Passport to Belmont Shore to visit We Olive that incidentally had its origin in Paso Robles .

Shrek the Musical: An "ogre"-dose of fun

Burping. Farting. Air-guitar. No, this is not a description of my husband's and his buddies' man-cave joys. This is "Shrek the Musical," the theatrical adaptation of DreamWorks' 2001 award-winning CG film, "Shrek."

Westfield Mall Century City celebrates Cirque du Soleil Day

Diners on the Westfield Mall dining plaza in Century City today were treated to some music and free goodies, as the city joined in celebration of Cirque du Soleil Day in Los Angeles. "A Little Scene" provided a fun, interactive twist to the standard photobooth. Guests could record themselves in front of a video camera for a few seconds and have that video turned into a personal flip book branded with Cirque du Soleil's "IRIS" as a keepsake.

Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken Restaurants to Promote IRIS on Cirque du Soleil Day LA

Thursday, June 16, 2011, is Cirque du Soleil Day in LA, and you can celebrate at Susan Feniger's STREET and the Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica and Downtown Los Angeles that are co-owned with Mary Sue Milliken. Each of them are creating a special Cirque-themed menu that help to celebrate the upcoming opening of IRIS, A Journey Through The World of Cinema at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The picture above was taken at an LA Central Library ALOUD book panel almost five years ago, and it is our copy of a heavily used cookbook that these two Top Chef Master competitors published back in 1989 celebrating the cooking of City Cafe that opened in 1981 and City Restaurant that opened in 1985. Thus, its been 30 years of the Two Hot Tamales in Los Angeles.

Cirque du Soleil Day in L.A.: IRIS from Cirque du Soleil® takes over Los Angeles #CirqueDayLA

This Thursday, June 16 will be known as Cirque du Soleil Day in Los Angeles in celebration of the 27th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil® and the upcoming debut of IRIS, A Journey Through The World Of Cinema™ opening at the Kodak Theatre.

Festivities will take place across Los Angeles in Hollywood, Pasadena, Century City, and Santa Monica, and there will be something for just about everyone. In addition to the FREE (!!!) live events, residents and visitors can participate on Twitter and Foursquare using the #CirqueDayLA hashtag and be entered into a sweepstake for a chance to win IRIS related prizes.

The art of coffee-making: The Southwest Regional Barista Competition

Southwest Regional Barista Competition, March 4-6 

It's considered the Iron Chef of barista competitions. This weekend, Hollywood will play host to the Southwest Regional Barista Competition #SWBaristaChamp, proudly sponsored by the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® for the second year in a row. Professional and amateur baristas from Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah will descend upon Siren Studios to compete for six spots at the United States Barista Championship in Texas later this spring, and for a chance to represent the U.S. in the World Barista Championship (oh, yes, there is such a thing!) in Bogota Columbia in June.

A Cirque du Soleil show to call our own: Tickets to "IRIS" go on sale

Hey Oscar, meet your new roommate! The Kodak Theatre's new resident, the long-awaited, dedicated L.A. Cirque du Soleil show arrives summer of 2011. Though "IRIS - A Journey Through the World of Cinema" debuts next year, eager fans will have a chance to purchase tickets in advance this coming Monday, November 22. Just in time for the holidays...

Warner Brothers Best Kept Secret. SHH!!!!!

Time to break out those Marauder's Maps and head out to Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank because a tour is about to commence! That's right the Warner Brothers Studio offers tours of their studios and Museum (and for more information click on that link!).

At Warner Brothers, everyone is considered a VIP. Their standard tour is the VIP tour where members get an excusive look at sets, soundstages, backlot streets and craft tours. In addition, the tour ends at the Warner Brothers Museum which has many spectacular exhibits (including an entire floor dedicated to Harry Potter) that are available only through the tour. So for all those muggles and people wishing to experience the behind-the-scenes magic of Warner Brothers' current and classic movies and television come a board! Because what better time is there then the present!

The tour also begins with a video that depicts the history of Warner Brothers. These tours are from 8:20 am to 4pm Monday through Friday and it is recommended to get advanced tickets online. However, they do offer first-come, first-serve tickets each day for remaining spots, as well as extended and weekend tours during spring and summer and those dates will be listed on the website.

But for those of you would want to be very, very important people, there is the Deluxe Tour. These tours are led by guides that take you into current movie sets and allow you to talk to crew members as well as the artists in the craft shops. Overall, this is a more in-depth tour that really allows you to ask questions and understand the movie-making process. This tour also invites you to eat at the studio commissary cafe where -hint hint-you might just get to dine with a star! These Deluxe Tours are five hours and begin at 10:20 am Monday through Friday and advanced tickets are recommended.

Included in both tours is an all-access pass to the Warner Brothers Museum which features many exhibits on movie memorabilia such as costumes and props from classic and recent films. Some examples of memorabilia the museum houses are the intricate hats from My Fair Lady, James Dean's hunky Triumph 500 motorcycle, and Oscar's from some of Warner Brothers award-winning films. Along with these beautiful displays, the Museum has a variety of audio stations and video clips that depict how or when certain props were used in a film. And the most popular exhibit is the entire floor dedicated to the fantastic world of Harry Potter. There is even a Harry Potter Sorting Hat on display that will even sort guests into different houses! Another museum area is devoted to Casablanca that holds Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman's costumes, the famous piano and other one of kind pieces from the production. The most recent addition to the museum is a special one that celebrates the 50th anniversary of television.

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening today in LA, here are some more Harry Potter-related locations for all of us die hard fans which you might not know about. For instance, if you go to the magnificent Hollywood Mann's Chinese Theater to see the movie, be sure to see the three young stars of the Harry Potter movies Daniel Radcliff, Ruptert Grint and Emma Watson's hand prints and foot prints in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater - a historic landmark of Los Angeles that houses hundreds of celebrities' imprints. If you go to the Santa Monica Promenade to see the film, another Harry must-see several miles away is Whismic Alley a store at 2717 1/2 Wilshire Blvd. that is fashioned to be a Diagon Alley look alike. Inside the store, you will find individual sections serving as the different stores in the books and movies such as Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions which has extremely authentic costumes and Olivanders Wand Shop featuring equisetic imitation wands from the movie and books. Finally, the Arc Light Sherman Oaks is currently displaying costumes from the latest movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If you are a real diehard fan or planning to travel to Chicago, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has a great summer Harry Potter exhibit that is stirring up lots of excitement. After Chicago, who knows where the exhibit will land.

So don't just sit back, relax and watch Harry Potter or any movie. Get involved with the premiere week and have fun with it. Maybe even go in costume. You are in Los Angeles, meaning Hollywood and all the movie magic is at your finger tips so take advantage and enjoy it!

Voldemort and Death Eater costume photo courtesy of Curt Gibbs that is from his picture set of FIDM's 2008 Movie Costume Exhibit which contains several other Harry Potter costume pictures. It is very possible that costumes from this year's film will be in the 2010 FIDM Movie Costume Exhibit.

-Aly

Being a Star Nerd

The first and only time I checked out the Griffith Observatory's remodeled planetarium, I sadly fell asleep. It's definitely not because the show is boring by any means. My body is just wired to pass out the moment the lights go down while I'm reclined in my seat listening to the soothing voice of the narrator with his glowing ball of light. I honestly wanted to stay awake and learn about the stars, but found myself waking up to the cosmic explosion halfway through - mouth gaping open and all...

The Observatory, itself, is beautiful. And while parking up at the Observatory is now available again, I didn't mind taking the Galactic Express (free shuttle ride) and pretending to be a kid on a field trip. "Are we there yet??"

To compensate for my narcoleptic tendencies, I checked out Glendale Community College's Planetarium show last Friday. GCC's Planetarium is an all digital full dome theater with power reclinable seats. While the show isn't as fancy as Griffith's, I definitely learned a lot (and stayed fully awake this time around)!

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Cultural Marketing Assistant

KT Tunstall at Avalon

I love small venues. They're intimate, you get a good view, and it brings you back to the heart of music.

Teitur opened for KT Tunstall at Avalon on Tuesday. An awkward guy... but he totally grows on you, and soon enough, his awkwardness makes him all the more endearing. His music, on the other hand, is anything but awkward. With lyrics like "She stole, my grandmother's watch, a treasure to touch, to keep time to herself" accompanying his quiet but steady melodies, I was pretty sold. He closed with his song "One and Only"... and that's been playing on repeat on my computer ever since.

Then came along KT Tunstall, full on personality with her sparkling sequin minidress rockin' on her guitar... she makes me want to be a rockstar with a glitter guitar!

She was great live... hilarious with her random comments and facts, fully comfortable interacting with the audience, and easily shifting around any technical difficulties. It wasn't simply some concert with a clear division between artist and audience. It reminded me of the gigs at a small event... where it's just as much about the audience and venue as it is about the artist.

Highlight of the night: KT Tunstall layering sounds/voices with her looping pedal, only to pick up on our screams for the rest of the song.

Random fact of the night: Many trees get randomly planted because squirrels bury seeds and forget where they placed them. "Squirrels are like the eco-friendly warriors of the world!" - KT Tunstall

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Cultural Marketing Assistant

Public Displays of Affection... on the Metro!

Actually, I never see that much PDA on the Metro. Hooray!! On the other hand, I do see plenty of people picking away at their noses, making me want to inch away from any metal bar in sight and hone my ability to freely balance in a moving subway car, two inch heels and all (can I call that my special talent?).

There IS, however, an event called Public Displays of Affection, a concert and exhibit brought to you by Global Inheritance, in an effort to "show public transportation in Los Angeles a little love". For a city where a majority of its residents don't even realize a subway exists, I'm all for a little Metro lovin'.

The event features Ladytron, Great Northern, and special guest DJ Taina, as well as TRASHed: Art of Recyling Exhibit. Your ticket, of course, is an incoming subway or bus ticket. Takes place this Thursday, September 27th at Hollywood & Highland, 7:00pm.

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Culture Marketing Assistant