LA WeeklyFrom a slew of art openings to Amber Tamblyn reading from her book to a pair of free St. Patrick's Day parties, here are the 14 best things to do in Los Angeles this week!
fri 3/15
ART
Blalock in Focus
It's a big weekend at the ICA LA, with four new shows from a diverse lineup of artists including Patty Chang, Maryam Jofri, Brognon-Rollin and Lucas Blalock. It has also been a big week for Blalock, as besides this being his first proper institutional solo show, he was just announced as a selection for this year's Whitney Biennial. Ahead of Sunday's all-shows open house, tonight's vernissage and walk-through is dedicated to Blalock's photography, a compelling mix of analog and digital processes that transforms the ordinary world into a low-key surrealist paradise of awkwardness. ICA LA, 1717 E. Seventh St., downtown; Fri., March 15, 5:30-7 p.m.; free. (213) 928-0833, theicala.org/en/exhibitions/64-lucas-blalock-br-an-enormous-oar. —Shana Nys Dambrot
sat 3/16
BOOKS
Fighting the Power
Difficult times require different strategies for how to cope. Actor-director Amber Tamblyn's new book, Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution, mixes her personal insights as a vulnerable performer who struggled to find a voice and a place in the world with larger revelations about what it means to be a woman during a time when someone like Trump is in power. Tamblyn's disarming confessions make her exhortations feel inspiring and positive instead of merely preachy, and she will be challenged further in a conversation about the book with the bold and incisive cultural observer Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist). Barnes & Noble at the Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Mid-City; Sat., March 16, 2 p.m.; free. (323) 525-0270, stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061998305-0. —Falling James
ART
In It Together
Most if not all of the roughly 10 contemporary art spaces in the historic and downtown landmark Bendix Building debut new shows this evening, or stay open with ongoing shows in support of their neighbors. At Track 16, "Stuck Together" is a group show featuring three artists — sculptor Debra Broz, performer and mixed-media painter Simone Gad and installation artist Marsian De Lellis — who use collage, bricolage, and surreal juxtapositions of materials and images in their soulful works (on view through May 11). Durden & Ray hosts "By and By," which partners with local and Seattle-based artists who have intriguing definitions of the idea of making progress in their studios and in society (through April 13). welcomes the Material Girls collective in its first L.A. presentation, in "Palms," a show of small sculptures by 15 artists (through April 7). There are several other gallery spaces in the building (Joan, Château Shatto, 515, Ladies Room), so feel free to poke around. Bendix Building, 1206 Maple Ave., downtown; Sat., March 16, 7-10 p.m.; free. (323) 465-5400, www.track16.com. —Shana Nys Dambrot
sun 3/17
STORYTELLING
Sharing Our Pain
"And it's consolation prizes that's all that's keeping you alive," Iggy Pop once sang during a difficult phase in his life. The folks who've organized the group reading "Put Your Suicide on Hold" understand that the commiseration of like-minded souls is often the best way to stave off despair. The lineup includes longtime punk performer Iris Berry, who has overcome her past addictions through the salvation of storytelling, and TSOL lead singer Jack Grisham, whose anti-memoir An American Demon ditched the typical rock-bio format in lieu of a more dangerously provocative and richly unsettling glimpse into his raw, unfiltered soul. Coagula Curatorial, 947 Chung King Road, Chinatown; Sun., March 17, 6 p.m.; free. (323) 480-7852, facebook.com/events/coagula-curatorial/put-your-suicide-on-hold/648246558948566/. —Falling James
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
The Sharing of the Green
St. Patrick's Day in Hollywood can be a frightful or fantastic experience, depending on your point of view and level of alcohol consumption but mostly depending on others' drinking. But the authentic yet raucous sounds of the annual St. Patty's show and party thrown by Flogging Molly at the Palladium inspire good vibes no matter who is in attendance or what they might be drinking (though Jameson's tends to be the fave). Even if you can't score a ticket to the concert, you can still get your green on — the Flogging Molly St. Patrick's Day Pre-Party, sponsored by KROQ 106.7 FM and HD Radio Sound Space, is an all-day event in the parking lot of the concert venue for those who need to make the holiday — and the next day's hangover — count. Entry is free, so it's sure to be lively, with games, award-winning Irish dancers and plenty of food and, of course, drink. The concert starts immediately after and requires a separate ticket. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood; noon-6 p.m.; 21+. universe.com/events/flogging-molly-st-patricks-day-block-party-presented-by-kroq-tickets-los-angeles-5WJSGT. —Lina Lecaro
ZINES/FESTIVALS
Sisters Are Doing It
Inasmuch as the world of zines is already about creatives and artists taking their vision and fandom into their own hands and just doing things for themselves, a pop-up Zine Fest is the perfect event to activate the ongoing exhibition "Valley Girl Redefined." At the Brand Library through March 22, this exhibition has garnered raves for its unique survey of women artists who do it their way. Produced in association with the intersectional and feminist-forward SFV (San Fernando Valley) Zine Fest, some 25 artists will be on hand with zines, merch, prints, pins, puns and surprises that are like, totally. Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale; Sun., March 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. (818) 548-2051, eventbrite.com/e/valley-girl-redefined-zine-fest-pop-up-tickets-57048545736. —Shana Nys Dambrot
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
All-Day Party
Get your green on and celebrate St. Patrick's day at Casey's St. Patrick's Day Street Festival downtown. The all-day street festival featuring Irish whiskey, beer, plenty of food, DJs and dancing starts at 11 a.m., with the bar opening its doors at 6 a.m. Attendees must be 21 years or older and tickets are $20 per person, available at the door. Originally built in 1916 as a general store and Turkish bath house, Casey's Irish Pub opened in 1969 and is housed underground beneath one of central downtown's only single-story buildings. It's a great place to hide from naughty leprechauns. Sup on fish and chips, Guinness stew, shepherd's pie or bangers and mash — washed down with a pint. Casey's Irish Pub, 613 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Sun., March 17, 11 a.m.-mid.; free. caseysstpatricksday.com. —Michele Stueven
mon 3/18
ART
Expect the Unexpected
"Twisted Refrain" is an apt name for a survey of work by Marnie Weber, whose career has roots in alt-punk art-house rock, and whose visual and performative art work is assertively subversive of just about every convention available. A universe of costumed characters, usually female, have over the years donned elaborate disguises and pursued a host of misadventures across time and the fantasy of place, from the Wild West to the promised afterlife, the better to enact extremely undainty parables of human psychology. As part of Weber's ongoing exhibition, tonight's artist lecture and reception make for the perfect opportunity to gain insight into her inspirations and techniques. Come with questions and prepare for the unexpected. Pasadena City College Art Gallery, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Mon., March 18, 7-9 p.m.; free. Exhibition runs thru April 22. (626) 585-7123, pasadena.edu/campus-life/the-arts/the-galleries/exhibitions/2019-marnie-weber.php. —Shana Nys Dambrot
tue 3/19
FILM
Sneak a Peek
In The OA, actress Brit Marling plays Prairie/The OA, an adopted blind girl who goes missing for seven years and returns home with her vision restored and some funky scars on her back. Along the way, we watch her go in and out of different dimensions, being taken hostage at a remote lab by a mad scientist and befriending a bunch of townspeople, one of them played by Phyllis Smith from The Office. Also, there's a lot of interpretive dancing. Got it? Neither did we. Co-created by Marling and director Zal Batmanglij, the Netflix sci-fi series about near-death experiences is both confusing and oddly compelling, and fans' minds have been wondering about season two since the drama aired in 2016. The network recently announced the show's return on March 22, and Film at LACMA screens the first two episodes of The OA: Part II. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; Tue., March 19, 7-9 p.m.; free, resv. required. (323) 857-6010, lacma.org/event/oa-part-ii. —Siran Babayan
wed 3/20
FILM
Up on the Roof
Just in time to celebrate today's spring equinox, Rooftop Cinema Club enters its newest season of life with a monthlong meditation on the theme of music. The screening of La La Land — with all the songs and sunshine that springtime implies — welcomes a fifth season of popular favorites to the cinematic experience that's quickly become a beloved tradition for those who love both twilight and theater. Also in the Cinema Club's forthcoming schedule are A Star Is Born, Moulin Rouge, Purple Rain and Singin' in the Rain (ideally without actual rain), and special sing-along nights with Grease and Bohemian Rhapsody. NeueHouse, 6121 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Wed., March 20, 6:30 p.m.; $18-$25. (323) 337-1420, facebook.com/events/389302815201801. —David Cotner
FILM
Animated Women
Last year, Disney announced its streaming service was developing a documentary series called Ink & Paint based on Mindy Johnson's 2017 book, Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation, an exhaustive look at the little-known history of Disney's female animators, from the 1920s to the 1980s, from hand-held drawings to Xerox to computers. Johnson focused on the women of the Ink & Paint department (many of whom didn't get screen credits during animation's early, male-dominated years), as well as other women who contributed to Disney's life and company. Two such examples, Mary Blair and South Pasadena's Nelbert Chouinard, who founded the Chouinard Art Institute, are featured in Pasadena Museum of History's current exhibit, "Something Revealed: California Women Artists Emerge, 1860-1960" (through March 31). The two-part, 100-year retrospective includes more than 300 paintings, ceramics, works on paper and metal, textiles and sculpture. In conjunction with the display, the museum hosts The Women Artists of Disney: A Fusion of Fine Art & Animation with Johnson. Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut Ave., Pasadena; Wed., March 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; free. (626) 744-4066, pasadenahistory.org/events-overview/events-calendar/disney-32019/. —Siran Babayan
ART
Breaking Patterns
Four new shows roar to life at the California African American Museum this weekend, with a public celebration befitting another round of the fresh, engaging and historically impactful curations this institution is known for. Across a variety of mediums and cultural perspectives, not to mention across centuries, "Adia Millett: Breaking Patterns" and "Plumb Line: Charles White and the Contemporary" (through Aug. 25) and "The Liberator: Chronicling Black Los Angeles 1900-1914" and "Aspects of Nude: Selections From the Permanent Collection" (through Sept. 8), all do what CAAM does best. Which is, elegantly and firmly ensure that the African-American experience will never be erased from art or history. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park; caamuseum.org; Wed., March 20, 7-9 p.m.; after-party at Free Play from 9 p.m.; free. caamuseum.org/programs/can-t-stop-won-t-stop/can-t-stop-won-t-stop-march-2019. —Shana Nys Dambrot
thu 3/21
MUSIC
The Cat's Out of the Bag
Meow Meow took a bizarre, circuitous route to the stage when she made her grand L.A. debut early last year at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. Instead of merely walking through the crowd, the archly confused Australian chanteuse walked literally over nearly everybody in the orchestra section; she pulled on her stage clothes while climbing atop chairs and bodies, all the while maintaining a hilariously bitchy, thoroughly daft stream-of-consciousness dialogue with herself and her puzzled if charmed new fans. Once she actually made it to the stage, Ms. Meow broke hearts with her soulful, dark balladry, even if she never quite left character as the world's most demanding and easily distracted diva. Tonight, she's paired with Pink Martini pianist Thomas Lauderdale for a set of evocative, romantic tunes from their new album, Hotel Amour. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thu., March 21, 7 p.m.; $50. (323) 469-1181, hollywoodforever.com/event/meow-meow-thomas-lauderdale-hotel-amour. —Falling James
PHOTOGRAPHY
A Book of Rock
If you have heard of a rock star, Glen Wexler has photographed them. And if they are still alive, there's a good chance those rock stars will be at tonight's book launch and exhibition opening for Wexler's new book, The '80s Portrait Sessions. That level of icon-spotting alone makes the $10 ticket to the opening, which also benefits the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, worth it, but the exhibition remains on view into April, free of charge. Expect intense, ethereal, wicked majesty from this collection of intimate and eccentrically classic studio portraits, as Wexler's special gift is eliciting a sense of his subjects' rich and complex inner lives along with the glowing embers of their star power. Mr. Musichead Gallery, 7420 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; book launch and opening reception Thu., March 21, 7-10 p.m., $10. Exhibition continues through April 12; free. (323) 876-0042, mrmusichead.com/events/2019/3/22/glen-wexler-exhibition-the-80s-portrait-sessions. —Shana Nys Dambrot
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