The Museum of Jurassic Technology is an institution at the intersection of the real and the fake. The exhibits bend perception by presenting horned humans, teleporting bats, and scale models of Noah's Ark. But on the second floor, in a room adjacent to a tribute to dogs of the Soviet space program, is the Tula Tea room, where Georgian ex-pat Nanuka Tchitchou, serves black tea from her home country. But on certain nights, the tea room (named after Tchitchou's windhound, Tula) becomes a performance space, highlighting music from across Los Angeles and the world. The performances are few, but always worth the trip to Culver City for the Petrojvic Blasting Comany, who unfurl a banner of Romanian dance music or Sevilay Çınar's deft plucking of the Anatolian bağlama, “the sounds of which have accompanied warriors into battle, stirred the spirits of remote peasant villages, and occupied a central role in many communal and religious ceremonies.” Whether the exhibits challenge your perception, or the performances take you to a far away place, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is a unique diamond in Los Angeles' ever-expanding urban rough.

(Video of Petrojvic Blasting Company at the MJT and some badass bağlama after the jump)

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.