A new compilation of SoCal bands titled Who invented the Mirror has just been released and is available exclusively at Amoeba. One of the bands featured thereon, Those, recently released their debut, We Cure Nothing, just before Christmas. The name of the band, Those (assuming it's the plural pronoun of "that" and not the village … Continue reading Those only live to get radical – or – Little hand says it’s time to rock and roll
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Happy MLK Day – Yo, whatever happened to peace?
Today the USA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we all know, Dr. King preached nonviolent activism in the global civil rights movement. Ironically, the other two persons honored with national holidays are Christopher Columbus and George Washington, two powerful slaveowners who advocated (and in Washington's case, waged) genocidal violence against people who fought for … Continue reading Happy MLK Day – Yo, whatever happened to peace?
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Happy Birthday, The Life of Riley! – or – What a revoltin’ development this is!
On 16 January1944, The Life of Riley, premiered on the Blue Network (later ABC). The Life of Riley began with an audition taping on 25 July 1943 after its creation by Irving Brecher. Over the course of roughly 320 episodes, it established itself as one of the most enduringly funny sitcoms on Old Time Radio. … Continue reading Happy Birthday, The Life of Riley! – or – What a revoltin’ development this is!
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pasadena, The Crown City of Roses
INTRODUCTION TO PASADENA The Pasadena skyline from the San Rafael Hills Well, I can now admit (now that I'm finally done with it) that I honestly waited and prayed that another neighborhood or community would pass Pasadena in the polls. At the time of writing, Bunker Hill (in Downtown Los Angeles), El Monte (in the … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pasadena, The Crown City of Roses
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My Reawakened Love of Christmas Carols and this Year’s Top Ten
"That's someone shooting Tiny Tim for his PS3" Of Christmas, the wise Ebenezer Scrooge cynically but rather sensibly wondered, "What was Christmas but a time for running into debt and getting one year older without getting even one hour richer?" That was 1843 and not even the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come could foresee … Continue reading My Reawakened Love of Christmas Carols and this Year’s Top Ten
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California Fool’s Gold — A South Los Angeles Westside Primer
LETS SHOW THESE FOOLS HOW WE DO THIS ON THAT WESTSIDE Just as Los Angeles has two Eastsides (one being the largely Latino enclave east of the LA River and the other being South Los Angeles east of the 110 and/or Main St) it also has two Westsides. One Westside is a collection of LA's westernmost … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A South Los Angeles Westside Primer
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The Spooky Show & a Monster Party
On 15 October, 2011 (this Saturday if you're reading this in a timely fashion), the very cool indie toy store & gallery, Monkeyhouse Toys and Gallery (for kids whose sensibility is more Roald Dahl/Tim Burton than Bratz/Hannah Montana) is opening an art exhibit, The Spooky Show. It's curated by Terri "Tooter" Berman and features Halloween-appropriate works … Continue reading The Spooky Show & a Monster Party
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Happy birthday Bronze Buckeroo – Herb Jeffries turns 98 today.
HAPPY 98th Today is the 98th birthday of actor/singer Herb Jeffries. Although not widely recognized today (especially among non-black audiences, during his heyday in the 1930s and '40s he was an enormously popular singer and the first black actor to star in Westerns. I'd probably know nothing of him except for my tenure in the Black … Continue reading Happy birthday Bronze Buckeroo – Herb Jeffries turns 98 today.
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Happy demotion day, Pluto – Pluto and other Trans-Neptunian Dwarf Planets in animation, games and TV
Today is the fifth anniversary of the demotion of Pluto from "planet" to "dwarf planet." PLUTO Pluto was first discovered in 1930. Part of the reason it was accepted as a planet was due to the fact that despite some behavior not fitting a proper planet it was assumed to be larger than Mercury unti … Continue reading Happy demotion day, Pluto – Pluto and other Trans-Neptunian Dwarf Planets in animation, games and TV
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3Ball Pursuit – An LA Weddo in King Kumbia’s Kourt
STUMBLING ONTO A SCENE Three years ago I went to a party in Echo Park at a friend's home near the New Hope Mission Methodist Church. I don't remember what my friends were playing but outside the downstairs neighbors were bumping some amazing dance music. It was a variety of Cumbia, which I've always loved … Continue reading 3Ball Pursuit – An LA Weddo in King Kumbia’s Kourt
Eric Brightwell 