LA CANVAS- The Music Issue

anderson .paak pete tong jesse lee

arvida bystrรถm yung jake superchief gallery

buck mason shirley kurata inland

ray garcia the cannibal stacey sun

the music issue LA CANVAS

Los Angeles

INTRODUCING THE

PALLAVILLE

ENGINEERED FOR CITY TERRAIN

PALLADIUMBOOTS.COM

New Album Out Now #baseboy415 Radiobasethebaseboy.com

@radiogoham | radiobaseboy.com

“Catch me at Coachella!”

Reverse Weave Sweatshirt Provided By champion.com

ISSUE 33

THE MUSIC ISSUE

The Music Issue PUBLISHER Dante Colombatti

W W W. L A C A N VA S . C O M

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mali Mochow EDITOR AT LARGE Erin Dennison MANAGING EDITORS Megan Laber Virginia Ibarra COPY EDITOR April Wolfe SR. DESIGNER Chloe Parks

CONTRIBUTORS Garth Trinidad Jesy Odio Vi Nguyen Kimberly Johnson Sheyda Mehrara FINANCE DIRECTOR Cole Westerholm ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS Renee George Sanni Youboty Valeri Spiwak Danielle Doresy Sarah Campbell Kristel Kovner EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Cheyanne Morgan Anna Lopez Lucas Dudley

DESIGNER Regina Rosato PHOTOGRAPHY Jabari Jacobs Koury Angelo Ryan Schude Nate Williams SUBSCRIPTION SUPERVISOR Oliver

CONTACT 1933 S. Broadway, 11th Fl., Los Angeles CA 90007 pr@lacanvas.com

SUBMISSIONS Wanna contribute? Send all editorial submissions to submit@lacanvas.com

Š 2016 by LA CANVAS. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission in writing from LA CANVAS. LA CANVAS makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but is not responsible for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork, or advertisements. LA CANVAS is not held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

ADOPT. Last year, thousands of cats and dogs were killed in L.A. city shelters, simply because they did not have safe places to call home.

You can help change that.

No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA), an initiative led by Best Friends Animal Society, brings together passionate individuals, L.A. Animal Services and a coalition of animal welfare organizations to end the killing of homeless pets in L.A. city shelters.

Join us to help make LA a no-kill city.

NKLA.org #NKLA

ADOPT. VOLUNTEER. DONATE. SPREAD THE WORD.

Table Of Contents 8

MISCELLANEOUS Noted Highlights of this season’s newcomers

41

Trend Matrix Retail therapy in every budget.

56

LA CANVAS Cares A look into nonprofits.

58

Calendar The best happenings in the city.

64

Last Look Hip hop photographer Jabari Jacobs snaps people right on the brink.

12

MUSIC Too .Paak Hip-hop’s up and comer Anderson .Paak is back with his best.

16

The Playlist An audio-driven guide to Coachella’s undercard.

17

Showtime The best sonic sanctuaries in the city.

18

The Ambassador BBC 1 Radio DJ and sound master Pete Tong transplants west.

42

Can You Hear The Beat?

Photographer Koury Angelo perfectly captures the essence of live shows.

20

ART Street Art Resident art spy Chicken Speak snaps LA’s best street art.

22

Arvida Byström The cyber sensation gets real.

24

State of the Art Superchief LA: Where the artists you like go to buy art

25

Gallery Openings A round-up of this season’s best art openings.

28

Yung Jake The artist-meets-rapper texts us an interview.

29

STYLE Shirley Kurata The style icon opens shop in Virgil Village.

30

Jesse Lee The dFm mastermind is changing the typical PR notions.

32

My Main Man Buck Mason is the menswear staple line you need right now.

36

Venturing Inland Get off Abbot Kinney and into better vibes.

38

A Little Help From Our Friends Bhavna Ahluwalia of Dickies Girl is helping the pups with style and grace.

31

12

22

FOOD Stacey Sun A close up on the dineL.A. curator gathers LA foodies for their version of heaven.

48

A Modern Mexican Movement Chef Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish talks taking Mexican-American cuisine to new heights.

52

The New Butcher In Town The Cannibal has had enough of your vegan antics.

53

Straight Up LA’s best secret drinking hole.

54

Drink and A Show A list of venues with stand-up cocktail menus.

28 30

48

64

NOTED NOTED The Weekender @elencantohotel | belmond.com/el-encanto-santa-barbara

Atop a hill on the coast of Santa Barbara sits a ‘20s era hotel that makes your AirBnB reservations look pleeb-worthy. Belmond El Canto is a resort that offers all the amenities your dream home would have. Private patio terraces, sweeping views of the ocean and city, all-marble bathroom and a close proximity to local acclaimed wineries.

Foot Forward

Pack your bags, baby.

@fshnbnkr | fashionbunker.com

You’ve seen the “G’Day LA” wrapped windows across the street from the Eastern Standard Building by now, right? Soon a Downtown LA fixture, BNKR, the Australian fashion retailer housing C/ MEO COLLECTIVE, Finders, Keepsake and The Fifth Label, now welcomes a shoe brand to their power house of clean trendfocused designs under the name of Jaggar.

Launching this spring, the footwear will gear toward classic silhouettes with additives of texture and playful elements to allow for a natural evolution of the shoe game. Like their clothing, there is a sense of polish, as well as minimalist cuts to the design, making them innately Austrailian street-style inspired.

Slowing Down in Chinatown @slow_culture | slowculture.com

Across from the courtyard that houses Hop

Sonic Synchronicity

Louie, General Lee’s, Blossom and most recently,

@wearejdavey | jdaveybaby.com

Burger Lords, Slow Culture Gallery has taken up resident. Moving from their Highland Park

An avid fan and supporter of J*Davey (short for

up any creative freedom, and they remain at the

location, brothers Fred and Max Guerrero along

Jack Davey) since their demo days, numerous

forefront of the modern musical vanguard. This

with photographer Steve Lee are now showcasing

songs rank high up on a myriad of personal

new collection of tunes, an EP titled “Lite Wait

their up and coming artists in a space that

playlists - Desert Island, Sex Monsters, etc. In

Life,” finds Brianna sounding better than ever

speaks to the changes of yet another

league with Afro-Punk luminaries such as Janelle

- sultry, passionate and powerful like lava

neighborhood. Opening with a retrospective

Monae and Santigold, the LA-based dynamic duo

careening through Brook’s sonic textures of

photography exhibition celebrating 15 years of

of Brianna Cartwright and Brook D’Leau have

electro new wave rhythm and blues. If you’re

independent publishing with the magazine

chosen to remain independent despite major

unfamiliar, it’s okay to start there and work your

Hamburger Eyes, the team will continue their

accomplishments - a stint with Prince in Vegas,

way back.

support of subversive voices with a theme that

a record deal with Warner Bros. and national

resonates with the Los Angeles art scene ethos.

campaigns with the likes of Garnier USA. The

Catch their next show with secret international

perceived impression tells of their refusal to give

art club DFW through April.

No. 9

From Day to Night @thesemitropic | thesemitropic.com

There aren’t many places in Los Angeles you can hang all day, enjoying coffee and a scone with fresh sweet cream in the morning and then a great beer in a seated lounge area with friends by night. Inconspicuously located next to the KFC on Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park, The SemiTropic is making waves as a freelancer’s paradise while the sun is up, providing gourmet sustenance, fresh espresso and outlets galore. Once the golden hour is over and the sun has set, the vibe shifts to the perfect hang out for a glass of wine paired with some small Spanish-style eats, open until midnight weekdays and 2 AM come weekend.

Whether you’re looking for brunch, dinner or late-night date options, you have a new go-to.

Yes, More Parties in LA

On Your Waze Out

@finetimela | finetimela.com

@rooapp | therooapp.com

encountered in their previous positions. “We

You walk into an empty bar and are immediately

started Fine Time, because we had a lot to say,

filled with a sense of dread. Is this what your one

program and create, and no one to trust with that

night sans sweatpants is going to yield? If you

vision but ourselves.” Klainman says.

used Roo you would have known pre-arrival

“We opened our company because we didn’t

whether your local watering hole or the new hot

have an outlet to book the type of music we

spot you were trying to check out was worth the

wanted. We have a deep respect for artists and an

Uber ride. Roo is a Los Angeles-exclusive nightlife

unspoken connection to our fellow show-goers

app that allows users to rate the level of fun

that share in this passion. So it’s this fans-first

they’re having at drink-serving venues, allowing

idea that drives everything we do at Fine Time.”

frequent patrons and newbies to get a feel for

Having started small, the duo have spent the

what they’ll be getting into. Even more helpful

last year capitalizing on a hungry base of fans

for those that do a 180° at the sight of lines and

looking for what’s next and bringing it to Los

velvet ropes, users who decide to wait it out can

Angeles. The pair are best known for Club Time,

write how long they’ve been waiting or if it’s

a late-night dance-party focusing on the wide

reached full-capacity. No more human traffic

sweep of established and emerging electronic

jams, bad vibes and hopping locales to find your

music; they’re also bolstering their range to

perfect fit for the eve. The prayer hands Emoji

include more diverse shows delving into events

comes to mind.

like their queer-friendly hip-hop night GAG, or their upcoming take on a jazz night dubbed Round Midnight where the focus is on the genre’s roots.

On the horizon, Fine Time has a handful of The seed for something independent was planted after Kate Stimac and Tahl Klainman noticed a void in their Los Angeles music scene while working alongside the booking and talent buying

upcoming events and new partnerships for parties, but most excitingly, the crew will be purchasing, renovating and opening a new concert venue in East LA later in 2016.

operations at venues The Echo, Echoplex and The Bootleg Theater. Having bonded at UCLA, the pair left their jobs and decided to go at it alone, starting their own event production outfit, Fine Time LA. The venture was forged on the ideals of bringing emerging and engaging talent to the audiences of LA and helping to fill a hole they

NOTED

California Soul @americanragcie | americanrag.com

NOTED NOTED

Inspired by the snowcaps in Big Bear, sand in Malibu, rocks in Joshua Tree and the lush terrain that envelopes Southern California, American Rag has paired up with CLAE to create the Hoffman sneaker, a shoe that speaks back to the imagery of all the surrounding weekend trip locales. With a nod to the early street sneaker, the CA-standard outfitter and innovative shoe designer wanted something light yet rich in texture that created a modern edition of the classic shoe shape, while prioritizing comfort and mobility.

Sax Man

Take A Ride With Me

@brianallensimon | brianallensimon.com

winecanyontours.com

Hyper focused beats drown into Eno-esque synth

We are all about living like a local when it comes

noises in Anenon’s (Brian Allen Simon’s)

to travelling. It’s why we like to spotlight the

sampling of his first album under the Friends

people and places in our own city that wouldn’t

of Friends label titled “Petrol”. Fresh off his role

be included on your double decker bus round

as programmer for MOCA’s January show

trip. Yet, we are fully for our hand being held

“Monument,” the one night event hosted some

when drinking and sightseeing intermix.

of LA’s fringe ambient scene playing live as

Recently, we visited Santa Ynez in Santa

museum visitors questioned the way it made

Barbara County for a weekend away with a

them view the art in combination with the

tunnel vision for vino. If you aren’t aware, the

auditory experience. Simon’s release is

area homes over 120 wineries, so a little guidance

anticipated to be an evolutionary mark for the

was needed on the top spots we needed to stop

experimental electronic scene, already

by. From modern and sustainable Presqu’ile to

blossoming in our city by way of Flying Lotus,

the more rustic Rhone-focused Roblar, Wine

Shlohmo and RL Grimes. “Petrol” will be

Canyon Tours picked us up and gave us the

released March 4th.

insider scoop on where to sip straight from the barrel. Find your way north and let them show you the ropes.

We’ll Be At The Bar

Melrose Place

Sun Sounds

#LACtravels

We’re teaming up with El

Natural light, modern architecture

We interviewed La Sera’s Katy

Sneak peek time. Our next issue

Jimador to produce the most epic

and a menu of seasonal offerings

Goodman about her new album,

is themed around vacation and we

Margarita-fueled event. Sign up

make Taste on Melrose our new

Music For Listening to Music To,

want to know where our readers

to our newsletter to avoid a

go-to for leisurely lunches.

produced by country tinged

are off to. If you are out and about

singer/songwriter Ryan Adams.

outside the city tag us and use

serious case of #fomo.

dot com

#LACtravels for a chance to be included in our next print issue!

THE GRAMMY MUSEUM® PRESENTS

On Display February 29, 2016 – May 15, 2016 www.grammymuseum.org

GRAMMY Museum® and the Museum logo are registered trademarks of The Recording Academy® and are used under license.

Rap’s new name is breaking boundaries and making waves with new album Malibu.

too .paak

GARTH TRINIDAD JABARI JACOBS stylist MELISSA LIM text

photography

“DRUGS” was a single released in 2014 by Anderson .Paak. Like any notable work of art, the song’s potent lyrics and stylish video brought about a myriad of different critiques and perspectives. The subsequent controversy and dialogue served him well. With “DRUGS,” .Paak’s ultimate goal was rebirth. As we settle into one of his favorite Koreatown haunts, he shares, “I wanted to put something out at that point that people would have strong feelings about. Whether they hated it or loved it, they just were gonna have to pay attention to it, share it, talk about it. Something with strong emotion.”

No. 14

MUSICIAN

ANDERSON .PAAK

A

nderson .Paak produced, recorded, and performed as Breezy Lovejoy for 6 years prior to the release of “DRUGS.” “I was tired of things getting overlooked, not being talked about. When I did ‘DRUGS’ it was like, fuck that,” he recalls. .Paak admits to being “all over the place, scatterbrained” as Breezy Lovejoy—ultimately releasing two projects, building a strong reputation as a drummer and session musician, and gaining a worldwide cult following along the way, thanks to ample talent, cameos, and viral music videos.

The random nature of Breezy’s sonic path, a quiet refusal to be typecast, kept his burgeoning fan base mostly curious and open. It provided him the necessary wiggle room to emerge from his cocoon of safety and comfort—bold, bright, and difficult to ignore. .Paak’s sophomore effort Malibu (2016, Steel Wool) preceded “DRUGS” in conception. However, the response to the topical single prompted a shift in direction, which led him to create his debut album titled Venice (2014, Steel Wool).

“Once I saw everything happening around ‘DRUGS,’ we put out another single called ‘Might Be.’ From there we decided to make something a little more fun and modern sounding, more party vibes...kind of a stretch of me doing stuff I wasn’t used to doing. And just like the street, it’ll be long and vast and take you to different places.” The Oxnard, California native pauses to assist his adorable bow-tie sporting 5-year-old son with his napkin and chicken wings. “What I was hoping, was that by the time we got to Malibu, there would be more people paying attention and I could deliver my story essentially, and make the album I’ve always wanted to,” he states.

It worked. Soon after the “DRUGS” / Venice experiment, trusted manager Adrian Miller received a call from Aftermath A&R man Ty Cannon with word Dr. Dre was interested in having Anderson contribute to his new project. With a chuckle he recalls, “I was skeptical. I didn’t think it was gonna be for Dre so directly. But we get to the studio and the first people I meet are Dre and D.O.C. Then I meet Justus and King Mez, the two main writers for Compton. They were like, bro, we love that song ‘Suede’ [note: Nx Worries is a collaboration between Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge. They released ‘Suede’ as a single in 2015 on Stones Throw Records]. We’ve been playing it for three weeks, we can’t get enough. We want to know if you can deliver on these beats we got.”

But first, Dre needed to hear “Suede.” .Paak recounts, “I was like, damn he hasn’t heard it yet? I was nervous at that point, ‘cause what if he was like, ‘nah this is weak,’ and just leaves the room.” He laughs. “But he came in, they played it for him and he immediately cranked it up. He played it again, and again, and after the 3rd time he said, ‘All right, let’s work.’” He recollects with a grin. “The first beat they played was for ‘All In a Day’s Work.’ Dre was going through ideas for melody and prose. It was right up my alley, so I was like, let me hop on the mic. I went in, closed my eyes, they were all in the room, and I kinda just went off top. I opened my eyes and everybody was just like, ‘WOOOO!’ From there, we started writing the song based on that template. After that I was there almost every other day ‘til the album was out.”

Anderson shines on Compton, appearing on six tracks, easily holding his own alongside industry heavies Ice Cube, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, et al.

Critical acclaim followed with scattered whispers of Anderson’s

role on Compton, reminiscent of Snoop’s role on Dre’s seminal Chronic album. The half-black, half-Korean rap singer has crossed the line of visibility and the door to the world stage has been opened to him. As the mainstream pendulum lurches clumsily back toward recognizing hip hop of substance as noted with recent platinum efforts from Kendrick and J. Cole, Malibu follows as an introspective portrait brimming with the kind of poetry and prose that inform those of us who know the struggle.

And for anyone not paying attention to the words, the record is a fantastic voyage into balmy oceans of groove—from classic boom bap to deep disco, funk, and muted deep house nods, it’s hard not to move body parts.

“My mom was always into soul music. I knew a lot of Curtis Mayfield, Frankie Beverly & Maze, O’Jays, Earth, Wind & Fire, before I knew any other music,” .Paak was the only “black kid” in school growing up in Oxnard and Ventura. As a little boy, he beatboxed constantly, which worried his teacher, so much she called his mother to ask about any possible mental conditions. Initially wanting to play saxophone in junior high band, he ended up with drums when no horns were available.

His stepfather took note and brought home a drum set. Up until a few years ago, due to his increasingly bloated schedule, he played drums for his community church. Barely out of his 20s, the musically gifted family man chronicles his story like a humble war veteran who has seen things and tasted pain no person should ever have to. But he came out alive and healthy and his work ethic, winsome smile, and engaging charm are evidence of his excitement at an unknown and potentially bright future.

The Undercard text

VIRGINIA IBARRA

t he pl ay l i s t

Coachella’s 2016 lineup packs a formidable punch. With bands like LCD Soundsystem, CHVRCHES, and Disclosure at the top of the bill, the most highly anticipated festival of the year lives up to its hype once again. It’s the 100+ undercard acts, however, that not only throw an insane show (have you ever seen Young Fathers or Death Grips live?), but cause #FOMO so serious you’re gonna wish you had done your homework.

Luckily, we’ve done ours. We started our playlist off with producer and artist-of-the-hour SOPHIE and Grammy Nominated Aussie rocker Courtney Barnett, and followed those with a nine-minute death-gaze opus by Deafheaven.

In case we got your heart racing a bit too fast, we wind it down with a more soothing Tei Shi and Alvvays.

Procrastinators, we salute you!

01. VYZEE // SOPHIE 02.

Oh Man The Future // De Lux

03.

Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party // Courtney Barnett

04.

Put It Down (feat. Anderson .Paak and KRNE) // TOKiMONSTA

05.

Come Back // Deafheaven

06. Shame // Young Fathers 07.

Cool Sports // Nina Las Vegas & Swick

08.

On The Regular // Shamir

09.

Billy Not Really // Death Grips

10. Breaker // Deerhunter 11.

Go Slow // Tei Shi

12.

Adult Diversion // Alvvays

STREAM THE FULL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST AT LACANVAS.COM

No. 17

MUSIC

VENUE

Showtime A Definitive Guide To The Best Music Venues In Town

Friday nights out with your plus one are a little extra special when live music is in the mix. But you know, there’s a science to a great show. Lighting, acoustics, layout, décor, and a solid talent roster are all tricky elements to master.

Luckily for us, Los Angeles has no shortage of top-notch venues that consistently get it all right. text

The Hi-Hat

Resident

From the men who brought you Covell, a perfect

It’s so good, we had to mention it once again.

post for East Hollywood wine lovers, comes a

Across from the Arts District Urth Cafe is a new

Highland Park spot that is opening up their doors

neighbor to the burgeoning industrial zone, fitted

for local acts and untapped talent in a neighborhood

to its surroundings. Resident hosts a scenic

that has quickly evolved to warrant their presence.

modern courtyard, serving cocktails out of a little

Located on the transformed York Boulevard across

trailer ( a recurring LA theme in our recent bar

from Block Party and The York, Hi-Hat is the

scouting.) Venture through to a hallway that leads

newcomer you need to get to know now.

to an underground stage that is playing host to rock, electronic and dance parties alike, all sleekly formatted with concrete and neon.

KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON

The Echo + The Echoplex

Non Plus Ultra

Tower Theatre

The Echo, and it’s adjoining upstairs venue, The

From secret loft parties to actual ticketed venue,

Tower Theatre is a very special place, being that

Echoplex, have been doing glorious things for

Non Plus Ultra is now an entity open to the public

not just anyone stumbles upon playing a show

the indie rock scene of Echo Park. From up-and-

face. Hosting underground rock and art

here. Upon entering, it’s obvious the building’s

comers with huge clout on the punk, indie, and

presentations, the space is a warehouse located

Baroque Revival architecture holds the distinct

alternative circuits to major game players and

in Virgil Village, still inconspicuous and hard to

essence of a time that came, and left remnants.

touring bands, each find a home in The Echo/

find. Follow a back alley lit with a few string of

It was the first theater in Los Angeles to be

Echoplex. Voted within the top five music venues

lights for a typical $5 cover to see the best new

wired for talking pictures, and was the location

in Los Angeles by Filter Magazine, The Echo

acts evolving indie and psychedelic rock. It’s the

of the sneak preview and Los Angeles premiere

has long lines wrapping around the corner for

kind of space where you find yourself holding a

of Warner Bros.’ revolutionary film The Jazz

real—not just for show. With dance parties

red plastic cup and being reminded of days past,

Singer, starring Al Jolson, which ushered in the

upstairs, featuring DJs you know and need to

all while warm foamy melodies wash over you.

end of the silent-film era. It’s a special place

know (Google “Shlohmo”), with My Bloody

needing to be honored with a particular vibe,

Valentine, SpaceGhostPurp, Trash Talk, and a

which is why ’80s British post-punk/goth band

Taking Back Tuesday: Emo Night with a DJ set

The Cult recently brought the house down in

from Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, The Echo/

February. If you can catch a show at this

Echoplex is the spot.

historical landmark, do so. The visit to the space alone is worth the treat.

WILDCARD

The Ambassador The BBC’s Pete Tong Makes A Home For Himself in LA

text

JESY ODIO DEREK SANTINI

photography

“When I was younger, I used to think of it as just a party,” says Pete Tong. The year is 2016, and the city is Los Angeles. The British BBC 1 radio DJ has come a long way from London in the ’80s, where electronic dance music first surfaced and he became a commanding force on the radio waves. Today, his taste in music is at such a royal state-of-the-art level that he has been recognized as a member of the British Empire, a couple notches below knighthood. But his clairvoyant finger is still on the pulse, and it has recently started pulling him west.

While Pete Tong’s Wikipedia entry is correct—he is the ambassador of electronic music—there is one thing that needs to be updated about his page: he is now based in LA. Head of the electronic division at WME and the founder of the International Music Summit (the premiere conference for dance music), he’s still managed to keep his voice at BBC 1. Now that radio shows are heard more over Wi-Fi than through FM, Pete saw this as an opportunity for flexibility. So instead of broadcasting his curated playlist at the studio in London, he now speaks to all his listeners in the comfort of his home in sunny Southern California.

Pete hosted the first-ever live recording of his show in LA on the rooftop of E.P. & L.P. restaurant, overlooking the Hollywood Hills and against a vista of palm trees and sky. “To prove that I am in LA,” says Pete, “and I’m not faking it.” It’s music fixtures and masterminds like Tong moving across the pond that give us an excitement for what’s to come in the creative industries of our city.

PETE TONG

Street Art Street Art Street Art Street Art

ChickenSpeak @chickenspeak | chickenspeak.com

JAMES HAUNT

W. Olympic Blvd. & Midway Pl.

No. 21

CHRISTINA ANGELINA

W. 48th St. & S. Western Ave.

CHRISTINA ANGELINA AND FANAKAPAN E. 4th St & Merrick St.

ETAM CRU

E. 8th St. & Wall St.

HIJACK

S. La Brea Ave. & Dockweiler St.

DOURONE

Glendale Blvd. & Rockwood St.

STREETART

#therealgirl Cyber sensation Arvida Bystrรถm and her call for radical self-acceptance via candy colored-hues and unshaved parts text

SHEYDA MEHRARA

ARTIST

No. 23

ARVIDA BYSTRÖM

T

he 24-year-old Arvida Byström’s art looks like a lot of pastel and glitter, often translated to the phrase “ über femme,” and proclaimed as youthful and vain. Bringing the audience faceto-face to challenge these stigmas of femininity is exactly what the Stockholm-born, Echo Park-residing artist’s work achieves, combining art and activism in one non-derogatorily cute referenced swoop.

Although an early career as a photographer and model catapulted her into teen cyber fame at the age of 16, Byström’s not attached to one medium. Her fluidity between film, music and photography allows her to further explore the dichotomy of sexuality, gender codes and body image between society and oneself. She’s using the internet as a platform to talk to us about howthe web plays into our daily lives.

Where most are hesitant to share their reality—which often includes the “ haven’t shaved in a week” guilt-ridden thought bubble—Byström questions why both men and women recoil instead of accept ourselves in photo series likes “ There Will Be Blood,” featuring women bleeding through their clothing, and “Boys Will Be Boys,” showing men doing traditionally feminine things like applying makeup or shaving their legs.

Byström utilizes imagery as opposed to being labeled a photographer.

She is a feminist, but not just because she is a female artist. She’s sensual, not just sexual. She uses the color pink more often than not, and is a mature woman. Where most see a two-option check box, she is taking the survey and choosing “N/A.” And yet, she’s not shielded from the spiraling existential crisis of relativity either.

“I tell myself everyday that I should stop because being an artist is so selfish,” she says.“I’m just the type of person that sees all sides of something I’m doing and have a difficult time feeling fulfilled. Even if you touch subjects that are relevant, it still feeds back to your fame and your ego.”

The growing popularity of Byström’s work doesn’t mean it’s always pretty in pink. Like anyone who has to use Instagram to get a paycheck, the ability to enjoy a social network can fade. “ Technology is life,” she says. “ I get sick of it just like I get sick of laundry.”

The internet, while it has produced a whole host of issues regarding self-perception, narcissism and the like, still serves as a window of connection. Byström may not be immune to such issues, but her willingness to face them head on and comment about how they affect her work is admirable and uncommon in her medium. For Byström the color scheme, body hair and oddities she uses that invoke reaction are not just made for personal politics. The real people she connects with through the digital medium where she has taken up residency are her driving force to continue.

“When actual people get in touch with me to say they feel better or less scared because of something I’ve done, that makes me want to keep going.”

@arvidabystrom | arvidabystrom.se

No. 24

GALLERY

SUPERCHIEF

State of the Art Superchief LA: Your Artist’s Favorite Gallery

text

KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON

Downtown LA contemporary art access point Superchief has friends and fans in high places. The gallery is a year and a half into its LA residency and is already beloved by magazines, blogs, and creative figures with art-world clout. With two gallery locations in New York—one in SOHO and the other in Brooklyn— plus the gallery’s newest location in an in-the-cut, 4,000-sqarefoot warehouse space in DTLA, Superchief is a bicoastal gem for art geeks and creative freaks.

We entered Superchief on a sunny afternoon in the days leading up to the LA Art Show. A tour of the gallery and mural space, led by gallery proprietors Ed Zipco and Bill Dunleavy, followed suit. The space is ideal for the angle Superchief has taken over the art landscape of LA: spacious, broad, and poignantly curated to meet local art market needs. Admittedly, business for Zipco and Dunleavy has been bright. Since opening the gallery’s LA sector in 2014, co-owner Ed Zipco says, “It’s been awesome.”

“We started strong and it’s been going strong the whole time,” adds Dunleavy. “The sheer amount of people who show up now is almost our new worry. Moby came and bought some art our first year, so that was awesome. He even invited us to his 50th birthday party at the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. I went, and thought he’d obviously forget who I was, so I gave him a ‘Hi Moby, it’s Bill from Superchief Gallery,’ and he was just like, ‘I know. How’s it going.’” Oh, the glorious validation.

It’s obvious Zipco and Dunleavy have an on-point plan in their curation process, hosting some of the most talked about and highly attended indie art openings in LA. Contemporary, timely, and thematic, the gallery is proving itself to produce standout events. For their May 2015 event Booty Worship, the team saw an onslaught of attention. “Booty Worship was a hundred-person group art show all in praise of the booty. That’s the show where we really started breaking into four-digit

attendance. There were over 1,600 people here for the event. It was like a carnival.”

Zipco says the crowd is a nice mix of art appreciation and bougie art opening. “We don’t push party too hard, and we don’t push bougie pretension. A great group of people just come out. It ends up being a lively social marathon for us, just meeting people and shaking hands and making sales happen; it really makes five hours fly by. The most fun is when you wake up the next day and check the hashtag and realize—whoa, people love it.”

Zipco and Dunleavy are cool kids, but it’s not as if popularity is the only determinant of success, though having a legion of supporters does allow sustainable growth. In only a year and a half, they’ve made a must-see Halloween haunted house, curated shows with legends, introduced out-of-town visionaries to the LA landscape, and brought attention to need-to-know bourgeoning locals. They even have an upcoming show with Brooklyn-based artist, Swoon, rumored to be their biggest show yet.

Zipco and Dunleavy wear the success—and the humility— well. While Superchief is still this twinkling gem for New Yorkers and Angelenos, Dunleavy and Zipco do pinpoint plans to take the Superchief aesthetic international.

“Tokyo or Hong Kong are our next interests, and then from there, the next move would be looking at São Paulo, Brazil.”

So before Superchief becomes an international attraction, make your trip while it’s still a somewhat hidden jewel. In only a year and a half, they’ve curated shows with legends, introduced out-of-town visionaries to the LA landscape and brought attention to need-to-know burgeoning locals.

SUPERCHIEF GALLERY LA 739 KOHLER ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90021 superchiefgallery . com

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ART

GALLERY OPENINGS

Gallery Openings

Marcel Duchamp, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, George Herm DUCHAMP TO POP Norton Simon Museum March 4th – August 29 th

The Norton Simon Museum presents Duchamp to Pop, an exhibition that examines Marcel Duchamp’s potent influence on Pop Art and its leading artists—among them Andy Warhol, Jim Dine and Ed Ruscha. Approximately 40 artworks from the museum’s collection of 20th-century art, along with a handful of loans, are brought together to pay tribute to the creative genius of Duchamp and demonstrate his resounding impact on a select group of artists born half a century later.

Michael Genovese INTERVALS

Robert Mapplethorpe THE PERFECT MEDIUM

Moran Bondaroff March 5th – April 2nd

LACMA March 20 th – July 31st

Michael Genovese creates work that aims to connect with collective experiences, be it social or existential. His work deals with archives, permanence, and the designation of value. Rather than eliminating evidence or obscuring facts, he re-contextualizes our perception of meaning and history, attempting to alter our preconceptions

This exhibition explores Mapplethorpe’s body of work through early drawings, collages, sculptures, Polaroid photography, and mixed materials from his archive. The Perfect Medium highlights the artist’s relationship to New York’s sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media. A companion exhibition will be presented simultaneously at the J. Paul Getty Museum that explores Mapplethorpe’s disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.

and change our proximity to what is tangible.

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 5th, 6pm moranbondaroff.com

Free: Opening on Friday, March 4th, 6pm nortonsimon.org

lacma.org

Emma Gray HQ/Five Car Garage SYNAESTHESIA

Chris Martin SATURN RETURNS

Box Collective WINDFALL

Private residence near Venice. Email for address.

March 26th – May 13th

David Kordansky Gallery April 9 th – May 21st

Craft and Folk Art Museum May 29 th – September 4th

Synaesthesia, a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to an involuntary experience in a second sensory pathway, is depicted through the artwork of 11 contemporary artists. Exhibited in a unique location, each artwork attempts to represent Synaesthesia experiences ranging from psychedelic states, variation in thought patterns, trance or hypnotic states, mystical states, and other mind revealing alterations.

Drawing on inspiration from Buddhism to Amy Winehouse, Chris Martin “lets the paintings make themselves” and creates bold abstract works that explore the unknowable psychological tendencies of art. His canvases are characterized by flat-yettextured planes of saturated color, and will often incorporate found materials and highly personal

Windfall by Box Collective features new furniture and sculptural works fabricated from trees that fell during a 2011 storm in Northeast Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles-based Box Collective is a group of makers dedicated to creating innovative designs.

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 26th, 7pm emmagrayhq.com

paper ephemera.

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 28th, 6pm cafam.org

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 9th, 6pm davidkordanskygallery.com text

KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON

SPOTL THE TASTEMAKERS noun | `tāst,māker |

a person who decides or influences what is or will become fashionable.

text

JESY ODIO

ART Yung Jake STYLE Shirley Kurata

LIGHT MUSIC Jesse Lee

FOOD Stacey Sun

SPOTLIGHTS

Yung Jake Goin’ Back To Back OCCUPATION RAPPER/ MULTI-MEDIA ARTIST @YUNGJAKE YUNGJAKE.TUMBLR.COM

If you had been at the right place at the right time, and by that I mean witnessing two iPhones side by side with Snapchat open, you might have seen rapper-slash-artist Yung Jake’s music video “Both.” In the story, he is faced with a dilemma of choosing between two very attractive possibilities—in this case two girls in bikinis. So how does Yung Jake solve this problem? The same way that he manages to be both a rapper and a visual artist— one after the other, back-to-back. As the song says, “I do both.”

Yung Jake only does interviews via text but felt fine having me present during a recording session. When I first came in, he was working on his laptop on a visual for his solo show at Steve Turner gallery (up until March 12), which also serves as the launch for his new music video “i don’t remember.” After that, he put his laptop down and recorded vocals with producer Jeremiah Raisen (Charlie XCX and Sky Ferreira) and songwriter Tom Krell, also known as How to Dress Well. What if, I ask him over text, someone favors your art over your music? “its fine w me whatever floats ur boat,” he texts back.

Right before he started recording, I saw a rare moment of hesitation in him. “You know when you feel like you won’t be productive? Well, that’s how I feel right now.” But once Jeremiah (“Jerry” to Yung Jake) opened the track in Pro Tools, the rapper didn’t stop once. If he wasn’t singing a verse to himself, he was tracking an ad-lib. He didn’t even take a break to check his phone. And that’s how you know everything about his work is intentional. There is no room for indifference or DGAF-ness.

But there’s always room for new hustles. Currently, Yung Jake is working on his first TV show. Why television? “I feel like I’m too many things and it’s hard for me to focus. This is my hack to do one thing but also be able to do it all.”

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No. 29

THE TASTEMAKERS

Shirley Kurata Virgil Normal Gives LA Design a Good Name OCCUPATION STYLIST @SHIRLEYKURATA SHIRLEYKURATA.COM

There is an unspoken tradition around the city of honoring the previous owners of storefronts by leaving a trace of the old signage, respecting the ghosts of a shop’s past. In the case of the late moped shop Choke in Silver Lake, I can’t think of a better successor than the menswear and home goods atelier Virgil Normal, run by Shirley Kurata and Charlie Staunton, the two design darlings that give LA fashion a good name.

“There were years of moped grease all over the space,” recalls Shirley, but since she and Charlie used to ride in the Latebirds moped gang, it seemed like a match made in heaven. From the moment they stenciled the Old English Gothic logo on the window, it was as though the saints of Los Angeles descended from the skies and blessed Virgil Normal as the city’s new beacon of style.

New to selling clothes but familiar with the tricks of the thread, for years Shirley has been outfitting some of Hollywood’s most eclectic entertainers, including Miranda July, Beck, and now Pharrell. Every manic New York Fashion Week, she serves as the shaman spreading pixie dust over Rodarte’s collection, or in her words, “telling a visual story with Rodarte’s frocks on the runway in less than ten minutes.” So if Shirley is decking out our fave idols for step-and-repeats and making magic on the catwalk, why would she bother to open up shop with her sweetheart, Charlie? Virgil Normal has a patio in the back where they frequently hold pop-ups, zine launches, and art installations. “We meet new people and our friends come hang,” explains Shirley, “a brick-and-mortar makes fashion social.”

photography

RYAN SCHUDE

SPOTLIGHTS

Jesse Lee The Magician OCCUPATION BUSINESSMAN @JESSELEEDF THEDFM.COM

Jesse Lee must have magic powers. Otherwise, how do you explain how the media mogul handles so many projects without even lifting a finger? Think of Jesse as the fairy godmother of this city, who turns pumpkins into carriages and balls into legends. The new dFm space is at the intersection of work and cool, more commonly known as DTLA. Jesse shows me to his office, which sits behind a wall of glass. His approach to everything is transparency. He has six post-it notes stuck to a blank wall with his five (current) ventures: the dFm, Basic Space, Westwood Westwood, Mirage Magazine, and Alma Collective. “If I don’t have many things going on, I get angsty,” explains Jesse.

The dFm is no ordinary creative agency. It identifies as a discovery agency, being bored with the conventional PR game.

They’re investing in human interactions. “All individuals are brands,” says Jesse. In his mind, he doesn’t work with enterprises. He works with people. Many of those people run the city. Literally. As an early supporter of Eric Garcetti’s mayoral campaign, he organized fundraisers with Shepard Fairey and Moby and casually DMs the mayor. “I’m not gonna email him at his mayor’s office,” he says.

The magic is sprinkled over his other projects as well: Westwood Westwood produces video content about the movers and shakers in the creative entrepreneurial scene; Mirage Magazine is the hedonistic publication run by Henrik Purienne, who might be the next Hugh Hefner; Alma Collective provides socially conscious chow to die for; and Basic Space, a curated marketplace app launching in March. As I realized after talking to him, Jesse has been the wizard behind the curtain at almost every cool thing I’ve ever been to in LA. photography

NATE WILLIAMS

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No. 31

THE TASTEMAKERS

Stacey Sun In The Kitchen OCCUPATION DIRECTOR @THESTACEYSUN THESTACEYSUN.COM

Stacey Sun is such a well of information about the LA food scene that asking her a question is like asking Siri. The director of dineL.A. mentions chefs by their first names and describes entrées so distinctly it feels like she just had it for lunch. There is no other mouth in this city we should trust so completely with our palates, which is why she runs dineL.A’s Restaurant Week. Twice a year, our stomachs are spoiled with this twoweek long fete of prix-fixe menus in more than 300 restaurants scattered across the county, where the prices won’t make you cry into your soup. It’s impossible to think of anyone more qualified for the job than Stacey, who has a background in marketing from UC Irvine, culinary training from the New School of Cooking in Culver City and a driving ambition to ignite the fire in people’s bellies.

“It all started with a box of Bisquik,” says Stacey, as she tries to recall her first attempts in the kitchen. She came home after spending the night at some friends’ house with a new desire to experiment. “My parents are Chinese, so they’re not busting out pancakes on a Saturday morning.” And she’s still trying new things everyday—find proof on her mouthwatering Instagram account. photography

STACEY SUN

American-made menswear staple brand Buck Mason allows for the jeans and T-shirt guy to keep it as simple as possible

my main man text

MEGAN LABER

DESIGNER

No. 35

A

sentiment heard often is that no one needs another basics line. That is, unless you’re a dude. The modern man’s struggle to find proper-length jeans and well-cut T-shirts that not only fit but last and hold up is a reoccurring quandary we’ve found ourselves trying to answer for the male reader since day one.

When Venice-based Buck Mason entered the space of making closet staples, noticeable buzz began. Not the momentary viral hype from a Kanye tweet, but real guys, face to face, praising their finds. The brand has the gift of evoking positive gossip as a brand worthy of a long-term relationship.

“Our biggest driver of growth and even bigger complement to our product is word of mouth,” says Sasha Koehn, co-founder of the brand. “We’ve had a lot of success with just letting our brand breathe and letting our customers be the ones talking about it, instead of us.”

It was Koehn, along with Erik Schnakenberg, who founded the company based out of a frustration in the lack of affordable US-based brands making the things men wear most. They searched for fabrics that lasted multiple washes and were comfortable. They found a classic fit that appealed to a broad range of ages.

“Our product is less about innovation and more about quality and discipline.

The cool thing about bucking trends is that we can spend our time refining fit and fabric, and focusing on the fundamentals. We take a slow approach to everything.

I mean, our research and development process is nothing short of obsessive. The fits, the fabric, we'll change things over and over before they go to market,” says Schnakenberg.

We take a slow approach to everything.

I mean, our research and development process is nothing short of obsessive.

A true Angeleno brand, the two have kept the line light and layered, but as expansion becomes inevitable Schnakenberg says they will have to step outside of their golden state mentality.

“We don’t really have seasons in Los Angeles, it’s always just varying degrees of nice, so as we grow nationally and internationally, we always need to remind ourselves that the rest of the world isn't living in 75 degree weather.”

Even though they’re LA-based, they still do a fair bit of online business, even offering a package option online that allows guys to grab a button down, tee, and denim all in one swoop. You can also get their most popular tee in three colors and their neutral leather belts in black and brown, a saving grace to the men who find the perusing period their version of a torture device.

“Our packages are developed to completely reduce the overwhelming shopping experience that some may have while shopping online. It’s for the guy who doesn’t have time, or doesn’t want to think and trusts our curation,” said Koehn.

Far out west and allowing the laid-back Venice vibes to permeate in their styling and branding, the Buck Mason men have good news for those east of La Brea looking to step into a physical location minus a ride on the daunting I-10. In early spring, Koehn says a new brick-and-mortar store is opening on the East side, but until there’s more news, the rest is tight-lipped, so we’ll have to wait and see what they’ve got planned.

BUCK MASON

No. 36

STORE

Venturing Inland Removed From The Very Beaten Path Of Abbot Kinney, Inland Opens A Venice Clothing Shop Of Its Own Kind

text

MEGAN LABER

In an age where great deals and two-day delivery are just a few clicks away, it’s easy to see how e-commerce conglomerates are thriving. Accordingly, it’s a brick-and-mortar shop’s main goal to bring a special touch to the retail experience. Inland, located in Venice, is taking it a step further by curating a commune of friends’ designs, while offering customization to each garment, bought there or otherwise, in-house.

Founded by Kristin Fedyk, previously with AUST, and her partner Alberto “Ruben” Hernandez, a third-generation milliner currently under the wing of Nick Forquet, Inland was spawned from a combination of opportunity and the couple’s desire to create with freedom.

“Inland is about us not caving to other peoples insecurities.

It’s our confidence in the stuff we sell, and knowing that the person who gets the store will love our vision,” Fedyk says. “I want you to buy something here you won’t see anyone else wearing. We just want to create a personal swag, as cheesy as this sounds.”

Inside their shop off Venice Boulevard, you’ll find an eclectic mix for women and men. From clean-cut yet experimental Aussie brands like Acler, to the perfect sunglasses from LAbased Salt Optics, Fedyk and Hernandez have honed in on slightly under-the-radar brands doing unique things.

“We’re always going to look for new designers. We’re trying to get away from the non-supportive environment other retailers have. I’ve passed on labels I could have easily sold out of because I wanted to give money to someone hustling, and doing something that inspires me,” says Fedyk.

Another way the couple wishes to stand apart is by literal distance from the Venice shopping capital, Abbot Kinney. Where independent retailers used to fill the spaces before, developers and property owners are capitalizing on the once-present cool factor of the area by raising rents impossible to be met without big corporate dollars.

“Tourists kill the vibe of Abbot Kinney. It used to be one of the coolest streets in Southern California. Then it became really

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cheesy from the big brands and chains. The real locals with specialty stuff no longer can afford to be there,” says Hernandez.

Fedyk adds, “ I mean, a P.F. Chang’s is going in, and I love that shit…but it’s obviously a different place now.”

A few other names can be found on the city’s synonymous boulevard, yet with just being open a month, Fedyk and Hernandez are feeling the love from the surrounding neighborhood and community. The shop can be found with classic cars parked outside on the weekends, while hula-hooping ladies create buzz on a street utilized by locals and through car traffic. Hearkening back to the old days of Venice, Fedyk and Hernandez zero in on the original DIY-ness of the area, and people genuinely respond to that.

“My clients ask me where I get my clothes, and it was always things I’d done myself,” Hernandez says. “I figured out that I could open a back studio so we could customize and design the pieces we sold. It started with this flannel shirt, and we tore it apart with Jessica [the shop’s in-house seamstress]. People began asking about it, offering to buy it for ridiculous amounts of money off my back, and I knew we had something.”

No longer satisfied with fast-fashion’s mass appeal, the shopper looking to moderately invest in something unique and well-made can find solace in what Inland has to offer. Taking it a step further, their ability to tailor, add elements, or create from scratch something that you want done turns their backs on the ethos of throwaway culture.

“Maybe this will become the new way people shop. Come in, drop by and we’ll make something for you. It went from Amazon on your doorstep instantly, to being okay to wait three weeks for something that isn’t crap, and handmade just for you,” says Fedyk.

Likely to greet you by the door will be their lounging pit bull Biggie Smalls, and off to the left a terrarium sheltering their rescue tortoise Beyoncé. Too long of a story to be told here—go check in and ask about that one yourself.

INLAND 1325 VENICE BLVD, VENICE, CA 90291 inlandvenice . com

INLAND

THE DO-GOODER

No. 39

A Little Help From Our Friends Bhavna Ahluwalia, Vice President of Dickies At Jerry Leigh Of California, Moves The Brand Forward While Using Her Success To Help Pups In Need.

The classic Dickies lowrider pant has never really had a pause of relevancy, likely due to the unrelenting skater boy commitment to making them staple shred-wear. Now the brand is moving on to its next phase of evolution by adding more on-trend collections in addition to iconic workwear pieces in the form of Dickies Girl, the contemporary young women’s extension of Dickies, under the direction of Vice President Bhavna Ahluwalia at Jerry Leigh of California.

Besides her success in creating the feminine and fashionable side of the ultimate utilitarian brand, Ahluwalia has a soft spot for furry friends, as sparked by her rescue pitbull, Bubbles.

Nursing her to health after finding her before a business meeting, Ahluwalia found a new passion for helping pups in need.

Using her skills in the apparel world, along with her newfound desire to aid animals in need, Ahluwalia created Paw Clawset, an apparel line for the underserved market of medium- to largesized pooches that benefits animal rescues in Southern California.

Combining good-doing, business-bossing, and animal-saving, Ahluwalia’s life is the new ideal for “having it all.”

BHAVNA AHLUWALIA

TREND MATRIX FO R H E R

MOSCHINO $250

MAISON MARTIN MARGIEL A

MEDIUM TOTE $1,290

TOPPER HAT $150

DIOR $595

STAN SMITH $110

PROENZA SCHOULER

SO RE AL SUN GL ASSES

MARSÈLL $895

CUT OUT OPEN TOE ANKLE BOOT

WEEKENDER DUFFEL $395 T. ANTHONY

BALENCIAGA $155

CL ASSIC CARD CASE

COMMON PROJECT $410 LOW TOP TRAINERS

CA4L A

ADIDAS

LE LABO FRAGRANCE $240

BRIXTON WESLEY FEDORA $55 BNKR

R + CO $29

SUNSET BLVD BLONDE SHAMPOO

GLAMGLOW $69

FRESH $65

INSTAX FILM CAMERA $60

MARBLE MUG $60

FUJI FILM

PF CANDLE CO. $42

BLK WATER $30

PENNY ORIGINAL $119

ARQUISTE PARFUMEUR $109

HAYDEN $89

ROY FOLDOVER CARD CASE

ALL THINGS TEA $20

KOMONO $100

6.9 OUNCE PACK

PL AY TEE

UMBRA $30

TRIG WALL VESSEL

NO.9 FIG & JASMINE

COMME DES GARÇONS $135

VITAMIN E STICK

ROSE FACE MASK

CUT OUT SE ASHELL SILVER

REVIVA LAB $4

HAIR SPRAY

SUPERMUD CLE ARING TRE ATMENT

SANTAL 33

PENNY CARLTON

BIG SEXY HAIR $16

URBAN OUTFIT TERS

NATURE’S BOUNTY $13

SARAH CIHAT

HAIR SKIN & NAIL GUMMY

TWO FACED $28

FACETUNE $4

LIP INJECTIONS

IPHONE APP

ME XICAN BAROQUE CANDLE

SMART PHONE PROJECTOR $60

CHAMBRAY LEATHER BRIM CAP $38

POM BEANIE $12

URBAN OUTFIT TERS

GENTS

I LOVE UGLY $99

NATIVE UNION $40

COMME DES GARÇONS $35

HUMANS OF NEW YORK STORIES $17

SAMUEL WATCH

LE NUIT COLOGNE $65 Y VES SAINT L AURENT

CLIC WOODEN IPHONE CASE

TOP STRIPED MID - CALF SOCKS

VANS $60

KNIT BOW TIE $30

AUTHENTIC LITE

FO R H I M

MANGO MAN

ADIDAS

BOOK

MINI GHOST PATCH $6 MOKUYOBI

ECO N O M I C A L

E XO R B I TA N T

REPLICA $125

HE ART CHAIN CROSSBODY

EDITORIAL

did you hear the beat?

text

KOURY ANGELO

` GEORGE RENEE

photography

KOURY ANGELO

ASAP ROCKY AT SXSW FOR SAMSUNG

EDITORIAL

No. 45

KOURY ANGELO

Music photographer Koury Angelo knows how to capture that moment at shows that gets you there in the first place. The connection from fan to artist in a small setting or massive venue seems to permeate the experience of performance that keeps tickets selling and people standing. We asked Angelo to curate some of his favorite moments from the festival track of the last year. Try not to buy weekend passes after this.

He conducts photographic wizardry at NYC fashion week that give Angelenos a serious case of FOMO IRL, captures legendary performances at the world’s biggest music festivals and shows, and shoots portraits of notable talent, especially in music, for the big guys like Rolling Stone and Billboard.

It’s this new breed of photographer we’re focusing on; A busy and successful career combined with his rhythmical personal values that composite his single picture as a high note to lean toward.

LA CANVAS: Thanks for making the time to meet after the NYFW madness. What is your relationship with fashion week, and fashion in general?

Koury Angelo: After I received my postgraduate degree at Speos Photography Institute in Paris, I moved to NYC and landed my first job in the photo industry at Milk Studios. I remember seeing all of my favorite photographers shooting at the studio and working with the best creatives in the fashion industry. It was inspiring to be around that, and it really helped me as a young photographer. Fashion is a huge part of the photography world in NYC and I lived and worked in the industry there from 2005 to 2007.

LAC: How did you start shooting with Milk Studios’ MADE Fashion Week?

KA: I’ve been shooting for Milk for a long time. It’s been amazing being part of that family for over ten years now. Once they launched MADE Fashion Week, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. MADE brought me on to cover the events in September of 2014. It was such an incredible experience—like coming full circle—from working at Milk as a Studio Manager, to now being the photographer shooting.

LAC: Your take of the runway shows, after parties, after-after parties and portraits of notable humans (that recent Erykah Badu shot though!) during NYFW gives us serious East Coast

envy. Give us a beat by beat play on how one day unravels for you.

KA: Covering NYFW is like eye candy for me as a photographer, and having a backstage all-access pass is the equivalent of having the keys to the city. Everywhere you turn there are celebrities, designers, models, musicians, runway shows and after parties. The list goes on.

For me, it’s also a lot of work, and turning photos around within an hour or two of each show is crucial for an online publication and social media. My day starts about three hours from my first fashion show assignment. Each day I shoot anywhere between two to four shows, and sometimes a late night after party or music event.

LAC: How-and equally importantly, when-did you shape this niche of portraiture for yourself?

KA: I started taking my camera everywhere with me in college. A lot of my friends in Austin were musicians, so I would go and shoot their shows, the backstage and then the after parties. So, in hindsight, it seems natural for me to still be doing this—only now on a bigger and more public-facing scale.

LAC: As we gear up for festival season, specifically the infamous Coachella, where can we find you (aside from trolling and re-posting from your @kouryangelo handle)?

KA: SXSW is first for me. I get to go to my hometown and visit Austin for a week of music. Then Coachella, where I’ll be deep in the trenches: in the photo pits, on stage, backstage and in the crowd.

LAC: Are there any artists or events you’ve captured where you have to pinch yourself?

KA: I got to photograph Motörhead at Coachella in 2014.

Normally, when covering a music festival I only stay for the first three songs, but it was such an epic performance that I stayed for the whole set. Lemmy Kilmister was already such

OPPOSITE PAGE: (B&W IMAGE) IGGY AZALEA’S CROWD AT SXSW USING MATTE FILMS FOR SAMSUNG. (COLOR IMAGES) CROWD’S AT FYF.

EDITORIAL

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a huge rock legend, so when he brought out Slash from Guns N’ Roses onstage to close the set with “Ace of Spades” I was definitely pinching myself, because it just doesn’t get much bigger than that! Later, after the festival, I sent his PR team a few photos that were published in Rolling Stone. They sent me a handwritten thank you and a Motörhead t-shirt, bag and coffee mug. I still use them all. So honored I got to photograph Lemmy before he passed away late last year.

LAC: Speaking of epic music, what’s on your current playlist, and is it weird when it’s the artists you’ve photographed for hours on location? Does that happen?

KA: While I love rock ‘n’ roll, I’ve always been a big electronic and hip-hop fan. Nicole Moudaber is one of my favorite house DJs and I just photographed her Awakenings performance in NYC on Valentine’s Night. I shoot for A-Trak and I listen to his

KOURY ANGELO

Day Off Radio to find new music. I just discovered Jackie Hill Perry. She has an amazing and powerful new voice in hip-hop.

LAC: Does the digital contraption trend effect your work?

What do you make of iPhoneography, photo apps, and mobile editing?

KA: It was hard for me in the beginning since I learned on film, and happily spent the majority of my time in college in the darkroom, but I now embrace digital. I love the convenience of having apps on my iPhone—it helps to do my online posts and tweak images if I don’t have my computer with me.

THIS PAGE: DEAP VALLEY AT AIR + STYLE. OPPOSITE PAGE: LANA DEL REY (TOP), DRAKE (BOTTOM) AT COACHELLA

KEEP UP WITH KOURY ON INSTAGRAM @KOURYANGELO OR VISIT KOURYANGELO.COM.

Chef Ray Garcia on authenticity and pushing the bounds of Mexican-American cooking

a modern mexican movement text

photography

VI NGUYEN NATE WILLIAMS

No. 50

CHEF

I

f there’s one thing Angelenos can be ubiquitously proud of, it’s our city’s Mexican food. Whether it’s the juicy ceviche tostadas of places like Mariscos Jalisco or the humble street taco, Mexican food is what we take our out-of-towner friends to eat, perhaps hoping they’ll forget the city’s lack of a proper skyline or the imminent dismay of visiting Hollywood’s walk of fame. Even better, it’s often a meal you can consume while barely putting a dent in your wallet.

So when Ray Garcia introduced his eateries B.S. Taqueria and Broken Spanish, who knew what the reception would be?

Priced on the higher end of what Angelenos are used to, Garcia’s combination of classical training and Mexican-American heritage promised a take on Mexican food that combined the soul of his upbringing’s kitchens with produce sourced by a classically trained hand.

“There’s still a stigma around what Mexican food is,” Garcia says. “What it should be, and how much it should cost. We’re trying to push more creatively what Mexican food is, what the ingredients are.”

Garcia’s menus, for example, include staples but in the form of dishes like their famed lamb neck tamale, made with king oyster mushrooms and Oaxaca cheese, or handmade tortillas served with refried lentils rather than pinto beans. “Once you’ve seen it, tasted it, you can, within reason, understand why food costs a certain amount.”

Garcia has been working in kitchens for more than 20 years now. He put in six years at FIG at the Fairmont Miramar, earning respect for pushing the confines of “hotel dining” but perhaps gaining more notoriety for his boundary-pushing Mexican food at competitions and, of course, his love of pork— Garcia won LA’s pork-centric Cochon 555 in 2013 and 2014, and was crowned “King of Porc” for Cochon 555’s national competition in 2014. In 2015, he was named Esquire’s Chef of the Year.

Today, Garcia is steadily carving himself a place as a fixture in the LA culinary community, dishing out food that delivers the warmth and sincerity of what he grew up eating as a Mexican-American, while expanding the spectrum of what Angelenos consider to be Mexican food. What does authenticity mean to Garcia anyway? “We’ve always billed ourselves, and my food in particular, as ‘authentically inauthentic.’ Even in the name, the idea, ‘Broken Spanish.’”

Garcia goes on to explain, “It doesn’t need to be the exact way your mother, your father or your grandmother prepared it. But when we do a dish and it really goes over well, it connects them to a time in their life, a happy place. We want to capture that authentic moment, as opposed to having that exact recipe.

It’s more about satisfying you—physically, emotionally too—that the dish did my memory justice.”

##

That contrast of familiarity and innovation are what characterize Garcia’s menus and are what have made him so successful. For example, at Broken Spanish: the pibil, a traditionally pork-centric dish, is made instead with golden beets, packed with smoky flavor, followed with a kick of heat.

A tostada arrives topped with marina di chiogga (a type of Italian winter squash), a cauliflower escabeche, chili cascabel, and ruby red gems of pomegranate seed providing a bright zing as you bite in. You can also get quesadillas, except these ones make a bold statement with their blue corn tortillas, stuffed with tender oxtail and plaintain. The sweet and savory of the quesadillas are especially tasty if you mop up some of the salsa quemada they’re served upon along with little dollops of creamy avocado.

The star of many diners’ meals is the chicharron: a generous slab of pork belly, which comes dressed with elephant garlic mojo and pickled herbs. Underneath the greenery, you’ll find the skin is unapologetically crispy and a knife through the dish reveals dark pink flesh, the meat impossibly tender with ribbons of velvety fat coursing through. Absolutely divine. Our personal favorite, though, is the sunchoke and spinach tamal, a homey but refined rendition of a classic comfort food. The sunchoke and spinach together with pawlet, chile ancho, and raw goat cheese gouda, are topped with a sweet and tangy salsa de fruta and a mornay-like sauce. With one bite we immediately understand that inexplicable feeling of comfort and warmth a newfangled take on a traditional dish can elicit.

With food like this, it’s no wonder Garcia finds himself becoming a mentor of sorts, inspiring a generation of younger chefs learning to see Mexican-American cooking through a new lens. Cooking at Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria have also allowed Garcia to operate a kitchen in a way he’s never done so before.

“This is the first time that I’ve had a restaurant or cooked in a restaurant where it goes beyond having memorized a recipe or my muscles having learned a repetitive motion—I can make gnocchi, I can braise coq au vin, I can do all this great stuff, but there isn’t a reference point for me. It doesn’t connect beyond what someone else taught or trained me in. This is the first time I’m cooking beyond just a learned recipe. I’m cooking and saying ‘this isn’t right, this isn’t the same texture’—it’s cooking from memory and from a personal, more soulful connection. “ With numerous accolades already upon him, one thing is clear: the story of Garcia’s modern Mexican movement has only just begun.

BROKEN SPANISH 1050 S. FLOWER ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90015 brokenspanish . com

No. 51

RAY GARCIA

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No. 52

RESTAURANT

THE CANNIBAL

The New Butcher In Town The Cannibal, a New York transplant, makes its way to LA and brings with it a primal approach to meat text

VI NGUYEN KEVIN O’LEARY

photography

Carnivorous cravings are nothing new, but a new restaurant is arriving on LA’s sunny shores that will take meat-eating to new heights with an unabashed nose-to-tail approach. The Cannibal, a successful NYC meat-centric eatery, is making a second home at Culver City’s hotly anticipated mixed-use complex, PLATFORM, located on the famed Hayden tract. In celebration of a more primal relationship with meat, the restaurant is a brazen ode to carnivorous eats. On any given day, you may find dishes like lamb tartare or even a General Tso pig’s head.

Sound a bit daunting? Perhaps, but one can’t help but admire an eatery which inspires a more playful approach to meat.

The Cannibal’s OG location opened up in 2011 and quickly became a neighborhood spot where, in true NYC fashion, dinner took on a communal feel in the spot’s tight quarters. One might be enjoying Peking duck rillettes and steal a curious glance at an adjacent diner’s garam masala-spiced lamb belly.

The LA location will be housed inside a much more sprawling space, where in addition to the restaurant, there will also be a butchery, a sandwich counter, and a bar with an impressive number of beers. Heading the kitchen is Chef Francis Derby, coming to LA after having worked under two of NYC’s most bona fide chefs, Wylie Dufresne and David Chang. His menu includes the housemade sausages, rillettes, and pâté’s that have become The Cannibal’s signature offerings, alongside other items such as a 96 oz dry-aged steak, and “whole animal” (aka nose-to-tail) feasts prepared over a custom wood-fired grill and designed to be shared amongst friends.

What is nose-to-tail anyway? Derby tells us, “When we think of nose to tail, we think of using every part of the animal, including some of the less familiar cuts that people aren’t 100 percent sure how to cook. Things like pork chops and ribeye steaks are on so many menus, but things like pig’s head, beef heart, and liver are less common.” He goes on, “One of the best examples of true nose-to-tail cooking is beef tendon. We braise it overnight, press it, then chill it and shave it into noodles to make a cold salad with it.”

Derby’s grandfather owned a duck farm, so it’s no surprise he’s got such an affinity for meat. But surprisingly, the veggies on the menu hold their own. “We serve a lot of large cuts of rich fatty meats, such as grilled rib eyes, whole pig’s head, lamb belly.

As much as I love eating these things,” Derby explains, “there needs to be some balance, and vegetables are a great way to do that. And with California’s killer produce selection, we are really excited about cooking with more vegetables in LA.” Indeed, alongside the meat dishes, you’ll find offerings like grilled scallions or onions (one of Derby’s favorite vegetables) served with romesco —a play on a traditional Basque dish.

Still, let’s not kid ourselves, the real stars of the menu are the carnivorous kind. Whether it’s the chicken liver pate with beer and shallot jam and cocoa nibs, or lovingly bruleed bone marrow (!) with soft scrambled eggs and marinated mushrooms, you’ll find yourself hard-pressed to make a decision.

The decision making won’t be any easier when it comes to drinks. With over 500 varieties of bottled beers from all over the globe, The Cannibal’s selection is a beer snob’s dream and curated by Beer Director and Certified Cicerone Julian Kurland, with a dozen labels rotating on tap through a Flux Capacitor.

Speaking of beer, rumor has it that if you come into the restaurant in your cycling gear, you’ll score a free beer. The name of the restaurant, while not-so-subtly hinting to the meat-centric nature of the menu, is also a nod to legendary cyclist, Eddy Merckx, whose nickname is “The Cannibal.” The owners, Christian Pappanicholas and Cory Lane, are avid cyclists themselves, and fellow cyclists who visit The Cannibal will also get a free “musette” bag and energy bar to fuel their ride home.

But who has room for energy bars anyway, there’s a General Tso’s pig head waiting to be tackled.

THE CANNIBAL 8850 W WASHINGTON BLVD. CULVER CITY, CA canniballa . com

FOOD

No. 53

FOOD SCOOPS

Drink And A Show Here in Los Angeles, we certainly aren’t left wanting for a place to catch live music. Getting a great cocktail in the same place, however —now that’s another story. In the spirit of the Music Issue, we rounded up a list of our favorite well-rounded haunts that slay across the board. When it comes to acoustics, atmosphere, and a solid pour, these guys, as Trick would say, take it to the house. text

KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON

The Love Song Bar (at The Regent)

Townhouse Venice

What was once a vintage cinema built back in

Rarely does a piece of architecture find itself

1914 is now the locally beloved Regent Theater—

being used for its same, originally intended

a mainstay indie concert hall with an equally

purpose 100 years after being built, but

beloved bar and pizzeria. If you find yourself

Townhouse Venice shows itself to be exceptional

being a grown and sexy 21+ attendee of The

in this regard. Built back in 1915—when it was

Regent, do not leave without hitting The Love

hidden beneath a grocery store—the bar became

Song Bar. The classic cocktail den façade boasts

a speakeasy during the prohibition era. Today,

reclaimed wood surfaces, mood lighting, and an

it still stands proudly as a space to grab a glass

expansive drink menu with tons of expertly

of whatever you’d like. Try the Moscow Mule if

crafted options to tempt your palate. Quality

you’re feeling up for a taste of vodka, ginger,

drinks keep bar patrons happy, while free of

honey, cucumber and lime, or reach for the Old

charge live performances keep the energy just

Fashioned if you’re leaning towards a mix of

right. Once the munchies hit, you’ll love having

bourbon and rye whiskey with Demerara and

the Prufrock Pizzeria right next door to bring

Bay Rum Bitters. Pop in throughout the week

the pleasant experience full circle.

and catch indie acts, jazz performances, burlesque shows, and DJ sets from the who’s who.

The Standard Rooftop Downtown

Upstairs Bar at Ace Hotel

Lekker Lounge

Into scoping out panoramic views, outdoor

Attendees of the Ace Hotel’s Upstairs Bar often

Lekker Lounge is one of DTLA’s newest and

fireplaces, heated swimming pools, and

become frequent visitors. This is based off

fastest-rising stars on the nightlife scene. This

complimentary waterbeds with your Bourbon

empirical data and good old-fashioned personal

wonderland-themed hookah bar is not to be taken

Lemonade? Thought so. Plenty of folks are, which

accounts. Because of its ambiance, amenities,

lightly, with a full stage and music performance

is why The Standard’s rooftop bar and lounge is

and accessibility, the destination has become a

area to really get shit cracking. Just recently, the

a favored destination for many Angelenos and

go-to for business professionals on a midday

venue welcomed South Korea’s Keith Ape to take

out-of-towners. Their mix of nightly Djs keeps

meeting or friends on a weekend martini retreat.

the stage and local rap tycoons Slay Squad did

the dance floor in motion, while their menu of

Idealistic outdoor décor makes this space a

the same. A standout attraction of this unique

cocktails and classic German beers keeps dancers

standout, fitting perfectly into the vibe of old

venue is found in Lekker Lounge’s alcohol-infused

fueled. German Biergartens not a huge interest

Hollywood luxury with contemporary twists.

boba, a favorite of the venue’s new legion of fans

for you? No worries; there’s something for every

Take a summertime, afternoon dip in the bar’s

that has surfaced after the re-opening and

flavor palate. Reach for the French 77, featuring

concrete pool if you’re feeling adventurous. Once

revamping of the space earlier this year. Come

sparkling wine, elderflower liqueur, and fresh

you dry off, return in the evening for lovingly

for the hookah and infused boba, stay for the live

lemon juice, or possibly the Bellini Martini,

curated cocktails and nightly events—think DJs,

shows and ridiculous amount of quality selfie

showcasing premium vodka, peach schnapps,

live bands, book release parties, pop-up shops,

opportunities.

peach nectar, and a splash of champagne.

and creative collaborations of all kinds.

No. 54

BAR

MINIBAR

Straight Up MiniBar Hollywood is Your New Favorite Watering Hole

text

HEATHER SIEDLER

Tucked inside a Best Western on Franklin, beside the iconic late-night 101 Coffee Shop, you’ll find the cozy Mini Bar—a sophisticated but laid-back respite from the oft-excessive Hollywood bar scene. The brains that birthed Little Dom’s and Dominicks, have brought a new meaning to watering hole. A quiet bar for locals and travelers alike, this 32-seat gem offers a friendly sanctorium for those looking to escape the sizable enterprise of “going out” on the town. Nothing against the hip, crowded corner bar, but sometimes you’re in the mood for an alternative experience and some no-frills hooch.

“The cocktail culture has got kinda out of hand in LA, and customers everywhere were getting scolded by bartenders,” says the bar’s partner/sommelier Jeremy Allen. “The focus behind the bar was all flames, foams and complicated infusions, and I believe it made it hard for people to enjoy themselves.

The focus needed to be returned to the customer. People go to bars to be social with their friends and enjoy themselves, not to get condescended to by a bartender. If they’re going to spend their cash in a bar, it’s important for barkeeps to actually be nice to them.”

The moment you enter its doors, this Franklin Village drinkery gives you that sense of warm hospitality. Every inch of the intimate space is thoughtfully designed, with a retro Mad Men aesthetic and concise, straightforward cocktail menu—eight classic revivals with subtle twists. There are two words common in the LA lexicon that don’t apply to MB: mixology and cinnamon whiskey. The reason isn’t from lack of respect for ingredients,

but rather to shift focus away from the byzantine energy of the current craft cocktail culture. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, just helping it to turn smoother.

“We can still do all the mixologist stuff anyone does at any other bar, we’re just not pushing it on people. Whatever people want, we try to make it simple. Everyone behind the bar has all that experience, but they’re not the show. The bar and the customers are the show. We want people to feel at home, not wait twenty minutes for a drink.”

You may also find yourself transported by the bar’s wellcurated soundtrack, but the musical landscape won’t overpower your ability to have a meaningful conversation. It’s a rarity to be able to sustain dialogue with your drinking companion in an LA bar, but MB is befitting for a mellow date night or a boozy business meeting.

“The room is built to suck up sound,” Allen says. “Everyone has little private zones, and if there was a dude at the end of the bar being shouty, it wouldn’t interfere with the other guests.

The main idea was to be comfy. When people walk in, the tone’s already set, you can our full attention. We want be a service to the neighborhood, to be a value to them.”

So if you want to end the night as Don Draper might, skip all that fussy jigger juggling, head to MB, and order a straight whiskey.

MINIBAR HOLLY WOOD 6141 FRANKLIN AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90068 minibarhollywood . com

Escala: Spanish for “Stopover” or “Layover”. A unique stop in the heart of L.A.’s Koreatown Renaissance.

Inspired by owner OG Chino’s uncommon roots, Chef Chris Oh mixes classic Colombian recipes with Korean flavors & a love for communal eating & drinking.

Urban Art & Music by our marquee family of World Class Artists & DJs. Stopover for the food, stay for the experience.

3451 W 6th Street

Open Daily 11:30am - 2am LUNCH + DINNER

Los Angeles, CA 90020

SUNDAY BRUNCH

In The Historic Chapman Market

HAPPY HOUR + NAPPY HOUR Events / Birthdays / Large Parties

Koreano • Colombiano • Angelino

213-387-1113

@escalaktown

escalaktown.com

#escalaktown

No. 56

LA CANVAS CARES

LOCAL NONPROFITS

LA CANVAS Cares

Safe And Sound International 1055 W. 7th St., Penthouse Suite, Los Angeles, CA 90017 safeandsoundinternational.com

Safe and Sound International works to end domestic violence and sexual abuse by educating people about the boundaries and limitations that define healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Founded with an ethos to help those in need by way of complete support, Safe and Sound International provides a haven for those who have suffered abuse and violence and has partnered with many other organizations on a national and international basis in order to advocate public awareness of the issue.

In the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, SASI is taking a step toward being a voice for those who don’t feel they have one.

Unlike some religious or other privatized nonprofits, SASI does not discriminate due to race, income, sexual preference, ethnicity, or status. By distributing their Empower Safety System, Safe and Sound educates those at risk and volunteers wanting to evoke change. No one deserves to live in fear.

A Place Called Home 2830 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011 apch.org

Beginning in 1993, Debrah Constance wanted to offer an afterschool go-to for gang-affected youth to do homework, hang out, and be with supportive and caring mentors. Starting with only 12 members in the basement of a church, A Place Called Home was launched, and by 1996 membership had skyrocketed to 400 youth members.

A Place Called Home is now a nonprofit organization that provides the support and shelter South Central children between the ages of 8 to 21 need to create stable and caring living situations for themselves. Through education programs, counseling, and after-school mentoring, children are offered a variety of solutions and techniques, giving them tools to feel more prepared to take on their current challenges.

The organization also offers tutoring, homework support, and a well-rounded curriculum of arts, including music, dance, and sports. Working with the LAUSD to provide year-round support for college preparation and decrease the high school drop out rate, the organization has been able to send many first-generation students on their journey to higher education.

REVEL LATE INTO THE NIGHT AT THE MUSIC CENTER WITH NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN SPACES AND NEW EXPERIENCES AS YOU RACE TOWARD DAWN. UPCOMING DATES: APRIL 1, JUNE 17, SEPTEMBER 23, NOVEMBER 11

MUSICCENTER.ORG/SLEEPLESS

EVENT

EVENT

DJ Earl, Iglooghost and more @ Low End Theory

EVENT

Extreme Japanese Drumming Show TAO @ Smothers Theater

EVENT

Pusha T @ Belasco Theater

CONCERT

92

Animal Collective w/ Ratking @ Fonda Theater

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81

Eliot Sumner @ The Echo

CONCERT

81

The Art of Our Time @ MOCA

22

11

Evan Holloway @ David Kordansky Gallery

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An Evening with Matisyahu @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

THEATER

Sex With Strangers @ Geffen Playhouse

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11

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Unauthorized Musical Parody of The Devil Wears Prada @ Rockwell

THEATER

10

Waka Flocka Flame w/ Black Moth Super Rainbow @ The Observatory

CONCERT

10

Fetty Wap @ the Palladium

CONCERT

3

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Art Night Pasadena @ PMCA

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11

Poltergeist @ Griffith Park Old Zoo

FILM

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First Fridays @ The Natural History Museum

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Old Pasadena Happy Hour Week @ Old Pasadena

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4

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Highland Park Art Walk @ The Market

EVENT

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Big ‘Cap Beer & Cider Festival @ Santa Anita Park

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Punch-Drunk Love w/ Live Orchestra @ Ace Hotel DTLA

FILM

5

LA Festival of Colors @ Various Locations

EVENT

Don’t Look Back: The 1990’s @ MOCA

EVENT

15th Annual LA Lantern Festival @ Chinese American Museum

EVENT

I Love The 90’s: Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Young Mc, All-4-One, Color Me Badd, Rob Base @ Microsoft Theater

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5

March

EVENT

CONCERT

Sunday Funday All You Can Drink @ Wurstküche Venice

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Young Thug @ The Obsevatory

CONCERT

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Becoming LA All Day @ Natural History Museum

14

Pure Bathing Culture @ The Echo

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Burger x Observatory 5 year Anniversary @ The Observatory

EVENT

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13

The Rock N’ Roll Flea Market @ The Regent Theater

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Art & Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon @ LACMA

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SU

CONCERT

30 2

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29 1

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Freddie Gibbs @ The Regent Theater

Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th Century French Drawings @ Getty Center

At the Drive-In @ Fonda Theater

23 2

22 1

Quilt @ The Echo

Jane Lynch See Jane Sing @ Largo at the Coronet

EVENT

THEATER

Book of Mormon @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts

23

22 1

CONCERT

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The Revivalists @ Teragram Ballroom

16 2

15 1

The Perfect Medium @ LACMA & Getty Museum

Underground USA: Richard Kern Night @ The Cinefamily

EVENT

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Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band @ LA Sports Arena

16 2

15 1

Yuck @ The Echoplex

CONCERT

Santigold @ The Hollywood Palladium

CONCERT

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Sunflower Bean @ The Echo

CONCERT

24

Scarface @ Laemmle’s Noho 7

FILM

24

Lunchtime! Concerts + Lunch Trucks @ Grand Park

EVENT

17

Dirty Dancing and Roadhouse @ The Egyptian Theatre

FILM

17

The Urban Renewal Project @Sassafras Saloon

EVENT

25

WonderCon @ LA Convention Center

EVENT

25

Future @ The Hollywood Palladium

CONCERT

18

Sophie @ El Rey

CONCERT

The Last Book Review @ The Last Bookstore

COMEDY

Latin Food Fest @ Grand Park

EVENT

Uneasy Listening: An Evening with Clint Mansell @ Ace Hotel

CONCERT

18

The Game @ Fox Theater Pomona

EVENT

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LA County Air Show @ Fox Field Airport

EVENT

Hangover Matinees: Hollywood GothicThe Bad and the Beautiful @ Cinefamily

FILM

27

Field Trip @ The Broad Museum

EVENT

27

Vegan Street Fair @ NoHo

EVENT

20

PaleyFest: American Horror Story: Hotel Panel @ Dolby Theater

EVENT

20

Cian Nugent @ The Echo

CONCERT

Monday Mayhem Game Night @ Angel City Brewery

EVENT

28

CocoRosie @ The Fonda Theatre

CONCERT

28

George Carlin: A Place for My Stuff @ Grammy Museum

EVENT

21

Justin Bieber @ Staples Center

CONCERT

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Street Food Cinema Special Edition: Pretty in Pink 30th Anniversary @ The Million Dollar Theatre

FILM

26

Smashing Pumpkins Vintage Clothing + Liz Phair @ The Sale Theater at Ace Hotel @ The Set Shop

CONCERT

26

Beyond Wonderland Festival @ San Manuel Amphitheater

CONCERT

19

Blanck Mass @ The Resident

CONCERT

19

EVENT

THEATER

Ellie Goulding @ Staples Center

CONCERT

81

Floetry @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

81

Angels 5K and Fun Run @ Angels Stadium

EVENT

92

Third Eye Blind @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

92

Roaring 20’s Street Jam @ Various Locations in Los Feliz

22

A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder @ The Ahmanson Theatre

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Scot Sothern: “Street Walkers” @ Little Big Man Gallery

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22

11

Tinashe @ The Observatory

CONCERT

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R.G. Canning Flea Market @ Rose Bowl Stadium

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GMCLA: Bette, Babs & Beyonce @ The Alex Theater

CONCERT

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Highly Suspect @ Troubadour

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Marie Northrop Lecture Series: Vineyards & Wineries in LA @ LA Central Library

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Avantasia @ The House of Blues Anaheim

CONCERT

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Generation Axe @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

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MuMo Musical Mondays @ Rage Nightclub

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Hot Tub w/ Kurt and Kristen @ The Virgil

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American Chamber Music @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

CONCERT

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Josefowicz Plays Adams @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

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storefront: Public Fiction @ MOCA Grand Avenue

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The Summer Set @ The House of Blues Anaheim

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Grand Opening @ Universal Studios

EVENT

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Yung Lean @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

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13

Purity Ring @ The Observatory

CONCERT

SPORTS

Desert Nights @ The Standard Hollywood

EVENT

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13

Dodgers Opening Day Tailgate Party @ The Airliner Nightclub

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Dreamgirls @ La Mirada Theater

THEATER

6

12

Hammer Projects: Kenny Scharf @ Hammer Museum

EVENT

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The Revisionist by Jesse Eisenberg @ Wallis Annenberg Center

5 THEATER

April

CONCERT

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Atlas Genius @ El Rey Theater

30 2

29 1

Thao and The Get Down Stay Down @ The Regent Theater

Miracle Mile Art Deco Walking Tour @ The Deco Building

EVENT

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Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Weekend 2 @ Indio California

23 2

22 1

11th Annual Freestyle Festival @ The Queen Mary

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Julieta Venegas @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

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Melody’s Echo Chamber @ The Observatory

23

22

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Boundary-Breaking Dance From Complexions Contemporary Ballet @ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

16 2

15 1

Record Store Day @ Various Locations in LA

EVENT

Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Weekend 1 @ Indio California

Vegan Scene ‘90s Party @ Vegan Scene

EVENT

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Iron Maiden w/ The Raven Age @ The Forum

16

15 1

Bone Thugs-NHarmony @ Club Nokia

CONCERT

BadBadNotGood @ The Observatory

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24

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire @ Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area

EVENT

24

Dilly Dally @ The Echo

CONCERT

17

Exploring Chinatown: Past and Present @ Chinatown

EVENT

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Anne: A Premier Experiential Exhibit @ The Museum of Tolerance

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Floating Points @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

CONCERT

25

Years & Years @ The Fonda Theater

CONCERT

25

Underground USA: Indie Cinema of the 80’s @ The Silent Movie Theater

FILM

18

Savages @ El Rey Theater

CONCERT

18

Flatbush Zombies with A$AP Twelvyy & Remy Banks @ The Fonda Theatre

CONCERT

27

Bingo Night @ Angel City Brewery

EVENT

27

Miike Snow w/ Museum of Love @ Fonda Theater

CONCERT

20

Dazed and Confused Screening @ The Wiltern

FILM

20

Boyce Avenue @ The Wiltern

CONCERT

28

Humans @ The Echo

CONCERT

Iggy Pop & Joshua Homme @ The Greek Theater

CONCERT

28

Of Monsters And Men @ The Fox Theater Pomona

CONCERT

21

Grimes @ The Shrine Expo

CONCERT

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Say Anything & mewithoutYou @ The Echoplex

CONCERT

26

The Elegant Universe @ The Pit in Glendale

EVENT

26

The 1975 w/ The Japanese House @ The Shrine Expo

CONCERT

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The Kills @ The Observatory

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19

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Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015 @ LACMA

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soundshoppe @ Center for the Arts Eagle Rock

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Humanists at Work @ Japanese American National Museum

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Ivan Amodei’s Intimate Illusions @ Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel

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El Jimador Margarita Trail @ The Regent Theater

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LA Tri-City Light Rail Pub Crawl @ Various Locations

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LA Bacon Festival @ LA Center Studios

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Magic Man/ The Griswolds w/ Panama Wedding @ The Fonda Theater

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Rihanna w/ Travis Scott @ The Forum

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Physical: Sex & the Body in the 1980’s @ LACMA

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The Neighborhood @ The Microsoft Theater

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Steel Panther @ The Fonda Theater

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Big Hearts of Summer @ Westside Children’s Center

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May

15th Anniversary Hakata Ramen $3 Sale @ Shin-Sen-Gumi Fountain Valley

EVENT

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Martin Kersels: Tossing a Friend (Melinda) @ Armory Center

EVENT

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Explosions in the Sky @ The Ace Hotel

CONCERT

5

Lucius @ The Fonda Theater

CONCERT

5

TH

Macy Gray @ Saban Theater

CONCERT

13

Friday the 13th Screening @ Griffith Park Old Zoo

EVENT

Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires @ Ace Hotel DTLA

CONCERT

13

Captain America: Civil War @ El Capitan Theater

FILM

6

Hippo Campus @ The Echo

CONCERT

6

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LA Bicycle Festival @ The Reef

EVENT

Beyoncé @ The Rose Bowl Stadium

CONCERT

14

Downtown Bookfest @ Grand Park

EVENT

7

Kaskade @ The LA Convention Center

CONCERT

7

S

Fringe @ 1739 Public House

COMEDY

EVENT

Asssscat @ UCB Sunset

30 2

29 1

CONCERT

EVENT

Idlewild @ The Roxy Theater

23 2

22 1

Tomorrow! w/ Ron Lynch @ The Steve Allen Theater

Titus Andronicus @ The Fonda Theater

CONCERT

EVENT

Beverly Hills artSHOW @ Beverly Gardens Park

23

22

Coleman Hell @ Troubadour

CONCERT

31 2

Revealing Creation: The Science & Art of Ancient Maya Ceramics @ LACMA

EVENT

24

The Cure w/ The Twilight Sad @ The Hollywood Bowl

CONCERT

24

What Sam Saw @ The Getty Center

EVENT

Joseph Arthur @ The Troubadour

CONCERT

CONCERT

Jai Wolf @ The Roxy Theater

17

16

15 1

The Who @ Staples Center

CONCERT

Lightning In A Bottle @ The Lake San Antonio Recreation Area

CONCERT

25

La Boheme @ Dorothy Chandler Pavillion

THEATER

25

Dub Club @ The Echo

CONCERT

18

Swimm @ The Echo

CONCERT

18

Buzzcocks @ The Mayan

CONCERT

26

Taste of Brea @ Brea Downtown

EVENT

26

Yuna @ El Rey Theater

CONCERT

19

Refused w/ The Coathangers @ Fonda Theatre

CONCERT

27

David Lamelas, The Desert People @ Hammer Museum

EVENT

27

The pARTy! @ Neuehouse

EVENT

20

Wild Nothing @ The Regent Theater

CONCERT

20

KCRW DJ Anthony Valadez @ Sayers Club

EVENT

28

Barbara Kasten: Stages @ MOCA Pacific Design Center

EVENT

28

The Color Run 5K @ Dodger Stadium

EVENT

21

Janet Jackson @ The Hollywood Bowl

CONCERT

21

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Moderat @ The Fonda

CONCERT

Mac Demarco w/ Jonathan Richman @ The Greek Theater

CONCERT

19

LAST LOOK

No. 64

JABARI JACOBS

Bright Eyes Jabari Jacobs

A look to Jabari Jacobs’ book gives you a clear idea that the man is fun, has a penchant for pops of color, and enjoys things on the glossier side. When you think about those characteristics together, the parallel to shooting hip-hop stars seems only natural. You may recognize his work from his cover image for The Internet’s most recent album Ego Death. Most recently, Jabari pointed his camera toward our cover star Anderson .Paak. What he’d rather be shooting? The inflatable Shamu in your pool.

How’d you get started in photography? How long have you been shooting?

My older brother is a film director. He would sometimes need an extra assistant, so I had to learn basic camera settings in order to work on set. After I learned a little bit about cameras, I started taking photos of my friends and uploading them to social media mainly Tumblr. My photos started to gain traction online and I started to fall in love with the art. It all happened pretty fast and was very unexpected. Growing up, I never cared or even thought about photography. I’ve been shooting for three years—two years professionally.

to get developed, and then there’s the possibility of a perfect shot being ruined by something minimal, something that could’ve been adjusted at the shoot. I do like shooting instant film, though.

What do you like best about your LA neighborhood?

Everything I need is so close to me. I’m originally from P.G. County, Maryland and everything is so far away.

Track you can’t get out of your head?

“I’ll Call You Back” by Erykah Badu.

Favorite music to jam out to while you’re shooting?

Anything by Drake.

How would you describe your work?

If you gave a unicorn a camera and access to the internet.

Dream campaign or collaboration?

I’m a huge Pharrell fan; it would be crazy to be able to work with him one day.

What camera/lens do you use?

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III with 24—70 mm 2.8 and an iPhone.

Favorite person/subject to shoot?

I love shooting inflatable animals. I just shot a life-size inflatable zebra that came out pretty cool.

Do you prefer film or digital?

Definitely digital. I’ve never had the patience for film. With digital, I can see instant results. I don’t want to wait on photos

What are you doing in five years?

I have no clue. I just hope I’m happy.

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