In an effort to produce fresh, locally grown produce in the urban core of Downtown LA, The Bloc has partnered with farming company MicroHabitat to open a new urban farm space on the building’s rooftop at 700 W. Seventh Street. The farm will feature 18 different varieties of produce like heirloom tomatoes, kale, cucumbers and peppers as well as 12 varieties of herbs and edible flowers.
“My understanding is we’re the first building in Downtown LA to install an urban farm on the roof,” said Dan Cote, general manager at The Bloc. “We’re hoping to use that as a motivator to inspire other landlords and building owners to do the same because we feel like it would not only help the quality of the air and the environment, but if other buildings can follow suit and produce food in this fashion, and we could all donate that to the people that really need it locally, it’ll go a long way in helping us change the narrative on what’s going on in Downtown LA and improve it on many levels.”
The farm will consist of 30 MicroHabitat pots and use a drip irrigation system to reduce the chance of overwatering and minimize water waste. It’s set to produce an estimated 300 pounds of crops per season, which will be donated to local food banks to help nearby homeless populations.
“We’re really focused on doing whatever we can to help locals in need, and this is just one additional way that we thought,” Cote
said. “Beyond the individuals we’re helping with the food, it is actually helping the environment from a eco-friendly standpoint because … we’re not only producing food, but we’re helping improve air quality with the plants absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air.
“We’re also reducing some of the heat load by having the plants up there, and at the same time reducing some of the rain run off by having all of the 30 or so big plant pots up there absorbing the water when it rains.”
According to reports, LA suffers more from the effects of “urban heat islands” than any other city in California due to its concentration of concrete and pavement. By 2050, the city is expected to experience twice as many days that reach 95 degrees or hotter than it does now. Farms and green spaces have been proven to play an impactful role in reducing urban heat.
Alongside the benefits of the farm’s yield, it will also serve as a place for community engagement and educational events like workshops and tours to learn about the importance of urban agriculture, healthy eating and sustainability.
“We plan to host multiple events up there; the first event will actually take place
in June, and we’re going to provide tenants with their own kits that they can take home (and) some mini crops that they can grow at home just to have an idea of what we’re doing here on a larger scale,” Cote said. “We want to educate the tenants and the employees in our buildings about what is happening, why we’re doing it, the benefits we’re getting from it, to encourage and excite people about the initiative so that they could maybe do the same thing at home on a smaller scale and also help support and promote what we’re doing here.”
Cote said the farm’s first harvest is expected to take place by mid-June, though he called that estimate “a bit ambitious.”
The Bloc’s rooftop urban farm marks the third sustainability initiative that the space has launched in the past year, namely the building’s rooftop bee colony, created to produce honey and pollinate local plants, and the falconer initiative, which consists of flying a trained, non-lethal hawk above the building a couple of times a week to deter pigeons and other pests from disturbing the farm.
“We have a really big focus on sustainability,” Cote said. “(The rooftop urban farm) is a great third step for our sustainability program here at the building.”
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Mayor Karen Bass signed the city budget on May 26. Joining Bass were city council President Paul Krekorian; city council President Pro Tempore Curren Price; and chair of the Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee, Councilmember Bob Blumenfeld.
“This budget reflects our values and invests in the most critical needs of our city,” Bass said. “I am so proud that the city council has affirmed these priorities and is joining me in building a new Los Angeles with the urgency that Angelenos deserve.”
Highlights from the budget include $1.3 billion for homelessness and housing (including $250 million for Inside Safe), $1 million for LAPD recruitment, and $21 million in funding for LAFD Drill Tower classes. The Budget Stabilization Fund was allocated $200 million, and $560 million was added to the Reserve Fund.
The budget also creates a new office, the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety. The
goals of this office are to support the Gang Reduction Youth Development Program and Domestic Abuse Response Teams.
The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for the case against the Santa Monica Voting Rights Act, officially titled Pico Neighborhood Association and Maria Loya v. City of Santa Monica.
The case hinges on the allegation that Santa Monica’s at-large voting system discriminates against Latino voters. In 2018, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled against the city, but in 2020 a court of appeals overturned the decision. The plaintiffs subsequently took the case to the California Supreme Court.
In the case, the plaintiffs proposed an alternative system that would split Santa Monica into distinct voting districts, creating a Pico neighborhood. The court of appeals determined that the Pico district, estimated to be 30% Latino, would not designate a majority demographic; the court concluded this did not prove dilution under the California Voting Rights Act.
The Supreme Court is expected to focus on the Appellate Court’s finding to establish a benchmark for dilution. They will hear oral arguments remotely on June 27.
A judge declined a second order sought by the city of Los Angeles to
compel journalist Ben Camacho to turn over a flash drive containing headshots of more than 9,000 LAPD officers.
Camacho obtained the headshots and other personal information in September 2022 through a California Public Records Act lawsuit. The city attorney released the photos to Camacho in conjunction with a letter stating the files contained no images of officers working undercover. However, the city later initiated multiple lawsuits against the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition and Camacho, claiming that the files inadvertently contained images of police officers serving on sensitive assignments.
LA County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff rejected the city’s request, stating that the LAPD had “not demonstrated with admissible evidence the flash drive it produced to defendant Camacho contains photographs and/or images of LAPD officers serving in an undercover capacity. … Moreover, it is not entirely clear how LAPD defines officers acting in an undercover capacity.”
In April, the city was also denied a temporary injunction against Camacho to prevent him from publishing the images online. Camacho’s lawyers successfully argued the action would be meaningless, as Camacho had already distributed the images on multiple websites.
My first two encounters with epilepsy came from writing classes. One woman shared about her son, who has epilepsy. She has longed to write something meaningful about it from the point of view of not only the child but the parents. I had never thought about epilepsy at all. What is it like to have a child who can suddenly, with little to no warning, fall and go into a seizure? Terrifying, that’s what.
The second instance of my growing epilepsy awareness came via a playwriting class where the grandmother of a child who has epilepsy is creating a stage experience. It’ll be from the point of view of the whole cast of characters involved with epilepsy. Of course, there are the impacted people who physically and psychologically have the diagnosis, but there are others
too: friends, family and the authorities … yikes!
This particular family had Child Protec-
tive Services foisted on them because they didn’t get their young child onto medications that had been prescribed quickly enough. The family wanted some time to research what side effects would be involved, long-term consequences, etc., and instead, they got reported to CPS for neglect.
I’m staying vague with names and identities because of the centuries-old stigma firmly attached to epilepsy. Even in 2023, it’s still regarded as a verboten subject and — I kid you not — is even used as proof of demonic possession. A family expressly forbade their child to play with an epileptic child for fear of Satan. I need to be reminded repeatedly about what century we’re in.
“I’m a tad shy about this: may I ask about your epilepsy? I might even write a column about it.”
“Yes, of course,” she replied.
“Do people treat you differently knowing
you’re an epileptic?”
“Yes! Some people completely avoid me; others make weird spastic gestures because they think it’s funny; others make cracks about sticking a hard object in my mouth so I won’t swallow my tongue. How did that even become a thing — you can’t swallow your tongue! The only useful thing to do is to ensure I can’t hurt my head.”
“Did you see that documentary about dogs who are epilepsy support dogs? They know in advance when their human will seize, so they guide them to lie down and stay right there with them until it’s over.”
“Yes! I saw it! I want one of those dogs. They are so darling; I see them in my neurologist’s office.”
And why doesn’t she have one? The reasons are complex, but it boils down to — as it usually does — money. Insurers don’t cover the dogs; training them takes time and effort.
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Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.
“I had my first seizure in 2005. Luckily, I was hiking with a friend who was also a firefighter. We were in Tahoe. All of a sudden, I fell to the ground. He knew what was happening and was strong enough to pick me up and carry me down the mountain. Since then, my life has taken a turn I did not expect. Epilepsy does that.”
My new friend is quite a bit younger than I am, and our first “quality” conversation was in my car as I drove her to Sherman Oaks for an event. What is it about car rides that often nurture discussing deep topics?
One of the benefits of being a writer is having an outlet for my curiosity. I also have a rule that if I hear about something three times, that is a sign from Elle, the Norse goddess of age and wisdom, to dig deeper and “wrestle” with whatever subject it is. (Elle, a crone, attained the status of goddess in the Nordic pantheon because she wrestled a young and powerful Thor to the ground and kept him there.)
Back to the car ride with my friend in my embarrassingly messy Prius. By the way, she is the first person I’ve been able to speak with directly about epilepsy, so admittedly, my questions were not well-informed.
“Do you know if they are doing any studies on psychedelics and epilepsy? Is that a crazy question?”
“No, not at all. And there are many types of seizures; some are treated with medica-
tions associated with depression and anxiety, like Atavan.”
My playwriting colleague acquainted us with various types of seizures, as there are no one-size-fits-all: Tonic-clonic, Grand mal, A-tonic (has convulsions), Tonic (no convulsions), Myoclonic (shaking and shivering) and more. She also gave us an eye-crossing litany of meds, over a dozen from Briviact to Zonegran. They all have risks.
Which one works the best is, at best, a crapshoot. It’s understandable why many parents are reluctant to put their young child on these meds, and in one case, that reluctance got them branded as neglectful when the exact opposite was true.
There’s no tidy way to wrap up this column except to encourage all of us to take the topic of epilepsy out of the shadows while generating more funding for an actual cure and/or effective relief. To all people with epilepsy and their families, I’m sorry that we haven’t been more attentive … and I am now paying attention.
2023 marks the 30th year Ellen Snortland has written this column. She has an LA Press Club nomination for Journalist of the Year. She also teaches creative writing online and can be reached at ellen@beautybitesbeast. com. Her award-winning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ondemand/beautybitesbeast.
Small changes to your water and energy usage can add up to big savings. We have simple tips to help you save water and energy today!
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Earlier this May, city council voted to approve the DTLA 2040 Community Plan. The Protect LA’s Garment Jobs Coalition celebrated this as a win given the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee’s recommendations were unanimously approved and the balance urged by the coalition between producing housing and protecting the garment industry was struck.
Nevertheless, we are disappointed by last-minute claims made that suggest requiring minimal manufacturing space for new developments in the heart of the Fashion District restricts housing opportunities and which resulted in a report back process that delays a final decision. Housing is allowed throughout the Fashion District in our recommendations, from Main Street to the LA Riv-
er, because garment workers understand the city’s need for additional housing opportunities, even if that means some loss of existing manufacturing space.
In one small subsection of the Fashion District, where garment businesses are most tightly clustered and operate as an ecosystem, the PLUM-approved IX3 strategy requires 1-2 stories (1.0 FAR) of manufacturing space to help produce new factories in mixed-use developments as manufacturing space is lost in other areas of Downtown. This roughly five-block wide area from Seventh Street to the north, to Santee and Maple to the west, 16th Street to the south, and Crocker and San Pedro streets to the east, is just a sliver of the entire DTLA 2040 Community Plan area.
Industrial areas in Downtown have been drastically reduced in this plan, leaving few opportunities for displaced garment businesses to relocate, where -
as residential uses are now entitled through a significant majority of the plan area, allowing for the potential absorption of housing units into other areas without displacing existing jobs. All along, the DTLA 2040 Plan has not been a question of the city prioritizing jobs over housing or vice versa. We clearly need both.
To preserve jobs, we are adamant that 1.0 Floor Area Ratio is the minimum acceptable designation needed to preserve manufacturing space. If the city goes lower than 1.0 FAR, it will result in a dramatic loss of garment production space and jobs. Indeed, we’ll still see manufacturing loss with 1.0 FAR. It is a reasonable compromise, however, that — together with an expanded CPIO A.5 subarea to incentivize manufacturing space, as well as industry-specific workforce and economic development programs — can work to maintain
the garment industry in LA and the jobs workers rely on for themselves and their families.
The city of LA has researched how a manufacturing set aside affects housing, and councilmembers agreed it was prudent to prioritize jobs in this small subsection (IX3) of the Fashion District. Garment workers continue to ask the city council to finalize these sound protections and to strike a balance between housing and jobs. Workers need their jobs to pay for housing!
The Garment Worker Center and its members will not be deterred. We look forward to working with the city through the report back process approved today on IX3 to ensure manufacturing remains a priority. We’ll continue to ensure our members are engaged by the city and that Downtown LA remains the garment manufacturing capital of the United States.
June 17
A howling good time for your Downtown LA dog!
• Special pup photo booth
• Awesome freebies like dog bandanas
• Meet various pet-related businesses in Downtown
• Make new pup friends
• Dance away to a DJ
On Saturday, get your daily walk in with pack walks every hour!
PLUS: Friday, June 16 is ...
Bring your pup to work and stroll over afterwards for this paw-fect party. Please be sure to check with your office to ensure its dog-friendly.
To RSVP, scan the QR code or visit: DOWNTOWNLA.COM /DOGDAYS2023
10 am - 2 pm Pershing Square, DTLA PRODUCED BY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Callers know just what to expect when Edgar Winter answers the phone.
“I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll!” he yells.
He is excited about touring again with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, a jaunt that hits the Greek Theatre on Thursday, June 15. The group also includes Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette.
“I love doing the tours,” he said. “I really feel like the Beatles are in a class of their own. I think they changed the mindset of an entire generation.
“They brought about a revolution without having to fire a shot. It was about peace, love and revolution of the spirit. I particularly admire and respect Ringo for being such a heartfelt advocate and spokesman for peace and love.”
This has been a bittersweet year for him. A self-proclaimed “old hippie,” the 76-year-old won his first Grammy this year for the tribute to his brother, Johnny Winter, called “Brother Johnny.”
After Johnny’s unexpected 2014 death in a Swiss hotel room, Edgar was quickly asked to record a tribute album tracing Johnny’s career, but it was too painful, he said.
“I started to get offers from various courters, and had a few meetings with record companies,” Edgar said. “They were asking me how long it would take, how much it would cost, what guests could I guarantee.
“I didn’t have any idea. I knew I didn’t necessarily want to do that. It became apparent to me that it was more businesspeople sensing an opportunity to exploit Johnny’s name and memory just to sell some records. I didn’t want to be a part of anything like that. I got it into my head that maybe someone else would do that. It wasn’t going to be me.”
Years went by and Edgar started to feel the need to make the album. He spoke to his wife of 44 years, Monique, who was determined to persuade him.
“She said, ‘You always talk about how Johnny’s your all-time musical hero. You always say if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be where you are today. This
is the opportunity to acknowledge that. You owe it to yourself and your brother and your fans,’” he recalled.
“She couldn’t have been any more right in every regard.”
Once he started recording, he knew it was a great idea, albeit highly emotional.
“It was going to stir up a lot of child -
hood memories,” he said. “It turned out to be the most joyous, uplifting and healing in a sense. When I finished the record, I had to make sense of peace and serenity. It was really a great feeling.”
Thanking producer Ross Hogarth, Edgar added that meeting Bruce Quarto — of Quarto Valley Records and the album’s eventual executive producer —
secured the project.
“Bruce said, ‘Take as long as you want. Money’s no object. Do it as you see fit. I just want you to present Johnny’s music. It deserves to be seen and heard again, not only by his longtime fans, but for a new generation of people who may not
RECEPTION from page 8
be familiar with Johnny’s music,’” he recalled.
“He wanted to do it for all the right reasons.”
Edgar described the album as “all about love” — his deep love of music and family and the brotherhood that he shared with Johnny. It’s also a love letter to Monique and, he added, certainly for all the fans who have followed their music.
“It became increasingly aware it wasn’t a bunch of businesspeople who wanted this album,” he said. “Johnny’s true and loyal and devoted fans who wanted to hear that record. It was a cathartic and beautiful experience.”
Released April 15, 2022, the No. 1 blues album features friends and peers, including Joe Bonamassa, Doyle Bramhall II, Robben Ford, Billy Gibbons, David Grissom, Taylor Hawkins, Warren Haynes, Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, John McFee, Keb’ Mo’, Doug Rappoport, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ringo Starr, Derek Trucks, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Walsh, Phil X, Bob Glaub and Sean Hurley on bass, and Gregg Bissonette on drums.
“I’m not a fan of tribute albums,” he said. “I didn’t want to make a soundalike album or a copy album. I chose the songs first. I didn’t think of them in relation to any particular artist.
“I let all the artists pick their songs. Joe (Walsh) picked ‘Stranger.’ I wanted Ringo on it, but I just didn’t think there was much chance of getting him to play on it. He doesn’t do many guest appearances on records. After Joe chose that song, I knew I wanted to ask Ringo.”
Starr and Walsh are brothers-in-law, as they’re married to Barbara Bach and Marjorie Bach, respectively.
“Now that I had Joe on this song, I had enough nerve to call Ringo,” he said. “He said, ‘Edgar, I’ll do it for you.’ It just touched my heart. I couldn’t believe it. Ringo Starr and Joe Walsh and Michael McDonald, an interesting and eclectic array of people. Monique was the one who thought of Michael McDonald. Nobody sounds like Michael McDonald, and I thought it was a great idea.”
Monique was key to “Brother Johnny.”
“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have done the record. She persuaded me to do it,” he said. “It was odd. I was really dead set against doing a tribute album to begin with shortly after Johnny’s passing, which was devastating to me.”
Johnny died two weeks before the start of a tour with his brother.
“I had been looking forward to that tour with him,” Edgar said. “His death was very unexpected.
When Edgar heard he was nominated for a Grammy, he was honored but skeptical.
“I thought I had a good chance of winning when I was nominated for the Grammys the first time 50 years ago for ‘Frankenstein,’” he said. “The thing that’s so beautiful to me is the fact that if it weren’t for Johnny, I would have been a struggling jazz musician or piano teacher.
“I love jazz and classic music and our musical tastes were entirely different. Johnny had that drive and ambition. He was going to be a star. He had a huge record collection. He was Johnny ‘Cool Daddy’ Winter with the shades. I was the quiet kid who played all the instruments.
“It was a great synergy. Johnny loved
the spotlight, and I was quite content to avoid it.”
He’s just pleased he was able to pay tribute to his brother honorably.
“It was that feeling of full-circle resolution and a beautiful kind of completion,” Edgar said. “I can’t think of anything more appropriate. I honestly never thought I would have any song on the charts, much less one that won an award. I’ve loved music. I never thought of it as a career. It’s something I love with all of my heart.
“I never had any particular desire to become famous. I just love music in and of itself and I love my brother.”
He said he hopes fans will enjoy hearing his music played with Starr at the Greek Theatre.
“I’d like to thank all the fans who have followed my career and my brother’s career,” he added.
“It means the world to me when I see you rockin’ and having a great time. I hope to see some of you out there. Get ready to rock ‘n’ roll!”
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, June 15
WHERE: Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles
COST: Tickets start at $40
INFO: lagreektheatre.com
Mon Dieu Projects’ second show, “Abstract Adjacent,” strips away most, but not all, of the figurative elements from the gallery’s inaugural show, “Intimate Exchanges.” While “Intimate Exchanges” featured artists from around the world, “Abstract Adjacent” hones in on LA-based talent in addition to international artists. The exhibit is currently on display until mid-July. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment.
The show reflects the midline between the gallery’s two founders’ artistic sensibilities. Juno Youn prefers work with a figurative lean, while Spencer Walker revels in the abstract. The combined works fill a space of ambiguity and create a dialogue that begs the question: “What is abstract?”
“We didn’t really want to pigeonhole the show as one thing. It’s more about how everything works one with another,” Youn explained.
It was vital for the pair to tap into the local arts community for their second show, which features LA-based artists like painter Christopher Kuhn, artist Nadege Monchera Baer, painter Rick Boling and photographer Bernardo Montgomery, the latter of whom the pair met coincidentally at their local frame shop. An emerging young artist, Montgomery prints his photographs on copper, allowing the metal to oxidize and organically shift the print as it ages. Kuhn and Baer are both established LA painters.
“He’s mastered creating all complicated patterns, colors and symbols into abstract works,” Youn said of Kuhn and his signature layered paintings, which reflect LA’s constant tumult and change. Originally from France, Baer is a seasoned painter based out of Mount Washington whose work plays with abstraction and perspective.
Walker and Youn also included an international mix of artists from Mexico,
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Berlin and the great Canadian North, such as Jaehong Ahn, Eva Blue, Lucas Biagini and Jeff Nachtigall.
Toronto-based artist Lucas Biagini uses clay-based paints to create texturally complex three-dimensional paintings, which express the full spectrum of abstraction and reflect the sensory overload of the other pieces in the exhibition.
Other artists like photographer Eva Blue toe the line between abstraction and figuration. Her exhibited pieces document her foray into the northern Canadian wilderness. While figurative, her photos capture nature’s most abstract phenomenon, the aurora borealis, which are further abstracted by the glass on which the images are printed.
Throughout the exhibit, each artist plays with the idea of abstraction, whether that be through technique, color or concept. They may fall squarely under the abstract umbrella or relatively “adjacent” to it. The show leaves room for a nuanced interpretation of the genre and allows for a wide breadth of artistic voices.
Sydney, Australia-born guitar pop artist is looking into the past but staying hopeful for the future.
That’s the feeling he shares on his EP, “When We Were Younger,” which was released on June 2. He said he feels a bit melancholic about the last few years.
“I’m sure a lot of people went through this,” the 21-year-old musician said about the pandemic.
“All we had was ourselves for the most part. For me, I really, really kept reflecting on who I am and who I’m slowly becoming.”
He’s becoming more aware of the changes in his life and how it must feel for his parents to see him grow up — especially being the youngest child.
“Losing time with my best friends, those things became really apparent,” he said. “I wanted this EP to talk about childhood memories, friends, heartbreak, growing up, and there’s nothing better to come back to than the person you love.”
He will perform those songs during a sold-out show with Su Lee at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, at The Echo.
“The live show has a lot of energy, that’s for sure,” he said. “There are a lot of jokes, surprisingly. I run around quite a bit. Sometimes I jump into the crowd.”
Grentperez did not think a music career was possible when he was younger, so he pursued a design path. He studied industrial design in university.
“When YouTube was taking off, I was at a fork in the road,” said Grentperez , who now has more than 2 million Spotify listeners. “I thought I could do this. I thought I would just send in a video while I’m young and if it fails, I’ll go back to university.
“Around 2020, I had talks and emails about management and whatnot. I really thought, ‘Let’s push for it. Let’s really, really try.’”
“When We Were Younger” is centered around the concept of nostalgia and motivated by Grentperez ’s desire to embrace the carefree creativity of childhood. From a production and arrangement standpoint, the EP fuses a wide variety of nostalgic sounds: his beloved bossa nova, Philadelphia soul,
Shore Fire Media/Submitted
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golden-era Hollywood and the vibe of ’90s rom-coms.
“This is a collection of music each relating to figures of the past, whether it be in love, loss, families and friendship,” Grentperez said.
“I felt that during the pandemic, staying inside my room all day made me see that things haven’t been like they used to, in the days of playing games all day and having mum bring food to me be -
cause I wasn’t allowed to cook my own meals. I believe that these past two years have been two rather large transitional periods for me, almost like a ‘coming-ofage’ moment, slowly becoming aware of growing up. This EP sits in a very special place in my heart, and it’s something I could potentially revisit in the future, as the story of life never truly finishes.”
Earlier this year, he released the single “When The Day is Done” — a disco-soul track.
“I wrote this song trying to create a
timeless classic that the whole family can listen to or, as my dad would say, ‘the song I can dance to,’” Grentperez said.
“This track embodies the line ‘there’s no place like home,’ stating that when all
is said and done, I just want to get back home and that feeling of family having your back no matter where you are lingers throughout the song.”
Grentperez w/Su Lee
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 6
WHERE: The Echo, 1822 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
COST: Sold out
INFO: ticketmaster.com
Amid the vast expanses and churning crowds of The Gorge Amphitheatre, a reluctant Caroline Cecil was dragged up to a stage by her friend at the 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival. She was about to witness a performance that would change her life.
“I had just let go of something at that time and I wasn’t going to go to Sasquatch; I couldn’t afford it. The only act I knew of on the lineup, really, was this band called Active Child,” she recalled. “I walk up to this rickety old stage; it was made out of wood and falling apart, and I remember him playing and singing. I remember feeling the sun on my skin. I remember everything about it. … And I remember in that moment just feeling truly connected to myself.
“I had no musical background. I didn’t know anything about DJing. All I knew was I need to make music. … I was a completely different person from that experience.”
After the festival, Cecil started using Ableton as a digital audio workstation before honing her talent as a DJ on a Traktor S4 controller and releasing Jersey club edits on SoundCloud. Within two years, she had launched her career as electronic artist and producer Whipped Cream, releasing EPs with Unspeakable Records, Skrillex’s Nest HQ and Big Beat.
Following the drop of her newest EP, “Someone You Can Count On,” Cecil has embarked on a celebratory tour that will set Downtown LA’s Lot 613 ablaze on Saturday, June 10.
“It is definitely the music that I can say I feel is most truly from my soul,” she said. “I like to call it a stair up to where I’m going and the art that I’m going to be making.”
Cecil’s “Someone You Can Count On” is a kaleidoscope of trancing sounds, from the dreamlike piano droplets of “Friends” to the reverberating depths of “Angels” and haunting vocals of “The Dark,” sung by Jasiah. It’s an introspective soundscape that’s dotted with, for the first time, her own voice.
“It gives me goosebumps to think about because when I was younger, I always had these visions of being this artist that could sing, and I just never knew I could sing,” Cecil said. “You’re your own
worst enemy, and I just never thought my voice was unique enough or I had the gift to be able to do that.
“It wasn’t until I totally had my heart ripped out of my chest and lost what I thought was the love of my life that I started writing random notes and poems in my phone. I got in the studio with a really good friend of mine that I trusted (who) heard a tone in my voice, and he’s been recording vocals for 15, 20 years of other people, and he said, ‘Go in and just try it.’ If it wasn’t for him giving me that final push to get into the booth, I don’t think I would be singing on my songs. It’s such a beautiful thing because now, today, I’d say like 80% of the music I’m sitting on is fully written and sang by me. … It’s insane.”
This collection of unreleased music is threaded throughout Cecil’s live performances, which she described as laboratories for testing new tracks unannounced.
“If you hear anything very unique and left field, but it’s still danceable, it’s probably my unreleased music, and it’s super exciting for me,” she said. “I think those are probably my favorite times of the tour so far.”
Cecil also revels in the absence of expectation she feels when playing music on her own tour compared to a sprawling festival crowd unfamiliar with her sound.
“I’m doing exactly what I want,” she said. “It’s still a DJ set. I understand that I’m at a club, not in a meadow where I’d like to be, but every set is different and I’m very proud of that. … For me, it’s an intimate experience between the people at that show, and that’s why I want to make sure that every show feels very genuine to me.”
Cecil described the show at Lot 613 as the most curated on the tour in terms of the production and as a “special” experience for her personally, as she currently lives in LA. She wants to take her fans on an emotional journey.
“One thing I really wanted to execute with this tour is just fully being myself,” Cecil said. “I love dance music, but I also love the music that got me into making electronic music, which is a lot more melancholy and a lot more dissonant. It touches on all emotions at one time. … It’s simplistic. It doesn’t really make sense and things can even be out of key. That’s my kind of vibe.
“I want to take my music in a different area than raves. I love the raves and I’ll always play at a rave festival. I don’t think that’ll change. However, when you’re going to a Whipped Cream set in the future, it’s going to be a lot different than your average DJ set just because I don’t feel like I fit. I don’t, it’s just plain and simple. I don’t really fit in a lot of areas, so for this whole tour, my goal is to … bring in people that want to experience something new and maybe not put their hands up the whole set and rave really hard. It’s more about experiencing all of your human emotions and diving deep a little bit, as crazy as that might sound.”
From the lows of suffering a surgery-inducing accident as a young competitive figure skater to the highs of enjoying mainstage festival performances
at HARD Summer, Shambhala and Electric Zoo as an artist, Cecil has poured the experiences of her life into her work, creating a rhythmic bounty of musical memories tied together in “Someone You Can Count On.” Through her tour, Cecil hopes to inspire others to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery and emotional introspection.
“Being in the studio, … I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. You just let life take the steering wheel and something’s running through you. It’s like no other feeling in the world. I can’t explain it,” she said. “What is that thing that elevates you to become your highest self and do the work to share a gift that you’ve been given? Everyone has it. … I really believe that we are all given that when we’re born, and it’s your duty to explore yourself to find what that is.”
Whipped Cream
WHEN: 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday, June 10
WHERE: Lot 613, 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles
COST: Tickets start at $32.50
INFO: insomniac.frontgatetickets.com
The life of Michael Jackson, king of pop, has so many absurdities it can be hard to believe.
From adopting a chimp named Bubbles to having sleepovers with kids to trying to buy the Elephant Man’s bones, his life was filled with weirdness.
So when a network approached Julien Nitzberg to write a biopic of Jackson, he came back and said he couldn’t take a straight approach.
“The only way that makes sense is if his glove was an alien trying to take over the Earth and forcing Michael to do all these bizarre things and he was against them all,” Nitzberg said.
“When I pitched the network, they said, ‘That’s the funniest pitch we’ve ever heard, but can you do a normal version?’ And I said no, because you can’t make sense of Michael’s life.”
Years later, Nitzberg turned the concept into a musical, a wild parody that just extended its run at the Carl Sagan-Ann Druyan Theater at the Center for Inquiry West.
“For the Love of a Glove,” a fractured, fantastical fable about the life of Jackson, uses puppets to tell a story filled with blood-sucking extraterrestrials. The unauthorized, irreverent, queer-positive and drag-friendly show runs through July 1.
Nitzberg dove deep into researching the Jackson family dynamics, Jackson’s rivalry with Donny Osmond, and the influence religion had on both stars.
“I wanted it to be a smart piece,” Nitzberg said. “I wanted it to be smart and political. I didn’t want it to be like a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch. The big question was, how do we find these things that make his life seem interesting and deep and not seem like we’re just mocking Michael, but actually getting insights into his life?”
“For the Love of a Glove” opened in January 2020 and was selling out when the pandemic closed it down. They reopened in February 2023.
While the show uses puppets, it is in no way a kid’s show with songs like “What a Delight When You Turn White,” “Hate Your Family” and “If I Were a Nun and You Were a Priest” (which features Brooke Shields in drag). Rather, the puppets allow the musical to address hard-hitting issues with silli-
ness.
“Puppets give you emotional distance and take you to a world of comedy, and we’re dealing with such heavy issues,” Nitzberg said.
“We’re taking a very Mel Brooks-like approach to these issues of racism and Jesus.
I knew early on we were not going to hire five kids to play the Jackson 5 all singing these horrible songs, so the only choices were either adults on their knees dressed as kids or puppets.”
Nitzberg brought in Robin Walsh, a puppet designer and puppeteer who has worked for Jim Henson and Walt Disney. She designed the puppets and held extensive teaching workshops for the actors.
“Puppetry has a unique reality to it, and ‘For the Love of a Glove’ uses that fact to lead the audience into a magical land, where our story begins,” Walsh said.
“The puppets were designed specifically for the distinctive musicality and fantasy of this show. Broadway-caliber puppet artists were inspired by everything from Japanese Bunraku style to Hamburger Helper, from glove puppets to ancient toy theater. Using
combinations of mechanics and electrics, the puppets can literally light up the stage and dance like the Jackson 5.
The puppets’ performers are in full view, creating layers of nuance and staging that reflect the layers of fame, fortune and family that were Jackson’s life.”
Suzanne Nichols, who plays family matriarch Katherine, among others, said the puppetry she learned transferred back to her work teaching in LAUSD elementary schools. She now uses puppets to help students with their social-emotional learning.
“I cannot thank Julian and Robin Walsh enough for that,” Nichols said.
While the show is a farce, it deals with tough issues from race to religion. Nichols recalls it being a bit of a gut punch when she saw one of her fellow actors in costume.
“We do a song about the KKK,” Nichols said. “Most of the actors in the show are African American. I remember one of the actors in the KKK costume walking down the
hall to the dressing room. I saw him and it hit me viscerally. That was jarring.”
As a longtime fan of the Jackson 5, Nichols said some revelations were heartbreaking. It was difficult, she said, to play a mother who never stopped her husband from abusing their children.
“The way that I made my peace with it was I did research, read books and spoke to people who knew them,” Nichols said. “One of the producers who was intimately involved with bringing them out here helped me find peace and understand that if it’s true, even when you are parodying them, you have to speak the truth.”
Nichols has developed an empathy for Katherine and an understanding that she didn’t always do right by her children.
“Katherine Jackson did a lot of things that in her mind, were loving and caring, when all that her children needed was for her to love and protect them,” Nichols said.
Historic elements worked their way into the show, such as how the Osmonds were created as a white version of the Jackson 5 They were originally doing minstrel songs at Disneyland. Then they went on tour with Pat Boone, who was notorious for appropriating the work of Black singers, with his covers rocketing up the charts while the original singers got little to no airplay.
The musical brings Osmond and Jackson together and explores religious history. Osmond was a Mormon, a religion that once taught Black people bore the mark of Cain, their Black skin a sign that they were being punished for Cain’s murder of his brother. They claimed that when Christ returns and Abel is raised from the dead, the curse would be reversed and all Black people would turn white.
“When I found that, I was like, Michael decides to get white to get revenge on Donny Osmond for talking about this,” Nitzberg said.
The first act focuses on the rivalry between the Jacksons and the Osmonds, while the second act focuses on the creation of “Thriller” and later scandals in Jackson’s life.
Since reopening, Nitzberg said the musical resonates with people in new ways. It originally took them five years to stage the show. Venues were nervous because it dealt so forthrightly with racism. By 2023, things changed.
“We are in this moment, again, trying to investigate America’s history of racism,” Nitzberg said. “People thought the show was really shocking in 2020, then in 2023, people are like, ‘Oh my God, you’re really speaking the truth about what’s been happening.’”
The approach affects people differently. Nichols said she had friends object that it was inappropriate to sing about the KKK and child molestation and treat the topics humorously. But then others experienced opposite reactions.
“She said, ‘This is what we need. This is necessary,’” Nichols said of one of her guests. “This is what’s going to make peo-
ple start taking a look at themselves in the mirror and have a conversation. It’s done through comedy which is oftentimes one of the better ways to make people think about how they’re making a contribution to white supremacy in society and what they can do to change their behavior.”
Nichols said the musical teaches a lot of facts about the Jackson 5 and American music history, but wraps the lessons in the absurd.
“So, you’re going to get aliens coming down and what Michael does with his glove,” Nichols said. “But you’re also learning Michael’s dad really did beat them to get them to do well. Michael had
sleepovers with young boys and maybe on some level, he knew that wasn’t OK.”
A revisionist and fantastical look into those things which influenced Michael Jackson and the scandals that bedeviled him, “For the Love of a Glove” has been billed as a musical for those who hate musicals. And while it is a comedy, the creators
and artists hope it will inspire people to think about the issues raised.
“This show will challenge the audiences’ preconceived notions around the topics of racism, child abuse, sexuality and love,” Nichols said.
“For the Love of a Glove,” the unauthorized fable of Michael Jackson told by his glove, written by Julien Nitzberg
WHEN: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through July 1
WHERE: Carl Sagan-Ann Druyan Theater at The Center for Inquiry, 2535 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles
COST: $50 general admission, $80 for front row, $40 seniors, $25 students, pay what you can for WGA striking writers
INFO: fortheloveofaglove.ludus.com
By Jeff Moeller
LA Downtown News Contributing Writer
Mike
Beltran is hard to miss.At 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 245 pounds, he is an imposing figure. Add in his signature mustache — which stretches to below his waist — as well as shaved head and array of tattoos, and your first reaction might be to avoid the mammoth man who grew up in East Los Angeles in, well, survival mode.
Fights were commonplace. The area was infested with gangs. His surroundings, however, helped catapult him into an unusual career path that has gone from law enforcement and time in the military to the middle of top mixed martial arts (MMA) rings and onto unique television roles in Hollywood.
“I’ve always felt the need to stand up for
myself and for my family, and for anybody who was being bullied and being mistreated. That’s always been who I am,” Beltran said. “I’ve done things my way, and I’ve done things for all the right reasons, you know what I’m saying? That’s just how I look at it. Honoring my parents is very important to me and my family. I’m also super patriotic.
“As long as I do things for the all the right reasons, I’m proud of what I’m doing. I stand up for what’s right, whether sometimes people think it’s wrong.”
Contact and combat sports have always been a part of life for Beltran. After successfully graduating from what he believes to be the best law enforcement agency in the country, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, his first foray as a public figure with a ton of eyeballs on him came in his
role as referee in the octagon, where he is a staple in big Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches among other major promotions.
But before he officiated guys like Jon Jones, Nate Diaz and John Moreno and got bested by a 12-year-old as a grown man (more on that humbling moment — that impacted him in which he decided then to invest in himself — later), the Garfield High School product drove the streets he grew up on in a police cruiser.
Approaching the 30-year anniversary of Beltran first working as a detective, his role in law enforcement is the fulfillment of a dream come true.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to be a cop. My cousin Cesar Herrera was the first Marine in our family and first police officer. I always wanted to follow in his foot-
steps, and I’ve always respected law enforcement.
“I wasn’t a huge fan of gang members. I don’t like gang members. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like evil and people who do evil. It’s always been something that’s been inside of me to, you know, do something about it. Not just talk about it, but actually do it. I stand up for the kids who were bullied because I was bullied.
“Then it evolved into following in the footsteps of my cousin, being the second Marine in my family, being a Sheriff’s deputy. That’s all I ever wanted to do while working that community I grew up in. Patrol the area I grew up in,” the father of two said
A proud first-generation Mexican American who was an ESL student, Beltran struggled with English at a young age. He was
teased. He said he was forced to fight back.
Eventually Beltran got involved with boxing. When MMA exploded in the mid1990s, a whole new world opened up for Beltran, who turns 50 in late August.
“I, of course, 100% remember UFC in its infancy stage from the beginning. And watching Brazilian jiujitsu — that style was the baddest style ever, and it was awesome. It was just insane when it first came out.
“When I initially trained, I got twisted up like a pretzel, armbars and everything. I got my tail kicked by everybody in the gym. I ended up grappling with a kid named Noah Tillis. He was 12 and in seventh grade, and I couldn’t get this kid off of me. I’m like 250 pounds, a big dude, all muscular and working the jails, and I couldn’t get this kid off of me. It was a nightmare, but I embraced it and learned something that could save my life and my partner’s life down the road.”
Transitioning to refereeing MMA clashes, Beltran — a proud resident of Downey — continued to work hard at his new craft. With more experience came more confidence. He soon became known in the ring for a lot more than his famous mustache.
“As far as the most popular, famous stuff, that came organically,” he said. “I think a lot of my so-called popularity has to do with my officiating style: I will let you fight. I will let you go into deep waters, and I’ll let you down a little bit before I pull you out. I will let you fight until I know you can no longer intelligently defend yourself. Safety of
the fighters is my No. 1 priority. I protect you enough to where you know you lost yet still keep the integrity of a sport with the job I have to do.”
Beltran’s career path — he initially served in the Marine Corps after graduating high school — took an unusual turn while working as a narcotics detective. He was cast in the TV show “Mayans M.C.” on FX. His role? Motorcycle gang boss.
For someone who battled real gangs for much of his life — professionally and as a youth, where at age 10 he first laced up boxing gloves to help protect himself — the TV job was just the next challenge for Beltran, who is also an MMA judge.
“I adapt to any situation — that is how I look at it. I’m very prepared when I go to work. Being on set with the characters that I have played has been natural because I worked undercover for some 15 years. I’ve worked some very deep undercover cases. On a film set I know if I screw up, I get a retake. I know if I screw up as a ref, and we screw up, you feel like the loneliest person in that arena. But in law enforcement I could be killed. I know on the streets I can’t screw it up because if I did, I would get compromised and killed.”
Beltran pondered the question of how often he reflects back on his variety of accomplishments.
“As far as reflection, I just go through the motions, I guess. I go through the motions, and if anything, I’m proud of my accomplishments, because I set out to do whatever I said I’m going to do.”
Conga Kids hosted its highly anticipated year-end celebration event at Xbox Plaza at LA Live. The event featured impressive dance performances by more than 200 fifth-grade students and Conga Kids’ professional Discover the Diaspora dance ensemble. Student performers from 17 elementary schools and nine school districts across LA and Orange counties competed for first place after winning their regional competitions. The students showcased their dance skills
in salsa, merengue, danzón, jazz and hiphop. Community Magnet Charter School from Los Angeles Unified School District was proclaimed champion in the friendly competition. Conga Kids’ yearend celebration event highlighted the organization’s commitment to providing opportunities for students to showcase their skills and promote diversity, equity and inclusion through social dance. Staff photographer Chris Mortenson was there to capture the action.
It’s once again time to show your favorite DTLA businesses some love!
From May 23rd to June 23rd, you can vote for your favorite DTLA businesses simply by going to ladowntownnews.com – look for the Best of DTLA “VOTE” button. You can vote one time per device per day!
Voting starts at noon on May 23 and closes at noon on June 23.
If you have a business and would like to be involved in the Best of DTLA this year, please contact Catherine Holloway at 213-308-2261 or Michael Lamb at 213-453-3548.
