LA Downtown News02-27-2023

Bring as many old toys as you can. There are a lot of different types of toys we cannot name them all so bring them in. WE WANT TO SEE THEM! We also buy large collections. If you have something odd or unusual but not necessarily a toy, bring it anyway. We may be interested if it is old. Also buying BB guns.

Society: DTLA venue refuses to pay songwriters DT

By LA Downtown News Staff

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has filed 12 separate copyright infringement actions against bars and restaurants nationwide, arising out of the unauthorized public performance of its members’ copyrighted musical works.

One of the infringing venues is DTLA’s Treehouse Rooftop, a society statement said. Venue officials didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment from LA Downtown News.

ASCAP is a nonprofit membership association that represents more than 875,000 independent songwriters, composers and music publishers. ASCAP ensures its members can earn a living from their art by licensing the public performances of their songs, collecting those license fees, and distributing royalties to its members, it said.

Nearly 90% of the license fees ASCAP collects goes directly to songwriters, composers and music publishers as royalties.

“As businesses have recovered from the pandemic, they have returned to using music because it helps create an emotional connection and ambiance that attracts and retains customers,” said Stephanie Ruyle, ASCAP executive vice president of licensing.

“However, each of the establishments sued today has decided to use music without compensating songwriters. Hundreds of thousands of well-run businesses across the nation recognize the importance of paying music creators to use their music and understand that it is both the lawful and right thing to do. By filing

these actions, ASCAP is standing up for songwriters whose creative work brings great value to all businesses that publicly perform their music.”

The average cost for bars and restaurants amounts to less than just $2 per day for the right to play an unlimited amount of music.

ASCAP’s chairman of the board and president, songwriter Paul Williams, added, “We want every business that uses music to prosper, including bars and restaurants, and are happy that they are on their way back after some very difficult years. As songwriters and com -

posers, we must earn our livelihoods through our creative work, and music is how we put food on the table and send our kids to school. Most businesses know that an ASCAP license allows them to offer music legally, efficiently and at a reasonable price — while compensating music creators fairly.”

ASCAP has made numerous attempts at the establishments listed below to offer a license and educate the business owners about their obligations under federal copyright law.

Despite these efforts, the owners of these establishments have repeatedly refused to take or honor a license. Instead, they have continued to perform the copyrighted musical works of ASCAP’s songwriter, composer and music publisher members for the entertainment of their patrons without obtaining permission to do so.

More information about ASCAP’s licensing of bars, restaurants and music venues can be found on the society’s website at ascap.com/whywelicensevenues.

Mayor Bass backs Feuer for Congress

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown

News

Deputy Editor

Following Rep. Adam Schiff’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate, former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has been endorsed by Mayor Karen Bass to fill the 30th Congressional District seat. Mayor Bass called Feuer a “longtime colleague and friend” and insisted that, as a member of Congress, he would “deliver for Los Angeles.”

“It was wonderful to get Mayor Bass’ support the day I announced my candidacy for this office … because it displays her confidence in our ability to work to -

gether to make the kind of change that we need here in our region,” Feuer said. “This is the most urgent time in our nation for strong leadership that we’ve ever had. … With Congressman Schiff, we’ve had a congressmember who has been a real leader nationally, and the question is for his successor, ‘Who has the guts and the horsepower to step in and make a big mark right away?’ … I intend to do so as a member of Congress.”

Feuer, a native of the 30th District, has served as a member of LA City Council from 1995 to 2001, as majority policy leader and chairman of the judiciary

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committee in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012, and as LA city attorney from 2013 to 2022. He was also the executive director of nonprofit law firm Bet Tzedek Legal Services.

As a representative of the 30th District, Feuer would look to address issues that are on both national and local scales, such as hosuing insecurity and homelessness.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

“Our region needs a champion on both resources to address homelessness, to create affordable housing and to change key rules that will make it easier for us to address issues like the mental health emergency that we have on our streets right now.”

STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos

“I’m the only candidate in this race who is focused on assuring that we have a very close partnership with the federal government on homelessness and creating affordable housing,” Feuer said.

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

STAFF WRITER: Morgan Owen, Leah Schwartz

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Douglas J. Gladstone, Jeff Moeller, Ellen Snortland

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson

Feuer restated President Joe Biden’s goal to reduce homelessness across the nation by 25% by 2025, and said that the 30th District should serve as the laboratory for employing successful strategies that cut through “bureaucratic red tape” to address housing insecurity and affordability.

South Pasadena, CA 91031 213-481-1448

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 Denine Gentilella (323) 627-7955

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FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris ©2023

PRESIDENT: Steve T. Strickbine

VICE PRESIDENT: Michael Hiatt

Courtney Lindberg Photography/Submitted

Former LA City Attorney Mike Feuer has been endorsed by Mayor Karen Bass in his candidacy to fill Rep. Adam Schiff’s 30th District seat ahead of the 2024 U.S. Senate race.

“We can’t afford to lose people, especially young people who are looking at their futures that could be very bright but are wondering whether those futures are compatible with the cost of living in this region,” Feuer said. “There is this great feeling of uncertainty. We know it. The pandemic has exposed it and deepened it. People are … wondering about their personal family security. They’re grappling with an economy where wages are not keeping up with inflation. The cost of living is a huge issue.

“I’m going to be a very crucial partner with the leaders of our region when it comes to bringing resources to Los Angeles from the Federal Housing and Urban Development Department, which provides, for example, funding for Section 8 vouchers. … There are federal rules that restrict our capacity to build mental health facilities that we need. I’m going to be leading an effort to change those rules.”

Feuer’s track record on local and national issues also includes writing California’s same-day voter registration law to combat voter suppression efforts; enforcing the FACT Act that ensures crisis pregnancy centers inform patients of all reproductive options and services available to them, including abortion; co-chairing the Prosecutors Against Gun Violence coalition to help combat shootings; and bringing the leading lawsuit

against SoCalGas for the Aliso Canyon gas leak, which he described as “one of the nation’s largest ever greenhouse gas emergencies.”

“For me, public service is about making the biggest impact possible,” Feuer said. “With so many urgent issues that demand not just a vote but leadership in Congress, I’m prepared to step in on day one and take on the most important issues we confront and do it in a way that’s reflected my whole career making big change happen. I still believe that one person focused on that can be a catalyst for major change. I’ve done it again and again, and I want to do it on Capitol Hill.”

When asked about the ethos he brings into a political leadership position, Feuer pointed to his record of crossing over party lines in order to enact change. He said that, though public speaking skills help in conveying points of view, the ability to listen to others and negotiate is vital.

“It’s important to listen carefully to what your constituents want and to what your colleague is really saying to you as you try to fashion a way to connect the most important desires of your constituents to making real change happen,” Feuer explained. “That requires listening. … It requires having a deep, detailed knowledge of the key issues. It requires the ability to inspire people, not

only in one’s district, inspiring constituents, but also inspiring colleagues. It requires the ability to have a sense of what matters most … to have your eye on the ball at what the top priorities are and stick to those priorities.”

Feuer also stressed the importance of integrity in forging trust among colleagues, as relationships built on trust can withstand disagreements to put legislature through.

“You have to be able to rise above,” he said. “I’ve learned that it’s very important to not just assume that people who may disagree with you on some issues will disagree (with you) on others. When I was a state legislator, for example, I found it possible that even though I had an extremely progressive voting record in Sacramento, I also was able to get, not all the time but sometimes, people from across the aisle, Republicans, to join me.”

Feuer recalled wanting to put through a bill that would have nursing homes post their quality-of-care ratings (Assembly Bill 399). To encourage the bill’s progress, Feuer reached across party lines.

“I know how important it is for people in distress, who are very vulnerable, to make a clear decision about a place that’ll have good conditions for their loved ones,” Feuer said about the bill. “I reached out to a Republican member of the assembly, and I said, ‘Look, let’s work together on this to display that we can,

at one of the most hyperpartisan moments in California.’ This is when Gov. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger was governor; it was the midst of the Great Recession. We did it together, and that bill passed.”

In the race for Rep. Schiff’s seat, Feuer said that one of the distinguishing features of his candidacy is his “horsepower” and urgency to combat crises so that residents of the 30th District can see progress from day one.

“Whether it’s their ability to make ends meet or our ability to grapple with the climate crisis, whether it’s helping to assure that we are successfully grappling with our homelessness emergency in ways we can see and touch and feel on our streets, or assuring that no child goes to school wondering if that’s the day there’s going to be a school shooting, I think that the residents of our district are really eager to assure that our democracy continues intact,” Feuer said. “I hope that the residents of this district will see an America that emerges stronger from the emergencies that we’ve endured recently. I want every family to feel a sense of optimism and hope that’s based on real achievement every day, when folks can go home at night and feel the political process isn’t broken.

“I’m very hopeful that we can emerge from the crises that we confront today and have residents of our district feel that every day things are getting better.”

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Community-based organizations combat LA housing crisis

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

California has experienced a worsening housing deficit for decades, with a pandemic and waning economy now increasing the homeless population and triggering the reopening of the Section 8 Waiting List Lottery in Los Angeles for the first time in five years.

Amid LA’s housing crisis, the region’s community-based organizations are looking to fill gaps in the system and provide housing assistance to those in need. For Carolina Vega, who works with nonprofit Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND), making a difference starts with being a familiar face in the community.

“One of the great things about myself and my fellow system navigators is we live within the same communities that we’re assisting,” Vega explained. “We’re basically on the ground 24/7, whether we’e on the clock or off the clock. That allows us to be very familiar with the struggles that are going on, and we just

have a very natural empathy. It really contributes to the big heart that everybody at MEND works with. … We don’t just wait for clients to come to us; we also go to them.”

MEND’s outreach includes setting up COVID-19 vaccine clinics and toy drives and handing out flyers to raise awareness of their programs and services.

“A lot of our clients are regulars,” Vega said. “They’ve been familiar with us for years. They know that they can depend on us. Some clients, they were doing well and then they went through a crisis, but they knew that they could always come back to us. And I feel like this applies to every other nonprofit organization.

“There’s that familiarity and knowing that this is a safe space … where you’re not going to be judged for your situation and where there are going to be people who are willing to help. And that’s especially something that’s needed right now.”

MEND’s team of system navigators

recently helped 245 households complete their Section 8 applications and 129 households apply for monthly utility discounts.

Vega explained that many of the organization’s clients who struggle with housing struggle in other areas as well, having to make decisions between paying for rent and paying for resources like food. This is why MEND helps people apply for public assistance programs like CalFresh, which gives participants an electronic card with monthly benefits to use for groceries.

“There was one client … it had been such a long time since he’d had dental work,” Vega recalled. “He was an elderly man who only spoke Spanish, so he wasn’t really sure on where to go and how to get that resource.”

Vega and her team connected the man with a low-income dental clinic, and he later returned to thank them.

“He was saying that it made such a big difference because previously it hurt to just even eat,” Vega said. “He was final -

ly able to have that dental work done, which is typically so expensive, even for us, (and it) really made a difference for him.

“Another example is one of our clients, she was an unhoused lady who was living on the street, and she actually got approved for Section 8. Her application got selected, so she’s just currently waiting to receive that subsidized housing. … Many of our unhoused clients typically go through the process of being unhoused, going to a temporary shelter, and then after a long period of case management finally getting permanent housing. But with this, she’s able to skip so many steps and it’s such a rare opportunity.”

While addressing immediate needs by providing free food distribution every week, MEND’s mission also states its desire to provide long-lasting resources and skills. This includes holding educational classes on how to use a computer and helping clients find employment by assisting with steps like job searching

and resume writing.

“Sometimes the reason people have not achieved their long-term goals is because they’re not even aware of the resources that are out there,” Vega said. “Many of our clients experience barriers with language and technology literacy, so it can be an issue just as simple as that between them and achieving their goal. And that’s where we bridge that gap. … Now they’re becoming so much more familiarized with something for free, which previously there was nobody there to help them with.”

To conduct their on-the-ground work in both short and long-term assistance, many community-based organizations like MEND require funding from county departments like the Los Angeles Department of Public Health to expand and maintain their resources.

After the onset of COVID-19, the public health department launched its Community Equity Fund to help members of disproportionately impacted communities in LA by providing funding to 51 community-based organizations that connect people with health and social services.

“It’s very much a back-and-forth relationship where they give us the tools to be able to reach local communities that they might not have direct access to,”

Vega described. “We also then relay the data that we receive from the community back to the Department of Public Health so that way they know, ‘OK, this is what’s needed in this community.’ … We act as that bridge, and all the information that we provide back to them is really just to improve our services.”

Vega expressed concern that families and individuals throughout LA have struggled to find safe and secure housing and emphasized the role of community-based organizations in helping limit the damage of the housing crisis.

“If these organizations were not around and we were not funded, the housing crisis definitely would be much worse,” she said. “We always want to reach the people who have no idea that these resources exist. As much as we love our regular clients, we always want to be able to expand our reach and also have new clients that we know are in need and that we can help. So one of the ways that people can contribute is letting people know that organizations like MEND exist.

“If another crisis like COVID comes around, we want people to know that we’re here,” Vega said. “We want to make an even stronger presence and impact. … The goal, of course, is to be able to prevent crises in people’s lives.”

Angeles Best

Of cats, rats and the kindness of neighbors

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

You have rats? Gross! I thought rats only lived in big cities,” my sister Mary said. We’d just seen a rat the size of a pony gallop across my kitchen floor. I did have a small horse ranch after all. “Nope, being in California, I’ve learned that wherever there is food, there are rats,” I said.

Here in Altadena, we have bears, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, possums … and a ton of tree rats. It’s a veritable fruit tree smorgasbord in our yard. Whether you live in Downtown LA, Pasadena or any of the foothill communities, we are all very familiar with rodents. The question is: What’s the best way to control them?

I’m adamantly anti-poison, because whatever poisons a rat also poisons wildlife or the occasional pet that eats that rat. I’ve often wondered what the creator’s purpose was in creating rats. Then it occurred to me that rats are the livestock of the animal kingdom. For example, we have owls who sometimes visit us, and they love to swoop down and grab a warm dinner. However, we need a daily diner at the rat buffet table.

Nextdoor to the rescue! The website is a neighborhood social media platform that is an excellent resource regarding lost pets and coyote sightings. It also occasionally has rants, scoldings, strange tangents and personal attacks, although its moderators try to keep the noise down. But I hit the Nextdoor jackpot one day. There was a post about working cats! Dimly aware that feral cats were being rescued and put to work, I’d not considered it for our situation. Interest piqued, I contacted the Pasadena Humane Society. They got right back to me with the news that the working cat program had a very long waiting list. They referred me to three other feral kitty rescue groups. And now, I’m off to the rat race!

Our feral kitty “installation” happened on Saturday, Feb. 25, and there was a comprehensive list of things I had to accomplish before they arrive. To be

clear, these cats are designated as unadoptable and would otherwise be euthanized. They are decidedly disinterested in laps, preferring to scratch faces off than to cuddle. They are “employed” by businesses and private homes and apartments.

This brings me to my praise and love for another rescue organization, the hyperlocal “Buy Nothing” or “BN.” It helps neighbors connect and “rescues” mostly material items from going into the landfill. Buy Nothing is a Facebook group that has very particular protocols. Although it’s about “one person’s trash is another’s treasure,” it’s also about neighborliness and community creation. I’m part of the Central Altadena group.

This was my post for pre-kitty preparations. ASK: “I would like to borrow an extra-large wire dog crate. We will have two working cats that we need to acclimate to our space. I will need the XL crate for three to four weeks. FYI, the crate will be used for Working Cats and acclimating them to our property so they can keep the rodent population down without resorting to poison. TYIA!”

I had a response from Leah Thomson Snell, someone I’ve grown fond of over the years through our shared adoration of all things canine. I don’t recall if we’ve ever met IRL. She let me know that she had a large crate I could use. It didn’t

Hey you! Speak up!

Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community.

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.

look big enough for two cats to live in for four weeks, so I held off accepting or rejecting the offer.

What happened next? A classic example of the loving nature of our community, thanks to Thomson Snell and Eliza Valdes Jones, another of my favorite BN posters. Valdes Jones posted a “Curb Alert” for a few items she’d spotted, including an enormous dog crate. (A Curb Alert is BN jargon for letting area people know that someone has put “free” stuff on a curb.) Within minutes of the post, I jumped in my car and searched but couldn’t find the crate, as she had mistakenly posted the wrong street. By the time she realized this, I had already returned home. Thomson Snell saw the thread, found the crate, then dropped it off in my driveway! It really does take a village.

Thomson Snell even had to use her husband’s pickup truck, as the crate was so large. She privately messaged me, “If you find an XL dog crate on your driveway, I left it for you.” Wow! BN has created a community of care, conservation and kindness. It blows my mind; I thought people were only this friendly in the Midwest, where I originally hail from.

If you’re interested in getting some working cats working for you at home or business, you can contact the following rescue organizations:

• Paw Mission — Rodent Rangers: thepawmission.org/rangers.html.

• Kitty Bungalow Working Cat: kittybungalow.org/workingcat (This is whom we’re working with. I love their subtitle “Charm School for Wayward Cats.”).

• Kitten Rescue Cats On Pawtrol: kittenrescue.org/2019/12/cats-onpawtrol.

I also can’t praise Buy Nothing enough. Use a search engine to find the group in your area. Our grandkids are setting up a household with absolutely no discretionary income. They should be able to find everything they need — from an extra set of dishes to a dining room table — via their local Buy Nothing. Happy hunting, everyone!

2023 marks the 30th year that Ellen Snortland has written this column. 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.

Ellen Snortland

Jinya Ramen Bar poised for major growth this year

By LA Downtown News Staff

Ramen grew 120% last year, and Jinya Ramen Bar is banking on growth this year.

It opened its 50th location in Long Beach on Feb. 6 and is projecting 15 more new stores, doubling its eight openings in 2022.

On top of that, area development growth is expected to increase by another 75-plus units nationwide by this year’s close.

“We knew communities across the country would be excited to see how we do ramen, but we are pleasantly surprised at how much the love for Jinya has taken off over the last few years,” Jinya Ramen Bar founder and Chief Executive Officer Tomo Takahashi said. “It’s so humbling and something we dreamed of when we opened our first ramen bar more than 10 years ago.”

At Jinya, guests experience thick, rich broth with flavorful noodles. Toppings include tender pork chashu to seasoned poached egg to fresh garlic, and elevate the experience further with curated appetizers or a craft beer.

Info: jinyaramenbar.com

Jinya Ramen Bar/Submitted

At Jinya, guests can enjoy thick, rich broth with flavorful noodles with toppings like tender pork chashu and poached eggs.

Covered California will help DT COVER STORY

Cirque du Soleil brings ‘Corteo’ to the Microsoft Theater

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

In a mesmeric trance of light, color and sound, Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo” has landed in Los Angeles. The production has traveled across four continents and 20 countries, seen by over 10 million spectators, and will fill the walls of Downtown’s Microsoft Theater from Thursday, March 23, to Sunday, April 30.

“Los Angeles is special to Cirque,” said Mike Newquist, touring shows division president at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “As we put together our entire tour routing and we book out over years, there’s only a couple of cities that we say, ‘OK, this needs to be every year.’ And Los Angeles certainly is one of them. … The reception that we have every year is so strong and why we can’t wait to come back.”

“Corteo,” which means cortege in Italian, follows the story of a dreaming clown named Mauro who watches his own funeral take place from a space between heaven and earth. The show explores themes such as strength, fragility, kindness and wisdom as the carnival procession beats on to an original score unique to “Corteo.”

Newquist described the production, directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, as “a joyous procession. It’s comedy, it’s fun, it’s acrobatic. It’s such a great mix of everything that makes Cirque so unique. … I think you’ll see a little twist on what you already know about Cirque as we take you on this journey and into this mysterious place. This one is really fun, and a special show.”

The tour is comprised of 117 team members, including 53 artists, from 27 different countries with 18 different languages. For performers like acrobat and clown Alexandr Yudintsev (Sasha), juggler Johan Juslin and aerial acrobat Erin Cervantes, it marks another step in their personal journeys as performance artists.

Sasha was a tumbling champion in his native Kazakhstan and two-time Tumbling World Championship winner. He joined Cirque in 2007 as part of the original “Corteo” world tour that ran until 2015, then joined the production’s reopening in 2017 as an arena show.

“I honestly didn’t know much about circus,” Sasha recalled. “More and more on TV, once in a while, (I would see) Cirque du Soleil. And I thought, ‘That’s cool. There’re some tumblers; there’re some acrobats.’ Then I started researching a little bit more and I made a video tape … and sent it to Montreal. … Nine days later, I’m just go -

ing to training, on the bus, and receive a phone call, just a random phone call. … ‘Hey, this is casting from Cirque du Soleil.’ I was shocked.”

For Juslin, his fascination with Cirque began when he watched a Cirque du Soleil production on TV when he was 10 years old. He went on to leave his home in Finland to study abroad at Montreal’s National Circus School, located in front of the Cirque du Soleil headquarters, before joining “Corteo” as a juggler in 2017.

“The juggler (in the show on TV) inspired me a lot,” Juslin described. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I have to do this.’ So when the show was done, I took three tennis balls, I went to my backyard, started practicing, and I’ve been juggling since then.”

Cervantes auditioned for Cirque after learning under Aloysia Gavre, founding artistic director at Cirque School Los Angeles. She had moved to LA after earning a degree in film, TV production and directing at Columbia College Chicago, and was invited to Gavre’s school by a friend.

“I knew nothing about circus, and I had no muscles,” Cervantes said with a laugh.

“I found out I had a talent for it a little bit, and so I just kept going.”

Motivated by her background in ballet, Cervantes started performing on a trapeze before taking an aerial hoop class, which she fell in love with.

“It’s like a 3-foot-diameter metal ring that hangs in the air and spins, and you hang on it and do acrobatics … and you’re also like 30 feet in the air,” Cervantes described. “It’s an absolutely incredible feeling. When you grab the apparatus and you start to move and then it raises off, your feet just lift off the stage. It’s like this incredible moment of freedom and flying and the wind in your hair while you’re spinning. … It makes you feel so free.”

From enduring strenuous training regiments to traveling across the world together, the Cirque performers described the bond they form with each other as similar to that of a “big family.”

“I met my wife in this show. This is almost six years ago,” Sasha said. “We have a child, and we’re always together.”

“On my team, there’re three other women, so we’re a group of four,” Cervantes described. “It’s a really good group of wom-

en. We support each other, we’re on stage together and you can really feel the support.

“What we do is extremely dangerous, so we have to make sure that we have our focus. When you’re onstage and you’re watching other people do these incredible things, since we see it so much, we can see when something’s about to go wrong. So it’s like a family. … We’re all there together to support and make sure that we’re all safe together, we’re all good together. We all know how to help each other to not get hurt and not get injured and to really stay focused.”

Along with the relationships formed among each other, the performers said that there’s also a connection developed with the audience amid the thrill of performance. Sasha called it a “rush of adrenaline.”

“You get that from the audience, the energy, and you give it all a hundred percent,” he said. “It’s awesome. That’s the reason I’m still doing it for well over 15 years.”

“I want to give the same kind of experience that I have when I go watch shows,” Juslin explained. “For example, when I saw

Chris Mortenson/Staff

Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo” will take the stage at DTLA’s Microsoft Theater from Thursday, March 23, to Sunday, April 30.

my first Cirque show … I got inspired and (felt) motivation and passion to do something. I want to bring the same kind of feeling to other people, whatever their goals are in life. When they come watch our show, I just want to make them feel happy and get motivated to do whatever they love to do.”

Cervantes described the production as “intimate” with vibrant, warm colors. From the booming vocals to the hand-painted central curtains and set curtains inspired by the Eiffel Tower, “Corteo” was made to be a poetic and illusory journey through a bounty of human emotions.

Newquist insisted that there are few better homes for this carnivalesque performance than the Microsoft Theater.

“This show is really made for the Microsoft Theater,” Newquist said. “Our audience is very close to the stage, really seeing it up close so you can see the expressions on their faces. You can see the comedy as it’s happening. You can see the acrobatics up close as it’s happening. (We’re) really looking for that very intimate experience.

“You can see the skill level that each of these acrobats have and each of these comedians have. It’s just such a special

and different environment that we want, whether it’s a date night or families and kids, too, to really just have a fun, enjoyable night out. And I think that’s what you see when you walk away from ‘Corteo.’ You’ll see some amazement; you’ll see kids laughing.”

Cirque has held performances in LA since 1987, bringing seven big tops and four arena shows to the city. Newquist hopes that “Corteo” will build on the success of Cirque’s latest show, “Ovo,” which reportedly drew over a hundred thousand people into the Microsoft Theater during its stay in LA.

“We’re already seeing it grow from last year,” Newquist said. “We feel the embrace that the community has for Cirque du Soleil and the artistry that we bring to the community. … Feeling that love from the Los Angeles audience, it’s such a unique place for us to play. And the Microsoft Theater, with its size, is just a special building for us.

“You’re entertained for two hours, and you walk away feeling very happy. So whether it’s date night or a group of people, come on out to see ‘Corteo.’ It’s going to be a fun show.”

Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo”

WHERE: Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles

WHEN: The show runs from March 23, to Sunday, April 30

COST: Tickets start at $45

INFO: cirquedusoleil.com/corteo

Erin Cervantes fell in love with aerial acrobatics for the freedom of flying through the air.

Chris Mortenson/Staff

Before joining Cirque du Soleil, Alexandr Yudintsev was a World Championsip-winning tumbler. Chris Mortenson/Staff

Juggler Johan Juslin joined Cirque du Soleil in 2017 as a member of “Corteo.”

Covered California will help DT ARTS ROUNDUP

Spring brings arts and refinement to Downtown LA

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Downtown Los Angeles is a veritable hub of arts and culture. In just a few square miles sit some of LA’s biggest museums and most prolific theater groups. For those who love contemporary art, classical music and traditional theater, Downtown LA has a lot to offer this spring season.

Upcoming exhibitions

Museum of Contemporary Art moca.org

“Henry Taylor: B Side”

Closing April 30, “Henry Taylor: B Side” is a retrospective exhibition surveying 30 years of Henry Taylor’s painting, drawing and sculpture. Taylor’s imaginative work is best known for his social vision and experimental aesthetic. His art conveys empathy, multiple worlds, and an imagination of color and line. This exhibition, on view at MOCA Grand Avenue, is the largest collection of Taylor’s work.

“Simone Forti”

MOCA Grand Avenue brings us a second retrospective for the spring season focusing on the career of artist Simone Forti, best known as a dancer and choreographer. In addition to exhibiting works on paper, videos, holograms and performance ephemera, this exhibition celebrates Forti’s career with weekly dance performances. The performance schedule occurs roughly every hour and 15 minutes Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons through April 2.

“Carl Craig: Party/After-Party”

Drawing on 30 years of experience, techno DJ and producer Carl Craig has created an immersive exhibition called “Party/After-Party, 2020.” The installation is intended to be a full-body experience of sound and light as it shows visitors the experience of a club from the DJ’s perspective. Upon entering the exhibition, visitors will be enveloped by Craig’s soundscape of techno beats created to honor Black music pioneers.

The work was originally commissioned by DiaArt Foundation and was created intentionally to interface with the architecture and space of the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, where the installation will

be on view. The work was conceived before COVID-19, making it poignant as we reenter a world less restricted by social distancing.

“Carl Craig: Party/After-Party” runs from April 16 to July 23.

Japanese American National Museum janm.org

“Don’t Fence Me In”

“Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps” is an upcoming exhibition at JANM that explores the experiences of Japanese American youth as they navigate their identities as young Americans while being interned during World War II. This exhibition demonstrates ways these children and teens came together to create a community, from color guards to dances and sports leagues.

During the period of Japanese internment, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned throughout the country, with approximately a third of them being children. For some, the activities portrayed in this exhibition were contained to their period of internment, but for others,

coming of age during wartime internment shaped their identities.

This exhibition runs March 4 to Oct. 1.

“Nima Voices: Episode 12 — Kristen Nemoto Jay”

Free to the public, “Nima Voices” is an interview series that shares the stories and experiences of influential Nikkei (the descendants of Japanese emigrants) from around the world. On April 11, guest host Shari Y. Tamashiro, a cybrarian who has documented the stories of Japanese Hawaiians and Okinawans, will interview Kristen Nemoto Jay, the editor of The Hawai’i Herald: Hawai’i’s Japanese American Journal.

The Broad thebroad.org

“William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows”

Closing on April 9, this exhibition is William Kentridge’s first monograph presentation at The Broad. The exhibition features more than 130 works in an interactive design surveying 35 years of the

South African artist’s career. The show also includes 18 works from the Broad’s collection to thematically complement Kentridge’s work. Themes of the exhibition follow Kentridge’s experience growing up in Apartheid-era Johannesburg.

Complementing the exhibition will be two events on March 18, “Speaking in Gabrielino” and “Don’t Disappear Us.” “Speaking in Gabrielino” features performances by Tongva artists, activists and educators so that attendees can hear the sound of the native Tongva language. “Don’t Disappear Us” is a specially commissioned performance by Patrisse Cullors, a Black Lives Matter activist, that encourages attendees to bear witness to the impact of rightwing media on Black culture.

“Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody”

This exhibition will feature over 120 works spanning the career of the artist, Keith Haring. Divided into 10 galleries, the exhibition showcases a breadth of mediums from video to sculpture to graphic works. The works demonstrate Haring’s prolific career that spanned a short time from the late 1970s to 1988, two years before he died due to AIDS at age 31. The

Joan Marcus, Center Theater Group/Submitted

The cast of 1776 is ready for Center Theater Group’s production from April 11 to May 7.

show will run from May 27 to Oct. 8.

CA African American Museum caamuseum.org

“Helen Cammock: I Will Keep My Soul”

On view at the California African American Museum through spring until fall is the exhibition “I Will Keep My Soul,” centering around Helen Cammock’s experience visiting New Orleans for the first time. The exhibition draws on film, poetry, performance, archival documents and books rooted in the culture of New Orleans to demonstrate the nature of the city. Cammock brings her touch to the collection on view by adding her poetry, ceramics and audio of her playing the trumpet.

Family-friendly exhibitions

California Science Center californiasciencecenter.org

“Maya: The Exhibition”

Explore the legacy of the Mayan civilization with the California Science Center’s display of over 250 Mayan artifacts detailing the rise and fall of the ancient empire that disappeared nearly 2,000 years ago. Accompanying the exhibition is a movie produced by the center entitled “Mystery of the Maya” that visitors can view in their IMAX Theater. The movie joins an archaeologist and a young Mayan descendant as they search for ancient ruins and unlock their secrets. The exhibition opens on April 2.

The Endeavour

The Space Shuttle Endeavour has been an icon of the California Science Center

since it was transported to the museum after flying its final mission in 2011. The Space Shuttle will be on display at the California Science Center until its new home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, is complete. Until then, visitors can enjoy the space shuttle and its accompanying exhibitions.

“Mission 26: The Big Endeavour” is an exhibition at the California Science Center that documents the transfer of The Endeavour to its current location. The exhibition features photographs of the shuttle as it journeyed 68 hours and 12 miles through LA to the Endeavour Pavilion at the Science Center.

Admission to the California Science Center is free and does not require a reservation. However, IMAX movies and other attractions, excluding The Endeavour, do require the purchase of a ticket.

Natural History Museum Los Angeles nhm.org

Spring Butterfly Pavilion

Walk among hundreds of butterflies at the Natural History Museum’s outdoor butterfly enclosure. The netted area features brightly colored native plants and up to 30 native butterfly species, including the Western Tiger Swallowtail and Common Buckeye butterflies. Animal care specialists and museum educators will be available inside the enclosure to help teach about the life cycle of butterflies and point out caterpillars and chrysalis nearby.

Entry is by timed 30-minute sessions Monday through Sunday. The enclosure will open through the spring and summer seasons until Aug. 13.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

A photograph of a young woman standing by the barbed wire fence of the Manzanar concentration camp. Anonymous. Gift of Myrtle Joyce Barley Ward, 2003.12.14.

This untitled painting by Keith Haring will be on display in an exhibition at the Broad Museum featuring the artist’s short but prolific career.

SPRING BRINGS ARTS AND REFINEMENT TO DOWNTOWN LA, 13

Annual Bug Fair 2023

Join the Natural History Museum for their 37th annual Bug Fair. This two-day festival from May 20 to May 21 celebrates all the creepy-crawly insects with a series of exhibitors. At the festival, you will be able to see exotic insect collections, experience up-close encounters, and learn about the benefits of insects to our natural environment.

Opera and theater

Center Theater Group centertheatergroup.org

Ahmanson Theater

This spring at The Ahmanson, the Center Theater Group will perform “1776.” The Tony Award-winning musical will be available in a new production directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Dian Paulus utilizing a multiracial cast representative of many genders and ethnicities. The plot of the play tells the story of John Adams as he moves through the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Shows runs April 11 to May 7. The Center Theater Group will also perform the Pulitzer Prize-winning produc -

tion “A Soldier’s Play” by Charles Fuller. Based in 1944 on a Louisiana Army base, the story follows a series of interrogations following the murder of a Black soldier. The play will be directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon and led by Broadway’s Norm Lewis. This show will follow “1776,” running from May 23 to June 25.

Mark

Taper Forum

From March 8 to April 9, the Center Theater Group will perform “Twilight: Los Angeles 1992” at the Mark Taper Forum. This production dramatizes the events of the five days following the Rodney King verdict. The playwright, Anna Deavere Smith, wrote the play over nine months using over 300 interviews conducted the year following the uprising. On March 10, the performance will be limited to a Black-identifying audience to create space for the Black community in the historically white theater environment.

Following “Twilight” is “A Transparent Musical” from May 20 to June 25. This musical comedy tells the uplifting and comical story of the Pfefferman family as their patriarch comes out as a transgender woman. The tale follows the family through their journey of discovery, acceptance and celebration.

LA Opera laopera.org

“Pelleas and Melisande”

This five-act opera by Claude Debussy was adapted from the symbolist play of the same name in 1902. The plot of the opera conjures up the image of a classical fairy tale. A prince wanders through the forest and finds a mysterious woman of untold beauty. But when he brings her home, forbidden love blossoms between the woman and the prince’s younger brother.

Although admission prices vary with each performance, tickets for the LA Opera make the famously pretentious art form accessible, with tickets starting at $15 each and $50 for a package. The opera is performed in French with English subtitles.

“Mary Motorhead / Trade”

The West Coast premiere of this double bill by Irish composer Emma O’Halloran pairs the story of a convicted murderer’s secret history with the story of a rent boy and his closeted client trapped in working-class Dublin. The performances will take place at the Redcat with four show-

ings from April 27 to April 30.

“Otello”

The LA Opera’s final production for the Spring is Verdi’s reimagination of the Shakespearean classic “Othello.” Available from May 13 to June 4, “Otello” takes the audience on an operatic journey following Othello’s rampage of fury and murder as he begins to suspect his wife, Desdemona, might be unfaithful. Rachel Willis Sorensen will make her company debut as Desdemona, and Artist in Residence Russell Thomas will seize the tidal role of Othello.

Alamo Drafthouse drafthouse.com

The Alamo Drafthouse is not your everyday movie theater. Instead of just a ticket to see the latest flick, this theater allows guests dinner and a show. Every chair is equipped with a table as guests are unobtrusively served dinner while they enjoy their movie. Simply browse the menu, write down your orders on their paper forms, and have your food delivered without interrupting your experience. Movies available range from the latest releases and the occasional classic.

Music

LA

Philharmonic laphil.com

The LA Philharmonic will begin this spring at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with Susanna Malkki leading the orchestra in Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances” for March 23 to March 25. This arrangement, written before Dvorak’s rise to popularity demonstrates the transformation of Czech and Bohemian folk dances. Dvorak will make a reappearance this season from May 5 to May 7 as his famous Violin Concerto is played alongside Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7.

Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Brahms dominate the end of March through April, with several arrangements from the three composers scheduled. Most notably, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 will be conducted by Rafael Payare from April 13 to April 16. The Venezuela-born director, Payare, will also conduct Still’s “Darker America” and Wagner’s “Wesendonck Lieder,” in that arrangement.

Closing off the season will be LA Philharmonic’s very own Gustavo Dudamel as he leads an arrangement of Beethoven and Smith (May 25 to May 27) and Mozart (June 1 to June 4). The famed conductor recently announced he would be leaving the LA Philharmonic for the New York Philharmonic in 2026, giving Angelenos only

Marie Noorbergen and Tao Puspoli, LA Master Chorale/Submitted

The LA Master Chorale will perform several arrangements this year at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

a few more seasons to enjoy his work.

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum 2023

Fandoms & Fantasy

The LA Philharmonic is not the only musical group to perform this Spring at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The LA Master Chorale will perform arrangements of “Esmail / Faure” (March 26) and “Ellington / Williams” (June 10). “Esmail / Faure” will premiere new work combining Indian and Western classical music traditions while “Ellington / Williams” celebrates Duke Ellington and Mary Lou Williams, two influential figures in American jazz.

Zipper Hall at Colburn School colburnschool.edu

The Colburn School is an excellent place for music and dance enthusiasts to survey up and coming talent. Performances and ensembles are cast with students looking to showcase their skills as they move through the school’s arts program. Many of the programs are free and several are also available via livestream.

Highlights from this season being performed at Zipper Hall in Downtown LA include “Counterpointe” (March 25), a presentation of Jerome Robbins’ ballet “Antique Epigraphs,” the Colburn Contemporary Ensemble (April 6) and the Colburn Baroque Ensemble (April 7), and Spring Tap Works (May 20), where Colburn’s tap dance students show off their skills.

LA Live livenation.com

The Belasco

For music lovers, Live Nation venue The Belasco has music scheduled every weekend through spring. Most concerts feature rock ensembles like Fleet Foxes (March 22), Colony House (March 31) and Nothing More: Spirits Tour 2023 (May 3), but there are also plenty of metal and pop bands scheduled to play at The Belasco. Metal highlights include Static-X’s Rise of the Machine 2023 (April 15), Wage War’s The Manic Tour (April 22) and Carcass with Municipal Waste, Sacred Reich and Creeping Death (April 30).

The Belasco also has booked Joe Dombrowski for a live special comedy show taping on March 18. General admission tickets start at $45. Another special event is “Be Our Guest,” a 21-and-older Disney DJ night on May 20, and at the very end of the season, there will be a single performance of the Old Gods of Appalachia.

The Wiltern

Similar to The Belasco, The Wiltern has over 30 live events scheduled this spring. Its offerings are more diverse, with performances in jazz, dance/electronic, hiphop/rap, world and religious. Highlights include R&B performer Djavan (May 7), dance/electronic group Hippie Sabotage (April 20) and rapper Lil Wayne (May 13).

The Wiltern will also host a single comedy show for Sam Morril on April 21.

The Natural History Museum’s annual First Fridays is back! Explore the Museum after hours with live music, DJs, topical discussions, signature cocktails, pop-up experiences, special NHM collections displays, tours, and more. This season’s theme is Fandoms & Fantasy and the focus is on how nature and science influence the creation of our favorite imagined worlds. From dragons and witchcraft to superheroes and

giant monsters, we’re discovering the science behind science fiction and cultures within pop culture. First Fridays 2023 is where the fans come out to celebrate the intersection of pop-culture fandom and the work and collections of NHM.

Event Dates: March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2

Tickets: $20; Free for Members

Info: NHM.ORG/firstfridays

LA Master Chorale lamasterchorale.org

Richard Campbell, LA Opera/Submitted

A scene from the David McVicar production of “Pelleas and Melisande” gives a sneak peek to the operatic tragedy

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE

James Marsters/Submitted

James Marsters ‘pumped’ about Mint show

By Douglas J. Gladstone LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

James Marsters did not form the supergroup Hollywood Vampires, though one might think he did.

After all, he was the punk rock-loving British vampire Spike on the iconic TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff “Angel.” He created a character who was not only reportedly mod -

eled after Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious but who so resembled English rock musician Billy Idol that, in the show’s last season, Buffy even joked that the “Rebel Yell” singer stole his look from Spike.

Marsters embarked on his own musical journey with the band Ghost of the Robot, who plays The Mint at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14.

“I’m super pumped. I’m very much

Ghost of the Robot is, from left, Sullivan Marsters, James Marsters and Kevin McPherson.

looking forward to performing there,” Marsters said during a recent Zoom call. “We’ll be playing all of our songs from our new album.”

The name of band’s sixth album is still up in the air, according to Marsters.

“But if I get my way, it’ll be a cool title,” he said.

He said when the band entered the studio, it was “very ambitious.”

“We tried to record 13 tracks in three days, and we came out with this raw, ferocious rock ‘n’ roll album. I think people will really like it,” he said.

A native of Greenville, Marsters and Charlie DeMars founded Ghost of the Robot in April 2002 when they were neighbors in Santa Monica. The group’s first album, “Mad Brilliant,” was released the following year.

The moniker refers to losing one’s soul.

“It’s the part of myself that I was afraid I’d lose when I first appeared on television,” he explained. “I didn’t want to be a tin man. I didn’t want to be a hollow person.”

Considering Spike lost and then regained his soul when he became a vamp, it’s pretty appropriate that Marsters is the group’s frontman.

Music has been a lifelong ambition for the 60-year-old Marsters. His fa -

ther taught him how to play the guitar when he was age 7, and he started writing songs five years later. Many solo appearances at bars and clubs followed. There, he performed covers of such artists as James Taylor.

“I thought James Taylor was the best songwriter on earth,” he said.

The six-time Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee wasn’t the only singer-songwriter and guitarist with whom he identified. According to Marsters, Bruce Springsteen and Prince also influenced him.

“Have you ever listened to Springsteen’s (1982) album, ‘Nebraska,’ or his ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad?’” he said. “Those albums are very much folk, and there’s a power of simplicity to them. Same thing with Prince’s song ‘When Doves Cry.’”

There is nothing simple about Marsters, however. He is positively cerebral in answering questions put to him, albeit in a lighthearted manner.

“One time, the band wanted to throw drums down a stairwell at the end of one of the tender love songs I had written and was singing, to get a certain effect,” he said. “Can you imagine? I reminded them of the one rule we have, that whoever writes the song gets his way.”

Marsters acknowledged that, when one works creatively with others, there is always the possibility of disagreements.

“There’s a lot of fighting with a lot of bands,” he said. “When you’re expressing something creatively and somebody rejects it, that’s painful.

“But I’m working with people who instinctually know what I’m looking for, who know what I want and how to realize my dream. It’s a miracle. We all trust one another.”

Nowhere is that more in evidence than the trust Marsters shares with his son, Sullivan, who joined the band in 2011.

“He is trusting me on guitar with three of the songs he wrote for our new album,” Marsters said. “I live in terror that I’m going to let him down,” he added, only half-jokingly.

But while the elder Marsters described performing with his son as “marvelous, horrifying and amazing,” he also said he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

“Plus, he is so much better as a guitarist than I am,” Marsters said of Sullivan. “He’s light years ahead of me.”

When Marsters talks about his son, the love and affection he harbors for Sullivan is apparent. What is equally clear is how personal writing music is for him.

“With songs it’s like a diary,” he explained. “You’re putting down intensely personal thoughts. When I’m writing music the delicious thing is I try to write songs about material that I wouldn’t normally talk about. Even with my friends. It’s a chance to be very open and honest in public.”

Ghost of the Robot

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14

WHERE: The Mint, 6010 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles COST: $27 at the door INFO: 323-954-9400, themintla.com

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE Quinnie takes audiences into the depths with debut

By Leah Schwartz LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Depth is no stranger to 21-yearold Quinn Barnitt.

She explores it with an almost Jungian intensity on her debut album, “Flounder.” She hosts a record release party on Monday, March 6, at El Cid. Barnitt, who performs under the moniker Quinnie, croons throughout the album with an impish sweetness while baring her biting lyrical chops layered over a dreamy, aquatic soundscape.

Barnitt began her musical journey in musical theater at a young age and began putting demos on Soundcloud and Bandcamp when she was in high school. By senior year, she came out with her first EP, “Gold Star.”

“Music, for me, has always been a really important emotional outlet. It’s a place where I feel like I’m allowed to be my most vulnerable self,” Barnitt said.

When the pandemic hit, Barnitt was a first-year student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. After students were sent home, Barnitt trekked cross country with her cat, Blueberry Muffin, to LA, arguably the recording capital of the world. That was two and a half years ago, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I just went to LA for a couple of months, not really knowing if I would stay or not, and I never really left after that,” Barnitt said.

Since she was young, Barnitt has religiously journaled, and writing is a core tenant of her music-making. Typically, she put down lyrics before anything else. Throughout her day, Barnitt might write snippets on her Notes app or napkin, depending on where and when inspiration strikes.

For Barnitt, there is no right way to write a song. She decided on the title, “Flounder,” before there was any music or even lyrics to the song.

The 11-track album includes “Touch Tank,” which exploded on TikTok last summer, as well as songs “Itch,” “Flounder” and “Man,” which were released via EP earlier in January.

“It was definitely a jarring experience … just waking up one day and realizing that a bunch of people heard and enjoyed this pretty intimate song of mine,” she said about going viral.

“Overall, I’m excited by this idea that I’m able to feel more understood by having people hear my words and songs and possibly enjoy them or connect to

them. That’s something that helps me to overcome this feeling of being just so exposed.”

The album, which took three years to complete, a stretch of time that might seem like a lifetime to an early 20-something, encapsulates an era of Barnitt’s life. When asked about it, Barnitt responded that she is “already in a new one. There’s, like, a lot of darkness, a lot of light. … It really felt like three years of learning a lot about trust and trust in the world.”

At El Cid, Barnitt will perform songs from her EP and album, “Flounder,” for

the first time. This will also be her first official tour.

The album was conceived alongside longtime collaborator and producer Jake Weinberg, who doubles as “best friend and roommate.” The pair grew up

15 minutes from each other in South Orange, New Jersey, but only connected during college.

“He is the through line on all the songs,” she said of Weinberg.

Other collaborators on the project include Gabe Wax, Hudson Pollock and Jackson Shanks.

“Flounder,” as the title suggests, is rife with watery, oceanic imagery, intensified by Barnitt’s lilting voice. Barnitt ascribed her love of the ocean to summers spent at the Jersey Shore. When she was 10 years old, Barnitt wanted to become a marine biologist, and although that dream has shifted, the ocean is never far in her music.

“The ocean is something that I’ve always had this really deep fascination with, and it felt appropriate but also not even forced to be writing about the water in this project,” she said.

A lyricist at heart, Barnitt mostly listens to ambient music to preserve the integrity of her own writing process. Her favorite artists, ambient rock artist Brian Eno and indie folk band The Innocence Mission, are never referenced directly in the project but, like the ocean, seep in regardless.

The titular track, “Flounder,” is the unsung favorite among Barnitt and the production team, featuring nimbly picked guitar solos and a staccato-like beat riding on swells of string and keys.

The title’s double entendre refers to devolving back into a fish and, in the same breath, references the tumultuousness of adolescence. The song balances between these two poles, the need to delve back into aquatic life and the reality of modernity.

Barnitt said of the track and album as a whole — “(it’s) exploring my hills and valleys of the last couple of years of my life.”

“I knew that I wanted to write about feeling crushed by hate, like the world and my surroundings to some regard, but be able to write about it in a way that was sort of melancholic and, I don’t know, almost half-accepting and surrendering.”

Quinnie

WHEN: Doors open at 7 p.m. Monday, March 6

WHERE: El Cid, 4212 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles

COST: See website for details

INFO: elcidsunset.com

Columbia Records/Submitted

Quinnie’s anticipated debut album, “Founder,” was released on Feb. 24. She’ll perform at El Cid on Monday, March 6.

Covered California will helpDT

MUSE/IQUE honors Quincy Jones at Biltmore

By LA Downtown News Staff

MUSE/IQUE will honor music legend Quincy Jones during “Quincy at 90: The Power to Produce Change,” conducted by Artistic Director Rachael Worby, Thursday, March 2, and Friday, March 3, at the Biltmore Bowl at DTLA’s The Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Avenue.

Worby will be joined by vocalists Brandon Victor Dixon and Sara Niemietz. Dixon was Emmy nominated as Judas opposite John Legend in NBC’s live “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He starred in Fox’s “Rent,” Amazon’s “Modern Love” and live on Broadway as Billy Flynn in “Chicago” and as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.”

Niemietz appeared at the Mark Taper Forum in Jason Robert Brown’s “13” and recently released her fourth album “Superman.”

Jones changed the face of music during his 70 years in the entertainment industry as a record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and arranger.

At this concert, MUSE/IQUE traces his journey from playing trumpet alongside jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie, to his accolades as a groundbreaking film composer, to his breathtaking collaborations with both Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.

Jones has earned 80 Grammy Award nominations and won 28 Grammys, including the Grammy Legend Award in 1991. In 2008, he received an NEA Jazz Masters award.

He is one of 22 EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) holders, including seven Academy Award nominations, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

He was inducted as a Kennedy Center Honoree, one of the United States’ most prestigious artistic awards for his lifetime contributions to the culture of the country and is the recipient of the Republic of France’s Commandeur de la Legion d’ Honneur.

Jones received the 2010 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government, from President Barack Obama at a White House East Room ceremony on March 2, 2011.

He produced the best-selling album of all time Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album at 110 million copies worldwide and with six Top Ten singles. He served as producer and conductor of the best-selling single of all-time at 20 million copies, “We are the World,” which raised funds for the victims of Ethiopia’s famine in 1985.

“Quincy Jones is synonymous with American music In honor of his 90th birthday, we celebrate Quincy’s power as a social activist and changemaker, influencing some of the biggest names in music and opening the door for future generations,” Worby said.

Jones was a major supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.’s Operation Breadbasket, and after King’s death, he served on the board of Jesse Jackson’s People United to Save Humanity.

The program includes highlights of Jones’ career and shows the range of his musical accomplishments:

• “Fly Me to the Moon” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You” from the Frank Sinatra-Count Basie album “It Might as Well Be Swing” arranged and conducted by Jones.

• “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson from “Thriller.”

• Two hits from his executive tenure at Mercury Records — Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” and Dinah Washington’s “Mad About the Boy.”

• Rodgers and Hart’s “Bewitched” a highlight of the Lena Horne Broadway show, “The Lady and her Music” — cast album produced by Jones.

• A selection of his film and television compositions — “Soul Bossa Nova” from “Aus-

tin Powers”; the “Sanford and Son” theme “Streetbeater” and “In the Heat of the Night” with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and this title song introduced by Ray Charles.

• “Home” sung by Diana Ross in the film “The Wiz” with Jones acting music supervisor and music producer.

• “The Color Purple”: Jones composed and created the score and was a producer of the film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Dixon is a presidential scholar semi-finalist and scholarship winner at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford.

Dixon is a graduate of Columbia University and a recipient of the university’s I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.

He is an Emmy Award-nominated as Judas opposite John Legend in NBC’s live “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He most recently starred in Fox’s “Rent,” Amazon’s “Modern Love,” and as Terry Silver on the Starz series, “Power.”

He starred on Broadway as Billy Flynn in “Chicago” and previously completed a star turn as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” on Broadway.

Dixon has appeared in concert with various artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Nathan Lane, Wynton Marsalis, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, David Hyde Pierce, and Tony

winners Levi Kreis, Kelli O’Hara, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Other credits include ABC’s “One Life to Live,” NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” CBS’ “The Good Wife” and Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It.”

His company WalkRunFly has produced multiple works including the Tony Award-winning “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” starring Neil Patrick Harris. He is co-founder of The WeAre Foundation, a nonprofit “Turning Art into Action” and Qurator, the movie ratings app (available on iOS/ANDROID). Originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, Brandon resides in New York City.

From starring on Broadway and singing at the Grand Ole Opry to touring in over 30 countries with Postmodern Jukebox, Niemietz has spent years in studios and on stages.

Her theater career began when she starred in Carol Burnett’s “Hollywood Arms” under the direction of Hal Prince. She has gone on to work with Jason Robert Brown in the musical “13” in Los Angeles and to star in “Enter Laughing” at The Wallis. Her videos on YouTube have garnered over 30 million views. After listening to Niemietz sing online, Ellen DeGeneres invited her to perform on “The Ellen Show” and share her music. Her third solo album, “Superman,” was released this year.

Artistic director Rachael Worby will conduct “Quincy at 90: The Power to Produce Change.”

Covered California will help DTBUSINESS

Penthouse event space reopens in DTLA

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

After years of closure in the wake of the pandemic, Downtown rooftop venue Top of the Hub, formerly known as the Wilshire Loft, will reopen its 10,000-square-foot event space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, March 9.

Top of the Hub, which stretches through four large indoor rooms and onto two outdoors decks overlooking the Downtown skyline, boasts a builtin bar, dining room, lounge, bridal suite, catering-style kitchen and sound and

lighting system. It was designed to hold nearly 200 guests and host a plethora of events, from lavish weddings to corporate parties and networking socials.

“Top of the Hub is going to be really geared to bringing people in LA together,” said Hannah Pope, events and production director. “I feel like the Top of the Hub is a very unique space. … It’s in a prime location because we’re right in the middle of Downtown.

“(We want to create a) very fun, enjoyable experience, something memorable for clients that come in and just for people in general. We’re coming out of a

pandemic where we were isolated from people, so we really want to bring back that joy that Downtown LA has.”

Though Pope is looking forward to celebrating the venue’s grand reopening with a ribbon cutting hosted by the chamber of commerce, the journey to get to get to this point as been a tale of disaster and redemption.

In 2019, months before COVID-19 lockdowns swept across the country, Top of the Hub’s tenant was catering and event company Truly Yours. Landlord Sauli Danpour alleged that financial problems had started to impact the business in addition to compliance issues with the City of Los Angeles. Danpour suddenly began to receive calls and emails from Truly Yours clients worried about the state of

its upcoming events and monetary deposits.

“Just over a weekend in May 2019, (Truly Yours owner Christopher Adlesh) just packs up and leaves,” Danpour revealed. “We stepped in, and we tried to not only make up for it, but we contacted caterers, we contacted event planners, we offered the event for free to the people that lost their deposit.

“I think about 10 of them that I know of were affected by it, not only for our venue, but also for an event venue in the Oviatt Building. … Then a few months after that, the pandemic hit and basically we had to shut down the event center.”

Pope worked as a sales manager for Truly Yours at the time, conducting tours and selling the venue to clients, pri -

Top of the Hub/Submitted

After the venue’s closure in 2019, Top of the Hub will hold its grand reopening on Thursday, March 9. Top

Top of the Hub’s outdoor patio spaces boast views of the Downtown LA skyline.

marily for weddings. One day, during a walkthrough with a client, Pope was approached by Adlesh and fired from the company, losing access to her company laptop and phones that held her clients’ contact information. She later found out through social media messages that the company had shut down.

“Immediately, I was in shock and also super sad because I sold this venue to people,” Pope said. “It was a very traumatizing experience. … I wanted people to understand where I was coming from, and also I wanted to offer my help. At the time, I was unemployed. I was getting unemployment, and I was literally offering, ‘Hey, I’ll help coordinate your event.’ I even partnered with a catering company and gave them the contact information as well to see if they were going to do catering for them.”

Immediately following the venue’s closure, Danpour described a nightmare of event cancellations, with one couple taking legal action.

“One of the weddings that was affected by the shutdown … the bride and groom actually sued us,” he recounted. “And now we’re friends. … (After learning the situation,) he dropped the lawsuit and we’ve been in touch since, and he’s actually helped us with the reopening and refurbishing the space.”

Pope explained that, though the expe -

rience was traumatizing for her, it made her into a stronger person today and her love for the space is what brought her back after the past few years.

“Honestly, for me, I loved this venue so much,” she said. “I’ve been doing events for 10 years and the Wilshire Loft was my first venue that I started to sell. … I know how much potential it has. It’s just a great center for these events and for networking and for LA. Now (having) a

lot more experience working in venues all over LA, it’s great to partner with Sau-

li and really bring it back to life, and do more than just weddings.”

Top of the Hub

WHERE: Top of the Hub, 700 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700, Los Angeles

WHEN: Ribbon cutting begins at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9

INFO: itsgabevents.com/top-of-the-hub

Top of the Hub/Submitted

Top of the Hub holds 10,000 square feet of event space, including a dining room, lounge, bridal suite and built-in bar.

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE Winning at UCLA is twice as nice for Wright

By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

“Champions made here.” That is the slogan for UCLA Athletics, the school with the second most NCAA titles.

For Adam Wright it’s not just a motto … and has twice the meaning. Wright is the head coach of two top

sports programs — men’s water polo and women’s water polo. To him it is more than a phrase on a T-shirt.

“I chose UCLA as a student-athlete,” Wright said.

“The first time I walked into the school’s Hall of Fame I saw no second or third place trophies. It is a tight community and winning is infectious. This is all

FRIDAY, MARCH 10

6–10 PM

Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions stay open from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS Alkebu-Lan Cultural Center, Armory Center for the Arts, ArtCenter College of Design (2 sites), artWORKS Teen Center at First United Methodist, City of Pasadena City Hall, Jackie Robinson Community Center, Kidspace Children’s Museum, Light Bringer Project, Lineage Performing Arts Center, One Colorado, Parson’s Nose Theater, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Public Library Lamanda Park Branch, Pasadena Unified School District No Boundaries, Remainders Creative Reuse, Shumei Arts Council, Side Street Projects, The Gamble House, and USC Pacific Asia Museum

FREE SHUTTLES Limited shuttle service due to regional bus and driver shortages. Free shuttles run 6-10 p.m., with stops at each venue.

PASADENA TRANSIT Route 10 runs along Colorado Boulevard and Green Street until 8 p.m. Schedule at: PasadenaTransit.net

METRO GOLD LINE Attend ArtNight by taking the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena: Metro.net

ArtNightPasadena.org ArtNightPasadena ArtNight_Pasadena

ArtNight is an ongoing partnership among many cultural institutions and the Cultural Affairs Division of the City of Pasadena.For information on ArtNight, please call the ArtNight Pasadena Hotline at (626) 744-7887 or visit ArtNightPasadena.org. For information on accessibility and/or to request written materials in alternative formats, please call the City of Pasadena at (626) 744-7062.

I know.”

Wright is the third coach in UCLA history to coach both the men’s and women’s teams. It is a full-time job.

“It’s two separate jobs, two separate programs, but we want them to be close, which they are, and support each other,” Wright said.

“Balance is tough, I’m not perfect. Two programs today are tough. But I have people I trust and lean on.

“Being the coach of each program also makes me a better coach for both programs. Adding the role on the women’s side has made me a better allaround coach, and the men helped me initially build our collective culture.”

A former standout player himself, he graduated in 2001, Wright has coached the men to four NCAA Championships. He has coached the women to a 105-28 record since 2017. His first national title with the girls has been elusive, however, though the program achieved runner-up status (most recently in 2021).

Wright recently wrapped up a fall season on the men’s side. Ranked as high as No. 2, UCLA won 22 of its first 24 contests … but lost the club’s final three

games including a NCAA semifinal battle against its crosstown rival USC, 1512, to miss out on a spot in the national championship game.

Wright said before the playoffs began that he leans on the leadership of the players and the hard work his team constantly puts in as keys to bringing a future title to Westwood.

“This is a special group,” Wright said.

“We have good players, dynamic players. The biggest thing we can focus on is ourselves. We have organically grown together. It is never easy, and you will have your back against the wall, but they know they can count on each other.”

The end of the season was unexpected though the games were tight. The back-to-back losses on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20 were each by a single goal.

The Wright coaching carousel continues in January. That is when the women’s season begins. The program has an interesting past: The Lady Bruins won the very first NCAA championship in 2001; they won in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, too.

Since then, Stanford won seven times

Adam Wright/Submitted

Adam Wright is a fixture at a Westwood. He coaches two teams, and as a player himself Wright scored 39 goals as a senior in 2000, while earning honorable mention All-America acclaim and second-team All-MPSF honors.

and USC five times. During that stretch, UCLA lost the championship game four times (twice by a single goal).

“I believe we still have the most storied women’s program in the country,” Wright said.

“The track record of success before me is well documented, but the reality is we have work to do and that falls on me. We have to get better. I have to do better but also the times have changed. There are so many great, blue-chip players today, and there are a lot of programs to compete against.”

The make-up of Wright’s teams, like most he matches up against, enjoy one big similarity: The Golden State.

Last year’s UCLA women’s roster featured 27 players. They were all from California. On the men’s side, 30 of the 35 players are from California.

“We’ve had success with kids from outside the area and I would love more student-athletes from outside California,” Wright said.

“You talk about growing the sport, and that is where USA Water Polo has been making strides in. It would be ideal to have more balance.”

The sport of course is synonymous with California and Southern California in particular. In 1984, polo enjoyed a great spotlight during the Summer Olympics here. Terry Schroeder played a leading role as the U.S. won the silver medal.

Every time Wright visits USC, he is re -

minded of excellence in the way of a headless bronze statue of a nude Schroeder standing atop a 20,000-pound post-and-lintel frame in front of the venerable LA Memorial Coliseum.

Said Wright, who is this his 14th season won his 300th career game: “It is pretty incredible. He is just one of two athletes represented there. You see the headless statue and it is a water polo player. I think they are referred to as ‘the perfect bodies.’ The Coliseum will always hold a special place to me because of the storied Olympic tradition.”

Over the past three Summer Games the men’s team has finished in eighth place (2012), 10th place (2016) and sixth place (2020). Wright believes the game’s growth might be stunted if that trend continues, though it is no fault of the hard work USA Water Polo puts in at the grass-root levels.

“Olympic water polo is what game me my spark for the sport, and to think then I would have played for Terry Schroeder, who was an animal in the water, later on is unthinkable,” said Wright, who competed in his third Olympics for the USA Men’s Water Polo Team in 2012 in London.

“The women’s side in particular is booming. Since 2000 the women’s national team has had huge success. Three gold medals help lead young people to the sport.”

Victory always resonates, and at Westwood Wright knows his dream season

— where he acknowledges the desire to win is “maybe over the top at times” — is just two key playoff wins away. By two different teams. Some six months apart. He envisions the achievement when

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he goes to sleep.

“It’s also what keeps you up. Winning is addictive. At UCLA you always have a great chance, and I am very grateful for that. I get two chances each year.”

Adam Wright/Submitted

Out of the water, Adam Wright’s teams have been successful in the classroom, earning perfect