The Intown Report’s Gig Picks of the Week 11/21/19 – 11/27/19

Posted on November 21, 2019 by LIVATION

Joe Baiza of The Mecolodiacs. Photo by Elise Thompson.

Looking for cool live music this week? Here’s some show recommendations:

Thursday 11/21

House of Machines – Throw Rag, Reckless Ones + The Rhythm Shakers

LEM HQ (835 N.La Brea Ave.LA) – Thriller Party, Muskk + DJ Tony Knox (KXLU’s No More Heroes show)

Lodge Room – Franky Flowers, Gold Coast + Alms

Friday 11/22

Alex’s Bar – Blind House, Bella Novella, Los Mysteriosos + Death Valley Trio

The Doll Hut – D.I., Psycotic Scum + Functional Lunatics

Maui Sugar Mill Saloon – Moonlight Rocketz, Enemy Proof + The Vectors

The Observatory – 45 Grave, Tarter Control + Mac Sabbath

The Redwood Bar – The Humblers, Mean Heat, The Damed + Tilli & the Titans

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David Magnus’ Beatles Photography at Morrison Gallery

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Tequila Mockingbird

John Lennon by David Magnus. Photo by Tequila Mockingbird.

I am at the David Magnus show at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. He shot the Beatles in the early days before they became Psychedelic. I love this gallery. It appears small at first, but blooms throughout the entire Sunset Marquee hotel. David is a jolly chap–he said he had not been in the states since the 1960s. Back then he rented a blue Mustang, and awww, he loves his American memories.

The opening was well attended. Fans of the Beatles still cram in for a glance at the Fabulous Four. David Magnus’ book is called “All You Need is Love,” and a copy of this treasure costs $279.00. Life long Beatle fans will say its a must have. After meeting David and seeing his work, I’d say it would be a valuable asset to your moptop collection.

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Ten Reasons Why You Should not Miss The Los Angeles Auto Show this Year

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Ivor Levene

Challenger! Photo by Ivor Levene.

The world-famous L.A. Auto Show starts tomorrow, November 22, 2019, and runs through December 1, 2019. The show will fill the LA Convention Center with over a thousand cars, trucks, SUVs, and electric vehicles. Of course, the big draw is always the classics, customized rides and exotics. The LA Beat was able to get a sneak preview, and here are some reasons to go:

  1. You can see the new Mustang electric SUV. This thing should take off like a Lead Zeppelin. My biggest question is, why? Why would Ford take a legendary name like Mustang and attach it to another grocery-hauler?
  2. You can see Satan Claus and his Dodge-powered sleigh. No, I didn’t make a spelling error, because the real Santa Claus would not have something called the Dodge Demon Hellcat Redeye pulling his gifts, but Satan Claus sure would. And I like Satan Claus better than his goody-two-shoes cousin Santa Claus because he gives everyone coal.
  3. The return of the Super Bee. If you’re born in the 1960’s, you know what I mean.
  4. The Corvette. The 2020 mid-engine Ferarri-beating for less than $80k Corvette Stingray. This car has been the darling of every single car magazine for the past couple of months, and when this thing hits dealerships, there will be a waiting list to get one. This car is the star of the show, with a perfect pairing of muscle, comfort, and design. The car is destined to become an instant classic, and it looks great in blue!
  5. The BMW i8, a car that is as hard to get into figuratively, as it is literally and financially.
  6. The Lexus LF-30 prototype, a car with gullwing doors so big, you would need three parking spaces to open the doors. It should come with an in-flight movie with those wings.
  7. The Maybach. The most decadent, luxurious back seat in automotive history. They had to wake me up to get me out of it. If only air travel looked and felt like this. Too bad it costs more than my house.
  8. The Lincoln Continental with SUICIDE DOORS. With the advent of all the autonomous cars, it sure seems like a great decision to bring back a car with doors that will kill it’s passengers when you park it and open the door to oncoming traffic. You can’t sit in the Conti, it’s protected by glass, they don’t want you to get hurt until you drive one off the lot, and then it’s your fault.
  9. A Bugatti Veyron made from Lego blocks. Can you imagine sitting in this thing?
  10. A car that has been available less than twenty years celebrating it’s “50th anniversary”, the Dodge Challenger.

Photo Gallery after the break

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2nd Annual Music Helps, Music Heals Toy Drive Brings Soulful Music to The Federal in NoHo Tonight!

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Elise Thompson

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Chez Melange is Celebrating their 37th Anniversary and their Food Game is Still Strong

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Elise Thompson

Chez Melange was opened in 1982 at The Palos Verdes Inn in Redondo Beach by Londoner and restaurateur Michael Franks, and former Bronx architect and line cook, chef Robert Bell. In a city with few fine dining options, save one old-fashioned French restaurant heavy on the cream sauce and your standard beachside surf n’ turf joints, Chez Melange’s nouvelle fusion cuisine was a breath of fresh air. Known for their extensive wine list and refined brunches, the restaurant became a Mother’s Day tradition for my family and many others in the South Bay.

The pair have opened several other restaurants since that time, including Torrance stalwart Depot, which opened in 1991, serving French-inspired California cuisine when no one in the South Bay knew what aioli was yet. Those restaurants are now under new ownership and still going strong.

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LA Through a Cracked Lens: Christmas Comes to LA

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Brian Donnelly

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Legendary L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele Now Serving Breakfast Pizza & Much More in Their Hollywood Courtyard

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Karin E. Baker

Porchetta & Egg Pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. Images: Karin E. Baker

Serving up Sicilian-style pizza in a beautiful Hollywood courtyard dotted with trees, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele was already a pizza-lovers’ destination prior to its May opening. The original pizzeria, still located in Naples and dating back to 1870, was legendary long before “Eat Pray Love” made it even more of a must-try for tourists around the world.

Now you’ll find even more reasons to visit, as da Michele recently launched breakfast seven days a week, along with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. 

At a recent preview brunch, I got to indulge in breakfast pizzas (namely Salsiccia & Eggs with Truffle — a white pizza topped with pork sausage, burrata, shaved truffle and sunny side up eggs — and another topped with porchetta, eggs, and broccolini). As always, the thin crust, baked in a wood-fired oven, was superb. You’ll also find breakfast pasta in the form of Spaghetti Alla Carbonara; an omelet filled with nduja, caramelized onions, and smoked mozzarella; Bistecca & Uuvo (six-ounce steak served with roasted potatoes and poached eggs); and a veggie omelet with a side of mixed greens. 

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Weed Service Review: The TokrLA App Manages Your Cannabis Lifestyle When You Are Too High To Buy (Responsibly)

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Mr. Ubetchakoff

Image courtesy of TokrLA

Ever feel paralyzed–or as we stoners say, couchlocked–by limitless choice? Going over to your dealer’s place to score some weed back in the day usually involved a more limited choice: take it or leave it. Nowadays, you can choose marijuana products based on what you would like them to do to you. But how do you evaluate an entire shop’s worth of product to come up with that one thing you really want? The TokrLA app promises to guide you through the shelves of product available and then bring the thing that’s just right to your front door.

Most people in LA already know about weed delivery services. What they may not know is that not all of those services you see on Weedmaps are licensed and dealing with solely above-board products. Some folks are comfortable dealing with unregulated gray-area farmer’s markets and “Medical shops;” for decades we had no other options. But it’s becoming obvious that that’s where shady operators are now dumping flower that can’t test clean for pesticides and other contaminants. Cheap bootleg vape pens are causing a nationwide health scare, including here in California, where clean cannabis oil shouldn’t be hard to come by. I’ve been sold one vape pen and offered lots of them, as recently as last week, at pop-up markets as well as store fronts.

In this newly frightening environment, Tokr adds a layer of vetting to their menu, to the point where your options for choosing flower come down to Indica, Sativa or Hybrid (sativa or indica dominant) from a single supplier. It’s the equivalent of going Omakase at the sushi bar–you agree to accept the chef’s choice. With this app, you know that what’s on the way is tested and safe. Many of the brand names proclaim themselves organic, the concentrates boasting of natural extraction methods. It’s a health food store approach which makes me feel instinctively comfortable and cared for. Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Persons of Interest, Part 2

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1987, Shout! Select) Keith Richards attempts to corral a mercurial Chuck Berry into celebrating his own 60th birthday at an all-star concert featuring Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Etta James, backed by Chuck’s longtime collaborator Johnnie Johnson, Steve Jordan, Chuck Leavell, Joey Spampinato (NRBQ) and Bobby Keys. The birthday performances are mostly solid – though Etta James wipes the floor with everyone – and the interviews with many of Chuck’s contemporaries (Little Richard and Bo Diddley) and admirers (Richards, of course, but also Bruce Springsteen, who details the surreal challenges of serving as his pickup band) underscore his foundational importance in the history of rock and roll. You won’t get much from Chuck, though: he shuts down any conversation about personal issues (like his marriage and stint in jail), and keeps mostly mum about the business of rock and roll, save that more people made money playing Chuck Berry’s music than he did. Most likely, you won’t come away knowing more about him than you did when you started the film, but director Taylor Hackford fills in the gaps with great concert footage and nearly four hours of additional interviews with Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Phillips, Roy Orbison and others. Shout! Select’s two-disc Blu-ray includes an hour of concert rehearsals, a chat with Chuck and Robbie Robertson of the Band, and an interview with Hackford about working with Berry (it wasn’t easy).

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Delphine at the W Hollywood Debuts its Autumn Menu

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Elise Thompson

Pappardelle with Short Ribs at Delphine at the W. Hollywood. Photo by Elise Thompson.

Delphine opened almost ten years ago in what was then the brand new W Hotel in Hollywood. It brought some much-needed glamour to Hollywood Boulevard and welcome pre-theater dining for the Pantages. Since its opening, Delphine has gone through a few design changes and countless menu changes.

When we dined there last week at the restaurant’s invitation, the room was both elegant and relaxing, with circular booths and walls in warm yellows and shades of gray to compliment the gorgeous blue and white floor tiles. Although a number of diners were dressed for the theater, there is a distinct music industry vibe to the hotel, so Levis and leather jackets were just as common as cocktail attire. The dress code suggests “smart casual,” which seems to be as good of a description as any I could come up with.

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