Things we Loved this Week 4/26/19

caption: Abby Travis and Pleasant Gehman hanging out last Sunday at this month’s Day Goth club at Akbar in Silver Lake. Photo by Judy Ornelas Sisneros.

Day Goth at Akbar On every second Sunday of the month you can walk into Silver Lake’s Akbar to spend a relaxing afternoon, have a dee-lish cocktail or two, and enjoy the moody tunes of Day Goth, a monthly afternoon goth club run by Kimberly Kim and Bradford Nordeen. Day Goth features a variety of guest DJs spinning the music of classic goth bands such as Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes, Joy Division, The Cure and X-Mal Deutschland and even some Killing Joke (and more!). A tarot reader is usually on hand, and last Sunday it was punk writer/dancer/musician Pleasant Gehman reading cards and hanging out with singer-songwriter and bass diva Abby Travis. It’s a friendly crowd where wearing black is not required, no “I’m-more-goth-than-thou” attitude, and everyone is welcome. Akbar’s website. (Judy Ornelas Sisneros)

“No Silver Bird” by the Hooterville Trolley Unsettling psych, fraught with creepy-crawl vibes, recorded in 1968 by five high school seniors in Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The lyrics (written initially by a teacher) are standard issue acid vapors, but the drone/fuzz/beat-heavy production (most likely a Chamberlain soaked in multi-tracking) push this closer to the cabalistic proto-electronica that Silver Apples was trafficking at the time. Also issued, mysteriously, as a track on Magic Sand’s 1970 LP. Suitable for backyard Black Masses and barbecues on the brink of religious ecstasy. Give it a listen. (Paul Gaita)

“Annie Leibovitz The Early Years, 1970-1983: Archive Project No. 1” I finally saw “Annie Leibovitz The Early Years, 1970-1983: Archive Project No. 1” on the last day of its exhibit at Hauser and Wirth Los Angeles. The exhibit was immense, focusing on images produced by the iconic American photographer in the early part of her career. After methodically working my way through this entire exhibit, I find that the images that will stick with me the most are those that brought back memories of cultural and political shifts that impacted my family and I personally. From images of the Cesar Chavez-led farmworkers’ strikes that garnered national visibility, to the band photos that told me what I should listen to on my turntable–musicians such as the Rolling Stones and Patti Smith. This exhibit was like taking a walk back through my youthful and young adult formative years, and it’s amazing that it seems like Leibovitz was everywhere. (Judy Ornelas Sisneros).

Din Tai Fung’s Braised Beef Noodle Soup By now almost everyone knows about Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai Steamed Soup Dumplings. But my obsession is their Braised Beef Noodle Soup. The broth is layered and complex, with a hint of heat. Big chunks of beef share the bowl with noodles and kohlrabi, and that’s about it. It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Din Tai Fung  (Elise Thompson)

Lancaster Unless you’re a dirt bike enthusiast, it may not seem like there is much to do in Antelope Valley. But when in the area to check out the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve this week, we also enjoyed driving on the musical road, which is grooved so when your tires drive over it you can hear a song, and had the best chile rellenos possibly in all of SoCal at Azteca. You can also get a photo opp at the Kill Bill Church, there are often cool modern exhibits at MOAH, like the upcoming “Woven Stories,” and this weekend the city will be hosting The California Poppy Festival. (Elise Thompson)