Rolling Stones Author To Visit Los Angeles

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Guest Post

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here at The Los Angeles Beat, and I’ve been waiting for a local event that I think music fans in our fair city would want to know about.  And of course, there was that pandemic thing.  Bill German, the author of what is widely considered the most heartwarming book ever written on The Rolling Stones, “Under Their Thumb” is coming to Los Angeles for a book signing!

If you’ve read his book, you know that the timeline in it is the period in the 1980s when the band was going through what they called, “World War III”, the most acrimonious period in Stones history.  They weren’t recording, touring, or really speaking, except to sling mud at each other in the press.  In the middle of this melee walked a squeaky-clean, self-described, “Nice boy from Brooklyn.”  It is precisely that unlikely juxtaposition of innocence and drug-soaked jadedness that makes German’s account of these times so compelling.  The book is a real page-turner and is almost impossible to put down.  It’s the real-life version of “Almost Famous”

The book was updated earlier this year to coincide with the band’s 60th anniversary, and it answered all those questions that fans were left with after reading it the first time around, questions like, “What did the band think of the book?” or, “Do you still speak to Ron Wood?”  Show up for the book signing for answers to these and more.

If you haven’t read the book, Saturday, October 15th is going to be your lucky day, because Bill German will be at the Musichead Gallery on Sunset from 1pm to 3pm, signing books and regaling the crowd with readings from the book and kibbitzing with fans.  Admission to the event is $30 and it includes a signed copy of the book.  This is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes with The Rolling Stones.

More information can be had by clicking here.

 

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There’s a New Tequila & Mezcal & Bar in Newport Beach

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Karin E. Baker

A new outdoor bar devoted exclusively to tequila and mezcal recently opened in Newport Beach. Located on a waterfront patio offering views of Newport Bay, The Tequila Bar at A+O Restaurant|Bar is an excellent place to savor difficult-to-find agave-based spirits while escaping the heat and bustle of LA.

The Tequila Bar is part of  Balboa Bay Resort. Recently named the #1 Resort in Newport Beach by U.S. News & World Report, Balboa Bay Resort is both luxurious and approachable. It’s the only Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond Luxury Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach.

The sips aren’t the only thing that make this bar special. The expansive waterfront setting is a perfect spot for watching a gorgeous sunset, relaxing in the ocean air, and toasting some of your favorite people in front of gorgeous fire tables.

The collection of dozens of tequilas and mezcals includes numerous limited editions and rarities. Sip one in the form of a one-ounce shot or enjoy one of five tequila and mezcal flights. Mezcal flights are offered in gorgeous shot glasses made of pink Himalayan salt. Flights range in price from $50 to $1000, and you can share a flight with a friend if you’re so inclined.

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Grandmother of Pearl – Roxy Music at the Kia Forum

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Bob Lee

Phil Manzanera, left, and Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music perform at the Kia Forum. Photo by Matthew Becker, used with permission.

Roxy Music’s 50th Anniversary Tour, which had its final performance in North America last night at the Kia Forum, has at its heart a somewhat fascinating premise. It is less of a roaring, victorious affirmation that “we’re back,” than a question to the artists on the stage. That question is, “now that your lead singer’s distinctive voice has been diminished to little more than a whisper, what kind of show can you possibly put on?”

And the answer turns out to be, “we’re going to let him whisper all night long, and make the best of it.” When you have the right band, the right catalog, and the right whisperer, you can make quite a bit out of that.

Bryan Ferry’s unmistakable voice has always been a major part of this band’s magic, and there was no getting around the fact that in this iteration, he’s lost a lot of that remarkable instrument. But he still whispers in tune, and has adjusted his phrasing to suit his new way of doing things. A lot of the songs were re-set in lower keys. Someone pointed out that there were no songs from the monumental 1973 album Stranded in the set list at all, which surprised me until I realized, most of those are among his most croony, gymnastic vocal performances. There would have been no way to pull off a tour de force like “Song For Europe” today. Continue reading →

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Honoring a Queen: Kelly Clarkson Gets Her Star Near a Walgreens

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Else Evil E Duff

Guest Post and Photos by Else “Evil E” Duff

I can walk pretty quickly down to Hollywood Blvd, yet I rarely catch the Walk of Fame star presentation ceremonies. For one, it’s almost always impossible to see. But it’s really because when I saw Mark Hamill get his star and he said, “May the force be with you,” I swear on Peter Cushing’s grave that a nerd next to me just fainted dead away, so kinda hard to beat that. (I checked on him, he was fine.) Anyway, I was out of my knee pills and Kelly Clarkson was getting her star near Walgreens on Hollywood Blvd, which also seemed like the perfect excuse to hang out with Kasey Bomber.

Bomber and I meet on Hollywood Blvd between Walgreens and the Ovation Theater which they may still refer to as the Dolby Theater but certainly no longer Kodak. Whatever. I’m not exactly on the press list for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and was kinda just going off what I saw on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Intsa, That’s also where someone commented that the ceremony was the same time as the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral and inquired if the event would go on. No official response was granted but I responded with: “dude, priorities!” Continue reading →

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Review: Snow Days Pizza Bites

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Karin E. Baker

Photo by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

If you love the hot, gooey indulgence of pizza rolls and their ease of preparation – but not the unhealthy ingredient list – you should probably give Snow Days Pizza Bites a try.

Snow Days Pizza Bites evoke memories of the frozen pizza rolls many of us scarfed in our youth while playing video games or watching MTV. Though reminiscent of frozen pizza rolls like Totino’s, Snow Days Pizza Bites are an elevated version of the classic snack. They’re loaded with good-for-you ingredients, all of them organic and natural.

The grain-free crust is made with cassava flour. If you’re not familiar with cassava, it’s a tuberous vegetable that, when ground, makes a tasty, gluten-free wheat substitute. Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: A Deeper Shade of Black and White

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Paul Gaita

“The Killing” (1956, Kino Lorber) Stanley Kubrick documents the rise and fall of a crew of hardluck thieves who watch their carefully planned robbery of a race track (Bay Meadows in San Mateo) fall to pieces thanks to greed, lust, and plain bad luck. Kubrick’s arthouse photography and a script co-written by hardboiled noir fiction great Jim Thompson that fairly drips with venom and mordant musings are the key selling points of this low-budget crime drama, but it’s the cast that really delivers the doomstruck perspective: comprised of noir vets (Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook Jr, Marie Windsor), granite-jawed types (Jay C. Flippen, Ted DeCorsia), babyfaces Coleen Gray and Vince Edwards, and assorted weirdoes (Timothy Carey, Kubrick regular Joe Turkel, wrestler Kola Kwariani, and briefly, Rodney Dangerfield), their remarkable faces and presence set the tone for the rogues’ galleries that populated a half-century of noir that followed (see “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Usual Suspects,” etc.). Kino’s Blu-ray offers a new 4K Ultra HD remaster of the film with Dolby Vision and bundles it with a new commentary track by noir historian Alan K. Rode.

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Don’t Miss LA Times’ Food Bowl this Weekend!

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Elise Thompson

The Team from Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken at LA Times Food Bowl. Photo by Elise Thompson.

After seriously missing the L.A. Times Food Bowl for the last few years, we are so excited that they are bringing back Night Market this weekend!  Presented by City National Bank, the L.A. Times Food Bowl’s Night Market is back at the Paramount Pictures Studios backlot. Enjoy unlimited pours, cocktails, and tastings from more than 40 restaurants,  plus, exciting cooking demos. cooking demonstrations.

“Saturday Night Flavor” brings you global cuisines tomorrow night, Sept. 24th., from 7-10 p.m. If there’s one thing we love here at the LA Beat, it’s dumplings, and Times Food Columnist Jenn Harris has curated a Dumpling Crawl with dimsum and more from restaurants like CHD Mandu, Go Go Gyoza, Hui Tou Xiang, Lunasia Dim Sum House, and Monta Factory and more. A few other restaurants offering plates are LA Beat favorites Black Market Liquor, Park’s BBQ, Pasta Sisters · Poppy + Rose, and HomeState. Celebrity chef and author Jet Tila will present a Thai Food cooking demo., and Jenn Harris: Times Food Columnist and host of the new video series “The Bucket List: Dumplings!” Jenn Harris will explore the international world of dumplings.

L.A. is known for its brunches, and the Food Bowl brings you “Backlot Brunch” on Sunday, Sept. 25, from 2-5 p.m. Dessert god, Duff Goldman, of “Ace of Cakes,” will present a baking demonstration that is not to be missed. A bunch of our favorite restaurants and bakeries will be delighting us with their irresistible trats, including B Sweet (Hoping for some ube treats!), Gabi James, Here’s Looking at You (Please bring biscuits!), Howlin’ Ray’s  Little Fatty, Lunasia Dim Sum House, Jitlada Southern Thai (Oh, how we have missed Jazz!), and Tacos 1986.

All-inclusive tickets are $185. Whether you like wild cocktail parties or genteel Sunday brunch, the Food Bowl has something for you. We like both…see you there!

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How to Get a Free Pepperoni Pizza on September 20!

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Karin E. Baker

Photo courtesy of Napoli’s Pizza Kitchen.

Yes, you read that right – you can get a free pepperoni pizza on Tuesday, September 20.  Napoli’s Pizza Kitchen, located in Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys, is offering a free pepperoni pizza to walk-in guests from noon to 4 pm.

If you’re not familiar with Napoli’s Pizza Kitchen, its owner, Edgar Martirosyan, became famous during the 2014 Academy Awards when Ellen Degeneres invited him on stage to deliver his pizzas to audience members including Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, and Harrison Ford. Edgar went on to open Wood in Silver Lake with his brother, along with Napoli’s, known for artisanal pizzas made with fresh, local ingredients. 

Click here for more info about Napoli’s Pizza Kitchen.

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Celebrate Cafe Gratitude Venice’s 10-Year Anniversary on 9/18

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Karin E. Baker

Gracias Madre Taco Cart. Image courtesy of Cafe Gratitude/Gracias Madre.

Celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Cafe Gratitude’s Venice location when Jason Mraz hosts an afternoon party on Sunday, September 18.

Starting at noon, guests can enjoy live music, a photo booth, raffle prizes, and samples from pop-ups including Nomadica wine, June Shine hard kombucha, Groundwork coffee, and more. Get posture assistance from a StretchLab flexologist and buy tacos from sister restaurant Gracias Madre’s taco cart.

Then, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the anniversary event will transform into a DJ after party at Cafe Gratitude’s bar. A new wine and beverage program and happy hour menu will be unveiled. T he happy hour menu and the beverage program will debut at all Cafe Gratitude locations on September 20.

Taylor Grant, who Food & Wine anointed one of its Sommeliers of the Year in 2019, heads up Cafe Gratitude’s new beverage program with meticulously curated wine pairings to accompany the plant-based creations of Chef Dreux.

Continue reading →

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Wet and Mild: Duran Duran with Nile Rodgers and Chic at the Hollywood Bowl

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Else Evil E Duff

Guest Post and Photos By Else “Evil E” Duff

I never bought a Duran Duran record but do I remember when “Rio” came out, my friends were losing their minds. I certainly liked it but not enough to buy it. I was way into Van Halen and my heart belonged to Eddie. So when it was announced that Duran Duran was doing 3 shows at the Hollywood Bowl I was intrigued, yet not really enthusiastic. A friend since Junior High informed me she would be coming in town for the show, so when another friend asked on The Facebook if anyone was going to the show, I responded something like “I’ll go if you want to go for the cheapest seats.” She responded, “Fuck it. Girls gone mild.” Right on! Couldn’t go without my trusty concert buddy Su so I got 3 tickets in section W2.

Nile Rodgers and Chic was the opener and I was pretty excited to see them. But there was an unexpected act on the bill and that was Hurricane Kay. So grateful for rain especially with the L.A. heatwave, but everything indicated the wet remainder of Kay would be hitting at the earliest on our walk home from the Bowl. Funny thing about weather, gonna do what it wants whether you think you got it figured out or not. Late afternoon drizzle had subsided but I brought my umbrella just in case I needed it on the way home. I must have jinxed Su because she had to cancel. But I still had my dear friend Maul’r and we were ready to get moderately enthused. Continue reading →

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