the BEAT of the week: Culture Collide Festival.

I really can never say enough about the plethora of great music and concerts that we have available to us here in Los Angeles. We're oh so lucky to have bands consistently play our venues, and we're lucky to have a number of unique and fun opportunities to find the next slew of up-and-coming bands.

The latest example: Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival. In its third year, the event is going stronger than ever, getting 25 notable bands from all over the world to come and represent their home countries. On the homefront here in the U.S., we've got the likes of Of Montreal, Zola Jesus, Diiv; there are bands like the Wombats and Patrick Wolf repping the U.K.; there's even John Talabot for Spain and Bondo de Role for Brazil.

They're all taking over the eastside for four days this weekend -- and I bet you can't even believe that the entire weekend, all shows for all four days, will only cost you $20. One Andrew Jackson! Spend it well.

Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival takes place Oct 4-7 in various locations all over the eastside of L.A. Get more info here.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Outdoor movies at Barnsdall Park.

One of my favorite summertime events is the Barnsdall Park wine tastings on Fridays, where Silver Lake Wine takes over the Los Feliz park to offer tastings of wines worthy of the beautiful view. Thankfully, although the summer is coming to its end, the fun doesn't have to stop.

That's because the wine tastings will continue into the fall -- and will now have movie screenings too. So you can cozy up under a blanket to watch a fun old movie under the stars, and still enjoy the wonderful offerings of Silver Lake Wine. This week, there's the classic comedy Fletch; next week, a personal fave: Edward Scissorhands. So don't be too bummed about summer leaving us, you've still got a chance to be outside and enjoy this California weather.

Outdoor Movies at Barnsdall Park take place Saturdays this fall at 5:30pm at Barnsdall Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz. Tickets for the events include the wine tasting and movie and cost $25; or you can just see the movie for $10.

-- Chau Tu


Photo credit: Barnsdall Park

the BEAT of the week: Summer Camp Allnighter at Cinespia.

I've already extolled all the wonderful virtues of a Cinespia screening in the summer, but this one is definitely on a level of its own. It's what happens when you combine the super-cinema-powers of Cinespia and Cinefamily, offering something so truly fun and unique and reminds you why you live in a great city like Los Angeles.

Kicking off Cinefamily's annual Everything is Festival, this all-nighter in the cemetery features one of my all-time favorite films, Wet Hot American Summer. But did you catch that? It's an all-nighter. In a cemetery. So the fun only begins with that summer classic. You'll also get screenings of the ‘80s horror film Sleepaway Camp, and Little Darlings, which stars Tatum O'Neal. Expect other fun movie mashups and highlights, plus DJs and even a photobooth. Bring a picnic and friends, and you won't even notice the night fly by you. And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like sunrise in Hollywood Forever.

Get in on the fun by reserving tickets here (only $10!).

The Everything is Festival at Cinespia: Summer Camp Allnighter takes place next Saturday, Aug. 18 from 7pm-6am at Hollywood Forever, located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: LA Craft Beer Crawl.

We wrote about the LA Craft Beer Crawl when it first got started in 2010, and now in its third year, it's still going strong. You can still expect those great craft beer picks by The Beer Chicks (Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune) and from breweries near and far, like Green Flash, Duvel, Smog City, Bootlegger's, Eagle Rock, and more. This year, they've even added intimate seminars taught by leaders in the beer community, where you can taste exclusive beers (and whiskeys!) and learn all you can about them.


The event doesn't happen until Aug. 18, but you're advised to get your tickets ($54 for general admission, $74 for VIP) soon -- the event will sell out beforehand. Four hours of crawling, with unlimited pours -- what better way to spend your Saturday?


The LA Craft Beer Crawl will take place on Aug. 18 and will span over seven bars in downtown Los Angeles, beginning at 613 S Grand Ave.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: PLAY MOCA.

Art and music come together once again in L.A. with PLAY MOCA, a three-part multimedia series event happening at the Geffen Contemporary in downtown. IAMSOUND Records is curating the shows, bringing up and coming musical acts like Salem, Zola Jesus and Lord Huron. Meanwhile, there'll be art exhibitions from Drew Barrymore (yes, that one!); a performance from the L.A. Dance Project / Benjamin Millepied and Rodarte; and DJing by Ariel Pink and Health.

All hip, all free. Get on reserving your tickets, though -- they'll go quickly! Get more info on the upcoming shows here.

PLAY MOCA takes place July 27, August 17, and August 24 at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, located at 152 N. Central Ave. in downtown.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: LA Street Food Fest.

It's back! Just as its website says, this is the first and the original of the numerous amounts of street food fests that now populate L.A.'s calendars. And the LA Street Food Fest isn't slacking on its game. This year, the truck lineup includes: Border Grill, Nonna's Kitchenette, Gravy Train Poutinerie, Waffles de Liege, Kogi BBQ, Frysmith and more. Restaurants like Haven Gastropub, Short Order, Lazy Ox Canteen, Starry Kitchen and Playa are even getting into the action. And of course, for dessert -- look out for Longboards Ice Cream, Mother Moo Creamery, Short Cake, Coolhaus, Beachy Cream and other icy delights. There'll also be Singha beer and wine and tequila tastings on site as well.

Suffice it to say, the LA Street Food Fest knows what it's doing. It's all taking place this weekend at the Rose Bowl, so get your all-inclusive tickets for $45 here. (or go VIP for just $65) Check out all the detail here, and happy eating!

LA Street Food Fest takes place this Saturday, July 21st from 5pm-9pm at the Rose Bowl, located at 1001 Rose Bowl Dr. in Pasadena.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: KCRW at Who Shot Rock & Roll.

This, no doubt, will be a fun one. L.A. public radio station KCRW is teaming up with the Annenberg Space for Photography for the museum's current exhibition -- Who Shot Rock & Roll, the first major museum exhibition of rock music photography -- for a series of outdoors concerts. Not only will you get to check out a fun, very L.A.-esque exhibit featuring works from a number of influential photographers -- Anton Corbijn, Dennis Hopper, Richard Kern, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Laura Levine, Ryan McGinley, Mark Seliger, to name a few -- but KCRW has also rounded up some great musicians to bring the rock.

First up this Saturday is none other than Moby (with a DJ set by Morning Becomes Eclectic's Jason Bentley). Then there's Portugal. The Man next Saturday, celebrating the station's release of its “T. Rex vs. KCRW Soundclash” remix EP. And finally, on Aug. 4th, it's L.A.'s very own Band of Skulls and Raphael Saadiq, celebrating songs of Bob Dylan. Plus: It's all free. Just be sure to RSVP and arrive early!

Who said museums aren't cool?

Who Shot Rock & Roll is being shown until Oct. 7 at the Annenberg Space for Photography, located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City. For more information on the KCRW outdoors concerts, check here.

-- Chau Tu

Happy Fourth!

Happy 4th of July, from the BEAT of young los angeles!

Photo credit: greetingsisland.com

the BEAT of the week: L.A. Weekly's Pancake Breakfast.

L.A. Weekly may have recently lost its foodie guru, Jonathan Gold, but that doesn't mean it's giving up on the parties. Take note: it's 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast. Does it get any better than a good excuse to indulge in the best meal of the day with some of L.A.'s best chefs? (Answer: No.)

The big soiree won't be happening until August 5, but you'll be smart to get your tickets once they go on sale today. And you should probably just start dieting now, because the event's lined up more than 25 different restaurants to offer their own tasty versions of the old breakfast standby, including: Salt's Cure, Langer's, The Nickel Diner, LA MILL, BLD, Tiara Café, Fred 62, Auntie Em's, The Hungry Cat and Square One.

What a great way to start off your morning.

The L.A. Weekly Pancake Breakfast takes place August 5 from 11am-2pm at Vibiana, located at 214 S. Main St. in downtown. Tickets are $30 each.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Anne Fishburn / L.A. Weekly

the BEAT of the week: Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

It's back! You know summer's just about in full swing when Cinespia, the extremely popular and quintessentially L.A. film series, returns, giving Angelenos the perfect excuse to day-drink and parade in what's become our excuse for a park. As always, the line-up of movies offers something for everyone -- having already screened Lolita, Nightmare on Elm Street and Cheech and Chong. On the slate for this weekend: the classic Jack Nicholson flick Chinatown.

Cinespia's now offering presale tickets for $10 in case you're worried about sold out screenings, but most should still be able to get in by buying tickets at the door. Nevertheless, remember to show up early, bring lots of snacks, and a blanket for when the sun finally goes down. Happy almost-summer!

Cinespia screenings take place on Saturdays this summer at 9pm at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. Check out the list of films here.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Make Music Pasadena.

Pasadena isn't usually known for being on the cutting edge of music and culture, what with its cleanly manicured neighborhoods and chain store shopping avenues, but Make Music Pasadena may change a lot of minds. For this one weekend in the summer, the city lets its hair loose to offer a totally rocking music fest featuring a number of exciting and up-and-coming bands and musicians -- and it's all for free. This year, you can check out the likes of artists like Grimes, Cults, Dam Funk, Dengue Fever, Grouplove and Milo Greene, among a slew of others. You're bound to discover someone new along the stages, and did I mention that it's all free?

Make Music Pasadena takes place this Saturday, June 16 from 11am-11pm all over downtown Pasadena. Check out the lineup here, which has specific addresses for the various stages.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: L.A. Film Fest.

It's really no surprise that Los Angeles -- Hollywood, in and of itself -- boasts an excellent film festival every year, but this year in particular is rounding up to be a great one. The L.A. Film Fest returns to L.A. Live this year from June 14-24, and is offering a great selection of both major titles -- like Woody Allen's latest, To Rome with Love and the Channing Tatum stripper [bio-]comedy Magic Mike -- and promising indie films like the critic and audience fave Beasts of the the Southern Wild and documentaries The House I Live In and Queen of Versailles. These are the films everyone's going to be talking about this summer, and this is your chance to see them now.

You can make sure you're on top of the conversation by grabbing a festival pass starting at $200, or catch individual screenings for about $13 each. If you want to do the latter though, you'll have to act quickly -- some screenings are already sold out (there are standby lists, but don't count on it!). Check out the schedule of films here, and get started on your summer movie season now.

The L.A. Film Fest takes place from June 14-24 at L.A. Live, located at 800. W. Olympic Blvd. in downtown.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Hester Street Fair in Hollywood.

The Hester Street Fair is a huge outdoors market that's become a prime attraction on the weekends, offering lots of vintage and contemporary jewelry, clothing, art among food and entertainment. Sounds fun, right? The only problem? It's in New York City, on the Lower East Side.

Until now. Hester's finally headed west, and will be taking over Hollywood this summer. On four separate Saturdays -- beginning this weekend -- Angelenos will finally get a peek at what the hype's all about. First up is this Saturday's Bite Size Food and Craft Festival, with booths from L.A. restaurants and food trucks showing off their stuff in bite-sized goods. Then in July, there's the Hollywood Night Market, which will, appropriately, take place a little later at night and focus on a more intimate shopping experience among the booths. In August, there'll be the Indie Design Market, where independent goods will get a spotlight. And the last weekend in August will be the closing event, the Good Night Hollywood Blvd. Music & Indie Crafts Festival, the big soiree to end it all. Look out for a craft beer festival and music at all the weekends, too.

New York? Fuggedaboutit. Time to show that L.A. is where it's at -- and convince the Hester Fair it should stay! Check out all the info for the events here.

The Hester Street Fair kicks off this Saturday, June 2nd from 11am to 7pm at the parking lot at Argyle Ave. and Hollywood Blvd., located at 6200 Hollywood Blvd.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: The Jubilee.

I can't even believe it's already Memorial Day weekend. If it snuck up on you too, you still have a chance of making the most of it with tickets to this weekend's Jubilee -- formerly known as the Silver Lake Jubilee. Probably looking to expand beyond being a simple neighborhood fest, the event this year continues to boast a musical lineup of both big and local names (Aloe Blacc, Kinky, The Soft Pack, Autolux, Abe Vigoda, and so on) plus the usual L.A. fanfare of food trucks and an all-out block party. A two-day pass ($35) gets you a free tote bag or T-shirt (until supplies last, of course), and a one-day pass is only $20!

Time to kick off the summer.

The Jubilee is taking place this Saturday and Sunday at the Sunset Junction, located at 4000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Silver Lake. Get more info on the event here.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Taste of the Eastside.

L.A.'s 'eastside' neighborhoods -- including that of Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, among others -- have become well-known for their 'hip,' young populations, a sort of nerve center thriving with those who care about all things culture: art, music, fashion.

And you can add food to that list. Among the classic eastside standards like Intelligentsia, Little Dom's and Cliff's Edge have come a slew of new restaurants and eateries in the past few years, enticing foodies and locals alike to dine on some of the best and creative foods coming out of this city.

Need to catch up? Get your forks out. This weekend is the second edition of the Taste of the Eastside, a full-on food and drink fest celebrating all that is cuisine on the Eastside. Participants this year include Elf Cafe, Good Girl Dinette, Hugo's Tacos, L&E Oyster Bar, Malo, Pazzo Gelato, Proof Bakery, Xoia Vietnamese Eats, Eagle Rock Brewery, Golden Road Brewery and Silver Lake Wine. A simple $35 gets you unlimited tastings from all the restaurants, another $10 will also buy you a flight of wines or beer. There'll also be cooking demonstrations, and the proceeds will help to benefit the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Barnsdall Park, Rose Scharlin Nursery School and SEE Los Angeles.

Time to get hip, and be well-fed while at it.

Taste of the Eastside takes place from 1pm-5pm this Sunday, May 6 at Barnsdall Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz. Get tickets here (price goes up the day of the event, so purchase now!).

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Jonathan Lethem at Skylight Books.

As the author of such critically acclaimed contemporary classics as The Fortress of Solitude, Motherless Brooklyn and Chronic City, as well as an established essayist for McSweeney's and The New Yorker, Jonathan Lethem has become a revered name in the literary scene. And so it goes without saying that nearly every new piece published is sure to be scrutinized, and probably lauded, if not well-respected in the least.

I expect his latest work will get as much attention, and more. For the also-well-beloved book series 33 1/3, where artists comment on influential music albums, Lethem takes on the Talking Heads classic Fear of Music. It's promoted to be a personal and passionate take on the 1979 album, delving into the music from the perspective of his New York childhood -- all of which fits perfectly in tune with Lethem's oeuvre. This is definitely Lethem's niche.

You can get an even more personal take from Lethem himself when he makes an appearance at Skylight Books this Sunday. He'll be promoting and signing copies of the book, and band Big Mess will be covering Talking Heads covers afterwards. Consider it a well-deserved party, celebrating two modern classics.

Jonathan Lethem will be appearing at 5pm this Sunday, April 29 at Skylight Books, located at 1818 N Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: Transmission L.A.: AV Club.

This is the sort of stuff that makes you appreciate Los Angeles: a full-on arts/music/film/food/everything festival curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys, featuring works by people like Will Fowler, Benjamin Jones, Mike Mills, Takeshi Murata, Cory Arcangel and more. For 17 days, MOCA will host Transmission L.A.: AV Club, which "will illustrate how audio and visual art forms complement and influence each other." Kicking off the event is none other than Santigold, and Roy Choi of Kogi and Chego fame will be providing exclusive eats on the weekends.

This isn't your regular art exhibit. Stay tuned for exact scheduled events here at avantgardediaries.com.

Transmission L.A.: AV Club takes place from April 20 to May 6 at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, located at 152 N. Central Ave. in downtown.

-- Chau Tu

the BEAT of the week: The Deschutes Brewery Base Camp Tour.

We've all learned quite a bit about the hip city of Portland from the hilarious IFC show Portlandia -- where the '90s never died, where you should put a bird on it, where you should beware of good-looking co-op leaders that look like Jason Sudeikis -- but one thing that probably isn't touched upon enough is how great their hometown Deschutes Brewery is. Technically based in nearby Bend, Deschutes is beloved all over Oregon for its great assortment of fine brews.

And now it's looking to expand the fan base. Deschutes hit the road earlier this week for a West Coast tour, complete with -- yes -- a giant wooden beer barrel on wheels. Expect a party -- here are some of the grand festivities planned, via Grub Street Los Angeles:

Tues, 4/10, 6:00-9:00 P.M. Hats Off to Homebrewers (Steingarten LA)
Attention homebrewers…come hone your craft with the gang from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery. The Deschutes crew, including brewer Robin Johnson, are heading to Los Angeles for Base Camp Week and will be giving away clone recipe booklets and bags of whole flower hops to use in your next homebrew. Specialty beer tastings of rarities like Black Butte XXII, The Abyss and The Stoic paired with some tasty appetizers will whet your palate. And that’s not all…five more Deschutes beers will be on tap including Obsidian Stout on Nitro and Chainbreaker White IPA. Robin will also be leading a deconstruction of the never-released Black Butte XXII, providing tastings of some of the specialty ingredients. We’ll even have commemorative glasses to give away while supplies last. Hope to see you here!

Thurs, 4/12, 3:00-5:00 P.M. Deschutes Brewery Two-Bit Tastings (Silverlake Liquor)
Clean out under the couch cushions, break open the piggy bank and dig around on those car floorboards - you’ll be surprised at how you can utilize a mere 25 cents tonight at Silverlake Liquor! Let us surprise you while you visit with Deschutes brewer Robin Johnson, and frolic around the brewery’s giant traveling beer barrel, Woody - all while drinking Deschutes Brewery’s damn tasty year-round line-up of beers.

Thurs, 4/12, 6:00 P.M.-close Beer-lesque: Tastings & Tassels (Skinny’s Lounge) What’s better than an evening full of craft beer from Deschutes Brewery? An evening full of craft beer coupled with intriguing Burlesque dancers and Vaudeville variety acts. Each act will feature a different Deschutes Brewery beer equaling a night of excitement, laughter, and unforgettable fun. The evening is packed with excitement:

Fri, 4/13, 4:00-6:00 P.M. Deschutes Brewery Snacks & Sips (The Village Idiot)
Thank goodness it’s Friday, and it’s time to wind down after a long week with some damn tasty beers and snacks. That’s right, we’re welcoming the gang from Deschutes Brewery as part of their Base Camp for Beer Fanatics. What does that mean for you? You can spend Friday after work chatting about hand-crafted brews with the experts, while sipping on hard-to-find beers like Hop Henge Experimental IPA and Chainbreaker White IPA.

Fri, 4/13, 7:00 P.M.-close Grab Beer by the Horns (The Surly Goat)
Not only will the giant Deschutes Brewery barrel on wheels, Woody, be here, but you should be too! We’ll be pouring a limited amount of some Reserve Series brews like Black Butte XXIII, The Abyss and The Stoic along with the brand-new Chainbreaker White IPA. With live music on our back patio to help you get your groove on, and a Deschutes beer in your hand, you’ll kick off the weekend right and change your mind about the possible pitfalls of Friday the 13th.

And that isn't even all -- check here for the complete lowdown. No excuses to miss out on some great beer while you can!

The Deschutes Brewery Base Camp Tour continues until Saturday at multiple locations all over Los Angeles.

-- Chau Tu

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the BEAT of young los angeles!

the BEAT of the week: 5 Second Films at Mohawk Bend.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and therefore it doesn't take a lot to tell a story. Such is a premise of 5 Second Films, which offers visual vignettes that are strictly 5 seconds long (plus 2 seconds for the title, and 1 second for the credit) and highlight the more comic moments in life.

So prepare for some quick hits of laughs when 5 Second Films take over Echo Park's beer-and-veggie-food-eats haven Mohawk Bend. The film group has curated one-hour segments of 5-second films (so that would be about 11 each minute...so more than 600 films?!) for the next three Tuesdays at the restaurant, and appropriately, a "5-second Filmmaker" drink will be on hand -- Cismontane’s Blacks Dawn coffee stout and Fog’s End Monterey Rye. Just try not to finish each drink with each film.

5 Second Films at Mohawk Bend takes place from 6pm to 9pm on April 10, 17 and 24 at Mohawk Bend, located at 2141 W. Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Mohawk Bend