English writer Quentin Crisp once quipped, “Los Angeles is just New York lying down,” and indeed, LA is somewhat of a laid-back, sprawled-out version of the Big Apple. While SoCal’s topography yields a wide array of adventures — from surfing and sun-worship to hiking, skiing, and city-based happenings — many plans are often thwarted by distance and rush-hour traffic. Thankfully, Flavorpill has just unveiled its gorgeous, revamped events guide — an open platform where everyone (artists, fans, editors, i.e., you) can create and share events. You can follow anything that piques your interest, with event suggestions from the entire community, including Flavorpill’s very own editors and curators. Below are our event recommendations for this week, hand-picked by Flavorpill LA Managing Editor Tanja M. Laden. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the new Flavorpill. We hope to see you there.
Monday, March 4th
WORKSHOP/CLASS: LAUSD Adobe In an age when memes are born, bred, and spread across the Internet in mere milliseconds, it can’t hurt to have a few Adobe skills under your virtual tool belt, too. Thanks to money that comes straight from our own taxes, the LAUSD Adult Career Education Division is offering hundreds of hours of hands-on Adobe instruction for the low one-time fee of $110. There’s none of the high-pressure tension or guilt that comes with missing any classes, because it’s all taught at your own pace, with continuous enrollment through June 6th. So there’s no reason not to get started on that portfolio you’ve been meaning to build since, well, you know, high school. — Tanja M. Laden
Tuesday March 5th
MUSIC: Dim Mak Tuesdays w/ Pleasurekraft Steve Aoki is a local club fixture who’s won “Best DJ of the Year” from Paper magazine and “Best Mix Album of the Year” from Billboard. The electro house musician founded Dim Mak Records in 1996, and has remixed artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg, Peaches, and Moving Units. Aoki continues to work as a club promoter and DJ, and the Dim Mak label parties on at Dim Mak Studios with a fresh new lineup every week. — Tanja M. Laden
Wednesday, March 6th
MUSIC: Low End Theory The Airliner’s Wednesday-night listening party has spawned spinoffs in San Francisco and Japan, but Low End Theory remains LA to the core. From reggae-influenced hip-hop to global avant-rap, its maestros continuously explore uncharted musical terrain, specializing in smooth sounds and transcendent grooves that elude classification. Famous for sourcing emerging talent and catapulting new careers, Low End Theory often spawns mile-long queues outside, but inside, it’s well worth it. — Tanja M. Laden
Thursday, March 7th
Friday, March 8th
CONFERENCE: Interview w/ a Dragon Maja D’Aoust revitalized the languishing Philosophical Research Society in her tenure as librarian, but it’s her work as the White Witch of LA that’s brought her the most well-deserved attention. With a master’s degree in Transformational Psychology, the hermetic soeur is the eponymous headmistress behind Maja’s Magic School, a series of regular occult-themed lectures on subjects from incantations, animal spirits, and synchronicity to occult societies and psychic self-defense. She joins Kelvin DeWolfe in an old Masonic Lodge for a dialog “into the most secret and occult scientific mysteries of the universe.” — Tanja M. Laden
ART: ArtNight Pasadena: Bicycle Ride
Saturday, March 9th
COMEDY: Anna David’s True Tales of Lust and Love from Writers and Comedians The Mint is a true landmark (especially by LA standards), but the loyal fans of the live-music scene and local-hangout vibe already know that. Known for raucous, dance-inducing rock and funk music, plus the occasional alt-country and punk show — as well as a great menu and cozy leather booths — this spot is always a sure bet for a good time. Case in point: TV personality and author of books like Falling for Me, writer Anna David gathers a group of smart and sexy people to read their own romantic stories at the Mint’s latest and most buzzworthy monthly live-storytelling show, “True Tales of Lust and Love.” — Tanja Laden
CITY GEM: Silverlake Art, Craft & Vintage Flea Market
Sunday, March 10th
FOOD / WINE: Gospel Brunch Those who summon spirituality from live music and Southern-style cuisine will enjoy the House of Blues’ Gospel Brunch, a longtime local ritual that continues to experience a renaissance. A tour-de-force lineup of local singers, the gospel choir soaks up Saturday night’s liquor with a feel-good tonic of worship that’s powerful, never preachy, and equally as memorable as the spread. — Shana Nys Dambrot