Moon Block Party's second annual Beyond The Witching Hour Halloween extravaganza is nearly upon us. Get your Halloween on early at The Echoplex Friday, October 26 for a night of music featuring Peaking Lights, Lumerians (and many more across 3 stages!), live art, installations, and costume contests, all meant to be experienced in Crystal Vision (the organizers have partnered with Future Eyes, an LA based prismatic eye wear company, to create crystal goggles which transform whatever's in front of you into a kaleidoscopic wonderland).

Come dressed up and you could win tickets to Desert Daze 2013, an Amoeba Gift Pack, a pair of Future Eyes and other goodies.

If you're hungry, feast at food trucks (The Urban Oven Pizza, Texas Chili Pie, Sweet Wheels). If you're thirsty, everyone's favorite festival libations purveyor, Sailor Jerry, will be on hand with drink specials.

You can buy a general admission ticket ($13 advance, $15 day of show) or a special package including your very own pair of Future Eyes glasses ($21 advance, $23 day of show). Get tickets here.
 

 

Set times:

ECHOPLEX STAGE:
Peaking Lights: 12:40AM - 1:25AM
Costume Contest: 12:00AM - 12:10AM
Lumerians: 11:20PM - 12:00AM
Dahga Bloom: 10:05PM - 10:45PM
JUJU: 9:05PM - 9:35PM
Cosmonauts: 8:00PM - 8:30PM

INTRODUCTION

Normally for my LA and OC neighborhood blogs, I spend a day (two in the case of Highland Park) exploring and seeing as much as I can and then write about it. For El Sereno, however, I had two whole weeks to explore.

I was house-sitting for a couple, staying in their 1959 mid-century home and taking care of a dog and two cats. Before this excursion I was fairly unfamiliar with El Sereno, having once visited the couple I was house-sitting for, twice visited musician Johann Bogeli (Moving Units), passed through on my bike, eaten at King Torta a few times, and just once purposelessly peregrinating (during which time I came across the Mazatlan).

The first night I spent in El Sereno, one of my hosts and I attended a mescal party in Eagle Rock. Aterward, joined by the other host, we all relaxed in their yard, absorbing the sounds of banda music and partying taking place nearby.

After my hosts embarked on their road trip I would almost always be accompanied in my rambles by their trusty dog, Dooley. I’m not sure if people were especially friendly because I was walking a dog and not just a suspicious guy walking around taking pictures or if people in El Sereno are just generally amongst the city’s most friendly. Whatever the reason, the average day involved so many exchanges of “good morning,” “buenos dias” and hand-waves with complete strangers (and one unintelligible between Dooley and a woman that seemed to have something to do with her ankle monitor and maybe a lighter). As a result, El Sereno has for me deposed Compton as the friendliest community to strangers. (For those wondering, Laurel Canyon and Cambodia Town seemed the coldest).
 

Wanna show some love to the homeless cats and dogs at your local shelter and save $3 off Amoeba Music at the same time? Amoeba Hollywood is collaborating with Los Angeles County Animal Shelters to collect much-needed supply items for the care and comfort of homeless animals in our community. Animal Shelters in LA are in desperate need of donations due to of lack of government and community funding. These trends are likely to continue until the economic situation improves, but we can help! Donations, food, blankets, and cleaning supplies can go a long way to help to sustain homeless, abandoned and unwanted animals.

For each one shelter item donation, we will give you a $3 off coupon to use on any purchase at Amoeba Music! It's that easy. Bring in an old towel, a can of cat/dog food or a cleaning product and we'll give you three bucks!

The Animal Shelter Donation Drive runs through
Monday, October 8th.

We can help change the heartbreaking situation of needing to euthanize healthy animals because of a simple lack of donations and resources. Stand up for underdogs everywhere by spreading the word that shelter animals need our help! And please remember to always spay and neuter your pet!

For more information on helping homeless cats and dogs or if you are interested in adopting a companion animal visit: www.laanimalservices.com. 

Stay tuned for more animal education and adoption coverage in October, when Amoeba Hollywood will be teaming up with the Beagle Freedom Project.

FYF Fest released set times for this weekend's festival in downtown LA. Download the pdf version to help plan your days (and get damp in your sweaty pockets). Still don't have tickets? Get 'em while you can at Amoeba Hollywood! They're $89 +$4 fee and you can pay with cash or credit card.

THE CENTRAL AVENUE JAZZ FESTIVAL


 


Every year for the past 17 years, during the last weekend in July, LA residents and visitors are treated to the preeminent jazz event on the West Coast with The Central Avenue Jazz Festival. It’s free and open to the public – last year, 35,000 attended. The focus, of course, is live music but there are also craft and food booths. I've been meaning to check it out in the past and this I year finally did.


LOCATION OF EVENT



A BRIEF BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT SOUTH CENTRAL


 
          Intersection of Malcolm X Way and MLK                                A Jazzy mural at Alondra's Bakery