An evening holiday bike ride and talk from one of the nation’s leading bike advocates, the critically acclaimed author of “Joyride,” Mia Birk,  a pioneering bike advocate, visionary government leader, principal of Alta Planning + Design, and Adjunt Professor at Portland State University
5-6 pm: “Joyride” bike ride with Mia from Bikestation in downtown Long [...]

Are you {open}’s facebook friend? Like this tree on {open}’s facebook page and we’ll give you 40% off all the used books in a single purchase until Christmas! Merry Christmas!

Sunday, October 30 · 6:00pm – 9:00pm
The Southern California Book Release Party for AIM FOR THE HEAD is in full swing! Jeremy Radin, Brendan Constantine, Andy Buell, David Ohlsen, Raundi Moore, Daniel McGinn, Savanah Kondo, and Rick Lupert will be leading this zombie march.
Wear your Halloween costume or come as a zombie!
BRAAAAAAAAINSSSSS!

sept 2 // 8pm // $5
Performances from
Korey Dane
Sam Outlaw
& Brian John Appleby (Seattle)

july 21 // 7pm // $3
3rd Thursday presents:
a surround sound environment created by the Southern California Sound Ensemble (SCSE) in celebration of  World Listening Day.
More on World Listening Day and the World Listening Project here:
http://www.worldlisteningproject.org/?p=1037
Listen and view media from previous SCSE performances here:
http://www.glennbach.com/scse.html

In honor of World Listening Day, the Southern California Soundscape Ensemble (SCSE) will perform a live, [...]

july 30 // 6-8pm // FREE
Last Saturday on 4th – details at www.4thstreetlongbeach.com

Opening reception for {open}’s new art show.

Details TBA.

Art Show starts at 4pm; Film starts at 8pm.
Introducing WATCH THIS BOOK, a new series of free film screenings celebrating family-friendly classics that are adaptations of beloved literary works! This series – presented by Lola’s Mexican Cuisine , {open}, Laughing Stock Development – will also feature artists and exhibitors, and will take place on the [...]

For the May 3rdThurs, Opt.in presents its May Salon with an organizational meeting of Southern California Sound Ecology, where we will discuss World Listening Day, Soundwalk 2011, and official affiliation with the national Acoustic Ecology organization ASAE.
At 9pm, the Southern California Soundscape Ensemble (SCSE) will perform an unrehearsed, completely improvised [...]

Merrady recorded a 5-song EP with the very talented Brooklyn musician Gene Back at Doghouse Studio in NY. In her cross-country move to Long Beach, the EP fell by the wayside … until now! Join us for a lovely evening of music.
Featuring performances from Merrady, Lucky Penny and Miniature Houses.
Check out [...]

f you’ve been to the Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts festival, you know about its awesomeness, with everything from clothes, home decor accessories and notepads from local handcrafters like the Long Beach Craft Mafia to homemade jams and preserves from folks like the Road Less Traveled Store owner and Patchwork founder Delilah Snell.
If you haven’t [...]

Saturday, June 4 // 8pm // FREE
Join us for the debut readings from the Write Bloody’s Dirty Dozen writing workshop.
Stay tuned for details!

Friday, April 29 // 8-10pm // FREE
A Write Bloody Book Release Party for

Sunset at the Temple of Olives
by Paul Suntup
Featuring performances from
Paul Suntup
and Mindy Nettifee
PLUS … Free olive oil to the first 25 guests!!
About Sunset at the Temple of Olives
Sunset at the Temple of Olives is the first full-length collection of poetry from [...]

Sidewalk Society EP Release Party
part of Last Saturdays on 4th
Saturday, April 30 // 7-9pm //  FREE
Featuring a performance by Sidewalk Society
plus DJ Tony the Tyger
Sidewalk Society celebrates the release of their limited edition 7-inch EP. Released at the end of 2010 through the UK label “Fruits de Mer” on coloured vinyl with [...]

Saturday, April 23 // 7-9pm // FREE
Launch party for AIOP (Ashes in Orange Peels) magazine issue one and special edition hom[ep]rairie EP

featuring Joy Shannon and Will Morrison, performing the EP in its entirety

copies of AIOP and the EP will be available for sale ($15)

adelaida by AIOP recordings
hutch fire by AIOP recordings

Local culture reporter, legend-in-the-making and occasional {open} book jockey Greggory Moore recently released his novel The Use of Regret.

New works on wood by Ashes in Orange Peels (artist Suzanne Walsh). Show runs March 26 – May 22, 2011.

Book-release party for Greggory Moore’s The Use of Regret
Saturday, March 19 // 7 pm // FREE
The novel is complicated, but the event is simple. Come hang out for a bit, then listen to Greggory’s first-ever reading of a few selections from the 100+ sections of The Use of Regret, afterwhich DJ Bill [...]

Friday, March 11 // 8-11pm // FREE
Release party for
Jason Bowe’s poetry book “All the Pennies Wishes Bring”
and
Eminent Ruth’s EP “Live at the Dark Room”
With performances by
Michael Roberts, Jeremy Radin
Jason Bowe (accompanied on piano and synth by Brenda Carsey)
Eminent Ruth

NOTE! This is a special Monday show!
Monday, April 25 // 7pm // FREE
Book release party for Marie-Elizabeth Mali’s book Steady, My Gaze
Performances by
Marie-Elizabeth Mali
Taylor Mali
and
more
About Mari-Elizabeth Mali – www.floweringlotus.com
Marie-Elizabeth Mali is the author of Steady, My Gaze (Tebot Bach, 2011). She is a co-curator for louderARTS: the Reading Series and Page Meets Stage, both [...]

It’s the launch partay for this “unique spoken word heart change party experience” …
join us for the very first Whirlwind Company performance ever and we’ll all get caught up in some whirlwinds together!
Featuring performances from
Mindy Nettifee (LBC)
Jon Sands (NYC)
Brian Ellis (Boston)
and Mike McGee (Everywhere)

Thursday, Feb 3 // 7:30pm // $5

FREE TREATS AND FREE MATCHES!

We occasionally get some beautiful street ’round these parts … this morning upon arriving I found this …

Friday, January 28 || 7pm || FREE
{open} and Write Bloody present …
Detroit author Idris Goodwin’s first West Coast book release party!
Idris will be reading from her new book, For These Are The Breaks
Plus performances from Mindy Nettifee and Derrick Brown and the House Party 2 band!
Poetry, hip hop, weirdness, prizes!

An ambient evening with CJ Boyd + Chris Schlarb
sat, feb 12 || 8pm || $5
About CJ Boyd
Equal parts ambient and virtuosic, melancholic and playful, CJ Boyd’s bass playing melts glaciers, creating a sea of low, flowing rhythms, while also supplying melodies that soar over the ocean to melt the sun itself. Waves of bass loops [...]

Bookish by Amy Thompson
Curated by DDR Projects
January 29 – March 31 2011
www.amyalice.com
Opening reception
Saturday, January 29, 7-10pm
FREE
About Bookish
These pieces are meant to be images from a librarian’s daydreams. Little glimpses of life, awaiting their escape from between dusty book jackets within the stacks. The librarian works quietly to herself, inputting, organizing, re-shelving, following Dewey decimal’s order [...]

Entasis is a new, online literary quarterly based out of Irvine, California.  Their focus is “poetry, with fiction, literary non-fiction, and art at our discretion.”
Join us for the release party for the inaugural issue, Entasis 1: Faustian Falls, celebrating the theme “things we agree to out of desperation.”
Saturday, January 22 || 7pm || FREE

Thursday, January 20 || 8pm || $3

We’ve got all sorts of super unique stuff that make great gifts, including these rad book bookends, handmade from our books by dashdot studio. Every one of these cool X-shaped bookends are different! And they don’t have to be bookends … they’re perfect for a tabletop or bedside stash of reading material, too! $20 for one or $35 for a pair.

Sat, Dec 11 // 7pm // FREE
We’re celebrating SEVEN years of {open}! We’re also celebrating the holiday season and the end of the year and the beginning of the new one and everything in between.
Featuring The Greater California Holiday Folk Choir, with members of: Miniature Houses / The Fling / Year Zero / EXTRA / [...]

Two Friends Press presents the publication reading of
Tequila Tales: An Anthology of Short Fiction
A collection of stories unified by the presence of the iconic alcoholic beverage, tequila. It spans genres from humor to romance to science fiction to mystery. There are short anecdotes and longer works of creative fiction. Some pieces are gritty while others [...]

Dec 4, 2010 // 7pm // FREE
Members of the UC Irvine MFA program will be reading from their work!
Hear new poems from Austin Ellis and Mike Liaw and new fiction from Jon Keeperman and Tarah Scalzo. Plus … light refreshments!

Sunday, October 17 //7-10pm// $5 suggested donation
Featuring Karen Finneyfrock, Mike McGee, Brian Ellis, Jon Sands and Mindy Nettifee.

Homo Insectus
new work from Andrew Tong
curated by DDR Projects

About Homo Insectus
I have always been interested in bugs; as a small child I remember rooting around my parents garden looking for anything with lots of legs that warranted further investigation. The little fellows always seemed to be working [...]

Saturday, Oct 2 // 2-4pm // FREE
Join us for a reading and discussion with Pen Farthing, author of One Dog at a Time and founder of the charity Nowzad, with the mission to rescue stray and abandoned animals in Afghanistan and Iraq. They provide and maintain rescue facilities for the care and treatment of the [...]

Gerald Locklin
+
Raindog
7pm // FREE
Gerald Locklin will be reading from Modest Aspirations, new poems by Gerald Locklin and short stories by Beth Wilson, new from Lummox Press.

Brother Cecil (Jackson, MS)
myspace.com/okashiiblues
Brown & Blue (Long Beach, CA)
myspace.com/brownandblue
Johnny O’Donnell (Los Angeles, CA)
myspace.com/johno39donnell

Join {open} for Parking Day LA as we create an {open} reading room on the street in front of the shop!
You’ll be able to browse mags and pubs, plus borrow any book in the shop to read in our cozy little parking spot!

For Night 4 of Hot Water Nights, {open} is delighted to host Ben Sollee, a Kentucky-based, genre-bending cellist and vocalist. His album Dear Companion is out on Sub Pop now and he is currently on tour across the southern states… on bicycle! TRhis event presented in coordination with the LB Cyclists!
Check out [...]

Long Beach resident Rob Gokee joined the website Twitter as a composer for film and television looking for work. What he found there was that and so much more. In fact, it changed his life … so much so that he wrote a book “In The Belly of the Fail Whale.”
Join us [...]

You read that right … it’s Dietra Kruschev’s last show! Come check out their great sound before the final chords!
From LA RECORD:
“Hailing from Long Beach, the group plays downbeat—in contrast to upbeat—minor key songs. The groups sound was exemplified by their instruments: Fender semi-hollow body guitar with finger-picking by Aaron, low-end bass from Jeremiah, sparse [...]

{open} is pleased to partner with DDR Projects to present “Housing Complex,” sketches and assemblages  from artist Hilary Norcliffe, curated by John Geldbach.
About Housing Complex
This work explores the relationship between House and Home. A house is a shelter that we crave first for protection, and then for status. Notions of home may overlap with [...]

{open} is hosting a series of shows to raise awareness about the state of water on Earth, the state of the Earth itself, and the need for a new water and eco consciousness!

Saturday, July 24 // 7pm // $5
Slow Animal + Moses Campbell + Fort Wife
About Slow Animal – Some have described them as a male Best Coast, or similar to Beach Fossils, and I’d agree with both of those.  Best Coast have done it and Slow Animal are doing it too; creating a lo-fi, fuzz-pop summer [...]

Fri, July 9 // 8pm // free
Join us for the book release party for Mindy Netifee’s
Rise of the Trust Fall
Details coming forthwith …

fri, june 25 // 8pm // $5
Montucky
David Robison

mon. june 21 // 8pm // $5
PRISM-index Release Party
Performances by: Castanets + Ohioan + Chris Schlarb
Projections and Presentation by PRISM-index editor Jeffrey Bowers.

sat, june 19 // 8pm // free
Black Candy book release party

music from Alyssandra Nighswonger
poetry from Kyle Moreno and Raul Ruiz
theatre sketch featuring Jasper Oliver + members of the Alive Theatre Co.

plus an art-and-craft storybook workshop!
FREE!

thurs,  june 17 // 8pm // $3
{open} and URCK records present ..
The Deglet Noor Fakirs
Huhm Druhm
w/ a short film by Brian Traylor
curated by the hop-frog kollectiv

In addition to being a beloved part of 4th Street, Pete Toulios was a dear friend to us at {open}. We miss him greatly!

Annalemma’s print issues are a lavish celebration of colorful artwork and photography that accompany short stories and essays from writers of all ages, nationalities, disciplines and echelons of the publishing world.

Long Beach’s beloved Free Moral Agents are hittin’ the road with none other than SAGE FRANCIS this May, joining him as opening and backing band for his entire North American tour.
But before they hit the road, they hit the stage of {open} … in their very first performance together!!
April 23 // 8pm // [...]

{open} will have a table at this awesome event by the shore!!
see you there!
www.patchworkshow.com

We’re very excited to team up with the lovely Delilah Snell, of the Road Less Traveled store and the Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival, to bring you one of her one-of-a-kind workshops!
Delilah will demonstrating how to infuse plain ole’ liquor, like vodka, with fresh, real flavors, like kumquats! The workshop includes all supplies, stuff [...]

3rdThurs
Thursday, May 20 // 8pm // $3
Bavab Bavab
+
Actuary
+
Ain Soph Aur

We’re kicking off Pride weekend with author Abby Dees, who will be reading and signing her brand-new book, “Queer Questions Straight Talk: 108 Frank, Provocative Questions it’s OK to Ask Your Lesbian, Gay or Bi Loved One.” Plus, she’ll have a very special guest with her to join in on the discussion… her mother, Cathy, [...]

4th Street in Motion: An all-day alt-transport festival
Check out 4thstreetlongbeach.com for details.

Cinquo de Gustavo
Book release party for Gustavo Arellano’s “¡Ask A Mexican!
Friday, May 7 // 8pm // FREE
WHAT IS ¡ASK A MEXICAN!? Questions and answers about our spiciest Americans. Gustavo explores the clichés of lowriders, busboys, and housekeepers; drunks and scoundrels; heroes and celebrities; and most important, millions upon millions of law-abiding, patriotic American [...]

Ross Hammond Trio
+
G.E. Stinson
Saturday, April 24 // 8pm // $5

3rdThurs – April 2010
The Constant Collection
+
Peter Kolovos
+
a screening of “Un Chien Andalou” by Luis Bunuel
Un Chien Andalou is a sixteen minute silent surrealist short film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. It was Dali’s first film and was initially released in 1929 to a limited showing in Paris, but became popular and ran for eight [...]

Alyssandra and the Daymakers
+
The Clouds
Saturday, April 10 // 7:30pm // $7 or $10 with raffle ticket
A fundraiser for the Long Beach City College Audio Engineering Society
Enter the raffle to win an 8-hour recording session from LBCC , plus other prizes, including movie tickets to The Art Theatre and The Garage Theatre, and gift certificates from [...]

{open}’s 3rd 4th Street anniversary
+
Book release party for Karen Finneyfrock’s Ceremony for the Choking Ghost
with music by Vancouver’s CR Avery
and Jay Buchanan
–
words by
Mindy Nettifee and Derrick Brown
–
apr 3 // 8pm // all ages // $6

Reading from and going-away party for MATTY BYLOOS
also featuring:
- readings from Michael Roberts + Maggie Wells
- visual accompaniment by Josh Atlas
- acoustic performance by The Soft Hands
sat, apr 17 // 8pm // FREE

Boris Smile’s “Rockets EP” release party
featuring performances by Boris Smile, Fielding and Korey Dane
Saturday, March 20 // 7:30pm
$5, includes EP
Check out a video of their song “Apollo” below:

Boris Smile – Apollo from A. Wesley Chung on Vimeo.

The Garage Theatre just opened their 2010 season with “An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein” and to celebrate, we’re teaming up to host an open mic tribute to the poet himself!
It’s pretty simple: Bring your favorite Shel Silverstein poems to read! or just come listen! The folks from The Garage will be on hand to [...]

Saturday, March 27 // 6-9pm // free

Thursday, March 18 // 8pm // $3
Natacha Diels (flute & electronics, solo set) from New York group Ensemble Pamplemousse
+
improv set w/ qqq
+
screening of Brian Eno’s “Mistaken Memories of Mediaeval Manhattan” (1981)

Share your reflections (i am) or impressions (you are): iamyouare.blog.com
Saturday, February 13 // 8-11pm // free
• Purchase a limited edition signed copy of the book I AM. YOU ARE.
Written by Kevin Staniec and Melanie Moore. Illustrated by Emilio Santoyo.
• Get a one-of-a-kind Valentine’s card drawn by artist Emilio Santoyo.
• Share your personalized I AM or [...]

{open}’s monthly multi-media series.
8pm // $3

In Science Fiction, technology and scientific data become aesthetic tools for re-imagining the possible. Digital media readily interacts with traditional media, bringing the sleek language of technological production into close contact with the more visceral language of mark-making and sculpting. Wormholes, asteroids, and planets—entities that are at once familiar and foreign—recur as motifs, shooting through [...]

saturday, jan 9 // 8pm // free
Feed the Feeble + Tiger Tank Euphoria
This event, curated by Menchie Caliboso, features a photo album of community, live performances by Feed The Feeble and Tiger Tank Euphoria, one-night art exhibits, artist networking and the release of the new EP from Feed the Feeble.

We’re featuring six new {open} t-shirt designs from six awesome {open} artists! From top left: Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs, Jeff Oonchitti, Gabo Gaete, Robert Pokorny, Greg Brown and Matt Maust.

thurs, jan. 21 // 8pm // $3
Blackbird Raum + Whitman
w/ a short film by Charles Pieper
curated by Elaine Layabout (of KXLU’s Demolisten)

The Garage Theater presents an evening of Christmas stories! Plus hot cocoa (with marshmallows).
Tuesday, December 15 | 6:30pm | FREE

 Celebrate the holidays with {open}, Greater CA, Derrick Brown and Ray Barbee and the Matson Two.
We’ll also be debuting our six-year anniversary t-shirts featuring six {open} designs from six {open} artists: Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs, Jeff Oonchitti, Robert Pokorny, Gabo Gaete, Greg Brown and Matt Maust.
Sunday, December 20 | 7pm | $4

Early pics are in from this amazing evening featuring some incredible musicians: Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar), Dave Navarro (guitar), Mike Byrne (drums), Mark Tulin (bass), Mark Weitz (keyboards), Kerry Brownon (percussion), Ysanne Spevak (violin), Linda Strawberry (backing vocals), and Kevin Dippold (flute and mandolin). Thanks for rocking our bookstore!

U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins says “Not since Taylor Mali, has there been a poet of the likes of Taylor Mali … his performances, rather than being frontal assaults, are leavened by charm and wit and could survive happily on the page.”

We’ve got a fresh batch of The Believer back issues.

A sunset nation where each day was full of endless possibilities; we had no plans and no expectations, but every single moment was somehow magical.

Independent publisher Write Bloody presents Matty Byloos’ collection of fourteen stories that defy logic in only the most perverse and elegant of ways.

… for readers who like to explore the unknown—whether in fiction or Holly-weird—Long Beach’s {open} bookstore is the place to discover some fascinating, uncharted avenues of the art and literary worlds.

In June 2007, Kim Bogardus moved to the rural Mongolian town of Erdenet, where she taught a photography class for a small group of children who had never taken an art class before.

A collection of collaborative collages from artists Rebecca Trawick and David Wallace. May 30 – July 19, 2009

New relief prints, collage and wall sculpture from LA-artist Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs.

Stories of birth, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, old age and death.

Join us for the February edition of Second Tuesdays, featuring Alive Theatre!

Performances from Anni Rossi, Whitman and Mycroft Holmes | 7:30pm | $5

“They all go together and it seems natural to have them all here in one place, spun up together.”

Featuring Blaine Fontana’s “Fernwoods Lorax,” plus 11 more original pieces.

Artist: Aaron Giesel
Title: Untitled (Boats on the Water series)
Size: 18″ x 18″
Media: photo print on silver paper
Starting bid: $75

Artist: Aaron Giesel
Title: Untitled (Pedestrian series)
Size: 18″ x 18″
Media: photo print on silver paper
Starting bid: $75
(pieces sold individually)

Artist: Jonathan Apgar
Title: Space Station: Interior
Size: 28″ x 32″ (canvas stretched over handmade wood frame)
Media: oil on canvas
Starting bid: $150

(view detail)

Artist: Jay Blommer
Title: Sycophantic
Size: 12.5″ x 16.5″ (framed)
Media: found photo with typography
Starting bid: $35

Along with FOUND #6, hot off the presses, we’ve got FOUND #1-5, DIRTY FOUND and brand-new FOUND greeting cards! Get ‘em while we got ‘em!

Click on an title or picture in the auction box to view the details.
Selecting a piece from the below list will take you to the main page displaying the selected piece.
To bid, simply click “BID NOW” and enter your bid.
If you have ANY difficulties, please email us!

“Reaper Oil Incorporated” by Rick Frausto
“Calm” by Mike Foss
“Fernwoods [...]

Join us for the first Last Saturday of the year, featuring the opening reception for “So Long,” new work from LA artist Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs.

Saturday, January 31, 6-9pm
Free
music, refreshments

Part of Last Saturdays on 4th, a monthly night of art and music in the shops along 4th Street.

Starting February 1, the first Sunday of the month at {open} is DIY Sundays, featuring:
- a monthly DIY project ($5)
- {open} turntables, where you can take a spin on our turntables, your records or ours (half-hour sets when folks are waiting)
plus trunk shows from local crafters, project demonstrations and more!

{open} presents
3rdThurs featuring I.S.O.P
three sub-sets and one all-in finale set.
January 18, 8-10pm
$3
I.S.O.P: Intense Situations of Peril is an improvising ensemble of electronic/laptop musicians who perform new, hybridized soundtracks to the cities in which they perform. Source material is sampled from the audio track of a mainstream motion picture filmed in a particular city, then collaged with [...]

A short FAQ on how to submit your work for consideration, including books, music, art (originals & prints) and art-based merchnadise.

september 27 – november 9, 2008

SOUND!
april 26 – june 22, 2008

July 26 through September 21, 2008

Includes a 40-minute DVD with contributions from selected artists.

In the process of exploring the piano for new sound possibilities, Neumann has reduced the instrument to strings, resonance board and metal frame. With the help of electronics to manipulate and amplify the sounds (sometimes to make parts of the sound audible which are inaudible without amplification), she has developed numerous new playing techniques, sounds, and ways of preparing the dismantled instrument.

Saturday, November 1
8 p.m. • $10
Duo: Andrea Neumann + Sabine Ercklentz
Quartet: Andrea Neumann + Sabine Ercklentz + Ulrich Krieger + Mark Trayle
A bit about Ercklentz + Neumann:
“This electro-acoustic duo isn’t just any duo. It has a niche as well as  a spine that is a rare combination. Both musicians reduce – if not  ignore – [...]

Saturday, November 1
8 p.m. • $10
Duo: Andrea Neumann + Sabine Ercklentz
Quartet: Andrea Neumann + Sabine Ercklentz + Ulrich Krieger + Mark Trayle
A bit about Ercklentz + Neumann:
“This electro-acoustic duo isn’t just any duo. It has a niche as well as a spine that is a rare combination. Both musicians reduce – if not [...]

Join us for the 4th street event that was just named The Best of Long Beach by The District Weekly. With participation from some new stores on the street, Last Saturdays on 4th is going to shift over to a monthly event instead of a bi-monthly one, and October is the first one! Huzzah! We [...]

Join us for the 4th street event that was just named The Best of Long Beach by The District Weekly. With participation from some new stores on the street, Last Saturdays on 4th is going to shift over to a monthly event instead of a bi-monthly one, and October is the first one! Huzzah! We [...]

{open} regular I Heart Lung is back, and this time they’re bringing jazz musician Cooper-Moore with them, all the way from NYC. The 61-year old pianist, composer and instrument builder/designer (including a deedly-bo, a three-string fretless banjo and a mouth bow) has accumulated an extensive repertoire since he began playing piano in his mother’s church [...]

{open} presents …
Heavy Chamber  Music
performances by Los Angeles Electric 8 and Edmund Welles
Saturday, October 11
8pm / $5
Read on for a bit about the bands …

thurs, oct 9 | 8-10pm
free
book release party for
Radio Silence:
A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music
acoustic performances by Jeff Caudill + Popeye | drinks by Independent Truck Co.
www.radiosilencebook.com
(Check out the New York release party’s hilarious result on Craigslist!)
 
 

” … it takes a moment to see the face hidden within the shape of the man himself, one eye staring back at you in side profile.”

{open} is turning 5! Join us Saturday, December 13 for our fifth anniversary party featuring super-special performances, including Derrick C. Brown, the dublab djs, Greater California and Free Moral Agents.

As part of our five-year anniversary, we’ve created an evolving art installation: the story of {open}. Show your {open} love: buy a page in our story!

We’ve got new old issues of Wallpaper.

A delightful & nuanced album that’s not nearly as tough as it sounds (or looks)

“We stared at it until booze tears welled up a little. He took a photo of it. It became the title of this book.”

book release party for
Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music
acoustic performances by Jeff Caudill + Popeye| drinks by Independent Truck Co. thurs | 8-10pm | free
www.radiosilencebook.com

A new album was inevitable, and ended up being recorded in only about four days due to the incredibly strong and positive vibes both were experiencing.

Radio Silence documents the ignored space between the Ramones and Nirvana through the words and images of the pre-Internet era where this community built on do-it-yourself ethics thrived.

Please join us Saturday, September 27 for Last Saturday and our opening reception for Transitions, paintings by Robert Pokorny.
 Saturday’s opening reception features:
• Transitions, a series of 13 original paintings (cel-vinyl acrylic on wood panel)
• prints from Robert’s series The Red Zone: In The Zone, The Sipper, Daddy Long Legs and Mind Body & Soul
• a [...]

Join us for performances from bass clarinet quartet Edmund Welles and the Los Angeles Electric 8, an electric guitar chamber octet.
Saturday, October 11
8pm / $tba

Robert Pokorny is a secret Long Beach legend: Though some may not know his name, most are familiar with his work

{open} & FLOOD present …
3rd Thurs: SoundWalk2008 pre-event performance night
Thursday, September 18
8 pm // $3

with performances by
Double Blind + Julia Holter
— read more—

{open} presents …
opening reception for Robert Pokorny’s Transitions
Saturday, September 27
6 to 9 p.m.
dj – refreshments – free
 
 
Show runs through November 9

“Landfair” won best pop/rock album at the Independent Music Awards 2005.

{open} & seven inch project presents …
Evening Becomes Acoustic
Saturday, August 23
8pm, $5
with performances by June Madrona and The Next Door Neighbors
(Olympia, WA)
plus a special acoustic set by The Year Zero
(Long Beach, CA)

June Madrona
 

The Next Door Neighbors (check out a rad video of the duo here!)

The Year Zero

{open} & seven inch project presents …
Evening Becomes Acoustic
Saturday, August 23
8pm, $5
with performances by June Madrona and The Next Door Neighbors
(Olympia, WA)
plus a special acoustic set by The Year Zero
(Long Beach, CA)

June Madrona
 

The Next Door Neighbors (check out a rad video of the duo below!)

The Year Zero

Join us for the release party of the latest installation of Seven Inch Project’s Vinyl series, Volume 006, Castledoor-’Til We Sink!
{open} and Seven Inch Project present …
 
Castledoor EP Release Party
performances by Castledoor and Agent Ribbons
Saturday, Aug. 9
8pm
 
show+cd: $10 or just the show: $5
 

Two {open} favorites in one night! This Friday, the lilting tunes of The Blank Tapes and Moe Dog Darling will provide an evening of awesome acoustic ambiance (and we’re not just saying that cuz we like alliteration!)

take a listen, then come hear them live.
theblanktapes.com
moedogdarling.com
{open} presents
the blank tapes + moe dog darling

friday, august 1
8 pm
$5

Two {open} favorites in one night! This Friday, the lilting tunes of The Blank Tapes and Moe Dog Darling will provide an evening of awesome acoustic ambiance (and we’re not just saying that cuz we like alliteration!)

take a listen, then come hear them live.
theblanktapes.com
moedogdarling.com
{open} presents
the blank tapes + moe dog darling

friday, august 1
8 pm
$5

This Last Saturday, 4th Street is going on sale with an all-day Sidewalk Sale from noon to 8pm! Shops along the street will have sales and specials … including {open}! So come get the books you’ve been eyeing, before they’re gone for good!
*TONS of books from 50 cents to $1 … plus 15% off our [...]

This Last Saturday, 4th Street is going on sale with an all-day Sidewalk Sale from noon to 8pm! Shops along the street will have sales and specials … including {open}! So come get the books you’ve been eyeing, before they’re gone for good!
*TONS of books from 50 cents to $1 … plus 15% off [...]

Featuring Derrick Brown, Amber Tamblyn, Mindy Netifee and Michael Roberts
Saturday, July 5, 2008, 8 pm
FREE
plus, a FREE D-I-Y hotfudge sundae bar!!

As a birthday present to America, {open} happily presents a performance from author, poet and professional firecracker DERRICK BROWN. The often irreverent and always entertaining Brown will be joined by fellow poet-performers [...]

Don’t miss the next in our awesomely awesome open mic poetry series, Other People’s Poetry!
A signup sheet will be available at 6pm, with readin’ commencin’ at 8pm. Both attendance and performance are blissfully free. Join us and read sumthin you looooooooove, so we can love it too!
Wanna know what kinda things to read? Check out [...]

Featuring Derrick Brown, Amber Tamblyn, Mindy Netifee and Michael Roberts
Saturday, July 5, 2008, 8 pm
FREE

LONG BEACH, CALIF —As a birthday present to America, {open} happily presents a performance from author, poet and professional firecracker DERRICK BROWN. The often irreverent and always entertaining Brown will be joined by fellow poet-performers AMBER [...]

Click here for details!

Retro Row Features Evening Of Art

By Julian Bermudez /Gazette Arts Writer

Last Saturday turned out to be a successful art night for Fourth Street’s “Retro Row.” Throngs of artists, musicians, gallerists and the public-at-large took part in an evening filled with art, entertainment, food, drink and dance.

First on the list was Open.

Saturday, June 28
Signups at 6pm
Readings start at 8pm
It’s time to get down with OPP! (No, that will never get old. To us.) Come get yourself on stage and read that thing that’s been itching to get out of your head and into the minds and hearts of your fellow {open}er. (Just made that term up! [...]

We couldn’t say it any better than this, so we’re not gonna try! Ergo …
Foot Foot are like a tiny folk orchestra – building totally beautiful and layered arrangements via slide guitar, found objects, et al. Their songs possess an oddly classic feeling and nerve tingling shimmer, and they are undeniably one of the most [...]

Check out a great video of Castledoor performing here at {open} for the What It Is: What It Is book release party on May 10, 2008. Posted by The Market.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoowdIc6V9g[/youtube]

Metal Rouge’s sound can be difficult to put into words. They’re kinda like …
“Breathing in the cold air. long deep slow and articulated breaths. holding for 3, 5 seconds, and then exhale 1. 2. 3. repeat. feel it. the cold crisp air touching it with your eyelashes in winter midtones. feeling something. NOW. concerned with [...]

{open} is pleased to present SOUND! from LA artist Andy Carey.

SOUND! features a series of pieces inspired by the music of The Beatles, the Chemical Brothers, Portishead and other. In his work, Carey uses wooden discs to create a dotted texture that evokes the pop culture portraits of Roy Lichtenstein and a 3-D canvas that [...]

3rdThurs featuring Deer Tear + Ain Soph Aur
thursday, may 15 // 8pm // $3
This 3rdThurs is a significant one for Nial Morgan (aka Deer Tear): Excepting a recent set at the Wilson High School open mike, it will be [...]

An Evening of Poetry with Frank X. Gaspar
saturday, april 26 // 8pm // $7 (pre-sale only)
It’s April, so it’s National Poetry Month and we’re celebrating the medium accordingly with not one, but two (!) poetry events. Our second evening of poetry will turn its ear to Frank X. Gaspar, an accomplished poet and novelist [...]

An eponymous series featuring {open}’s most experimental performances, from all edges of the sonic spectrum.

Upcoming 3rdThurs
September 18 – Soundwalk2008 preview performance, details here
October 16 – tba
November 20 – tba
December 18 – tba

Other People’s Poetry (OPP): a bi-monthly poetry series
saturday, april 19 // 7-9pm (signups at 6pm) // free
It’s back! {open}’s newest series, Other People’s Poetry (OPP), was exceedingly well received in its debut, and we’re quite looking forward to the second event!
OPP was inspired by the idea that poetry is best read [...]

{open} is pleased to present SOUND! from LA artist Andy Carey.
SOUND! features a series of pieces inspired by the music of The Beatles, the Chemical Brothers, Portishead and other. In his work, Carey uses wooden discs to create a dotted texture that evokes the pop culture portraits of Roy Lichtenstein and a 3-D canvas that [...]

SoundWalk is an annual art event produced by the Long Beach artist group, FLOOD. {open} co-owner Shea Gauer is an active Get more info at www.soundwalk.org.

3rdThurs: a monthly multimedia series
thursday, april 17 // 8pm sharp // $3
3rdThurs returns for its fourth experimental evening this year! This eponymous series features {open}’s most experimental performances, from all edges of the sonic spectrum.
The latest installment of this incredibly intriguing evening will feature Unicorn, a side, solo project of WT Nelson, founding [...]

the {open} 4th st. anniversary party
saturday, april 12 // 7-10pm // free (RSVP only)
Can you believe it? It’s been a whole YEAR since we moved to our new digs here on 4th St.! We opened “new” {open} on April 8, 2007, with a tooth-chippingly awesome performance from poet Derrick Brown and The Blank [...]

Other People’s Poetry (OPP): a bi-monthly poetry series
saturday, april 19 // 7-9pm (signups at 6pm) // free
It’s back! {open}’s newest series, Other People’s Poetry (OPP), was exceedingly well received in its debut, and we’re quite looking forward to the second event!
OPP was inspired by the idea that poetry is best read [...]

the {open} 4th st. anniversary party
saturday, april 12 // 7-10pm // free (RSVP only)
Can you believe it? It’s been a whole YEAR since we moved to our new digs here on 4th St.! We opened “new” {open} on April 8, 2007, with a tooth-chippingly awesome performance from poet Derrick Brown and The Blank [...]

An Evening of Poetry with Frank X. Gaspar
saturday, april 26 // 8pm // $7 (pre-sale only)
It’s April, so it’s National Poetry Month and we’re celebrating the medium accordingly with not one, but two (!) poetry events. Our second evening of poetry will turn its ear to Frank X. Gaspar, an accomplished poet and novelist [...]

3rdThurs: a monthly multimedia series
thursday, april 17 // 8pm sharp // $3
3rdThurs returns for its fourth experimental evening this year! This eponymous series features {open}’s most experimental performances, from all edges of the sonic spectrum.
The latest installment of this incredibly intriguing evening will feature Unicorn, a side, solo project of WT Nelson, founding [...]

Marleah Tobin’s work is unplanned, unchoregraphed and unscripted, what she calls “a left hand path to digitization.”
Her goal is to capture an image as it happens, “the way your youth was captured. Tangible, visceral, but simultaneously dreamlike.Things immortalized not as they necessarily looked, but how you felt and how you’ll remember them. Instant film is [...]

“Camera Eye”
Polaroid photography from artist Marleah Tobin
opening reception // saturday, mar 29 // 6-9pm // free

Marleah Tobin’s work is unplanned, unchoregraphed and unscripted, what she calls “a left-hand path to digitization.”
Her goal is to capture an image as it happens, “the way your youth was captured. Tangible, visceral, but simultaneously dreamlike.Things immortalized not [...]

presented with Sounds Are Active
featuring short sets by
PWRFL POWER (seattle/japan)
myspace.com/pwrflpower

Capillary Action (philadelphia)
myspace.com/capillaryaction

I Heart Lung (long beach/pasadena)
myspace.com/iheartlung

we’ve got a sounds are active show on the 16th, two performers and a short film on 3rdThurs (the 20th) and a new art show opening on Last Saturday (the 29th).
Check back soon for details …. or join our mailing list and get ‘em in your inbox.

Join us for the debut of Other People’s Poetry, {open}’s first open mic series!
Poetry is best heard out loud, but most readings and open mics tend to focus on self-authored poetry.
In an effort to explore the poetry genre and the breadth of its published and unpublished authors, we are introducing a twist on the open [...]

A monthly multi-media series
Held on the third Thursday of each month, 8-10 p.m.
$3
///
February’s 3rdThurs:
February 21
8 p.m. sharp
$3
Celer (huntington beach)
’sound light’
www.myspace.com/celersite
John Kannenberg (chicago)
“Diptych” short film
www.johnkannenberg.com
Phaul (long beach)
‘psychedelic psights & psonics’
www.myspace.com/urckrecords

Join us to celebrate the launch of Octopus: A Visual Studies Journal
February 23, 6-8 p.m.
with KUCI DJs Matt Buga , Ziba Zehdar & Rikki Alberto
featuring a presentation by UCSD scholar Kelly Pendergrast at 7:30 p.m.
FREE
More info on the Octopus Journal at www.octopusjournal.org

When the veteran bookstore clerks debuted their business in November 2003, they vowed to create a meeting place that would host more than mere author signings. They wanted to schedule events that would make nightclub owners jealous.

Come check out the amazing Matt Maust show and take in a performance by We Barbarians at 7pm. Five other art receptions will be taking place along Fourth for the first of the new series Last Saturdays on 4th!

Check out our three kickin’ posters for January:
1. For 3rdThurs, done by Scott “Madman” Petersen
2. For Last Saturday, done by Matt Maust
3. For The Year Zero/Yellow Fever show, done by someone whose name we don’t have at the moment.

Saturday, December 8 // 8pm // FREE

For five years, Chris Shlarb has been creating a piece of music. That creation has emerged as Twilight & Ghost Stories, a dense, forty minute, modern composition featuring the contributions of more than 30 musicians and composers from the avant-garde, folk, jazz and electronic communities. [...]

Check out this amazing video story made by Long Beach photographer Russ Roca. It’s from our event with Davy and Peter Rothbart from Found on November 5 and it’s a perfect example of why you should never miss another {open} event! =)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU2VSaYrtFY[/youtube]

- Readings from a Burning Shore
- Writers in Residence
upcoming at {open}
- if{open} anniversary celebration + art show
- Found magazine (the crime issue)

__________________________________________________________

this week at {open}

Readings from a Burning Shore
Friday, October 26 // 8:30 p.m. // free

It’s a fitting week for “Reading [...]

Wow!
Did you miss us? We sure missed you! We had some cool things going on over the past few weeks that we wanted to tell you about … two amazing poets read new work last Saturday evening and dublab broadcast live from Open all day Tuesday.
We hope you wandered into the store and happened on [...]

You know how you like cool things? Well, on Sunday, we’ll have a whole bunch of cool things in, during the Handmade Sale by whoodini handmade at {open}!
All sorts of knicks and knacks, plus bags, accessories and more. And, not to forget, we’re in the midst of a FORTY PERCENT OFF SALE.
Come get cool things [...]

Please join us this Saturday to celebrate our innaugural artist Michelle Caplan and her amazing collection of work in our new location.
Saturday, April 28th 6-8pm
light refreshments :: live dj

come visit our new location at:
2226 e. 4th street (between cherry & junipero)
in the heart of Retro Row
re-opening april 17th

 
That’s right. as of April 2007
                     {open}’s NEW LOCATION IS:
2226 E. 4th. St. // Long Beach, 90802
                       (between Cherry & Junipero)
                             in the heart of Retro Row
Stay Tuned for More Details.
                                
                                                            - {open}
 

Please join us for this special literary event on
Sunday, December 17th
@ 2pm with the release of “Book by Authors”

‘Book by Authors’ is an anthology of creative works by local writers and artists. Presented by the Long Beach Public Library Foundation, Book by Authors [...]

p.williams

“Smoke Moves Like Ghosts Through The Trees”
Nov. 25 – Jan. 14

*opening reception November 25 // 7-10pm
w/ DJ’s Sean & Jon

more info @

www.pwilliamsart.com

 
Leave the Mystery Behind
new work and window installation by Joshua Clay
opening reception: Saturday, October 28, 7 to 10pm
with DJ’s and a performance by Nihil Communication, (aka Andre Custillo) 9pm
free, with refreshments
Show runs October 28th through November 19th
Details on Joshua Clay’s work can be found at:
jclayart.com
myspace.com/nihil

2006 has been an important year for the dynamic, illustration-tinged
artist. In [...]

Long Beach based sound artist Glenn Bach will lead an ensemble of musicians in improvising a live soundtrack to a selection of [...]

Yes, the 3rd annual SoundWalk is here to arrouse your ears and excite your eyes. Not to be missed. There are also 3 nights of performances surrounding the event. All details below:
SoundWalk2006

Saturday, October 7th
5-10pm // free
East Village Arts District,
Downtown Long Beach

For more info:
www.soundwalk.org
562.499.6736

SoundWalk2006 Participants:

Aaron Drake / Alan & Carolyn Lechusza / Albert Ortega / Alessandro [...]

“Atlas EVAD”
new work by Glenn Bach
Long Beach artist Glenn Bach presents “Atlas EVAD,” the most recent project in his extended Atlas series. Over the summer of 2006, Bach walked and investigated the East Village Arts District in downtown Long Beach, California
 
 
Using drawings, photographs, found texts, and sounds, Bach has created a multi-faceted portrait of [...]

artist: j.frede
show: gray rooms 
august 26 – september 24

Los Angeles based artist j.frede presents Gray Rooms, a collection of new works based on the Beat Generation. frede is a multi-disciplinary artist and this show represents his work in the photography, sound sculpture and print, following the conceptual boundaries set in reference to the location in which [...]

Thursday, July 27th / 8:30pm / donation$
“Low End Theories”
an evening of solid solo bass w/
C.J. Boyd
Jeffrey Roden
Orlando Greenhill
info:
C.J. Boyd will tell you “Good music is like a good community, a convergence of all the influences and sources of inspiration, coalescing into a cohesive new expression.”
www.cjboyd.com
Jeffrey Roden describes it best himself: “It is densely beautiful, stark, [...]

Jamie Hammel-Russom 
Floating Shift   
Mixed Media
 

June 24 - August 22 
Opening Reception July 29, 6 to 10pm
w/ an acoustic set by VAVAK @ 9pm 
info: 
Equally balanced with current forward thinking trends and his origins of eclectic gritty-beach soul, VAVAK is finding a niche within the diverse sounds of Long Beach, California. From the city that gave us Snoop Dogg, [...]

Saturday, June 3rd // 8:30pm // donation$

check out a sample .mp3 file here
The Unmentionables
Noah Philips, guitar Kris Tiner, trumpet
Nathan Hubbard, percussion +
Drumolin Tom Swafford, violin
Matt Crane, drums

Thomas Lee Bakofsky
Thirty-two Ounces
Mixed Media

May 27 – June 20
Opening Reception May 27, 6 to 10pm
::light refreshments and DJ ::

More on the artist at: www.bakofsky.com

“this show is comprised of musicians who are interested in taking new adventures into soul, hip hop, and indie rock. be there or be square.”

Free Moral Agents is Ikey, Mendee & Dennis plus Ryan, Reid and Jesse of Luke Warm Quartet. Together their approach to music is creating an avant guard jazz [...]

Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page puts the campaign in Newark into context with what is going on across the country. Find out why Cory Booker, Barak Obama and other younger leaders look like signs of the changing times. MORE

Join {open} SATURDAY NIGHT for Popcorn & Politics!
{open} is screening the Academy-Award nominated documentary STREET FIGHT.
(see below [...]

Two events are happening this Saturday night at {open} … so come spend Earth Night with us!
Saturday, April 22 starting at 6pm!
First up is a closing reception for artist Mike Foss’ abstract show “textures” … from 6 to 8pm in the front rooms.

And a unique event in the kitchen starting at 7pm …

Renaissance producer Farshad [...]

hello! if you’re seeing this post, it’s because you have come while we are futzing around with the next stage of thestoryofopen.com.
we are experiementing with ways to make is easier to keep you up to date on all things {open}.
come see our current show featuring illustrative work by margie darrow-stretz (margiemargie.com).