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Dec 15: Joyride – An Evening with Mia Burk

12/12/2011

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 Beach just a short trip to {open}  on 4th Street’s “Retro Row.”

6-6:30 pm Appetizers & Mingling

6:30-7:30 pm Mia’s talk followed by questions

7:30-8:00 pm – More mingling! Joyride will be available to purchase and Mia will sign your copy!

If it rains the event, the event will start at {open}.

This event is free for “basic” members of “Women On Bikes SoCal” or “basic” members of Bikeable Communities, and $10 for all others. To purchase ticket visit: www.womenonbikessocal.org/mia-birk-event-dec-2011

Bikestation is located at: 1st Street Transit Mall at Promenade Park 223 East 1st St Long Beach, CA 90802 Tel. (562) 436-2453 (there is a public parking lot immediately east of the building)

Bikestation is offering free bike valet at {open}!

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Nov 13: Patchwork Culver City

10/25/2011

patchwork long beach

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Nov 6: Patchwork Long Beach

10/25/2011

patchwork long beach

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Oct 30: AIM FOR THE HEAD Write Bloody’s Zombie Book Release Party

10/25/2011

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!

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Sept 23: Mild Pack of Canaries w/ Stephen Steinbrink

08/28/2011


sept 23 // 8pm // $5

Fresh from their win at the Buskerfest, Wild Pack of Canaries will be bringing their infectious rhythms and grooves to {open}, with a stripped down, almost-acoustic version of themselves. Hence the new name, Mild Pack of Canaries.

Plus we are very proud to present Stephen Steinbrink from AZ. Check out some of his tunes here.

Special  thanks to Mountain Man Records for helping present this fine evening of music.
This show is not to be missed. See you there.

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Sept 2: Korey Dane w/ Sam Outlaw + Brian John Appleby

06/28/2011



sept 2 // 8pm // $5

Performances from
& Brian John Appleby (Seattle)
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July 21: 3rdThurs – “World Listening Day” SCSE performance

06/28/2011

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:
Listen and view media from previous SCSE performances here:

In honor of World Listening Day, the Southern California Soundscape Ensemble (SCSE) will perform a live, improvised soundscape using unprocessed field recordings (with a particular focus on Southern California locations) as part of the 3rd Thursday series, July 21, 2011, 8 PM, {open}, 2226 E. 4th Street (at Junipero), Long Beach, CA. In addition to the concert, Southern California Sound Ecology will convene a listening salon featuring selected field recordings from Southern California.

SCSE: Glenn Bach, Alicia Byer, j.frede, shea M gauer, Philip Mantione, Jorge Martin, Alan Nakagawa, Joseph Richard Negro, Jasmine Orpilla, Albert Ortega, scott A peterson, Michael Raco-Rands, and Marco Schindelmann.

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July 30: Last Saturdays on 4th art reception

06/28/2011
july 30 // 6-8pm // FREE
Last Saturday on 4th – details at www.4thstreetlongbeach.com
Opening reception for {open}’s new art show.
Details TBA.
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Aug 13: The Blank Tapes & Pageants performance

06/27/2011

aug 13 // 8pm // $5

{open} proudly presents the return of a veteran to our stage, Matt Adams and The Blank Tapes.

and don’t miss the opening set by Pageants (featuring ex-Avi Buffalo member Rebecca Coleman)

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July 23: Blaine Fontana book release event

06/24/2011

Event begins at 7pm. Stay tuned for more details.

Join us in welcoming back our great friend and amazing artist, Mr. Blaine Fontana, for the book release event for…
AMALGAMATE

From ZERO+ Publishing:

AMALGAMATE surveys the richly detailed, highly imaginative world of Blaine Fontana. Imbuing his vision with the divine symbolism of religious myths, worldly folklore and current social dynamics, his works contain a kind of shamanic exploration of meaning that recognizes the totemic quality and power of the image.

Visit Blaine’s extensive website here:
www.thefontanastudios.com

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May 28: WATCH THIS BOOK: Free Outdoor Screening of “To Kill A Mockingbird”

05/19/2011

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 Luther Burbank Elementary School playground as part of “Last Saturdays,” 4th Street Long Beach‘s monthly neighborhood street event. Come early, enjoy 4th Street’s variety of independent restaurants and stores, visit our artists and exhibitors, and close your night out with a classic film!

The new series will kick off on Saturday, May 28 with a screening of 1962′s “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,” winner of three Academy Awards (Best Actor – Gregory Peck, Best Art Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay), and widely considered to be the very best literary adaptation in cinema history. Guests are invited to bring their own chairs, blankets, picnic baskets – whatever you need to make yourself comfortable to enjoy this beloved classic!

Sorry: no pets, alcohol, or smoking will be permitted on school grounds. In the event of rain, this event will be rescheduled.

ATTENTION ARTISTS AND EXHIBITORS -
It’s not too late to participate in this event!
E-mail Angela at social.roman@gmail.com for information.

Sponsored by Lola’s Mexican Cuisine!
Come hungry – Lola’s will be on hand to keep you fed!

The trailer for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd7NFo9P-fg

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May 19: 3rdThurs featuring the Southern California Soundscape Ensemble

05/19/2011

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 concert using only unprocessed field recordings gathered from places all over the world.

Please join us for an intimate evening of listening and discussion.

Thursday, May 19 || 8pm || $3

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May 21: MERRADY EP Release show with Miniature Houses and Lucky Penny

05/19/2011

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 a video of Merrady here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOKxcBa4M8

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May 15: the {open} room at patchwork indie arts & crfats festival

05/13/2011

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 made it out to a Patchwork yet, well, we’re giving you even more reason this time ’round, with the {open} room … a miniature {open} out in the open, featuring a lovely lil’ lineup of local musicians and authors! Hope to see you there!

Sunday, May 15 • 11am – 5pm
MARINE STADIUM BAYSHORE @ APPIAN WAY Long Beach, CA

the {open} room
featuring acoustic sets from

noon – TreeUnion
facebook.com/treeunion

1pm – Miniature Houses
facebook.com/miniaturehouses

130pm – Alyssandra Nighswonger

3pm – Alicia Murphy
aliciamurphymusic.com

and book readings/signings from

2pm – Cathy of California
Crafter, blogger and author Cathy Callahan will be talking about
and signing her new book, Vintage Craft Workshop.
vintagecraftworkshop.com
cathyofcalifornia.com

4pm – Greggory Moore
Local author Greggory Moore will be reading from
and discussing his debut novel, The Use of Regret. If you haven’t read it,
come hear some of it. If you have read it, come ask Greggory about it!
greggorymoore.com

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June 4: The Write Bloody’s Dirty Dozen Debut Reading

04/27/2011

Saturday, June 4 // 8pm // FREE

Join us for the debut readings from the Write Bloody’s Dirty Dozen writing workshop.

Stay tuned for details!

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April 29: Write Bloody Book Release – Sunset at the Temple of Olives by Paul Suntup

04/9/2011

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 admired Southern California poet and South African native Paul Suntup. Most of the poems in this book were written between 2005 and 2010 and are appearing here for the first time. Poets and reviewers have called the book an “imaginative tour de force,” with poems that “mix the delight and imagination of Brautigan with the stark, absurdist humor of Kafka and Donald Barthelme.” This debut collection is sure to establish Suntup as one of the most gifted and original voices of our generation.

Paul Suntup’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Rattle, Spillway, Artlife, Cider Press Review, ISM and the anthology 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day. After years of being active in the writing community and editing three books of poetry, he is finally releasing his first full-length book of poetry. Originally a native of South Africa, Suntup currently resides in Southern California.

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April 30: Sidewalk Society EP Release (Last Sat on 4th)

04/9/2011

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 cover art and poster by {open}’s own shea M gauer. The record features covers from the classic 60′s psychedelic era and has been receiving some nice attention in the UK and Europe. The trio will perform locally for the first time this year in a semi-acoustic set featuring selections from the EP and their forth-coming long player (8pm). The night will also feature groovy projections, plus DJ Tony the Tyger (Club Satisfaction/Mind Machine) will be spinning some swinging psychedelic sounds before and after the performance (starting at 7pm).

For more on Sidewalk Society, visit sidewalksociety.wordpress.com

Album reviews
A must for lovers of psychedelic pop and rock, Fruits de Mer Vol. 14 is a first-rate way to finish 2010 and one of the strongest FdM releases of the year.” — Head Full of Snow“One of the standout bands from the patchy ‘A Phase We’re Going Through’, they’ve got a really deep, rich authentic sound which sounds vibrant & spacious without compromising the strongly hazy psychedelic feel of the original songs.”— Norman Records

Sidewalk Society turns this rare, atmospheric treasure (in the first place) into rather orchestrated, amazing version that has for example piano and Mellotron sounds that touch your soul and bring to mind The Moody Blues during their prime. Also the vocals are just brilliant. This stuff sounds so good!”— Psychotropic Zone

Not content with having dazzled us with their take on The Bee Gee’s ‘Red Chair, Fade Away’, on A Phase We’re Going Through, the fearless trio have decided to further disorient us with authentically-realized romps through The Stones’ ‘Dandelion’, Small Faces’ ‘(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me’, The Kinks’ ‘Lazy Old Sun’ and – possibly the best executed track here – The Remo Four’s ‘In The First Place’.”— Shindig!

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April 23: Launch party for AIOP magazine and hom[ep]rarie EP

04/9/2011

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)

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Mar 26 – July 17: Ashes in Orange Peels “Predator Instinct”

03/9/2011

Predator Instinct
new works on wood by Ashes in Orange Peels (Suzanne Walsh)
March 26 – June 17

March 26 – opening reception
7 – 9 pm // FREE
featuring a live performance by Will Morrison of the Vacuum Bell

April 23
AIOP issue one magazine and special edition hom[ep]rairie EP launch
reception 7 – 9
featuring Joy Shannon and Will Morrison performing the EP in its entirety
copies of the magazine and the EP will be available for sale
sale price: $15

Get details on Ashes in Orange Peels here: ashesinorangepeels.blogspot.com

ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist, I am obsessed with contradictions stemming from a childhood between Europe and the East Coast and a suburban life in Orange County, California. First to Geneva, then Prague where we stayed in a small apartment (within what used to be my grandfather’s family home before Communism), and then back to backyard camping with the girl scout troop in a sea of pink homes that all looked the same. Always trying to integrate, always trying to fit in and feeling much like a hybrid of several different and often times opposing cultures and environments, my ability to draw became the great bonding agent with which I could communicate in all areas of my life.

The series Predator Instinct deals directly with identity confusion. Growing up in Southern California we are, almost to a one, products of parents who at some point were chasing or actively living a dream life. Whether they achieved what they had hoped for or not, the erratic nature of dream chasing is what we are accustomed to and therefore attempt to seek out ourselves, with mixed results. The animals in these works are all hybrids from common animals found on all continents. wolf/coyote/fox, deer/rabbit/mouse. The environments are multi-layered with full desert scenes existing beneath blankets of fur-like snow. My hope was to convey a highly aesthetic truth as to how it really feels to grow up here, each painting a knowing wink to the joy and the panic of being both predator and prey in one.

As an added bonus. my friend Joy Shannon, herself an Irish/SoCal hybrid, offered to compose a series of music inspired by the themes behind my work. She asked fellow musicians Will Morrison, Sean Wallace and Mark Sheppard to join her and the result is a deeply lyrical and witty series of songs that are as harmonious as they are strangely schizophrenic. I was so moved by the collaboration, that I decided to produce the record now entitled hom[ep]rairie. It will be available on itunes on April 16th as well as included as a download in the first ever issue of Ashes In Orange Peels magazine, also set to release on the 16th.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ashes in Orange Peels has evolved into a creative think-tank dedicated to making connections between galleries, visual artists, musicians and non-profits in order to directly affect the functionality and sustainability of the arts as a whole.

AIOP began as a name and a kind of shield behind which artist Suzanne Walsh hid as she littered the world with re-purposed typewriters, bikes and other various “reclaimed sculpture” leaving her mark by abandoning her work in cities from Prague to New York to Los Angeles.

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Mar 19: Book Release Party for Greggory Moore’s “The Use of Regret”

03/9/2011

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 Child will take to the turntables.


About The Use of Regret
The sudden death of Perry Gregson’s chronically ill little sister impels him to return from a semester abroad in Amsterdam to Southern California, his newfound emotional growth stunted by guilt and the parental modeling from which he had just begun to break free. Years later at the University of Washington, he reconnects with his Amsterdam girlfriend, though his failure to have developed a capacity for true intimacy dooms their love. Eventually obtaining a Ph.D. in philosophy and a history professorship, he enters into a relationship with a student, wherein the insidious patterns of Perry’s life continue to play out, even as her adoration of Pink Floyd and ways of coping with his existential doubt offer him escape from his cell of self.

The intricately interconnected 100+ sections of The Use of Regret are a (re)collection of Perry’s life formed by Perry himself as truths and fictions and fantasies in (to quote a seminal mind theorist within the novel) “an imaginative reconstruction, or construction, built out of the relation of our attitude towards a whole active mass of organized past reactions or experience.” With a substratum of meditations on the paradoxical unions of singularity and plurality, separateness and togetherness, language and the non-linguistic, The Use of Regret is Perry’s attempt to find within a life already lived, a life in which (as The Cure sang during his childhood) “no one ever knows or loves another,” a means to connect with the already-lost, “to atone, to make amends, pay tribute to your failures, you can’t really make restitution but you do your best, put in the effort anyway, willingly, that’s how you want to be now, no regrets, no regrets.”

About Greggory Moore
You might have seen his work in The District Weekly, the OC Weekly, L.A. Record, LBReport, the Gazette newspapers or the Los Angeles Times. You can read his theatre reviews on GreaterLongBeach.com and his column “No Destination” on LBPost.com. Sometimes you can find him at {open} helping out on either side of the counter. He’s probably at Portfolio right now.

For novel samples and more, greggorymoore.com.

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Mar 11: All the Pennies Wishes Bring Live at the Dark Room

03/9/2011

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

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April 25: Book release party for Marie-Elizabeth Mali’s ‘Steady, My Gaze’

02/23/2011

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 in New York City. Before receiving her MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, she practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her work has appeared in Calyx, Poet Lore, and RATTLE, among others.

Read an interview with Marie-Elizabeth here.

Check out a video trailer for the book here.

Check out a video of Marie-Elizabeth reading her poem “A History of My Body” here.

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Feb 3: The Whirlwind Company Tour Launch Show and Partay!

02/2/2011

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!

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Jan 28: Release party for Idris Goodwin’s For These Are The Breaks

01/10/2011

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!

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Feb 12: CJ Boyd + Chris Schlarb

01/9/2011

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 are garnished with harmonica drones and constant improvisational exploration. This is deep-sea-diving for the hungry and alone. While certainly following in the footstep of great bassists like Mingus and Meyer, Boyd’s aesthetic sensibility also seeks to wed the minimalism of Reich and Glass with what might be called the maximalism of Beethoven chamber music. But all this is further complicated by the presence of Boyd’s improvisational prowess. Not funky, not a bassplayer’s bassplayer exactly, but something refreshing and impressive-improvising with fingers that only know how to dance to the deepest tunes. One thinks Nietzsche might have had CJ in mind when he said, “Maturity consists in regaining the seriousness one had as a child at play.” This is childsplay for the experienced listener.

About Chris Shlarb
Chris Schlarb is a musician, composer and producer based in Long Beach, California. His debut solo album, Twilight & Ghost Stories, was critically hailed as both, “40 minutes of avant-garde bliss” by the New York Observer and as “a monumental achievement” by FFWD Weekly. His follow up album, Interoceans, with experimental jazz duo I Heart Lung, was chosen by National Public Radio as one of the Top 5 Jazz albums of the year in 2008.

A unique composer utilizing a wide range textures, instruments, and techniques, Chris Schlarb has scored music for film, television and video games. In 2009, Chris and Swedish game designer Nifflas collaborated on the video game NightSky for the Nintendo Wii. Chris composed over 45 minutes of original music for NightSky which was nominated for the Independent Game Festival’s Seumas McNally Grand Prize. BoingBoing went on to describe the soundtrack to NightSky as “What Game Music Can Be”.

As a musician and producer Chris has collaborated with Mike Watt, Sufjan Stevens, Nels Cline (of Wilco), Mick Rossi (of The Philip Glass Ensemble), Dave Longstreth (of Dirty Projectors), Dave Easley (of The Brian Blade Fellowship), Ikey Owens (of The Mars Volta), Daedelus, drummer Chad Taylor (of Chicago Underground Duo and Iron & Wine), Busdriver, Kris Tiner, singer/songwriter Diane Cluck, bassist Steuart Liebig, The Weird Weeds, Rare Grooves, instrument maker Walter Kitundu, Soul-Junk, Roberto Carlos Lange (of Savath & Savalas), and DM Stith.

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Jan 29: Opening art reception for “Bookish” by Amy Thompson

01/9/2011

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 of things. These are meant to be her inner world, her private menagerie.

About Amy Thompson
Amy is an art director, illustrator and mixed media artist currently dividing her time between Portland OR and Ottawa ON. She has created illustrations for magazines, book covers, and calendars. Recently, she contributed to a t-shirt line in South Korea and created album artwork for Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans. Her artwork has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Berlin and has been featured in the pages of AU Agenda (Spain) and Vogue Girl (Korea).

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Jan 22: Entasis Journal: Faustian Falls release party

01/9/2011

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

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Jan 20: 3rdThurs, curated by Glenn Bach

01/9/2011

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

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Dec 11: {open}’s anniversary/holiday party!

12/1/2010

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 / So Many Wizards / Lassie Foundation / The Commotions / Light Music / Paper Planes / The Bumpers / Delta Nove / The Woods

also featuring poet Derrick Brown, psychedelic holiday spins by Dr. Frederick Phases & DJ Yé Yé and special guests.

So come down and help us celebrate with music, poetry and lots and lots of books!

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Dec 7: Tequila Tales: A Reading

12/1/2010

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 are delightful.

Authors include: RD Armstrong, John Brantingham, Philip Daughtry, J. Grass, Mary Ann Heimann, Millie Johanna Heur, Gary Keith, Ken Kuhlken, Gerald Locklin and more …

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Dec 4: UCI MFA Reading

12/1/2010

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!

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Oct 17: A Poetry Extravaganza

09/29/2010

Sunday, October 17 //7-10pm// $5 suggested donation

Featuring Karen Finneyfrock, Mike McGee, Brian Ellis, Jon Sands and Mindy Nettifee.

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Sep 25-Nov 21: Homo Insectus, new work from Andrew Tong

09/29/2010

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 feverishly on some task with such purpose. But as boys will be boys I am somewhat guilty of wielding the dreaded magnifying glass on a hot sunny day incinerating all in my path, a vengeful overlord that I played out on occasion as many thousands of other children have played out before me.
Man has always been arrogant about his role on this planet, oblivious about the damage we inflict on our surroundings, and at such an accelerated pace that it will make our presence here quite brief. The insect world has witnessed many global catastrophes, constantly evolving and adapting to their  ever changing environments always managing to survive.
These paintings are a fractured narrative of our two species surviving together observing one another with many similarities. Our lives are intertwined in many ways both species surviving at all costs both capable of inflicting death and destruction. In many of the paintings the line is blurred between human and inEditsect, who is really in control. Or is it just that I like painting bugs?

- Andrew Tong

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Oct 2: One Dog at a Time: a book signing with author Pen Farthing

09/29/2010

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 animals.

About One Dog at a Time
…”Pen Farthing”, a British Royal Marine, describes his struggles to save stray dogs languishing and dying in the streets of wartorn Afghanistan. Already burdened with the responsibility of overseeing and protecting his 20-man crew of Marines, Farthing becomes consumed with the suffering of the strays and risks his own life to rescue them–he fights with police and risks walking into a Taliban trap to save a dog with a wire noose around its neck, knowing that without his intervention, the dog will starve to death or strangle itself. Soon he finds himself developing plans to save strays from dogfighting, a centuries-old local tradition that usually requires the removal of ears and tails without anesthetic, and adopts a former fighting dog he names Nowzad. Today, Nowzad happily resides in the Farthing household as his owners continue their quest to save thousands of suffering strays. Farthing’s remarkable story will inspire, shock, and move readers, introducing them, perhaps for the first time, to war’s most voiceless and unintentional victims. (Publisher’s Weekly)

About Nowzad
Get details on the “tail” that started the organization here:  http://www.nowzad.com/about/

The charity is mostly run by volunteers with the sole aim of improving the welfare of the animals of Afghanistan; especially the dog population. This aim is to be achieved through education of the local people of Afghanistan. Without their support and understanding then we have no hope. Afghanistan is a country full of potential. The Mayhew Animal Home in London supports a vets training scheme for participants from developing countries and the Nowzad Dogs charity fully supports it. Through the fantastic support of donors to Nowzad Dogs we are continually striving to support the many cries for help we receive from servicemen and women that have against orders taken in a stray puppy or rescued a dog or cat from cruelty.

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Sept. 18: Modest Aspirations with Gerald Locklin + Raindog

09/11/2010

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.

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Sept 11: Brother Cecil, Brown & Blue, Johnny O’Donnell

09/11/2010

Brother Cecil (Jackson, MS)
myspace.com/okashiiblues

Brown & Blue (Long Beach, CA)
myspace.com/brownandblue

Johnny O’Donnell (Los Angeles, CA)
myspace.com/johno39donnell

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Sept 17: an {open} reading room for Parking Day LA

09/8/2010

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!

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August 20: Ben Sollee’s Ditch The Van Tour 2010

08/16/2010

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 Ben Sollee’s Facebook page here: Ben Sollee at {open}

Also featuring Alicia Murphy, http://www.myspace.com/aliciamurphymusic

Fri, Aug 20 // 8pm // $8





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August 8: Wine + Social Networking w/ Rob Gokee

07/24/2010

[singlepic id=216 w=320 h=240 float=left]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 for a discussion with Rob about his book and Twiteriffic experience and Allison Vanore, who will provide some insight into Twittering itself.

PLUS, to help all the twittering to go down easy, Art du Vin will be hosting a mini wine-tasting!

Sunday, August 8 // 4-6pm // free!

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August 7: Dietra Kruschev’s Last Show

07/23/2010

You read that right … it’s Dietra Kruschev’s last show! Come check out their great sound before the final chords!

From LA RECORD:

[singlepic id=215 w=320 h=240 float=left]“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 and spooky Wurlitzer and Farfisa keys (like a Rhodes but not) and xylophone-esque bells and background vocals by Katie then and drummer Ramon who doesn’t play with sticks but rather mallets and a 26 inch vintage kick drum he inherited. Unique indeed. Even though I watched two individuals describe the sound as “funeral music” as they proceeded to leave the building, the band didn’t deny the resemblance; additionally, after discussing these early departers, we all decided that such a comment was a compliment since most avant-garde styles are rarely understood in their time. I suggest seeing the band or at least listening to them once before you die.”

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August 14: 4th Street Sidewalk Sale

07/23/2010

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July 31-Sept 19: DDR Projects presents “Housing Complex”

07/23/2010

{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 our mental image of a house, however our life’s path, circumstantial or chosen, will challenge us to redefine our home. Do we reach this sense of belonging through architecture, community, family, life-style, or personal meditation? Do we live in a home, or does home live in us?
I present two bodies of work in this exhibition. For nearly a year I have been getting to know the homeless community in Long Beach by doing quick charcoal sketches of them while they wait for their turn to take shower at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. These urban cowboys describe their challenge as the “Survival of the Fittest,” and have described home as “an emotional state,” their “soul,” or “the whole earth.” (Lonnie, Curtis and friend – Spring 2010).
Simultaneously, I have been creating small assemblages using a wide variety of reclaimed wood (relating to the architecture of “house”) and small objects/materials that filter daily through our houses, slowly imbuing them with a sense of home. Some of these are made in response to my own thoughts on house and home, while others are made in response to the stories I hear from the homeless community.

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About Hilary Norcliffe

Born in Bristol, England and raised in Canada, Hilary Norcliffe received her MFA from CSULB and now lives and works in Long Beach, exhibtiing extensively in solo, two-person and group show across the region

2010: Handmade Slides and Non-Existent Drawings, A Downtown LA ArtWalk projection at MONA (Museum of Neon Art), Los Angeles, California

2009: Looking Into the Sun, DDR Projects, Long Beach, California

2009: Shock & Awe, Gatov Gallery, CSULB, Long Beach, California

2008: The Audacity of Rope, Marilyn Werby Gallery, CSULB, Long Beach, California. Works on Paper: Here & Now, Brand Library Art Galleries, Glendale, California.

2008: The Nature of Inquiry Part 2, The Loft, San Pedro, California

2007: Me and My Girl, Comer-Taylor Gallery, California State University, Long Beach, California

2007: The Nature of Inquiry, The Loft, San Pedro, California. Works on Paper, Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, California.

2007: Inspiring Change, Space 900, Chicago, Illinois.

2007: Eman On, SCA Project Gallery, Pomona, California.

2007: Darkness and Light, The Armory Center for the Arts, Armory Northwest, Pasadena, California.

2006: Collaborations, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, California.

2006: Metropolis: This Other Eden, SCA Project Gallery, Pomona, California.

2006: Me and My Girl, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Long Beach, California.

2005: Los Angeles Juried Exhibition. Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, California.

2005: Caged, The Armory Center for the Arts, Armory Northwest, Pasadena, California.

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Fridays, July 30-August 27: Hot Water Nights: a summer music series of water + eco consciousness

07/22/2010

FRIDAYS || 8PM

July 30 || August 6 || August 13 || August 20 || August 27

{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!

– According to estimates, demand for freshwater will exceed the world’s supply by over 50 percent in less than 20 years. We need to change. Now. This Problem affects every one of us, and to implement solutions we need help from every one of us. That means rethinking our individual water habits. It also means mobilizing communities and putting the brakes on a system that is hurtling us towards ecological disaster. We cannot continue our current rates of mass consumption and pollution or the increasing commodification of water. We need a new consciousness. We need to change the way we think about water.

From “Water Consciousness” by Tara Lohan –

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FEATURING ALICIA MURPHY
http://www.myspace.com/aliciamurphymusic

+

JULY 30 – PRAYERS FOR ATHEISTS + AQUIFER ($5)
http://www.myspace.com/prayersforatheists
http://www.myspace.com/aquifermusic

AUGUST 6 – THE BLANK TAPES ($5)
http://www.myspace.com/theblanktapes

AUGUST 13 – SCREENING OF “HOME” (FREE)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(2009_film)

AUGUST 20 – BEN SOLLEE ($8)
http://www.myspace.com/bensollee

AUGUST 27 – VERBS + SIRAH ($5)
http://www.myspace.com/verbsisthehomie
http://www.myspace.com/sirahone

—————

ABOUT PRAYERS FOR ATHEISTS (July 30)
From the Denver stop on PFA’s current tour: “Rhode Island’s Prayers for Atheists is a band with incendiary political convictions, the kind that can land dudes in jail. At the 2008 Republican National Convention, vocalist Jared Paul was arbitrarily arrested while covering the convention for quarterly publication The Agenda, and he and the rest of his bandmates have since made it a mission to voice their political frustrations with a fiery Zack De La Rocha-like delivery. On the act’s self-titled debut, Paul tells the story of the RNC arrest on the song “Psalm for St. Paul,” presenting himself as a martyr for the politically frustrated and socially unfulfilled.”

ABOUT AQUIFER (July 30)
Aquifer consists of two vocalists, one sound mixer, a drummer, guitarist, and bassist. These six dudes make up perhaps one of the most musically and lyrically talented group of guys I have ever seen. As I was watching these guys bust out thought-provoking rhymes about real life issues I seriously regretted not telling each and every one of my show-going friends to be there that night, because I knew that telling the story (or writing the words) wouldn’t be enough. One needs to experience Aquifer up close and personal

ABOUT THE BLANK TAPES (August 6)
From a recent show review: With a tight, compact, hippy sound and a pop style arrangements, this five piece band played soothing tunes, like lying around in a daisy filled field. Sweet harmonies, intricate guitar picking, and a happy vibe filled the room …

ABOUT HOME (August 13)
Home is a 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is almost entirely composed of aerial shots of various places on Earth. It shows the diversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the planet.

ABOUT BEN SOLLEE (August 20)
Ben Sollee is a Kentucky-based, genre-bending cellist and vocalist. His album Dear Companion out on Sub Pop now. He is currently on tour across the southern states… on bicycle!

ABOUT VERBS (August 27)
Fmly.com says about VerBS: He has toured with Murs, has who knows how many jams under his belt, kicks it with Professor Calculus, and of course he is a loved member of the FMLY. Spreading the positive hiphop vibes and being an all around chillster …

ABOUT SIRAH (Auguts 27)
From Sirah’s bio: At the age of twelve Sirah started battle rapping. Spoken word was a lovely change of pace, since her voice was hard-hitting and her conviction apparent; however she couldn’t stop there. Sirah spent this summer on Warped Tour, and is now working on her first album, which is as eclectic as she is. The nature of Sirah, which is the instrument that transcribes her music, could best be described as a young woman coming up in New York, with devastation biting at her heels, and the world in cupped palms.

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July 24: Slow Animal + Moses Campbell (7pm!)

07/21/2010

Saturday, July 24 // 7pm // $5

Slow Animal + Moses Campbell + Fort Wife

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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 beach sound without actually going the stereotypical route of having waves and cascading harmonies, a la The Beach Boys or Souxsie Sioux (not really). – Listen Before You Buy

About Moses Campbell – “Teenage wunderkinds Moses Campbell — it’s a six-piece band, not some grizzled folk singer that the name might conjure up — seem to have bottled up the exuberance of youth and the dreariness of aging on one calamitous album. “Who Are You? Who Is Anyone?” (just out on the Smell’s olFactory Records) embraces the present as only kids can but also reinforces the notion that the best way to eye the future is to cast wary glances over one’s shoulder. Singer-guitarist Sean Solomon’s woozy tenor is perfect for such musings, and the sextet (including Pascal Stevenson, Miles Wintner, Daniela Jiminez, Pauline Lay and Andrew MacKelvie) frames them in bursts of unvarnished garage-pop, frayed folk and caffeine-spiked freakouts. You might have heard some of these chords before, but as playdough in the cherubic hands of Moses Campbell, it’s fun to see what shapes they can become.” – BuzzBands L.A.

About Fort Wife – Fort Wife’s songs were sweet and gentle (like pillows!), but not simperingly sweet, and they’re especially good for daydreaming. – OC Weekly

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July 9: Mindy Netifee’s “Rise of the Trust Fall” book release party

06/30/2010

Fri, July 9 // 8pm // free

Join us for the book release party for Mindy Netifee’s

Rise of the Trust Fall

Details coming forthwith …


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June 25: Montucky + David Robison

06/16/2010

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

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June 21: PRISM-index magazine release party

06/16/2010

mon. june 21 // 8pm // $5

PRISM-index Release Party

Performances by: Castanets + Ohioan + Chris Schlarb
Projections and Presentation by PRISM-index editor Jeffrey Bowers.

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June 19: Black Candy book release party

06/16/2010

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!
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May 29 – July 25: The Art of Dave Patten

05/27/2010

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April 23: Sage Francis + Free Moral Agents

04/20/2010

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 // $10

The show is sold out. There will be *no* tickets at the door. If you got a ticket, please check your email for VERY important show details. Thanks!

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June 27: Patchwork Long Beach

04/7/2010

{open} will have a table at this awesome event by the shore!!

see you there!

www.patchworkshow.com

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TBA: Preservation for Drinkers – workshop with Delilah Snell

04/7/2010

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 to take home and LOTS of samples (we recommend you walk or find a ride!). Reserve your spot now! Learn how to make fruit-infused liquor!

$40 per person, RSVP required, includes jars of finished product, drinks during the workshop and recipes/guide


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May 20: 3rdThurs feat. Bavab Bavab + Actuary + Ain Soph Aur

04/7/2010

3rdThurs

Thursday, May 20 // 8pm // $3

Bavab Bavab
+
Actuary
+
Ain Soph Aur

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May 14: Book signing and reading with Abby Dees (part of Long Beach Pride)

04/7/2010

[singlepic id=189 w=320 h=240 float=left]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, who also edited the book!

About Queer Questions Straight Talk: An invitation to talk, honestly and lovingly, about what it really means to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. Get more details here!

May 14 || 7pm || FREE

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May 7: Book signing for Gustavo Arellano’s “¡Ask A Mexican!”

04/7/2010

Cinquo de Gustavo
Book release party for Gustavo Arellano’s “¡Ask A Mexican!

Friday, May 7 // 8pm // FREE

[singlepic id=187 w=320 h=240 float=left]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 citizens and their illegal-immigrant cousins who represent some $600 billion in economic power.

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April 24: Last Sat feat. Ross Hammond Trio + G.E. Stinson

04/7/2010

Ross Hammond Trio
+
G.E. Stinson

Saturday, April 24 // 8pm // $5

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April 15: 3rdThurs feat. The Constant Collection + Peter Kolovos

04/7/2010

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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 months. It is one of the best-known surrealist films of the avant-garde movement of the 1920s. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_Chien_Andalou

“… in New Bodies, his first solo release, Kolovos lets rip with all the skronk and blurt he’s been holding in for the last decade, in tiny, tightly gated segments.” -The Wire, August 2009 – http://www.myspace.com/peterkolovos, http://www.thinwrist.com/

The Constant Collection state their influences to be: “Dense Minimalism, Hysterical Realism, Natural History, Super Nature, Holism, Various Film Composers, Incidental Music/Programme Music, Synesthesia, Sonology, Sound Context, etc.” – http://www.myspace.com/constantcollection

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April 10: Alyssandra and the Daymakers + The Clouds

04/7/2010

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 Lyon’s Art Supply, World of Strings and more. One ticket is $10 and includes admission to the show; additional tickets are $5 each.

The Clouds: a lovely souffle of the enchanting voices of Pam Gartner, Carina Downing, the hypnotising songskills of Jose Serna, mixed deliciously with a diverse instrumentation (flute, melodica, keys, synths).

Alyssandra and the Daymakers: a sweet and salty chex mix of Alyssandra and Ellen’s siren chansons, add Dustin’s upright bass and sprinkle a touch of rhythm from Travis’ brushes. Described once as: “The kind of music that makes you put down your beer and think about your mother.”

About the Long Beach City College Section of the Audio Engineering Society: A group of Audio Engineering, Production and Music students at LBCC, getting together and sharpening their craft and their brains. They will use the funds from this event to put together a piece for the Soundwalk and go on some neat field trips.

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through May 23: Matty Byloos’ “The Mozarteum in Salzberg … “

04/7/2010

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Apr 3: {open}’s 3 Years on 4th + The Ceremony

03/28/2010

{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

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April 17: Bye Bye Byloos: art, words + music

03/28/2010

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

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Mar 20: Boris Smile EP Release Party

03/17/2010

Boris Smile’s “Rockets EP” release party
featuring performances by Boris Smile, Fielding and Korey Dane

Saturday, March 20 // 7:30pm
$5, includes EP

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Check out a video of their song “Apollo” below:

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

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March 2: An Open Mic Tribute to Shel Silverstein

02/27/2010

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 read their faves (and maybe even a bit o’ the play!), plus we’ll have some refreshments to take the edge off!

Please come enjoy an evening of super fun poetry with us!
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Mar 27: Last Saturday

01/25/2010

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

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Mar 18: 3rdThurs feat. Natacha Diels

01/25/2010

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)
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Feb 13: Kevin Staniec of ISM presents I AM. YOU ARE.

01/25/2010

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 YOU ARE to be posted on Valentine’s day.

Featuring performances by
The Dan Reckard Quartet (jazz)
Zak Salazar and the Western Junkyard (indie)

www.ISMcommunity.org/RSVP

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I AM. YOU ARE. follows a series of successful projects including the Untitled Love book and traveling art showcase, the Good Things About America patriotic anthology and poetry tour, and the Instant Gratification, Polaroid 600 Series, tribute exhibition and upcoming instant film book featuring over 200 participating photographers from around the world.

Inspired by the iconic Americana series, Dick and Jane, Staniec’s I AM. YOU ARE. samples the child-like simplicity and purity of these classic reading books while focusing on a contemporary design themed on the grown-up complexities of communication and relationships.

Whether out of boredom or loneliness the book began when author Kevin Staniec decided to list his obvious inadequacies in an attempt to better himself. Somewhere along the way, these fragmented perceptions began to read like poems. He then invited San Francisco based writer Melanie Moore to respond with her opinions and asked Emilio Santoyo, a successful illustrator living in Los Angeles, to add color to their emotions.

The blog was produced as a supplement to inspire people to write and share their emotions. Using an open forum format for guests of all ages to share personal reflections (I AM) or impressions (YOU ARE), they are asked to ‘Think less like a poem and more like a simple sentence or a short statement’. Submissions must be less than 25 words and begin with either I AM or YOU ARE.
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Feb 18: 3rdThurs

01/21/2010

{open}’s monthly multi-media series.

8pm // $3

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through March 31: Last Saturday feat. Michael Wysong’s “Science Fiction”

01/6/2010

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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 space, twisting in on themselves, or introducing an array of kaleidoscopic color.

Science Fiction takes the cosmos as its subject, but the exhibition is far more introspective than galactic. It surveys cosmic space in order to understand personal space, turning expansive images of galaxies and solar systems into intimate reflections of the human psyche.

A subtle thread of personal narrative runs through Science Fiction, prompting the private need for self-revelation to interact with a more gaping human need for order and understanding. Ultimately, Wysong portrays science as unreliable—not as unfounded, but as anxious, abstract, and uncertain, just like life in general. The work in Science Fiction is not melancholic, however. On the contrary, it’s optimistic. It suggests that, even if the ramifications of science elude us, visual explorations, seductively abstract images, playful interfaces, and eloquent rendering of peculiar spaces can bring us closer to understanding the mysteries of our own internal cosmic universes.

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Jan 9: Feed the Feeble EP Release Party

01/6/2010

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.

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Dec 15: Garage Theatre Strikes Back

12/10/2009

The Garage Theater presents an evening of Christmas stories! Plus hot cocoa (with marshmallows).

Tuesday, December 15 | 6:30pm | FREE

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Dec 20: A Greater Christmas

12/10/2009

[singlepic id=44 w=320 h=240 float=left] 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

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Feb 10: Second Tuesdays featuring Alive Theatre

02/3/2009

On the second Tuesday of the month, {open} gets literary, covering issues of interest through discussions, screenings, lectures and performances.

February 10 // 7pm // free: Scenes from all six of the cherry-poppin’ plays plays in Alive Theatre’s Cherry-Poppin’ Play Festival, followed by a discussion with some of the writers and directors.

About the Cherry Poppin Play Festival
Six new plays will have their world premieres in the Royal Theatre aboard the Queen Mary for Alive Theatre’s 2nd Annual Cherry Poppin’ Play Festival,

The three-weekend festival features two new plays and a local band each night. With comedy, drama, tragedy and meta-theatre, there’s be a little somethin’ for everyone (served with a cherry on top).

  • The Adventure Play by Anthony Cretara & Jasper Oliver
  • Under the Great Boobie Hatch by Ryan McClary
  • Squat by Cort Brinkerhoff
  • Public Service by David Lawson
  • The Mother of God Visits Hell by Daniel Guyton
  • The Stratovolcanoe by Aaron Van Geem
  • Get more info on Alive Theatre and the Cherry-Poppin’ Play Festival at alivetheatre.org

    No Comments

    Feb 6: Folk, Folks and Fun

    02/3/2009

    {open} and Outsider Folk present

    Anni Rossi

    Whitman

    Mycroft Holmes

    For a sneak peak, check out The District Weekly’s article on Anni Rossi, Life on a String. They say:

    “For all of the avant-garde and classical influences Rossi carries with her, her talent is obviously in writing pop songs. But because of those influences, her music transcends standard pop into an art that leaves an impression you’ll carry with you long after the last note has been played. She’s unforgettable.”

    Friday, February 6
    7:30pm
    $5

    No Comments

    details on {open}’s art auction

    01/4/2009
    Warning: file_get_contents(http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/api/user/openlongbeach/album/FiveArtAuction?alt=json&start-index=1&max-results=30&thumbsize=144): failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found in /home/accessopen/public_html/wp-content/plugins/altpwa/alt-pwa.php on line 241

    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!

    *Please note* you can view all the pieces below, but all bids must be placed through the auction box. Thanks!

    ( photos)
    1 January 1970

    Note: To see the pictures in the original Picasa album, click here

    1 Comment

    Last Saturday, January 31

    01/4/2009

    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.

    No Comments

    DIY Sundays, February 1

    01/4/2009

    DIY Sundays

    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!

    No Comments

    January’s 3rdThurs

    01/4/2009

    {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 raw audiovisual data collected on location.With a fluctuating roster of touring and local musicians and video artists, the ensemble will sample and manipulate the city’s source material, improvising a completely unrehearsed image stream and soundscape, a one-of-a-kind audiovisual remix of place.

    Ensemble Participants
    Glenn Bach (Long Beach)
    Helga Fassonaki (LA)
    Joseph Negro (Long Beach)
    Jorge Martin (Long Beach)
    Lewis Keller (LA)
    Marco Schindelmann (Long Beach)
    Michael Raco-Rands (Long Beach)
    Noah Thomas (Long Beach)
    Robert Montoya (San Diego)
    Scott A Peterson (Long Beach)
    shea M gauer (Long Beach)

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    Duo + Quartet

    10/29/2008

    We are proud to present a unique pair of performances:

    Duo
    (Andrea Neumann, Sabine Ercklentz)
    +
    Quartet
    (Andrea Neumann, Sabine Ercklentz, Mark Trayle and Ulrich Krieger)

    Saturday, November 1
    8 p.m. • $10

     A bit about the performers:

    Andrea Neumann – piano
    Sabine Ercklentz – trumpet
    “Both musicians reduce – if not ignore – old-fashioned instruments: the piano is no longer merely a piano, and the trumpet is not just a trumpet. Translated into avant-garde vocabulary, both Sabine Ercklentz and Andrea Neumann reveal – literally, technically, structurally and formally – one of the eventual futures of both piano and trumpet by laying these instruments bare.- City of Women, 2006

    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.

    Ercklentz develops sounds on the trumpet which border between normal trumpet tone and noise (extended sounds). Furthering the possibilities of extended sound techniques comes from the use of live-electronics and analog electronics remixed from an independent sound source.

    Mark Trayle – laptop
    Mark works in a variety of media including live electronic music, installations, improvisation, and compositions for chamber ensembles. He performs internationally, including t-u-b-e (Munich), DEAF ’04 (Rotterdam), Resistance Fluctuations (LA), net_condition (ZKM Karlsruhe), Pro Musica Nova, Format5 (Berlin), and Inventionen 2004 (Berlin). “Few musicians go to Mark Trayle’s level of musical and technological extremes.” – Electronic Musicia

    Ulrich Krieger – saxophone
    Ulrich plays contemporary composed and free improvised music. He is also a composer of chamber music and electronic music. His recent focus lies in the experimental fields and fringes of contemporary pop culture, somewhere in the limbo between noise and heavy metal, ambient and silence. (He has also managed to transcribe and arrange Lou Reeds infamous ‘Metal Machine Music’ for classical instruments.)

    Close Lightbox.

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    Duo + Quartet

    10/26/2008

    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 – old-fashioned instruments: the piano is no longer merely a  piano, and the trumpet is not just a trumpet. Translated into  avant-garde vocabulary, both Sabine Ercklentz and Andrea Neumann reveal  – literally, technically, structurally and formally – one of the  eventual futures of both piano and trumpet by laying these instruments bare.”

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    Eugene on Saturday

    10/22/2008

    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 won’t be the only ones gettin’ down every month! So come on down and give our street some love.

    This month, we’re excited to bring you an set by Eugene. His soulful voice and even soulful-er tunes with have you swooning!

    Eugene (w/band) – 8:30pm
    Kory Dane (acoustic) – 7:30pm
    music selections throughout the evening by Fando y Lis – starting at 7pm

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    3rdThurs: Cooper Moore + I Heart Lung

    10/16/2008

    {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 in 1954, working as a music therapist, composing music for plays by a US Poet Laureate, touring the US and Europe with various jazz/rock/instrumentalist ensembles and telling stories under the “storytelling tree” in Brooklyn Park.

    In a 2007 article, Cooper Moore described his own work: “Everything I do is based on the blues. That’s where jazz comes from. You have lots of guys coming out and playing all sorts of things, but they haven’t the got the blues roots in there. That doesn’t mean a thing. You can do anything you want, but you’ve got to stick to the roots.”

    Please note: Due to the travel involved, this 3rdThurs is $5 instead of the usual $3. Please come down and support!

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    Heavy Chamber Music

    10/11/2008

    {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 …

    Read the rest of this post »

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    Radio Silence

    10/7/2008


    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!)

     

     

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    {open}’s fifth anniversary

    10/5/2008

    December 13
    noon to midnight
    free + diy crafts & cupcakes + refreshments


    all day
    be a page in the story of {open}

    noon – 7pm
    make a sock monkey! (while supplies last)

    noon – 8pm
    dublab.com broadcasts live from {open}

    5-5:40pm
    3rdThurs with an INTO INFINITY sound collage
    featuring Frosty, Matthewdavid, Jimmy (Dntel), Ale (Languis) and Professor Cantaloupe

    6:30-7pm
    {open} forum with excerpts from Zeitgeist Addendum

    7pm-midnight
    DIY cupcake bar (while supplies last)

    8pm
    art auction goes live

    8:30pm
    Greater California and the 4th Street Vocal Choir

    9:30pm
    Derrick Brown

    10pm
    Free Moral Agents

    performances by

    • Free Moral Agents – recording their live album, live
    • Greater California & the 4th Street Vocal Choir – sing the lyrics of Greater California and others, a one-night only event
    • Derrick C. Brown – {open}’s poet-warrior laureate
    • dublab.com – broadcasting live from {open}, featuring dublab djs in-house

    the opening of open’s fifth anniversary fundraising art show

    a sampling of {open}’s ongoing events

    • 3rdThurs – {open}’s monthly multimedia series
    • {open} forum – featuring excerpts from zeitgeist
    • DIY Sundays – make your own sock monkey! (all day) then make yourself a cupcake
    1 Comment

    Saturday at {open}

    09/26/2008

    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 raffle for the original Lucky 13 from The Red Zone series

    • performative dj eros sinclair & the persistent resistance

    • plus, FREE special events at shops along 4th Street as part of Last Saturdays on 4th



    Check out Robert’s work on the cover
    of this week’s The District Weekly,
    then check out their review of Transitions

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    3rdThurs: SoundWalk2008 performance night

    09/10/2008

    {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—
    Read the rest of this post »

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    Evening Becomes Acoustic (8pm)

    08/16/2008

    {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)

     

     

    junemadrona
    June Madrona

     

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

    The Year Zero

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    Castledoor EP Release Party

    08/6/2008

    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

     

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    the blank tapes + moe dog darling

    07/30/2008

    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!)

    aug1flyer

    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

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    Music: Foot Foot + PALMS + Lloyd & Michael

    06/8/2008

    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 exciting young bands from the City of Angels.” – Portland Mercury

    Yeah, see, LA is damn lucky city. Even with her clogged freeways, palpable haze and far-flung venues, she can somehow lure some of the brightest artists in the nation to her sunny shores. Case in point, Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs who recently left the Bay Area and long-time project The Finches for us. Well, us and her new solo project PALMS.

    In a recent Ameboa interview, Riggs explained her new sound: “I’m still writing the songs, but playing electric guitar now. Also, I’m recording the songs myself, so there’s more time to mess about. I’m thinking of adding oboe to a few of the new ones.” (We’re not sure if one person could play both the electric guitar and the oboe for a live performance, but here’s hoping!)

    But it’s not just PALMS that was lured by the LA … not long after founding the melodic Dear Nora together in 1999, Kate Davidson and M. Ritchie embarked on “decade of solitary wandering” to explore and expand their personal musical proclivities. But then the two independently arrived on Long Beach’s doorstep (aka LA) to fuse together their into the ear goodness that is Lloyd & Michael.

    But don’t just take our word for it. Take Chris Walla‘s:

    “I always loved Dear Nora. Pretty much without reservation, in fact. But the L&M record is committed and accomplished and badass in a way that Dear Nora rarely was. It’s also floaty and psychedelic and insane in a way Ritchey didn’t quite get to with The Badger King or Manta. It sounds a little bit like a Yes record, complete with birds and mountains, and with some unstoppable pop songs: If ‘When the Morning Comes’ doesn’t melt you then you’re planet Mercury and all hope is lost.” – Chris Walla, 10/14/07

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    3rdThurs: Ain Soph Aur + Deer Tear

    05/11/2008

    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 the debut performance for the 15-year-old. Using spacial drones, piano samples and signal generator tones, DeerTear creates a soundscape that, according to {open} co-owner Shea Gauer, assures him an “avant-future.”

    Also on the evening’s bill is Ain Soph Aur. “Ain Soph Aur,” one of the many Hebrew names for God, translates as “the limitless light.” Fittingly, artists Sander Wolff and Carl Off (of the hop-frog kollectiv) perform along a limitless field of sound and vibration, though one could argue they are best experienced with the lights off.

    “I don’t know if there is a specific intention about expressing something, or an idea,” said Wolff. “It is more about listening, creating a dialog, and allowing the moment to expand.”

    Moments spent in the performance expand with an entire legion of instruments–bells, bowls, banjos, a drone unit–gently and individually played. The sounds from each are then looped, live, into the improvised performance, resulting in the nuanced evolution of the performance itself. Watch a previous performance here or listen to a room recording of their first performance here.

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    April 17: 3rd Thurs

    04/16/2008

    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 member of rough-edged experimental staple Bastard Noise. With Unicorn, WT tangents from that harsher foundation to explore an ambient experimental sound that dances between noise, melody and minimalism.

    Also taking the 3rdThurs stage will be sublamp, the minimalist sound and video project of LA artist Ryan Connor. sublamp’s sound is centered around field recordings, incorporating guitar and sound manipulations. During his set at {open}, sublamp will screen two short films before beginning his visuals-accompanied performance.

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    the {open} 4th st. anniversary with Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2

    04/2/2008

    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 Tapes, who was (yes, singular!) recently praised in (the singular) Rolling Stone.

    Well, we love our new home, so we’re throwing the street a party! The first {open} 4th St. Anniversary will feature Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2. Of course, these guys have already met a whole bunch of times; including last year when they released the album Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2 (from Japan’s Toy’s Factory). And the three will continue to meet, as they’re currently collaborating on the Mattson 2′s next album, which also features Tommy Guerrero, Money Mark, and John McEntire of Tortoise and The Sea and Cake.

    At {open}, Ray Barbee Meets The Mattson 2 will provide a set (or two!) of their soothing, surf-hued blend of lounge and jazz from guitarist Ray Barbee and the impeccably mod Jonathan and Jared Mattson on drums and bass. Joining them, as he often does, will be bassist Aakaash Israni.

    The rest of the evening will belong to DJ Nobody, who, along with sets at web radio collective dublab, will also be releasing an album later this year, as half of the dreamy, groovy Blank Blue.

    In a delightful bonus, the evening will be furnished with refreshments from Bushmills! As such it’s an RSVP-only, 21+ event . There is also extremely limited attendance, so you’ll need to let us know if you want to come (and soon!).

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    the Last Kitchen Show …

    02/2/2007

    last kitchen show flyer

    No Comments

    Book by Authors / LB Art Deco event :: Sunday, Dec. 17th 2-5pm

    12/12/2006

    Book by Authors Long Beach Art Deco

    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 showcases our local talent, helps unveil who we are as a community (both intellectually and experientially) and produces both a learning tool and an inspiring opportunity for our youth.

    **There will be readings by some of the contributers as well as showcasing some of the artwork featured in the book.

    (2pm – 5pm)

    plus

    “Long Beach Art Deco” Book Signing


    Just released by Arcadia Publishing, ‘Long Beach Art Deco’ celebrates, in both word and image, the Long Beach that rose from the rubble of the 1933 earthquake to become a premier Art Deco city. Authors Suzanne Tarbell Cooper and John W. Thomas are board members of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles. J. Christopher Launi is a local photographer with an extensive collection of architectural photographs. In addition to these images, the authors were able to draw upon the archives of the Long Beach Library, the Long Beach Historical Society, and Long Beach Heritage, among others, to present a remarkable look at the Art Deco treasures of this community.

    **Come down and meet the authors and pick up a signed copy of this beautiful book.

    (2pm)

    for more info call:
    562.499.OPEN

     

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    New Sounds for The Brothers Quay

    10/15/2006

    street of crocodiles

    Long Beach based sound artist Glenn Bach will lead an ensemble of musicians in improvising a live soundtrack to a selection of short films by legendary filmmakers The Brothers Quay

    Thursday, October 19th
    8-10pm // donation$

    Scheduled participants include Glenn Bach, Jeremy Drake, Jessica Catron, Albert Ortega, Shea M Gauer, Joe Negro, Scott A Peterson, Michael Raco-Rands, Marco Schindelmann, Jorge Martin and others TBA.

    Enjoy a feast for the senses as the already stimulating Quay films undergo radical
    transformations at the hands of some of the most interesting
    experimental musicians in Southern California.

    ((bring your eyes & ears))

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    “Low End Theories” bass night @{open}

    07/26/2006

    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, and its low tones transmit the vibration and sound of god’s voice; god being perfect goodness, perfect love, perfect silence, perfect beauty, all things expressed with the intent to reveal perfect love, perfect silence, perfect beauty.”
    www.thebigtreemusic.com

    Orlando Greenhill (Create(!), Havalina) says: “I like the low-end sound and the way it mediates between the other instruments. It’s like the instrument negotiates friendships.”
    www.soundsareactive.com

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    Unmentionables & Drumolin @{open}

    05/31/2006

    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

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    Mama’s Gun Club – May 13, 14 @ 5:30pm

    05/13/2006

    "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 hip hop sound that is more passive than active.

    Ray Barbee Mr. Barbee, a pro skater, makes music like he rides his skateboard: he finds his groove and gets all improv and jazzy on you.

    Coaxial w/ Create(!) Hip-hop duo COAXIAL consists of BEEGS ALCHEMY (vocals, programming) and DAVID K (programming, scratching). Create (!) is a free form ensemble consisting of over 50 members since its inception in 1999.

    The Look Daggers Stated as a vanity project with Ikey Owens and 2Mex and turned into a full-blown recording and performance collective bringing together the best of the best musicians around including members of Sexytime Explosion.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ~~~

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    Two Earth Night events at {open}

    04/19/2006

    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.

    :: art by mike foss ::

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

    :: deconstructing farshad flyer ::

    Renaissance producer Farshad Rezai offers a multimedia* talk on his projects, lessons learned and prospects for the future of www.TheInvisibleBox.com
    * digital audio, photos and videos documenting participants of various Southern California art communities
    Works discussed:
    “I Met A Street Physics”
    “Underground Mythology”
    “Dr. Pepper’s Rx1″
    “Yoga Hiphop and the Mind”
    “The Truth”

    Introduction: Dorothy J Burk “On the Self & the Artistic Gaze”
    Guest Musical Performer: Shane Gooding

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