{open}

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.

sept 2 // 8pm // $5

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)

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.”

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.

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

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

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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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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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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!

3rdThurs

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

Bavab Bavab
+
Actuary
+
Ain Soph Aur

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.

Ross Hammond Trio
+
G.E. Stinson

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

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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

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.

{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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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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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.

Thursday, March 18 // 8pm // $3

{open}’s monthly multi-media series.

8pm // $3

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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[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

{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

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.

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.”

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

{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!

{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 »

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!)

{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 »

{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

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

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.

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.

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!).

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))

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

Saturday, June 3^rd // 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

"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.

~~~

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 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