The Huron SubStation, a historic 1906 Los Angeles trolley power station, recently launched its first line of candles under the helm of Manifest Destiny. The line, unique in concept, aromatics and visuals, creates its own genre within the candle market. Created by SubStation owner, Meike Kopp, the line debuts with a series of luxurious candles, each memorializing a time in history with an antique image and a vintage scent. The line utilizes such striking images as lost photos found in the attic to civil war daguerreotypes, pairing them with hauntingly evocative scents such as cognac, burning birch, and pouch tobacco. Adding yet another dimension to the line, the antique images on each of the candles inspires the creation of a character that is immersed in a mysterious fable. Written by Kopp, a teaser of the fable accompanies each candle and the fable in its entirety can be found on Manifest Destiny’s site www.manifestdestinyline.com.

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Photo credit Aaron Gautchi

When Lucent Dossier Experience started their new artist residency in the heart of Hollywood last month, they were presented with an unusual challenge: the h.wood space they now inhabit on Wednesday nights is a series of small, den-like chambers without a large, conventional stage. While this could have been a liability, the inventive troupe rose to the occasion by reconfiguring their show, conceptually transforming h.wood’s labyrinth of rooms into a modern day cabinet of human curiosities. Wednesdays through December 23, 2009, Lucent Dossier Experience opens h.wood’s doors every week at 8:00 p.m. with the troupe’s tantalizing performances from 9:00 p.m. to midnight, and DJs/dancing continuing until 2:00 a.m. The residency runs through December, culminating with their Orphan’s Ball on December 23rd which benefits Cuddle The World, Lucent’s charity project for disadvantaged children. Read the rest of this entry »

Los Angeles-based humanitarian organization NextAid offers three “green” holiday giving options that benefit African children in need. All three philanthropic gifts are perfect for those who want their holiday giving to mean a bit more:
1.) Funk Aid for Africa, a critically acclaimed CD mix of funky goodness released by Dubspot
2.) MUD Cares Palette of Eye Colors – earthy eye shadows by Make-Up Designory (MUD)
3.) NextAid’s “Send a Child to School” program

Proceeds from all three gifts support NextAid’s work to create sustainable solutions for African children orphaned by AIDS. For more information on NextAid, please visit http://www.nextaid.org. Read the rest of this entry »

Pioneering interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal, 83, is set to release her long-awaited book, The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing! DbD, or “Doing by Doing” describes her signature method of teaching improvisational theater. In the 130-page book, the Obie winning performer explores improvisational theater and its relationship to life, offering a blow-by-blow account of what happens in her 34-hour DbD weekend intensive workshops (currently still happening on a bi-annual basis in Los Angeles). This mix of memoir, teaching manual, and manifesto was edited by Kate Noonan and is set for US release in December 2009 by Routledge. Read the rest of this entry »

Arts organization Create:Fixate will host Infinity, its eight-year anniversary show, on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. The art exhibit (and beyond), featuring over forty top local artists, DJs, and musicians will fill the Premiere Events Center (PEC) in downtown LA with vibrant artwork and music.
In all, the night will offer work in a plethora of media including painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, fashion, jewelry, and video projection. Premiere Events Center is located at 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021. Read the rest of this entry »

graphic design by Rafael Picco - http://rfpgraphics.com

Humanitarian organization NextAid presents its second annual World AIDS Day 2009 benefit event in Los Angeles on Tue. Dec. 1, 2009. The L.A. event is part of NextAid’s multi-date/multi-city fundraising campaign that kicks off in San Francisco on Wed. Nov. 25th and continues across the land until Dec. 31st. The swanky affair will take place at film director Chris Paine’s Marrakesh House located on a scenic hillside in Culver City. Entertainment for the big LA benefit will include Louie Vega, DJ Rap, Turntables on the Hudson with DJ Nickodemus and Nappy G with a Brazilian drum troupe plus Todd Simon on trumpet, Marques Wyatt, and Raul Campos along with comedians Ben Morrison, Ben Gleib, and Whitney Cummings. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Phil Holland

After a long summer on the road, the critically acclaimed Lucent Dossier Experience, an otherworldly circus-style spectacle, brings their mystical revelry back to Los Angeles for a brand new weekly artist residency at industrial vintage club space h.wood in the heart of Hollywood. Premiering Wednesday, November 11, 2009, Lucent Dossier Experience’s Gateway 11.11 opens its doors every week at 8:00 p.m. with the troupe’s tantalizing performances from 9:00 p.m. to midnight, and DJs/dancing continuing until 2:00 a.m. Having traveled the high seas and highways, making stops in Tokyo, Korea, Portugal, Central America, England, Ireland, and across the United States over the past two years, this carnival of curiosities returns home to Los Angeles to take up their new residency through the end of 2009, if not beyond. Admission is $15. h.wood (formerly the Stork Lounge) is located at 1738 N. Orange, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel Rosenthal photo by Michael Childers

Los Angeles’ own living legend Rachel Rosenthal has a lot to celebrate this November! The interdisciplinary performer, animal activist, master teacher, and iconic artist will be honored on Saturday, November 7, 2009, with the cultural event of the year – “Rachel Rosenthal’s Birthday Bash 83.” From 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., Track 16 Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California will host the occasion, which will celebrate Rosenthal’s 83rd birthday, the release of her upcoming book The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What it’s Doing!, and will announce her Company’s new performance troupe, TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble. In honor of the 83 years Rosenthal has spent on the planet, the event will feature an exhibit and silent art auction of the highest caliber. The auction will include 83 artist works in a diverse range of media by exceptional established and emerging artists including a number of art world legends such as John Baldessari, Mike Kelley and Robert Rauschenberg*. Admission will cost $25. Tickets will be available online through Rosenthal’s site and at the door on the night of the event. Track 16 Gallery is located at 2525 Michigan Ave. Building C1, Santa Monica, CA 90404.

Also coming up for Ms. Roshenthal…
– Dec. – the US release of her new book (The DbD Experience by Routledge)
– Feb. – the debut of her new theater ensemble (Rachel Rosenthal Company’s TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble) 2/19 – 2/21/10
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Indie Collective Gallery is pleased to present “Everyday Plagues,” an exhibition of new works on paper and objects by artist Susan Arena. Arena’s latest work reveals the underlying anxiety present in everyday life and relationships. Influenced by an obsession with folk art (of early American, Egyptian, Latin American and Indian), Arena uses non “monumental” materials such as handmade paper, bits of cast-off clothing, wallpaper and textiles. And, like folk art, her work feels simultaneously sophisticated and naïve – possessing a direct power and charm in material and message. This solo show takes place at the intimate gallery space named after designer Gülbin Yavuz’s Indie Collective line, located in the heart of Culver City’s arts district at 6039a Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. Enjoy wine and appetizers at an opening night reception with the artist on Saturday December 5, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 p.m. The exhibit will run through January 15, 2010.
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Pi's 4th album

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Pi is set to release her fourth album, Fire Horse Girl, through indie label TCC Music on October 13, 2009. Collaborating with veteran producer/ engineer Randy Wine (U2, Bruce Springsteen), Fire Horse Girl evokes the whispers of great 70’s singer-songwriters, yet its approach and lyrics are completely fresh. With over 40 film and TV placements, Pi – a smoky alto – has been heard on such networks as MTV, Oxygen, and Nickelodeon. To celebrate the new release, Pi will embark on a mini bi-coastal tour this fall. She’ll perform in NYC on September 23rd and has three California dates scheduled in October: Ventura – 10/3, S.F. – 10/10, L.A. – 10/17. Read the rest of this entry »