Stepping Up, a multimedia art exhibit about rising up to meet challenges, opens officially to the public with an artist reception on Friday, June 22, 2012 in the Rampart Village office of the United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW), west of Downtown Los Angeles.  The brightly colored, primarily figurative exhibition features works by artists such as Oscar Magallanes, Keba Konte, and Paul Barron.  Stepping Up is the newest gallery installation by ULTCW, which is part of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The artist reception, which features a DJ, light refreshments, and exhibition artists in attendance, will run from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.  The ULTCW offices are located at 2910 Beverly Blvd. 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057 (877-698-5829).

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Town & Country, the brainchild of singer/frontman Rob Shapiro and songwriter/producer Brian Woodbury will bring its expansive Americana to the M Bar for an album release show on Thursday, June 28, 2012.  Says Shapiro, “We think country music belongs to the whole of the country, not just one region or one politics.” Woodbury adds, “We’re inspired by the great storytellers of [Nashville’s] Music Row, but we come at it from a more left coast perspective.”  Town and Country’s set will begin at 10:00pm.  They will be joined by the illustrious songwriter (and KPFK “The Music Never Stops” host) Mr. Smolin (9:00pm) and Gwendolyn (11:00pm) and her new-fangled country band, another left-field Americana combo.  M Bar is located at 1253 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90038 (323-856-0036; www.mbaronline.com).  Admission is $5.  For more information please visit www.TownandCountryBand.com.

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The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound (SASSAS), is pleased to announce its 12th year of concerts and events in Los Angeles. This year’s summer calendar features Blast! [9], the annual SASSAS garden party and fundraiser, which returns for a second year to Malibu, CA on Sunday, June 10, 2012, with food, beverages, a silent auction featuring works by several artists included in Made in L.A. 2012 and live music from 4:00 to 8:00pm. In addition to Blast!, the upcoming SASSAS 2012 schedule also features the sound. concert series, soundShoppe and the third year of its exclusive Listening Party dinners. Tickets for Blast! [9] are $50 and can be purchased at http://www.sassas.org/blast. Read the rest of this entry »

Vox Femina Los Angeles concludes its 15th anniversary season with Celebrating the Muse, a summer concert celebration of the music that has inspired Vox throughout its 15 years on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Zipper Concert Hall in the Colburn School of Music.  On this momentous occasion, Vox Femina looks back at special songs from its very first concert, commissions by composers who have influenced them, and the guest performers who have shared the stage with them.  Singer alumni will be joining the festivities as well as special guest performer, singer/song-writer, Cris Williamson.  The performance starts at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25-30 during presale, $35 at the door. Group rates are also available.

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The Rock Bottom Remainders, the all-author rock band with Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan and Matt Groening among its members, will hold their last public concert, after performing together for 20 years, at the El Rey Theatre on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 8:30pm. The show is part of the band’s final two-city The Past Our Bedtime Tour, which also includes an appearance not open to the public at the American Library Association Conference in Anaheim on the same weekend.  The entire band is together for the first time since 2007.  Roger McGuinn, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for The Byrds, will also join as a musical guest.  Proceeds will benefit literary causes.
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Dance Camera West, in association with Grand Performances and the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), presents the Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long at California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 7:45pm.  In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dirty Dancing, this free event will feature a pre-show salsa lesson led by members of the Los Angeles urban Latin dance troupe CONTRA-TIEMPO, followed by a screening of the classic coming of age tale, widely considered one of the best dance films of all time.  Simultaneously onstage, CONTRA-TIEMPO will also act as a “shadow cast” during the film’s key dance sequences.  This pre-festival event ushers in the 11th annual Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival, which takes place from Thursday, June 28 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 in Los Angeles at LACMA and the Hammer Museum.

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Docurama Films is pleased to announce that Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, a feature-length documentary, directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), will debut on DVD and standard digital platforms on June 12, 2012, following a festival premiere and nationwide theatrical release. The 2012 film chronicles the legendary Joffrey Ballet from its humble beginnings touring the country in a borrowed station wagon to becoming one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballet companies.  Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mandy Patinkin, the documentary takes a look at this groundbreaking cultural treasure, known as the first truly American dance company.  Included on the single DVD is the 82-minute documentary film; a 12-page collectible booklet; full dress rehearsal of The Green Table ballet; “making of” featurette; deleted scenes (including one on the making of Robert Altman’s film The Company); French, Spanish and German subtitles.

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Live Talks Los Angeles, which produces talks with great speakers, will once again bring a roster of A-list personalities to the Aero Theatre, Track 16, and UCLA’s Fowler Museum in the coming months.  The schedule includes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman, of the Allman Brothers Band, who will speak about the highs and lows of his legendary life (5/15, Aero), Hollywood Creative Force Garry Marshall, who will discuss My Happy Days in Hollywood (5/23, Aero), and National Book Award and Oscar-Winning Writer John Irving, who will talk about his upcoming novel, In One Person (6/21, Aero).  Most events start at 8:00pm with receptions preceding the talks.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $95.

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Angel City Chorale, L.A.’s hometown choir, presents the voices and music of Los Angeles in two not-to-be missed performances on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, 2012.  Angels Over L.A.: An L.A. Story features local composers and sounds, from the acknowledged mastery of Morten Lauridsen to a world premiere from up-and-coming young composer Philip White.  The award-winning songwriting of T Bone Burnett, the acclaimed eclecticism of David O, and even the classic sounds of the Beach Boys find their way into the story.  Inspired by everything from Hollywood soundtracks and videogame scores to the Bhagavad Gita, Angels Over L.A. is a unique Los Angeles story with something for everyone, as inclusive and vibrant as the city we love.  The concerts, starting at 7:00pm on both nights, will take place at Wilshire United Methodist Church, which is located at 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010.

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Dance Camera West’s (DCW) 11th annual Dance Media Film Festival opens at LACMA with the screening of its highly anticipated shorts program, which will include special guests (TBD) on Thursday, June 28, 2012. The next day, Friday, June 29, also at LACMA, DCW pays tribute to Soul Train with a screening of the 90-minute documentary Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America with special guest Jody Watley, as well as a longer shorts program.  The festival closes on Saturday, June 30, 2012 with a documentary program at The Hammer Museum.

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