Some Quick Hits

Content, content, content. It's been a hectic couple of weeks so I haven't been as active as I had hoped. Going forward, the goal is to post a couple of times a week, giving you the best date ideas I can glean. Some will be road tested, some will be things that I think might make for a great outing, but can't get to with my love.

I'll be writing soon about a couple of Hollywood tours Kim and I have done the last couple of weekends. In the meantime, here's a few quick hits:

MUSE/IQUE

One of our newest discoveries is MUSE/IQUE, which describes themselves as "Pasadena's counter-conventional orchestra." Among MUSE/IQUE's offerings is its "Uncorked" series, performances held in unusual locales.

Kim and I went to the series opener, a selection of songs from the Beatles White Album. The show was held in the Rose Palace, one of the buildings where Rose Parade floats are under construction. The show featured Kevin McHale, Artie of TV's Glee (the lad really can sing). It was a pretty solid show.

I bring this up because Goldstar has discount tickets for the next entry in the Uncorked series, "Girl/Band," which will be held Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Avon Distribution Center, 2940 East Foothill Blvd. Tickets are $50 each, but Goldstar has them for $20 (with their fees, it'll be closer to $25). From what we saw of the series opener, that's a good value for your entertainment dollar.

The program for "Girl/Band" will open with a screening of the documentary "Girls in the Band," directed by Judy Chaikin. The documentary traces the history of all-girl bands from the 1930s through present day, exposing sexism and racism faced by the women who have broken through primarily male music bastions.

A performance by "fiery female jazz musicians" will cap the program.

A New tool

While we were at MUSE/IQUE, one of the women at our table told us about the website performingartslive.com. One of the nice features about this site are the filters, allowing you to search for free events, events in particular regions, and events by date or date range.

I did a search for free events in Los Angeles County for the date range of Oct. 19 through Oct. 31 and got over 40 items. If you have any interest in the performing arts, this site needs to be in your date toolbox.

New Date for a Couple of Our Favorites

Histo-tainer Charles Phoenix has a new batch of dates, both for his architecture show and for his annual holiday show. Kim and I highly recommend both shows. Check out my post on Sept. 13 “Villains, Charles, and Becoming L.A.” if you want to get more of a feel of the events.
Charles has two dates for the L.A. Architecture:

- Nov. 10, 3 p.m. at the Mudd Theater, 1325 College Avenue, Claremont. Tickets are $35 and $40.
- Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. at the Art Center College, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena. Tickets are $25 and $30.
Charles has three dates L.A. and Riverside counties for his holiday show:
- Dec 1 at 7 pm at the Mission Inn Foundation, 3696 Main Street, Riverside. Tix are $29. Kim and I are eyeing this one. We’re thinking of combining this with a visit to the nearby Mission Inn to see their annual Festival of Lights.
- Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Art Theater of Long Beach, 2025 East Fourth Street. Tickets are $25.
- Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Curtis Theater,1 Civic Center Drive, Brea. Tickets are $21 to $30.

Vaud and the Villains have two shows listed for November – The 2nd, at Harvelles, 201 East Broadway, Long Beach and Nov. 27 at Fais Do Do, 5253, West Adams in Los Angeles. Tickets are $20 for those who don’t mind standing and $25 for those who want a chair. Go. Dance. Be joyful, people.