LOS ANGELES
TORO Y MOI TERAGRAM BALLROOM BØRNS
ALEXANDER YULISH CHERYL HUMPHREYS THE BROAD
SOPHIA AMORUSO PARI DESAI BNKR
FREDDY VARGAS CASSIA POUR THIS
PUBLISHER Dante Colombatti ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mali Mochow EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Erin Dennison PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Joevanno Diaz PHOTOGRAPHY David Cortes Emman Montalvan Iwan Baan John Linden Josie Simonet Ted Emmons Tyler Allen Trisha Angeles CONTRIBUTORS Chris Pedler Garth Trinidad Kimberly Johnson Jesy Odio Megan Laber Vi Nguyen CONTACT 1933 S. Broadway, 11th Fl., Los Angeles CA 90007 pr@lacanvas.com
ART DIRECTOR Rachel Many COPY EDITOR April Wolfe FINANCE DIRECTOR Cole Westerholm ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS Kimmy Mcatee Kristel Kovner Patrick Cain Renée George Sanni Youboty Valeri Spiwak EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Jessie Ma Jose Picon PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Christian Mooser SUBSCRIPTIONS SUPERVISOR Oliver
SUBMISSIONS Wanna contribute? Send all editorial submissions to submit@lacanvas.com
WWW.LACANVAS.COM © 2015 by LA CANVAS. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission in writing from LA CANVAS. LA CANVAS makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but is not responsible for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork, or advertisements. LA CANVAS is not held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.
VOL 6 N. 1
L A C A NVA S
N O. 6
CONTENTS 16
MUSIC 16 TORO Y MOI
The indie darling talks about tight pants, relationships, and finding his sound.
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20 HOLIDAY BLUES
STYLE 24 THE BIG CHILL
The minimalist designer Pari Desai will take her coffee to go, thank you.
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MISC 10 NOTED
Highlights of this season’s newest new.
34 THE UNSTOPPABLE
DJ/Producer Matthew Koma scores our November/December playlist.
From underdog to champion, Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso gets through the #GIRLBOSS growing pains.
40 SHE’LL BE RIGHT
Aussie online boutique BNKR posts up permanently to the ever-expanding Broadway corridor.
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21 RAISE THE BAR
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LA’s newest music venue, Teragram Ballroom redefines music industry expectations.
70 LA CANVAS CARES
27 PRETTY DOPE
A simple guide to local nonprofits and community building.
The tree house-dwelling musician Børns shares his intense cosmic vibrations.
72 CALENDAR
27
A guide to November’s best events.
74 CALENDAR
A guide to December’s best events.
45 THE GIFT GUIDE
Retail therapy for everyone on your list this season.
76 THE BIG PICTURE
Last look with photographer Emman Montalvan
44 A POLISHED FROST
A late fall editorial by Josie Simonet.
26
A late fall editorial by Joe Perri.
ART 25 EMOJIONAL
Cheryl Louise Humphreys is the best texter you’ve ever met.
Contemporary painter Alexander Yulish embraces chaos, urgency, and risk.
32 GUIDING LIGHT
The Broad Museum cements Los Angeles as an international center for the arts.
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26 BOTTOMS UP
Sommelier extraordinaire Ashley Ragovin shares her newest online offering, Pour This.
60 TO THE LAST BITE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID CORTES
30 SHADES OF CHANGE
FOOD
Scarpetta’s Freddy Vargas champions simplicity in a world of excess.
TORO Y MOI
Snaps from our favorite art around LA.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMMAN MONTALVAN
28 LA STREET ART
16
SOPHIA AMORUSO
25
52 BRUISER
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66 HOLIDAY CHEER
You look like you could use a drink. Peep our list for your best holiday cocktails in LA.
33 GALLERY OPENINGS
A roundup of the season’s best art openings.
68 DISHING UP NOSTALGIA
Chef Bryant Ng blends Southeast Asia with a side of French brasserie at Santa Monica’s Cassia.
V OL 6 N . 1
N O. 8
ED I T O R’ S L E T T E R
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
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hen we were gear ing up to launch L A CA N VA S f ive years ago, new media was a relatively novel f rontier. Looking back, we were in the middle of t he s w itch, in t he t hick of t he d ig it a l revolut ion : Facebook ’s “Like” but ton had been introduced only a year earlier; Instagram had just closed their seed f unding; Yahoo Answers (so awesome) was the third most popular socia l media website. In 2010, a pr int magazine was still an entirely v iable business model. L A CA N VA S w a s founded a s means to connect a broad spectr um of creatives w ithin the realms of food, f ashion, music, and ar t . Each of us k new remark able folk s across these genres, and our goa l was to introduce them to each ot her, get t ing t hem out of t heir respec t ive com for t zones. We w anted to be a cult ur a l hub for t he cur ious A ngeleno. L A is spr awling , we w anted a ll our f r iends in t he same f uck ing room. T he pr int magazine came f irst , w it h specia lized event s soon to follow. T hese were our f avor ite orbits to play in. Digit a l content f loated somewhere in our per ipher y. Meanwhile up nor th, Nast y Gal founder Sophia Amor uso was building a prof it able business f rom the ground up, largely thanks to her keen socia l media marketing. T he platfor m du jour —MySpace—a llowed A mor uso to get her br and in f ront of people on a much larger sca le than any br ick and mor t ar could. It acted as a DIY amplif ier, distributing her brand to thousands of trend-sav v y girls. T he s e l f- de s c r ib e d e a r l y ad apt er u nder s t o o d t h at distr ibution str ateg y for her niche content was just as impor tant, if not more impor tant, than the content itself. A mor uso’s tr ajector y has been a w ild r ide. T hroughout the past ten years, she went from hitchhiking to founding a 10 0 million dollar company (w ithout debt and before investment). She became a Ne w York Time s Best-Selling author. She stepped dow n as Nast y Ga l ’s CEO. She re -
grouped. She suf fered grow ing pains and emerged as the ultimate #GIR LBOSS. Sophia is no stranger to evolution, and her abilit y to embr ace change has been the key to her multif aceted success. Ta lk ing to her, we lear ned a thing or t wo about resilience, and we couldn’t think of a bet ter spir it anima l to help celebr ate our 5th bir thday. Since publishing our f irst issue in November of 2010, tr aditiona l pr int has died a slow death. T he Wall St ree t Jour nal , Rolling Stone , T he Ne w York T ime s , Har pe r ’s and many more have reduced their physica l dimensions and pr int copies to st ay af loat. Luck y, Bulle t t , FOA M, and Spin have stopped pr inting entirely. While formerly recognizable titles have evaporated from newsst a nd s, t he r ise of t he ind ie mag a zine c a n’t be ignored. I mean, you can’t sw ing a utilit ar ian backpack w ithout hit ting a whitespace-heav y gloss y. A s it t ur ns out , t he digit a l apoca ly pse never quite ar r ived— or at least the new media landscape doesn’t look as shit t y as we feared. T hings changed, but so did we. Digit al people say pr int is dead. Pr int people say it’s not. T he r e a l it y i s t h at a cer t a i n k i nd of pr i nt i s over. Ultimately, the inter net produces quick infor mation a whole lot better than print does. So in killing that specif ic kind of journalism, digital media has cleared the way for a new, compelling k ind of publication model—a more r e a l i s t ic sp ace w her e pr i nt a nd d ig it a l c a n ac t a s complements to each other. So what ’s nex t? In 2016 , our pr int mag a zine w i l l be sw itching f rom bi-monthly to quar terly to a llow for a few more pages and a sharper focus on L ACANVAS.com. We are a lso stoked to be reintroducing FOA M Maga z ine ’s digit a l platfor m under t he L A CA N VA S umbrella . A nd w ith any luck, a lit tle of Sophia’s instinct r ubbed of f on us. St ay tuned.
ERIN DENNISON EDITOR-IN- CHIEF
Open Up
To new stories with old friends
Please enjoy responsibly www.seguraviudas.com @SeguraViudasUSA
Š2015 Freixenet USA, Inc., Sonoma, CA Segura Viudas is a registered trademark.
NO T ED
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR @yogisonthemove ◆ yogisonthemove.com
FUTURE SOUL ◆
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hat would you get if you mixed contemporary music production with a soulful, old- school approach to songwriting? Probably something like Chris Gallant. Dubbed simply Gallant, the Maryland native and NYU grad arrived in LA after a tumultuous time spent in Manhattan. Soon after touching down in LA, Gallant finished up his first EP, Zebra, which he refers to as his “sonic diar y,” chronicling his dark time spent in New York. Zebra caught considerable hype, which eventually led Gallant to Tom Windish (founder of Windish Agency) and EDM authority Jake Udell (the man behind Krewella and Zhu)—and the rest, as they say, is history. Gallant names everyone from Babyface to Incubus as his influences, an eclectic roster that’s depicted in his unparalleled falsetto and energetic, often ferocious live performances. You can catch the new face of alt-R&B with TV on the Radio on November 14 th at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. @sogallant soundcloud.com/gallant
W
hen it comes to yoga, it can be difficult to find an experienced teacher—in terms of training, teaching and self-practice—at a reasonable price and convenient location. Enter Yogis On The Move, a traveling yoga studio featuring knowledgeable, dedicated teachers that travel to downtown residencies and corporate offices to teach safe, fun, and challenging yoga classes. Not
only do the experienced teachers come to you, they also provide the yoga props needed to deepen your practice, just as if you were in a studio. Yogis On The Move’s mission is not only to provide the luxury of convenience, but also to help build a community within a community by cultivating an educational, friendly environment. They believe yoga is for everybody and every body.
SHINE BRIGHT
O
nce upon a time, skate dude Nick Diamond began manufacturing t-shirts and hardware—as in bolts and screws—up in San Francisco under the moniker Diamond Supply Co. The brand quickly evolved into a full-range clothing company carr ying ever ything from field jackets and strapbacks to skateboards and slides. Seventeen years and a substantial cult following later, Diamond Supply has added womenswear to its catalog of high- end urban basics with Diamond Women’s, a cohesive collection of printables, accessories, and cut-and-sew pieces including dresses, skirts, jackets, fleece, leggings, and shorts. You know the jersey dress of your dreams? The one you imagine wearing with your Stan Smiths? They make that.
@diamondsupplyco ◆ diamondsupplyco.com
NO T ED GOOD DEFENSE dnaeg frenewal.com
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s Angelenos, we’re no strangers to SPF. Even so, most of us have suffered a sunscreen mishap despite our best intentions. Looking in the mirror, it’s hard not to wonder what our completions might look like had we never forgotten to reapply at Zuma. Enter DNAEGF Renewal—a line of treatments that actually reverse the effects of UV exposure, foiling skin cancer and 86ing brown spots, wrinkles, and sagginess before they show up. It all started with Dr. Ronald L. Moy. After reading about the success of DNA repair enzymes, Moy—a world-renowned dermatologist who currently serves as VP of the Skin Cancer Foundation—began to test and develop products with the specific goal of reducing skin cancer rates. He found that his formula of pure, effective ingredients not only helped to prevent skin cancer; they also had some pretty solid cosmetic benefits. The full DNAEGF collection contains DNA Intensive Renewal, day and night serums, an eye renewal, foam gel cleanser, and more—all at an extremely reasonable price point.
SPLIT HAIRS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANDAYLEPHOTO
CUT TING EDGE
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ed Bull Sound Select Presents: 30 Days in LA returns to venues all across Los Angeles this November for the second annual installation of the month-long music fest. The concept of the festival is pretty genius: pair an established artist with an up-and-comer to introduce them to wider audience. Everyone wins. This year’s lineup features more than 60 heavy hitters like Big Sean, Grimes, Flume, Joey Bada$$, Foals, Sylvan Esso, Vince Staples, TV on the Radio, and our boy Toro y Moi, coupled with smaller, but notable
acts like Nicole Dollanganger, The Suffers, and River Tiber. Performances are slated to take place throughout the city at both hip and historic spots like The Mayan, The Belasco Theatre, The Roxy, The Echo, Mack Sennett Studios, Sonos Studios, and Tower Theatre. There are also a few specialized events like a vinyl DJ night at Madame Tussauds wax museum, a celebration of Amoeba Music, a screening of High Fidelity, and a BBQ at TuneIn Studios—each with incentives for early arrival. Head to their site for the complete rundown.
@redbull ◆ redbullsoundselect.com/30days
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air extensions are big business—even a conservative estimate puts the largely unregulated market well into the millions. Riqua Hailes has built two successful hair businesses from the ground up: The Weave Express in her native DC and Just Extensions Bar here in LA. She wanted to find out where the hair came from, so she decided to travel to the source in search of some concrete answers. This meant a trip around the world with a camera crew. The resulting documentary Just Extensions investigates the origins of processed hair throughout China, Cambodia, India, Peru, and Brazil. Riqua’s goal is to share what she’s learned with her customers in an effort to bring transparency to a complex industry. @justextensions ◆ justextensionshair.com
NO T ED WORK IT ◆
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he British are coming! This November, London-born athletic leisure brand Sweaty Betty opens its West Coast flagship over on Abbot Kinney in the Mona Moore space. The global, multi-channel fitness retailer is a welcome addition to the hip corridor’s arsenal of lifestyle and fashion haunts like recently opened Kit and Ace, Vince, and Current Elliot. Sweaty Betty serves a cohesive offering of luxe sports gear for running, hiking, surfing, skiing, and swimming—so chic, they have half a dozen Tumblrs and Pinterest boards dedicated to them.
@sweatybetty ◆ sweatybetty.com/us
HOW BEZAR @bezar ◆ bezar.com
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ooking to browse independent designers but not willing to commit to a weekend IRL of craft spelunking? Bezar features a clean, digestible interface for the smaller-than-corporate and larger-than-hobbyist demo to showcase their wares online. The brainchild of Fab.com cofounder Bradford Shellhammer, Bezar’s platform is simple, displaying only four designers
in four categories a day—art, accessories, house, and jewelry—staging each genre within a highly curated digital retail space referred to as a “storefront.” The online platform takes a percentage of sales to cover customer service and the fulfillment process, creating a streamlined retail experience for both the designer and customer. No more Etsy rabbit holes (unless that’s your thing).
GENTLEMAN’S ISSUE RELEASE PART Y
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ack in September, we set up shop at R Bar in Koreatown to celebrate the release of our 30 th print magazine, the Gentleman’s Issue. Guests enjoyed cigar rolling, a hosted bar by Jack Daniel’s and Herradura, with special gifting by Konus, Warner Bros. Records, Diamond Supply, and Richer Poorer. Our gal DJ Val Fleury hit the decks while the local gods of Beach Party took the stage for a special live performance. See you at the next one. @LACANVAS ◆ LACANVAS.com
DOT C OM
LA C A NVA S. C O M
N O. 13
DOT COM LA’S CULTURAL HEARTBEAT
We curate our digital dashboard as much as we nurture our print publication—but in real time.
Check out the latest in LA culture, events, fashion, music, art, food, and film on LACANVAS.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BYRAKEEMC
4 LIFE LESSONS LEARNED FROM KRIS KIDD I CAN’T FEEL MY FACE
ONES TO WATCH: 2015 AFI FEST WHAT TO CATCH AT THE FILM FESTIVAL
A Little insight from the 22-year-old wonder boy
We round up our favorite f iction and documentar y f ilms showing at this year’s prestigious festival.
DAY TRIP THE INSIDE SCOOP ON OUR FAVORITE HAUNTS
21 QUESTIONS TASTEMAKERS SPILL THEIR GUTS
For our Day Trip series, we hit the road in search of hidden gems in spots like Ojai, Long Beach, and Santa Barbara.
Like 50, we’ve got some questions. Eavesdrop as DJs, artists, chefs, and designers tell us the last 3 things they’ve Googled.
ART HYPE DABSMYLA
LA EVENTS CALENDAR ECHO PARK CRAFT FAIR
Our Art Hype series zeros in on the contemporar y and street art scene in LA. Take DABSMYLA, the husband and wife duo that repurpose Downtown’s Modernica Factor y for an interactive art installation.
Check out LACANVAS.com for our brand new events calendar. Art openings, sample sales, live concerts, and f ilm screenings—we’ve rounded them all up for comprehensive guide to LA latest happenings. Meet us the Echo Park Craft Fair on December 12-13th.
HOT OFF THE PRESS Remember FOAM Magazine? Well, it’s back. This season, we’re proud to be relaunching the women’s surf/ lifest yle magazine. Welcome to the family, guys.
HANG WITH US Hey, y’all—we f inally f igured out how to Snapchat. Take a peek inside our #BTS shenanigans @LACANVAS.
Locals Only
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
The Koreatown Edition
While a lot of you were taking in the view on York Ave. and cursing the tech bros on Abbot Kinney, Koreatown has cemented itself as a legit thing. The centrally located urban hub is home to some of the most progressive attractions in the cit y, as well as its fair share of cultural landmarks, quirks, and hidden gems.
We curate our digital dashboard as much as we nurture our print publication—but in real time. Check out the latest in LA culture, events, fashion, music, art, food, and film on LACANVAS.com
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Y S TA L S P A
CRYSTAL SPA 3500 W. 6th, St. Suite 321
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TEA & N JI CO F
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R A S S MON EB KE
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For An Authentic Tea Break HWA SUN JI TEA & COFFEE 3960 Wilshire Blvd.
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Featuring top-of-the-line facilit y and equipment, Cr ystal ’s Aveda Spa boasts an impressive menu of ser vices for anyone on any budget. The knowledgeable staff can assist you in designing your Cr ystal experience, choosing from skincare, body care, makeup, manicure, pedicure ser vices, “Elemental Nature Acupressure,” and different massages. The four “rooms,” (The Salt Room, Ice Room, Charcoal Room, and Yellow Sand Room) each ser ve a different purpose, from treating atopy to purif ying your body of harmful agents. In addition, the Spa offers free wif i, authentic Korean food, snacks, and movie and T V screens.
Anyone who’s a true fan of tea knows that it’s not just a drink— it’s an experience—at least according to our hippie friends. But tea connoisseur or not, all visitors can appreciate the tranquilit y to be found at Hwa Sun Ji. Offering an affordable array of traditional Korean teas, desserts, and snacks, their menu will transport your taste buds to the heart of Seoul. A must-tr y is the pat-bing soo, shaved ice with red bean, fruit, mochi bits, condensed milk, and ice cream. But even without the dessert, the serenit y of the authentic Korean atmosphere is sweet enough for anyone needing a break. Kamsahamnida!
Best Place To Do Your Body Good
Best Place To Dine Like Royalty
WI SPA 2700 Wilshire Blvd.
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Best Place To Get Custom-Pampered
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The holiday season can be a lot. So, in the spirit of relaxation, we put together a list of our favorite K-Town detours to indulge in a little personal time. From day spas to karaoke—we’ve got a little something for ever y persuasion. Schedule a fake meeting and unwind.
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Spoil yourself with a trip to sensor y heaven. Open 24/7, Wi ’s spa features hot and cold baths, sauna rooms, massages, facials, and body scrubs make it tempting to just stay and live there. Additional amenities include a full-ser vice restaurant, f itness room, and kid zone. But the best part has to be the coed “ jimjilbang” mineral sauna. You can pop in for a mid-day break, but we prefer taking the whole day off to indulge. A sanctuar y of wellness, beaut y, and luxur y in the heart of a bustling cit y? Great, but they had us at car wash and on-site parking.
THE PRINCE 3198 W 7th St.
Best Place To Unleash Your Inner Star CAFE BRASS MONKEY 3440 Wilshire Blvd.
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The perfect place to belt out your favorite Limp Bizkit banger. Or, if you’re on the shy side, sit back and enjoy a specialt y cocktail as you watch the ENTP-ers get their shine. It’s not a huge space, so be prepared to get cozy with other patrons, or better yet, make some new friends on the dance f loor. No judgement. Concert begins at 5 pm on weekdays, 8 pm on weekends, but get there early— especially if you want some stage time.
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The Prince is one of the aforementioned “wellknown restaurants.” Famous for their deep-fried chicken and beer, The Prince is a favorite for both locals and Hollywood A-listers. Better yet, it’s sort of a celeb itself, having been featured in a ton of productions like Criminal Minds, New Girl, Mad Men, and more. The ornate interior, drenched in red and gold, has a vintage yet immaculate feel that’s fancy but not uninviting. From a casual drink at the bar, to a date night with live piano music— The Prince’s ambience can dressed up or down, seamlessly.
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M U SI C IA N
N O. 1 7
T O RO Y M O I
Few modern artists have the ability to mine influences and create work that is truly unique. A handful of names comes to mind— Daft Punk, Neptunes, Dilla, Kenny Dixon Jr, et al. Enter Chaz Bundick. Born and raised in the South Carolina suburbs in the ’90s by a black father who schooled him on bands like Weezer and Sonic Youth via college radio, while his Filipino mother turned up the mainstream jams, Chaz and friends of like mind were drawn to art- and music-centric skater culture. Molded by its expressive, rebellious proclivities, he played in garage bands and surrounded himself with positive people. Rather than his ethnicity, it was his penchant for wearing tight pants that got him poked at on occasion.
M U SI C I A N
N O. 18
T O RO Y M O I
TORO Y MOI ON TIGHT PANTS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND FINDING HIS SOUND
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hile studying graphic design at USC, Chaz and his indie rock band The Heist and The Accomplice hung out at the college radio station, jamming on the airwaves, moved by the music of Broken Social Scene, The Strokes, Interpol. Then he discovered sampling and started listening to Dilla. A deepened appreciation for genre was revealed. “Once you figure out how sampling works, you don’t hear genre anymore, you just hear grooves,” he says. Though Chaz is credited with giving rise to the chill wave movement as Toro y Moi, his musical narrative is an enchanting evolution of style and inspiration. Fresh off the release of Toro y Moi’s Samantha mixtape, between TyM tour dates and obligations to his newly formed Company recording label, we caught up with the newlywed in hopes of learning more about the artist and the man. LA CANVAS: With each of your TyM albums, you explore new territor y. There was a pivotal shift between Anything In Return and What For. What was happening between those two albums? CHAZ: It was the live show that influenced me, having a band that can perform what I’m writing. With What For, I thought about the actual performance, not just the idea the band can play it—who’s going to play what, when. I had a hard time when we were performing Anything In Return, trying to get the songs portrayed correctly. It bothered me that it didn’t sound like the record 100 percent. I wanted to make a record that would sound like the record, live. I had to simplify things, like having the rhythms not get too crazy. But I wanted to have some funky grooves in there. I’ve always appreciated Daft Punk’s drums. They’re always in mind whenever I make music. They think about what sounds classic and I really like how their stuff ages. I gather a lot of influence from the past. Right now mainly ’70s and ’60s, whereas earlier it was ’80s. With What For, instead of sampling stuff from the ’70s, I made stuff that sounds like it’s from the ’70s, without it being too retro. LAC: On that note, you have a knack for utilizing influences without typifying them, which has carved out a definite TyM sound. Is this a conscious effort? CHAZ: Sometimes I’m not sure if I have my own sound. I feel like a lot of people go for their own sound and they’re not just letting it come out. You can’t force your own sound to come through, you have to just let it flow and tr y your best to make something good. Next thing you know, in retrospect, you’ve created your own sound. But I still don’t even know what my sound is. I’m glad that people have started to recognize what it is
[chuckles], ’cuz I don’t know exactly what sounds similar in all the records. I feel like it’s about having balance and perspective and not getting too far ahead of yourself or too obscure at the same time. I feel like a lot of indie acts can take it a little too far into obscurity. I’ve always been into referencing obscure music but I’m more so a fan of accessible music. I’m always thinking about accessibility. LAC: Your output is super high. I can’t imagine you have much free time, yet your lyrics are full of love stories, romance, and relationship struggles. With such a bloated schedule, what inspires your writing? CHAZ: They’re all small moments that happen within a day that I keep in mind. Whether it be a road trip, a vacation with my wife, or being away on tour. I feel like if you don’t have anything to say about relationships, there’s something wrong. That’s all we do as humans ever yday is deal with relationships—people we work with, people we love. I’m always tr ying my best to work on myself, be a better person, not have an ego. But then again, working on myself is having an ego because I want to be better. It’s hard. My writing is mostly me tr ying to convey my emotions through a song because I can’t communicate them to people as easily. LAC: What was the catalyst for your dance music alias Les Sins? CHAZ: It was mainly to free up any preconceived notions of Chaz Bundick. I felt like it would free me up a bit more to do whatever I want genre-wise. I like all kinds of house music, from Omar S to Floating Points to Motor City Drum Ensemble. I feel there’s a lot of dance music that some fans may not be into that I like. I wanted to have fun with it and not feel the need to cater to an audience or certain sound. LAC: You released The Les Sins full-length Michael on your new label Company Records. What’s your vision for the label? CHAZ: I wanted to start producing bands and helping up -and- coming musicians who are down to collaborate with me and looking to break into the scene, tour and what not. Right now, Carpark is dealing with the logistical part of it, distribution, publicity, so luckily all I have to take care of is the roster. We’re starting small with it, seeing if there’s an audience, catering to those that are into the idea first. Whether it’s a small press cassette zine or limited edition vinyl. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself ’cuz it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I really admire how Sub Pop started off with zines and now they’re a ginormous entity with an airport store. That’s really cool. I want to start the way they started.
TEXT GARTH TRINIDAD PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID CORTES @ SEEN ARTISTS GROOMING DANA BOYER SPECIAL THANKS TO CANDY STUDIO NYC TOROYMOI.COM
HOLIDAY BLUES SELECTIONS BY MATTHEW KOMA
Holiday wallowing can be good, decadent fun. Just ask DJ/ producer/songwriter Matthew Koma. RCA’s jack-of-all-trades took time out of his busy schedule of international performances and Zedd collabs to MC our Holiday Issue playlist. From Tom Waits to Kygo—Koma’s put together a moody compilation to score this year’s Godzilla El Nino.
OCT. 21, 2015 - FEB. 15, 2016 WWW.GRAMMYMUSEUM.ORG Ke n Ve e de r/© Capitol Photo Archives
TOM WAITS “I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You”
JAI WOLF “Indian Summer”
JAMES BLAKE “Limit To Your Love”
MUNK “You Never See Me Back Down”
DAWES “Waiting For Your Call”
RYAN ADAMS “Bad Blood”
KYGO & DILLON FRANCIS “Coming Over”
BRANDON FLOWERS “Between Me & You”
MIDOCA FT. CAL ZAFIRO “Lost & Found”
FLUX PAVILLION “Feels Good”
BOBBY PICKETT “The Monster Mash”
ROKY ERICKSON “I Walked With A Zombie”
STRE A M THE FULL SPOTIF Y PL AYLIST • L AC ANVAS.COM
V EN UE
N O. 21
TER AGR A M B A L L RO O M
RAISE THE BAR
THE TERAGRAM BALLROOM REDEFINES MUSIC INDUSTRY EXPECTATIONS
TEXT KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY TYLER ALLEN
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his past May, Teragram Ballroom’s inaugural show went down with a fully sold-out arena hosting 600 screaming attendees ready to dive deep into the sounds of long-time alt-rock Gods, Spoon. Lights beamed from the stage tower and bounced off a lone disco ball dangling overhead. The scene was set, the crowd roared, and the band walked on stage front and center, sliding right into their single “Rainy Taxi.” In this moment, it was evident Los Angeles had just received its next great rock-n-roll hub. Teragram Ballroom co-owners Michael Swier (of New York ’s Bowery Ballroom and the Mercury Lounge) and Joe Baxley (of Los Angeles’ Broadway Bar and the Monty Bar) teamed up to give LA something it hadn’t seen in far too long: a full-f ledged rock venue with consistently top-notch billing. “ The programming likely skews to the indie side of things, but we’re not genre specif ic, per se. It just has to be what we consider great music,” explains Scott Simoneaux, the man responsible for aligning the venue’s colorful calendar of acts each month. “We’re excited about all the shows coming up. However, if asked to pick one or two, we would have to say Desaparecidos and [our three-night run] with T he Dandy Warhols.”
In their opening year alone, Teragram has hosted T he Black Lips, Ariel Pink, A lber t Hammond, Jr. and Luna, reigniting the once decrepit 7th Street space. While the venue is slightly off the beaten path—located just west of Dow ntow n proper —it’s got bot h t he acts and t he ambiance that make up for its lack of walkabilit y. Built in 1913, this t ur n- of-the - cent ur y building still encompa sses some of it s most at t r ac t ive a nd most adv ant ageous, or igina l component s. Ta ke it s domed ceiling, for example, which is magnanimous and striking, but also functions as a perfect equalizer for the building’s acoustics. If hav ing some of the most pr istine sound qualit y in town doesn’t excite you, the layout and décor probably w ill. T he Ba llroom’s eye - catching A r t Deco design and spacious f loor plan features three full-ser vice bars and temperately intimate stage. Teragram f inds a s weet spot bet ween t he somet imes - claust rophobic Troubador and the grandiosit y of the Wiltern. Bet ween its impeccable acoustics, gorgeous aesthetics, and notable talent lineup, Teragram Ballroom is slated to be Sw ier’s most impressive venue to date. Welcome to the neighborhood, guys.
TER AGR AM BALLROOM
1234 W. 7 TH S T., LOS ANGELES, CA 90017 TERAGRAMBALLROOM.COM
SP OT L I GHT
THESE LOS ANGELES TASTEMAKERS ARE DOMINATING THE GAME IN THE REALMS OF ART, STYLE, MUSIC & FOOD
NOU N
| 'tā st ,mākƏr |
A PER SON WHO DECIDES OR INFLUENCES WH AT IS OR WILL BECOME FA SHIONA BLE .
A RT CHERYL HUMPHREYS ST YLE PARI DESAI MUSIC BØRNS FOOD POUR THIS TEXT JESY ODIO
T HE TA ST E M A KE RS
SP OT L I GHT
N O. 24
PARI DESAI
THE BIG CHILL
OCCUPATION FASHION DESIGNER paridesai.com @pari_desai
F
or fashion designers, getting dressed is just as much of a turn-on as getting undressed. And for LA- based Pari Desai, the gradual addition of layers is what gets her excited. Her fave season is neither Summer nor Fall, but the in-between: “When it’s still warm enough to enjoy being outside, but you start to see the layering of knits, coats, and textures as the chill approaches.” The Fall/Winter collection for her eponymous line is cool indeed but it will certainly keep you warm.
She finds an elusive balance between chic and casual charm, the best-dressed girl at the dinner party quoting from the most recent presidential debate. Before she launched her newly minted womenswear brand, Desai designed for A.P.C. and prior to that she was at Calvin Klein. Her knit designs exude a calm femininity, almost as if she had sewn in a magical strand of confidence and poise. While she’s busy presenting her next collection, Desai is able to answer a few
questions on likes and inspos. How does she like her coffee? “To-go.” What was her favorite outfit as a girl? “Terrycloth shorts and a Garfield T-shirt.” Her best answer is how she goes weak in the knees for the filmmaker Claire Denis. The way that she described her movies is exactly how we would describe Desai’s line: “Her style and way of seeing has challenged me to pare everything down to the most essential and poetic gesture.”
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THE TA ST E M A KE RS
CHERYL LOUISE HUMPHREYS
EMOJIONAL
OCCUPATION ARTIST wearenotimpressed.com arms-studio.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDRA SPENCER
I
want to give artist Cheryl Louise Humphreys’ phone number to everyone I know—she may be the best texter you’ll ever meet. Her refined sense of symbolism in the tech era makes some seriously interesting—and wordless—communication, putting our reliance on familiar icons on display. For her first solo show opening at Paul Loya Gallery, I Just Have This Feeling, she removed text content from a phone and left only the shapes and the emotions. She knows the torture provoked by the three-dot, typing-inprogress bubble so well that
she suspended its shape in Plexiglas. She then took the best conversations in her phone and turned them into stencils to press on paper. She calls these “friendship bracelets.” And because an emoji says a thousand words, she has drawn a bra decorated with a thousand fire icons that will leave you speechless. But this does not make Humphreys an advocate of all technology. She is especially against time lost on one particular social media platform: Instagram. She even deleted the app from
her phone. Bold move. As someone who dedicates a lot of thought and care to her work, Humphreys prefers designing visuals IRL to uploading images that you’ll quickly scroll past online. With a show coming up and her first visit to Art Basel, Humphreys has been busy. But when she’s not alone at the printing press, she runs the design studio Arms with her boyfriend Mike McMullen out of their Fairfax District abode—literally a labor of love. “I’ll probably never go back on Instagram,” Humphreys says. When her show opens, I’m sure we’ll all post it for her.
SP OT L I GHT
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ASHLEY R AGOVIN BOT TOMS UP
OCCUPATION SOMMELIER pour-this.com @ashleyragovin
B
ehind the wine list of so many great eateries in this city is one great woman: Ashley Ragovin. She was the original sommelier for Animal, Trois Mec, Scopa, and even Superba. After opening three different restaurants in a year and a half, Ragovin felt burnt out. She embarked on a journey to Italy and Portugal looking for inspiration and arrived back home with the business plan for Pour This, a monthly curated selection of three wine bottles delivered right to your doorstep —because there is nothing like
getting a little bit of love handed to you by the mailman. Now bougie moms and lazy wine aficionados all over the countr y are raising a glass in her name. “I fell in love with food and wine, but I mostly fell in love with hospitality,” Ragovin says of her time abroad. She’s brought the same hospitality focus to Pour This. Think of Ragovin as your own personal sommelier. She insists the wine worth tasting is not the bottle with the three- digit number or the cheapo at the local grocer y store. It’s
the Goldilocks one right in the middle. She doesn’t go on about the undertones and nuances, but does relay the sensations and memories each bottle recalls. For those afraid of commitment, or like their wine on a Snapchat schedule, she’s got the Daily Pour: daily offers on one- of-a-kind bottles available for only 24 hours. For those who want special spoils, and aren’t big on surprises, the site’s “custom pour” option lets you get picky with your selection. And for all ye wine skeptics, she has a promise: “There’s a bottle for ever yone.”
N O. 27
T HE TA ST E M A KE RS
BØRNS
PRET T Y DOPE
OCCUPATION MUSICIAN bornsmusic.com @bornsmusic
I
f you think you can hear the sounds of Los Angeles in the Børns debut album Dopamine, but you can’t quite put your finger on it, it might be the howls of coyotes that he recorded for his song “The Emotion.” Like a palm tree, Børns (née Garrett Borns, minus the slashed “o”) looks good against an LA sunset but is actually not a native, a fact given away by his shocked reaction at multiple parking tickets acquired in a single week. When he caught the ear of Interscope Records, a temporar y trip turned into a more permanent stay—but it’s hard to say how long he is actually going to be in
town. Since the release of his EP Candy, the Michigan transplant (by way of NYC) has been touring with Misterwives, Bleachers, and Charli XCX, performing at festivals and even playing live at the only radio stations we are still listening to, BBC and KCRW. His first album was written half in a tree house overlooking the LA canyons and half on the road. The outcome is a work filled with what he calls “intense cosmic vibrations.” And the androgynous heritage of Ziggy Stardust extends beyond his penchant for feather boas and iridescent blouses. His reverb -laced
falsetto has many mistaking him for a woman, a fact that he embraces wholeheartedly. “Music should have no gender,” says Børns. “If it’s good, then it shouldn’t matter.” He lives up to this mantra by touring with badass musicians Kristen Gleeson-Prata (on drums) and Lauren Salamone Perez (on keys)—“The yin to my yang,” as he likes to call them—while Connor Doyle jams on guitar and Jon Joseph handles bass. Unfazed by jet lag or LA’s never- ending Indian-summer heat, Børns had some wisdom: “Stay cool.” I thought about saying, “You too,” but I figured he was already about as cool as you can get.
CRUISING THROUGH THE CITY TO FIND THE LATEST MURALS
CURATED BY
W W W.CHICKENSPE A K .COM • @CHICKENSPE A K
INDEX From left to right
CURTIS KULIG Hayden Ave. / Warner Dr. MADMAN W. Adams Blvd. / S. Burnside Ave. KIPTOE Pico Blvd. / S. Ogden Dr.
ANTHONY LISTER S. Pacific Ave. / 27th Pl. DREW MERRITT + ASKEW E. 4th St. / Seaton St.
GUS HARPER Pico Blvd. / 34th St.
CHRIS SAUNDERS Pico Blvd. / 22nd St. BISCO SMITH + RALPH ZIMAN S. Pacific Ave. / Zephyr Ct. CANNON DILL S. Pacific Ave. / Zephyr Ct.
NEVER2501 W. 8th St. / S. Olive St. TOMER PERETZ 7th St. / S. Spring St.
CUSCO REBEL W. Washington Blvd. / Stanford Ave.
ART I ST
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ALEX A ND E R Y U L I SH
CONTEMPORARY PAINTER ALEXANDER YULISH EMBRACES CHAOS, URGENCY, AND RISK
TEXT CHRIS PEDLER ART ALEXANDER YULISH
A
painting may change as you gaze at it. If you stare long enough, shapes shift. Light plays tricks. Pigments take on different shades, and human figures alter their expressions.
I witnessed this while looking at a piece called “Family Portrait” from artist Alexander Yulish’s new show at Ace Galler y in Beverly Hills. In the painting, two people sit in chairs facing the viewer. Depicted in a swirl of vibrant color, the room’s walls float in the background, the subjects’ bodies flatten out, but the eyes, like a photograph in perfect focus, ground the painting’s blur in a direct expression that leaps across the space between the viewer and the canvas. Despite their immediacy, these eyes seem sad and somehow at a distance—like they’re simultaneously close enough to touch and impossibly far away. This makes the painting, which is big, quite poignant. His use of bright, bright hues gives the work great force. In Yulish’s paintings, colors carr y weight and movement. He describes his process as a “chess game,” where each decision alters his creative calculus. On “Family Portrait,” he points to where “red creates pressure” and demands to be balanced elsewhere, while “orange stops the painting,” and “yellow just screams.” The results record his “inner dialogue” and the transmutation of his day-to - day experiences into lines and curves and arcs of paint—an “x-ray of what’s going on” in his brain. Ever ything is fuel— conversations, music, a leaf on the street. Yulish keeps himself receptive to the world’s chaotic buzz. He often feels raw and exposed, and sometimes “even a handshake feels difficult.” Walking through Ace Galler y’s LA spot, Yulish points to prints of
lightning and sculptures that look like bones. “That feels like my spine half the time,” he says. “That feels like my nervous system.” He wants to work at the unpredictable edge, where he does not feel in control. He lets go of plans and fixed ideas for a work: “If you hold on to it, then magic doesn’t happen. The urgency is done. “I try to commit to the first stroke fully,” he says. “Then the next stroke fully.” He waits for a vision to migrate from his head to his chest and become a “visceral assault,” when “the painting carves itself out like it’s a flood coming down,” cutting and churning boulders and trees. “I want my paintings to literally beat the shit out of the person,” Yulish says. “The last thing I want is for people to say they’re beautiful.” In pursuit of urgency and constant growth, he will destroy his own work, which he’s done “in the last 10 minutes” after spending days and days on a painting. Though he says this is “devastating,” he keeps pushing till he makes a breakthrough and gets at something honest. This exhausting process has produced his new show, Immovable Thoughts which runs through November at Ace Galler y in Beverly Hills. Smiling, Yulish says the paintings in the show form a “dysfunctional family.” He completed the year-long project in late September, when he suddenly felt it had run its course. “It was the end of the conversation,” he says now. “I had nothing left to say.” Whatever he creates next will be different, yet this difference will illustrate a thread common to all his work: his openness to change. Despite the frightening unpredictability, embracing risk keeps the work from becoming repetitive. For Yulish, there’s no other option. “I love taking chances,” he says. “I hope I hold on to that.”
M U SE UM
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GUIDING LIGHT THE BROAD MUSEUM CEMENTS LOS ANGELES AS AN INTERNATIONAL HUB FOR THE ARTS
TEXT KIMBERLY B. JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY IWAN BAAN
O
n September 20th, Los Angeles officially welcomed its latest major contemporar y art access point—the highly anticipated, 120,0 0 0 -square-foot museum, T he Broad. Designed by Diller Scof idio + Renf ro, the structure received architectural design treatment from the same team responsible for R io de Janeiro’s Museum of Image & Sound, and New York ’s iconic High Line. A lthough of f icia l opening news of T he Broad ’s ar r iva l came in Febr uar y of 2015, the jaw- dropping str uct ure w as three years in the ma k ing. Foundation for DS+R’s three-stor y v ision was laid on Grand Ave. in the summer of 2012, right across f rom Museum of Contemporar y Ar t (MOCA) and Fr ank Gehr y ’s Wa lt Disney Music Ha ll. A f ter t hree years, w it h $140 million and nearly 2,0 0 0 pieces of contempor a r y work s. T he Broad Museum, brought to you by billionaire couple philanthropists and ar t collectors, Eli and Edy the Broad, currently st ands as one of t he foremost t a l ked about contempor a r y a r t museums in the nation. Married in the w inter of 1954, Eli and his long-time muse Edy the gained capital w ith the entrepreneurial successes of t wo For t une 50 0 companies, moved to Los A ngeles in 1963, and quickly began backing iconic L A destinations w it h t heir billions. Eli w as t he founding cha ir man of neig hb or i ng MO C A , a nd w a s a m ajor f u nd r a i si ng component in const r uc t ing t he ne a rby Wa lt Disney
Concer t Ha ll. In 20 03, the Broads donated $60 million to the Los A ngeles Count y Museum of A r t and donated another $30 million to MOCA in 20 0 8. T he Broad is now the couple’s latest—and arguably greatest—ar t of fer ing. T he museum’s sprawling collection is the product of the Broads’ collective infatuation with contemporar y art and its tastemakers. Over their years of collecting, they’ve accumulated pieces f rom ever y er a of t he last t hree quar ters of a centur y—from the abstract expressionist works of George Condo, to the mixed media works of LA’s ow n Mark Bradford. On the museum’s third f loor, 105 feet up, a liberal open f loor plan allows for 19 separate galler y spaces. For their f irst exhibition, T he Broad offers a free- of-charge chronological look at works from predigital visionaries to post-digital icons, including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, and Cindy Sherman. In more ways than one, there’s a sense of romanticism interlaced into T he Broad; maybe it’s the outdoor plaza and its f ield of 10 0 -year- old olive trees, maybe it’s the way Eli publica lly pr aises “Edye” for being his muse. In any case, there’s a for ward-moving essence of opportunit y d ancing around Gr and Ave. t hese d ays, f low ing w it h decades wor th of creative development.
THE BROAD
221 S. GRAND AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 THEBROAD.ORG
T H E B RO A D
A RT
GALLE RY O P E NI NG S
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GALLERY OPENINGS THE BEST OF LA'S ART OPENINGS
THE AVANT-GARDE WON’T GIVE UP: COBRA AND ITS LEGACY Blum & Poe November 5th – December 23 rd
KATY COWAN • THE STUDIO, THE SKETCH Cherry and Martin November 5th – Januar y 2 nd , 2016
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL • RAIN ROOM LACMA November 1 st – March 6 th , 2016
Maloney Fine Art presents Jeff Colson’s second exhibition with the galler y, along with a new sculpture entitled “Stacked Desk.” The sculpture pokes fun at the strive toward efficiency while immortalizing the never-diminishing pile of paper that once symbolized “work.” Using his own handcrafted techniques, his sculptures are carved, cut, sawn, sanded, painted, welded, and molded, and focus on the ephemeral quality of paper—as a subject and a material.
Katy Cowan’s work blurs the line between abstraction and ideas of labor and craft. Employing common building materials like concrete, plaster, marble, and wood, as well as textiles and ceramics techniques, Cowan’s work breaks down barriers of typical categorization, emphasizing the notion of the “temporal ” and the “concrete.”
Random International ’s Rain Room (2012) is an immersive environment of perpetually falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected. The installation offers visitors an opportunity to experience what is seemingly impossible: the ability to control rain. Rain Room presents a respite from ever yday life and an opportunity for sensor y ref lection within a responsive relationship.
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 5th, 8 pm
blumandpoe.com
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 5th, 6 pm cherryandmartin.com
Opening Reception: Sunday, November 1st, 2015 lacma.org
AARON CURRY • STARFUKER David Kordansky Gallery November 14 th – Januar y 16 th , 2016
JOHN OUTTERBRIDGE Art + Practice (Hammer Museum) December 5th – Februar y 13 th , 2016
WHITNEY BEDFORD Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects December 12 th – Januar y 23 rd , 2016
In his exuberantly colored, expressive sculptures, Aaron Curr y blurs boundaries between abstraction and figuration, painting and sculpture, f latness and dimensionality, as well as formalism and conceptualism, in order to demonstrate the richness of the middle ground between opposites. Curr y regards his own sculptures as paintings, composing them out of an assortment of f lat, whimsically cut pieces of ply wood, cardboard, or aluminum, referencing the modernist works of Henr y Moore and Alexander Calder.
Outterbridge has been composing sculpture from found and discarded materials and debris— including rags, rubber, and scrap metal—for more than 50 years. The exhibition will focus on works made since 2000 and composed of materials such as tools, twigs, bone, and hair— including a recent series called Rag and Bag Idiom—that recall ancient healing rituals or talismanic objects, while also engaging in direct dialogue with the work of artists such as Edward Kienholz, Senga Nengudi, Noah Purifoy, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Drafting pictures from a hybrid of different images to form a new, collaged picture, Bedford ’s work employs an array of mediums to further exaggerate the viewer’s understanding of the image at hand. By creating new works from older images, she is able to create a dialogue between the old and young, pushing the boundaries between direct depiction, imagination, and memor y, connoting a wholly different space, one aged by time and impossible to revisit.
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 14th, 6 pm davidkordanskygallery.com
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 5th, 5 pm hammer.ucla.edu
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 12th, 6 pm vielmetter.com
THE UNSTOPPABLE SOPHIA AMORUSO FROM UNDERDOG TO CHAMPION, NASTY GAL GETS THROUGH THE #GIRLBOSS GROWING PAINS
E
ntering the corridor of 523 W 6th street is a trip. The Beaux-arts style PacMutual building just west of Pershing Square in Downtown LA feels unmistakably adult. Scrolling through the directory, the words Nasty Gal stick out among the dentists’ offices, law practices, and white-collar firms. I arrived at the lavish headquarters early to get my bearings. Sophia Amoruso was early too, walking in with her chief of staff and an arsenal of beverages. She showed up in character: a long, villainess black dress and stilettos; unlike the picture on the cover of her New York Times Best Selling book #GIRLBOSS, her black hair was long and trademark bangs grown out. Her makeup-free skin was pore-less. We walked through the notorious 50,000 square foot open-plan workspace lined with intimidatingly trendy women (80 percent of Nasty’s Gals employees are female) and settled in to her corner office. Everyone from Forbes to Vogue has profiled the brand’s narrative. Even the most casual observer of pop culture is probably acquainted with Nasty Gal’s story: hip online retailer helmed by entrepreneurial anti-hero, Sophia Amoruso—the unexpected businesswoman who forged her way into the industry thanks to a keen eye, street smarts, and considerable moxie. The ultimate millennial rags-to-riches story. Shoplifting, hitchhiking, eBaying, MySpacing her way to owning and running a multi-faceted company worth over 100 million dollars before its first round of investment
(from Index Ventures, a firm whose notable portfolio also includes Dropbox, Etsy, and Asos), Amoruso succeeded with next to no marketing other than consistent, astute social media content. She’s been branded as the anti-Lean In—the “bad girl” of female empowerment. This moniker is accurate if taken as a verb instead of a noun, as an approach rather than a character. It can feel strange to talk with someone whom you’ve been following for years. Like a lot of girls, I was “friends” with Sophia on MySpace in 2006. I often used her vintage eBay shop as a mood board, well before I knew what those were. Virtually every cool girl I know has either shopped at Nasty Gal or applied for a job there. Last year, I read #GIRLBOSS and the op - eds written about it. Later, I read about the layoffs and the controversy. I even creepily looked up her birth chart (she’s an Aries/Taurus cusp, otherwise known as “The Cusp of Power”). Sophia knew nothing about me. I worried this familiarity chasm would create an awkward, one-sided conversation. It didn’t. We chat a little about the Downtown neighborhood, her recently wrapped #GIRLBOSS book tour, and her impending trip to St. Barths. “I’ve gotten more selfish as I’ve gotten older. It was probably at least five years before I took a vacation after I started the company.” We talk about what it’s like becoming a public figure, and how it feels to suddenly have a platform, and consequently an audience that craves a neatly packaged message. (continued on next page)
TEXT ERIN DENNISON
DE SI G N E R
“I
mean, I believe in ‘leaning in’—it was a term I had heard before the book came out,” she says. “I don’t have a philosophy per se, so I don’t know if that means that woman can have everything. You know, like, whatever works for you. Some people have husbands who would probably be a great stay-at-home dad—I probably do, but I’m not gonna tell anyone to go for that. It’s too much responsibility and dogma to give people a formula for shit.” Aside from crafting a digestible ethos, being a celebrity invites a more logistical set of challenges. “I’m still getting comfortable in front of the camera,” she says. “None of this stuff is natural, but it’s in my best interest to be good at it. Public speaking is probably the hardest thing. That’s something I’d like to be really good at cause it seems lame to be doing Q+A’s all the time.” Back in March, Amoruso sheared at least some responsibilities from her plate, appointing former Lululemon chief product officer Sheree Waterson to run the business side of Nasty Gal, a decision that was a long time in the making; Sheree worked as chief of product for Nasty Gal for a year before the transition. “There wasn’t a catalyst, it was something that I wanted to do for a long time. It was like, as Sheree’s ready, I’m gonna do this.” Amoruso often speaks to the value of playing to your skillset. But if I had to name her superpower, it would be seeing around corners. For a candid and intuitive person, Sophia is surprisingly deliberate and self-aware. “I’m not good at repeating myself and I’m not good at giving praise. I’m someone who just started a business by myself. No one gave me praise. I was my own critic and I was my own cheerleader so [leadership] is something that I’m still learning. I think that’s affected our culture, and I think people need encouragement. I’m just really impatient. I like to be doing things rather than feeding the things that are being done, or keeping the wheels on the bus.”
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S O PH I A A M O RU SO
“IT’S TOO MUCH RESPONSIBILITY AND DOGMA TO GIVE PEOPLE A FORMULA FOR SHIT.”
A lot has happened since #GIRLBOSS was published in spring of 2014. Sophia turned 30. She became a full-blown public figure. She went from CEO to creative chairman. She married her longtime love, musician Joel Jarek DeGraff. Nasty Gal suffered significant turnover, public restructuring, and consequential bad press. The pixie-faced rebel The New York Times dubbed “The Cinderella of Tech” in 2013 became human in 2015. As you might imagine, Amoruso is still moving, still in the kitchen. The #GIRLBOSS brand is quickly becoming a multiplatform movement with a recently launched podcast, the #GIRLBOSS Foundation, and an impending second book. “I do think that #GIRLBOSS can be a hub of inspiration for girls,” she says. “#GIRLBOSS is a brand. There’s a book and a podcast and we can have all these amazing events. There’s so much more to do to engage this community and build the foundation and just have fun with it. All these things need to connect, and I’m figuring out how that’s gonna work.” As we wrap up, I ask her what it all feels like now—after the rise, the money, the press—how it feels to succeed when you’ve spent a lifetime self-identifying as an underdog. Leaning back in her chair, Sophia takes a sip of her smoothie (one of 4 beverages in front of her), “I still feel like an underdog,” she says. “It’s definitely strange to meet people on the book tour and have them say, ‘You’re my idol.’ The book says not to do that! But I did put myself on the cover of the book standing in a power pose. It’s a weird sense of responsibility, but it’s something that I really cherish. I just want to pass on that underdog feeling. The knowledge just from experience—that there’s hope for you even if you don’t fit in. I feel like everyone relates to that on different levels and hopefully my story makes it possible for other people to admit that.” If Sophia Amoruso was Cinderella in her twenties, she’s Iron Man in her thirties.
PHOTOGRAPHY EMMAN MONTALVAN @ TACK ARTIST GROUP
STYLING ASHLEY ROBERTS HAIR RYAN RICHMAN @ STARWORKS ARTISTS MAKEUP ROSIE JOHNSTON @ THE GRID AGENCY PHOTO ASSISTANT STEPHEN PAUL STOCKER SPECIAL THANKS TO TACK RETOUCHING NAS TYGAL.COM GIRLBOSS.COM
JACKET ACNE (opposite page) SHIRT VINTAGE PANTS COS
DE SI G N E R
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IF SOPHIA AMORUSO WERE CINDERELLA IN HER TWENTIES, SHE’S IRON MAN IN HER THIRTIES.
JACKET NAS TY GAL
S O PH I A A M O RU SO
ST O R E
N O. 40
AUSSIE ONLINE BOUTIQUE BNKR BRINGS A FLAGSHIP STORE TO THE EVER-EXPANDING BROADWAY CORRIDOR
B NKR
TEXT MEGAN LABER PHOTOGRAPHY TED EMMONS STYLING ELLIE DUIGAN OF BNKR HAIR & MAKEUP MIRIAM NICHTERLEIN MODEL RIMA VAIDILA / @RIMA_RAMA
ST O R E
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I DON’T KNOW ANY OTHER RETAILERS THAT ARE VERTICALLY MULTI-BRANDED. EACH PIECE DOES SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN A GIRL’S WARDROBE. THEY DON’T CANNIBALIZE EACH OTHER OR CROSSOVER TOO MUCH. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOP THE FLOOR AND FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED.
W
ith regard to fashion, if the Land Down Under hasn’t been on your radar, we would question your commitment to Instagram and streetstyle roundups. Thanks to their minimalist color pallets and trend-forward, blogger-friendly silhouettes, Australian brands have become ubiquitous within the women’s contemporar y and lifestyle markets.
represented in the 6,800-square-foot store opening this fall. “We feel like the Ace [Hotel] will definitely bring the customer. Ever y time we go downtown, there is a new shop, coffee place, or exciting new business. Now that people are searching for BNKR online and there is that growth, we feel like we will bring a lot of value to the neighborhood,” Flintoft says.
By marr ying clean lines and trendy proportions with (measured) wearability, Australian multi-brand retailer BNKR is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Think figure-flattering dresses, crop tops, and culottes made with high- quality fabric in subdued, relevant hues. Throw in thoughtful, branded content, and you’ve got a global phenomenon.
The fashion-forward LA woman is a new type of shopper downtown hasn’t seen much of in the past few decades. An Aussie store might be the best thing to attract her to the area, though—she has more than a few commonalities with the Sydney or Melbourne girl.
“I don’t know any other retailers that are vertically multi-branded,” says Melanie Flintoft, founder of BNKR and overseer of all creative work put out by the company. “We’re the organic source of the brand. Each [designer’s piece] does something different in a girl’s wardrobe. They don’t cannibalize each other or crossover too much. You should be able to shop the floor and find ever ything you need.” The floor Flintoft is referring to is not a metaphorical one. The store has done so well in the US, the brand will be opening their first brick and mortar on the corner of Broadway and 9th Street in downtown Los Angeles, one of the most coveted wedges of the neighborhood block. After doubling sales monthly at their Robertson pop -up shop, Flintoft became aware just how responsive the LA woman is to the Australian aesthetic. Much like how Rag & Bone, Alice and Olivia, Theory, and Helmut Lang have a similar parent investor, BNKR umbrellas The Fifth, C/MEO COLLECTIVE, Keepsake, Finders Keepers, and JAGGAR Footwear (launching 2016)—all Aussie-based brands. While their collective aesthetic is more cohesive than the aforementioned, the brands’ general direction varies, and each will be well
“I think the LA woman, especially in downtown, is our customer. The bohemian floral dressing with rock ‘n’ roll flares has always been in LA, but I think there is a changing customer that is desperately looking for a decently accessible runway look that is more feminine and structured, which is what we do really well,” says Flintoft. Representing what the BNKR crew calls a “girl gang,” the four house brands will allow the urbanite with an affinity for structure, the party girl looking for micro mini frocks, and the art-inspired capitol “F” fashion girl to all come together and enjoy retail therapy in one location. While the crossing of the pond typically signals intent toward world domination, Flintoft says a more curated and slow fashion approach is the path she wants the company to take. “I guess we don’t want to be ever ywhere,” Flintoft says. “We want to stay exclusive and we don’t want to be too accessible. The opportunity is there and it’s tempting to be ever ywhere as soon as possible, but I feel like you lose that uniqueness. I’d like to keep the brands slightly more personal.” Joining the likes of Acne Studios, Aesop, Oak, A.P.C. and Urban Outfitters in their new location, BNKR’s choice to stay internationally local signals it’s a g’day to be in LA.
901 SOUTH BROADWAY S T. LOS ANGELES, CA 90015 US.FASHIONBUNKER.COM
B NKR
ON T R EN D
HO LI D AY G I F T G U I D E
O. N 45 NO. 43
THE
GIFT GUIDE JANESSA LEONE
Sylvar Felt
FOR HER
THE OBJECT ENTHUSIAST
Mask Treatment Dish
$18
$196
DIAMOND SUPPLY
Catskill Flannel Skirt
$85
DONNI CHARM
Donni Diagonal
$119
PINE & BOON
Convertible Dot Clutch
$196
TIRO TIRO
Iridis Necklace
$195
DIAMOND SUPPLY
C/MEO COLLECTIVE
Midnight Moto Jacket
What You Need Top
$140
$230
NAUGHT Y
THERESE KUEMPEL
Turquoise Bracelet
$70
TANNER GOODS
REBELS
Pendleton® Saddle Blanket
‘Calista’ Boot
$200
$130
FOR LOVE & LEMONS
Marseille Bralette
$131 LEGACYBOX
Starter Box
$70
ARTIFACT UPRISING
GROUP PARTNER Tanline Pot
DIY Calendar
$30
NICE
$65
SCHOTT NYC
Cowhide Bomber Jacket
$835 KINDAH KHALIDY
Abstract Mini Zipper Clutch
$56
KIRIKO
Japanese Selvedge Denim Work Apron
$129
THIS IS GROUND
Metro Slim Wallet 2
$30
TOM DIXON
Brew Stove Top Coffee Maker
$175
KONUS
Flight Bomber
$168
$74
MOKUYOBI THREADS
TRIPLE C
Bluboom Speaker
$69
THE COCKTAIL LAB
Gin Lovers Exploration Kit
Zipped Pouch
FOR HIM
APOLIS
Transit Issue Key Fob
$48
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Pampa Sport Cuff
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GROUNDS & HOUNDS
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MISTER
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A LATE FALL EDITORIAL BY JOE PERRI
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PHOTOGRAPHY JOE PERRI
B RUI SER
A LAT E FA L L E D I T O RI A L
CHEF
FRE D D Y VA RG A S
SCARPETTA’S CHEF FREDDY VARGAS CHAMPIONS SIMPLICITY IN A WORLD OF EXCESS
CHEF
N O. 63
I
s there anyone who doesn’t love pasta? With countless jarred sauce concoctions being served in homes across the countr y, pasta in its most unpolished form is almost as American as hot dogs and burgers. But unlike the latter, even the most novice of cooks could feel great about their pasta by simply adding a few extra ingredients. Ground beef, sliced mushrooms, chopped jalapenos, and presto! Congratulations. You’ve officially transformed that jar of Prego into spicy Spaghetti. But that moment when you’ve tried a pasta dish that’s made from scratch? No, not just the sauce, but the pasta noodles itself ? Heaven. Enter Freddy Vargas, Chef de Cuisine at Scarpetta. Housed inside the Beverly Hills Montage, Scarpetta is where the chef dishes out the restaurant’s signature dish: spaghetti with tomato and basil. With its Italian-inspired cuisine, you might be surprised to find Chef Freddy Vargas hasn’t an inkling of Italian in him. He grew up in Staten Island, New York, an area heavily populated with Italian-Americans, and though his wife is Italian American, and father-in-law is from Bari, Freddy grew up with a Puerto Rican mother and Ecuadorian father. He recounts growing up eating “rice and beans, pork chops that were cooked ‘til they were dead, roasted chicken - really simple things.” His father, in part due to his Ecuadorian heritage, could always be found eating soups. “Even in the middle of August in New York, one hundred degrees outside, you’ll still see him in the kitchen, shirt off and eating a bowl of soup.” And that’s the root of where Freddy’s cooking lies. Although Scarpetta is distinctly Italian-influenced, Freddy tells us that the heart is Latin. And the two are reconciled in a cooking philosophy that emphasizes seasonal cooking and simplicity. And the more simple the dish, the more important the quality of the ingredient. As Freddy reasons, it’s about “always going with what mother nature’s giving you. Especially being in California and having this great produce. It’s something I think is to be cherished and respected at the same time.” The focus on ingredients is what makes the food at Scarpetta special. What elevates the spaghetti with tomato and basil, though deceptively bare bones in description, is sourcing the best tomatoes, and as Freddy explains, “the process is just making basil infused oil, putting it into the tomatoes. It emulsifies together, and we cook the spaghetti with the sauce. We’ll put about 2 oz. of the pasta water with the sauce, and as the pasta’s cooking it releases starch. The starch makes it nice and viscous. The noodles, when you eat them, you’ll taste it, they were really swimming together and really getting to know each other. Ever ything plays off one another, and it’s really, really simple.” On this occasion of pasta enlightenment, Freddy cooks up for us a brown-tinged pasta which we learn is Porcini Tagliatelle. It’s dressed up with housemade veal sausage, cherry tomatoes and pecorino romano. The combination of earthy, perfectly chewy, al dente pasta with just the right amount of salt and fat from the pecorino and veal sausage is absolutely wonderful combined with the bright, sweet zing of cherry tomatoes. It’s an illuminating moment. (continued on next page)
FRE D D Y VA RG A S
IT’S ABOUT GOING WITH WHAT MOTHER NATURE’S GIVING YOU. ESPECIALLY BEING IN CALIFORNIA AND HAVING THIS GREAT PRODUCE. IT’S SOMETHING I THINK IS TO BE CHERISHED AND RESPECTED AT THE SAME TIME.
CHEF
T
here are non-pasta dishes at Scarpetta too, like the soft-scrambled eggs served with truffle. Or the grilled imported Spanish octopus we tr y, served on a thick smear of black garlic purée, with peanut potatoes & tomato - olive vinaigrette. The presentation is as lovely as it tastes, and Freddy’s philosophy is really starting to shine through. We ask him about Paninoteca, the sandwich-slinging Scarpetta offshoot which he runs during lunches. How does the chef elevate the humble sandwich? “Ever ything always has a purpose. There are lots of layers of flavors, full- on and intended to be that way. We make our own roast beef, turkey, a smoked pork loin called lonza. Something as simple as a turkey sandwich, we just wanna make it really fricken good. By 1 o’clock and there’s a line out the door. We really made an impact. That was my intention: really simple ingredients, thinking about acid and mayonnaise, thinking about different fats, full- on intention to make these the best sandwiches around.“ Freddy goes on to explain that Scarpetta translates to, “little shoe”, but owner/ restauranteur Scott Conant’s intention was all about enjoying the meal to the ver y last bit. “Because Scarpetta means you take a piece of bread, and you sop up whatever sauce is left, if you eat a bowl of spaghetti for instance. That was his intention for the brand, and it’s what he really wanted to capture in Italian cooking. That’s why this brand has done so well and resonates with ever yone. Who doesn’t want to go out and really enjoy a meal in that way?” As I finish up my porcini tagliatelle, I’m left wondering where my “little shoe” of bread is. A finger will have to do.
TEXT VI NGUYEN PHOTOGRAPHY TRISHA ANGELES 225 N. CANON DRIVE BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210
FRE D D Y VA RG A S
F OOD
F O O D SC O O P S
N O. 66
FOOD SCOOPS HOLIDAY CHEER. BOOZE EDITION
TEXT VI NGUYEN
For all its rosy, greeting card imager y, the holiday season can sometimes bring out the worst in us. Let’s face it, shopping for gifts and scouring sales alongside a horde of procrastinators could land even the most patient of shoppers on PeopleofWalmart.com. So why not take a break with a nice cold drink to calm your nerves and remind you of something almost ever yone likes—booze. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, treat yourself to one of these tasty cocktails.
FOR THE SCOOPS ON L A' S L ATEST E ATS VISIT L AC ANVA S .COM
GRACIAS MADRE • WEST HOLLY WOOD
BROKEN SPANISH TAQUERIA • DTL A
This vegan restaurant dishes out Mexicaninspired bites and fresh, seasonal cocktails. Being plant-based may have its challenges, but the restaurant is known for it’s vibrant ambiance, organic and locally sourced ingredients. Jason Eisner leads the beverage program and ser ves up colorful concoctions that are as tast y as they are refreshing.
This colorful downtown modern Mexican eater y is chef Ray Garcia’s playground for experimentation, where refined technique meets the bold f lavors of Latin cooking and the diverse background of a native Angeleno.
DRINK UP: Tequila anejo melds beautif ully w ith por t w ine, house pepita pumpkin butter, lemon, demerara, and house aromatic bitters in Pie One On.
graciasmadreweho.com
DRINK UP: What says holidays like shared inebriation? Div v y up the booze with the homies with the Cazuela, a concoction meant for two (or one if you’re feeling spicy). Made with Mezcal, blanco, Mandarin Napoléon, lime, fresh jicama and pineapple, and Fresno chili, served in a gorgeous earthen Cazuela dish and garnished with f lowers.
bstaqueria.com
LOTERIA GRILL • VARIOUS LOCATIONS
LEDLOW’S • DTL A
FIREFLY • STUDIO CIT Y
This Mexican restaurant group grew from an open-air stall at the Farmers Market into a well-respected chain of restaurants even the snobbiest of foodies will still visit. Their regional cooking is award winning and offers ever ything from Chicharron de Queso to thirstquenching agua frescas.
Josef Centeno is slowly building a downtown empire of eating establishments. Rounding out Centeno’s display of culinar y prowess, Ledlow’s joins puff y-taco emporium Baco Mercat and upscale Tex-Mex restaurant Bar Ama just around the corner, along with Orsa & Winston.
This Moroccan-inf luenced eater y is a mix of rustic and contemporar y, offering up fine-dining eats housed in a neighborhood establishment. With a large outdoor area, Firef ly is a great spot to catch up with friends for al fresco wining and dining.
DRINK UP: Grab a seat and go for the Brandy Old Fashioned, a classic cocktail made with brandy, sugar, orange, cherr y, and bitters.
DRINK UP: If you mark down the days until Starbucks starts offering their Pumpkin Spice Latte, grab the Pumpkin Spice Cable Car. Featuring spiced rum, lemon juice, and orange juice, the drink is mixed with housemade pumpkin syrup and finished off with a cinnamon-sugar rim.
ledlowla.com
f iref lystudiocit y.com
DRINK UP: The crimson hue of a michelada topped with a lime slice is an easy excuse for holiday drinking. A seemingly odd mix of ingredients, a michelada normally includes a mix of components like beer, Clamato (exactly what you think it is), and some hot sauce. Loteria Grill serves up several variations. Tr y the version laced with Worcestershire, Maggi, Tapatío, and lime juice.
loteriagrill.com
Escala: Spanish for “Stopover” or “Layover”.A A unique stop the heart L.A.’s Koreatown Renaissance. Escala: Spanish for “Stopover” or “Layover”. unique stop inin the heart ofof L.A.’s Koreatown Renaissance. Inspired owner OG Chino’s uncommon roots, Chef Chris Oh mixes classic Colombian recipes with Korean flavors love for communal eating drinking. Inspired byby owner OG Chino’s uncommon roots, Chef Chris Oh mixes classic Colombian recipes with Korean flavors && aa love for communal eating && drinking. Urban Art Music our marquee family World Class Artists DJs.Stopover Stopover for the food, stay for the experience. Urban Art && Music byby our marquee family ofof World Class Artists && DJs. for the food, stay for the experience.
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@escalaktown @escalaktown #escalaktown escalaktown.com escalaktown.com #escalaktown
R E STA U RA N T
N O. 68
C A SSI A
DISHING UP NOSTALGIA AT CHEF BRYANT NG’S NEWEST RESTAURANT, CASSIA, SANTA MONICA GETS A TASTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA WITH A SIDE OF FRENCH BRASSERIE
TEXT VI NGUYEN PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN LINDEN
T
here a ren’t ma ny rest aur a nt s we c a n get a l l of L os A ngeles’ chefs to agree are good, but Chef Br yant Ng’s T he Spice Table was one of them. Hav ing been forced out of its Lit tle Tok yo location by the constr uction of a new Metro station (eminent domain strikes again), the shuttering of T he Spice Table lef t a hole in L A’s dining scene where the restaurant’s spic y sambal f r ied potatoes, gr illed pig tails, and la ksa once held a beloved place. Luckily for us, Angelenos can now get a t aste of Ng’s cooking again w ith Cassia, the serendipitous collabor ation bet ween t wo of L A’s most celebrated culinar y couples: Ng and his w ife Kim Luu-Ng, and Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb (of the venerable Rustic Canyon, Milo & Olive, and more). T he group quietly opened Cassia in June, w ith Ng at the helm as executive chef. While diners w ill f ind some f amiliar Spice Table items at Cassia, the restaurant’s menu is a slightly more elevated take on Southeast A sian cooking, w ith French brasser ie elements spr ink led throughout. Unlike T he Spice Table, Cassia is quite large. War mly lit and buzzing w ith v ibr ant energ y, the rest aur ant is housed in a gorgeous old ar t deco building, replete w ith T he Spice Table’s signat ure bird- cage light f i x t ures. When I v isit , Ca ssia is absolutely f illed to the brim, but ser v ice is timely and friendly. T he rea l st andout, of course, is the food.
Ng tells me the dish is a var iation of a Chinese savor y custard he grew up eating, and in f act, much of his cooking is steeped in nost a lgia. “I was bor n in the St ates, but I remember going to Singapore a lmost ever y yea r to v isit f a mily, my f at her coming home in the mor ning w ith brea k f ast,” he says. “It’ d be la k sa in a pla st ic bag t hat ’s t ied up rea lly nicely w it h a r ubber band. T hat’s a t aste memor y f rom my childhood that infor ms my menu.” T he slick, spic y la ksa is not for the mild of hear t, as it’s packed w ith chew y slices of f ishca ke, shr imp, and r ice nood les, and anchored w it h a cur r y-laced “ brot h ” that’s so thick it’s more sauce than soup. T he la ksa, among other dishes, is ser ved in por tions meant to be shared. A s I broach the topic of the upcoming holiday season, Ng tells me, “ T he holidays are about getting together w ith f amily and f r iends. T he rest aurant itself is a celebration of that. Even in the way we want people to dine, it’s f amily st yle. Coming f rom an A sian household, that’s just how we eat. We want to recreate that for people. Why? It’s creating a specia l event, ever y day.”
Ng’s menu is unapologetica lly Southeast A sian. His her it age is Chinese-Singaporean, and the menu a lso ref lects his w ife K im’s Vietnamese her it age. While Cassia touts its French Brasser ie elements, the French side is obv ious more so in the idea and the structure of the menu than the dishes themselves, w ith the of fer ings broken up into sections like charcuter ie, chilled sea food, gr illed, etc. St ill, how does Ng merge t he humble roots of A sian cuisine w ith the indisput ably higherend image of Cassia, and of French culinar y traditions? “A lot of the cooking is grounded in comfor t, a street food kind of v ibe,” he says. “But I think for me, the use of ingredients really helps sor t of reconcile the dif ference.”
T hough they’re meant to be shared, Ng’s dishes are so good you may want them all to yourself. On this occasion, I greedily consume the Vietnamese pot-au-feu, Ng’s take on a French beef stew. Creekstone Farms short rib is stewed until meltingly tender w ith potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. It’s ser ved w ith bone marrow and grilled bread to smear the butter y goodness on, accompanied by bird ’s eye chili sauce, walnut mustard, and pickled shallots for condiments. T he best part, though, is the broth. One sip takes me back to my childhood, hanging out in the kitchen watching mum and dad slaving away in front of a gigantic pot of phó. When I tell Ng this, he points out that Vietnamese phó likely came from the French dish. He explains to me, “Pot-au-feu star ted as a ver y traditional and humble French dish … T he stor y goes that pot au feu was maybe a precursor to phó itself dur ing t he French colonization of Vietnam. Phó probably came about from adding spices, herbs, and different elements, like noodles.” As a lifelong phó -lover, I’m slightly embarrassed I’d never made the connection.
T hat dif ference shines in dishes like Cassia’s Chino Va lley egg custard. It’s a delightf ully silk y smooth creation, steamed w ith an umami-packed broth, along w ith braised mushrooms, a nd topped w it h uni (se a urchin roe) a nd a spr in k ling of sca llions. Together, it’s a creamy, savor y f lavor bomb w ith bursts of br ininess that w ill sur pr ise you w ith the simplicit y of the dish ’s composition.
Put ting aside my lack of phó -histor y, it’s to be commended when a chef ma kes you ponder the or igins of your food. Too few chefs do, and I’m thoroughly impressed w ith ever y thing that Ng’s ser ved. Each bite is familiar in composition yet fresh and imaginative, a w inning combination for the t aste buds. In a sense, eating at Cassia is like a tr ip back in time to places held in chef Ng’s memor ies—a tr ip I’ d cer t ainly t a ke again.
CASSIA
1314 7TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 CASSIALA.COM
L A C A NVA S CA RE S
LO CAL NO NP RO F I T S
N O. 70
LA CANVAS CARES A SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL NONPROFITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIET Y
NKLA | No-Kill Los Angeles @nkla
nkla.org 1845 Pontius Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025
ast year, one in six animals kept in L A shelters L died. T hat’s almost 13,0 0 0 animals desperately needing a home, 13,0 0 0 potentia l best f r iends,
13, 0 0 0 loy a l a nd lov ing compa n ion s , 13, 0 0 0 innocent creat ures who lost their lives. 13,0 0 0. No -K ill L os A ngeles w a s created in 2012 by Best Fr iends A nima l Societ y w ith the mission to br ing that number dow n to zero. Yes, zero. How? First , by prov iding spay and neuter ing ser v ices i n a r e a s w it h t he h ig he s t conc ent r at ion of homeless pets in order to decrease t he number of anima ls going into shelters. A nd second , by
PHOTOGRAPHY MEIKO TAKECHI ARQUILLOS
826LA @826LA
826la.org 12515 Venice Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066
2 6L A i s a w r it i ng or g a n i z at ion , a t i me 8 t r aveling store, a nd— above a l l— a cre at ive sa nct ua r y for young minds w it h a blossoming
love for word s. T his nonprof it , w it h t hree L A locations (Mar Vist a, Echo Park, and a Wr iters’ Room at Manua l A r ts High School in South L A), i s de d ic at e d t o s t udent s f rom age s 6 t o 18 , prov iding f ree one- on- one guidance f rom tutors, evening a nd weekend w r it ing work shops, inschool progr ams, f ield tr ips, and more. Founded in 20 05, the organization is celebrating their tenyear anniversar y this year.
increasing the number of adoptions f rom shelters so that each anima l can f ind a sa fe, lov ing home. Since the ambitious initiative st ar ted, NKL A has been able to reduce the number of pets being k illed in L A shelters by 56 percent . Best Fr iends hopes to have their ef for ts reach a 10 0 -percent , nationw ide ef fect—but for now, there’s no better place to st ar t than home. T he NK L A Pet Adopt ion Center, located of f Santa Monica Blvd. and the 405, currently houses more t han 10 0 k it tens, puppies, cats, and dogs. T hey are a ll up -to - date on v accinations and are ready to be t a ken home. Adoption st ar ts at $10 0 and includes a month of pet insur ance, as well as dog or cat food. You can even browse through the f uzzes cur rently liv ing in their shelter v ia their website at nk la .org under “Adopt A Pet .” Pet lovers a re a lso encour aged to at tend t he Best Fr iends NKL A Super Adoptions presented by BOBS f rom Sketchers on November 7t h and 8t h at t he L a Brea Tar Pit s and Museum, where more than 1,0 0 0 pets f rom 50 dif ferent shelters and rescue groups w ill be av ailable for adoption, w ith fees st ar ting as low as $50. NKL A’s Facebook site regularly posts updates on pets that were adopted—images that w ill both w a r m a nd bre a k your he a r t . It ’s wonder f u l to celebr ate t he rescued pet s, yet t r ag ic k now ing that so many others w ill not be as luck y. But you c a n do you r pa r t to NK L A’s m i ssion . Adopt , volunteer, foster, or donate, and f ind out more at nk la .org.
826L A reg ularly t hrows event s, and in 2015, these events have included a Dance-a-T hon guestjudged by Moby, a live reading of historical letters featur ing Julia Louis-Drey f us, LeVar Bur ton, and host Jimmy Kimmel, and release par ties for books w r it ten by st udents at 826L A . T he orga nizat ion’s mission is to st reng t hen students’ w riting skills, challenging and inspiring them to be unrestr icted, yet ef fective, s t or y t e l l er s . Po em s , c om i c b o o k s , s t ud ent newspapers, and shor t stor ies— 826L A’s goa l is to help develop young w r iters’ voices throughout a v a r iet y of genres. A s t he st udent s ’ sk i l lset s develop, t hey g row bot h a s w r iters a nd ind iv idu a ls, bui ld ing con f idence a nd g a ining w illingness to share their work w ith the world. You can f ind (and purchase!) compilations of 826L A st udent w r iting at the Time Tr avel Mar ts at each respective location. Or igina lly created by w r iters Mac Bar net t and Jon Kor n and designer Stef an G. Bucher, the stores sell unique products t hat seem to have jour neyed t hrough pa st a nd f ut ure decades to reach the shelves. From robot milk and Vik ing deodor ant , to chapbook s made by the k ids, the Time Tr avel Mar t tr anspor ts you to another dimension. Besides pick ing up a k nick k nack at t he T ime Tr avel Mar t , t here are sever a l w ays to suppor t 826L A : you can volunteer, inter n, or donate to t h is wor t hy c ause. 826L A is a n inspir ing a nd ef fective w ay to connect w ith creative children in your communit y.
Mursuli Cigars A Family Tradition Since 1936 Hand Rolled Cigars • Custom Labels • Cigar Rollers 10699 LOWER AZUSA RD. TEMPLE CITY, CA 91780
MURSULICIGARSINC.COM
COMEDY
8
Matisyahu @ Fox Chocolate Sundaes Performing Arts @ Laugh Factory Center
CONCERT
8
Dublab Vibing Time: Heidi Lawden @ Ace Hotel-DTLA
PARTY
8
Los Angeles Ballet Presents Giselle @ UCLA Rocye Hall
THEATRE
1
HARD Day of The Dead @ Pomona Fairplex
FESTIVAL
1
S
ART
Monday Social Presents: Noir @ Sound Nightclub
EVENT
9
CONCERT
Red Bull Sound Select Presents: Toro Y Moi @ Teragram Ballroom
9
CONCERT
Red Bull Sound Select Presents: Grimes @ Mayan Theater
2
T
EVENT
Desert Nights @ The Standard-Hollywood
COMEDY
CONCERT
Tinashe @ The Regent Theater
11
11
Open Mic @ The Laugh Factory
W
The Meltdown w/ Jonah & Kumail @ Meltdown Comics
COMEDY
4
CONCERT
Shopping @ The Echo
4
10
HAPPY HOUR
$5 Beer @ Gracias Madre
10
FILM
Sullivan’s Travel @ LACMA
3
Inaugural Installation @ The Broad Museum
FILM
As I Am: The Life And Time$ Of Dj Am @ Theatre at Ace Hotel
3
2
M
FILM
Action Movies: Kurt Kren / Valie Export @ MOCA
12
ART
Hotel Theory @ Redcat Gallery
12
ART
In The Shades On Mirrors: Daguerreotypes As MicroMonuments For The Atomic Age @ The Getty Center
5
CONCERT
TH
Smallpools @ The Fonda Theatre
5
NOVEMBER
CONCERT
LA Dispute @ El Rey Theatre
13
HAPPY HOUR
All Beers Half Off @ All’acua
13
EVENT
EVENT
6
Nitro Circus Live Lunchtime Yoga @ Staples Center @ Grand Park
6
CONCERT
Fall Concert Series: Beach Party @ One Sante Fe
6
F
PARTY
Bootie LA @ The Regent Theater
14
COMEDY
ART OPENING
Jeff Colson’s Stacked Desk @ Maloney Fine Art
7
EVENT
Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2015 @ LA Coliseum
14
Margaret Cho-The Psycho Tour @ The Wiltern
14
PARTY
Funky Sole @ The Echo
7
CONCERT
Red Bull Sound Select Presents: Soulection @ The Regent Theater
7
S
EVENT
Nikki Lane @ The Observatory
CONCERT
29
HAPPY HOUR
$5 happy Hour Specials @ Harvard & Stone
30
CONCERT
23
The Odd Market Børns @ Autry National @ El Rey Theatre Center
HAPPY HOUR EVENT
Wasted Afternoons Open Mic @ The Silverlake Lounge
23
$12/$14 Well Pitchers @ Barney’s Beanery
FOOD
Modern Kaiseki Tasting Course @ n/naka
16
Monday Social Presents: Pleasurekraft @ Sound Nightclub
EVENT
23
ART
Tour: American Ceramics @ LACMA
16
Low @ Troubadour
CONCERT
16 16
22
22
Yuna @ Troubadour
CONCERT
22
Ty Dolla $ign @ The Observatory
CONCERT
15
15 15 CONCERT
FOOD
FOOD
Taco & Trivia Tuesdays @ Angel City Brewery
24
FILM
The Next Wave: La Source @ Hammer Museum
24
House Specials @ Freddy Small’s Bar & Kitchen
CONCERT
Evanescence @ The Wiltern
17
17
PARTY
143 @ Los Globos
25
CONCERT
Chance The Rapper @ Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall
25
EVENT
UCLA Game Arts Festival @ Hammer Museum
18
City and Colour @ Hollywood Palladium
THEATRE
42nd Street @ Segerstrom Center For The Arts
18
17
EVENT
Petit Takett: Love, Legacy, and Recipes From The Maghreb @ Skirball Cultural Center
27
CONCERT
ART
Jimi Hendrix, 1966 @ The Grammy Museum
20
Thomas Jack @ The Fonda Theatre
27
CONCERT
Rac @ Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall
20
PARTY
Dance Yourself Clean @ The Satellite
20
FILM
There’s A Stooge In My Soup! @ Alex Theatre
28
CONCERT
Red Bull Sound Select Presents: Ilovemakonnen @ Mack Sennett Studios
28
FILM
Art Deco Dreams: The History Of Fashion In Film 1925-1935 @ Egyptian Theatre
21
EVENT
21 United Way Homewalk @ Exposition Park
FOR MORE E VENTS IN RE AL TIME • L AC ANVAS.COM
EVENT
Turkey Trot Los Angeles Thanksgiving Day Race 2015 @ Los Angeles City Hall
26
FOOD
Four Seasons’ Annual Thanksgiving Day Brunch @ Culina
26
CONCERT
Alvvays @ Echoplex
19
EVENT
Game Night @ Grand Central Market
16 19
The Weeknd @ The Forum
CONCERT
8
Freeway: Crack In The System @ Hammer Museum
FILM
1
James Bay @ Hollywood Palladium
CONCERT
1
T
$9 Flatbreads @ Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse LA
FOOD
9
MØ @ The Observatory
CONCERT
9
CONCERT
Miami Horror @ El Rey Theatre
2
W
CONCERT
Kamasi Washington @ Club Nokia
10
COMEDY
All Star Comedy Show @ The Icehouse Comedy Club
10
EVENT
Lights Up The Holidays @ Grand Park
3
CONCERT
Slaves @ The Echo
3
TH
CONCERT
Kelela @ El Rey Theatre
11
FILM
M @ LACMA
11
Together Pangea @ Echoplex
CONCERT
4
EVENT
HAPPY HOUR
4
Healthy Happy Hour @ The Motor
KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball @ Staples Center
4
F
EVENT
EchoPark Craft Fair @ Grand Park
12
EVENT
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Flea Market @ The Regent Theater
6
EVENT
94.7 The Wave’s Soulful Christmas @ Microsoft Theater
13
Odesza @ Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall
CONCERT Marina del Rey 52nd Boat Parade @ Hammer Museum
EVENT
CONCERT
Papa @ The Observatory
6
13
CONCERT
Purity Ring @ Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall
5
EVENT
S
8TH Annual Unique LA Holiday Market @ California Market Center
6
12
FILM
Love Actually @ Electric Dusk Drive-In
5
THEATRE
S
Los Angeles Ballet Presents The Nutcracker @ Alex Theater
5
DECEMBER
CONCERT
Rainbow Jackson @ The Satellite
14
FOOD
$9 Korean Latke @ Leona
14
THEATRE
The Latina Christmas Special @ Los Angeles Theatre Center
7
CONCERT Dan Croll @ The Echo
7
M
Tabletop Tuesday @ V Wine Room
HAPPY HOUR
29
Heffron Drive @ The Roxy Theatre
CONCERT
22
$3 Chicharones @ Petty Cash Taqueria
FOOD
22
Swing Dance Lessons @ Joe’s Great American Bar & Grill
EVENT
15 15
Max And The Moon @ The Echo
CONCERT
15 15
Ice-skating @ Downtown Santa Monica
EVENT
30
EVENT
Amazing Scavenger Hunt @ The Getty Center
23
EVENT
Cirque du Soleil - Kurios @ The Dodger Stadium
23
CONCERT
Ghostface Killah @The Observatory
16 16
PARTY
Annual NYE 2016 @ W Hollywood
31
EVENT
Knott’s Merry Farm @ Knott’s Berry Farm
25
CONCERT
Bulletproof Stockings @ Teragram Ballroom
24
EVENT
Dillon Francis’ 4th Annual Weekend of IDGAFOS @ Shrine Expo Hall
17
EVENT
Spectacular Holiday Light Displays @ Candy Cane Lane
25
EVENT
Full Moon Dinner Cruises @ Marina del Rey
25
CONCERT
Muse @ Staples Center
18
THEATRE
A Cirque Christmas @ Segerstrom Center For The Arts
18 19
SPORTS
Ducks Vs. Flyers @ Honda Center
27
CONCERT
Duke Dumont @ Exchange LA
27
CONCERT
Ciara @ House Of Blues - Anaheim
20
CONCERT
Chet Faker @ The Observatory
28
FOOD
$10 Old School Brisket Sandwiches @ Maple Block
21
CONCERT
21 Earl Sweatshirt @ The Observatory
FOR MORE E VENTS IN RE AL TIME • L AC ANVAS.COM
COMEDY
Gabriel Iglesias @ Microsoft Theater
26
CONCERT
Loudpvck @ El Rey Theatre
19
EVENT
Holiday Sing-Along @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
16 19
L AST L O OK
N O. 76
EMM AN M O NTA LVA N
SURE SHOT
mman Mont a lvan is the kind of guy who ma kes your E day a lit tle bet ter. He is excessively char ming— goof y even—and while it may seem as though he’s just
hav ing a good time, Mont a lvan is a thorough producer who shoots for the edit. He moves deliberately, with a purposeful eye, and has an acute ability to put folks at ease, while at the same time keeping everyone on their toes.
T he f ashion photogr apher ’s idyllic images have gr aced the pages of Mar ie Claire, Wonde rland , and W W D, and he has been commissioned for major campaigns like A SOS, Nordstrom, Refor mation, and Illesteva. We f irst discovered Mont a lvan dur ing his tenure at T he Dresly n, and have been low-key st a lking his career ever since. For our Sophia A mor uso cover shoot, Mont a lvan combined 120mm and digit a l f ilm to f r ame the #GIR LBOSS in a f resh, nat ur a l light we haven’t yet seen her in. Post-shoot, we cor nered him for a lit tle r apid f ire. LA CANVAS: What was the first thing you said aloud this morning? EMMAN: So…the phone charger was unplugged the whole night? Innie or outtie? Innie. Drink of choice? Depends on my mood—but I love a good bloody Mar y in the afternoon and Mescal on the rocks at night. You’re at the airport. What do you buy? Where do you sit? I get food and sit where I can charge my gear. Do you consider yourself a troublemaker? Ha! I’ve had my moments when I was younger.
How do you feel about stickers? Hmmm…. Please sketch a picture of your first pet. I grew up in a farm, so I consider my horse to be my first “pet”.
What neighborhood do you live in? Koreatown! Favorite place to hide out in LA? My room. Besides this shoot, how often do you feel over worked and underpaid? Overworked? Some seasons sure, but there can be slow months too —it’s a tricky industr y! I tr y to keep a good balance between unpaid work and commissioned jobs. Favorite self-help book? I haven’t read a book in a while. This reminds me to start reading. Damn you, Instagram! Polka dots—for or against? For! I’m from the Philippines, and in my countr y it’s supposed to be good luck to wear polka dots during the new year. What are you doing later? I won’t tell. Can we come? Maybe.
EMMANMONTALVAN.COM ◆ @EMMANMONTALVAN
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