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10 Days Festival
Regarding Her celebrates female culinary artistry, empowerment
CuZn’s and Smudges New music be thy name
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Consider This: Saving Ukraine, saving ourselves
Doctor’s Day Publishes March 28, Artwork due March 23 FROM PRESCHOOL TO POSTGRAD
For more info. contact Michael Lamb 213-453-3548 • mlamb@timespublications.com or Catherine Holloway 213 -308-2261 • cholloway@timespublications.com
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Covered California CONSIDER THIS will help
OPINION
on domestic communism too far by open-
vorted with Roy Cohn, one of the most vi-
Saving Ukraine, saving ourselves By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News kraine is on everyone’s mind now, including mine. “How do I write about Ukraine in a weekly publication? With developments happening at lightning speed, I am hopelessly behind even as I write this. The lag will be more pronounced by the time this reaches my readers’ eyes,” I say to no one in particular. And what about my clarion call to make everything about Women’s history in March? Then it occurred to me that I could write about an ugly, shameful part of our history: the so-called “Red Scare” — aka McCarthyism — during the 1950s. People of all races and genders were impacted, and a significant number of U.S. citizens had their lives torn apart by smears and innuendo delivered via an ugly, career-killing blacklist. I’ll circle back to Ukraine later. My family suffered because of my parents’ politics. My mother was a farmer’s daughter who had become a stressed-out farmer’s wife by the early ‘50s. Why? My attorney father couldn’t find work in North Dakota because of persistent rumors that he was a “commie.” Dad was an ardent Farmers Union and Farmers Co-Op person, as were most of the Scandinavian and German farmers in North Dakota. Why buy expensive farm equipment when it could easily be shared among neighbors? Common sense, right? “Commie sense,” thought the Red hunters, who considered unions tantamount to Soviet-style socialism. Does this ring any contemporary bells? My dad was elected to be a states attorney for Steele County, North Dakota. He suspected there was a judge who didn’t like him, one that gossiped about dad’s left-leaning ways. The situation got so bad the family moved to Colorado. Dad’s brother had started a TV tube testing business there to serve that new-fangled mass me-
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dia appliance, television. There used to be TV tube testing machines at the front of grocery stores, and dad stocked them. That was how he kept us in groceries; we helped out by harvesting wild asparagus and frog legs from the ditches around our little farm outside of Thornton, Colorado. This all happened before I was born, and I learned about this time mostly from family lore. I was a pink diaper baby! The famous House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) hauled people in to testify about their communist affiliations. The famous question was, “Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?” The heroes of that time refused to name names. HUAC wasn’t supposed to be a trial, but evil and amoral Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisc.), made sure that the witnesses were blacklisted unless they turned on their colleagues. Many women were tainted forever by their communist sympathizing, regardless of their communist membership or nonmembership. Legends like Dorothy Parker, Gypsy Rose Lee, Judy Holliday, Uta Hagen and Lena Horne suffered greatly. Their careers were damaged, sometimes beyond repair. Most of these heroic people must be spinning in their graves if they are privy to the disgusting display of pandering to Putin and his regime by prominent Republican politicians and Fox News goons. I can’t fathom the disconnect, the outand-out treachery of so many contemporary Republicans. In my father’s day, those in the GOP were mostly goody-goody grownup Eagle Scout guys who cared about the future. They espoused issues that would be considered “socialism” now. Barry Goldwater would be appalled at the traitors in his party: He’s looking at you, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Mitch McConnell and a litany of names too long to mention. McCarthy ruined lives and created hysteria for years. Finally, McCarthy took his war
Hey you! Speak up! Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community. Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.
ing hearings on the Army. He alleged that cious men in U.S. history who was at one the U.S. Army had been infiltrated by com- time McCarthy’s right hand. munists. He also attacked a young lawyer Concerning the Russian invasion of in the law firm of Joseph N. Welch, the eru- Ukraine, who in our pantheon of politicians dite man representing the Army. Welch hit will ask the Putin fans in Congress and the back hard. Drumpf minions, “Have you no sense of deAs he struggled to keep cool, Welch cency?” looked into McCarthy’s eyes and said, “UnFor goodness’ sakes, Putin is former KGB! til this moment, senator, I think I never re- He’s a quintessential Soviet communist who ally gauged your cruelty or your reckless- wants to revive not only a cold but hot war. ness.” McCarthy stopped bellowing, “Point Have we become so cowed and stupid that of order! Point of order,” when Welch asked, we can stand by and let our very own poli“Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long ticians play into the hands of autocrats beEXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski last?” McCarthy couldn’t answer. At that, cause Drumpf wants to be one himself? STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero the entire gallery of journalists, observers Have we CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirkno decency? Ugh. ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares,and Stephanie Torres and representatives burst into applause Ellen Snortland has been writing this PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez cheers. It wasSTAFF McCarthy’s last hurrah. column for decades and teaches creCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos After years of Drumpf ’s ugly rhetoative writing. She can be reached at ellen@ ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb ric, what attorney Welch saidSue seems beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-winning FOUNDER EMERITUS: Laris tame now, but it was precisely what was needed film “Beauty Bites Beast” is once again availand wanted for the time. Connecting those able for download or streaming at vimeo. times with our own, recall that Drumpf ca- com/ondemand/beautybitesbeast.
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Regarding Her celebrates female culinary artistry, empowerment By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor ollowing two years of health and financial turmoil after the outbreak of COVID-19, small businesses hit the hardest have had to work tirelessly to survive. However, many restaurants have not only been able to survive but have thrived by working together. From March 4 to March 13, national nonprofit Regarding Her will host its 10 Days Festival, giving female business owners and restaurateurs a platform to show off their culinary talents and share their stories of hardship and success during the pandemic. “Our first festival was all online and takeout, so this year it’s going to explode with all the submissions and all the creative things people are doing together,” co-founder Sandra Cordero said. “It’s just so beautiful, and I’m really excited for the public to come and try, see and taste.” The festival debuted on the anniversary of the Women’s March in January 2021, bringing together nearly 100 female-owned food and beverage brands and restaurants while offering 85 events across LA County. “We’ve been working for a year in this silo trying to build, trying to bring everyone together and create opportunity, and this is it,” co-founder Sylvie Gabriele said. In the last year, Regarding Her’s online community has grown from 100 to 350 members as their active network continues to expand. The events at this year’s festival will capitalize on their growth, showcasing a diverse mosaic of female-owned businesses in the Los Angeles area. On Saturday, March 12, visitors are invited to a concert courtesy of WithOthers, an organization that connects nonprofits with emerging artists in intimate benefit concerts. Tickets are $25, and all proceeds will support Regarding Her. On Sunday, March 13, Regarding Her will take over Smorgasburg, the largest weekly open-air food market in the country, where guests can redeem their 10 Days Passport for gift bags, enter a raffle for prizes and support Regarding Her members’ businesses. There will also be a spe-
F Chef Mayuko Easton of Jay’s Bar showcases her ramen dish. Photo by Chris Mortenson
Sea shrimp samples were made fresh by Tatang’s Chef JR. Photo by Chris Mortenson
Naomi Mendoza of Cuernavaca Grill shared her original roasted jalapeño tacos for the Regarding Her event hosted at Rossoblu. Photo by Chris Mortenson
cial Mini Mart in place, featuring women-owned vendor stalls as well as a beer garden to celebrate the last day of the festival. “I’ve been trying to do this since I started cooking when I was 17 on the south side of Chicago in 1976, and I thought that by the time I was 64 this business for women would’ve been cured of all of its disparity, and it hasn’t,” co-founder Mary Sue Milliken explained, recalling the 25 years that she ran Women Chefs and Restauranteurs, a resource providing financial, educational and networking opportunities to female food professionals. “Being together with these women has been such a gift. For the first time I feel like we can really have an impact. What we’ve lacked is that deep connection in each community, so having women on the ground who understand how to run a restaurant and supporting each other, I think, is moving the needle in a different way.” Regarding Her was formed a year before the pandemic, when co-founder Dina Samson invited a group of female restaurant owners for brunch at her restaurant Rossoblu in LA’s Fashion District with the goal of meeting other female restaurateurs and sharing expertise. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the group began to meet over Zoom. They bonded over sharing information, insights and struggles, giving support and relief to each other while adapting to the changing currents of a global pandemic. The feeling of sisterhood they felt during those difficult times was a significant motivation behind joining together to form Regarding Her and to form the organization’s grant program, helping other women find the same resources and success. “We’re working with the James Beard Foundation and Women in Hospitality United, building a coalition of women-run and -focused food and beverage organizations in order to have even bigger aspirations in advocating for our industry and in figuring out ways to make our industry much more hospitable to the women, the people of color and the immigrants who work in it all the way from the farm to the plate,” Milliken said.
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This year alone, Regarding Her has given $10,000 to each of its 15 grant recipients, all made possible by its leadership team — Bricia Lopez, Brittney Valles, Dina Samson, Heather Sperling, Kimberly Prince, Lien Ta, Mary Sue Milliken, Sandra Cordero and Sylvie Gabriele — along with sponsorships from DoorDash and Caviar. “From losing spouses during the pandemic to raising a family during it to having to shut down, lose all their staff and work in the kitchen by themselves … it’s just a snapshot of some of the trials that these women have gone through,” co-founder Kimberley Prince said. There was not a dry eye in the room when the leadership team met with the grant recipients, she added. The resounding support and impact that this year’s grant program has had on its recipients has encouraged the Regarding Her team to double the grant to $20,000 next year, with the vision of creating a six-week intensive training program in partnership with hospitality schools at universities such as USC, Cornell and UNLV as well as an additional 10 months of train-
ing with a cohort of other women, learning new skills in the spheres of finance, marketing and HR. “We’re building that program into an acceleration program, so it’s not just money,” Cordero explained. “Regarding Her is really about the network and the connections we’re building between all the women so we can support and uplift them.” While the Regarding Her founders are proud of the progress they’ve made in the past two years, their quest to uplift and amplify the voices of female restaurateurs does not end in Los Angeles. The organization is looking to expand rapidly with the dream of empowering women across the country, then eventually across the world. “I’m very excited about this because we are building an organization that’s going to change the world,” Milliken said. “I think the whole purpose of our organization is to bring gender parity in our industry, because when women have an equal voice, have equal power, make equal pay and have equal control, things will be better for everybody.”
Regarding Her’s 10 Days Festival WHEN: Various times through Sunday, March 13 WHERE: Varies with event COST: Varies with event INFO: regardingherfoodla.org
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Butterfly’s Haven CEO Brittany Walker embraces Butterfly’s Haven partner CASA/LACEO Charity Chandler Cole.
Photo by Leroy Hamilton
Butterfly’s Haven, CASA/LA open 1st women’s residence
By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor longside its new nonprofit partner Butterfly’s Haven, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Los Angeles has celebrated the opening of its oneof-a-kind 20-bedroom women and children’s residence in the heart of the city. “Our young people, myself included, when transitioning and going through the system, have come to be reliant upon the system in a way that really didn’t allow us to be independent,” CASA/LA CEO Charity Chandler-Cole said. “This is about taking away all of those layers of what society and others expect you to be or think and really allows these young mothers to taste, feel and understand independence, but do it in a community of their peers with other women who know exactly what they’re going through, have experienced some of the pain and trauma they’ve gone through, and are all on a path to becoming independent.”
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As a young woman, Chandler-Cole was raised in a poor environment and spent time in juvenile hall for stealing a pair of underwear for her little sister before entering the foster care system. She recounted that while she was incarcerated and criminalized for what she had done, no one throughout her experience in the juvenile justice or foster care system questioned why she felt compelled to steal for survival. “When I came out, I wasn’t given the adequate resources to address the things I needed to thrive in this world or what I wanted to do in life,” Chandler-Cole explained. “I was told what to do and how to do it, and I was so limited. They had already defined who I was supposed to be in this world, and I hated it because I had big dreams for my life. I had big visions and I didn’t know how to get there, but no one tried to support me in that journey. With this transition housing, we wanted to eliminate all of that and say, ‘You can be whatever you want to be. Let us know and we’ll connect you to the resources, opportunities and our personal networks to help you build out that dream.’” As the CEO of CASA/LA, Chandler-Cole now works to support and advocate for children and families who have been impacted by LA county’s overburdened child welfare and juvenile justice systems. These families often come from underserved communities suffering from racial disparities and structural inequality that have led to poverty, abuse and societal neglect. Through personal friend and Treehouse CEO Prophet Walker, Chandler-Cole was able to partner with Brittany Walker, founder of Butterfly’s Haven, an LAbased nonprofit organization seeking to address housing inequity for single mothers by offering shared housing, supportive services and 24-hour child care, to create the new 20-bedroom residence in Downtown LA that not only acts as a housing space but also as a sisterhood that serves and supports one another. “Hopefully through this program we’re able to create a space where they’re affirmed as mothers, they’re affirmed as women and they’re affirmed as sisters,” Chandler-Cole said. “They have so much to offer, but we have to believe it. We have to believe in them, and they have to believe in themselves.” Along with their 20 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms that will house young women, pregnant women and children for four months to three years, the Butterfly’s Haven residence includes amenities such as laundry, Wi-Fi and security systems as well as in-house and partner-provided services and programs like life coaching, child care and mental health counseling. Nonprofit organization Charity’s Closet will provide free clothing to residents, who will also have the opportunity to be paired with a court-appointed special advocate from CASA/LA who will work with partner organizations to leverage internship and employment opportunities. During her time with CASA/LA, Chandler-Cole explained that most of the mothers she worked with have been told that they would never amount to anything, that they’re worthless. She believes that because of the overwhelming negativity they’ve faced, many mothers have begun to feel limited in what they can achieve or even the support that they can receive from the institutions and organizations around them. “Seeing how all those stories merge together and intersect, and how that plays out with society’s expectations of them, really breaks my heart, because these women are so much more than what we define them as and what society has defined them as,” Chandler-Cole said. “I want to use this opportunity to show people that with the right support, with the right connections and with the right amount of intentionality, that our young women can come out of any situation and thrive as successful agents of society and be dynamic, amazing mothers, but it’s going to take a village to do that.” By offering a place to live as well as a support network, Butterfly’s Haven and CASA/LA have been able to give these mothers the platform and confidence to pursue their goals and to find success in both their careers and personal lives, for themselves and their families. To learn more and to help support the work that Butterfly’s Haven and CASA/LA do across Los Angeles, visit casala.org.
Butterfly’s Haven and CASA/LA open first women’s residence casala.org
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Robert Bartko focuses on music from Wham! and George Michael’s solo career. Photo courtesy of Robert Bartko
Robert Bartko keeps George Michael’s vision alive
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor obert Bartko says his George Michael Reborn act is not a gimmick. The tribute did not choose him. In fact, it was the opposite; it chose him. “From the time I was in high school, I looked like George Michael when he began to emerge on the scene,” Bartko said. “I could grow a full beard at 17. I was a football jock and sang in the drama club. Usually, those are very polarized worlds in high school.” But friends and family saw something special — his uncanny vocal resemblance to Michael. “In 1988, I went to his big show at the Orange Bowl in Miami. I thought I was going to lose my life that night,” Bartko said about the reaction to his look. He spent the 1990s producing songs for rock acts like Korn (“A.D.I.D.A.S. Level X Mix,” “Wicked” and “All in the Family,” which featured Fred Durst) and dance artist Stevie B. In 2018, he saw a resurgence of his dance career. When a booking agent called him to perform, he said, “‘Man, you look and sound just like George Michael. If you could put together a George Michael act, we could book it a lot more than we could book you on your own.’ Again, it chose me.” Thus George Michael Reborn was off and running. Now, he said, fans “lose their minds” at his shows, which includes a Friday, April 1, at The Bourbon Room. Bartko’s act is a retrospective of Wham! and Michael’s careers. He said he “nails” the whole “Faith” era. “I’ve been really fortunate to be able to pull off a 22-year-old George doing ‘Faith,’” he said. “I touch upon all the hits form the ‘Fantastic’ album, ‘Edge of Heaven,’ ‘Faith’ and beyond that. I concentrate most on the ‘Faith’ era. “They love George Michael,” he said. “They put their claws in and don’t let go for 90 minutes. Their minds go back to high school.”
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George Michael Reborn WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, April 2 WHERE: Bourbon Room, 6356 Hollywood Boulevard, Second Floor, LA COST: $25 INFO: bourbonroomhollywood.com
The first few years of a child’s life are critical for their development. Children at risk of a developmental delay, or showing any signs of delay, may qualify for intervention and services through the Early Start program of California. Across the state of California, the Early Start program is coordinated by all 21 regional centers. With the guidance of service coordinators, an individualized plan for services and supports can make a difference in a child’s development. For individuals over the age of 3, the regional centers also provide lifelong services and supports from the school age years through adulthood, including service coordination, individual service planning, education related advocacy and training In partnership with the Family Resource Centers, parents and family members may receive parent-to-parent support, guidance, information and referrals to community resources. Due to the decline in referrals during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, it is important to know that your local regional center remains open and is accepting referrals. Although some regional center staff may be working remotely, they continue to work hard to ensure your child is receiving the services they need. To find out exactly which regional center would serve your family, please visit dds.ca.gov/services or dds.ca.gov/listings Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 383-1300 or (213) 252-5600 kyrc@lanterman.org | www.lanterman.org
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The Smudges is a husband-and-wife duo of cellist Maggie Parkins and violinist Jeff Gauthier. Submitted photo
CuZn’s and Smudges: New music be thy name
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By Kirk Silsbee LA Downtown News Contributing Writer hough the large Downtown performance venues have laid out their spring schedules, another hopeful post-pandemic development is the resuscitation of smaller music spaces. The Saturday, March 12, Art Share LA concert offers two contemporary music duos whose methodologies contrast, yet are nonetheless quite complementary. Tuba player William Roper and cornetist Bobby Bradford call their partnership CuZn’s. They’ve played together in larger ensembles — led by each other, and instrumentalists like saxophonist Vinny Golia and trombonist Michael Vlatkovich. Yet Roper and Bradford have a special musical and personal affinity. The intergenerational brass team matches a 56-year-old Locke High School grad and contemporary of Patrice Rushen, with the 87-year-old patriarch of Los Angeles free jazz. Bradford helped Ornette Coleman realize his music in the 1950s, before the Air Force called him. In the middle ’60s, Bradford and his late partner, clarinet virtuoso John Carter, co-led LA’s first resident free jazz small band. Bradford subsequently taught jazz history and studio classes for decades at Pomona and Pasadena City colleges. His pedagogical imprint was left of artists as disparate as writer Stanley Crouch, flute virtuoso James Newton, tenor saxophonist David Murray and performance
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artist Diamanda Galas. Roper is an all-purpose tuba man for contemporary classical music and avant-garde jazz units. He’s a bit of a wild card in that Roper is often allowed to extemporize spoken texts in the middle of a performance. He might put the tuba down and prowl behind the Vlatkovich band, looking for his spot with a mischievous look. When he takes the microphone, the music suddenly gains a narrative dimension. “The first thing that struck me about William is just how smart he is,” Bradford said. Don’t look for theme lines or head arrangements. Much of CuZn’s music is improvised. Their “invisible repertoire” relies on intuition and sensitivity. “William may play an ostinato or a bass line and I’ll jump on it. Or I may play bugle, and he’ll play off of it. Our music involves a lot of cues,” Bradford said. “We’re pretty simpatico,” Roper said. “When it’s just the two of us, he’s the anchor. Even though I play tuba, I can do some wild stuff while Bob minds the store.” Their modus operandi derives as much from their friendship as their instruments. “We spend a lot of time driving,” Roper offers, “and telling stories. That always brings up musical ideas for us to explore.” The duo of violinist Jeff Gauthier and cellist Maggie Parkins come at their music from an entirely different angle. They met at a Nels Cline recording session in 2006, and later married. Gauthier is known as a versatile player who enhances bands and studio dates. He’s also a smart doer who has creat-
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Bobby Bradford, left, and William Roper are CuZn’s. Submitted photo
ed opportunities for many musicians. He founded his Cryptogramophone label to document the new music players around him and their respective music. After curating several performance series around town, Gauthier became executive director of the Jazz Bakery. Parkins was raised in an intensely musical family: Her twin sister is a violinist, and another sister plays the harp. She’s grounded in the classical literature, and yet Parkins has a stake in contemporary concert music. Both stand her well with her students at Pomona College. “I love Jeff’s jazz sensibilities,” Parkins said. “It’s so different from the world I inhabit. I admire how he creates wonderful solos and writes interesting tunes.” Gauthier and Parkins had performed together here and there, but the COVID-19 shutdown allowed them to collaborate with great intention. They call their duo The Smudges. Their critically acclaimed debut album, “Song and Call” (Cryptogramophone), is a bouquet of moody and passionate compositions. Most come from Gauthier’s pen, but they tapped composers Tom Flaherty and Guy Klucevsek for pieces. The latter’s “Music of Chants” brings to mind a cantor’s lament; the former’s “Release” threads a thicket of piquant pizzicato and bent-note arco articulation. The Smudges book swims in the richness of
strings and woods, with discreet electronic enhancements. Husband-and-wife teams are rare in musical aggregations; the intensity of making music isn’t always something that musicians want in their private lives. Gauthier and Parkins are an exception. “I’ve taught a little, but it’s not really my calling,” Gauthier said. “Maggie’s an amazing teacher, and this project has brought about some real pleasant surprises.” Parkins added: “We’ve found an interesting niche to be inside. We don’t have some of the personal boundaries that we maintain with other people. That allows us to go deeper in the music.” Gauthier clarified: “As close as we are, neither of us can get away with anything.” Sixty years ago, Bradford and Ornette Coleman could be heard at a sawdust-floor dive called the Top Top, on Fifth Street. It wasn’t so far from where Art Share LA now sits. “I’ve always admired Bob as a man of character, and the community — as a music maker and a teacher,” Gauthier said. And 20 years ago, Gauthier re leased his first Cryptogramophone album, “Mask.” Now the label’s catalog is streamed on Bandcamp. The Art Share LA recital touches on a lot of history yet faces forward at all times.
CuZn’s (Bobby Bradford and William Roper) and The Smudges (Jeff Gauthier and Maggie Parkins) WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12 WHERE: Art Share LA, 801 E. Fourth Place, Los Angeles COST: $15 INFO: artsharela.org
Los primeros años de la vida de un niño son críticos para su desarrollo. Los niños en riesgo de un atraso en el desarrollo, o que muestran signos de atraso, pueden calificar para la intervención y los servicios a través del programa Early Start de California. En todo el estado de California, el programa Early Start es coordinado por los 21 centros regionales. Con la guía de los coordinadores de servicios, un plan individualizado de servicios y apoyos puede marcar la diferencia en el desarrollo de un niño. Para las personas mayores de 3 años, los centros regionales también brindan servicios y apoyos de por vida desde la edad escolar hasta la edad adulta, incluida la coordinación de servicios, la planificación de servicios individuales, educación relacionadas con la defensa y capacitación. En asociación con los Centros de Recursos Familiares, los padres y los miembros de la familia pueden recibir apoyo, orientación, información y referencias a recursos comunitarios. Debido a la disminución de las referencias durante el estado de emergencia de COVID-19, es importante saber que su centro regional local permanece abierto y está aceptando referencias. Aunque algunos miembros del personal del centro regional pueden estar trabajando de forma remota, continúan trabajando arduamente para garantizar que su hijo reciba los servicios que necesita. Para averiguar exactamente qué centro regional serviría a su familia, visite dds.ca.gov/services or dds.ca.gov/listings Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 383-1300 or (213) 252-5600 kyrc@lanterman.org | www.lanterman.org
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The Darkness comes to The Novo on Tuesday, March 15. The band hasn’t played the United States in several years. Photo by Simon Emmett
The Darkness’ new album is a return to form By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor rankie Poullain’s life is chaotic. He just moved from Somerset, England, a favorite among musicians in the west country, back to London. “It’s that part of the world where Tears for Fears, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush and those kinds of people lived,” Poullain said via Zoom. Barely unpacked, Poullain is leaving London again, this time for the United States, where his band, The Darkness, is touring. The jaunt comes to The Novo on Tuesday, March 15. “It’s been four years now since we played the States,” he said. “Usually, we play every two years. This is the longest time I haven’t been in the States for 20 years. I miss certain things about the States. A lot of people give the States a bad rap. It’s fashionable to do that these days. What I love is the positivity and the pioneering spirit.” The Darkness — which also includes frontman/guitarist Justin Hawkins, guitarist/producer Dan Hawkins and drummer Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen’s Roger Taylor — released its new album, “Motorheart,” in mid-November. “Motorheart” is the follow-up to “Easter is Can-
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celled.” “‘Easter is Cancelled,’ by The Darkness standards, was quite introspective and quite involved, almost like a concert,” he said. “With this one, it’s most of us getting back to what we do best — just rocking out, really.” “Rocking out” is what The Darkness does best. Poullain called it The Darkness’ heaviest album yet. “We tend to have little pop moments on our albums,” he said. “This one is the most consistently hard rocking.” Poullain attributes part of that to Taylor, who’s been with the band for about six years. “He’s really an important part of the band now,” he said. “We’re got Rufus Taylor. As well as being a great drummer, he’s also contributing to the creativity of the songwriting. He and Dan really take us down a prog rock. He’s so technically accomplished.” That said, Poullain added “Motorheart” is the “proggest thing we’ve ever done.” He said he’s pleased that rock critics and some fans acknowledge the musicality of The Darkness. “They tend to focus on the “pantomime” or theatrical part of us, Poullain
said. “To us, it’s just the garnish. The important thing to us is rocking out, having the chops of a proper rock band.” At shows like the Novo gig, Poullain is looking forward to playing the song “It’s Love, Jim.” “That’s a fast-rocking one,” he said. “Live, when we play it, it gets faster and faster. That song came together really quickly. It’s pretty simple, and it’s really intense. It’s a blast of energy that you need in a live gig. We need a few songs like that to get the mosh pit going.” Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Poullain had a lot of time to consider what the live shows would be like. “We fly by the seat of our pants,” he said. “You can hear the energy on the record that it’s going to be great when you play it live. We were imaging what the songs would be like live. We were stuck at home like everyone else during the
lockdown.” Poullain and The Darkness are happy with the success they achieved with the likes of their breakthrough hit, the Queen-esque “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” “There are some really iconic British artists who didn’t connect with the American audience,” he said. “I suppose one of them would be Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, maybe his solo stuff.” Others are The Stereophonics and Robbie Williams. “You know something? Americans can see through a cabaret performer,” he said about Williams, best known in the United States for his song “Angels.” “To be a frontman in the United States, you can’t just be an entertainer, you have to have a proper voice, whereas the English like cheeky happy. I think in America you need something more authentic.”
The Darkness w/The Dead Deads WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 WHERE: The Novo, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, LA COST: Tickets start at $32.50 INFO: 213-765-7000, axs.com
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ARTS & CULTURE
Yungblud is crazy about his U.S. fans By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor ith his thick makeup, spiked hair a la a 20-something Robert Smith and gender-bending clothing, musician Yungblud has been called the “ultimate British rock star.” “It’s gone pretty mental, ain’t it?” asked Yungblud, who was born Dominic Richard Harrison, about the last five years. “For better or for worse, it’s gone bloody mad. There’s something out there in this country right now with me. I can feel it. There’s an energy. It was different before. It feels more mad.” Many of the shows on his 2022 tour have sold out, but few tickets remain for his Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall gig on Friday, March 18. Born in Yorkshire, England, Yungblud
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is a multi-instrumentalist who picked up a guitar at age 2 and started writing his own songs eight years later. Following the release of his self-titled EP and his full-length 2018 debut, “21st Century Liability,” Yungblud released “The Underrated Youth” EP in 2019. Yungblud was crowned MTV Push: Ones to Watch winner at the beginning of 2020, when he was also shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2020 poll. He won best music video at the NME Awards in February 2020 and best push artist at the 2020 MTV EMAs. His debut full length, “Weird!,” hit stores in December 2020 and went straight to No. 1 on the U.K. Official Album Chart. In the fall of 2020, he launched The Yungblud Podcast on BBC Sounds, where he discusses topics and issues affecting
young people, whether it’s gender, sexuality, identity, money worries, friendships, style or mental health. Yungblud has more than 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 1.4 billion global streams. Yungblud says he’ll soon add to that by releasing new material. “Songs are about to start dropping very soon. I hate to sound cliché, but it’s the best music yet,” he said. “It’s so exciting. Nobody has any (expletive) idea that it’s coming.” He’s pleased that, finally, he gets to hit the stage with songs from “Weird!” Unable to perform the tracks previously due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yungblud said they show he was in a “completely different headspace” then. “Once you start to get a lot bigger, people have a million opinions about you,” he said. “People either love me or really (expletive) hate me. That was very strange to deal with, but I think it’s all just fuel. It’s all about love, man. You know what I mean? I’ve been that way my whole life. I feel just as judged when I got into writing music.” When he penned the songs for “Weird!” he vowed to “tell the truth and fight for equality.” Yungblud wanted people to feel loved no matter what. “I ain’t going to do it politely, either,” he said. “All I want to be is a vehicle for peo-
ple to express themselves. If that’s talking (expletive) or hating on me or expressing themselves, that’s rock ‘n’ roll. “It’s not really that deep. Hate is only a reflection of the other person. You just have to rock out with them.” Yungblud takes the haters seriously but engages them, he says. At the end of the conversation, they will either loathe or like him. If they dislike him, they can go on their way. Yungblud prides himself on his strong work ethic and says it just comes natural to him. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he became confused, artistically. “With me, I was on the road all the time,” he said about pre-pandemic jaunts. “I thrive and I’m best when I’m on the road. It’s that connection with people. “I don’t like breaks or holidays. They’re boring. I love my work. I love my job. Honestly, if I go on holiday, within two days, I go nuts.” Jumping back into touring was the antidote to that. “I’ve watched British bands come over, and they broke it or were broken by it,” Yungblud said. “I really love this country. I really believe what I have to say could matter to a lot of people out here. I’m excited to just (expletive) bring British rock ‘n’ roll to it. Oh, and say hello to the rattlesnakes and lizards and rocks.”
Yungblud w/Palaye Royale, Upsahl and Poutyface WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, March 18 WHERE: Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, 665 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $32.50 for the all-ages show INFO: 213-748-5116, shrineauditorium.com
Yungblud will perform at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Friday, March 18. Photo by Tom Pallant
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eaturing over 65 exhibitors from across California, the Pickwick Vintage Show took center stage at ROW DTLA. The show flaunted collections of vintage clothing, jewelry, accessories, textiles, findings and inspiration of all kinds. Pickwick Vintage Show is a major source for collectors, connoisseurs and the design community in search of vintage pieces spanning all eras. Photos by Chris Mortenson.
Beth Jones dressed to impress at the Pickwick Vintage Show in Downtown Los Angeles.
Meredith Minne of Pryde Vintage shows off some of her vintage pieces at the Pickwick Vintage Show in Downtown Los Angeles.
Hannah Schaler and Anne Hermansen say cheers to some Topo Chico.
Sandra Mendoza stands inside her booth, Debutante Clothing.
Johana Wilson sells clothing inside her booth at the Pickwick Vintage Show in Downtown Los Angeles.
Johnny Alemn and Cosima Ritter show off their outfits before heading into the Pickwick Vintage Show.
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