Los Angeles Downtown News 11-28-22

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist

Darkness surrounds our entryway as we negotiate four overjoyed, hungry dogs. How dare we be out past their dinner time? The smell of canned dog food makes me unusually queasy as I dish up their meals.

“Ugh. I feel terrible,” I say. “Me, too,” Ken says. “Do you have a headache? Are your muscles sore?” “Yep,” he says. “I suppose I should take a COVID test,” I say. We’d just returned from an afternoon and evening of great, unmasked fun and gut-bust ing laughter with our cherished friends; it had been years since we’d last visited them. The day’s centerpiece was watching “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” which we all unabashedly loved.

I go into our bathroom to get a Costco COVID-19 test kit. The box says, “Easy to Use. Accurate. Quick Results.” What else would it say: “Super difficult. Hit and Miss. Time-Consuming”? I stick the dreaded swab up my nostrils and simultaneously twirl, rotate, swab, giggle and itch. If nos trils were meant for that kind of excava tion, they’d be designed differently. I then swirl the stick in the handy-dandy tube of reagent, drip four drops of nostril juice onto the “test cassette,” then set the timer for 15 minutes. When time’s up, Ken looks at the tester; I don’t want to know. I’m negative… phew!

In retrospect, it had been an unusual ly social weekend for us. The previous Fri day, we were at the 9:30 a.m. showing of “Wakanda Forever,” along with a packed house of mostly unmasked folks.

That evening we had a big dinner at Maria’s Italian Kitchen with a group from the Theater Ministry of All Saints Episco pal, Pasadena. (It’s hard to wear a mask and eat at the same time!) We spent 90plus minutes meeting new people while the smells of garlic, olive oil and melted

cheese wafted among us. Afterward, we went to A Noise Within’s stellar produc tion of August Wilson’s “Radio Golf” fea turing more barefaced audience mem bers.

On Saturday, I had a wild and crazy night of lutefisk and melted butter at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Van Nuys. Uff da! Ya sure, ya betcha — lots of COVID-19 cooties opportunities! I’ve since heard that lutefisk can annihilate any virus known to humankind and even some un known viruses, so I shouldn’t have been concerned.

On Monday, Ken wakes up feeling like dog poo: a 103-degree fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches and cough. Whoa. He tests, and ding, ding, ding! COVID-19 has a winner, as our almost three-year streak of good luck runs out. I test myself and am also positive.

Arggh! The first thing we both think of is choir. We are choir nerds and can’t stand the thought of not rehearsing and being with our colleagues, even though we all wear masks. But given that choir singing can be deadly, labeled early in 2020 as a “super spreader event,” we must let that go. Our doctor gets us on Pax lovid; we take the two daily doses faith fully for five days straight. Ken has been hit by the COVID-19 freight train. Me? It’s more like a skateboard. I’m practically as ymptomatic, although not completely.

We are ordered to rest! I take our doc tor’s instructions seriously and mostly stay in bed for five days straight, reading and sleeping. My dear ex and his angel ic wife send us six bags of groceries, so we don’t have to shop or cook. I’m scared, though; in our 14 years of marriage, I had never seen Ken that sick. When he feels better, I order him around: go back to bed! Let me get that for you! Don’t lift that, or else!

I test after the Paxlovid runs out. Ken hears me yell, “Oh no! I’m still positive!” He

OPINION

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 import ant to the community.

Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Let ter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.

tests; he’s negative. He says, “Wait, what did the tester say?” I say, “There’s a line next to “C” for COVID.” “That’s not what the C is for. It’s for ‘control,’ not COVID. If you’d had a line next to T, that would mean you’re positive,” he says.

I feel so stupid! There’s an apt acronym: RTFI. As in, “Read The (expletive) Instruc tions.” Mortified, I tell my bestie I proba bly don’t have COVID-19. I think I could write a column about it — what does she think? “I think it would relieve people who make stupid mistakes to know they aren’t alone.”

in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, I’m renewing my commit ment to masking. I was a mask zealot from day one, and it worked. I’m not gam bling with my or anyone else’s health.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero

• At 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, please at tend a free, staged reading of my award-winning solo show, “Now That She’s Gone,” at All Saints Episcopal of Pas adena… masked, of course. It’s an encore, so many people wanted to see it. The per formance will be followed by a reception.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

I do a telehealth check-in with my doc tor. She says, “You had symptoms, so I’m not convinced you didn’t have the virus. Since you both had the bivalent booster a few weeks ago, it’s possible the viral load was too light for the test to detect.” I won’t really know until I have an antibody test

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

STAFF WRITER: Thea Eskey, Jeff Moeller

CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Ellen Snortland

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mat Dunlap, Tracy Ketcher

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261

Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548

Denine Gentilella (323) 627-7955

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

Ellen Snortland has written this column for decades and also teaches creative writing. She can be reached at: ellen@beautybites beast.com. Her award-winning film “Beau ty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at https://vimeo.com/onde mand/beautybitesbeast

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Covered California will help DT

Japanese American museum receives grant from foundation

By LA Downtown News Staff

The Japanese American National Museum recently received a Perenchio Foundation grant.

The Los Angeles foundation bestowed a $2.55 million multiyear operating support grant to aid with the facility’s general operations for three years. That includes programming, fundraising, accessibility and community engagement.

“We are immensely grateful to the Perenchio Foundation for this extraordinary investment in JANM to amplify our voice and examine how the lives, experiences and culture of Japa nese Americans intersect and resonate with the experiences of the many marginalized com munities in the United States, past and present,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM president and chief executive officer, in a statement.

“Ours is an American story, and with this generous support, we will share it with hope and inspiration for generations to come.”

The Perenchio Foundation supports visual and performing arts nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, particularly those in underfunded areas.

By providing grants, it aims to boost their operations and reach a wider range of audiences today and in the future.

The foundation’s multiyear operating support grants assist in strengthening arts organi zations’ infrastructure and expanding their capabilities to serve communities and create im pactful experiences.

“Local arts organizations are at the very heart of LA’s vibrant creative scene. They help drive our economy, create new opportunities and deepen cultural empathy,” said Perenchio Foundation executive director Stephania Ramirez in a statement.

“We are investing in these vital organizations to help them build a foundation to thrive and grow.”

JANM was established in 1985, opening to the public in the Little Tokyo district in 1992. Since then, it has been sharing the Japanese American experience with the community and beyond by promoting the understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity.

The hybrid institution is a combination of a traditional museum and a forum, providing a voice for Japanese Americans and as well as opportunities allowing all people to explore their heritage and culture.

In the museum’s three decades, it has presented more than 70 exhibitions onsite. It has also brought 17 traveling exhibits to venues across the globe, including the Smithsonian In stitution, New Jersey’s Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and museums in Japan and South America.

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

Plumes of black smoke rose above Downtown LA on Nov. 20 as a commercial building at 1456 S. Long Beach Avenue caught fire. In the rubble of the scorched one-story structure, Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters found a man’s body.

Defensive firefighting operations began at roughly 2:30 a.m. after the blaze started to spread from a pallet yard on the property, the scene of a previous fire, onto the 100-by100-foot structure. By 3:15 a.m., the incident had escalated to “Major Emergency” status and was formally known as the “Long Beach Fire.”

According to a report authored by LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey, 106 LAFD firefighters confined and extinguished the blaze in under 90 minutes. They also quelled flames that had extended to an adjacent pallet yard, preventing any damage to two nearby commercial structures.

During the operation, one firefighter sustained a non-life-threatening burn injury and has been taken to an area hospital. No other injuries were reported.

Around noon, while firefighters and investigators cooled large volumes of smolder ing debris and searched for a cause of the fire, the remains of an adult male were dis covered in the rubble. An LAFD Human Remains Detection Canine Team systematically searched the site and found no immediate indication that additional deceased persons were on the site.

The time, cause and manner of the man’s death, along with his positive identification, has yet to be determined by the coroner, and the cause of the fire remains under inves tigation.

DCBID opens “Augmented City” in DTLA

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

With its newly opened “Grand Av enue Augmented” installation, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) wants to show Downtown Angelenos how aug mented reality (AR) could change their lives in the future.

“AR is a really exciting technology for cities because it exists at the intersection of the digital and the physical realms,” DC BID executive director Nick Griffin said. “It enables cities to enhance their spaces with new layers of content and informa tion, providing new opportunities for en gagement and new dimensions of expe rience.”

Occupying five blocks of Grand Avenue from Temple to 5th Street, along with se lect blocks of Hope and 2nd Street, “Grand Avenue Augmented” has brought 40 new AR installations to DTLA that are both free and accessible for any modern mobile phone.

This “Augmented City” will include orig inal art, virtual performances, interactive holograms and immersive 360-degree en

vironments, demonstrating how cities can use AR technology to enhance the lives of both visitors and residents in Downtown hubs.

“Participants in ‘Grand Avenue Aug mented’ will encounter larger than life animated artworks from local artists, be transported into normally inacces sible places like the helipad on top of the US Bank Tower, behind the stage at the LA Opera or in a penthouse at the (The Grand by Gehry),” Griffin described. “There’s a real range of things…from a vir tual brass ensemble on the plaza of the Colburn School, a really cool spatial audio experience with the LA Master Chorale at the Disney Concert Hall, giant banners at the Music Center that become multimedia displays when you point your phone at them…to artworks at MOCA, The Broad, and some really cool immersive environ ments at Cal Plaza.”

“Grand Avenue Augmented,” which runs through June of 2023, is the inaugural program of AR publishing platform Hov erlay’s DTLAugmented channel. Griffin explained that DCBID chose Hoverlay as their platform for the installation because

of its user accessibility for audiences and creators.

“The back end is very user friendly, so you don’t have to be highly technical to create for the platform,” Griffin said. “But on the front end, it’s even simpler. You just download the app and you’re able to very intuitively explore Downtown and find all of these activations…We want it to be ac cessible.”

Highlights of the “Grand Avenue Aug mented” experience include Daniel and Anna Leighton’s “Flight of Angels,” a 3D animation of angels floating through space that utilizes AI to allow users to sub mit their own angels by entering photos of loved ones that will generate a unique Tribute Angel; Meredith Monk and LA Master Chorale’s “Earth Seen from Above,” a spatial audio experience where omnidi rectional sound is played as visitors navi gate Disney Hall’s courtyard labyrinth; and Kilograph’s “Rewilding Nature,” a 3D ani mation that coats One Cal Plaza’s central courtyard with tall grass, wildflowers and small forest creatures in a message of sus tainability.

“(The activations are) really a show

case of the world class arts and culture of Grand Avenue and the beautiful architec ture and public spaces,” Griffin said. “It’s also a showcase for the work of emerging artists as well as more established artists, and a platform to exhibit work of artists who are working in a new, emerging me dium.”

Griffin explained that DCBID launched “Grand Avenue Augmented” to demon strate that AR can play a key role in the fu ture of DTLA’s arts, culture and business environments by allowing participants to enjoy Downtown’s venues, architec ture and public spaces from a new per spective.

“What we found is that what’s really magical with AR is when it’s associated with an actual place and when you’re ex periencing it in that place as opposed to VR, which is taking you to kind of a fan tasy, separate world,” he said. “What we love about AR for cities is that it really is rooted in the actual place, and the magic happens when you’re experiencing that place in this totally new way with lay ers of new content and meaning and ex perience overlaid on that physical place.

DCBID/Submitted

As part of DCBID’s “Grand Avenue Augmented” experience, participants can view and submit 3D animated angels that float through the air in Daniel and Anna Leighton’s “Flight of Angels.”

That’s when it becomes really magical and that’s what we actually think is going to be one of the most important uses of AR in the future: to enhance cities and physi cal places in that way.”

To Griffin, the integration of AR technol ogy in DTLA has only begun to scratch the surface of its potential. Looking to the fu ture, he expressed hope that DCBID will be able to use AR in places like their develop ment tours that showcase where new prop erties are being built as well as for retail pro motions for businesses and vacant living spaces for prospective tenants.

“Downtown has always been a place of innovation and creativity,” Griffin de scribed. “It’s something we pride our selves on. It’s really in our DNA, and this technology takes that to a whole new di mension…literally enabling us to overlay and integrate digital content and informa tion on the physical realm in ways that re

ally transform the experience of DTLA.

“We’re also excited about the oppor tunity to nurture and grow the creative community of Downtown artists, technol ogists and entrepreneurs who are work ing in this medium and to continue to collaborate with our unparalleled collec tion of arts and cultural organizations, lo cal businesses and property owners as we explore new ways to promote Downtown and to attract visitors, new residents and new companies.

“One of the really important aspects of this project is that it was a pretty unprec edented partnership with over two doz en cultural institutions, property owners and businesses, and featuring the work of over 30 artists and creators. So when you look at it at that scale, it’s really the entire community coming together in this very dynamic partnership to reshape what you could imagine downtown to be.”

DCBID’s “Grand Avenue Augmented”

WHERE: Grand Avenue from Temple to 5th Street, and select blocks of Hope and 2nd Street

WHEN: The installation will run through June of 2023

COST: Free

INFO: downtownla.com/grand-ave-augmented

The Broad’s “In Praise of Shadows” shares lessons from the past

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

In The Broad’s new exhibition “In Praise of Shadows,” showcasing the work of William Kentridge, curator Ed Schad sought to capture the essence of the South African artist’s story and track the shockwaves of colonial conquests that have rocked the world throughout hu man history.

Born in Johannesburg, Kentridge’s work has addressed apartheid and other ills that plagued the society in which he was raised. His style blends the practices of drawing and film, deviating from tradi tional animation by altering and erasing a singular drawing while recording the changes with stop-motion camera work as opposed to using multiple drawings to show movement and change.

“How William makes film is a very differ ent way of thinking about cinema,” Schad described. “It’s intimate. It’s small, but it’s also ambitious. His way of animating is predicated on historical trauma, this idea of drawing, erasing and redrawing as you click the camera and bring the anima tion forward through the frames. For him, that’s a way of thinking about history.”

“In Praise of Shadows,” Kentridge’s first monograph presentation at The Broad and first major exhibition in LA in two de cades, features more than 130 works, in cluding all 18 works from the museum’s collection.

“The trajectory of this exhibition…I like to call it before and after Johannesburg,” Schad explained. “As I started to develop this, and it was about three years when

I started my research, I was particular ly interested in this moment in Los An geles where, collectively, we’re thinking about film. The Academy Museum has opened, and we are all looking forward to the opening of the Lucas Museum.

“Los Angeles is really taking stock of it self as a place of cinema, the center of cinema…I thought that (Kentridge’s per spective) would add to the discussion of cinema, especially considering that it is from the vantage point of South Africa.”

During his curation process, Schad de cided to begin with a general overview of how Kentridge thinks and works in his studio in South Africa, informed by his own visit to Kentridge’s Johannesburg studio. He worked with the artists for 10 days, which also included meeting with Kentridge’s collaborators and visiting his bronze foundry, tapestry studio, print maker and Centre for the Less Good Idea, a “performance incubator where collab oration is seen as a way to work through some of society’s toughest problems.”

“After I got to know the city and worked with William there, a lot of other reso nances started to step forward…this painful history of map making,” Schad said. “The way that Johannesburg is laid out, it’s very racially segregated. It’s predi cated on a history where industrial expan sion, colonial expansion, one in the same thing, led to the oppression of peoples for over a century.

“A lot of those things started to rhyme with our city here in LA and our moment here in the United States. After I got back from Johannesburg, I kind of tried to do

William Kentridge/submitted

William Kentridge/submitted

William Kentridge/submitted

William Kentridge/submitted

“William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows,” curated by Ed Schad, will be on display at The Broad until Sunday, April 9.

“Stereoscope” by William Kentridge

“And When He Returned” by William Kentridge

“The Refusal of Time” by William Kentridge

both. I tried to stay true to the story of South Africa and tell that story as well as I could, but always keeping this very inno vative way of making film present in the exhibition.”

Schad also spent time in Cape Town conducting interviews and visited Dis trict Six, a residential area that was de clared “white” and saw the forced removal of over 60,000 people, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.

After catching Covid at the end of his trip, Schad spent the time alone unpack ing the archive. As he delved deeper into Kentridge’s work and prepared the ex hibition for The Broad, he noticed more similarities between the colonial con quest of Johannesburg and California. For instance, Johannesburg was original ly called Egoli, which means the “city of gold.”

“I focused on gold mining for obvious reasons,” Schad began. “Our colonial con quest of California, and the taking of in digenous lands, a lot of that was predicat ed on the gold industry, something that rhymes directly with Johannesburg.

“I think there will be a lot of rhymes (to California). One should be resistant to map one story directly on the other, but I think that what William is interested in is how the logic of conquest and the log ic of how colonialism happened can be found in a lot of different narratives, in cluding ours.”

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a multimedia installation called “The Refusal of Time.” It includes a 30-minute, five-channel video display.

Schad described it as a whirling show of “mechanics of vision” including a large breathing machine called “the elephant” in the center of the room and mega phones hanging on old colonial survey ors’ tripods that emits sounds while the five videos play.

“I don’t think once you see it, you can forget it,” Schad said. “Time is an idea, but it’s also something that’s measured. It’s something that’s regulated and some thing that in a sense has been ‘made,’ and that is somewhat colonial.

“There is absolutely no reason why Greenwich in England need be the cen

ter of time. The reason why it is, is be cause Britain was the biggest empire on Earth, and it declared itself the center. And that’s the kind of thing that William likes to think about.

“So while it’s this overwhelming, very loud, very immersive experience, many of the references in it are quite specific and can be unpacked. But I don’t want any body to get the idea that ‘Refusal of Time’ is the type of thing that you go into and find something didactic. ‘Refusal of Time’ is absolutely an experience first. It will feel that way.”

The total exhbition of more than 130 works was assembled in an interac tive design by Belgian designer Sabine Theunissen, who Schad worked alongside throughout the experience-building pro cess. Theunissen has worked with Ken tridge for decades and incorporated ma terials such as cork, jute and Persian rugs to create a sense of place.

“I used to live in Africa, in Kenya spe cifically,” Schad recalled. “You would run across buildings or provisional struc tures in which people watched cinema on a television or with a projector. And we have a booth in the exhibition made of cork that very much evokes that for me, that experience and that memory that I had. And that comes from Sabine.”

From the design of the exhibition to its pieces to Schad’s personal connection with Kentridge, “In Praise of Shadows” remains centered on the mission of un packing colonial histories and narratives around the world.

“That’s the central idea,” Schad ex plained. “When you have a logic of cer tainty, a logic of acquisition and exploita tion…William’s studio practice is that you resist that logic. You take it apart.

“If the camera, is showing you an im age that is a forced image, you take apart the camera…Or if the equestrian statue with the colonel on horseback is showing colonial dominance, then take apart the horse statue and get in to get into how it was made and how those images come about.”

The exhibition will be on show at The Broad until Sunday, April 9. Tickets to “In Praise of Shadows” can be purchased at thebroad.org.

Kentridge’s “In Praise of Shadows”

WHERE: The Broad, 221 S Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

WHEN: The exhibition runs through Sunday, April 9.

COST: Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for students (with valid student ID) and free for children 17 and under.

INFO: thebroad.org

William

The Sheepdogs hoping for

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

Saskatchewan-based rockers The Sheepdogs haven’t had the best luck in Los An geles, but they’re hoping that’ll change on Wednesday, Dec. 7, when they play The Moroccan Lounge.

“We played a show, and it was double booked with some movie afterparty,” said lead singer/songwriter Ewan Currie.

“The next band was in the tiny dressing room telling us to get the (expletive) out. It was a very ‘Welcome to Hollywood’ moment.”

Concertgoers can expect a straight-forward rock ‘n’ roll show with “lots of guitars and lots of vocal harmonies.” The musicians are, admittedly, in love with 1970s-style rock ‘n’ roll and strive to keep that spirit going.

“Above all else, it’s a party,” he said. “It’s a good time rock ‘n’ roll band. We tap into the vibe that the Faces had.”

That sound is captured on The Sheepdogs’ latest album, “Outta Sight.” It’s been called a “non-bummer, pandemic-induced rock record, full of energy, bass, horns, drums and electric guitars.”

“It’s just what we like,” Currie said. “When you play music, you got into it probably be cause you wanted to do it.

“For us, listening to guitar bands like Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, Crosby, Stills and Nash, that’s what turned us on.”

They are inspired by “dudes with long hair, fringe jackets and playing cool, old gui tars.” That’s who Currie wanted to be.

“People say, ‘Oh, it’s retro,’” he said. “But to me, there’s a style from that era that’s time less. If you look at art history, different periods have different styles of art. Just because it’s not the 1500s, it doesn’t mean that Michelangelo isn’t impressive.”

Hailing from Saskatoon, The Sheepdogs are one of Canada’s most successful bands. They’ve had nine top 20 songs, including three No. 1 singles in Canada.

Their albums “Learn & Burn” and “The Sheepdogs” went platinum and yielded the

Mat Dunlap/Contributor

Saskatchewan rockers The Sheepdogs were the first unsigned band to grace the cover of Rolling Stone.

The Sheepdogs will perform at The Moroccan Lounge on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

platinum singles “I Don’t Know” and “Feeling Good.” They were the first unsigned band on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, performed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” twice, and have been nominated for 10 Juno Awards, winning four. The Junos are Cana da’s version of the Grammys.

Currie is the primary songwriter, a process that he said is similar for each song. When he gets an idea, he sings it into the voice memos on his phone.

“The road is the worst place to write,” he said. “When I get a quiet moment with the guitar, I try to figure it out. I can’t really write with a pad and a pen. I like to demo it and record it, layer the harmonies.”

Then, he brings it to his bandmates and “whatever sticks, we work on.”

“I’m big, big, big on immediacy,” he said. “There are not a lot of bands who had to try hard. When you eat something, you know right away if it tastes good. For me, it’s music. You know something’s good when you hear it.”

Currie immerses himself in music. He boasts a rather large vinyl collection that in cludes The Beatles’ “The White Album” with an embossed number on the front.

“Mine is a high number. Nothing crazy,” he said. “I have a couple of records from the U.K. that are hard to find because they’re out of print. I don’t even put my LPs in slips. That way, I can grab them and play them. I’m a big believer in using things and not just letting them sit there.”

The Sheepdogs w/Boy Golden

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7

WHERE: The Moroccan Lounge, 901 E. First Street, Los Angeles

COST: Tickets start at $18; 21 and older

INFO: themoroccan.com, ticketmaster.com

Mat Dunlap/Contributor

Rockers Sponge are ‘ecstatic’ about Everclear’s kindness

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

Sponge lead singer Vinnie Dombroski is a firm believer in 1990s rock. Their songs like “Plowed,” “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain),” “Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)” and “Have You Seen Mary” have heart like other bands of its time, the Detroiter said.

Fans’ children are picking up on this now and relating to the music of that era.

“A lot of young folks really feel the heart of the music of the 1990s,” Dombroski said. “I would say a lot of people don’t, though. The ’80s were special. The ’70s were special, but the ’90s was jaw-dropping cool. There was so much great music and great art and there were a lot of opportunities for bands to go out there and do big records.”

Sponge is playing a gig with another 1990s heavyweight — Everclear — at the Whisky A Go Go on Thursday, Dec. 1. The two bands are longtime friends who fre quently tour together.

“Those fellas have been so good to us,” Dombroski said.

“We recently did five dates with the fellas and our van was broken into. Guitars with so much sentimental value were stolen. We may be getting them back, I hear. But Art (Alexakis, Everclear singer) gave us his Les Paul to play. For the next three shows, we borrowed guitars from Art and Freddy (Herrera, Everclear bassist) — a Les Paul and a bass — to do our shows. They’re great guys and to go out there and play the Whisky with them is something I’m really looking forward to.”

The feeling is mutual for Alexakis, who said Everclear toured with Sponge in 1995, right after the release of “Sparkle and Fade.”

“Our first tour was with Sponge, whose song ‘Plowed’ was a big hit at the time,” said Alexakis, a Pasadena resident whose band is celebrating its 30th anniversary. “We show up in Cincinnati and our bus was there. I had never been on a bus before. It was a big deal, but it was a 1967 crappy American Eagle bus, which was almost a danger to society.

“At the time — this is the coolest thing ever — Sponge’s bus was parked next to us. Vinnie hugged and welcomed us to the tour. They brought us a bottle of wine. They didn’t know I was sober. They treated us like brothers that whole tour. That’s how Vinnie and the band are. He’s 100% the real thing.”

At the Whisky, Dombroski anticipates playing the hits, as well as deep cuts from their eighth studio record, “The Beer Sessions” (2016). He may also pay tribute to the storied venue, which Sponge has played several times.

“If I want to do anything out of left field, it would be a song from the Doors,” he said. “To play on the same stage as Jim Morrison, it freaks me out a bit.

“But everybody there treats us so well. To go out there, not only is it cool to play with Everclear, it’s like seeing all of our friends.”

In Sponge, Dombroski is joined by guitarist Kyle Neely, guitarist Andy Patalan, bassist Tim Patalan and drummer Dave Coughlin. Together, they’re planning the 30th anniversary of their album “Rotting Pinata” in 2024. The celebration will begin in 2023, when they were penning the songs.

“Everything we do is in anticipation of the 30th anniversary,” Dombroski said about Sponge’s debut album.

“Looking back, I wish I had a little more wisdom, but everyone says that though. I would have changed some things I suppose. It’s been a great run with tons and tons of fans and dates. I’m so appreciative of everything we have going on. I say it’s full steam ahead, though, into the future.”

Everclear w/Sponge

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1

WHERE: The Whisky A Go Go, 8901 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood

COST: Tickets start at $40; all ages INFO: whiskyagogo.com

Shows at Microsoft Theater, Crypto.com Arena

By LA Downtown News Staff

The Microsoft Theater and Cryp to.com Arena are hosting a slew of shows in the next couple of months. For tickets, visit cryptoarena.com or microsofttheater.com.

Microsoft Theater

• Camilo: Monday, Nov. 28

• The Game Awards: Thursday, Dec. 8

• Isabel Pantoja: Saturday, Dec. 10

• Metallica Helping Hands Concert: Fri day, Dec. 16

• Stevie Wonder: Saturday, Dec. 17

• Junior H: Sunday, Dec. 18

• Katt Williams: Saturday, Dec. 31

• Tyler Henry: Saturday, Jan. 14

• Edicion Especial: Friday, Jan. 20

• Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure: Sat urday, Jan. 21

• Spy Ninjas Live: Thursday, Feb. 23

Crypto.com Arena

• Marca MP: Friday, Dec. 2

• Disney on Ice: Road Trip Adventures:

Thursday, Dec. 8, to Sunday, Dec. 11

• Calibash: Saturday, Jan. 21, and Sunday, Jan. 22

• Carrie Underwood: Monday, March 13

• Friday Night SmackDown/2023 WWE

Hall of Fame: Friday, March 31

• WWE Presents NXT Stand & Deliver: Saturday, April 1

• WWE Monday Night Raw: Monday, April 3

• Muse: Thursday, April 6

(Jeff Johnson/Contributor

Carrie Underwood recently released the video for “Hate My Heart,” the second single from her “Denim & Rhinestones” album.

Tracy Ketcher/Contributor

Detroiters Sponge are long-time friends with Everclear, with whom they will play at The Whisky A Go Go on Thursday, Dec. 1.

WrestleMania going Hollywood in 2023

By Nikash Nath LA Downtown News Staff Writer

WWE Superstars will fill Ingle wood’s SoFi Stadium and Cryp to.com Arena for WrestleMania 39 and its peripheral events the weekend of March 31.

Tickets are on sale now via axs.com or ticketmaster.com. It’s the first time Wres tleMania has been in LA since 2005, when it hosted WrestleMania 21.

The weekend begins with the Friday Night SmackDown/2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 4:45 p.m. on

Friday, March 31.

WWE Presents NXT Stand & Deliver at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at Crypto. com Arena. Monday Night Raw slams into Crypto.com Arena at 4:30 p.m. April 3.

The main event, WrestleMania 39, is Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, at SoFi Stadium, and it’s expected to attract fans from all 50 states and 58 countries. In terms of revenue, WrestleMania entrench es itself in the community. Over the last decade, it generated more than $1.25 bil lion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event.

WWE/Submitted

SmackDown’s Drew McIntyre is expected to take part in WrestleMania weekend in LA.

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE

Live Talks hosts signed book sale for holidays

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

Gathering people is at the core of Ted Habte-Gabr’s business, Live Talks Los Angeles.

Prior to the pandemic, he held a myr iad of talks with authors. He admitted virtual events saved his business, but “in-person gatherings are what I crave.

“The energy in the room and the chemistry on stage is what makes these conversations so real.

“When the pandemic hit us, like ev ery other business, I went through the panic stage, honestly thinking that was the end of my business. Packing the aters was the core of what I do, so l had to pivot or die. Events went virtual and, surprisingly, there was a silver lining to that. Instead of thinking of attendees within an hour’s distance of a venue, the whole country opened up. Our mail ing list increased by 50% over the pan demic. Our YouTube channel went from 50,000 views a month to over 250,000.

Our recent virtual event with Misty Co peland, for example, had attendees from 36 states.”

Live Talks Los Angeles has returned to in-person events, and to celebrate the holidays, the 12-year-old DTLA business is hosting a pop-up signed book sale at Halo, 330 S. Hope Street, LA, from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3.

Danny Boy’s Famous Original Pizza and Nick + Stef’s will be open, while a DJ will spin music.

His inventory will feature signed books from his events by the likes of Jon Meacham, Shonda Rhimes and Bet sy Beers, Kevin Nealon, Pete Souza, Gee na Davis, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Ber nstein, Jann Wenner, Pharrell, Debbie Harry, Booker T. Jones, Moby, Questlove, Chris Stein, Steve Aoki, Richard Marx and Nigela Lawson.

“My live events have featured conver sations with authors, but obviously that includes celebrities, musicians, actors,

politicians and novelists. It’s a lot of fun to bring storytellers on stage and watch an audience eat it all up, so to speak.”

Since he founded the company, Habte-Gabr has hosted 500 events in venues around LA, and has a YouTube channel with nearly 15 million views.

With the uncertain future of his popup signed book sales, Habte-Gabr built an online bookstore. Instead of three an nual events, he has an online store open around the clock.

His upcoming author events include: Model Paulina Porizkova in conversa tion with Zibby Owens, virtual, Tuesday,

Dec. 6, discussing her book, “No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful” Neil deGrasse Tyson in conversation with Bill Prady, co-creator of “The Big Bang Theory,” virtual, about his book “Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization” on Wednesday, Dec. 14

Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz in conversation with architect Irwin Miller, discussing his book, “Art is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope in the Night,” on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

For more information, visit livetalks la.org

Holiday

WHEN: 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3

WHERE: Halo, 330 S. Hope Street, LA COST: Free admission INFO: livetalksla.org