About us
This group is for people who appreciate music and other forms of art beyond the mainstream, with a particular focus on the avant-garde or otherwise odd. Free Jazz, Musique Concrete, Atonality, Noise Music, Outsider Art, Surrealism, Dada, Junk Art, ...you name it! Not all events will necessarily be "weird", but simply off the beaten mainstream path.
This is intended to be an oasis from crass commercial banalities.
I'll post events that interest me, but I am also interested in hearing from artists, musicians, and other creative types about their events that I can share with members. Post your events and ideas in the "Discussions" section. I want this group to also be a vehicle that helps support artists and organizations that are doing interesting creative work.
The only requests are that we keep things friendly and civilized. MAGA not welcome.
Upcoming events
13
FREE CONCERT: UP CLOSE & CLASSICAL Sonata Series – Violin & Cello
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, , 1648 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA, USDUE TO A CONFLICT THE DATE AND LOCATION HAS CHANGED!!!
It is the mission of UP CLOSE AND CLASSICAL to present chamber music that will be transformative to all participants, offering concerts but also a preparation into appreciation.
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 4:00 pm
Venue: St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1648 W 9th St, San Pedro, CA 90732 ******* NEW VENUE !! *******
Free and open to the publicPossible dinner afterwards, details TBD
Free and open to the public. No tickets needed.
Up Close & Classical WebsiteProgram:
Maurice Ravel – Sonata for violin and cello, Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Duo No. 1 in G major , KV 423,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Duo in C Major for violin and cello.
Video - Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello M. 73: https://youtu.be/-z_Ee3E3C0Q?si=ca03lHFEXU-3Kopf
UP CLOSE AND CLASSICAL activities are informed by the below vision, The purposes for which UP CLOSE AND CLASSICAL is created are to stimulate and support the appreciation and performance of chamber music.
- By presenting chamber music concerts at which the public can hear works deemed worthy of performance and performed by artists selected by UP CLOSE AND CLASSICAL.
- By presenting, sponsoring or providing for programs and activities designed to stimulate and encourage exposure to and understanding, knowledge and appreciation of the literature, history and performance of chamber music.
More info and bios here
4 attendees
Gabriel Kahane & Roomful of Teeth
Sid the Cat Auditorium, 1022 El Centro Street, South Pasadena, CA, USDate: Sunday, April 26, 7 pm
possible dinner 5:30 TBD
Venue: Sid the Cat Auditorium
1022 El Centro St, South Pasadena, CA 91030Tickets: $42.75
The price you'll pay. No surprises later.
https://dice.fm/partner/tickets/event/537gal-gabriel-kahane-roomful-of-teeth-26th-apr-sid-the-cat-auditorium-south-pasadena-ticketsRoomful of Teeth is a fantastic vocal collective who perform as an octet and explorer every possible type of singing and vocalization. I've been a fan since they were the "house band" at the Ojai Music Festival in 2016, and have seen them several times since. They are not to be missed!
NPR Tiny Desk Concert: https://youtu.be/iKuFujJq6zU?si=a2haJB552WYkfxVZ
Nine characters. Six rooms. One interdimensional hotel. With Elevator Songs, the first collaboration between multi-Grammy-winning vocal group Roomful of Teeth and singer-songwriter/composer Gabriel Kahane, the laws of time and space give way to pure feeling. Here is an album in which fizzy hooks, slippery chord changes, and the sublime counterpoint of eight voices combine to create a singular, panoramic vision.
6 attendees
MOVIE: MALTESE FALCON
The Frida Cinema, 305 E 4th St, Santa Ana, CA, USNOTE DATE AND TIME CHANGE!
Date & Time: Mon, Apr 27 @ 7:45 pm
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Tickets: $13.00
https://thefridacinema.org/purchase/1504418/Trailer: https://youtu.be/Yv-BPuqhW9U?si=MT0NtRS4VaY-d6tM
Director: John Huston Run Time: 100 min. Release Year: 1941
Starring: Barton MacLane, Gladys George, Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre
Bogie Fest, our 14-film retrospective on the films of the incomparable Humprey Bogart, continues with one of the all time great films from the Noir genre: John Huston’s debut film The Maltese Falcon!
In shadow-drenched San Francisco, private detective Sam Spade (Bogart) is pulled into a deadly web after his partner is murdered. What begins as a routine case spirals into a hunt for a priceless, jewel-encrusted statuette: the elusive Maltese Falcon. Surrounded by liars, thieves, and the dangerously alluring Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Spade must navigate shifting loyalties and his own code of ethics to uncover the truth.
The Maltese Falcon is widely regarded as the blueprint for Film Noir. Its hard-edged dialogue and stark visual style set the tone for an entire movement in American cinema.
4 attendees
Green Umbrella: Smith, Cabezas & Childs
Disney Hall, 111 Grand Avenue,, Los Angeles, CA, USDate: Tue / May 5, 2026 - 8:00PM
Pre-concert lecture at 7:00
Venue: Disney Hall
111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Park in the garage, entrance on 2nd St. $10Tickets: $29.00 to $84.00 including fees
https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/3775/2026-05-05/smith-cabezas-childsProgram
- Michael GORDON
- 2bd, LA Phil Etudes Book 4, Part 1
- world premiere
- LA Phil commission with generous support from the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund
- Gabriel CABEZAS ,
- Gabriella SMITH
- Duo
- Intermission
- Esa-Pekka SALONEN
- Studio per un compleanno, LA Phil Etudes Book 4, Part 2
- world premiere
- LA Phil commission with generous support from the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund
- CAGE
- Child of Tree
- Billy CHILDS
- My Roots Spread Far and Wide
- Gabriella SMITH
- 2^5
Artists
- LA Phil New Music Group
- Gabriella Smith, violin, vocals & curator
- Gabriel Cabezas, cello
- Whitney Crockett, bassoon
- Billy Childs, piano
- Dan Chmielinski, bass
- Christian Euman, drums
- Matthew Howard, percussion
Upbeat Live with Tiffany Kuo and Emmanuel “Babelito” Ortega
Event starts at 7:00PMBefore the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around–including guest artists–guide you through the evening’s music. This free event is held in BP Hall accessible after your ticket is scanned.
About this Performance
The New York Times wrote that Gabriella Smith’s music “exudes inventiveness with a welcoming personality, rousing energy and torrents of joy.” Smith expresses that joy in her music and collaborations, even as it asks listeners to preserve our fragile planet. Her first album, Lost Coast, channeled imagery inspired by a five-day backpacking trip through California’s Lost Coast Trail with her Curtis Institute roommate and friend Gabriel Cabezas. Cabezas’s cello and Smith’s violin and vocals combine acoustically and through electronic loops to express anger and grief at natural devastation blended with wonder and hope.Los Angeles-based composer and jazz pianist Billy Childs builds upon Smith’s natural themes when his trio joins her for John Cage’s Child of Tree, which asks its performers to use plant-based instruments including amplified cactus. Childs next performs My Roots Spread Far and Wide, which pays homage to the giant sequoia tree through the trio’s improvisations paired with rich string harmonies. Opening this evening curated by Smith as well as following intermission are two new works in the LA Phil Etudes project, which offer solo opportunities for LA Phil percussionist Matthew Howard and bassoonist Whitney Crocket, respectively.
This performance is generously supported in part by the Kohl Virtuoso Violin Fund.
2 attendees
Past events
655
Group links
Members
1,357
