the listening party

A LOT Series: in Little Phnom Penh

2010-03-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Long Beach is home to the biggest population of Cambodians outside of Southeast Asia. The City of Long Beach officially voted to have the Anaheim street area named "Little Phnom Penh" in the summer of 2007. In addition to having a growing Cambodian community, the area is home to many recently-immigrated families that can relate to the performance themes of "immigration and displacement." This will promise to be a great event to celebrate the rich arts and culture our friends, family, and neighbors have to share.

LA Street Summit 2010

2010-03-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

http://bikesummitla.wetpaint.com/page/LA+StreetSummit+2010

FREE to REGISTER

Ya'll know L.A. has the potential to be a more walkable and bike-friendly place for EVERYONE.
We need to diversify the pool of ideas, questions, and people that will be at this event. Open to all concerned with the future of L.A.: Students, parents, cyclists, pedestrians, community advocates, pedestrians, motorists, anti-traffic residents, etc. Let's bring something new to the summit...like yourself.

StreetSummit Schedule

Thursday March 18th @ Occidental College

7:00pm: A selection of Streetfilms will be playing to get the creative juices flowing. See how New York City and other places around the world are reclaiming their streets from cars and returning them to people.

7:30pm: Janette Sadik-Khan is awarded an honorary degree and gives the Antionette and Vincent M. Dungan Lecture on Energy and the Environment.

Saturday, March 20th @ LA Trade Tech College
10:00-10:30am: Check in and Summit materials available.
10:30--10:40am: Welcome given by LATTC

10:40--12:00pm: Featured Speakers

10:40--11:00am: Carl Anthony, Founder, Breakthrough Communities

11:00--11:20a: Charlie Gandy, Mobility Coordinator, City of Long Beach

11:20--11:40am: Lydia Avila, Organizer, East LA Community Corporation (ELACC)

11:40--12:00pm: Questions

12:00--1:00pm: Lunch

1:00--4:00pm: Workshops (See the wiki's Workshops Page for details)

1:00--1:50pm:Workshop Session 1

2:00--2:50pm:Workshop Session 2

3:00--3:50pm: Workshop Session 3

4:00--5:00pm: Closing

All Day: Photo exhibit of street transformation visualizations by Narrow Streets: Los Angeles, CicLAvia, and contributors to GOOD Magazine's Livable Streets contest, including TortiGallas& Partners, Dutton Architects, Maggie Leighly, and others.

Running the Rise of Recruitment

2009-12-16T03:07:00.000-08:00

Topic: Teresa Watanabe's L.A. Times article,

"Asian Americans drive Army recruiting boom in L.A."

Research has show that the number of Asian Americans recruited to the Army has exponentially grown as their "enlistments rose 80% in L.A. County."

How many of us know someone, that knows someone, that knows someone that has decided to join the army because of financial struggles, undecided career paths, or family pressure?

As we see the slow agonizing death of an affordable education, students are left with limited options to pursue a higher education. Unfortunately, military recruiters prey on schools and families residing in lower-income neighborhoods to promise a means of attaining a degree. Obama has sent more troops out - more spouses, siblings, relatives, and friends - to fight a "war" not fully understood abroad or at home. Oftentimes, it seems those that lie most vulnerable to joining the military system are from recently immigrated families.

Since many schools receive federal funding, the No Child Left Behind Act has secured a spot for military recruiters to come to your school. A student's personal contact information is supplied to recruiters to identify prospective soldiers. Our schools have sold us out! What can be done?

Our city leaders must build better options and opportunities to the youth. Elections for Long Beach City Mayor and Council Members are coming up, April 13th, 2010. The county is in desperate need of city leaders that will advocate for policies that will protect student privacy and the right to an affordable education. Share Word, Get Heard.

Education is a right for all, not a privilege for some.

For information on ways to ensure your school protects your personal information from recruiters:

Leave My Child Alone

http://www.leavemychildalone.org/

LBCommunity Threads!

2009-12-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

With financial distress comes shopping stress.

Let's support our neighbors and clear out of the malls.

This is a friend's new online SHOP with great designs MADE in LB.

Enjoy the holidays with some local community threads.

LB-ME.com

More Holiday Shopping

2009-12-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

International Human Rights Day

2009-12-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

Shop With a Heart 2009

2009-11-29T21:44:00.000-08:00

"Be sure to join us on December 6th for fair trade shopping, food and entertainment! Support workers around the world by buying gifts made by workers who are paid fair wages with good working conditions."

SHOP WITH A HEART 2009

December 6th
3pm-5:30pm
1250 S. Los Angeles St.
(Between Pico Blvd. and 12th St.)

Brought to you by: Garment Worker Center

Check this film to learn more about why it's important to support this event and our garment workers!

KmB, Pro-People Youth 10th Year Anniverary

2009-11-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

Also ending the night off with:

Free Concert by Fighting Cocks!

Learn more about KmB [Kambataang maka-Bayan]

does for the Pilipino youth of Los Angeles.

Early Hunt for Christmas Gifts

2009-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

When:Sun 11/29 (11AM)
Where: Long Beach Marine Stadium
Address: 5225 E. Paoli Way Long Beach, CA
Cost: FREE!

RiP: A remix manifesto

2009-10-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

"Winner of the Audience Award at the 2008 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam"

On the hit list of documentaries, this one speaks to anyone caught up in downloading this song-that one torrent-and that movie over yonder which we couldn't afford to see. Fans of Girl Talk (Greg Gillis) will be happy to hear that GT, known for his remixes and heavy sampling, shall be accompanying you on this 86 min remix.

Whether you think downloading is a downright blessing or ponder if it's a guilty pleasure deserving maximum punishment before the law...it is something to talk about.

RiP: A REMIX MANIFESTO
Thursday, October 22 @ 7:30pm
Price: Libre @ UCLA's Melnitz Movies.

Melnitz Movies screenings are FREE to the UCLA community, including students, staff, faculty, and guests unless otherwise noted.
Movies are shown at James Bridges Theater (Melnitz 1409) at UCLA.
Tickets are available at the Melnitz box office the day of the screening one hour before show time and are given out on a first come, first serve basis--one ticket per person!
No late seating!

Other FREE screenings
http://gsa.asucla.ucla.edu/melnitz/screenings.html

Can't make it?

Viva Las Mash-ups...

Typhoon Relief !

2009-10-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

This video was put together by a friend, Edith Bell, for Samahang @ UCLA collecting donations for the much needed typhoon relief effort.

Please take the time, pass on the message, check up on your pamilya, and send prayers and love their way.

The second typhoon- Pepeng/Param - has swept across Southeast Asia devastating areas in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In Pangasinan, the number of casualties are rising in provincial areas due to dangerous landslides and flooding taking over 90% of the area.

-NY Times.com

Continue to gather donations & ask friends/family for support

Other drop-off points for donations:

People’s CORE Main Office
1610 Beverly Blvd. Suite No. 2 (Robertson Building besides ACLU-SC))
Los Angeles, CA 90026

PCORE CULTURE AND ARTS CENTER
337 Glendale St.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Collection days:Monday to Friday 9-3:00 PM

Glassell Park District Office
3700 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Monday up to Friday, 9;00 AM to 3;00 PM

BeatRock

4158 Norse Way
Long Beach, CA 90808

Monday up to Saturday

Monday - Friday 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Celebrate Filipino-American History Month!

2009-10-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT: Local store, the BEAT ROCK, will be hosting an art show entitled "Pound for Pound" which will be showcasing all kinds of work reflecting the "talents of unsung heroes- professional Filipino athletes."

What to look forward to: Stellas, Park's Best platters, Old hip-hop vinyls on sale, Pacquiao dedications, ET probably spinnin' some records, good crowd, and amazing art.

The store is also one of several drop-off points for any donations for the Typhoon Relief effort. Sooner is needed than later.

TODAY, Saturday

6:30pm-10:30pm

STORE LOCATION

4158 Norse Way
Long Beach, CA 90808

Collection Days Monday- Up to Saturday

FREE Refreshments

the PARK'S BEST will be catering!

Park's Best Plate

"POUND for POUND" on FACEBOOK

THRILL THE WORLD, Make It A Better Place...

2009-10-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Last year, the THRILL THE WORLD event reached massive proportions with 10 countries participating in 72 various cities worldwide to pay homage to the late great King of Pop.

Open to all: Down to learn the steps to walk, talk, and dance like a talented zombie.

WORLDWIDE PERFORMANCE:
Sunday, October 25th at 12:30am UTC / GMT.

`Los Angeles, CA / Seattle, WA / San Fran, CA:

Oct. 24th, Saturday 5:30pm

[More Cities Participating]

Learn the Dance : More Videos

Practice Areas: LA area

...Be sure to Register

Be a Thriller Facebook Friend

info@thrilltheworldlosangeles.com

Check the site for local spots near you to check out the performance or even get to learn/practice the dance.  ALL-ages welcome.

Saturday, October 10

11 a.m. - Audition for Clippers performance + South Bay practice at Polliwog Park: 1601 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA
11 a.m. - Highland Park practice at Instructor’s House: 3593 Griffin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031
1 p.m. - Hollywood practice at Plummer Park: 7377 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood CA
4-6 p.m. - Santa Monica practice at King’s ATA Celebrity Martial Arts - Please be prompt as they are working around the studio’s schedule: 2110 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica.

Sunday, October 11

10 a.m. - Pasadena practice at Victory Park: 2575 Paloma St, Pasadena, CA
11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Long Beach Practice at Bixby Park: 130 Cherry Avenue. At Junipero & 1st street.
1 p.m. - The Valley practice at Sherman Oaks War Memorial Park: Huston & Hazeltine St, Sherman Oaks CA
2 p.m. - San Gabriel practice at Pioneer Park: 3575 Santa Anita Ave, El Monte, CA

Bless Sunday Freebies

2009-10-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

Japan American Kite Festival®

Today, Sunday, Oct 4 11am-5pm

at Seal Beach Pier, Seal Beach, CA

"The 13th Annual Japan America Kite Festival® will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, at the Seal Beach Pier in Seal Beach, Calif. More than 1,000 kites of all sizes will be featured, including giant 300-400 square-foot “show kites”. Japanese Kite Master Mikio Toki of Tokyo, Japan will demonstrate traditional Japanese kites constructed of washi rice paper and bamboo. Activities for children of all ages, Japanese cultural activities, food booths and more."

MUSEUMS-FREE-FOR-ALL...Today

-No more excuses for not seeing that one exhibit with that one dude.

-Worthy spots to see:

Japanese American National Museum:

Fowler Museum: Steeped in History - The Art of Tea

Participating Museums:

Armory Center for the Arts - Both Days
The Autry National Center - Sunday, October 4th ONLY
Bowers Museum - Sunday, October 4th Only
California African American Museum - Both Days
California Heritage Museum - Saturday, October 3rd Only
California Science Center - Both Days
Craft and Folk Art Museum - Both Days
Fowler Museum at UCLA - Both Days
The Getty Center - Both Days
The Getty Villa**- Both Days
The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live - Sunday, October 4th Only
Hammer Museum at UCLA - Sunday, October 4th Only
Japanese American National Museum - Saturday, October 3rd Only
Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial - Saturday, October 3rd
The Museum of Contemporary Art,
Los Angeles (MOCA) - Sunday, October 4th Only
Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) - Both Days
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Sunday October 4th Only
Norton Simon Museum - Sunday, October 4th Only
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art - Both Days
Orange County Museum of Art - Both Days
The Paley Center for Media - Both Days
Santa Monica Museum of Art - Saturday, October 3rd Only
Skirball Cultural Center - Sunday, October 4th Only
The Studio for Southern California History - Both Days

Support Arts Education

2009-09-28T22:29:00.001-07:00

h'ARTbeats in Harmony

"H'artWorks is an Arts and Human Services 501 (c) 3 nonprofit providing art, drama, computer lab, music, and community arts events for Horace Mann Elementary School and the greater Long Beach community."

With all the budget cuts hurting our schools, usually the first programs targeted are music programs.

Tickets:
Adult $20 donation
Student $15 donation
Family Portion Only (12:30pm-2:30pm) $10

To volunteer for the event, contact: hartbeatsinharmony@gmail.com

Libre Festive Saturday!

2009-09-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't frequented this spot in a while.
I've decided to keep the entries:
short, savory, & visually appeasing.

FREE FUN
: 3 Epic Events - This Saturday :

1st up: Green Port Festival [Port of Long Beach]

Tours of the Port: Boat-Bicycle-Rail
Local Performers: Folk Rock, Cambodian Dance, & more
Arts n' Crafts : Family Fun
How the Port is trying to GO GREEN!

Come and bike around the 2nd busiest port in the US.

WHERE: Shoreline Drive/South Linden Avenue
TIME: 10am-3pm

Next Destination: SoundWalk2009 [East Village Arts District - LB]

"The evening operates under the concept of a one-night multi-sensory experience as conveyed through sound art that is situated in various indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the East Village Arts District in Downtown Long Beach."

In other words: Downtown block-party jam-packed with multimedia displays to amuse your senses under some shooting satellites.

WHERE: 1st St./Linden Ave, Long Beach
TIME: 5pm-10pm

Last Stop: Eagle Rock Music Festival - [Eagle Rock, CA - LA Area]

15 various stages - [Indoors/Outdoors]
"auto shops and formal stages to coffee shops and a motel balcony"

-Hip-Hop [DJ Nobody, the Gaslamp Killer, Free the Robots, Peanutbutter Wolf!]
-Electro-Punk Rock-Jazz-Indie Rock
-...it's boundless.

Free SHUTTLE SERVICE : Eagle Rock Plaza

WHERE: Colorado Blvd. [Where the 2 / 134 freeways meet.]"

Why Should I Go?

`ALL EVENTS = FREE.
`DJ's spinning for ALL-AGES!
`Play Outside!
`Bring Friends.Make Friends.
`...Celebrate what you love about LB/LA:
Music. Culture. Arts. Community.

Happy Saturday Friends.

2009-02-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Good start to the weekend: night of catch-up, spaghetti, Tecate, 45's, and Stevie Wonder! I think many would agree that it's easy to get swept away into a YouTube power hour with any/every video in history just a click a away. Gloria was kind enough to show us one of her good finds: Stevie Wonder's performance on Sesame Street. In addition to a pretty sick performance, what we were more concerned about was one of his stage dancers-a curly kid jamming out on a rail (full screen it, pay attention at 0:39 seconds in, 5:25 top) Kudos to those who find even more scenes of this kid having a crazy 6 minutes of head tossin' energy! It's a shame we tend to overlook all the fun that still goes down in that neighborhood.

I spent last year with the Cultural Affair Commission's Indie Film events and got schooled on the history, legacy, and future of Sesame Street in the PBS documentary, The World According to Sesame Street. The documentary film rekindled my love of the show and provided an unanticipated glance into the socio-economic, cultural, and political issues that go into making Sesame Street such a phenomena.

The film tells the story of this non-profit emerging as an alternative means of educating poor, urban youth and also demonstrates the critical planning that goes into creating international adaptations of the show (e.g. Rruga Sesam in Albania, Plaza Sésamo in Mexico). Creating these animal-like puppets based on various cultures (e.g. Halum the Tiger from India) with a sufficient amount of caution and care seems like a daunting task. One surprising character was KAMI from South Africa, the first HIV-positive puppet introduced to the world. Attempting to break the highly-stigmatized disease amongst the South African youth, Kami has received a mix of praise and criticism. This next video offers some insight as to what role Kami has taken in Takalani Sesame.

I really support the concept behind introducing Kami. The dialogue she shares with her friends on the show is crucial to breaking HIV-myths that can carry on to future generations. Kami is needed more than ever, a concept difficult to embrace.
Any thoughts?

If you want to learn more about how Sesame Street is continuing it's international work:
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aroundtheworld

Unfortunately, this film doesn't get much air time anymore. It is available for purchase.

getting schooled

2008-10-05T10:47:00.001-07:00

"University by the Sea:
Schooled in Song"
Long Beach East Village Arts District
(10am-10pm)

I've been anxiously anticipating how University by the Sea will be going down this year. This year, the Arts Council's latest collabo with Indie 103.1 and Fingerprints music store is sure to bring an even bigger wave of local talent that is sure to satisfy your music fix this weekend, including Dengue Fever, Grand Ole Party, and Crystal Antlers.

12 hours to enjoy...
Bringing over 20 local bands/djs atop of solar-powered equipped stages
The Backyard Beer Garden!
Making T-shirts @ the Live screen-printing station
Turning local restaurants into classrooms.

All to provide music scholarships to local high school students and undergraduates an to fundraise for in-school music programs. This is a FREE event, but DONATIONS and merchandise sales will go toward the music education fund.

Just some of the classes offered today range from (most are FREE-$5)

Cyclists Eye View
Biking education to get by traffic)
Los Angeles River: History, Present & Future
Found Sound
(making music w/found (recycled) objects)
Sustaining Your Backyard Garden
Oyster and Wine Pairings
Why I Want to Move to Canada: But I Love Long Beach
(Interactive presentation that compares violence, health care, guns and war)
From the Killing Fields to Cambodia Town
(Tour of the history & arts within the Cambodian-American community)

and many more classes focused on how we can all progress through sustainability, heighten our knowledge of Long Beach's rich history, and simply spark more dialogue about issues affecting ourselves, our neighbors, and our community.

Take a break from the textbooks and get schooled in art, culture, and song.

More Info: http://www.universitybythesea.com/

Directions

FREE PARKING!
FREE Biking VALET!
From LA: Metro Blue Line

Location:

Downtown Long Beach / East Village Arts District

Corner of Linden Ave. and First St.
Long Beach, CA 90802 (at the corner of 1st St and Linden Ave)

2008-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Women of Sooooooooooooooul

My attempts at creating a blog have been long overdue.
But today I stumbled upon a great selection of music by jumping
from blog-to-blog with the help of my favorite toy (www.hypem.com).
It encompasses all the fancy, boring, and/or enlightening music blogs online into one helpful page that lets you preview the song before you bounce to another blog. I recommend checking it out to find rare remixes, live/acoustic sets, and demos from your favorite music artists. But on another note...

Stephanie McKay is my artist of the day.

I have no idea if she has already conquered the radio waves via KISS FM or if she has fallen victim to having a MTV reality show just yet - I hope not. But either way, I dig her soulful voice and the funky instrumentals from her album, Tell It Like It Is (2008). The tracks that caught my attention included "Tell It Like It Is," "Say What You Feel," and her latest single "Jackson Avenue."

Stephanie McKay's MYSPACE

Trust. If you fell in love with Erykah Badu's New Amerkyah, I'm sure you'll find a special spot in your collection for this Bronx native. I'm not gonna lie though, some of her songs and pictures made me think she was just a Badu-wannabe with "Tell It Like It Is" ringing close to Badu's "Me." Fortunately, the more tracks I heard, the more convinced I was that McKay's style is a combination of Badu's funky beats and thought-provoking lyrics questioning social awareness, Alicia Keys' youthful R&B vocals (listen to: This Letter and Jackson Ave.), and a hint of room left to grow and find her own sound. So check out what she has to offer and decide for yourself. She has already collaborated and earned the attention of Badu, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Black Thought (The Roots), and other acclaimed artists.

Random fact: Before deciding to go solo, she helped Kelis make milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard as her lead guitarist!

Having already convinced myself to be a fan of her music, I reaffirmed my decision once I saw that McKay had made one of her top 6484 friends Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings! Gaining respect as the Queen of Funk, Ms. Jones is another New Yorker with vocals rooting from her Mo-town background.

You can also check out Ms. Jones and friends at Central Park's SummerStage concert series in New York on August 17th, 2008 for FREE! LIBRE! But for you Westsiders, the band will be gracing a stage in San Francisco at the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival on August 24, 2008.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings MYSPACE

Recommendations:
"How Long Do I Have To Wait For You"
"Nobody's Baby"
"100 Days 100 Nights"

Keep yo eyes n' ears open for these two acts feeding you what's good for the soul.

"Say What You Feel" by Stephanie McKay (ft. DJ Katalyst)

2008-07-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Listening Party.

This is just an attempt to share some thoughts on music, art, culture, and education.

All music/videos on this blog are meant to inspire viewers to check out different artists and show some support at concerts and your local record stores.

Keep the dialogue goin' and share your peace of mind. Where to listen, here to share.