Meet and Celebrate the Women of Venice at The Venice West!

Tomorrow is International Women's Day (but isn't it every day, really?), and March is Women's History Month. Thus, it's high time we officially celebrate the badass women of Venice with a proper gathering. When I zoomed into town last October for the world premiere of our film UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality, it was such a quick trip that I didn't get to see all of my favorites, so for my last night I just asked a bunch of ladies to meet me, as I didn't have time to see everyone separately. It was jaw dropping that some of the best of the best Venice ladies had never met each other before, because real Venice isn't all that big. One of the great ones, Kaycee Smith, was there that night, and it planted a seed that is sprouting right now, with an event this Wednesday, March 9th at The Venice West! 

So many Venice women are doing so many cool things and running so many unique and creative businesses, so this shindig is to introduce you all to each other and realize the massive power behind women supporting other women ... plus it will be super fun, with a happy hour mixer from 5-8 pm (bring those biz cards!), and a night of music from 8-12 with an all-female lineup. Aloha Radio kick off the music at 8 pm, followed by Kat Hall,  Beebs (with her backing band made up of basically Fishbone), and my special homegirl Lacey Kay (who was also there that autumn night) and The Calamity will wrap up this excellent night of lady jams. I mean, Get DOWN! The evening will be emceed by Megan Holiday from KROQ, (who herself has been super active in supporting others in their addictions), and House of Jupiter (PR Firm) and Flying Embers (kombucha!)  and the great Beachlife Festival are helping out with sponsorships.

"When women are nice to each other, we can get so much done," explained Smith when telling me about the thinking behind this event. "I know a lot of badass women, and I wouldn't be where I'm at in my life without the help of other women." I would wager that's true for just about everyone. These have been hard times the last couple of years, and many have been isolated and lonely. There may be new transplants that have moved into town during the pandemic and haven't been able to meet the incredible women of the Venice Community yet. Well, this is your chance - and even if you've been in Venice all of your life, I promise that there's some real gems that you still don't know. 

Aside from the music, fun, and promise of meeting fantastic women, there will be live painting by Jen LaVita and Erica Lane reading her poetry. The first 20 gals in attendance will get a swag bag and there will also be new headshots taken for the first 20 ladies to finally update their Linked In pages with! Incentive to get their on the early side, for sure. 

The hope is that this mixer will be such a soaring success that the ladies will take over The Venice West for quarterly nights like these, and the always local Westside Wednesdays will feature all female bands for the entire Women's History Month of March. That, plus the mix and match happy hour (cocktail and an appetizer for $15!) make this the spot I know I'd be this month if I could be. But I can't be, because I'm still in Minnesota supporting women (my Mom). It pains me that I can't be at this first mixer with all my fun female Venice friends, but I know that a community of women supporting, inspiring, encouraging, networking, and even finding jobs for each other can only make Venice - and the entire world - even cooler. 

Have a blast, Ladies, and I'll hope to catch you at the next one! (Oh, and guys can come too ... just know that the night is all about Wonder Women).

The Venice West 

1717 Lincoln Blvd. 

Venice

Thank You, Venice! - The 90291: Venice Unzipped Lantern House Fundraiser!

Oh, Venice. How great are you?! We had one big shindig at the Lantern House on Saturday night to raise funds for our upcoming documentary 90291: Venice Unzipped. It was awesome, and I'm still beaming over it.

Documentaries take money to make, so that was the impetus for the affair, but really, it was all about our community and how much we all love our Venice. Our film is going to examine income inequality in the United States, with a zoom lens on Venice as an extreme example. When you have 6 million dollar homes with a tent city in the alleys behind them (or in their yards), something is wrong. We are going to talk about it, and try to come up with some solutions together, as we celebrate what is really the last beach community of color. 

If you've never been to an event at the Lantern House, you really should try. It's so perfectly Venice, with art everywhere, and an eclectic vibe that really feels like what we're about. The chandeliers in the trees, and the several little bungalows making up the whole space transport you into a magical scene that truly was perfect. Eternal thanks to Scott Mayers - and his gargoyles - for opening up his home to share with us.

The event at the Lantern House was hosted by myself and my co-producers on the film, Colin Keith Gray and Megan Raney Aarons ("The Sibs") from Grainey Pictures. The wonderful women of Fiore Designs handled the floral decor and the food, and it was all just gorgeous. 

Spirits were donated by Venice Duck Brewery and Jim Robb, while desserts were provided by local artisan chocolatier, Chocolate Wonder Love and Erewhon. All were excellent, and so good that they vanished before I could even get any, but I was fine with that.

It truly was an event by and for the community. Local businesses donated super cool stuff for our silent auction, from beautiful photography to dinners at local restaurants to clothing to hotel stays to classes to even a basket full of Ruby's Doobies! All were extremely appreciated, and beyond generous to our cause. 

D.J. Rick spun the tunes, and our first musical guest was my dear friend, Lacey Kay Cowden, who entranced the revelers, even under the challenging circumstances of being in the time slot when people were still arriving, and highly vocal during her set. She is a pro, and a treasure. Thank you, Lacey!

People mixed and mingled, and then we gathered them all up to hear an introduction from our host, Scott Mayers, who is the owner of The Lantern House, and a true raconteur. He told stories of when he first moved in, and had to duck bullets in his shower ... how things change - and stay the same.

Colin and Megan gave speeches about our film, and our hopes for making it a true community project. We asked for help in casting our families that we will be following over the next year, and if you have any suggestions to that end, they may be given to Andrea McHugh HERE. 

We showed a trailer of our film, and if you were not able to be in attendance on Saturday, you can watch it HERE. It should give you a good idea of what we're trying to do, and the conversation that we're trying to have. 

I gave a little spiel about how I've been telling the real stories of real Venice for over a decade now through the Free Venice Beachhead, and right here at Blogtown, and how people should know by now how much this town and its denizens mean to me. And how much I value being a part of this community that embraced me - and I, it - when I moved here over 20 years ago now. I didn't move here to live on a corporate campus ... I moved here to live in one of the most uniquely cool places on Earth. 

And I"ll fight to keep it that way ... as will pretty much everyone who was there, I'm sure. I also got to introduce my wonderful friend, Michael Dorman, as our next musical guest. He stars in the excellent Patriot on Amazon Prime (one of my favorite shows!), and who is also one of my very favorite musicians. He gifted us with a short set that featured the awesome - and appropriate - "I Ain't No VIP!" My little friend Mia (age 8) said, "He's like Bob Dylan, but better." She's not wrong. See:

I'm so SO grateful to all the local businesses and artists who donated to our silent auction. To everyone who shared our invitation to the event on social media. To everyone who donated to our fund to make this film ... and you can continue to do that HERE (THANK YOU!!!) pretty much until it premieres. 

To everyone who showed up to this super fun party. To everyone who ever supports anything I do. I looked around the entire evening and knew that this is the community where I belong, and my eternal thanks to everyone who makes me feel like that. If you couldn't for whatever reason do any of the above (?), you still can. And you'll feel good about it, and will also be thanked effusively. Try it! Helping others feels good, and that's the point of this entire endeavor. Community. 

After the speeches and performances, it was time to get down and party - and that we did. In fact, Mr. Mayers (our hero) graciously agreed to extend the party hours, and we all just went for it. The silent auction winners were announced, and many people went home with extra cool things that all really do define Venice. I especially loved the happy trio that got the Juice Magazine swag they wanted!

I also need to shout out to my brother, Paul, both for donating a gorgeous photo to our silent auction, and for always supporting me in everything I do. Love you, Pablito! 

And now we'll set off on the journey of actually making this film - and we'll continue to need your help and your input, to make it a project that really, truly reflects ALL of Venice. Please join us on this trip, follow along with our progress, and know how very, very grateful we are to everyone for your involvement. 

Wow, Venice. You really are the best. 

Radio Venice - A True Venice Treasure

I finally got to sit in on a Radio Venice session last weekend, when my friend Lacey Kay Cowden was making her Radio Venice debut, and I decided to tag along.

Radio Venice has been up and running since 2015, showcasing the very best music that Venice, California has to offer. Each Sunday at 4:20 p.m. (PST, of course), Radio Venice broadcasts live from their location in the Venice Suites hotel right on the Boardwalk.

Hosted by Michael Jost and Tonan Ruiz, the radio broadcast was founded by Jost, Rae Stanton, and Roy Edwards in the home location of Breakwater Studios. It's a tiny little beach apartment, with not a lot of room for an audience (I sat squeezed in on the end of the bed while I watched), but that's o.k., because the show is available to listen to and watch worldwide live on the web. Where it looks and sounds great, and you can almost hear the seagulls flying by out the windows.

Taking a look at the Radio Venice website shows a who's who of Venice and International artists that have played here for their broadcast, and the good new for you if you're just hearing about this gem of an entertainment site, is that they're all archived for you to go down the rabbit hole into, and watch them all. And there's a lot, so get comfy.

After Lacey played her set (beautifully), next up was Jost and his friend, Rick Boston, who comprise the acoustic guitar duo, Los Pochos. Wow. Their intricate playing was kind of a mix of classical and flamenco guitar, and utterly gorgeous.

Our friends were hosting a nacho party (!) while we were there, so we had to race out when there was a lull in the music, causing us to miss the sets from Erinn Williams (bummed because she plays electric guitar while singing opera!), and Lovemando ... but we were able to watch them later on the site - as are you. And you'll dig it, for sure.

The great news is that TONIGHT you have a chance to see some of this music live again! Jost is playing at the new music venue at Pacific Resident Theater from 7-9 p.m., and then you can head on over to The Townhouse/Del Monte Speakeasy to catch Lacey Cowden and friends at her weekly Tuesday excellent residency, starting at 9 p.m. - so you can do it all! On foot or bike from each other! Venice is awesome. And so is Radio Venice. Tune in every Sunday to get your Venice music fix!

Tune in, turn on, drop IN!

An Punk Rock Art And Music Weekend In Venice

With heavy things continuing to go down practically every day in the world, last weekend made clear that people were again in the mood to blow off some steam.

The weekend was also book-ended by tacos. After some Friday night hijinks, we finally got to try the excellent tacos at El Primo tacos, the little taco set up on Lincoln Boulevard by the old aquarium building. There was still a line after 11 p.m., and once we had a bite, we knew why. YUM. Get yourself there for some street tacos ... you will be happy.

Saturday was all about art. I picked up my pals at In Heroes We Trust, and we made our way over to San Juan and Main, where they were having a party with a virtual reality situation, set up to show new ways of advertising.

There was quite a line for the v.r. thing, so after admiring Matthew Heller's new First Amendment mural on the wall outside, we made our way over to the C.A.V. E. Gallery for the opening of the Still Screaming punk rock photography show.

The walls were covered with shots that do a great job at summing up that time period that was ruled by punk rock. My favorites were by our local photographer, Josh "Bagel" Klassman, whose black and whites greeted the opening goers right inside the door.

C.A.V.E. was packed with people in their Suicidal Tendencies sweatshirts and otherwise black clothing. It had been announced that Black Flag's Keith Morris was going to be there to spin the punk tunes, but he did not show due to a diabetic situation, we were told. Healing wishes to Mr. Morris!

This Is Why I'm Such A Mess took over the back room was decked out with the whimsical works of Amanda "Mando" Marie & The Lost Object (AKA XO), with her little girls and ghosts beguiling the crowd.

I also very much liked the wooden pieces that named beaches of Southern California, though Venice was missing, curiously. That would have sold for sure.

As it was pretty hot and crowded inside, a gang of us hung outside on the sidewalk, swapping tales and shooting the breeze. That was probably my favorite part, as you don't always get the chance to really stand around and talk with the homies at these events. We really slowed it down and talked, and remembered what we love about Venice ... exactly nights like these. Friends coming together for art and communion, and on this night we even got an extra big full moon to compliment it all. Dreamy. This show is on through July 3rd.

Sunday was the now annual Booze/Bands/Boil at The Cinema Bar, put on by my good friend, Matt Ellis. It was a gorgeous day, and after a fiery set by Chief White Lightning, we took it out back to the patio to indulge in the wonderful crawfish boil put out by our friends at Hatchet Hall.

It's a very messy proceeding, but one that is always fun, always delicious, and once again, designed to bring about a communal vibe. Everyone is in the same boat, ripping off crawfish heads and sucking them down, with juice all over their faces. What a great time!

Lacey Kay Cowden was at her boot-stomping best, with her full band bringing it just as hard. The sunshine steamed in the windows, and her cinematic songs gave us all a bit of an escape ... not that we needed one. Things were perfectly great right where we were.

By now a whole lot of my friends had shown up, so it was back to the patio to do some laughing and catching up, but not before I caught a bunch of good songs by Kat Myer & The Buzzards, who I'd never seen before, but will now certainly keep an eye out for. They were great.

Golden hour found us laughing our heads off, and boy, was that needed. These escapism afternoons are pretty much the only things holding us together these days, and I was full of gratitude for all the great people and vibes. It really is what this life is all about.

Matt Ellis and his full band were in excellent form to headline the proceedings, and we were all in there singing and dancing along the whole time. Any woes that had been brought along this afternoon were soon forgotten, as friends belted out their friend's songs with abandon.

"They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" is the Matt Ellis/Paul Chesne duet that finds that title absolutely true ... they sure don't make 'em like these guys anymore. Make sure you get out to see them play - it's always a great time, and they play a lot. Lucky us!

The Cinema's little stage is so small that bass player, Dustin Bookatz, stood on the floor along with the crowd. Each player (also Fern Sanchez, Josh Norton, and Tim Walker - all awesome) in Ellis' ensemble is so good, I always find myself getting distracted by watching one of them riff, and then snap myself back to the whole. Ellis ended his high-energy set with his "Hey, Mister" song, that we all again sang along to, reminding the Misters of now that we are not down with what's going on. Music for the People.

By now, the People were hungry again, and that meant Tito's Tacos. The line was insane, but the tacos were well worth it, as ever. It was again communally fun, as all the people in line chatted and mingled, and made even a long line fun.

Back to the Ellis Ranch, for more tunes and more fun, and more denial that the weekend was coming to a close. One that had been great, and jam packed with all the things that make being in Venice (and its adjacent zones) so dang great ... especially in the Summer - which it's just now starting to feel like. I'll see you out there, everyone! Have fun, People!

A Community Fundraiser To Save Penmar!

There have been too many good times to count at the corner of Penmar and Palms over the years. The little row of bungalows have hosted countless parties and gatherings of friends, and have been a headquarters for the community for years. As Gentrification continues to rear its ugly head here in Venice, now the Penmar bungalows are in jeopardy. The property has been purchased by an overseas investment group who intend to build more big, ugly, boxes (BUBS), and who could care less about the community.

So that Community came together on Sunday to have a fundraiser to help pay for legal fees as the residents prepare to do battle with the Man. Some may feel that it's just too bad, someone bought the property, live with it. But enough of that. If no one ever stands up to anything, the bad guys win. Penmar residents and their neighbors are standing up, speaking out, and it's a wonderful thing to behold.

Friends and neighbors gathered in the golden hour, and enjoyed a fried chicken spread donated by Hatchet Hall. Several different friends have lived in these bungalows, passing one on to the next friend when they moved, so there were plenty of stories being swapped about the good times had there over the years.

It was touching to see many residents of the surrounding neighborhood show up in support even though it's not their exact battle ... as one woman spoke and pointed out, "It's here now, but it will happen there." People are the fabric of our community, and if all our housing is unaffordable (and ugly with no sense of place or history) and owned by companies that don't even live here, it erodes the character of the neighborhood. And no one wants that.

Entertainment was provided by current resident Lacey Kay Cowden, who regaled us with her beautiful tunes as the stars began twinkling overhead. It was beautiful, enhanced by the knowledge that we were all together in solidarity for a meaningful purpose.

Former residents Matt Ellis and Vavine Tahapehi shared their songs in the backyard that they transformed into a lovely gathering spot for our family of friends, and it all felt timeless - just as it should.

Might as well be resident Paul Chesne brought it home with his custom brand of rock and roll, frequent visitor Paddy Wilkins (DJ Bright Moments) kept the party going with his spinning, and it was greatly enjoyed by all assembled, from oldsters I'd never met before, to our brand new friends that are looking forward to growing up in the uniquely wonderful Venice that we were there to protect.

This stupid project has already been approved by the City Of L.A. (seeing $$$ signs, no doubt), but the concerned neighbors are appealing it. There is a hearing TOMORROW JANUARY 18 with the West L.A. Area Planning Commission. All who care about the future of Venice are encouraged to attend and wear red in solidarity. The information is all on this flyer or you can contact the group at Palms.Penmar@Gmail.com:

This is a time of mass protest in America. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that the PEOPLE band together to accomplish that things that make life in American - and Venice - worth living. This hearing is a wonderful warm-up for the week (year, four years ...) of demonstrating that is about to go down. Please consider joining everyone in making your voice heard.

Save Penmar! Save Venice! Save The United States! Save The World! It all starts somewhere ...

Temecula's Liberty Kitchen - Ramble On!

We were all really sad when one of our favorite Venice families, The Conways, moved to Austin, Texas (often said the Venice of Texas) a few years ago. We not only missed our dear friends, but also the fun they brought as the owners and operators of Little Radio, with events like Summer Camp (in a parking lot in Downtown LA) and constant awesome music shows. Well, I'm happy to tell you that Christina and David Conway (and their great kids) are back in California with a fantastic new endeavor, Liberty Kitchen, in Old Town Temecula. 

I finally made it down there (over there?) last weekend, and the only drag is that my new favorite restaurant is about a two hour drive away ... but that's better than Texas! When we drove up, it's clear to see why they chose to open up a place in Temecula ... the big, white, columned Southern looking building with a wraparound porch is a stunner, and smack dab in the center of Old Town like a centerpiece. It's beautiful ... and I imagine less than half of what restaurant rents are in Venice these days. So, the Conways went for it, and now Temecula is a real destination for Venice friends.

We arrived early in the morning so the boys could get some work done before the restaurant opened for business, so I had plenty of time to explore. The walls are done in a warm, cedar wood, and filled with posters and art from the Conway's travels and events (like the Railroad Revival Tour that went down a few years ago), making it all feel very personal - and cool.

Lucky for me, Liberty Kitchen serves brunch on the weekends, so I got down to it as soon as the kitchen staff arrived and fired up the stoves. It's true Southern fare, so you can expect all that good stuff like chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, chicken-fried steak, beignets (!), Cafe du Monde chicory coffee (!) ... you get it. It was delicious. And filling. And the real deal. There was a Bloody Mary bar set up d.i.y. style, with awesome bacon, fresh produce, various hot sauces, the end of the rainbow, really, for Bloody people. I went with the flight of mimosas, which meant three glasses (presented in old cheese boxes home-made by the Conways) of champagne with seasonal infusions. On this morning, it was strawberry, lavender, and chamomile, each so good I felt like I wanted to bathe in it (and one day may). I offered a taste of them to my brother, and he proclaimed the lavender one to be, "The best alcoholic drink I've ever had." High praise, indeed, as he's had a few.

Just as I was reveling in my brunch bliss, a honk outside made me even happier. I went out to the porch and there was my lovely (and supremely missed) friend, Christina Conway, pulled up in her 1967 cherry red Mustang! I jumped in and we went for a spin, and just pretty much laughed at how great it was to see each other - at their fantastic new place! SO happy for them! Oh, on our drive to find parking, there was an old timey Old West show going on up the street, and as a Venice dweller, I actually jumped when the gunfight happened. That show would not go over well up here, I'm afraid.

{Aside: As we were all fed, and the Conways had a restaurant to run, we took off to the Temecula wine country to do a little tasting, and to find the vineyard I'd been to 20 years ago that I remembered had the best bread ever. A brief Bing search (I switched to Bing after Google started eating up Venice), I found the spot - Maurice Car'rie! And they were celebrating their 35th Anniversary on this very day!

Oh, man. We ordered up the bread, got some Syrah, and settled in on the porch to take in the beautiful day and check out all the Memorial Day quilts on display for Veterans. Then the bread arrived, as glorious as I'd remembered it.

It's garlic sourdough, piping hot and fresh, with a wheel of Brie baked right there inside of it. We made new friends just from the people walking by to gawk at it. YUM. There was no way we could finish that thing, so off we went to taste more wine, see the Conway's new house, and kill time until the rest of the Venice crew arrived for the evening portion of the day!}

As the dinner hour arrived, we all trooped back into Old Town to meet up with everyone back at Liberty Kitchen. Mutual great Venice friends, Lacey Kay Cowden and Matt Ellis came down with their bands to grace Liberty Kitchen's new stage. The custom "Ramble On" sign backlit the musicians, and served as a good reminder of what to always do.

Before the music began, it was time to eat again. The Conways are wonderful, generous hosts, and we all had a fair sampling of the best this kitchen of freedom has to offer. We had every Cajun thing from fried gator (it tastes like chicken, as you'd expect) to duck tostadas, jambalaya to etouffee, and all of it was sinfully delicious. I think our standout favorites were the ridiculous shrimp and cheese grits (that I'm still thinking about) and the Roast Beef Po' Boy - that I'd never had or heard of but was absolutely out of this world crazy good. It felt like we had traveled much more South than just to Temecula, this felt like the bayou!

Lacey Cowden played as we ate, and mesmerized the entire room. Our friend had some calm come over his face as she played and said, "I really needed to hear this music today." What a great review! Cowden unveiled a couple of new songs, showing growth and depth that I didn't even think she needed. It was a beautiful time, with beautiful friends, exactly what you want a holiday weekend night to be. The music is the point in the evening, but there is plenty of things to do - board games, pinball, photo booths ... the fun is all covered here.

The dessert course (sweet potato pie) got lost on me, as I was now up dancing around to Matt Ellis and his great band, and it was gone by the time I got back. Instead, I opted for yet another of the crazy good cocktails served up by Liberty Kitchen's bar, with names like Texas Heat, Ramble On, and my favorite, The Stubborn Mule (that actually tasted like a spa green juice so you could kid yourself that it was great for you). Ellis and Company had these Temecula people grooving - whether they were tourists or locals, they were into Ellis's Americana on a perfect Americana weekend.

The one drawback to the day was that now we had to drive back to Venice. There was a BIG day  coming up in town, and we had to be ready to go in the morning, but next time - we're crashing down there. There will be several next times too, because Liberty Kitchen is booking all the great bands we've always loved, and keeping that Little Radio family together, wherever. What a cool thing the Conways have built there in Temecula, and what a great thing to know that Venice friends stay solid regardless of geography.

Book yourselves a table at Liberty Kitchen when you find yourself in the Inland Empire, or wine tasting, or just go ahead and make it your destination in the first place. It's worth it. Congratulations to the Conways and all of the wonderful Liberty Kitchen staff who were so gracious and fun in their welcoming of us to their fantastic venue. We'll be back soon!

Liberty Kitchen
28544 Old Town Front Street
Temecula, CA 92590
Thelibertyoldtown.com