Chris Walker
LA Weekly
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The Lineup for This Show at the Mayan Tomorrow Night Is Amazing
Last year Oakland rap paragons Souls of Mischief celebrated the 20th anniversary of their seminal 1993 debut, ’93 Til Infinity. Last week the group released the Adrian Younge produced There is Only Now, their sixth studio album and first in five years. Tonight, for their album release party at the... → Read More
Alexander's Greek Kitchen Is the Most Punk New Restaurant in L.A.
The most punk new restaurant in L.A. might be Alexander’s Greek Kitchen, a 90-day-old storefront tucked into a strip mall in Vernon. This is a weird sentence to write for several reasons. A) There’s nothing inherently punk about a pork gyro dripping with tzatziki sauce, no matter how serrated the... → Read More
Two More Restaurants Coming to Sherman Oaks' Restaurant Row
Fed up with the rowdy sports bar scene, owner Richard DiSisto (Tipple & Brine, Tunnel Bar, Lucy’s 51) closed Mad Bull's Tavern a few months ago to make way for his latest concept: Murph's Service Station. "That bull was on steroids," he says, now looking to attract a very different crowd into Murph's,... → Read More
Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong Pushing for Culver City's Fiber Internet Upgrade
L.A. billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is urging Culver City officials to install fiber Internet at five business districts, including one where his company is located. City leaders are considering a plan that would offer Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabyte per second to business customers, at rates that are much cheaper... → Read More
Venice Film Festival: Al Pacino Re-Discovers His Inside Voice
Most of us would agree that there’s only one Al Pacino. But this year in Venice, there are actually two: Pacino appears in two films at the festival this year, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, about a lonely Texas locksmith stuck in a romantic dream, and, playing out of competition, Barry... → Read More
Online Drug Bazaar Sold Molly & Marijuana
They called it the "Farmer's Market" because you could order illicit drugs online—LSD, ecstasy, marijuana—and get what you paid for, farm-to-table, so to speak, according to federal authorities. But an undercover agent based in Los Angeles ordered LSD, which led to a federal case against several of the marketplace's alleged... → Read More
This Long Beach Festival Has a Great Gimmick
Long Beach is overflowing with talented musicians. The city's haunts are crammed with rockers and DJs, not to mention Cambodian rappers. But it has relatively few music venues. That helps explain the popularity of the annual (and free) Summer and Music series, which hosts a plethora of outdoor shows... → Read More
The Marijuana Drought Starts Now
Harvest season is upon us. We're not talking about tomatoes, lettuce and carrots. We're talking about that most green of crops, marijuana. Late summer marks the beginning of bud harvesting in the Emerald Triangle growing region of Northern California, perhaps the most productive cannabis region in the United States. See... → Read More
Free Belcampo Hot Dogs at Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market has recently been hosting game nights on Thursday evenings as a fun way to get people out to the market during dinner hours. This week, Belcampo, the butcher and food counter, will be giving away free hot dogs to visitors of the market on Thursday night. From... → Read More
Miranda July's New App Will Make You Feel Like a Tween Again (If It Works)
It’s 3:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and I’m sitting at LACMA’s café, clutching my phone, waiting to be Somebody—well, the somebody Miranda July tells me I can be. That morning, the Los Angeles-based conceptual artist, best known for her films Me, You and Everyone We Know and The Future, launched... → Read More
Albino Cobra On the Loose in Thousand Oaks
If you see a massive white snake slithering around in Thousand Oaks it's not your Labor Day Weekend hangover giving you flashbacks. An exotic albino cobra was on the loose in the Ventura County community today, and authorities were warning residents to call 911 if they spot it. The L.A... → Read More
Nordstrom's White Chocolate Bread Pudding Is Kind of Awesome
After hearing raves about the white chocolate bread pudding at the Nordstrom Café Bistro in Canoga Park, we had to check it out – three times, actually. Happily, the dessert lives up to the hype. But don’t get in your car just yet and head to the West San Fernando... → Read More
Movies to See in L.A. This Week, Including a Karate Kid Reunion
Friday, Sept. 5 This Friday through Sunday at the Egyptian Theatre, it’s FICG in L.A. — aka the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Showcasing the best of Mexican and Ibero-American films, the opening-night gala will include the U.S. premiere of Las Horas Contigo (The Hours With You), which finds Ema, who’s... → Read More
Australian Coffee Culture Is Hitting L.A.
Forget beer, barbies and Bondi: It seems that Australians' homesick blues can only be taken away with a good "flat white." The coffee, which is a double espresso with steamed milk but no foam — hence the "flat" — has been difficult to find in L.A., at least until recently... → Read More
Lina in L.A. - Getting Freaky & Tiki in Hollywood
Lip Service fashions abounded at departed designer Drew Bernstein's (aka "Lippy") Tribute gathering at the Dragonfly Friday night featuring rockin' bands and DJs. The next night, Hollywood heated up tropical-style, at the opening of the Surf Club Gallery next to rock dive the Burgundy Room on Cahuenga Blvd. → Read More
Jay Adams Memorial Paddle-Out Draws Stars of Surfing (VIDEO)
It was 80 degrees, the seas were calm and glassy, and a nice leftover south swell was gently rolling in. It was the kickoff to a three-day, holiday weekend. But the vibe was bittersweet because a homie wasn't there to share it with his friends and loved ones. The crowd... → Read More
We Need to Talk About Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump has turned 20 and is celebrating its birthday with a weeklong IMAX release. It's a significant milestone for the six-time Academy Award winner. Today, 1994 is as far away from the present as the Vietnam War was from it. Forrest Gump was a fable without a moral, the... → Read More
Answers to Some Common Questions About Storing, Aging and Collecting Wine
While standing in the wine department of a Whole Foods recently, I witnessed something that I see most everywhere wine is sold. Two seemingly well-established couples walking in tandem scanned the bottles. One woman said: “What do you think of this one?” The reply came from one of the men... → Read More
Made in America Festival: The Best and Worst
The long-awaited, and oft-controversial, Made in America finally arrived in L.A. over the weekend. The attendance wasn't fabulous, and John Mayer was performing, so there were two strikes against the Jay-Z masterminded event from the start. Still, there were some pretty baller moments. Here are the best and worst of... → Read More
The 3% Surcharge Catches On: The Lucques Group Introduces Healthcare For Employees
Back when Republique opened late last year, the most hotly debated aspect of the restaurant was not the food or the redesign of the iconic building in which it's housed, but rather the 3% surcharge added to all checks to cover healthcare for the restaurant's employees. On Yelp and in... → Read More