Showing posts with label festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label festival. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Summer ends: Just Like Heaven (8/22)

Just Like Heaven 2026 PLAYLIST

Stereotypical Southern California summer
When does summer really begin? It's not an astronomical question, as the people into genes insist gender is as easy to assign as reading x's and y's. It is easy if we make it that easy, but it is not so easy when we do not all agree to that as the objective measure.

What is "social summer"?

Mandatory: All Americans must visit a beach.
There's a kind of social summer, which runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day, just an approximation. The seasons do not always cooperate even in parts of the US where four distinct seasons make themselves obvious. There is "Indian summer," which is just a way of saying a long hot spell after official calendrical summer should have ended.

Another example of social summer is the one set by the local school district: When school ends, that's summer. Just ask Alice Cooper! When school begins again, that resumption is the end, even if the weather is still great and drives to the beach are worth the traffic.

"Summer" = School's out!

There did not used to be a "universal time" but rather many different times depending on the place. They were not simultaneous but more dependent on the sun circling (not revolving) overhead chased by the moon. Those were Tartarian (Tartary) times, and that's all been erased now. A universal measure imposes a definition that does not make sense for everybody on the ground.

Another social summer measure is determined by the concert calendar. The end comes to Pasadena, Los Angeles with the Just Like Heaven Festival this Saturday (Aug. 22, 2026).

New weekend, same party

(justlikeheavenfest.com)
New for 2026: Updated clubhouse amenities, enhanced VIP experiences, plus new shade sails, cooling misters, expanded shaded seating, and additional water refill stations throughout the festival grounds, giving concertgoers even more ways to stay cool and recharge between musical sets. For even more convenience, spend the day in VIP for a lot more money. Spend the day dancing in the expansive VIP viewing areas and lounging in shaded spaces between acts, all while enjoying exclusive food and drink options and air-conditioned restrooms. Buy Now Just Like Heaven | August 22, 2026


Will there be enough cops to stop trouble?
You will respect my authority...or else.
"Defund the police" was a deception to provoke public outrage. Congress funds new secret police forces and pays them much more now. If police officers want to scam the system, overseers look the other way. Let's make THE PURGE legal for a little while, and then we can use the predictable mayhem and disorder as a pretext to implement some Orwellian policies for "public safety" and a smiley face police state. 

Saturday, August 8, 2026

What was the hit song of the summer?


What'll be Song of Summer for 2026?

The new Ocean Way Festival of LA
Given the exigencies and erratic demands of the music industry nowadays, it is essential that one hit song be pushed to the top of the pop charts to rule each summer. A pop idol's shelf life could depend on it, or it might make an up and comer's career. This summer is tough because there's no obvious frontrunner. Taylor Swift? Yawn. Olivia Rodrigo has a new album, a new festival (Daisy Chain Fields), and everything she's done in the past has been so promising, but a runaway hit?

Who can win the music biz war battle by battle?
Not to our ears, not this time, not even "drop dead" or "the cure." Does it have to be a new song? Technically not because SAINt JHN had "Roses" due to a remix that went viral on TikTok or Instagram or my littler sister's cellphone and dance class. We used to be able to rely on Lana Del Rey to kick out the summer jams.

Editor's flashback pick: JFA "Beach Blanket Bongout"

Skate punks really know how to party on sand
LYRICS: Party on the sand/ Bring your van/ Tan girls, macho fools/ Fun!/ Punk outing, people shouting/ Lots of fun/ Drugs and sun/ Fun! [CHORUS:] Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ Beach blanket bongout (bongout, whoa-oh)/ We're having the fun, wasted in the sun/ Purple boards, short hair/ We're outnumbered and we don't care// The hippies, they hate us/ We take their chicks/ They beat us up/ They're still the dicks/ Dicks!/ Surf punks, we're not/ Skateboard, we do/ We have the fun/ We're the new crew/ Crew! [Chorus]

(Aubrey Hobert) I have a new song, guys! It's out Aug. 7, 2026!
(DECESSUS) "The Hollow Descent" live at Pulsar Awards 2026: Who is this beauty queen? Death metal singer wins beauty pageant

Is rap most popular white art form?


Pretty Reckless: "Dear God"

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Olivia's Daisy Chain Fields Fest (8/29)

 
Olivia's Daisy Chain Fields Festival
Drop Dead? Bigger than Nazi Barbie Taylor Swift-Kelce? Olivia, what's a daisy chain? Miss Rodrigo, is sex what you meant? What is this, the rebirth of the Lilith Fair? Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Shirley Manson's Garbage, Chappell Roan (Chapel Rowing?), punkers Bikini Kill, The Breeders, Die Spitz, and a little band we like to call Katseye until they get too famous to take our calls once they're on the road opening for Black Pink and BTS. Doechii, Eli, Quiet Light, Santigold, Rachel Chinouriri. What, no Linda Lindas? Oh, and a special appearance by up-and-coming world superstar and Taylor Swift nemesis Olive Rodricklow (aka our favorite female popstar Olivia Rodrigo).

Making of a popstar (by design)

What is it and why?
I'm bigger than that b*tch Taylor now!
Daisy Chain Fields is an upcoming charitable music festival, featuring a women-led lineup at Great Park in Irvine, Orange County, California, founded by American singer Olivia Rodrigo in 2026. All net profits are to go toward organizations supporting females, both women and girls. (Trans womyn are on their own).

Background
Pop superstar Rodrigo appeared in Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (2025), a documentary about the women-led music festival Lilith Fair, which she cited as an inspiration to her music career.

I'm Number 1, b*tch! You'll see.
Lilith Fair co-founder Sarah McLachlan is one of the performers at Daisy Chain Fields. Rodrigo announced the festival on June 22, 2026, concurrently through social media, Pitchfork e-magazine, and radio station 88.5 The SoCal Sound.

In an interview with Shaad D'Souza for Pitchfork e-magazine, Rodrigo said that the festival was inspired by Lilith Fair.

She went on to share, "I just feel like we need something really positive to do and see, and young girls need awesome role models who are supporting other women and who are engaging in something that's really joyful and musical and community-oriented."

Will Oli Rod become a Blur?

Tickets
Spend it for Olivia, girls. She needs it for girls.
Tickets for the festival sold out within 30 minutes on June 24, 2026, which led to event partner Verizon issuing new tickets on July 9, 2026.

The festival's sponsors are Depop, Etsy, Taco Bell, and Verizon. Rodrigo co-designed a merch collection for the festival [to milk more money out of the event] with ten female entrepreneurs; the collection is available for online purchase exclusively through Etsy and will also be available on festival grounds. [So bring money]. More

Friday, July 24, 2026

Warped Tour crashes into LA (7/25-26)


Now less warped for comfort and convenience!
It's time to don the Vans and get ready to slam. The Warped Tour is here! Vans Warped Tour Long Beach | July 25-26, 2026. The two-day extreme sports and music festival is back from the grave on the LA border town with the OC, Long Beach, what Snoop Dogg introduced the world to calling it, "The LBC." But T.S.O.L. and others were calling it home long before that. It's a big town. With stops in Mexico, Montreal (Canada), and Washington, D.C., and Orlando (Florida), it seems the tour is being cut short. We bet our very own Dukkha Girl will be running into a certain Punk Rock Girl there, as she vamps and acts out her attention whure aesthetic like she did when we last saw her at the private KROQ Social Distortion show. What a poseur, model, and music influencer she's turned out not to be. Right, Erin? We know what Wisdom Quarterly fans are probably asking, How do I get my band on this tour? Here's how: Ernie Ball Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands Powered by Guitar Center

2026 TOUR: Los Angeles (Long Beach), Mexico City, Orlando, Washington D.C., Montreal

It's been three decades of this punk madness

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

NEW: Ocean Way Festival, Los Angeles


OC Fair music tries to outdo LA County Fair
Could pop and alt rock fans from LA and the OC ever be interested in seeing acts like Sublime, Jack White, Olivia Dean (Queen of the Summer), Khruangbin, or Coco & Breezy without a long drive through the desert stuck in traffic with building anticipation?

Goldenvoice is betting locals would. There's a new "Coachella" by the same outfit that runs the one in the desert (as well as country and Western themed Stagecoach), but this one is going to be in Santa Monica, the Ocean Way Festival.

Register for access. Tickets go on sale Thursday, July 23rd, at 11:00 am (Pacific Time). Register now to receive a presale code and link to purchase tickets. For help registering, email: register@goldenvoice.com.

Monday, June 1, 2026

2026 Buddhist Film Festival (6/16-30)


A 15-day film festival co-presented by Tricycle Magazine and the Pure Land Foundation runs from June 16–30, 2026. All are invited to join for Tricycle’s third annual Buddhist Film Festival, offering five feature-length films and five short films from across the Buddhist world that can be watched all festival long. Tricycle is pleased to co-present this year’s festival with the Pure Land Foundation. Tickets are $40 for general admission and $30 for subscribers. — Get tickets below. Please note that the festival is only available in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. TICKETS

Friday, May 22, 2026

Arroyo Secodelic Fest, Open Mic Poetry LA

Welcome to the first unofficial day of summer, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day in LA

How can I start to awaken in a big city?
What is a psychedelic? It is a "mind manifesting" compound, like an entheogen that brings out the divine from within. What is an Arroyo Seco? It is a dry river bed. What is an Arroyo Secodelic?

ARROYO SECODELIC FESTIVAL (arroyosecodelic.com) May 22–25, 2026: Highland Park, Los Angeles, all ages with 60+ bands across six walkable venues along famous Figueroa Street with FREE and paid admission shows. See arroyosecodelic.com for details. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Memorial Day weekend). Tickets are available as 4-Day Passes to all shows in all venues. See individual schedule for full lineup by day, appearing mostly at the Lodge Room, De La Playa Records, Oblivion Indoor, and Highland Park Ebell, all orbiting Kinship Yoga on Fig.
WHAT HAPPENED?

One day ASF may bet as big as Brokecella
KXLU and KCRW were on top of it. In addition to a mixed bag of indie artists, there were three or four punk giants: FEAR, Adolescents, Alice Bag (now Juanita), and Mike Watt (now without Minutemen)...what, no Exene Cervenka's X? But exciting acts like Death Valley Girls, Cameron Romance, and the Silverados were on hand to keep things lively. Now it's Monday, aka Bad Memory Day, and everyone is converging on the Lodge to catch Adolescents on a rare foray beyond the Orange Curtain to Competition City L.A. Why?

Highland Park is rock 'n roll paradise. Arroyo Secodelic Festival is a 4-day music fest in Highland Park, May 22-25, 2026, featuring a frenetic and fuzzy array of rock 'n roll artists spanning generations — including three of Southern California's finest first wave punk bands: Lee Ving's FEAR, OC royalty Adolescents, and pioneering punk bassist Mike Watt as well as San Francisco power pop icons Flamin' Groovies and LA rockers Strawberry Fuzz, Levitation Room, The Warlocks, and Death Valley Girls.

What's the big deal about these punks?
  • Forget "Amoeba." WELCOME TO REALITY: Blood so deep the horse must hold his head up high/ In the valley of decision one third of the world will die/ Beat your hoes and plows into axes and spears/ As the armies meet in a battle they predicted for years// (CHORUS) Let the weak say I'm a warrior/ Bring down the warriors/ Let the faithless regain faith/ Your faith is hopeless// The prophets and the psychics and the military agree/ Continual crisis leads us straight to World War III/ Roll out the red carpet let the Angel of Death ride in/ To the valley of decision let the mayhem begin// (CHORUS)// Apocalyptic madness two thirds of the world in sadness/ The other third is gone but sadness lingers on/ Crumbled cities and an aftermath of hate/ No way to stop them 'cause now its too late/ The Antichrist's mission's done/ The dead are the only lucky ones/ Are you ready?/ The picture's painted/ For the valley - the scene is set/ Of decision - make your decision/ For the valley it's too late/ Welcome welcome to reality/ Welcome welcome to reality/ Make a decision cause you've got no choice
The Festival takes place across multiple venues on Figueroa St. and beyond — The Lodge Room, Oblivion, Highland Park Ebell, Cheerio Collective, De La Playa Records, Blind Barber, North Figueroa Books, and a few pop ups and buskers. All Arroyo Secodelic shows are ALL AGES. 

Free poetry pre-show at Eagle Rock Library
Enter the Gateless Gate of Heightened Awareness into the magic Doors of Perception.

Blended (Mestizo) to Synthesis
Share original poems, songs, lyrics, spoken word, or just come listen. Each open mic performer will get 5 minutes for an original work. Sign up on arrival. Our FEATURED PERFORMER for National Poetry Month is Seven, who performs in Buddhist Sanskrit, Gaelic, English, and pre-Spanish (Nahuatl). An urban shaman and yogi with Native American roots (Kizh/Tongva), he won the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival chapbook and broadside contests,  among many other honors, and has been published in several anthologies and journals, including the library's very own The Stone Bird: Anthology. He was also a featured poet at L.A. Shakespeare Fest and LitFest Pasadena with the word troupe Poets in DistressOpen Mic Poetry | Los Angeles Public Library


RELATED ARTS EVENTS
Eagle Rock Branch - Los Angeles Public Library | Los Angeles CA | Facebook
  • Friday, May 22, Arroyo Secodelic Festival (runs until Monday, May 24) Arroyo Secodelic Festival — May 22–24, 2026 · Highland Park
  • Saturday, May 23 2:00 pm Miriam's Garden Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library
  • JBLZE (The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Evening) Greek Theatre, LA
  • May 28, 4:00 pm REAB Traveling Symphony Series Presents: Symphony of Shared Stories Van Nuys Branch Library
  • May 29, 10:30 am REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Fairfax Branch Library
  • May 30, 12 noon REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library
  • May 30, 2:30 p.m. REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Baldwin Hills Branch Library
  • June 9, 6:00 pm Poetry Open Mic Westwood Branch Library
  • ADA accommodations: (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to event. Para ajustes razonables según la ley de ADA, llama (213) 228-7430 al menos 72 horas antes del evento.
AwareProject.org for rethinking psychedelics (The Aware Project, Los Angeles)
(No Ads) Get rid of all bad energy, whole body cleansing, chakra healing | claim inner peace #1

Microdosing at the Psychedelic Institute, LA
Featuring punk legends FEAR ● Flamin' Groovies ● Adolescents ● Levitation Room ● Strawberry Fuzz ● Mike Watt & The Secondmen ● Juanita & Juan ● Untitled ● The Warlocks ● Death Valley Girls ● Flat Worms ● Valgur ● Toys That Kill ● Buckets ● Cinnamon ● The Darts ● Windows ● Cissi TV ● Op Ed ● Sun Atoms ● Baus ● Cameron Romance ● The Flamenco Souls ● Axxident ● Wave Decay ● and more...

Bear Awareness: Questions and Answers on Taming Your Wild Mind

Bear Awareness: Taming Mind
British Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm (trained in the Thai Forest Tradition and abbot of Buddhist Society of Western Australia) has 4.6 out of 5 stars (with 85 reviews) for this book.

He is the bestselling author of Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? and one of the world’s most beloved Theravada Buddhist monks because of his sense of humor.

In Bear Awareness, Ajahn Brahm answers meditators’ questions, actual questions from students of meditation––questions readers may have wondered about as well.

Hi, y'all! Feed your head like Grace says.
While most sati or mindfulness meditation teachers praise the benefits of "bare awareness," Ajahn Brahm teaches bear awareness.
 
He helps us make friends with the scary things that come up on the cushion, and he shows how to lift the mood with a well-placed stuffed teddy or a well-timed pun.
 
The intimacy of the question-and-answer format provides a fresh experience of learning from a Western master meditator who studied with the awakened Thai master Ajahn Chah.

Author: British Abbot Ajahn Brahm (BSWA)
Whether he is urging readers to fly Buddha Air (as we sit back and relax on our way to nirvana), giving tips for dealing with panic attacks or depression, or extolling the bliss (piti) of meditation that is better than sex, he gives us permission to enjoy our lives and our practice. More