My Weblog

Lavender Diamond

Ron Rege is an ultra talented cartoonist and Silver Lake resident.  I only knew him through his art but would hear with increasing frequency about Lavender Diamond the Indie folk band he’s a member of. I feel like a tard but I finally heard them for the first time and know what all the people much more with it than I know... these guys are amazing!

Rebecca Stark has an absolutely amazing voice that on certain tracks like Garden Rose sounds a bit like Pats Kline (sacrilege I know) Judge for  yourself visit their myspace page to hear their songs in full and you can also hear their songs and see Rege's art on the Lavender Diamond website.

FYI They have two shows coming up in L.A, at the Echo on July 18 and one at the Orange County Museum. Be sure to check them out while you can still see them in these small venues!

Gallery Submission Process

I'm reposting a couple interviews I did on my (Junc Gallery) Myspace blog a while back regarding submitting work to galleries. Its one of my most frequently asked questions so I thought it might be interesting for new readers/artists to hear what a couple established gallery owners had to say. So without further ado.

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Gallery Submission Process (Originally published July 2006)

We receive a ton of submissions. Since Its not possible for me to respond to them all I  thought I would use this forum to address the issue. Rather then have me ramble on  I ask Caryn Coleman of Sixspace, Jennifer Armbrust of Motel  and Cliff Benjamin of Western Project  for their opinions on the subject of starting a relationship with a gallery...

We Need Your Tips!

Do you have breaking news that would be of interest to the residence of Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Los Feliz or surrounding communities,  if so drop us a line. We're looking for community partners to help us spread the word about this vibrant neighborhood and its rapid development.

What could be easier or more rewarding!

*No event listings please at this time although we hope to include in the future*

Sunset Junction Bands Announced

This years performance schedule at the Sunset Junction Street Fair features some pretty heavy hitters including Saturday Night headliner Ben Harper. Other notable acts include The Buzzcocks, Blonde Red Head, Morris Day and the Time, Sea Wolf AND a special mystery act headlining Sunday that for contractual reasons can't be announced yet. We can tell you it's a rock band that the kids really seem to be into these days! Stay Tuned.

See the entire line up

Tiny Over Priced House Causes Tumult

As if drawing a line in the sand regarding escalating real estate prices on the eastside both curbedla and the laist  chime in on a 335 square foot, no bedroom “home” In Echo Park for going for $295,000. The laist reports that at $893 per square foot that’s almost double the norm for EP in 2006, while readers over a curbed hotly (and entertainingly we might add) debate whether or not its” worth it” For the record you can put us down as “not worth it”

Short Films About the 5 Borroughs

We stumbled across some short films about east side niegborhoods over at turnhere.com. Check them out and get back to us.  Do these films accurately represent our hood?  Love to hear your feedback, post a comment and let us know.

Cool Arty Spaces

Not strictly galleries per se there is some really cool art going on in alternative and mixed use spaces in the Five Borroughs. Here is some our recent favorites.

1. The paking Lot show promising not to mention downright fun. Eric Fleeger and Christina Renee commandeered several moving trucks(1 per participant) and invited several artists to create new pieces and display their work. And its all going down June 23 in the Stella Restaurant Parking Lot. Check out the line up at   http://www.parkinglotartshow.com/ 

2. Reform school at the Sunset Junction Great selection of gifts...

Get to Know Sonia Romero

Sonia Romero is an extremely talented artist and Echo Park resident. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design she combines traditional techniques with a contemporary receptivity. Her meticulous sense of craft is unrivaled in stunning updates of traditional iconography. She graciously agreed to share her top 5 five on the east side with SLGA. 

You can see more of her work at www.soniaromero.com 

1. Café Tropical (2900 W Sunset Blvd) Cuban-style cafe con leche and
guava cheese pies! ...

Sunset Junction Street Fair (New Route)

Awww the Sunset Junction Street Festival is in the air again (is it that time again already) Basically a wonderful event that in my opinion benefits the neighborhood. Last year there was some drama regarding the location of the fair, fees etc. Not sure if this is a reaction to any of that but I have it on good authority that this years fair will be slightly rerouted. I've posted (below) a map that roughly shows the old route and the new one. Basically the fair will be pushed down a few blocks starting at Sanborn and also split between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. forming a "V" shape. As far as the fees, etc. we won't engage in any gossip that's out there but we will post official updates from the Junction as they become available. Stay Tuned!

Late Night at LACMA

SLGA favorite and number one son Ronald Kurniawan will be doing a live mural demonstration and Silver Lake's own Museum of Traffic will be doing video projections June 21 @ Late Night at LACMA which also includes live bands and DJ's, signings, tastings and so much more You Must RSVP though. For more info and to rsvp visit the website

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Late Night at LACMA
DAN FLAVIN: A RETROSPECTIVE • DJ STEVE AOKI • IMA ROBOT • THE REBIRTH • HAIRSPRAY SNEAK PREVIEW• LUCENT DOSSIER VAUDEVILLE CIRQUE • HIT + RUN • MUSEUM OF TRAFFIC • DESIGN STUDIO PRESS & GNOMON WORKSHOP BOOK SIGNINGS •
JUNE 21, 7 PM–3 AM | FREE |