Join Kim Cooper and David Smay, co-editors of the book Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop from the Banana Splits to Britney Spears, and contributors Becky Ebenkamp and Gene Sculatti, for an audio-visual celebration of the history and mythology of this under-appreciated musical genre, and the Saturday morning cartoons where many of the most memorable songs debuted.

After the presentation, copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

The event is free. Arrive on time to ensure you get a seat.  

Game Girls is “A poetic take on Skid Row… Game Girls re-imagines what the documentary film genre can be.” -Shana Nys Dambrot for KCET Artbound.

We want to share some of what our team has learned and discovered along our journey making Game Girls! And trust us, you NEED TO SEE THIS.

See Downtown Los Angeles through director Alina Skrzeszewskaâ€s eyes. She has been making films in Skid Row for nearly a decade. Weâ€ll be screening her award winning documentary Songs From The Nickel in Indian Alley from 7:00 – 8:30PM. The film is comprised of 8 vignettes that will take you into the small flophouse rooms of an era since passed, into the old King Eddy Saloon, to underground tunnels of LA and street corners that have since drastically changed… Pop in and out, grab a drink and meander from the screening in Indian Alley to THESE DAYS store & gallery to view the late Carl Ramseyâ€s beautiful portrait series Women of Skid Row and other urban landscapes. Visit More Thanneâ€s special vintage sale, where 15% of the profit will be donated directly to Game Girls. More Thanne will also feature exclusive, unreleased clips from Game Girls! Listen to a live set of eclectic “soul ethnique” tunes by Gaio, straight from Marseille, France! And get inspired by a soulful, healing musical presentation by Downtownâ€s very own Charles Porter. Snacks and Drinks generously provided by our wonderful neighbors at Blossom and The Must.

Your donations will help fund the completion of Game Girls. Please donate what you can – we suggest a $20 or more contribution – every dollar counts. Our goal through this campaign is not only to raise money to move the film forward, but also to build awareness. We can do this together!

If you cannot make it to the event, please consider donating directly to the GAME GIRLS Indiegogo Campaign.

On Display in the History & Genealogy Department from January 8 to June 28, 2015

In conjunction with this exhibit, the Los Angeles Public Library and Photo Friends are excited to present a special lecture series featuring notable local music photographers. On Saturday April 18, 2015, Ed Colver will present images from his archive. Mark Taper Auditorium, 2 pm. This will be a free but ticketed event; information will be posted in late March to https://photofriendslapl.blogspot.com/

Seating is on a first come, first serve basis with doors opening approximately 1/2 hour before the start of the program. Presented by Photo Friends LAPL.

On Display in the History & Genealogy Department from January 8 to June 28, 2015

In conjunction with this photo exhibit, the Los Angeles Public Library and Photo Friends are excited to present a special lecture series featuring notable local music photographers. Gary Leonard will present images from his book, Make the Music Go Bang, and talk about his connection to the LA music scene, which will include “then and now” portraits of LA musicians.

Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 2 pm in the Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library. Seating is on a first come first serve basis, with doors opening approx. 1/2 hr. before the program.

Presented by Photo Friends of the LAPL and generously sponsored by Christy & Stephen McAvoy

The Mayme Clayton Library and Museum in Culver City continues its Jazz Appreciation Month and celebrates the birthday of jazz icon, Ella Fitzgerald, with a special matinee performance of “Ella and Her Fellas” conceived and presented by cabaret artist, Pinkie Washington. 

Ms. Washington and Her Fellas will take you on a journey through the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald, who was born on April 25, 1917. 

Tickets are $10 in advance

 Click here to purchase David Smay’s book about Tom Waits. Press clips: Leonie Cooper of The Guardian got an emotional weather reporton the once-a-year Tom Waits bus adventure. The 2013 edition of our once-a-year Tom Waits tour is L.A. Weekly’s Go >> L.A. pick of the week.  

Calling all rain dogs, gin-soaked boys and Gun Street girls! Climb aboard as your hosts David Smay (author of the new 33 1/3 series book on “Swordfishtrombones”) and Esotouric’s Kim Cooper (a Zoetrope Studios intern who’ll tell how she used teenage subterfuge to arrange a private concert by Tom) lead you on a scrupulously researched ride through Tom’s epic misdeeds and shenanigans, from the Trashing of the Troubadour to epic nights at the Tropicana.

And oh, there are such tales to tell, from food fights with L.A. Punks and smackdowns with L.A. Police. We’ll crawl through the Sewers of Paris, tattle on the Ivar Theater, and get the lowdown on Tom’s legendary performances at the Wiltern and elsewhere. Before departing for points rural, Tom left his mark all over L.A., from Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios to Sunset Sound to Skid Row. We’ll show you where Tom found his true love and collaborator, Kathleen Brennan, and how all the pieces came together to transform a drunken, desperate singer into the multi-faceted, multi-media artist he’d become.

Raised near San Diego, Tom Waits launched his musical career in L.A., signing with David Geffen’s Asylum Records in 1972, living at the raunchy Tropicana Hotel (where he sawed off the kitchen drain board so his piano would fit), and building a reputation as a songwriter willing to risk his own health and sanity to get inside the sad sack characters that peopled songs like “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me),” “On The Nickel” and “Pasties And A G-string (At The Two O’clock Club).”

By 1980, Tom was 31 and starting to feel the effects of his hard living. While scoring the music to Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From The Heart,” he met Kathleen Brennan, whose influence would completely transform his life and his art. After a whirlwind courtship the pair married and began a 28-year creative and personal partnership, beginning with the revolutionary album “Swordfishtrombones,” the subject of tour host David Smay’s recent book.

“Crawling Down Cahuenga” spans Tom’s personal city, from The Nickel (aka Skid Row) to once-ratty West Hollywood, favorite strip clubs and midnight diners, recording studios, night clubs, record labels and film studios, before rolling back downtown via the filming location of Waits’ “In The Neighborhood” video.

ABOUT THE HOSTS: Longtime collaborators David Smay and Kim Cooper co-edited the books “Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth” (“quite simply the most fun music book I have ever read.” -Bucketfull of Brains) and “Lost in the Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed” (“the perfect book for the advanced record collector” -Ear Candy) before penning their solo 33 1/3 series books on Tom Waits and Neutral Milk Hotel. Kim gives Esotouric’s rock history and true crime tours. David Smay lives in San Francisco, where he is working on a history of the Beats.

Photographer Chuck Boyd was embedded in the Los Angeles rock & roll scene of the 1960s. A professional photographer, he left behind a collection of nearly 30,000 images of music legends spanning two decades. His photo collection is now overseen by Jeff Schwartz and Chuckâ€s siblings.

Jeff is an award-winning teacher, author, and music historian. He will share images from Chuckâ€s archives, discuss “rock & roll archaeology,” and talk about Chuckâ€s life and the challenges of directing a photo archive.

This free talk is a repeat performance of Jeff’s 2013 standing room only presentation, presented by Photo Friends of the LAPL and generously sponsored by Christy & Stephen McAvoy

Founded by music journalist and editor D. M. Collins (L.A. RECORD) in 2012 out of a sense of desperation, A Rrose in a Prose is a cure for the boring open-mic readings and pushy poetry slams you may have suffered through at coffee shops throughout the Southland. Featuring writers from all genres, and we mean all of ‘em—poets, fiction writers, essayists, eroticists, educators, rappers, playwrights, political pundits, bards, braggarts, addicts, comedians, conspirators, and critics, to name a few—and from all walks of life, A Rrose in a Proseâ€s hand-picked, cross-pollinated, round-robin style readings are never dull, never safe, and might just help you find your next literary crush.

This month, of course, the theme is zines. And so for the first time, weâ€ll be bringing David Markey (We Got Power! Films), Kim Cooper (Esotouric Bus Adventures, LAVA, Scram Magazine), Allison Wolfe (LadyFest, Bratmobile), and Gene Sculatti (Rolling Stone, Billboard) together to read some of the pivotal early works that helped them mold themselves into the artists, pundits, and smarty-pants theyâ€ve since become. We’re certain their stories, and of course their writings, will provide some laughter, some learning, and a sense of legacy for the crowd at Zine Fest.

Now in its third year, L.A. Zine Fest is an annual gathering of zine makers, DIY publishers, graphic novelists and readers, the kind of festival that hits that sweet spot between “convention” and “community.” This year, itâ€s all coming coming together at Helmâ€s Bakery in Culver City, where over 175 exhibitors of zines and indie publications are scheduled to spread small press goodies across countless booths and blankets and tables for your perusal (and purchase)!

Thereâ€ll also be a whole dayâ€s worth of presentations, readings, and events; Doors open at 10am, A Rrose in a Prose hits the main stage from 4:15 to 5 p.m.