PepperAlley

Opens Saturday Apr 19 (6–9pm)

Apr 22 – May 17

Tuesdays–Saturdays

@ DCA Fine Art, 3107 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica

In Icon, two innovative, European-born painters explore the concept of worship in postmodernist life. Bogdan Dumitrica's portraits of animals and pop-art icons find themes of attraction and dominance within everyday items. Doro Hofmann's references range from Byzantine idolatry to female dadaists to cubist methodologies — her work brings the increasingly cult-like and consumerist nature of worship into high relief.

Opens Saturday Apr 19 (5–7pm)

Apr 19 – May 17

Tuesdays–Saturdays

@ Richard Heller Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave in Santa Monica

Consummate visual storyteller Evah Fan continues her Scheherazade-like seduction with a new batch of works at Richard Heller Gallery. Her small drawings of mundane, everyday objects — manila envelopes, reading glasses, sport water bottles — are whimsical and sweet on the outside, and subversively sour on the inside. It's this duality that makes her work so tempting, as the simplistic narratives often distract from a more sinister plot. A concurrent solo show of work by Randall Sellers tells stories too, but in a different style. Sellers' graphite drawings use a vintage, post-illustration sensibility to spin charming, romantic, and slightly cheeky tales.

Opens Saturday Apr 19 (10am–1pm)

Apr 19 – May 24

Tuesdays–Saturdays (11am–6pm)

@ Samuel Freeman, 2525 Michigan Ave in Santa Monica

Cheeky artist Masami Teraoka is most famous for his ukiyo-e woodblock paintings, which combine Japanese imagery, themes from American culture, and a mischievous sense of humor. His most recent work continues his exploration of global culture clashes — from Viagra to the sex crimes committed by the Catholic Church, and from global warming to fast-food culture, Teraoka's art acts as a barometer for hot-button issues, tackling each of his subjects with unrestrained aesthetic gusto.

Saturday Apr 19 (11:30am–3:30pm)

@ Fowler Museum, UCLA, Westwood Plz & Sunset Blvd

The Fowler hosts this afternoon's costume-optional festival of mermaids and other angels of the sea in conjunction with the museum's ongoing Mami Wata exhibition (about the African water-spirit) and in partnership with environmental caretakers Heal the Bay. Between parades, a performance from the Viver Brasil Dance Company, percussionists Balobi Bandeko, maritime-themed art classes, and aquatic petting zoos, Splash! may convince you that indeed, life is better down where it's wetter.

Saturday Apr 19 (4pm)

@ Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave

Eat your heart out, 17th-century Paris — the literary salon has been reborn in the cozy maze of Los Feliz's Skylight Books. For the store's new monthly series, the staff highlights its favorite works from three independent, nonprofit publishers. Brooklyn-based Archipelago releases translations of books ranging from Korean to Croatian; Red Hen Press, a local house that hosts a reading series at the Geffen Playhouse, publishes poetry, fiction, and memoirs; and Dzanc, founded by Steve Gillis of 826Michigan, specializes in independent-minded literature. Sip some wine, eat some chèvre, and schmooze over Rilke translations and grad-student poetry like it's Paris, 1673.

Opens Saturday Apr 19 (7pm–midnight)

Apr 20 – May 12

Mondays–Fridays (9am–6pm)

Saturdays–Sundays (noon–4pm)

@ Ghettogloss, 2380 Glendale Blvd in Silverlake

Sue-Ling Hyde is more than a pretty face. You might recognize her from modeling gigs with Shiseido, Versus, and Moshino, but the Puerto Rican artist (who, incidentally, is married to Passion's James Hyde) has been passionate about painting for as long as she can remember, constantly doodling on anything she could get her hands on (napkins, pizza boxes, appointment books). At least now Hyde has a slightly more appropriate forum: Silverlake's Ghettogloss exhibits a new collection of her paintings, inspired, she says, "only by love."

Saturday Apr 19 (8pm)

@ The Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd in W Hollywood

Sarah Silverman goes where others fear to tread, performing take-no-prisoners standup routines that regularly make audiences split their sides (or struggle to hold down their food, depending on the subject matter). Tonight, the tart-tongued Jewess steps away from the second season of her Showtime series for a charitable gig. The Troubadour's South Toward Home Benefit Concert helps repair and rebuild the Gulf Coast. Joining Silverman is local indie-rock outfit Foreign Born, performance weirdos Tim and Eric, and Reno 911's shorts-wearing funnyman Thomas Lennon.

Saturday Apr 19 (9pm)

@ Pehrspace, 325 Glendale Blvd in Echo Park

Somehow, Echo Park art-and-performance space Pehrspace has successfully built a home for visual art and independent music in the back of a Filipinotown strip mall. Tonight, the space welcomes Ohio-based band State Bird, who play a twee amalgam of indie weirdos like Animal Collective and Of Montreal mixed with the gospel sing-alongs of the Polyphonic Spree. On their just-released sophomore release, Mostly Ghostly, they incorporate a bevy of instruments — brass, world-beat percussion, and copious amounts of ukulele — alongside jumpy, exuberant vocals. State Bird play tonight with Philadelphia's A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Pasadena's No Little Kindness.

Saturday Apr 19 (10pm–2am)

@ Charlie O's at the Alexandria, 501 S Spring St

Hysteria Dance Company designer Ryan Heffington and his troupe of busy avant-garde dancers take over Charlie O's for this month's Fingered party, a combination dance class, performance, and bacchanalia featuring the kind of sensual, eye-popping moves that make indie-dance lovers swoon. The instructional part comes early in the evening, followed by a steamy DJ set from the Count of Monte Disco before the main event: the debut appearance of fashion/performance collective We Are the World.

Opens Friday Apr 18 (7–10pm)

Apr 18 – June 13

Mondays–Fridays (noon–6pm)

@ MODAA gallery, 8609 Washington Blvd in Culver City

While Michael Kalish's early work is marked by portraits of iconic figures (Jimi Hendrix, Jesus), his new exhibition at Culver City's Museum of Design Art and Architecture features pieces from his most recent decade. The artist turns hard into soft, fashioning old license plates and tailgates into blooming roses — updating his old pop-art sensibility with a dexterous juxtaposition of subject and media.

Friday Apr 18 (8pm)

Saturday Apr 19 (8pm)

@ UCLA Live at Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr in Westwood

Tonight's UCLA Live concert commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Ash Grove, the legendary folk-music club that defined '50s- and '60s-era LA music. Ash Grove's alumni are an impressive bunch, including Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, June Carter, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, and Kris Kristofferson. While many of these artists can't make it to this evening's festivities, the Royce Hall extravaganza breaks out some big names nonetheless: Taj Mahal, Michelle Shocked, Roland White, Ry Cooder, and some yet-to-be-announced surprise guests.

Friday Apr 18 (8pm)

@ Key Club, 9039 W Sunset Blvd in W Hollywood

These days, Helmet is pretty much Page Hamilton's baby. The frontman/guitar virtuoso has remained the lone constant over numerous changes to the legendary metal group's lineup, including a breakup in 1999 (during which Hamilton's new band toured with David Bowie) and a partial reunion in 2004. Helmet's sound has evolved since the 1992 release of the seminal album Meantime: the impossibly dense, staccato guitars and elaborate time signatures have given way to more spacious arrangements and more conventional (albeit enormous) metal riffs. Starting off the night are Mondo Generator (former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri's band) and fellow LA metalheads Fireball Ministry and Vyrus.

Friday Apr 18 (8pm)

@ Music Box at the Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood

Austin duo Ghostland Observatory fuse sprawling, futuristic electro with Rapture-style spastic rock, describing their sound as "a robot making love to a tree." On their just-released third full-length record, Robotique Majestique, the duo's dance-y, Klaxons-esque sound gets an even poppier makeover. Yet their shows are where the real magic happens — just check last year's live DVD for proof. They're becoming a regular institution in Austin, the home of essential music fest SXSW, winning the Austin American-Statesman's "Band of the Year" nod for 2007. Tonight, they roll through the Fonda alongside notorious Buddyhead Records DJ Travis Keller.

 

Apr 18–27

Fridays–Saturdays (8pm)

Sundays (5pm)

@ Diavolo Dance Theatre, 615 Moulton Ave in Downtown

Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company is a repertory on a mission. The troupe offers workshops and classes as well as a broad-minded program of original works by emerging local musicians, dancers, choreographers, artists, and designers — the goal: attract new audiences with its fresh-faced, urban intensity. Modern Myths and Monsters presents four new works that examine the extremes of beauty and cruelty shaping our society, from the Wild West to the short attention spans of the present day.

Friday Apr 18 (10pm)

@ UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave

Hitting shuffle on an unsuspecting iPod can mean unpredictable embarrassment — as when, say, songs from The Little Mermaid soundtrack pop up. Upright Citizens Brigade improv troupe Soundtrack lures folks down to the theater for that very reason. Basing their shtick on the long-running New York UCB show of the same name, the LA troupe features actors and writers from TV shows and films like The Office, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Old School, and Superbad. So pack up your iPod, Zune, or whatever form of music-on-the-go you prefer, and find out if your taste is so-bad-it's-good, or just hilariously bad.

Friday Apr 18 (11pm)

@ The Hotel Café, 1623 1/2 N Cahuenga Blvd

LA-based trio Seneca Hawk crank out loud, rootsy Americana in the same stripped-down vein as the Black Keys, with guttural, heartfelt vocals courtesy of Jonah Rivera and Kyle Beswick. With just one record under their belt, they have been making their stompy, bluesy sound heard far and wide — local underground station KXLU has taken the relatively young band under its wing by sponsoring numerous shows and live radio performances. Before stepping back into the studio to record the follow-up to their self-titled debut, the boys play the esteemed Hotel Café.

Apr 17–19

Daily

@ California Plaza, 300-350 S Grand Ave

If Chucky the homicidal doll had gotten a scholarship to Juilliard and developed an obsession with John Cage instead of murder, he might have been the first circuit bender. An international movement attracting musicians, artists, performers, noiseniks and mad scientists, circuit bending typically involves the manipulation of simple electronics — especially those found in children's toys like talking dolls — into avenues of sonic expression that Playskool just wouldn't understand. This year's Bent Festival is LA's fifth and most ambitious to date, with concerts by celebrity benders from all over the world, plus workshops, demonstrations, and parties over three days at two downtown locations.

Opens Thursday Apr 17 (6–8pm)

Apr 17 – May 17

Tuesdays–Saturdays (10am–6pm)

@ LA Louver Gallery, 45 N Venice Blvd in Venice

The title of UK painter Jason Martin's latest exhibition evokes the South Pacific's warm, breezy environs — but his abstract, mostly monochromatic oil-on-aluminum pieces are more about the ocean's spirit than its appearance. Martin's iridescent, large-scale waves of paint form mesmerizing curves, contours, and feathery folds that retain the markings of his whirling process. Light skitters across the surfaces of saturated, emotionally fraught colorscapes, evoking both the savor of a guilty pleasure and the capacity to send even the most reserved art snobs into fits of glee.

Thursday Apr 17 (8pm)

@ UCLA Live at Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr in Westwood

Because commercial radio found his songs too long or too offensive, massive stardom often eluded folk hero Arlo Guthrie. Still, the celebrated troubadour's catalog helped define a generation. The offspring of folk icon Woody Guthrie, Arlo is perhaps best known for his 1967 hit "Alice's Restaurant," the 18-plus-minute Vietnam war-protest paean that inspired the subsequent Arthur Penn feature. Of course, he also penned similarly ubiquitous tunes like "City of New Orleans" and "The Motorcycle Song," and his covers and collabs with artists like Pete Seeger and his dad rivaled the originals. Expect a slate of revolution tunes tonight, as Guthrie hits UCLA armed with two guitars, a harmonica, and his legendary, razor-sharp wit.

Apr 17–27

Thursdays–Saturdays (8–10pm)

Sundays (6–8pm)

@ Unknown Theater, 1110 Seward St

Director/choreographer Jennifer Li spins her theatrical yarn with a seamlessly integrated movement style and an ensemble of offbeat collaborators. For dirty mean tricks, she's working in tandem with featured dancers Hassan Christopher and Marissa Labog, whose other ongoing projects (including the Company of Strangers) have helped them gain a masterfully nuanced partnering sensibility. Live musical accompaniment by Velvet Monkey, blending European folk and traditional jazz with current pop, and puppets by Michelle Zamora provide a perfect match for Li's dark and tragicomic tale.