Just check the Event Calendar.

Event Calendar

You don't want to hear what I have to say anyway.

Jamie Lidell at the Getty, Friday 9/1, 6 pm

Free, $7 parking. LINK

This is my second post for Lidell, because I think he is so talented. I'm too old to appreciate his techno stuff, but Multiply is an incredible song. It's scheduled until 9 pm, so I would guess that there has to be some kind of opening act. Small picnic baskets are welcome, no alcohol, but you can buy beer and wine there.

Here's the write-up from the Getty:

Groove to the jaw-dropping vocal talent of Jamie Lidell, a boundary-smashing techno master who's shaking up the electonic music scene with a gleefully twisted version of R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Sure, he's got a voice Sly Stone (his hero) might envy, but how many soul greats live-loop their own vocals and create beats by stomping shopping carts full of junk? Don't miss Lidell's "one-man funk tornado"—retro soul with an irreverent attitude, served up in a whirlwind of cinematic, cabaret-inspired showmanship.

Multiply:

Gerald Clayton at Hollywood & Highland, Tuesday 8/29, 7 pm

Free, $2 parking with validation. LINK

If you've attend many jazz concerts - at least the straight-ahead variety - you may reach the conclusion that the average age of the fans is...deceased. There's blue hair everywhere, and lots of widows tilting to the music, reliving earlier times and loves.

It may sound ageist, but it's nice to finally have a jazz pianist with dreads. Maybe it will help attract that younger, under 65 demographic.

For $10 you get two glasses of wine and a salad, and it's a nice place for music. Arrive early if you want to sit.

Yes, this YouTube video is a repeat. Watch it, the kid is incredible:

This week's highlights: 8/28 - 9/3

• Gerald Clayton at the wine and jazz thing at Hollywood & Highland on Tuesday.
• Jewel at the Grove in L.A. on Wednesday.
• David Grisman at the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday.
• Jamie Lidell at the Getty on Friday.
• Cleo Laine and John Dankworth (pdf) in Marina del Rey on Saturday.

For more free events, check the Event Calendar.

Gerald Clayton on piano:

Eric Burdon & the Animals in Woodland Hills, Sunday 8/27, 6 pm

Free, free parking about three blocks away. LINK

Bring sunscreen, picnic baskets, blankets or chairs, dogs.

House of the Rising Sun (1964):

We Gotta Get Out of This Place (1966):

Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Newhart, Peter Falk, and Tracey Ullman...

...will be making free book store appearances in the next few months, and details are in the Event Calendar. As you can see, the Tracey Ullman book is actually about knitting. But if you want it autographed, you have to buy it at the store, not from Amazon.

Book signings can be very entertaining. The author usually speaks for a half hour or so and then answers a few questions. The indie stores that host most of these events are Vroman's in Pasadena, Book Soup in West Hollywood and Costa Mesa, and Dutton's in Brentwood and Beverly Hills. Barnes & Noble and Borders have author appearances too, but they make it difficult to find events on their sites.

Around here, the mother of all book events is the L.A. Times Book Festival at UCLA every April.

Whoops, David Grisman performs on Thursday the 31st, NOT the 24th

...at the Santa Monica Pier. Sorry about that!

On the 24th, it's Kiran Ahluwalia, with whom I am unfamiliar.

Kiran Ahluwalia:

Tyler Hilton at the Grove in L.A. on Wednesday 8/23, 7 pm

Free, free parking. LINK

I mean if you can't hate someone just because their named is Tyler Hilton, then what are snap judgements for? When his name first popped up on Launchcast, I didn't wait more than one or two beats to click delete. Besides, I figured he might even be related to her.

But then I saw his very brief performance in Walk the Line as a young Elvis, which was quite good. He also appears on One Tree Hill. Because his voice is an octave below your average boy-band member, he's being compared to John Mayer, but unfortunately he's more Richard Marx. The folks allmusic are skeptical about his future, because Hilton is too MOR, neither hip nor hip hop.

The entire show is scheduled for only an hour, and Hilton shares the bill with Robin Thicke. Don't expect more than four or five tunes.