The Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier is the most fun you will ever have ignoring a band. This is not to say that the bands aren’t worth your attention (track down Kokono #1, a Congolose dance-trance outfit that rocked the stage earlier this month.) But they’re up on the pier, and the real action is down in the sand…

As the sun sinks, the beach becomes checkerboarded with picnic blankets as revelers stake their claims. Sangria gets sipped from plastic cups; tendrils of sweet smoke drift past, hinting that your neighbors may be engaging in the deplorable practice of smoking marijuana; laughter flows. Unlike the Hollywood Bowl, where the sound-system overpowers conversation and the rows of seats provide a semblance of privacy, the Twilight series seems almost designed to help you meet the people around you. Pretty soon, you’re surrounded by no-longer-strangers and doing the merrily unsteady barefoot-in-the-sand dance.

This Thursday, they’ll be featuring Kailash Kher, an Indian pop-folk singer who fills stadiums back on his native subcontinent despite vaguely resembling the little brother in Spy Kids. It’s spacey, kick-off-your-shoes music, a nice fit for a setting lit by the lights of a ferris wheel. Get there early, the beach fills up quick.

___________________________________________

WHAT: Weekly concert series on the beach
WHEN: Thursday evenings, 7 pm
WHERE: The Santa Monica Pier
$$$: Free

I was sure that there was a Heathers joke to be had in that headline (”Teen Tetricide — Do It”), but you can’t win ‘em all.

ANYWAY.

This Saturday at 8 PM, the underground Echo Park gallery Pehrspace is hosting the opening night of Tetricide, a month-long exhibit of old-school-video-game-inspired artwork. It’s going to be wall-to-wall 8-bit awesomeness, with an emphasis on “interactive and experiential” pieces, with more pixelated imagery than you can swing a flaming arm of fire at. Featured artists include such avant-garde luminaries as J.R. Baldwin (known for creating the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” board game, which I suppose makes him like the Parker Brother who doesn’t get invited to family reunions anymore) and Sam Yurick (a genre-jumper known for rapping over laptop beats while wearing a homemade Spiderman costume, amongst other great feats of what-the-fuckery.) They’re even hosting the premier of director Felix Lee’s “Back to the Future the Ride” music video, and although I have no idea what that means, I’m deeply intrigued.

The place is extremely difficult to find, detailed directions are here. Plus, it’s free. (Power-ups not included.)

___________________________________________

WHAT: Old-school-game-inspired art show
WHEN: Saturday, July 10th, 8 PM – Midnight
WHERE: Pehrspace
$$$: Free

Recently, some altruistic genius sat down and thought to himself: “What are the things that Angelenos love above all else? What common ground do we share in this sprawling multicultural metropolis of ours?”

Hmmm. Hauling ass in our cars around Dash buses that are going 11 mph and taking up two lanes? Sure, we all dig that.  Burning shit down whenever the Lakers win/lose? That’s something we can get behind. Rooting for each other’s failure? Yes, but mostly in Hollywood. Bitching about the lack of carpool lanes on the 405 like a fat guy who thinks that buying bigger pants is the answer? Hallelujah, we are one. But those are all surface traits. If you really want to dig deep into what unspoken bonds unite as brothers and sisters in the City of Angels… then I have four words for you.

Outdoor movies. Food trucks.

And starting this weekend, the good people at the Outdoor Cinema Foodfest will bring those two timeless LA infatuations together. All summer long, they’ll be screening classics like The Big Lebowski, The Breakfast Club, Pulp Fiction, and The Princess Bride (as well as The Hangover, for anyone who wants to get their drink mickey’d by that movie’s legions of backwards-white-baseball-cap-wearing fans), all while serving victuals from such mobile luminaries as The Grilled Cheese Truck, Canter’s, The South Philly Experience, and Nom Nom’s.

This Saturday they’ll be showing Swingers, one of the all-time great love letters to this town, that rare movie about a flash-in-the-pan subculture that still remains funny, poignant, and truthful for years (sixteen years, oh my God) after its release. Insert “you’re so money” joke here.

___________________________________________

WHAT: Outdoor movies + food trucks
WHEN: Saturdays, all summer, doors open at 6:30
WHERE: Grand Hope Park
$$$: $8