#232: Here is the last installment in our series of places in LA that help establish a neighborhood's rhythm. This time we head to Str33t Records and talk to owner Angelle Laigo. 

Guest: Str33t Records founder Angelle Laigo

Music from this episode: 

What’s His Name - Joey Quinones, Thee Sinseers
Running Away - Thee Sacred Souls
Pacific Ave - Pearl & The Oysters
Hippy Provider - The Intelligence
Dreameater - Healing Gems
Descenda - yungatita
I Could Never Hurt You Girl - Ralfi Pagan
I Want You Back - Don Julian & The Larks
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA - Beyonce
I Wish You Love (Part 1) - Joe Bataan
Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill
Atomic Dog - George Clinton

#231: Simply put, a lot of people are lonely in L.A. It’s a huge city, and whether you’re a transplant or a homegrown Angeleno, people all over this town are trying to find their place, and their people.

Every Tuesday, over the next 5 weeks, How to LA producer Megan Botel explores these feelings of loneliness – which has recently been declared a nationwide epidemic by the U.S. Surgeon General  – and how some Angelenos are dealing with it by creating communities and finding new connections in the city.

To kick it off part one, we speak to loneliness expert Cat Moore to understand and, in many ways, re-define our understanding of how loneliness is experienced. We'll also cover specific ways to begin building community.

Guest: Cat Moore, Director of Belonging at the University of Southern California

If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out for help and check out these resources.

#230: It’s an election year folks and Los Angeles has a primary coming up March 5th — just a month away!

There are candidates running for L.A .City Council, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, and L.A.’s District Attorney. And there are also local and statewide measures on the ballot that you should get familiar with.

We realize it's a LOT but don't trip — we got you.

LAist has a new Voter Game Plan, up today. It's a super helpful voter guide with information on what’s on the ballot and it includes short cuts broken down by issues that really matter to Angelenos — like public safety, the climate emergency and affordable housing.

Today, we're talking about a big one: homelessness.

Guest:

• Brianna Lee, Engagement Producer of Civics & Democracy for LAist 

#229: Did you miss our event celebrating 100 years of cheeseburgers in Pasadena? Well - don't feel TOO bad - we got the recording right here for you. Check it out!

And make sure to keep an eye on our events page so you don't ever miss another evening of food and fun with the LAist crew at the Crawford. 

Laist.com/events

Guests: Historian Hadley Meares dishes about the Pasadena past of the cheeseburger followed by Alicia Lopez of Hangaburs, Jimmy Han of Love Hour, and Jairo Bogarin of Hamburgers Nice who all talk to How to LA host Brian De Los Santos and LAist Food Editor Gab Chabrán about their passion for smashed patties, burger history, and more!

#228 - We're continuing our exploration of music in L.A. Today, we head to San Fernando to check out the sounds of punk, cumbia, boogie and rock at the musical hub The Midnight Hour Records. It's part two of a three-part series. You can check them all out in the feed. 

Guest: Sergio Amalfitano, owner The Midnight Hour

Read more here: The Midnight Hour Records Shop Is A Love Letter To Northeast Valley Kids

Music in this episode:

Rhythm Song (Live) - Ritchie Valens
Come On, Let’s Go - Ritchie Valens
La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
Leave it Alone - Cosmic Joke
Dream A Little Dream - The Perez Bros.
Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons
Me Vale - Maná
Para Elisa - Los Destellos
Truly Truly Yours - The Perez Bros.
West Coast Poplock - Ronnie Hudson
Lower - Mal Form
Shattered - Fatal Wounds
Number One - God’s Hate
Grid Walker - Greenwitch
Kamikaze - Cosmic Joke
Butterfly Effect - Tough Front
7th - Jason Ayala
Pools of Water - Tough Front

#227: Today, we’re once again enlisting some local independent booksellers to help us understand L.A. better. This time we headed to Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore in Sylmar, Octavia's Bookshelf in Pasadena, Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena and Reparations Club near West Adams.

Books mentioned:

• "Ask the Dust" by John Fante
• "Mercurochrome: New Poems" by Wanda Coleman
• "Always Running" by Luis J. Rodriguez
• "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
• "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler
• "The Lost Cause" by Cory Doctorow
• "KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben Caldwell" by Robeson Taj Frazier with Ben Caldwell
• "There Goes the Neighborhood" by Jade Adia
• "The White Boy Shuffle" by Paul Beatty
• "South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s" by Kellie Jones

#226: Today we're exploring the past and present music of our city — from West Adams to Leimert Park — through the lens of musical hubs High Fidelity Records and The World Stage. It's part of a three-part series. 

Read more in LAist: In West Adams, High-Fidelity Record Store Serves The Historic Jazz Community

Guests: Ray Limon and Stanley Swinger, co-owners of High Fidelity Records in West Adams, and Dwight Trible, jazz singer and executive director of The World Stage in Leimert Park. 

Music from this episode: 

Tears of Sorrow and Rage - Young Jazz Giants
California Swing - Paul Howard’s Quality Serenaders
High School - The Brat
Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A
The Hillbillies - Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem
With You - Terrace Martin
Just A Girl - No Doubt
Baby Love- The Supremes
My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis
Seize the Time - Elaine Brown,
Invisible - Ornette Coleman
Amnesia - Blu
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Love You Bad - Dinner Party
Passin’ Me By - The Pharcyde
PHASES - Vel Nine, NugLife
Lookin Out - Huey Briss, Josef Lamercier, Nikobeats
Gift of Life - Brainstory
Tabula Rasa - Earl Sweatshirt, Armand Hammer
Impressions - John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy
Justice - Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
Remind Me - Patrice Rushen
At Last - Barbara Morrison
323 Go Crazy - Dom Kennedy

#225: Today, what you need to know about the current state of COVID-19 in LA County, and a recent loosening of state guidelines around “isolation periods”  — the length of time COVID positive people are advised to stay away from others.

Guest: LAist senior health reporter Jackie Fortiér

This is How To LA, the podcast that helps you navigate this city. I’m Brian De Los Santos. This week, we're featuring Imperfect Paradise: The Castle: Part 3.

For the next few weeks, we’ll be dropping episodes every Friday.

Imperfect Paradise: The Castle takes us inside LA’s exclusive Magic Castle through the lens of a queer hobbyist magician, who pushed for more inclusion. Read and listen below.

Part 4: What’s the history behind the on and off-stage gender dynamics in Western magic? And what impact did the summer of 2020 have on the field of DEI? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido explores these questions with magic historian Margaret Steele and Amber Johnson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of the Division for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley.

For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise

#224: Hey, How to LA listeners! We’re back with another social calendar to talk about the interesting, fun, new happenings in the city.

Guests: Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Matthew Brinkley, a licensed psychotherapist, doctor of psychology, relationship and queer life coach. His work empowers queer folks to embrace their identity and have vibrant relationships. You may have seen his work as co-host of the TV Show “Sissy That Psyche” which just finished its first season on the WOW presents plus network. You can find him giving advice on Insta or TikTok @Dr.Brinkley.

Here’s what each person pitched for YOUR social calendar:

• The Sissy Stroll, monthly in West Hollywood
• Lover's Ball, February 8, 9pm-2am, DTLA 
• Be a tourist, hike Runyon Canyon
• A day in the neighborhood: Eagle Rock! 
  • Go to Vidiot's to catch a film 
  • Grab a drink and play some pinball at Walt's
  • Get an apertivo and some bites at Capri Club