Squirrel Nut Zippers!

This is not a secret: I am a swing dance geek. So I am very excited about this Thursday.

To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the La Monica Ballroom and as part of the Santa Monica Pier Centennial, the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Johnny Vana & the Big Band Alumni will be playing a free concert on the pier from 7-10 this Thursday, July 23. There is a free swing dance lesson at 6pm.

Visit the Santa Monica Pier website for more info.

Free Jazz Concerts

If you can brave the tourists on Tuesday nights, you will be rewarded with free music.

Hollywood & Highland center offers free jazz concerts every Tuesday night through August. Wine and cheese are also available for a $10 donation to Project Angel Food.

This Tuesday's concert is Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue playing from 7-9pm.

View the rest of the schedule at the event website.

Musical Improv at Trip Tease

My friends are on an awesome musical improv team called "Maestro, If You Please!" and they are having a free show tonight at TRiP. TRiP has Trip Tease Wednesdays and has a 5-star rating on Yelp. What more can you desire from improv sharing a stage with a pole? A drink, perhaps, and nothing else.

Details:
Trip Tease Wednesday at TRiP
9:30 pm
2101 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Have fun!

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Bibliophiles take heed! UCLA will be hosting the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. And it's free!

Check the website for the comprehensive list of authors and exhibitors. Lots of cool stuff, including Ray Bradbury (!), S.E. Hinton (!), Gore Vidal (!)...

Festival of Books at UCLA
Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5
Festival of Books Website

LA Weekly LA Weekend

Not sure how it happened, but you used to have to buy tickets, and now you don't.

To celebrate 30 years of LA Weekly, LA Weekend "will showcase some of LA's most dynamic and colorful talent, programming a cutting edge film screening, speaker panels, art, food, music and book signings."

There is some pretty awesome stuff on their schedule - Wil Wheaton, Point Break Live, a screening of "The Heart is a Drum Machine," and something called Belvedere Lounge from noon-4 on Saturday...Belvedere is a sponsor, so perhaps that means free booze? Looks like there is a bunch of free meat as well. Everybody loves free meat.

Events 4/24 and 4/25
Nike Montalban Theatre
1615 N. Vine St.
Hollywood

LA Weekly LA Weekend website

I highly recommend taking the train to Hollywood/Vine, as parking around there is already a nightmare and the metro station is around the corner from the Montalban.

Have fun!

What's better than free improv? Free musical improv!

One of my favorite people is in the musical improv group "Maestro, If You Please!" and they have a free show tomorrow night at Improv Olympic. I'm excited to see them perform.

"'Maestro, If You Please!' is a completely IMPROVISED MUSICAL based on a title suggested by the audience. Every show is complete with improvised themed music and dance numbers. Cast includes: Laura Barbera, Brandon Barrick, Jason Beeber, George Caleodis, Abhaya Hess, Julie Inmon, and Faith Willman. With Musical Direction by Alex Burke and Andrew Melton. Coached by Nyima Funk."

Saturday March 21st at 8pm
Andy Dick Theatre at Improv Olympic (entrance is halfway down the block on Cosmo, behind Improv Olympic mainstage, which is at 6366 Hollywood Blvd.)

See you there!

BrokeLA St. Patrick's Day Roundup

Hey folks - sorry for the hiatus. I'm back and finding you free things again.

I know there are tons of bars doing awesome things for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, but I'm only going to mention the ones that are, in true BrokeLA fashion, offering something free. Cause we all deserve it.

So, in no particular order besides the one I found out about them in:

Backstage - This awesome karaoke dive in Culver City is serving free corned beef with all the trimmings all day and night. If you go, please let me know what those trimmings are.

South - Free green jello shots to go with their not free green beer. Also live music - Sally's Gap will be playing.

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Young Dubliners Concert - For those of you who won't be in a cubicle tomorrow, the parade is at 11:30am in downtown LA. Irish band Young Dubliners will play at 12:30. The poster also says that they will be selling O'Douls for $1, which is not only non-free but also non-alcoholic.

More to come...

$5 Tickets to Chris Sullivan's "A Bit of Irish"

Top o'the mornin' to ya!

Santa Monica Playhouse is offering $5 tickets for BrokeLAers to Chris Sullivan's 10th Annual Irish Extravaganza "A Bit of Irish."

The show is appropriately taking place on St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday, March 17 at 8pm at Santa Monica Playhouse.

From their website: "Irish actor-singer-raconteur Chris Sullivan, in what has become a much anticipated tradition, returns to Santa Monica Playhouse for the tenth year running with his St. Patrick’s Day inspired celebration of all things Irish. Created and performed by Sullivan, the 2009 edition of the show brings together some old familiar pieces and some new material culled from the rich tradition of Irish literature and song."

RSVP to 310-394-9779 x1 or e-mail EZeitzew@SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com and be sure to mention BrokeLA for the discount.

Santa Monica Playhouse
1211 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
www.SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com

Amoeba Art Show Factory Party

Amoeba, The East Bay Express, and OFFSpace to turn an Emeryville warehouse into a teeming hotspot of live art, film, musical performances, and theatrical art forms. This event will feature a recreation of Andy Warhol's Factory, including live production of art in the style and process practiced by Warhol and not one but TWO Velvet Underground cover bands will provide the evening's soundtrack. Rooms will be packed with artwork from Amoeba employees, as well as works from very special celebrity guests (Mark Mothersbaugh, Gary Panter, David Lynch, etc)! Bring a can of Campbell's soup for the Alameda County Food Bank and you’ll be entered to win a host of prizes! Admission is free!

They're also having a 60s costume contest. Sounds like fun. More info here at the Amoeba website.

Neko Case free show at Amoeba

This is late notice, but Neko Case is doing a free show at Amoeba tonight at 7pm. She's awesome. I would go, but I have class.

Info here at the Amoeba website.

Check her out and then walk up Cahuenga to iO for Freedom Snatch at 11. There. I just planned your Free Thursday.