Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Don't miss Esotouric's Hippodrome

August 14: THE HIPPODROME, Esotouric's Curated Downtown LA Art Walk Shuttle

WHAT: The Hippodrome, a rolling curated salon on a custom vintage school bus

WHEN: Every Second Thursday (Aug 14, Sept 11, etc.) during downtown LA Art Walk, 6-10pm nightly

WHERE: The shuttle route circles Gallery Row (Main and Spring Streets between 9th and 2nd Streets)

COST: Free shuttle and entertainment

FEATURING ON AUGUST 14:
1) Hosts Kim Cooper & Richard Schave of Esotouric bus adventures sharing tales of historic downtown vice, answering visitor questions and passing out Esotouric discount coupons;

2) Mooey Moobau performing with live marching band;

3) Mime Patrick Ian Moore honoring Downtown's silent film legacy;

4) Comic magician Erik Tait;

5) Acoustic combo The Hats playing transportation-themed tunes;

6) Nance Broderzen and Draco the python present the Dadaist Manifesto;

7) Tarot and palm reading by Zella Grant;

8) Mike The Poet rockin' poems about L.A. authors and the city's underground.

INFO: http://www.esotouric.com/hippodrome, 323-223-2767

The Downtown L.A. Art Walk, held every second Thursday year round, is one of the great success stories of the neighborhood's revival. Launched in 2004 by a small group of independent gallery owners in what was then the western edge of Skid Row, the event now draws upwards of 4000 people, and includes live music, a thriving bar and restaurant scene, book signings, and of course art exhibits.

August 14 sees the third month when Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of Esotouric -- the eclectic bus adventure company whose tours reveal L.A.'s secret history -- transform what's been a sleepy free city DASH bus shuttle into something more appropriate to the Art Walk: The Hippodrome, a curated rolling salon. Art Walk visitors can still use the Hippodrome to get from Bert Green Fine Arts to The Hive -- but with so many interesting things happening on the bus, they may find they don't want to disembark when they arrive.

The Hippodrome shuttle is named in honor of promoter Adolph Ramish's legendary Hippodrome Theater, formerly located at 4th and Main. With 3000 seats, it was the biggest theater west of the Mississippi when built in 1913, and featured Toddles the Elephant on opening night. In 1952, the theater was demolished for a parking lot, and the site is now under development as the mixed-use Medallion project.

The new Hippodrome is a customized former school bus brightly painted on the outside with lively graffiti-style scenes of beautiful women. Inside, passengers and performers sit face-to-face in a comfortable night club-style setting, with checkerboard flooring, cocktail tables and softly blinking lights.

The Hippodrome Art Walk shuttle bus is sponsored by DLANC and the tour guides by the Historic Downtown BID. Every month the Hippodrome features interesting performers channeling the spirit of the neighborhood's storied past. Appearing during the August 14 Art Walk:

MOOEY MOOBAU (6pm-6:30pm) appearing in exaltation of his new CD, "All Murmur of Our Mothers' Waters" (Ebola Music Records), which features many, many guests, including the Killsonic Marching Gang, who will be Mooey Moobau's backup MARCHING band for this show.

PATRICK IAN MOORE (7pm-7:20pm) presents a mimed performance in the spirit of Downtown's vaudeville and silent film legacy.

ERIK TAIT (7:30-8pm) on-loan from Magicopolis, has won awards for his comedy and magic across the U.S. and Canada. This devilish wit brings comedy and magic up close and personal, the way it should be.

THE HATS (8pm -8:45pm), will transport Hippodrome passengers by singing them songs of transportation (train, truck, boat and plane), including "The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore," "Six Days on the Road," "Willin," "Coming into Los Angeles" and "The Water is Wide." And of course there will be a song about the bus: their crowd favorite from the July Art Walk, Zona Lilly's "TheHippodrome Song." (The Hats and Zona Lilly share band members.)

NANCE BRODERZEN (9pm-9:15pm) accompanied by her pet python, Draco, will be performing spoken-word, inspired by Tzara's "Manifeste Dada 1918," in honor of the freak show snakes who enriched life on Main Street during World War 1, and of the international art movement, born of this era.

Hippodrome regular MIKE THE POET (9:15pm-10pm) rockin' poems about LA authors & the city's underground and an open mic for the roaming poets of downtown Los Angeles

And throughout the evening, tarot and palm reading by Miss Zella Grant.

Link for Mooey Moobau: http://myspace.com/mooeymoobau

Link for Patrick Ian Moore: http://www.myspace.com/patrickianmoore

Link for Erik Tait: http://www.myspace.com/DelusionMasters

Hear The Hippodrome Song (Hats/ZonaLilly):http://esotouric.com/hippodromesong

Link for Nance Broderzen: http://www.broderzen.com

Link for Mike the Poet: http://www.myspace.com/mikethepoet

Link for general Hippodrome info: http://www.esotouric.com/hippodrome

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