Holidaze in the Sun
Changes at Grammy.com and LAist; Press Club Awards; remembering Spaceland and Silver Lake's past; and the best events this week
Pics from past Grammy.com & LAist stories plus this week’s happenings… From left: Sunset Junction Street Fair- 2009 (Lina Lecaro); Steve Jones (Davis Factor); The Monty Bar - 2016 (Lina Lecaro); Less Claypool (Jim Bennett/Getty Images); Rocky Horror Picture Show art (Kii Arens); Jinx Monsoon and Ben de la Creme (promo); Beastie Boys (Apple TV+); Krampuses (Philosophical Research Society).
As 2025 comes to a close and the Christmas glitz and blitz takes over the city, the vibes have been… different. Do you feel it?
2025 has been rough, but it’s also been a time to discover my own resilience, and I know I’m not alone. Between the heartbreakingly inept government, the higher prices (for everything) and looking for a new full time job after leaving Los Angeles magazine earlier this year, it’s taken real effort to stay positive and have faith in the universe and myself.
Freelance work has been a saving grace, not just financially, but spiritually. This newsletter has provided a great space to share it, but it’s also been where I reflect and look back at all the stories I’ve been able to write over multiple decades. I’m publishing here every other week for the time being and I hope you will look forward to getting my take on Los Angeles, and the people and places featured, in your email inbox.
The Monty Bar, 2016 - see second link below (Photo by Lina Lecaro)
THINKING & LINKING
As I wrote in my first Substack story, the media struggle continues. So much of my work that’s lived on the internet for years is disappearing. If you are a writer, PR person (or have been written about), I highly advise making PDF’s of the online pages still available immediately. My work for outlets like Paper and Playboy have vanished into the ether, while my author page for LAist recently lost all of its links. Individual links are archived and still available and here are some of my favorite stories for the outlet:
🔗 A Bevy Of New Books Chronicle L.A.’s Vital Yet Underappreciated Punk Scene
🔗 Rock Stars Honor Fallen ‘Heroes’ David Bowie And Lemmy At The Monty Bar
🔗 The Best Retro Dance Clubs In Los Angeles
🔗 Hollywood Stripped: The Most Bawdy Boutiques On The Boulevard
🔗 The Retro Charm Of Burbank’s Magnolia Boulevard: A Shopping Guide
Grammy.com, another site I’ve loved writing for over the years, made the announcement last week that it is “shifting its editorial content strategy to focus on internal Academy initiatives,” meaning that they are no longer featuring stand-alone articles about music.
If you were not familiar with Grammy.com’s extensive music coverage, I think that was part of the problem. Great music writers contributed and huge music artists were featured, but it was never really known for its stories outside of awards content. Had the Academy promoted the journalism there on social media better, I know it could have had a bigger presence online, but I guess it was not meant to be. See the gallery below for a look at my favorite Grammy.com stories and click HERE to read them while you still can.
AWARDS SEASON
I’ve always been conflicted about competitions and awards shows like the Grammys, Oscars and the LA Press Club Awards. Judging is very subjective and I know this because I’ve served as a judge for the latter. Big media outlets have budgets to enter dozens of stories, but I have never had that kind of support and I’ve never been able to afford entry fees for everything I wanted to submit. Now that I’m without a regular paycheck, it’s even harder.
That said, being recognized alongside my peers is appreciated. This year’s 2025 National Arts & Journalism Awards awarded all three of my entries— and it feels particularly good because the stories were some of my last for Los Angeles magazine. I worked extremely hard there, some months writing the bulk of the print issues’ content. Winning for LA mag feels like validation, which I didn't get often, especially near the end of my tenure.
I was pleasantly surprised to be mentioned in the mag’s web post about the Press Club recognition for stories about Pamela Des Barres, Robert Eggers and Diane Von Furstenberg, and to see them linked as well. Today, I’m feeling a sense of closure about my time at LA mag (and LA Weekly too) as I look back and forward to 2026.
Sunset Junction Street Fair, 2009 (Photo by Lina Lecaro)
TWO WORDS: SILVER LAKE
As I wrote about a few weeks ago, Silver Lake is not only where I grew up, it’s part of who I am. My family home was on Hyperion and Rowena, while my first job was at Y-Que (at Sanborn and Sunset). My first foray into journalism was as an editor at John Marshall High School’s newspaper, and my first real world writing and editing experiences occurred just down the street as an intern at the Weekly (also on Hyperion Ave.) before I was 21. My first kiss was at the Sunset Junction Street Fair, my first legal drink was at Tiki Ti, and the second was at The Dresden. The 1996 cult hit, Swingers, felt like satirical documentary of the world I was living in at the time— “Club” steering wheel locks, swing dancing at the Derby and all.
I could go on and I will in my memoirs about growing up in this magical & misunderstood part of Los Angeles (which of course has changed a lot). I think my experiences would make a great TV series, especially the early LA Weekly era, where I worked alongside art legends Vaginal Davis and Ron Athey, to mention a couple of memorable characters who influenced me profoundly.
Enjoy this story about Silver Lake’s past highlighting the 90’s music club known as Spaceland for Los Angeles Times. Grateful to have been there for so many special shows and to have known the people behind it for decades.
🔗 Spaceland’s 30th reunion show orbits back to the ’90s heyday of Silver Lake’s music scene
WHAT’S GOING ON
My must-go events list this week and for the weekend ahead is here! Click the subheads for more info.
⭐ Mick Rock’s Rocky Horror Art Show at FAB LA - Dec. 10
Alaska 5000 performs and Rocky Horror-themed art celebrates the “don’t dream it, be it” ethos.
⭐ Buckethead at the Wiltern - Dec. 12
Finger pickin’ —and lickin’— good guitar work is guaranteed when this enigmatic figure takes the stage.
⭐ Andy Bell at Simon Says - Dec. 13
The Erasure singer makes a special appearance at Hollywood’s hottest pansexual dance party.
⭐ The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Show at Dolby Theater - Dec. 14
Drag the halls with holly-jolly music, sparkle and mayhem courtesy of Jinks Monsoon and Ben de la Creme.
⭐ Joseph Brooks & Allison Burns Holiday Sale - Dec. 13
The former club figure/DJ’s crystal jewelry designs make perfect gifts and Burns’ rockin’ bags will please every stylish gal on your holiday list. Message JB on IG for the studio address.
⭐ Krampus Night at PRS - Dec. 13
Krampus expert Al Ridenour (formerly of the Cacophony Society) discusses the legendary Christmas monster and seasonal Alpine lore. Plus there’ll be music, dress-up, vendors and more.
⭐ Muros Market Toy Drive- Dec. 14
Fashion content creator Jared Muros gives back with this flea market extravaganza benefitting CHIRLA.
⭐ Rolling Stones at the Max- Dec. 10-14
Enjoy the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band on giant IMAX screens with superior sound and 90’s-era “Urban Jungle Tour” energy.
I always look forward to this amazing substack post! Lina KNOWS what going on in LA & she never disappoints
Incredible roundup of whats happening in LA. The Rolling Stones IMAX run is somethign people dont talk about enough, like seeing a band with that legacy on that scale is basically timeless. Also the Silver Lake history stuff really captures how media and neighborhood culture shape eachother. Appreciate the link preservation work too since so much just vanishes.