If you are in the mood to dance, check out Josh Billings, a popular Hollywood DJ who has played venues like Avalon, Sound, Exchange, Re:Love, Create and King King. Billings is always inspired while working. "When DJing, it's the feeling you get when you have an entire dance floor vibing with you on the same wavelength. I'm not a spiritual person, but there's a connection there and it's pretty amazing. And when I am hosting the event, knowing you facilitated all of these people coming together for one night having a good time is great."
Billings got his idea to do a house night while listening to Lazy Dog - Vol 1, Marques Wyatt - and Miguel Migs. "My early days were influenced heavily by Sue Dred, Pat Schoolastra, Cade, Lil Brandon, Danny Love, Jamie Thinnes, Cocoe, Doug Jordan, Wobs & Nonfiction."
For 13 years, Billings has had a regular following at Focus. "It is like an underground spot on a Tuesday night, that ends at 2a.m. We try and keep it dark and intimate; we aren't a typical club with gogo dancers, LED screens, lasers, bottle service, VIP sections, etc. Once you walk in through the door, you're on the same level as everyone else. The DJ is also really close to the dance floor and allows us to connect more with the people there."
Instagram - @Josh_Billings Facebook - www.Facebook.com/joshbillingsmusic
Twitter - @Josh_Billings Website - www.JoshBillings.net
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If you are looking for some rest & relaxation but don't have the time to go away, check out Lancaster, the perfect spot for a quick trip! Only an hour away in the high Mojave Desert, the city contains one of the state's great examples of how re-development saved downtown and helped develop an unexpected dining, entertainment and arts neighborhood.
Check out The Lemon Leaf cafe, run by chef Maria Elena-her homemade cakes stem from recipes her grandma gave her!!
If you are looking for a neighborhood hangout that makes you feel like you are in a quaint bistro in Paris, check out Wilde on La Brea. "We love being part of Hollywood because its such a liberal, diverse and creative community," said Lorna Donohue, the lovely co-owner. "As the home of the US film industry, there are so many interesting characters from the entertainment industry that pop in - artists and actors and writers and of course lots of international residents who have come to Hollywood to try make it in the industry. It a melting pot of culture and creatives. We also have access to so many great farmers markets and artisanal and craft food producers to get great organic produce so our menu can always be fresh and seasonal and last but definitely not least we have so many great wineries on our doorstep where we can bring the winemakers in to meet our customers and pour great small production wines that you cant get anywhere else
Their specials include a happy hour, an afternoon tea and Wilde Wine Wednesday. "This is the night for people that love wine and want to learn a little more about wine - we bring in wine makers and wine experts and focus on different regions and varietals where we sell the wines in flights so people can try different wines they might not normally get to try," said Lorna. Local Hollywood resident and actress Challen Cates of Challen Winery came in recently and her night was so popular, as she showed customers her Pinot Noirs.
Sunday is Wilde's special Sunday Supper night with their famous buttermilk fried chicken. They also bring in guest chefs every few weeks. Celebrities like Kunal Nayyar who plays Raj on CBS' "Big Bang Theory" came in with his wife, former Miss India, as well as
Tim Rothand
Jeff Garlin,
Jamie Hince of the band The Kills, and photographer
Mick Rock celebrated his photo book on
David Bowie with a private dinner hosted by Taschen heiress
Charlotte Taschen. Playboy celebrated their first non-nude edition also with a private dinner at Wilde, while
Mindy Kaling recently filmed the Mindy Show there and reportedly fell in love with the house - made turkey meatballs. Soap Opera Stars
Ian Buchanan and
Challen Cates (whose Pinot Noir is the house red) often pop in for some vino.
The French Riviera-inspired dining destination, FIG & OLIVE Melrose Place, introduces
Aperitivo
Happy Hour ($4-12*), transporting guests from the bustling streets of LA to the stylish dining rooms of the Mediterranean. Every
Monday- Sunday from
4pm to 7pm, FIG & OLIVE invites Hollywood locals to mingle with friends in the lounge while nibbling on crispy flatbreads, succulent sliders, and rosemary-cured olives. Aperitivo guests may also sample the bar's newest seasonally-driven cocktail, the
Greenhouse ($8*), which features rum muddled with celery, arugula
, lemon, simple syrup, and black peppercorn.
A northern Italian custom, Aperitivo Happy Hour alludes to the practice of pairing sips with snacks prior to dinner in order to
aperto C or "open" C the palate. Typically offered in the early evening, Italian restaurants often serve spiri
ts and savory morsels at the bar to encourage guests to unwind before they move to a table, ultimately elongating the dining experience with food and socializing. On the new menu is burrata heirloom tomato, Tuscan artichoke, a cheese board, truffle mushroom croquette, sliders, assorted flatbreads and truffle skinny fries.
Buyers Guide for the Start of Summer
If you are shopping in Hollywood for that special guy in your life check out:
AMERICAN MADE SUPPLY COMPANY has great clothes that fit right in for a bbq on July 4th !
The company believes in creating classically timeless pieces that are both long lasting and affordable for everyone. By keeping business operations in-house and locally sourced, they are able to keep their overhead costs down, and offer a savings with great prices. Every garment they make has been hand-pressed and outfitted with an American Flag sewn into the exterior side seam of each piece.
In the Ba
throom: PHILOSOPHY'S RENEWED HOPE
Not only women need beauty maintenance or some beauty needs-men care about their skin and looks. Try Philosophy's Renewed Hope for Men Skin products. Sensitive skin has it tough, but it doesn't have to feel that way.
Their pick-me-up, light weight moisturizer is perfect for everyday "on-the-go." The company also creates an aftershave, Razor Sharp, which cleans and conditions skin, while softening beard hair.
KUSCO-MURPHY MAN STREET MODEL PASTE
A paste that holds the hair in place, or however you decide to style your hair. Kusco is natural and organic and contains no sulfates or petrolatum.
JOICO Co+ Wash
Joico's Co+wash Moisture comes in handy-it is shampoo and conditioner merged into a conveniently single maneuver, infusing dry, brittle hair with the kind of ingredients you normally get from a deep-conditioning treatment.
In the Kitchen or on the way to work: STOJO'S COLLAPSABLE CUP
If you're anything like me, then you understand the importance of morning coffee. But, this daily tradition adds up. It can cost a lot of money and it leads to a lot of waste. Next time you want to buy your daily latte at a Hollywood cafe and have to throw out the cup, try out the leak-proof, reusable and collapsible Stojo Pocket Cup. Made of recyclable materials, the cup works well for hot and cold drinks. Once you're done with your drink, you just collapse it down into a cup that can fit in your purse, pocket or backpack
IPS CHIPS
Perfect for a post workout snack, these crunchy gluten free, protein snack has six grams of protein per serving. The chips have half the fat of fried potato chips and come in several flavors- Sea Salt & Black Pepper, BBQ, White Cheddar, Cinnamon, and original.