Beach Party Time for the Holidays and Any Time

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It might be chilly in Hollywood, Calif., but you can party on the beach in balmy Hollywood, Fla. And you can party in style.

If you’re planning an affordable destination wedding venue, an anniversary, a big birthday bash, or a celebration of any kind – post Art Basel, perhaps? – at Broward Banquet Hall, you’ll find exactly what you need for on-the-beach fun only 20 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

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Located in Hollywood Beach, this banquet hall in Florida has everything you need to create the event you want. Wedding ceremony on the sand, reception party just steps away. Special occasions of any kind go down beautifully at this venue, positioned right on the beach where those warm sea breezes beckon. The hall is a part of the Hollywood Beach Resort Hotel, which means visitors can enjoy a 30% discount on rooms and suites at the hotel, too, for all guests of the party who book the hall.

 

 

 

We loved the fact that the venue takes care of just about every detail – except booking your flight to Florida. Once you’ve done that, then get ready to have a blissfully easy experience. Wedding events are a specialty, from hosting a shower to a large-scale rehearsal dinner, to ceremony and reception. Host, bartender, waitress, security: it’s all taken care of. Photography and videography services can be provided too, if you’d like to document the occasion professionally.  Special dining requests? Outside catering is allowed.

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The carefree planning style the hall offers is matched by its truly luxurious accommodations. A large dance floor includes disco and laser lights; there are projector tables and a 60″ flat screen if you’d like to – show a film – Facebook photos – art images – or take a sweet walk down memory lane. The music sounds great, and you’ll be dancing all night long.

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There’s a comfortable outdoor seating area, smoking area, and a VIP room for the most special guests. To create an elegant vibe all around, the spot also has a red carpet, ropes, and stanchions.

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As relaxed and easy as the staff makes setting up and running an event, there’s plenty of upscale style at the venue that belies the value. Exceptional customizing of lighting in the color of your choice, a bridal dressing room, photography room, and expert table set-up add to the experience: it’s pro all the way, with unpretentious, helpful, and experienced service.

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No matter what kind of event you’re planning – baby shower, bar mitzvah, spring break party, or special birthday, the celebration may be yours, but the space is Broward Banquet Hall all the way. Expansive in size, with superior customer service and those soft white sands right outside the door, this Hollywood Beach spot is close to the airport, the blue Atlantic —  and will end up being close to your heart.  It’s a high recommend for celebratory fun.

 

 

Night at the Rendon Stories: Photo Essay

Lit up and glowing, film project transformed the shell of the Rendon Hotel into a living, breathing entity, teaming with life. Listen to the opera unfold from a balcony, step inside the 22 activated rooms for a look at drag queens, psychics, a wanna-be boxer, practicing violinist, chatty mother, strung out couple, man and his parrot, and so much more. An exciting mix of life, an urban dream, a low-rent, long-term hotel space spilling stories from it’s seams. Enjoy our Night at the Rendon.

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Step inside the speakeasy and hoist a few.

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Creators director Ralph Ziman and creative director Maria Greenshields-Ziman with the ultimate production coordinator, Cindy Schwartzstein from Cartwheel Art.

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An operatic opening hit the high notes.

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Artists, writers, dancers, singers, performers of all kinds find a temporary home.

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Fighters, lovers, family, friends…

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Psychic predicts; a murderer is investigated.

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Next door, things are tranquil among friends…

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…as voyeur/attendees wait their turn to see inside.

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  • Genie Davis; PHOTOS by Jack Burke

Carolee Rainey Tells Listeners to Feel Fearless.

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With powerful melody and strong, anthemic voice, Carolee Rainey’s Feel Fearless EP offers a positive and life-affirming message. Exuberant and joyful, Rainey gives folk rock a jubilant spin.

 

Evoking comparisons with Stevie Nicks and Ricki Lee Jones, Rainey is nothing if not uplifting. The songs on her potent debut mini-album reflect inspirational and empowering messages lyrically, while the music is solid, strongly singable, and will delightfully lodge in listeners internal musical repertoire for a long time.

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Philosophically, Rainey says she views life as a journey – “get on the train and ride with me…got a lot of room for my new audience…you on board?” She asks that listeners tune in to her songs because “they’ve got life, wisdom and lightness even if they can get rather lonely and dark. What can you do? We all live in our private villages.”

All the same, Rainey, who has worked as a visual artist as well as a singer-songwriter and exhilarating performer, knows how to connect her audience and with it. Take in the gypsy-like joy in “Mystic Rose,” or the spiritual bliss in “Listen to the River,” and any personal inclination toward isolation will dissolve in the infectious pleasure that Rainey clearly takes in her work. The latter tune, inspired by a location in Big Sur, Calif. that has captivated the artist, has a definite LA-vibe. The now East Coast-based musician says “My heart may be in winter, but my soul is in the sun,” a sentiment that comes through vibrantly in this cut. Her song “Feel” is equally emotional, cutting to the quick of both loss and joy.
The mini-album’s first single, “Deal with the Devil” is the most rock-like tune; but the over-riding theme of the record is simply to create work that is both positive and thoughtful while being musically fun.
Tight backing musicians create compulsively listenable support to Rainey, including Doug Yowell, Richard Hammond, Thad DeBrock, and Clifford Carter on acoustic piano and keys.
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Rainey says she was inspired to cut her record while attending a Rickie Lee Jones concert. Working as a painter, she found that “virtually one day, I just didn’t have the calling to wake up and create from a blank canvas…it was a transformation that was filled with angst about what my next creative endeavor would be…” until she attended the concert. She found Jones’ performance galvanizing, and immediately began to write her own songs. “It was the next stop on the train for me,” she says.
Get on board with Rainey’s “tracks” and see where her journey takes you. The EP drops the end of April. Follow Rainey on Facebook for the latest release news. Check out her sound and look on YouTube.
– Genie Davis; photos via Carolee Rainey music

‘Tis the Season – for Winter Sounds in West Hollywood

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The season has arrived – for holidays, the winter solstice, gift-buying frenzies, but best of all, for Winter Sounds, the city of West Hollywood’s free indoor concert series.

This year, three Saturday evening concerts are on tap, beginning this weekend, on December 2nd, with the smooth sounds of Jennifer Leitham and her holiday jazz show.  A world-renowned jazz bassist, composer, and vocalist, Leitham has played on upwards of 140 albums, including ten of her own. She’s performed with Mel Torme, Doc Severinsen, Peggy Lee, and k.d. lang, among others, and is the subject of  the award-winning film I Stand Corrected, a documentary about her public gender transition from John to Jennifer. At Winter Sounds, she’ll perform both warm holiday classics and standards.

Come January, when the holiday rush has settled down, listeners will have something to “hear” forward to – Paris Chansons French and Russian classics, on January 20th.  Los Angeles’ premiere French and international band, Paris Chansons offers original renditions of favorites from Aznavour, Brel, Dassin, Piaf and Montand, as well as songs by contemporary artists including Zax.  Their exhilarating performances feature four multilingual singers and keyboard, violin, bass, guitar, and drums . Along with international classics, traditional jazz standards will be on tap as Paris Chansons leads listeners on a global journey that may make you want to get up and dance. 

And February 17th, enjoy the American jazz standards of the Peter Kavanaugh Quartet.  A guitarist, bandleader and composer, Kavanaugh interprets jazz standards and popular American songs with a smoothly sophisticated take that’s infused with West Coast jazz. His upbeat sound features electric guitar and vibraphone as he transports listeners to the leisurely swing of post-war, mid-century-modern Southern California, and adds in unexpected thrills like Bossa Nova, blues, bop, and gypsy jazz.

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The concerts each begin at 5 p.m., offering an hour and fifteen minutes of scintillating sounds. All concerts are held at the West Hollywood Park Public Meeting Room/City Council Chambers at the West Hollywood Library; seating is first come, first served. 

The Library is located at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. Free validated parking is available for the multi-story parking structure adjacent to the library.

Winter Sounds is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program.  Click here for an online listing of the 2017-2018 Winter Sounds concerts.

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