St. Vincent, Flying Lotus and Ice-T Highlight Red Bull Music Academy Festival Los Angeles

Jordan Bailey

Throughout the month of October Red Bull Music Academy Festival will host it’s first Los Angeles edition with a series of shows and talks combining various forms of art into a month-long festival throughout L.A. Beginning Oct. 6 and running until Oct. 29, this expansive event is unlike anything else on the scene today. Red Bull pulls this off by incorporating everyone from feminist thought leaders to iconic jazz musicians to Hollywood’s most innovative film directors in a run of LA events.

Find below some of the Red Bull Music Academy Festival highlights and how you can purchase tickets to each event.

A Conversation with Alice Bag | Oct. 6
Alice Bag is one of the first events slated for the month. On Oct. 6, the pink-haired punk icon, and LA-native, will lead a lecture at MOCA on the power of femininity in punk music and how after nearly four decades in the genre, she decided to release her debut solo album just last year.

St. Vincent: Feat the Future | Oct. 7
Musician/singer-songwriter St. Vincent burst on the scene with her eponymous album in 2014. As a work so filled with unique song structures, futuristic arrangements and the overall allure of the singer herself, this album shot the artist onto festival stages all around the country. Now back with her latest project “MASSEDUCTION,” slated for an Oct. 13 release, St. Vincent will premier her new sound on the famous New York Street backlot at Paramount Pictures Studios for a one-night only show in collaboration with creative studio Willo Perron – who have worked with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West and Rihanna.

Flying Lotus in 3D + Thundercat | Oct. 14-15
Taking place outside on the Fairbanks Lawn of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, LA beat-scene king Flying Lotus will showcase his 3D show which was recently unveiled at FYF Fest. Featuring actual 3D glasses and accompanying visuals, FlyLo will perform tunes from his extensive catalogue alongside fellow Brainfeeder collaborator and Grammy-award winning bassist Thundercat. If the show is anything like his debut film “Kuso” which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, fans are in for a wild ride.

A Conversation with Edgar Wright about Music in Film | Oct. 16
British film director Edgar Wright is best known for works like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” which artistically combined film and music. But perhaps the most blatant example of this came from his latest project “Baby Driver” which centered around a getaway driver who tapered his tinnitus by listening to old soul and rock records. Moderated by fellow music fiend and composer Brian Reitzell (“The Virgin Suicides,” “Lost in Translation”), Wright will discuss his ideas on intertwining music with film at the Vista Theatre on Sunset Dr.

Open Beta: Arca Presents A Night with Alejandro | Oct. 18
Experimental electronic producer Arca is an artist like no other. His music is at times abrasive and uncomfortable, but that’s the whole point. He’s not interested in normality, or even security. During a Wed. night performance at Open Beta, Arca will unveil new material in an immersive space set to challenge your senses.

A Conversation with Ice-T | Oct. 28
As one of the central figures in the seminal 80’s hip-hop crew Uncle Jamm’s Army, Ice-T will host a lecture on his expansive career in music at The Miracle Theater in Inglewood. The talk will focus on everything from the early days, to his Body Count project, to his solo career in the late 80’s. All this ahead of a party celebrating the crew that helped bring him to prominence, the electro/hip-hop pioneers of Uncle Jamm’s Army.

The Ecstatic World of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitanada | Oct. 29
Speaking of pioneers, Alice Coltrane was one of the most important jazz performers of the last century. As the wife and collaborator of John Coltrane – and grand-aunt of fellow Red Bull performer Flying Lotus – Coltrane had an expansive career up until her passing in 2007. In the latter years of her life, she invented a genre of music which combined Detroit gospel music and Indian devotional hymns. During a celebratory performance at the Cooper Design Space, musicians will come together to pay tribute to this eclectic brand of soulful music.

Other events throughout the month will include a Latin/African dance party, a talk with music video director Floria Sigismondi (Marilyn Manson, David Bowie), experimental visual art exhibits such as 100 cars playing the key of A simultaneously, a set by “The Disco King of Bollywood,” a look at video-game scores as well as what’s being described as a “ferociously danceable” electronic music performance.

Red Bull Music Academy Festival Los Angeles will take place from Oct. 6 – 29 throughout Los Angeles. Tickets are available here.