The mmq (mitch marcus quintet) has been a staple on the jazz scene on both coasts for over a decade. Fronted by Tenor Saxophonist Mitch Marcus, co-led by Alto Saxophonist Sylvain Carton, and featuring Mike Abraham (guitar), George Ban-Weiss (bass), and drummers Tomas Fujiwara and Jeff Marrs the group is a unique ensemble, a real band with its own sound. The mmq has penned over 100 original compositions that stretch the boundaries of jazz music all the while being steeped in its tradition. The rhythm section, in addition to providing unrelenting propulsion, are very much a part of the structural force behind the compositions. Equally involved are the Saxophones in the rhythmic foundation that pushes the music forward.

$12 adv + DICE fees / $15 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Luke Temple and Rob Shelton celebrate their birthdays together with a b-day party jam at Healing Force of the Universe on Friday, December 20. Come wish these icons a happy bday and dance the night away.

Doors at 8 PM.

$10 adv (+DICE fees)/$12 at the door.

It's December! Expect a cozy evening at Healing Force of the Universe with music by Meg Duffy, Harrison Whitford, Corey Gordon & Nathanial Young, and Sofia Wolfson and readings from Stella Ramos, Chris L. Terry, and Vivian Wolfson.

Doors at 8 PM.

$14 adv / $17 at the door

Holy Matter is the pseudonym of Leanna Kaiser, a musician and experimental filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from St. Louis, Kaiser gained recognition in the mid-2000s as part of the experimental duo Frances With Wolves. After relocating to LA in 2016 to study experimental film, she began crafting a more classical, guitar-based sound. Her debut solo album Beauty Looking Back was released in 2024. Influenced by a range of styles, her work blends drone, folk, and orchestral elements, with ethereal melodies and harmonies.

Good Dog Nigel is the stage name of Parker Emeigh (pronounced “Amy”), a 23-year old college drop and self-proclaimed hopeless romantic who devoutly follows the philosophy that “life is too precious to not do what makes you and others happy.”

$15 adv + DICE fees / $17 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Guitarist, Ethan Sherman, has a rehearsal performance for an upcoming record recording session with killer rhythm section, Alan Hampton (bass) and Griffin Goldsmith (drums) at Healing Force of the Universe.

Doors at 8 PM.

$12 adv (+DICE fees)/$15 at the door.

Full Color Sound plays as a trio.

Featuring Dory Bavarsky, Jay Rudolph and Karl McComas-Reichl

$15 adv + DICE fees / $17 at the door

Doors at 7 PM

Carolyn Kendrick is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, fiddler, guitarist, and producer. After many happy years on the road as a side musician, Kendrick has blossomed as a solo artist since issuing her debut EP Tear Things Apart in 2020. Heralded as “hauntingly lovely” (Paste Magazine), you won’t want to miss a Carolyn Kendrick live performance.

Her forthcoming album, Each Machine, is a collection of traditional and original political folk songs inspired by her time researching The Satanic Panic for the history podcast You’re Wrong About. These songs are modern, electric re-imaginings of hymns, murder ballads, pagan chanting, and even songs of devil-worship. The full album, both physical + digital copies, as well as an accompanying zine of behind-the scenes photography and essays, will be released 12.6.24 on High Occulture Records.

$20 adv + DICE fees / $24 at the door

Doors at 7 PM

Outside World is the acclaimed Los Angeles experimental jazz duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Henry Solomon and Logan Kane. They released their third in a trilogy of mind-bending opuses, Outside World 3, on April 5th, 2024 via Minaret. It features 12 original compositions alongside four generations of jazz mentors and friends.

Featuring Henry Solomon (sax), Logan Kane (bass), Dennis Hamm (keys) and Benjamin Ring (drums).

David Binney DJ's.

Doors at 8 PM

Houston born, New Orleans based hip-hop artist Yung Delirious is anything but ordinary. Hailing from the Lone Star State with inspirations such as Skizzy Mars, Chelsea Cutler and G-Eazy, the young artist leaves an eclectic spin on what hip-hop is traditionally known to be by incorporating his unique personality and vision into his music. Whether it’s his unapologetic lyricism, immersive live shows, or his relentless pursuit to accomplish the impossible, it’s quite apparent the young rapper has his eyes set on leaving his mark on the world.

Multi award-winning, Grammy-nominated rapper Alfred Banks is a standout in New Orleans' music scene. Recognized by Complex as one of the top upcoming MCs, his work has been featured in outlets like The Fader and DJBooth. Banks’ collaborations include “Greatness,” the NCAA tournament anthem, and tracks featured in Netflix’s Burning Sands and Disney+’s The Crossover. He’s performed at major festivals, toured with Tank & the Bangas, and earned accolades like Best Hip-Hop Artist at the Best of the Beat Awards.

Elquan is one of a kind. He truly lives his art and music to the fullest. He is the owner of his brand So100 Entertainment. Been in the game for over a decade now he continues to drop hit record after hit record. Representing Las Vegas Nevada and coming with his own sound. Much love and keep it So100!

Local support from American MXNIC, V.E.G, and Quicho.

$10 adv + DICE fees / $13 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Show at 8:30

Alex Amen is a twenty-five-year-old artist and songwriter from Texas. At the age of eighteen Alex moved to California to study filmmaking. After one semester he dropped out and moved onto the historic "Dittman Family Commune" dating back to the countercultural movement of the 1960’s. It was here that he formed his first band with pianist Hunter Watts, American Slang in 2017. For three years Amen developed the band until the release of its self-titled (and only) album in January of 2021. The band broke up shortly after, resulting in Alex’s move from Southern California to a remote island in the Puget Sound of Washington State. He spent the next three years in relative isolation and musical study; earning a degree in music, while also taking up various interests in mycology, mountaineering, poetry, and wooden boat building. As the years passed, Alex felt the increasing need to develop his musical career and decided to return to California. In January of 2023 he self produced his first record (unreleased) in a self built studio at the historic Zorthian Ranch in Altadena, California. In summer of 2024, Amen became the newest artist to sign with legendary producer Rick Rubin’s publishing company “American Songs”. Nowadays Amen - with the support of American Songs / Pulse has released his debut single, “California Blues.”

Phoggy Jeph presents Hunter Watts and Alex Amen at Healing Force of the Universe on December 12, 2024, doors at 8 PM.

$15 adv/$20 at the door.

Charlie Hickey is an LA-based artist known for his ethereal storytelling and raw vocal style. His debut EP, Count The Stairs, on Phoebe Bridgers’s Saddest Factory Records, captivated fans and gained support from artists like Bridgers, Muna, and Jeremy Zucker. After parting ways with the label, he collaborated with Jonathan Rado (The Killers) to create new music that blends timeless pop with a rough edge, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac. His upcoming work features contributions from writers like Steph Jones and Bulow. The first single, "Death Grip," was released on September 27. Charlie has also co-written songs for artists such as Madi Diaz and Samia, hinting at an exciting future.

Cayden Wemple opens.

$20 adv / $24 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Silly Lily released her album, Tell Me When It's Time, in September and is coming to perform songs from it with a full band at Healing Force of the Universe in December.

So silly!

Doors at 8 PM.

$12 adv/$15 at the door

We are ending our Second Sunday Screening Live Concert Film series this year with Woodstock, a live concert film around the iconic Woodstock festival of 1969, a festival we've been dancing around in our film series.

$7.50 this time around.

Doors at 6 PM. Film at 6:30 PM.

In Essence is an indie rock group formed by high school friends Ryan Gero and Wes Jensen. What began as a creative escape during the pandemic has evolved into a vibrant musical journey, combining the nostalgic songwriting of 70s rock with the lo-fi charm and rich instrumentation of 2000s bedroom pop. With three singles released, anticipation is building for their debut album

Shores is an indie pop/RNB project created by LA based artist and songwriter Lucas Donovan. Lucas has spent the last three years honing in his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, culminating in the creation of the new single "Make Sense" and many future releases. From the beginning of an idea to its release, every step of the creative process for Shores takes place in Lucas's room.

The Minnesota-raised, Los Angeles-based independent artist August James is a rare triple threat as a singer, songwriter, and producer. August’s autobiographical coming-of-age lyricism combined with his signature synth-fueled sound has quickly built a loyal organic following: to date, he has garnered 2M+ streams on his discography completely independently, with editorial placements on Spotify playlists Lorem, Fresh Finds, Indie Pop, tear drop, and more.

$12 adv + DICE fees / $14 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Jacob Cummings is an LA-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter raised in the small surf town of New Smyrna Beach in Florida. Though largely known as a photographer and visual artist, Cummings is a classically-trained saxophonist and “total band kid” with a natural aptitude for arrangement and a boardwalk-gothic sensibility inspired by his formative memories of the Florida coast. Cummings debuted as an artist with the instrumental “COVID project” Slow Paradise in 2020 and subsequently released Fishing from Heaven with his partner Laney Tripp in 2021. Southern & Enlightened marks the first time Cummings has featured his vocals on record, and he considers it to be his solo debut proper.

Cummings recorded Southern & Enlightened in a home once owned by his grandmother, who passed away shortly before recording. The artist stayed for a month before the house was due to be torn down, going through his grandmother’s affairs and watching Ken Burns’ Baseball. One imagines the memories of the old house and the sadness of its impending destruction seeped into the music—and perhaps some of Burns’ old, weird Americana as well. This is tactile music, alive with the feeling of sea spray, sand against skin, winds blowing through open cabin windows, the textures of old wood and burnished brass. 

Though Cummings’ arrangements are kin to LA’s tradition of studio psychedelia, reminiscent of Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle or Brian Wilson’s Smile at its foggiest, there’s a pleasingly Atlantic undertone that’ll appeal to fans of Louis Malle’s Atlantic City, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, the seashell-eyed music of Real Estate and Beach House. Southern & Enlightened presses into deeply personal territory, dealing with themes of family, eternity and death, yet it makes its impression of melancholy and impermanence as strongly through the lyrics as Cummings’ pitch-perfect understanding of arrangement, spacing and timbre.

Southern & Enlightened is accompanied by a full visual album shot and directed by Cummings in Florida.

$13 adv + DICE fees / $16 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Philip Krohnengold & Friends First Thursday residency returns to Healing Force of the Universe in December! This time, Joel P West is PK's friend.

$20 adv / $25 at the door.

Doors at 8 PM.

Why? Returns to Healing Force of the Universe.

Words: Rich Ferguson, LA-based award-winning "beat poet"

Sights: NORTON WISDOM (www.nortonwisdom.com) “NO WAR”

Sounds: Butch Norton + Billy Mohler + Jason Abraham Roberts

Billy Mohler, an exploratory jazz bassist with pop credits like Dolly Parton and Lady Gaga, is a Berklee graduate and Thelonious Monk Institute alum who studied with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. His inventive debut Focus and 2022 release Anatomy highlight his rhythmic compositions and raw chemistry with bandmates. Joining him is Jonathan Hayes "Butch" Norton, the renowned drummer from the indie rock band Eels, and Jason Abraham Roberts, known for collaborations with Bedouine, Norah Jones, and Ben Kweller. Together, they promise a dynamic musical experience.

$15 adv + DICE fees / $18 at the door

Doors at 7 PM. Show at 8 PM.

December 3rd is the FINAL Advanced Jazz Workshop Concert of the fall semester!

New original music by workshop students and jazz standards will be featured.

Open to the public! Free admission!

Doors at 6:30 PM. Performance from 7-8 PM

Royal Oakie Roadshow comes to Healing Force of the Universe

Donald Beaman is a Northern California-based songwriter, singer, and guitarist with four albums to his name. He performs solo and with a backing band, sharing stages with artists like Jonathan Richman and Sharon Van Etten. Previously, he was part of The Double, a prominent act in New York City's early 2000s music scene, releasing three albums on Matador Records and touring with notable bands like Feist and Interpol. Beaman’s fifth album Fog On Mirror Glass is slated for release on Oakland, CA based Royal Oakie Records on June 14th 2024.

Building on his experience as a journeyman musician, Jeff Moller writes slacker anthems that sound like a fog-pop Tom Petty - full of his trademark sardonic humor, catchy melodic hooks, and colorful arrangements.

Gold Star Gold Star is the home-recording project of Adam Miller and Adam Obermeier. Conceived shortly after the recording of their debut effort as members of , the duo began work on their first record: Introducing... Gold Star Gold Star. Four years later, the pair returns with their sophomore effort: Sunday's Fine.

$15 adv/$18 at the door

Nicole McCabe is an alto saxophonist, composer and educator from Marin County, California who works and lives in Los Angeles. A rising star in the city’s interdisciplinary scenes, she recently released Mosaic, her fourth album as a bandleader, on Ghost Note Records. The LP follows Landscapes on the Spanish label Fresh Sound and her 2020 debut Introducing Nicole McCabe on Minaret. What Is My Porpoise?, the latest album from her electro-jazz duo with bassist and partner Logan Kane, is forthcoming on Dox.

Alto Saxophonist Devin Daniels has performed in many different configurations of bands in the jazz idiom since 2010. Hailing from Inglewood, California, Daniels has worked to become one of the newest and most exciting voices in the modern jazz scene. He has studied with some of the leading educators/players in America including Keisha Potter, Rusty Higgins, Josh Johnson, Shannon LeClaire, and George Garzone.

Henry Solomon is an American saxophonist, composer, and producer living in Los Angeles, California.

$15 adv + DICE fees / $18 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Worthitpurchase are an art pop outfit from Los Angeles, CA.

Jake and Fia = Jia*

Sunset music for the summer of love = Devon Earth

Doors at 8 PM

$10 adv/$12 at the door

Dave Harrington's latest album, Skull Dream, captures the essence of ephemeral dreams with its psychedelic and unpredictable soundscapes. A surreal fusion of drone, abstract jazz, post-rock, and ambient, it feels like a cinematic journey through the mind's labyrinth. As the first release on his new label, Maximum Overdub, it marks a new era for the New York-raised, L.A.-based guitarist and producer. Harrington, known for his work with DARKSIDE and Taper’s Choice, continues to push boundaries and solidify his place among experimental music's greats.

Featuring Spencer Zahn, CJ Camerieri, Raky Sasiri, Seth Ford-Young, Dr. Nate Sloan, Matt Stubbs and Darius Christian.

$15 adv + DICE fees / $20 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Jonie, joined by Frail Talk + Alexander Biggs, will play her debut LA show Nov. 20th at Healing Force of the Universe.

Jonie, half of folk duo Companion, brings the heart of Oklahoma folk to her new roots in LA, with a distinct emphasis on songwriting that feels at once lighthearted and fiercely vulnerable. Her lyrics draw from the well of open-hearted honesty, humor, and community that defined her Midwestern upbringing, creating songs that flow like conversations with a friend.

Formed in the foothills of Northern Colorado in early 2020, Alex Woodchek and Cor Wright of Frail Talk are creating a blooming universe of squiggly indie music for squiggly people. Like the kind surprise of a backyard garden, their songs spring up from the dirt with folk roots, soft pop colors, and burgeoning lyricism ready to welcome every listener with daydream-love.

Since the release of his debut album Hit or Miss, Alexander Biggs continues to unfold his eclectic take on bedroom folk. Earnest, sardonic, and sometimes cheeky in their delivery, Biggs offers condolences and perspective of life truly lived. Far away from the blanket forts and back room studio set ups of the last record, Biggs’ attitude to self-recording is still apparent in their pursuit to find the words in our shared experience.

$12 adv + DICE fees / $15 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Hi!

We turn one on November 19! We're throwing a party!

Free beer from simpatico brewery, Solarc!

19% off store-wide!

Karaoke!

Crash DJs!

7 PM

Free with RSVP! RSVP HERE!!!

Hope to see you!

Thanks for being here!

Peace and love,

Healing Force of the Universe

Isaac Watters has been busy dreaming up new ideas. He’s forever been a creator, whether via visual or musical mediums. In recent times, the soft-spoken innovator’s output has blossomed in a new and exciting way. Funky, minimal and brooding in the most inviting way possible, Watters’ music stops you in your tracks. Armed with a booming baritone that recalls one of his greatest influences, Tom Waits, the singer injects his music with a loose and enticing aura — it draws you in with its moving melodies and sensual grooves.

French-American singer/songwriter Sydney Wayser released three albums of breezy yet sophisticated indie folk-pop under her own name before adopting the moniker Clara-Nova during the mid-2010s. Her Clara-Nova material is just as complex and introspective as her earlier work, but it's a bit more pop-minded, with catchier hooks and more electronic arrangements.

Ivy Meissner, known as Little Mystery, has a voice that captivates and commands attention. Her resonant, bluesy delivery blends smoky warmth with crystalline clarity, while her songwriting fuses the storytelling of Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell with Bonnie Raitt’s attitude. On her debut album, she weaves ‘60s pop, ‘70s folk-rock, and more into timeless pop-rock anthems, exploring dark pasts and the quest for connection in an anxious world. Her music is a powerful, triumphant call for healing and chasing dreams.

$10 adv + DICE fees / $13 at the door

Doors at 7 PM

Soft Spot Co-Write Group: Writers Round

Come to our end of session Writers Round where songwriters will be sharing songs they’ve written over the past 10 weeks. Soft Spot hosts songwriting groups several times a year where songwriters write a song a week for 10 weeks.

Songs from Ashley Desiree, Dyon Dawson, Eliana Rosen, Hannah Moroz, Hillary Reynolds, Mike McClellan, Nikki Kelly, Sarah Bresn, Stephen Ettu, Tim Van Aelst

Free to attend / 2-4 PM

New Zealand-born, Texas-bred and California-beckoned Austin Leonard Jones (solo) has moseyed his way through all shades of lo-fi music, pop and otherwise, but on his latest album — Dead Calm (Perpetual Doom 2022) — he fully commits to authentic jukebox honky-tonk.

With woebegone vocals up-front, Flying Burrito Brothers-esque backing, high lonesome pedal steel hovering above, and the occasional bright spots of sonic color, Jones and producer Jesse Woods have crafted a classic western movie of an album. Taut lyrics sketch out the songwriting protagonist as uncertain leader, puzzled outsider, and, ultimately, a pure artist confronting middle age on his own terms. Captured in old-style tape warmth and with Panavision storytelling setting the mood, Dead Calm is your new favorite summer blockbuster.

Jones releases his latest album, Famous Times, on November 5, 2024.

Cooper Kenward (full band) writes warm feel-good-even-if-you-feel-bad songs. Hailing from a small town in Northern California, he explores the odd backroads of the heart. He has a mix of songs that could be blasted from a barn, giggled from a ferris wheel, or hummed in a rainstorm. By day, Kenward makes films. Some say that's why his ballads smack of vivid details. He honed his skills playing in the infamous garage band Nature's Vegas in San Francisco, and now resides in LA with his pitbull Bonnie Raitt A

Eliot Eidelman (solo) and Rowan Newby (full band) on as well.

$12 adv + DICE fees / $15 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Single release show for Cat Matthews’ single "Kaleidoscope Eyes" coming out November 15, 2024.

$12 adv/$15 at the door.

Phoggy Jeph Presents…

The Ticks, Pink Dolphins, and Expose, live at Healing force of the Universe.

$10 adv + DICE fees / $12 at the door

Doors at 8 PM

Johanna Samuels and Tyler Ballgame are Lomaland.

Performing live for the first time with an all-star band at Healing Force of the Universe.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

$20 adv + dice fees / $25 at the door

Doors at 8 PM