The combination of strobe lights, DJs and indie bands sounds like a typical night at the clubs. Add science discussions and a Tyrannosaurus fossil to the mix, and you have a Friday night at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
The Natural History Museum’s First Fridays features science discussions, museum tours and live music from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on the first Friday of every month from January to June. First Fridays creates a fresh new way to link the worlds of music and science.
Launched six years ago, First Fridays is a program devoted to changing museum viewing through the union of significant scientific discussion and the latest in popular music. The event caters to the crowds of youths and adults in Los Angeles.
Since its inception, First Fridays has become an epicenter of Los Angeles nightlife, and throngs of people pack the museum at each of its events.
Past First Fridays discussions have ventured into the examination of fossils, evolution, the latest in renewable energy and even the study of spiders, accompanied with performances by indie bands such as Warpaint, Yeasayer, Tune-Yards and Wolfmother.
Su Oh, director of programs at the Natural History Museum, produces the event and credits its attraction to the innovative mixture of the latest in scientific research and indie music.
“What is different about the Natural History Museum is the way science and music are blended together. And we tend to pick music that is more indie, which is also what makes First Fridays different from other museums, and since we have the museum opened till late at night, people can really just enjoy the music and learn about new things in science,” Oh said.
For this Friday, the Natural History Museum will feature a discussion led by Caltech biology Professor David Anderson and a tour with the curator of etymology, Brian Brown. The discussion will focus on the neurology and behaviors of fruit flies and mice. Afterward, there will be performances from the bands Deer Tick and Everest.
“There’s a floor dedicated to the lecture and then another floor for music, and people are really fascinated by the lecture part of First Fridays. When the discussion is over, people don’t have to leave. They can just go to another floor and enjoy the music and really just let loose,” Oh said.
Accompanying the live acts will be DJing by resident DJ Them Jeans and headlining performer DJ Shortee. Never having performed in a museum venue, DJ Shortee said she was surprised by the music choices she was asked to play.
“I’m going to be playing bass and drum and spinning electro music and some hip-hop. I didn’t expect the museum to ask me to play this type of music, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays in a museum,” Shortee said.
Not only will the intellectual and audial senses be aroused, the visual senses will be stimulated by the lighting cast on the dinosaur and animal displays at the Natural History Museum. It will serve as a vivid backdrop to the throngs of people cavorting through the halls of the museum.
“You might find yourself dancing, like in front of a monkey display or elephants or a pack of moose, and that is also a fun part of partying in the museum,” Oh said.
Heather Delleney, a second-year communication studies student, plans to attend March’s First Fridays event, noting not only the fun-filled aspect of the night, but also the economical relief on a college student’s budget. Tickets run as low as $15.
“It’s really just a great place to learn about really cool science and dance and listen to really great music. They had Yeasayer there last month, and tickets are so cheap so there’s no reason not to go. And there’s no other place you can dance in front of dinosaur fossils,” Delleney said.
Andrea Thomer, an alumna and senior excavator at the Page Museum in Los Angeles who will attend the upcoming First Fridays, said she expects to see the museum packed with people.
“It’s not just the concert hall that’s packed. It’s really great to see the lectures packed with people learning about really cool things, and that’s the great part about it, seeing people really engaged in science and just listening to these experts in their field,” Thomer said.
The close proximity of the Natural History Museum to USC also presents an opportunity for students to venture outside of the UCLA campus and into Trojan territory.
“It’s not that far, and the USC kids don’t bite,” Thomer said. “It’s nice to see USC students and UCLA students and just people in general enjoying the museum and having a good time.”
Delleney also sees First Fridays as a way to seek fun outside of the usual Westwood scene.
“If you can get a ride, First Fridays are a great way to get out of Westwood,” Delleney said. “Instead of the usual frat parties, you can really enjoy the rest of Los Angeles.”