Springtime Carnivore starring Greta Morgan, whose music has been acclaimed as “amazing pop pieces with intelligence,” headlines Roaring Nights 2015, the Los Angeles Zoo’s annual summer music series for ages 18 and up, on Friday, July 24, 2015, 7 to 11 pm. The July Roaring Nights brings an uncommon call of the wild to the Zoo as it also features DJ Johnny Hawkes spinning tunes, L.A.’s favorite food trucks, full-service bars, and a Game Zone with tabletop games and life-size versions of Jenga and Kerplunk. The fun also includes pop-up zookeeper talks, animal encounters, visits to the Zoo’s new jaguar home (along with other animal habitats), and an “Animal Artistry Paint Party” where guests can express their creativity by painting a favorite animal (or whatever inspiration strikes them) on a small canvas to take home as a souvenir. Among the high-profile food trucks are Coolhaus, Komodo, Lobsta Truck, Mandoline Grill, Ragin Cajun, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Urban Oven, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Bakery Truck, Border Grill, Dogtown Dogs, India Jones, Rice Balls of Fire, Son of a Bun, The Hungry Nomad, The Bakery Truck and The Pudding Truck. The summer’s third Roaring Nights evening takes place on Friday, August 21 with headline band The Pac Men, which performs all-80s hits including dance, rock, pop, new wave, and R&B, and whose motto is “BIG SONGS, BIG HAIR & BIG FUN.” The series is media-sponsored by KCRW and Pasadena Magazine.
Greta Morgan was a founding member of The Hush while still in high school, and found herself at age sixteen on tour opening for artists such as One Republic, Fall Out Boy, OK GO and The All American Rejects. In 2009 she formed Gold Motel and opened for Butch Walker, Hello Goodbye, and Cold War Kids. With Springtime Carnivore, her own solo project, she has a new album produced in part by Richard Swift (of The Shins), which will be released on Autumn Tone (via ANTI/Epitaph).
Johnny Hawkes, who brings individuality and inspiration to the dance music scene, has been featured in some of Hollywood’s most elite nightclubs and is known for his ability to appeal to diverse crowds, skillfully mixing an assortment of genres. An “in-demand” DJ at exclusive events, clubs and fashion shows in Los Angeles, Hawaii, Canada, Thailand, and New Zealand, he has had residencies at the Playboy Mansion, MyHouse, MyStudio, Crimson/Opera and has played at Sundance Film Festival parties, movie premieres and wrap parties.
The landmark Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, drawing 1.6 million visitors each year, is home to a diverse collection of 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, many of which are rare or endangered. Its lush grounds on 113 acres feature the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles); Elephants of Asia; Campo Gorilla Reserve; Rainforest of the Americas, an extraordinary collection of endangered and exotic mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians living in spaces that exemplify their natural habitat in the rainforest biosphere; Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel; an Indian Rhino Encounter direct-contact opportunity; Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains, home to one of the largest troops of chimpanzees in the United States; Red Ape Rain Forest, where visitors can walk among orangutans; the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo; one of the largest flocks of flamingos in any zoo in the world; a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants; and much more. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), whose members meet rigorous professional standards for animal welfare, the Zoo has achieved renown as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. The private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), which has supported the Zoo in partnership with the City of Los Angeles for more than five decades and provides funding for and operates seven essential Zoo departments, has 60,000 member households representing more than 240,000 adults and children. As evidence of the Zoo’s popularity, GLAZA attracts one of the largest membership bases of any cultural organization in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.
Roaring Nights tickets, which are $20, or $17 for GLAZA members (age 18 and up with valid ID for both price levels), are available at www.lazoo.org/roaringnights/. Each evening of the series requires a separate admission ticket. For additional information, call (323) 644-6042.
