Hey everybody,

Molly here, your KCRW Insider and your go-to for everything happening in and around KCRW. Here’s a shake of what you’ll get in the newsletter this week:

• In the studio: Thierry Frémaux, the Director of the Cannes Film Festival, is on The Treatment
• In the community: Metro is throwing a party to celebrate the newest D Line stations, and our KCRW DJs are joining the festivities!
• Around the watercooler: Kim Ishikawa shares her review of Venice hotspot, RVR
• In other news: The best tuna melts in LA

One of the best parts of living in LA and working at KCRW is running into listeners in the wild and hearing firsthand the impact the station has on their lives. It feels good to be part of something that genuinely resonates with the community.

I felt that same pride reading a recent Spin magazine interview with our Music Director Ale Cohen and KCRW DJs Novena Carmel and SiLVA, which highlights how KCRW continues to push boundaries while staying true to its core.

We're also working beyond the radio to bring music discovery to the community with our countless free events across LA, including Summer Nights (2026 lineup just dropped!). Check out all our NEW and returning partner venues, like La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA, plus the fantastic talent, including Trixie Mattel, RIO KOSTA, and more.

In the food world, Evan Kleiman has been booked and busy with her show Good Food show, hanging with Madeleine Brand on Press Play, and moderating a Top Chef panel with Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons, and Tom Colicchio on the Universal lot.

My favorite reminder of our impact, though, is randomly seeing you all sporting KCRW merch in the wild. You all look great! We’ve got some really cute new merch inspired by vintage KCRW designs.

I hope to see you all in your KCRW swag at Summer Nights over the next few months. Thank you for being a part of what makes KCRW eclectic.

-Molly

In the Studio

Actor, comedian, and composer Eric André joins Novena Carmel on Morning Becomes Eclectic, sharing his favorite songs and talking about his new project, BLARF.

As a scholar of film, Thierry Frémaux, director of the Institute Lumière and Cannes Film Festival, was drawn to telling the Lumière brothers’ story. Frémaux talks to Elvis Mitchell on The Treatment about why the Lumière brothers' invention of the cinematograph was so consequential. 

Mariah Carey has more No. 1 hits than any other American artist to date. Music journalist Danyel Smith interviewed the artist for The New York Times’ list of “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.” Sam Sanders caught up with Danyel to talk about Mariah Carey’s songwriting and sampling prowess, the systemic disrespect for Black women in music, and how Mariah cemented her place in music history.

KCRW In The Community

LA County’s newest Metro D Line stations are here, and we’re celebrating this Friday! Join us at four different stations, each featuring a KCRW DJ spinning live sets, plus delicious pop-up food options at every stop.

This Saturday, KCRW, Vidiots, and Black Bear Pictures invite you to a special advance screening of Tuner, followed by a conversation with actress Havana Rose Liu and producers JoAnne Sellar and Lila Yacoub. This screening is open to KCRW members first. Guests must RSVP to attend. If space allows, non-members may be admitted. Please note that RSVP does not guarantee entry.

Around The Watercooler
(Staff Recs)

Kim (Membership team): RVR
Trying new restaurants is one of my favorite things, a little harder these days with a toddler. But I recently snuck away for a lunch date at RVR (pronounced “river”) on Abbot Kinney, and it was worth it.

The space feels like an intimate neighborhood spot, mostly bar seating and small tables, a few booths if you’re with a group, and some limited rooftop seating. It leans cozy, a little tucked away, and easy to forget where you are.

The menu is izakaya-inspired, built around seasonal California produce from Gjelina founding chef Travis Lett. We tried a mix of small plates, ramen, and the orange mochi beignets (available at brunch only). The standouts were the vegetables: the grilled cabbage with curry leaf aioli and the tofu green goddess salad with basil, shiso, and sunflower nori furikake. Both simple, savory, and a little unexpected, the kind of dishes you keep thinking about after.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful, ingredient-driven meal in a relaxed setting, this is a good one.

Rom (Art & Design team): Pop-up show featuring Geller
Last weekend, I went to Ascot Hills Park to watch electronic artist Geller put on an improvised synth performance. It was about a half-mile hike from the trailhead, and when I got there, his setup of modular synths sprawled out on fold-up tables was surrounded by fellow Angelenos and full city views. Live music can be found in the most unassuming places in this city. His last show (which I was also at) was under Pioneers Bridge!

Zeke (Content Team): Bad Owl Live 
I went to a great one-day festival at this cool backyard venue in Venice called Space Barn, put on by this record label called Bad Owl. NoMBe headlined. There's a big pond in the middle of the venue, and the concert is hosted in a converted airplane hangar. They do events a couple times a month.

Sponsor

California CASA: Be One of the Helpers

This National Foster Care Month, 50,000 children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems across California are still waiting for someone who cares. Someone who will listen when they are having a bad day and stay in their corner no matter what. Someone who, as Mr. Rogers would say, likes them exactly as they are.

That is the role of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Our volunteers get to know these children and advocate for them in the courtroom and beyond, making sure they have a voice and the services they need to thrive.

Here at California CASA, we work alongside the 44 local CASA programs across the state that are supporting youth and their advocates each day. Find out how you can be one of the helpers.

In Other News

Are you a fan of tuna melts? Good Food’s Evan Kleiman has got you covered. On Press Play, she shares her love of the special food item with Madeleine Brand. Plus, check out her latest Substack to see Evan’s favorite Tuna spots in LA to order a tuna melt.

In this week’s Backseat Babies, we hear from Meredith Sires, a Children’s Librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library, parent to two young kids, and LA native. She shares some of the library’s lesser-known resources, and all you need to access them is a library card!

In KCRW’s newsletter on politics, Steady State, Arnie Seipel examines the intersection of factual news and conspiracy theories. There’s a history of conspiracy theories in America that remains relevant in the cultural zeitgeist despite evidence that discredits them. Read more about the real-world implications of this conspiracy thinking. 

Download the KCRW App