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Melissa Etheridge has always written what she feels, and what she\u2019s feeling right now, at this moment in her life, is liberated. The folk-rock legend, best known for her raspy \u201890s anthems (cue \u201cCome to my window \u2026\u201d), just finished recording a new album due out next year. A theme that permeates throughout her lyrics? Setting herself free.<\/p>\n
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot about letting go of trying to make everything perfect,\u201d Etheridge says. \u201cLetting go of trying to change other people to make me happy because it doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d <\/p>\n She chats with us from her Yes We Are Tour with the Indigo Girls, an occasion she describes as the ultimate girls\u2019 night out. \u201cIt\u2019s brought a lot of women out \u2014 grandmothers, mothers, daughters,\u201d Etheridge says. \u201cIt\u2019s music that you remember and it feels really amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n The tour makes a stop next week at the Greek Theatre, which will feel like a homecoming of sorts for the artist who has lived in L.A. for the past 43 years. Etheridge and her wife Linda Wallem, along with Etheridge\u2019s young adult children, have settled in the Calabasas area and find comfort in the many neighborhood charms. Today Etheridge, who says she has had \u201cmany incredible Sundays\u201d around town, describes a perfect one. It starts with a stroll close to home and then ventures downtown for brunch and art, and into Studio City for a heavenly deep-fried Fluffernutter.<\/p>\n This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n 7 a.m.: Wake up and walk <\/b> 8 a.m.: Coffee with extra love <\/b> 9 a.m.: Crank up the car tunes <\/b> 10 a.m.: A leisurely brunch<\/b> Noon: See what\u2019s on display in downtown L.A.<\/b> 3 p.m.: A quick stop at Atrium <\/b> 3:30 p.m.: Spend time at my favorite musical playground <\/b> Sometimes I\u2019ll trade a guitar with [Norman], and sometimes I\u2019ll have him show me a ridiculously expensive guitar just to look at it, and then I\u2019ll tell him I can never buy it. There\u2019s always something happening in there. I\u2019ve sat in the middle of the store with my friend Ashley McBryde and sang songs. It\u2019s just a really cool place. Only in L.A.<\/p>\n 5 p.m.: A night at the movies<\/b> <\/a> <\/p>\n
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We love to get right up, and the first thing we do is go for a walk. We go for about a mile and a half, and it\u2019s just really lovely. And we love all our neighbors, and it\u2019s a really fantastic place. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Then we would go to La La Land Kind Cafe<\/b><\/a> at the Commons<\/b> in Calabasas. What\u2019s special about it is that it [employs] foster kids. The owner is a really special guy that puts a lot of love into the place. And it\u2019s so L.A. \u2014 you can ask for \u201cextra love\u201d and they\u2019ll say, \u201cOh, we love you!\u201d when we leave. They have a butterfly matcha latte \u2014 you know, blue and green. Really crazy, beautiful drinks. So we\u2019ll pick up coffee and then go to Hank\u2019s Bagels<\/b><\/a> and get some bagels for the kids.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
After we drop everything off at home, we\u2019re leaving to go downtown. On Sunday at nine o\u2019clock, you can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time. I\u2019ve got the music cranked up in our car. We love to listen to the Chris Stapleton channel on Sirius XM. And we\u2019re listening to my new album that I just recorded that won\u2019t be out until 2026.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll go to the Girl & the Goat<\/b><\/a>. Chef Stephanie Izard has these biscuits and chicken. Incredible. It\u2019s not too foofy because you just don\u2019t want to get too foofy for brunch. You want to, oh, feel it when you\u2019re done. So that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do. That\u2019s from, like, 10 to 11 a.m. No, 10 to 12. I\u2019m not rushing. It\u2019s a beautiful restaurant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Then we\u2019re going to go see whatever exhibits or installations they have downtown. The last time we went, it was \u201cLuna Luna.\u201d Really great. One time, it was the King Tut exhibit. <\/p>\n
Then we\u2019ll get the kids. On the way back, we stop at one of our favorite cannabis stores, Atrium<\/b><\/a> on Topanga [Canyon Boulevard] \u2014 our other favorite is Coast to Coast<\/b><\/a> in Canoga Park \u2014 and get some because we\u2019re going to our favorite movie theater later tonight. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
We swing by Norman\u2019s Rare Guitars<\/b><\/a>, which is in Tarzana. It\u2019s not open on Sundays, but if this was a dream, it would be. [Owner Norman Harris] has an exquisite collection that everyone has bought from, from Tom Petty to George Harrison to Bob Dylan to me. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
We\u2019ll get to our favorite movie theater, Cin\u00e9polis<\/b><\/a>, where we\u2019re going to watch the latest movie. They serve dinner and drinks in the theater, and it\u2019s just a really fun night. The last movie we saw was \u201cThunderbolts.\u201d It\u2019s freaking great. God, I love Florence Pugh. My kids were skeptical about Marvel, but they really liked it. It\u2019s nice not having to cook or clean on a Sunday. So far, we\u2019ve eaten 10,000 calories today.<\/p>\n