Artist: Tom Middleton Album: Lifetracks Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: 11/06/07 Listen to the track "Shinkansen": DJ, mixologist, and producer Tom Middleton has put out an album in his own name. You may have heard of some Middleton's other projects of the last 15 years: AMBA, COSMOS, Global Communication, and The Jedi Knights or his remixes of Prince, Coldplay, and Jamiroquai but this is his first release of his own tracks with his own......

Diana & Alice Bag circa '78 I almost didn’t go to see Ann Summa’s Los Angeles punk photo exhibition at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica. No offense to the once, raw obscure photographers who happened to be at the right place at the right time 30 years ago,...

Here's the mix: Download or listen to the mix above which contains the songs and their related articles below: - Spoon "Infinite Pet" for show review by Staci Goodner - No Age "Everybody's Down" for a story/show review by Joshua Pressman - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "Tell Me" for a CD review by tomdog - MIA "Galang" for a show review by Joey Maloney - Cake "War Pigs" cuz they play on 11/30 at......

In honor of what would be Jimi Hendrix's 65th birthday today, I am posting my impressions of The Experience Music Project in Seattle. Last November I visited the Experience Music Project. Many of my Seattle friends are boycotting EMP because of its founder, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft. He...

Artist: The Most Serene Republic Album: Population Label: Arts & Crafts Listen to their sample track "The Men Who Live Upstairs": The Most Serene Republic play at the Echoplex tonight, opening for Los Campesinos but don't miss them TMSR because they might be the better reason to go to the show. I love how their new album opens, the first track, "Humble Peasants", is an instrumental but I'm a sucker for whistling during songs. TMSR......

Beck - "Where It's At" If you were one of the lucky 700 who packed the Echoplex last night you were treated to Beck's only North American tour date before he head off to Europe to open for a little band called the Police. For the rest of you, here's a nice video of one of his biggest hits. Yes, you're welcome. If this doesn't quite quench your thirst, however, may we recommend checking......

Like Daft Punk? Odds are if you like em, you love em. Maybe not as much as these two ladies, but we bet you wouldn't pass up a chance to chit chat with them if you had a chance. What about just chat with them? Well tomorrow might be your lucky day as the mysterious duo will be online answering questions from their fans to help spread the word about their new cd, Alive......

In the 80s, I kind of felt like I was living in the Twilight Zone. Particularly the episode where everyone thinks people with pig faces are beautiful. Back then, people were wearing asymmetrical everything, giant hair, giant shoulderpads, giant polkadots, and dayglo colors to complement the ultrathick, bushy eyebrows....

In 1987, U2 did a little guerrilla music video shoot on top of the Republic Liquor Store at 7th and Main in Downtown Los Angeles. Only announced hours before the shoot on the radio, thousands and thousands of fans poured into what many considered a bad part of town prompting the LAPD to have a little freak out and try shut down the show before anything happened. Luckily, in the name of rock n'......

By the end of yesterday morning, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael Balzary, popularly known as Flea, sent a text message saying his home "had burnt to a crisp," according to the LA Times.Michael Balzary, a.k.a. Flea, had purchased a home for more than $10 million in Malibu last year, but the house that burned was another he owned in the hills west of Corral Canyon. That French country-style home is listed for sale......

by Chuck Clayton for LAist Toothpaste is good and so is orange juice, but it’s a goddamn tragedy every time you try to combine them. Like power-pop. Seems like a no-brainer on paper, you know — mixing Beatles melodic values with bigger guitars and drums — but, in practice,...

There was an article in the LA Times some time ago about the Downtown arts and culture scene suffering Westside patronage due to rush hour traffic. Unless residents we're already Downtown, buying a ticket to a play, symphony concert or opera was not worth the frustration stuck in traffic. On Wednesday, the LA Opera announced their new weekday service to take ticket holders on a luxury motor coach from the Federal Building in Westwood to......

The ever talented and lovely Alicia Keys performed just before the massive 4000+ strong march down Hollywood Blvd. Keys, with the #1 album in the country As I Am, said "As a SAG member and a writer, she was there to support the cause." After the mini-concert of two songs, "No One" and "Go Ahead", the red army took to the street. March and chanting from Vine to right in front of the Chinese......

For some reason we thought that this video got eaten by our technology, but look, there's Alicia Keys belting out "No One", her second and final song from the Writers Guild march and rally and mini-concert in Hollywood today. We also have video of her other song too. Do we love her? Yes. Do we have a few more bonus pics of her for your collective asses? Find out after the jump :)......

At 1:15pm today on Hollywood Blvd. it was hot. At 1:20pm when Alicia Keys got on the small stage on the back of a truck and performed "Go Ahead", one of the best new tracks from her latest cd As I Am, it got much hotter. We had to take off our jacket. Lucky for you we had a pretty decent spot in the photo pit and we shot this video for you because......

New Jersey singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs (MySpace), whose song "Fuck Was I" was on Weeds, is arguably best known for her connection with the controversial and self-described "Queen of All Media" Perez Hilton, whose championing of her music led to visits on her MySpace page reportedly leaping from 2,000...

On Saturday evening, the City of Beverly Hills held its Annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony, "Deck the Hills," on Rodeo Dr., with performances by m-pact (MySpace), Concert 9Net (MySpace), and The Ditty Bops (MySpace). This was followed with the lighting by Mayor Jimmy Delshad and "surprise guest" Sharon Stone (who...

"It's so nice and quiet and beautiful in here... from here the lighting kinda looks like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica." -- Neko Case, melting the heart of every geek in the house while taking in the mysterious angles and lighting inside the Frank Gehry-designed concert hall. Neko Case closed out the first half of Walt Disney Concert Hall's 2007-08 Songbook Series last Friday to a rapt, grateful, near-sellout audience of about 2,000. The......

Although it might be "understood that Hollywood sells Californication", the boys who wear tube socks on their magic johnsons are headed to court to argue that you can't just steal it. Showtime has found itself on a little roll with "Weeds", "Dexter", and now the sexy/dickish David Duchovny series "Californication", but someone forgot to ask the Red Hot Chili Peppers if it was kosher to use their word for the show. The Hollywood Reporter's......

The wonderful folks over at Arthur Magazine not only organized, but documented the wondrous No Age LA River show Saturday (perhaps you saw the LAist photo essay concert review). This finely edited three-part documentary was conducted by Mark Frohman, Art Director of Arthur Magazine. The videos surfaced merely 24-hours after the show! I'd like to thank Jay Babcock for sending us these links. Parts 1 & 3 after the jump.........

What could have been a humdrum Saturday afternoon turned out to be the most memorable I've had this entire year. No Age and a lucky crowd of about 75 broke history. Actually, I'm not even sure if we broke history. However, I am certain that no other band has had the gall to execute a renegade show of this particular nature before. This is what happens when you combine an Arthur Magazine editor-type guy,......

Artist: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Album: 100 Days, 100 Nights Label: Daptone Records Release Date: 10/02/07 Promo Track "100 Days, 100 Nights": When I first listened to this CD I thought it was a reissue of some '60s soul supergroup but no, this gem came out just last month!...

One reason that I like the Six Degrees Records label so much is that it's a high-output label, constantly offering us new artists and music from literally all over the map. Six Degrees is also one of the first labels to truly embrace the web, with digital-only offerings, free downloads, and countless remixes available in almost real-time. Three recent arrivals in Six Degrees web-based Emerging Artist Series are EPs from David Starfire, Alien Chatter, and......

Back in 2002 or so, a guy friend of mine introduced me to a band he had discovered, whose lyrics were all about two fictional characters in a sci-fi world, and whose artwork had no band photos, only a drawing of the fictional guy and girl. The music was...

Not long ago, UK's Athlete scored the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for their 2003 album Vehicles and Animals. I've been following the band ever since that remarkable album. However, many have said that they made a stark transition from bright to melodramatic tones. Some see their 2005 album Tourist as the dawning of the Coldplay-esque, Brit-pop phase in Athlete's catalog. Fresh off the heels of their latest album Beyond The Neighborhood, Athlete have continued in......

With reports of The King of Pop's financial troubles continuing to moonwalk all over the press, it's hard to feel sorry for the middle aged superstar, considering he hasn't really seemed to try to work out his issues - literally. You'd think a guy like Michael Jackson could do a few concerts and collect the $212,963 that's reportedly outstanding on his $23,212,963 mortgage on his sprawling ranch north of Santa Barbara. This summer Pollstar......

This Thursday and Friday, Los Angeles will see the first return in 30 years of one of its more singular musical forces: Ya Ho Wa 13. Active from 1969-77, the band produced nine LPs – and recorded enough for fifty-six more - of stunningly original psychedelic rock. Hardly anyone...

Friday night marked the final performance of Of Montreal's LA stint and it will never slip from my memory. I felt like I was tripping on acid. I had the worst cold I've contracted in years, surely that didn't help, and random imagery (Dave Navarro, grizzly bears, cartoon heads, and iTunes-like visualizers) was in full effect throughout the night. Between MGMT's psychedelic, synth-laden set, Grand Buffet's abrasive, hilarious antics, and the filming Of Montreal's......

by Kira Gouriluk for LAist KT would have rather haven been on the DL yesterday in LA, but it's OK. Shortly after landing into LAX yesterday from Scotland, the first thing she had to do was start answering questions from the press, and worse, from bloggers! Such are the ups-and-downs of the 32-year-old KT Tunstall who had to wake up at 4am for a flight that took her 'round the world where today she will......

There has been no one to hit the music scene in the past few years as original and refreshing as M.I.A. Her infectious blend or hip hop, dancehall, drum and bass and even a bit of electronic, has been getting crowds across the world shaking and moving to her grooves. Friday night she returned to Los Angeles, and after making the crowd wait a bit longer than expected she came through like a whirlwind......

It's a dream date for fans of Canadian songstress Feist and Austin's Spoon. Feist is just now making her break on the world stage, with a little help from Uncle Steve. But anyone with an ear to the Toronto indie rock scene could hear her coming ever since her solo debut, Monarch, was released on the heels of By Divine Right's "Bless This Mess" Tour (she was their rhythm guitarist). For most of this......

One year ago today the South Bay lost a punk rock legend and I lost one of my oldest friends. Michael James Webber Dec 1, 1962 - Nov 11, 2006. Michael James Webber, a life long resident of Torrance, passed away on Saturday, November 11, 2006 in Torrance. Born in...

Last Friday night at the Roxy, Paper Magazine treated attendees to a raucous tournament-to-the (almost) death, of guitarist vs. guitarist. We might all be playing Guitar Hero III but these guys were doing it for real. At least 8 guitarists competed head-to-head over several rounds - each guitarist had 90 seconds to shred their guts out with an optional rhythm section. A three judge panel would decide or resort to a 30 second face off......

Architecture In Helsinki harness a preternatural exuberance that no other band carries. Perhaps it's due, in large part, to the fact that they're headquartered in the land down under. I'd like to think so. Whichever the case may be, their band bio sums their presence up best: "Like a giant Voltron robot uniting at the sunset." I arrived at the Troubadour on Wednesday just in time for Nike "Dunk"-laden AIH to take stage. They were......

For those of you who remember the Masque (and those of you wishing you remembered the Masque), Brendan Mullen, The Echo and Swindle Magazine will be presenting Punk Veteran's Day 2007 Sunday at the Echo. Come celebrate the release of Live at the Masque: Nightmare in Punk Alley, a book of previously unreleased photos, posters and flyers compiled and edited by Brendan Mullen and Roger Gastman. Sunday, November 11, 2007 3pm til ? Echoplex +......

Artist: Beirut Album: The Flying Club Cup Label: Ba Da Bing Records Release Date: 10/09/07 Listen to the track "A Sunday Smile": Beirut is the brainshild of the oft-blogged travelling wunderkind 21-yr old Zach Condon. Whereas Beirut's debut release, Gulag Orkestar, was an obtuse and idealized interpretation of Balkan music, this new release is Zach's take on the music of Parisian street minstrels. With multiple vocal and string tracks, in addition to the expected accordion......

Let's start getting excited for the Masque event with some Screamers. Tomata was one of the greatest frontmen who ever lived. Look at that stiff posture and screaming face. He was to accidentally inspire horrible bands like the Buggles, Gary Neuman and other new wave crap to come. But at...

Artist: Foreign Born Album: On The Wing Now Label: Dim Mak Release Date: 8/21/07 Listen to the track "Letter of Inclusion" While all of Foreign Born's members may not be native sons of LA, they are emissaries of a Silver Lake music scene with their own, almost classic, West Coast flavor. "Almost classic" because the era of the Beach Boys, and the Mamas and the Poppas (and to a lesser extent the Eagles) is now......

Artist: Herbie Hancock Album: River: The Joni Letters Label: Verve Records Release Date: 9/25/07 I haven't had a chance to review a release from a "living legend" until this album arrived in my PO box. Herbie Hancock seems like someone who has done it all: a jazz icon unafraid of technology, a winner of multiple Grammy awards and an Oscar, and a virtuoso live performer - but he's never been a lyricist, and had never......

A new documentary by the always innovative, if lowercase, dublab, entitled Secondhand Sureshots: an experiment in creative sound recycling, will be pre-screened at the USC Annenberg Auditorium on November 14th, at 6pm. Presented by The Norman Lear Center's Popular Music Project, the documentary centers around four L.A. djs (Daedelus,...

File this under: Biting the hand that feeds you. His royal purpleness, Prince and his record label, have made the rather genius move of threatening to sue his own fans for the use of pictures of Prince, his lyrics and "anything linked to Prince's likeness." (That included fans' photographs of Prince-inspired tattoos and license plates.) Now we can understand if an artist is a bit miffed at sites for pirating and stealing music for......

What can I say? We're huge fans of Aussie collective Architecture In Helsinki. Mr. Sternberg gave you 5 reasons to go see them back in June and for good reason. AIH's funk-infused, pop jams make you feel downright good. Their latest album Places Like This is an addictive romp that draws comparisons to Talking Heads and Muppets On Crack. I don't care what Pitchfork has to say. Their music is adorable and inspires lighthearted shimmying.......

It was impressed on me from the get-go, "Heima" is the Icelandic term for "at home" or "homeland". In Sigur Rós' first film ever, due out November 20th, "Lilo & Stitch" co-director Dean Deblois takes a quirky approach to documenting their 2006 return to Iceland. After touring the world in...

There are many different ways you could have heard of Tinariwen by now - even if you don't keep up with world music, you could have heard Henry Rollins play them on Indie 103.1, or read that they opened for The Rolling Stones, or heard that Thom Yorke was inspired by one of their guitar riffs while writing 'The Clock' on Eraser. Not your usual buzz band, Tinariwen are part of a nomadic desert......

The day after Neil Young’s first show at the Nokia Theater, I was having trouble believing I hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. I got pictures, but they’re kind of blurry. My friends seem to remember the same things happening, but I could have dreamed them up too. It just seemed like too much. As you may have guessed if you read my earlier review of Chrome Dreams 2, I’m a big fan. Long time......

Lately when I browse Craigslist, I am alarmed at how many posts are from musicians who call themselves 'professionals'. Any struggling songwriter or musician, trying to put together a band, at first glance might read that and think, "Oh good, I don't want anyone flaky." But don't be mislead...

By now you've probably heard that this year's Vegoose was a smashing success. Pretty much everything about the show was great; plenty of booze, food, facilities, and the availability of televised sports (for the adamant college football/NFL/World Series fans willing to miss their favorite bands to catch the score.)...

The Pogues @ The Wiltern - Tonight ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, Dethklok @ UCLA - Tonight Redd Kross @ Echoplex - Tomorrow The Polyphonic Spree, Rooney @ Henry Fonda - Tomorrow Yo La Tengo @ The Ivar - Tomorrow Low Versus Diamond @ Viper Room - Tomorrow The Bronx, The Mercy Killers @ Safari Sam's - Tomorrow Rodrigo Y Gabriela @ Henry Fonda, 11/3 Yo La Tengo......