Part of an ongoing series. Last Wednesday, local band The Airborne Toxic Event (MySpace) performed at Becker Amphitheatre on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. Even before their now-legendary January residency at Spaceland (MySpace), the band has enjoyed an astonishing surge of popularity -- performing at SXSW, Rockcycle, and a secret show during the Radars To The Sky (MySpace) residency at The Echo (MySpace) -- which culminated with their signing to Majordomo Records as... [continue]

Part of an ongoing series. Last Friday, local band The Movies (MySpace) at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake as part of The Parson Redheads' (MySpace) Owl & Timber EP release show. It was just last month that The Movies celebrated the release of their LP, Based on a True Story, with a show at Bordello alongside The Happy Hollows (MySpace) and The Savages (MySpace). As for The Parson Redheads, their next shows are on... [continue]

Last Saturday, author Paul G. Maziar celebrated the release of his new sold-out book What It Is: What It Is (MySpace) with a West Coast book release party at {open} (MySpace) in Long Beach. In addition to a book reading, the night also featured live musical performances by Jessica Dobson from Deep Sea River, Castledoor (MySpace), and Subrosa (MySpace). As mentioned previously, Castledoor is in the midst of their month-long Monday residency at Detroit... [continue]

This past weekend, the Green Apple Festival (MySpace), billed as "America's Largest Earth Day Celebration," was held in eight cities across the country (with the exception of Washington D.C., which was reportedly rained out), including here in Los Angeles. Performing live music on Sunday at the Santa Monica Pier were the Frequency (MySpace), School of Rock Hollywood All-Stars, Escalera (MySpace), Juliette and the Licks (MySpace), Ziggy Marley (MySpace), and Taj Majal (MySpace). Actress Amy... [continue]

Two weeks ago, local bands Castledoor (MySpace) and The Watson Twins (MySpace) performed for First Fridays (MySpace) at The Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. Those in attendance were rewarded with several songs from The Watson Twins' upcoming album Fire Songs (which streets on June 24th), not to mention an energetic set (concluding with "Remember When") by Castledoor. Speaking of one of this year's bands to watch, they start their month-long residency on May... [continue]

Part three of three. Tuesday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Yesterday: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Today: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Again -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the... [continue]

Part two of three. Yesterday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Today: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Tomorrow: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Recapping -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the... [continue]

Part one of three. Today: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Tomorrow: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Thursday: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. This past weekend, the 2008 installment of the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) rolled back into town (last month it opened with stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Anaheim, and the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood) for the last of two sold-out shows during its domestic run... [continue]

Last Wednesday, Vivid-Alt (MySpace) head, director Eon McKai (MySpace), celebrated the release of his new adult film The Doll Underground with a party at the Little Cave (MySpace) in Highland Park. As reviewed by Violet Blue, The Doll Underground "...is one of the best porn films I've ever seen, and it feels like anti-porn — it's almost against the system it came from by being all that it is — a deep investigation of... [continue]

Last Friday, LA-Underground presented a showcase with Shiloe (MySpace), El Olio Wolof (MySpace), Rademacher (MySpace), and The Monolators (MySpace), at Mr. T's Bowl (MySpace) in Highland Park. El Olio Wolof and Rademacher also performed on Sunday at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake as part of Classical Geek Theatre's show. LA-Underground will be busy this week, (co-)presenting shows tonight with boxViolet (MySpace), Looner (MySpace), Odd Modern (MySpace), and weyou. (MySpace) at The Scene (MySpace) in... [continue]

Nobody better covers the LA indie music scene than the local blogs, which include LA-Underground, Radio Free Silverlake, Rock Insider, You Set The Scene, Squaregirls, Aquarium Drunkard, Classical Geek Theatre, Amateur Chemist, and the now-defunct Buzz Bands. Besides spotlighting up-and-coming artists and posting concert photos, many of those blogs regularly present shows -- Radio Free Silverlake's Let's Independent! have included The Happy Hollows (MySpace), The Deadly Syndrome (MySpace), Castledoor (MySpace), and Everest (MySpace). Late... [continue]

Last Thursday, San Diego-based singer-songwriter (and avid surfer) Tristan Prettyman (MySpace) returned to Los Angeles, headlining at The Roxy (MySpace) in West Hollywood. Australian Whitley (MySpace) was the opener. A self-confessed tabloid junkie, Prettyman performed her signature acoustic cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic," lamenting afterward that she's never around town where the celebrities are. And If there was a theme for (what she repeatedly referred to as) the "spicy" night, it was audience participation, whether... [continue]

Last Tuesday, director Carlos Batts (MySpace) celebrated the release of his new adult film, Young Hollywood, with a party at Safari Sam's (MySpace). Described as "...a kaleidoscope of all things cool in popular culture," Young Hollywood "...brings the adult business into the 21st Century with the real life sexual adventures of celebrity porn stars, hipster models and video vixens living in Hollywood." It's being released by Adam and Eve through its Independent Adult Cinema division.... [continue]

Last Tuesday, singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata (MySpace) performed two sold-out shows at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. A former Hotel Cafe Tour alumnus, Yamagata's appearance there two years ago drew fans from all over Southern California, and these shows were no different, with fans lining up hours in advance for her 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM shows. And since her upcoming two week tour in mid-April takes her to the Midwest and East Coast as well... [continue]

Part of an ongoing series. On Sunday evening, local band Midnight Movies (MySpace) performed on Part Time Punks (MySpace) at The Echo (MySpace), opening for Spectrum. Also on the bill was Chicago's Grimble Grumble (MySpace). Midnight Movies also sold at the show advance copies of their new Nights EP (which streets on iTunes next Tuesday), which includes two versions of the title track "Nights In White Satin" as well as "Should Have Known," "Stormy... [continue]

Part of an ongoing series. On Saturday evening, local green-minded band (and Go Magazine covergirls) The Ditty Bops (MySpace), with Jesca Hoop (MySpace), John Reynolds, and Kaveh Rastegar (MySpace), performed at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. The shows also celebrated the release of The Ditty Bops' third full-length album, Summer Rains, with Hoop singing backup on three tracks: "Skinny Bones," "What Happened To The Radio," and "Feel From The Outside In." The Ditty... [continue]

Last Thursday evening, photographer/director Octavio "Winkytiki" Arizala (MySpace) celebrated the release of his Vivid-Alt (MySpace) movie The Bad Luck Betties at the Redwood Bar & Grill in Downtown LA. Also in attendance, besides Bad Luck Betties' "Smoking" Mary Jane (MySpace) and Mika Tan (MySpace) and newcomers Sochee and Mika, were Vivid-Alt head Eon McKai (MySpace), photographer/director Dave Naz (MySpace) and his girlfriend Ashley Blue, and director Vena Virago (MySpace). The party was presented in... [continue]

Part of an ongoing series. Last Tuesday, local singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop (MySpace), whose album Kismet was number one on Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2007, performed a solo acoustic show at Temple Bar (MySpace) in Santa Monica, opening for Van Hunt (MySpace). Hoop's next local show will be with the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) on April 12th at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, alongside Meiko (MySpace) who was mentioned by LAist last... [continue]

Earlier this month, San Diego-based singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman (MySpace) and G. Love & Special Sauce (MySpace) performed a two-night stint at the House of Blues in West Hollywood as part of their current tour. The duo collaborated on the song "Beautiful", from G. Love's album Lemonade, which was performed last year on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Prettyman, who has been referred to as "the female Jack Johnson," also collaborated on the Lindsay Lohan-themed... [continue]

Part of an ongoing series. Speaking of local rock duos (and also tonight), The Pity Party (MySpace), who were interviewed here at LAist earlier this month, conclude their February residency at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake. This month, the artists who've shared their stage include The Happy Hollows (MySpace), Light FM (MySpace), Rademacher (MySpace), Twilight Sleep (MySpace), The Human Value (MySpace), Karin Tatoyan (MySpace), What Made Milwaukee Famous (MySpace), Ladies And Gents (MySpace), and... [continue]