In the past two and half years we have seen the demise of Aron's Records, Tower Records , The Virgin Megastore on Sunset, Sea Level Records, and Rhino Records in Los Angeles. The tradition of combing the stacks for a rare find, donning oversized foam-padded headphones at the listening station, and spending hours roaming the aisles trying to remember what's on your "must listen to" list is fading, or obsolete, for most of us......

Elvis Costello and The Attractions essential 1978 record This Year’s Model was re-released for the twenty-third time earlier this week as a deluxe 2-CD set. This year’s model of This Year’s Model includes a bevy of previously released bonus tracks, and a previously unreleased live concert. I was going to review it, but instead I decided not to buy it. On Tuesday, I found myself at Amoeba records. After an hour or so, I’d amassed......

I've got a conundrum, folks. You might, too: In a study entitled "The End of the Music Industry As We Know It" (suggested subhead: "And consumers feel fine"), Forrester Research, Inc., is reporting that half of music sales will be digital by 2011, and digital sales will surpass CDs entirely by 2012. It should be pretty clear to everyone that the CD is beginning to go the way of the VHS tape - even......

Van Hunt plays the Temple Bar tonight, the third and last in a series of LA shows | Photo via his MySpace page The Guide to March Rock Music Residencies has been updated with a few more listings -- it seems as if residencies are catching on, which is a good thing. Meanwhile, Howlin Rain plays their last LA concert before a tour promoting their new album, Magnificent Fiend, that was released yesterday. Nicole......

The Hackensaw Boys | Photo via their MySpace Our brain is going to explode with all the great choices tonight. From friggin' amazing jazz (see, we're not swearing) at UCLA to folk-punk sensibilities of The Hackensaw Boys at Tangier in Los Feliz (video after the jump), tonight is a bounty of gold. Also, Jim Bianco will be at Amoeba and it's the first night for Wednesday night March residencies. Howlin' Rain @ Spaceland Jim......

No Age plays at El Rey tonight with the Liars More What Made Milwaukee Famous? Yes, more of that! "Sultan" - What Made Milwaukee Famous &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/zfiles/sultan.mp3"> "Resistance" - What Made Milwaukee Famous &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://barsukmusic.blaireau.net/WhatMadeMilwaukeeFamous_ResistanceSt.mp3"> Liars, No Age @ El Rey Built to Spill, Meat Puppets @ Echoplex The Lovemakers, Astra Heights, Something For Rockets @ The Troubadour (Astra Heights video below) Marilyn Manson, Ours @ Wiltern Kimya Dawson @ Amoeba Records (See who won't be......

Although critics have raved about Juno, including myself, I have occasionally heard that it made a few people gag, and I've definitely heard mixed responses to the decidedly twee soundtrack. (I love that word. Twee! ...Not related, sorry.) Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis's rant about both the movie and the soundtrack is already making the blog rounds and iliciting quite a few responses. Working an odd angle for a screenplay written by a tatted-up former......

We seemed to have missed Santa Monica based Krandon as a Wednesday night resident at Molly Malone's. The lightly meditative and chill alternative indie band's name comes from an abandoned James Joyce play written in collaboration with physicist Neils Bohr according to the band's MySpace page. If that's a little too esoteric for you, our Wednesday night pick this month is a little more down home folk style, but with a loud presence -- Brian......

Pity Party at Little Radio on New Years Eve | Photo by Koga/LAist Despite it being Superbowl Sunday, February residencies got off to a great start last night with Alex & Sam at Tangier. Tonight is the first night of February residencies at Spaceland, Silverlake Lounge, Crash Mansion and The Echo/Echoplex. By last Thursday, The Airborne Toxic Event had gained so much popularity from their January residency, they had to reject 300 people from......

You saw that right, except for the date: It's Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl IV, airing all day Super Bowl Sunday. Not only is this a fun idea on their part (why subject your shows to poor overall ratings?), it's mesmerisingly watchable and a great way to keep the kids and pets occupied and away from your guests and food. Or maybe you're not (gasp) a football fan and just want to veg out? I......

Shelby Lynne will be performing songs recorded by Dusty Springfield (of 'Son of a Preacher Man' fame) tonight at Amoeba at 7 p.m. It can get bit tight and uncomfortable over there, so if you just want to watch from the comfort of your home, well, there'll be a webcast. Here's Lynne playing at a live session on KCRW back in October. &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/zfiles/shelbylynnekcrw.mp3"> Shelby Lynne @ Amoeba Music Drug Rug @ Spaceland Johnny Polanco y......

Tonight's the first show of undergrounDNUOS, which is a nonprofit night of collaboration and experimentation put on by Amoeba Music and its employees as a labor of love. " It is a monthly series set at various underground spaces, art galleries, warehouses, and strange bars embracing the concepts of improvisation in any genre and any sound... it is designed to be a space for people to step outside of what they normally do and......

Carmen Rizzo will play the Temple Bar tonight Be joyful with the electro-pop sounds of Hey Willpower (Will from Imperial Teen and Tomo from Tussle) at The Echo or get a more worldly groove on at the Temple Bar. Jackshit, who we interviewed once, plays tonight and there are two in-store performances as well: one at Amoeba (of course) and the other at Active Ride Show. There's a few sold out shows, but you......

Unlike the rather tired and off-handed assessment of the LA food scene that the SF Chronicle tossed off about six months back, the New York Times has been showing how it's done: their recent piece on "36 Hours in Hollywood" and last week's survey of Sunset Junction. Okay, yes, some of their picks are probably geared to the curious tourist rather than the traveler interested in a more gritty L.A. experience -- Teddy's nightclub......

First Amoeba Music scored a "secret show" featuring Paul McCartney, and now Ringo Starr is coming to town. Amoeba announced tonight that Starr and Dave Stewart will play an exclusive short set at the House of Blues this Friday to promote the release of Liverpool 8, Starr's new album. In order to be guaranteed entry, you must be one of the first people in line to purchase the new CD at Amoeba Music on Tuesday morning. The only other way to reserve a place is to win a pair via a KLOS on-air giveaway. All others must wait in line at the HoB beginning at 9 a.m. Friday morning....

(c) Andy Summers and courtesy of TASCHEN" src="http://laist.com/attachments/la_andy/andy_summers_crowd.jpg" width="640" height="403" /> Amoeba was not quite as crowded last night for Andy Summers' "I'll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980-83" book signing as was the Austin record store that the photographer, author, and erst-while guitarist for The Police captured in B/W from the set of a 1980 in-store appearance. But Summers was kept busy for over two hours signing copies of the impressive, nearly......

Andy Summers will be at Amoeba Music tonight @ 6pm to sign his just-out book from Taschen, I'll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980-83. There are so many things we could say about this man, about this band, about this book. But all you really need to know is that Andy Summers, guitarist for The Police, is a kick-ass photographer and he's documented three phenomenal years of The Police touring the world. You could......

The week in Los Angeles bookish events from Monday, January 7th - Sunday, January 13th. Readings, signings and bookish events this week include Andy Summers, Jami Attenberg, Judith Freeman, Alice Fulton, J.A. Jance and Robert Gottlieb....

Record shops and CD purveyors are going the way of the 8-track. Joining the now-defunct ranks of Aron's Records, Rhino Records and Tower on Sunset is the Virgin Megastore. The rent's too high (tell us something we don't know!) And maybe, the sluggish music sales don't help much, either. According to a Los Angeles Times story today: Another one bites the dust. The Virgin Megastore on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, just down the......

Metal Skool w/ Jeremy Piven - "Back in Black" Metal Skool @ Key Club Ky-Mani Marley @ Amoeba Emo Phillips @ Steve Allen Theatre Softlightes, Porterville, El Ten Eleven @ Spaceland The Ramonas, Shatto, All New Like @ The Airliner I See Hawks In LA, Cydney Robinson @ The Bordello D-Strutters, Ninja Academy, Masterslave @ Crash Mansion L.A. Saint Motel, Le Switch, Last American Buffalo, Voxhaul Broadcast @ Viper Room......

I am thankful for… Thanksgiving - even though I think it’s a stupid holiday, and I pretty much hate all the food associated with it - for giving me the opportunity to spend the day with family that I love and actually enjoy being around. I am thankful every day that I am able to make a living being creative and doing something I love. (Except for when I’m on strike) I am thankful......

In no particular order... 1. Secret Shows at the Viper Room 2. La Taquiza on Figueroa 3. Saturdays with the USC Trojans 4. The Henry Fonda Theatre 5. A short hop over Laurel Canyon to see my family 6. Friday Nights at the Rainbow Room 7. Using Venice Blvd. to get from work to play 8. The newly built lane at the 405/101 interchange 9. Amoeba Music 10. Some of the most eclectic, intelligent,......

I'm thankful for so much this Thanksgiving that I don't even know where to begin, so let's start with the basics: I'm thankful of you, my family, my friends, loose women, cheap vices, Guitar Hero, and the Good Lord. I'm thankful for something that you probably don't have, the greatest bosses alive and the coolest gig. For example can you say fuck to tens of thousands of people today? Fuck. I'm thankful to live......

B-52's @ The Roxy Neko Case @ Disney Hall Lyrics Born @ El Rey Puffy Amiyumi @ Key Club Mutaytor @ Safari Sam's The Dickies, Orange, Civet @ Knitting Factory Six Organs of Admittance @ Amoeba Tiger Army, Street Dogs, Imperative Reaction @ The Wiltern Army Navy, Mellodrone @ The Echo Eliza Gilkyson @ McCabe's......

Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" Of Montreal, Grand Buffet, MGMT @ Avalon Phantom Planet, The Hives @ Staples Ween @ The Wiltern David Allan Coe, Dos @ Knitting Factory Gram Parsons @ Amoeba Valient Thorr @ Spaceland Ben Harper @ Orpheum Great Northern, Robbers on High Street @ Echoplex Peanut Butter Wolf @ El Rey Ima Robot, The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Roxy Hello Stranger @ The Viper Room Mason Jennings @ Troubadour......

Tunng visited The Echo last night for the second time this year. The band was enthused by the turnout this time, coming on the heels of their third full-length and first release for Thrill Jockey, Good Arrows. On the album, Tunng's music has an endearing balance of soft instrumentation over digital percussion and effects with occasional hand claps. Call it "folktronica" if you must. Live, however, it's a bit disconcerting to see three long-haired......

The Hives - "Tick Tick Boom" The Hives @ The Avalon The Hold Steady, Art Brut @ Henry Fonda Architecture in Helsinki, Glass Candy @ Troubadour The Thrills, Small Sins, Rock and Roll @ Spaceland Julio Iglesias @ Gibson Dos @ Alex's Bar Tunng @ Amoeba Hannah Montana @ Staples Cue the Moon @ Silverlake Lounge HoneyHoney, Whispertown2000, Buddy @ Hotel Cafe She Wants Revenge, Kenna, The Start @ Grove of Anaheim Freezepop, Solvent,......

Quick! If you can make it over to Amoeba Records tonight between 6-9pm, grab a free wristband for a very special evening at the Vista Theater with Sigur Rós, presented by Myspace Secret Shows. Not only will you get to see them perform a three song set, but you'll get to see a "Black Curtain Screening" of their forthcoming documentary "Heima". In support of the documentary, Sigur Rós have planned a flurry of LA-based......

Bruce Springsteen & Neil Young - "All Along the Watchtower" We can't recall a more star-studded Tuesday night in rock in LA in a long time. We realize that many of you might be preparing to head out tomorrow night, but friends, tonight is the night to rawwwwwk! And Neil if you're reading this... if you feel like recreating this moment from 2004, the Sports Arena is just a freeway away from the Nokia.........

The Go! Team - "Ladyflash" The Go! Team @ Amoeba (6pm) Firey Furnaces, Pit er Pat @ The Troubadour The Jesus and Mary Chain, Soulsavers, Evan Dando @ House of Blues - Downtown Disney Limbeck, Annie Stela, David Harrington, Megan Palmer, Terrene @ The Hotel Cafe Castledoor, Twilight Sleep, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, The Monolators @ The Echo Oliver Future, Something For Rockets, The Satin Peaches @ Spaceland I Make This Sound, Rademacher, Model......