Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr The weather? The Getty? The beach? Spaceland? The hills? The light? Hollywood Bowl? The studios? Pink's? All losers, according to the readers of Los Angeles Magazine, who narrowed down a field of 64 to declare Amoeba Music the Greatest Thing About L.A. Not bad, for a music store that isn't even native to L.A. -- this music lover's wet dream opened first in Berkeley, then San Francisco, then......

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......

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......

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......

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....

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....

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,......

Black Francis, Eastern Conference Champions @ Safari Sam's The Bird & the Bee @ Amoeba Music Jill Scott @ House of Blues Patrick Wolf @ El Rey Jimmy Eat World @ Wiltern Tom Brosseau @ Largo Matthew Dear, Mobius Band @ The Echo Mothers Anthem, Izzy the Eskimo, Cockpit, Spiral @ Viper Room Sally Kellerman, Marina's Daughter, Brandon McCulloch @ Genghis Cohen Arden Kaywin, Deadbeat Sinatras, Blackbird, Silver Needle @ The Gig......

OUT TODAY: Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (Rykodisc) [MP3]: “We R The Handclaps” via Fluxblog Eisley - Combinations (Reprise / Wea) [MP3]: “Invasion” via Lullabyes Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart (Rounder) [MP3]: “Beauty (feat Antony)” via Homo Eclectic The Wildbirds - Golden Daze (Universal Republic) [MP3]: “Way Down Low” via Come Pick Me Up You Say Party! We Say Die! - Lose All Time (Paper Bag) [MP3]: “Giant Hands” via......

OUT TODAY: Flight Of The Conchords - The Distant Future (Sub Pop) [MP3]: “Business Time” via Tunes Consumed Magnolia Electric Co - Sojourner (Secretly Canadian) [MP3]: “Leave The City” via Aquarium Drunkard The Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone Records) [MP3]: “Chicago Falcon” via Inflight at Night Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) [MP3]: “Unless It’s Kicks” via Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good Augie March - Moo, You Bloody......

Ever read the Shel Silverstein poem, True Story? That's why New Music Tuesday is on a Friday. Go forth into your weekends, and rock. OUT NOW: Bat for Lashes - Fur & Gold (Caroline) Common - Finding Forever (Geffen) Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House (Bedroom Classics) Culver City Dub Collective - Dos (Everloving) 1990s - Cookies (Rough Trade) Dr. Hook - Greatest Hooks (Capitol/EMI) G. Love & Special Sauce - A Year......

OUT TODAY: Tegan and Sara - The Con (Sire) Juliette and the Licks - Four on the Floor (Hassle) UNKLE - War Stories (Surrender All) Mexican Institute Of Sound - Pinata (Nacional Records) Robbers on High Street - Grand Animals (New Line) Manu Chao - Rainin In Paradize [EP] (Nacional Records) Prince - Planet Earth (NPG) VHS or Beta - Bring On The Comets [Single] (Astralwerks) Hanson - The Walk (Cooking Vinyl) Manic Street......

OUT TODAY: These and other new releases are conveniently located at your neighborhood record store (sigh) or online retailer… The Chemical Brothers - We Are the Night (Astralwerks) Suzanne Vega - Beauty and Crime (Blue Note) The Dark Crystal: 25th Anniversary Soundtrack - Trevor Jones (La-La Land) KT Tunstall - Hold On [SINGLE] (Relentless Records) Editors - An End Has a Start (Epic) Meat Puppets - Rise to Your Knees (Anodyne) The Cribs -......

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge) Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (Side One Dummuy) Mark Ronson - Version (RCA) Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil And The Sea (Dim Mak) Gravy Train!!!! - All the Sweet Stuff (Cochon Records) Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Evilive) The Monkees - Headquarters [DELUXE EDITION] (Rhino) Chris & Rich Robinson - Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy (Eagle) They Might......

Amoeba Music announced this week that the first 150 people to purchase Spoon's new release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, on July 10 will receive admission to a "secret show" by the band on July 16. Though it's hard to imagine the show being much of a secret after the attention Amoeba Hollywood has received since last week's free Paul McCartney show, it continues to cement their reputation as one of the coolest record......

Sara Bareilles - Little Voice (Epic) Velvet Revolver - Libertad (RCA) Iron and Wine - Boy With A Coin [SINGLE] (Subpop) Various Artists - Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack (Warner Bros.) 2 Many DJs - 50 Million Soulwax Fans Can't Be Wrong [LIMITED EDITION] [IMPORT] (Waxed Soul) Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker [SINGLE] (Warner Bros.) Queensryche - Mindcrime at the Moore [LIVE] (Rhino) Face the Music - 2007 Encores! Cast Recording (Drg) Widespread Panic- Capricorn......

Beastie Boys - The Mix Up (Capitol) Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque (Virgin) Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away (Last Gang) Love - Blue Thumb Recordings (Hip-O) Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger (Lost Highway) Sinead O'Connor - Theology (Koch) Blondie - Eat To The Beat [REISSUE] (EMI) Chris and Thomas - Land of Sea (Defend Music) Bad Brains - Build A Nation (Megaforce) Nick Lowe - At My Age (Yep Rock) Taste the rainbow.........

The White Stripes - Icky Thump (Warner Bros.) The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army (TVT) Art Brut - It’s A Bit Complicated (Downtown) The Aliens - Astronomy For Dogs (Astralwerks) The Moony Suzuki - Have Mercy (Elixia) David Vandervelde - Nothin' No (Secretly Canadian) Dimitri From Paris - Cocktail Disco (BBE) Nouvelle Vague - New Wave (District 6) Bon Jovi - Lost Highway (Mercury Nashville) Van Morrison - Best Of Vol.3 (Manhattan/EMI) But......

The following dramatic reenactment is based on actual events. No names have been changed to protect anybody. MISS JAY: Hey Lisa. Want to go to Eagle Rock to see a band called Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts? LISA: Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts!? I'd go anywhere to see a band called Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts. The crushing blow came many hours later when it was discovered that I had misunderstood Miss Jay, and......

My intuition is always right, except for when I was sure I would marry Kirk Cameron, but this time I’m predicting Los Angeles’s own The Western States Motel, as Indie Rock’s next darlings…or at least they should be. With beautiful harmonies, both mellow and upbeat songs, cool stage presence, and emo lyrics to boot, I don’t see how they aren’t on the cover of Filter already. They even have shaggy hair and a pretty CD......

The world’s largest independent music store, Amoeba Music, is releasing their first-ever limited edition EP of TV on the Radio’s in-store performance from this past September. Amoeba is known for their legendary in-stores, and this four track disc will be available at all three stores (including ours), and online, March 27th. TV on the Radio’s latest release, Return to Cookie Mountain, was named Album of the Year by Spin Magazine, and the four songs......

Richard Thompson, Eliza Gilkyson @ Malibu Performing Arts Center Koffin Kats, Viva Hate, The Rocketz, Hot Rod Funeral @ Knitting Factory Charlie Wadhams & the Harmony Brothers, Ivy Walls @ Silverlake Lounge Head Automatica, Takota, March @ The Troubadour Muse Collective, Delusions of Grandeur, Full Moon Rising @ The Good Hurt The Starfuckers, Nick Josephs, 1 Enemy 3, Hollywood Trash @ The Cat Club Rob Giles, Rich Price, Adrianne, Brian Chartrand @ The Hotel......

Queensrÿche, Dokken, Great White, Jani Lane @ Key Club Albert Hammond Jr. @ Amoeba Music (6pm) The Cult @ Henry Fonda Bright Eyes, Vetiver, Whispertown 2000 @ El Rey The Young Knives, Dandi Wind @ Spaceland Sick Puppies, Redgun Radar, Narwhal @ The Troubadour Resident Head, The Actual, Rama Duke @ Viper Room Golden Arms, The Henry Clay People, Cosio, Skyscraper Frontier @ Silverlake Lounge The Littlest Viking, Let's Drive to Alaska, Tommy Santee......

June Pointer, youngest of the singing Pointer Sisters, died Tuesday of cancer at UCLA Medical Center. In addition to singing on the group's major albums, including lead vocal on the song "Jump (For my Love)," she co-wrote songs such as "I'm So Excited," which exemplified the group's capacity for joyous naughtiness. The Pointer Sisters' music spanned genres: they could sing rock, R&B, old-fashioned jazz, and country all on the same album and still have a......

FRIDAY • 826LA hosts a conversation—sponsored by Believer Magazine—between Mike Davis (author of City of Quartz and The Ecology of Fear) and Joshuah Bearman, with special guest activist and photographer Monique Verdin. The conversation starts at 7 PM. RSVP here or call (310) 305-8418. • Stars will play an acoustic set from their album Set Yourself on Fire at Amoeba Music at 6 PM. Admission is free. • El Cid features Cerberus Shoal, Mike......

THURSDAY • Japanese drone band Boris are performing a free in-store at Amoeba Music tonight at 7 PM. • Run Run Run, Golden State (previously known as paloalto), The Plebz and Bird perform at the Viper Room. Doors open at 8 PM. • Jon Brion and Nels Cline play tonight at Largo. Doors open at 8 PM. • AFI Fest opens tonight, featuring a total of 127 films at a variety of locations around......