Results tagged “bands”

                     

Highly-anticipated sets by Metro Station, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, the Deftones and dozens of others were delivered with great sound and clock-like precision as the two main stages ping-ponged back and forth, leaving only a few seconds of silence between acts. The artists followed through with great performances and plenty of reconizable hits and classics in the mix. Metro Station's "Shake It" and Ashes Roth's "I Love College" represented some of the current hits as nostalgic performances from the Deftones, Adolescents and Vandals dished up some old classics,

              

An ever-increasing workload, the recession’s effect on one’s monthly Amoeba habit, a rapidly approaching membership into the “mid-thirties” club - a million and one reasons to stop seeing live music as frequently as my liver could once withstand. But last year’s SXSW/Coachella springtime juggernaut left its indelible mark and a few bands moved to the top of the “must see again and again” list, Cut Copy’s electropop/dance rock eking out the top spot. Who doesn’t love a band you can jump around to? It’s like everything good about the 90s rave scene (without the glow sticks and wide-legged pants, natch) served up with a side of early 80s nu-wave synth.

"I mean, how can I be all crazy and bad if I can... knit you a scarf?"

Venerable Chicago-based band The Sea and Cake hit the Troubadour this week for a pair of shows in support of their October release Car Alarm (Thrill Jockey). Playing together since 1993, core members Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt--along with drummer John McEntire and bassist Eric Claridge--proved in their almost 2-hour set Thursday night that rocking out isn't just for the young.

West Hollywood based Ticketmaster has gone off and become a management company in addition to its ticket selling marketing duties. Soon to be Ticketmaster Entertainment, the company has "acquired a controlling equity interest in Irving Azoff’s music management company Front Line and install Azoff as CEO of Ticketmaster," reports Variety. The $125 million acquisition will be bought from the Warner Music Group. Some of Front Line's artists include the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Diamond, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Nicks, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Chicago, Journey and Guns N' Roses.

Local band No Age recently taped a performance at CBS' Late Late Night with Craig Ferguson scheduled to be aired on October 27. Although, they made it through the taping, they almost didn't because of an Obama t-shirt. Guitarist Randy Randall explains to Stereogum in an e-mail:

It was a sad day back in July when Buzz Bands columnist Kevin Bronson was let go from his near six-year LA Times post amid massive cutbacks. He wrote one of the LA Times' more notable blogs called Buzz Bands before it was folded into the paper's Soundboard blog.

The RX Bandits, everybody's favorite progressive/reggae/rock band from Long Beach, are back in town. Playing two nights at the Troubadour, this is the perfect opportunity to whip out your dancing shoes and skank your way onto the dance floor. Their explosive live show will blow you away. I first saw them when I was sixteen and haven't gotten over it since. We caught up with Steve Choi, the RX Bandits' guitarist for a quick and dirty one on one interview.

     

There are more photos to come soon by Koga, but here's some of what happened on the Bates Stage yesterday, which was booked by Spaceland.

     

It's about 85 degrees here in Silver Lake and the streets of Sunset Junction are starting to fill with music and the fans that love it. Here are some shots from this early afternoon as things were getting started.

In regards to his July 18 drug arrest in Hollywood, Steven Adler, former Guns N' Roses drummer, pleaded not guilty today in court. The 43-year-old is charged with "one felony count of possession of heroin and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of an opiate," according to the Daily News. Adler is to appear in court next month and to remain in a Pasadena drug program.

    

A good hangout can be hard to find, so for anyone who finds themselves looking for nightlife in Long Beach, LAist's Photo contributor Michael Zampelli (aka rink_rat on Flickr) suggests The Pike Bar & Fish Grill. He tells us: "The Pike Bar in Long Beach is owned by the original drummer of Social Distortion and you can feel the vibe from the minute you cross the welcome mat with the Social D. skeleton logo and hear the first blast of punk rock from the jukebox. There is free live music nearly every night and the real surprise is the kitchen, which churns out gourmet quality food from mushroom tacos to authentic pasta to the crispiest and most delicate beer-battered fish you've ever tasted." (Check out the menu here.)

Here at LAist, we get hundreds of e-mails a day, sometimes at the rate of one e-mail per minute. Press releases, invites, statements and tips all flood our boxes. Many of these e-mails are from bands. Whether they are local or traveling through, there are lots and lots of shows every single night in this town and that adds up in the inbox (and sometimes it's coming at you from multiple sources at the same time: the manager, a publicst, a tour rep/venue, the band themselves).

          

The 2008 installment of KROQ's Annual Weenie Roast Y Fiesta was decidedly nostalgic this year with sets from punk legends Bad Religion, Orange County rockers the Offspring and the biggest force in metal in its history, Metallica. It was a return to force for the latter band as they finally broke out of a touring holding pattern and "escaped" from the studio to show why they are one of the loudest and most commanding bands in live music today or ever

There is a damn good line up of bands happening this Friday night over in Glendale at The Scene at 9:00 p.m. And despite the Valley club's interesting change in direction with membership, this Friday is still the spirit of the old scene as it is the second-to-last show booked under old management. Friday's line up includes Death to Anders, Fol Chen, Solar Powered People and Layer with the Squaregirls will be DJing between sets.

          

In the previous installations of Coachella there have been some huge headliners. Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Bjork, The Beastie Boys but none quite on the level of day two's headliner, the Purple One, Prince. From the moment he hit the stage with Morris Day and Shelia E. it was apparent that the audience was in for a lesson in musicianship and showmanship. As he played through a set mixed of standards and the cover everyone was talking about (more on that in a second) he demonstrated his true mastery of musical performance. Whether it was his virtuoso guitar solos or his dance moves there was never a dull moment in the performance. But the real treat came when Prince played a cover of Radiohead's breakout hit "Creep." There have been many covers of the song but none as dramatic and unique as this cover. The song was given the Prince treatment, a few word changes and an incredible guitar solo. Before leaving the stage he declared "Coachella will always be Prince's house" and after the performance he gave Saturday, it will take alot to prove that statement wrong.

          

Finally, after all the hubub and debate of the quality of this year's Coachella lineup, the festival got underway Friday afternoon. Featuring Jack Johnson at the top of the bill, the day featured outstanding performances from the Raconteurs who proved that they aren't just Jack White's side project but rather a band that is developing their own sound and identity. The Verve, playing for the first time in nearly a decade sounded like they hadn't even missed a step. The day also featured standout performances from indie darlings Vampire Weekend as well as Tegan and Sara among others.

A job listing popped on Craigslist yesterday that might be music to the right web and graphics dork's ears. It seems Nine Inch Nails is on the prowl for "an internet-savvy web and graphics assistant who will work with an art director on a wide variety of tasks relating to web development, graphic design, video editing/production, and online marketing."

One thing I love about L.A. are all the little shops and cafes that let us poor starving artists leave flyers or put up posters for our many different events. Here is a list of just a few such kind souls, to help my fellow independents, and also just to say a heartfelt thanks! (I hope you don't hate me.)

The moment has finally materialized: The official lineup for the three-day mega music fest in the middle of nowhere (aka Empire Polo Field in Indio) has been announced.

Fashion in Los Angeles is arguably one of the most dynamic aspects of our city. While what typically is considered "LA style" may be snuffed by our east coast and European counterparts, there is no question that fashion is one of LA's primary economies, consistently flourishing thanks to globalization, our ports, and obviously our innate coolness. The great thing about LA is that nobody cares how you dress. Anything can be fashion here. Doesn't it feel like you'll be ostracized if you happen to be wearing flip flops in any other city? Where else can you sport leather, chains, a miniskirt, and an iPhone, and not get at least a few looks? Los Angeles gives you the freedom to express yourself, which is what makes this city so rock n' roll that it hurts. That's why we love checking out the Fashion District downtown. We recently met up with Tod and Guiliana from Junker Designs, the most hardcore rock apparel this side of the Mississippi, to sit down and rummage through his leathery treasures. More pics and a brief interview after the jump. One of the pics is slightly NSFW (its just barely an ass shot, in case you work in a particularly repressed environment)

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 +...

LA Times staffer and Buzz Bands blogger Kevin Bronson's story "Taking the L.A. indie rock scene personally" hit stands last Thursday. By means of an intimate portrayal, Bronson set forth his pick of indie rock up-and-comers for L.A.'s indie rock scene in 2008. While I completely admire that he would put his neck out there for three rather small, entirely worthy bands (The Airborne Toxic Event, Castledoor, and The Deadly Syndrome) at the forefront of...

Imagine our surprise when we discovered from the LA Times' Buzz Bands blog last week that our friends Rocket were not only on the new tv show The Next Great American Band but they had made it pretty far already. Rocket is the all-female pop rock band from East Hollywood who we first told you about during the summer of last year when they were playing shows almost every day in LA. Then this...

Not since Pee Wee's Playhouse has there been a children's show that grown-ups can enjoy as much as kids. Washington DC's local cable-access show, Pancake Mountain, has been attracting rockers like Deerhoof, Scissor Sisters, and Arcade Fire since 2003. Scott Stuckey's concept for the program was to have a children's show that is focused on fun, not on marketing. It's all about the music, and their live dance parties invite local kids to join in by way of an email list sent out to parents. The show is produced by Stuckey's Monkey Boy Studios, and run entirely by a group of volunteers (Bands also volunteer their time). The title song is written by the drummer from Fugazi, Brendan Canty.

Bands, Food, Carnival, Rides, Animals, Shopping, an Indoor Snow Park, Monster Trucks, Freestyle Motocross, and a Demolition Derby. Everything you would expect at a County Fair. The Carnival has the usual assortment of rides, games, and carnies. There are air conditioned shopping areas with over 2,000 vendors, a 4H style animal area with petting zoo, cows, and some bulls with 4' horns. When you get hungry you can get some over priced bottles of water...

With the fall TV season just around the corner, a flood of your favorite series hit the stores today. What better way to whet your appetite for what promises to be a long, great Season 4 of ). Lohan finally hits bottom.

We were all emotionally affected by Hurricane Katrina. And I'm sure we are all frustrated by the lack of progress in rebuilding New Orleans. But like me, you are probably wondering, "What can I do about it?" Well, right now, you can buy a CD or a download. Enjoy some rightous music while doing what's right.

Signal Hill opened the show with an impassioned instrumental set. Lush layering of clean plucking driven by busy bass lines and punchy drums comprise Signal Hill's sound. Crowd pleasers like 'This New Year's Absence' exuded unbearable pangs of passion. I haven't felt this moved by an instrumental band since Explosions In The Sky and the mere comparison speaks volumes about their worthiness. Signal Hill performs remarkably poignant instrumental rock that grasps your attention and never ceases to let go.

There are some days when I think to myself, “Man, I really love my job.” I teach writing to college students; not the line of work most people want to get into, but for me, it’s my calling. I have these moments when I realize a student has made improvements, or grasped a concept, or found a new confidence as a writer. It’s a beautiful thing, and I can get a little emotive about...