Beach Boys fans are well acquainted with author Domenic Priore, who performed the heroic feat of gathering every word ever written about the Beach Boys’ Smile, and publishing all of it, with minimal but insightful commentary, as Look! Listen! Vibrate Smile! in the mid-1990s. It was nothing if not thorough, kind of like a researcher’s entire file drawer dumped on your desk with notes attached to each artifact. His latest book shows he hasn't lost......

Christmas Eve is here. And today is no time for cynicism, irony or nastiness of any sort. Time instead to make something nice to eat, clink your glass with a loved one, and count your blessings with total sincerity. Preparation is over. The moment to let it go and be happy starts now. To help set the mood, we offer twenty of the most joyous, uplifting, totally Christmasey of all Christmas songs known to man.......

Oh, to have unlimited resources and $8,000 to blow. My perceptions of rock 'n' roll fantasy camps forever changed this morning when my eyes skimmed an e-mail touting the mother of all rock experiences. My skepticism led me to open the e-mail and I was genuinely shocked by the caliber of the special guests and "camp counselors," which include Brian Wilson, Nick Mason, Cliff Williams and more. The Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp will take place Feb. 15-18 at a recording studio in Los Angeles and will include an on-stage performance with Cliff Williams at the House of Blues. ...

Why do all these songs about frostbite conditions sound so wonderful in sun-drenched shirtless reverb? Ever try pushing a sled through sand? I don't recommend it. But I heartily recommend each of the following experiences. Don't worry, we'll get to more Beach Boys later on, today (with the exception of track four) it's all about those chiming guitars. THE VENTURES - Sleigh Ride This comes from their fantastic Christmas album, one of the greats......

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, power pop nearly never works. It’s usually whiny and wimpy and often flabby, too, all the wrong Paul McCartney moves played by, well, Beatle nerds......

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......

We couldn't do a proper tribute to Late Night Eats in Los Angeles without a visit to the original Late Night Eats establishment, the one that started it all, the restaurant that embodies the very essence of car-hopping, car-worshiping SoCal burger culture: Bob's Big Boy. The Big Boy Burger was born in Glendale in 1936, the brainchild of Bob Wian (I know, the alliteration is getting a bit much for me too); the Burbank branch......

Artist: Caribou Album: Andorra Label: Merge Records Release Date: August 21, 2007 Hey lookie folks, it's another solo project by a brilliant Canadian. Dan Snaith originally released his work as Manitoba until he ran afoul of the Dictators frontman, Handsome "Dick" Manitoba, and had to change his stage name to...... Caribou. While some of Caribou's first release, The Milk of Human Kindness, sounded somewhat electronica-light, Andorra certainly does not: this is raging full-on psychedelica. Is......

Artist: Dappled Cities Release Date: June 2007 Album: Granddance Label: Dangerbird Records The Aussie band Dappled Cities (formerly Dappled Cities Fly) are often compared to the Flaming Lips and I just don't get it. The Dappled Cities produce measured indie rock that has marching highs and Sigur Ros-like lows but none of the crazy, out-there solos or fantastical weirdness of the Lips. Their release, Granddance, on LA's Dangerbird Records, is 11 tracks of well-crafted......

Division Day, the indie pop band hailing from Santa Cruz and formed in 2001, is out with their debut full length album, Beartrap Island, a combination of echoey sounds, exciting drums, and catchy choruses. Originally from northern California the band makes its home in Los Angeles now, more specifically Eagle Rock's "rock block" - the neighborhood known for its numerous recording studios and rehearsal spaces. Known for their relentless touring and somewhat mischevious behavior......

As a music collector, I’ve always salivated over the concept of The Lost Album. I’ve scoured endless record stores searching for that elusive bootleg of Homegrown - the scrapped Neil Young album, or the lost Brian Eno-produced Television demos, or the abandoned Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan album. (they laid down 15 songs in 2 days back in 1969) Volumes have been written documenting the almost-creation of never-to-be masterpieces such as The Who’s Lifehouse or The......

If I had to make a list of my top 100 albums of all time, Redd Kross' Born Innocent would at least make the top 20. I can't even begin to describe how excited I was to learn that this album was going to be performed live as the opening act for Sonic Youth at the Greek. I had to get tickets for the show. Nothing against Sonic Youth, who would have rocked the roof......

Generously coated with crunchy quirks and utterly bursting from its chewy 60s center, Philadelphia’s lo-fi recording traditionalists, Dr. Dog headlined a packed show at the Echo last week in support of their latest record, We All Belong (Park The Van). The attending cross-section of fandom was something like suburban Silverlake meets overgrown, asymmetrical haircuts meets the Laurel Canyon revivalists. And this makes sense if you believe that Dr. Dog is what happens when The Beach......

If Perry Farrell wants to have a Flash Mob situation happen in Venice on Sunday, fine. Bro invented Jane's Addiction, an LA band so great it ranks right up there with the Doors, Guns n Roses, and the Beach Boys. Like Brian Wilson, Perry could have holed himself up in a house doing drugs and thinking about surfing, but instead he invented Lollapalooza and then made the underground classic film The Gift. So if......

Long Beach is ready to party -- their basketball team is the trendy bracket-buster pick to knock off Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA hoops Tournament. Long Beach students are pumped, ready for a big party at the Acapulco Inn. (Well, they'll party at the AI either way.) But we want to pass along a friendly note to Long Beach students: Regardless of what happens with the game, just remember that things could......

What's up moon doggies?! It's time again for the International Surf Festival 2006. Here's a quote from the AOL Cityguide:Since the mid-1960s, when the Beach Boys were topping the charts with songs about SoCal surfing, the cities of Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo Beach teamed up to present the International Surf Festival, a weekend of good vibrations with competitions in just about every possible beach activity. Surfing and life guarding top the list, with some of......

by Peter DeWolf As a screenwriter I've been drawn to L.A. like a Hollywood starlet to a sketchy Greek shipping heir. For some reason I've thus far resisted the call. But, I have thought about what the trip would be like. And it would go a little something like this... As soon as I arrived, I'd go straight to the Park Hyatt. (I'm an out of towner, how would I know where the cool......

John Bennett, not the US Rep from Michigan, not the acting governor of New Jersey, but the dashing troubador formerly of San Francisco, and now of Hollywood, is releasing his "here tomorrow" under the name Johnny Bennett. A little more stripped-down acoustic flavor than his previous material, Bennett's record-release party will be tonight at 9pm downstairs at the Key Club on Sunset. If you close your eyes you might think you're at an Anthony......

The Monday holiday makes it a very light week for new releases. Here are a few things that caught our eye.... Dave Alvin West of the West (Yep Roc) – This is a concept album about California from the former leader of the Blasters. All these songs were written by California songwriters (Alvin co-wrote one of the songs). He covers Merle Haggard, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Tom Waits, The Beach Boys and......

Gram Rabbit Cultivation (Stinky) – They’ve got a unique sound (kind of like Calexico mixed with trip-hop) and they’re from Joshua Tree. This is their second release and they’re performing live at Tower Sunset on 4/20 at 6:00 PM and the Echo on 4/21. Listen to some tracks on MYSPACE. Languis Other Desert Cities EP (Pehr) – Highly recommended new release from an under-appreciated local band. If you haven’t seen or heard them since......

We know that it was friggin cold last night, but what's up with the snap continuing today? It's been like four days of cold weather. Enough already. Though our East Coast brethren scoff and call us weather wimps, this is LA -- home of the Beach Boys and Baywatch. Hello...wasn't it 80 degrees last week? This weather, especially rain, is not good for Angelenos' perfectly coiffed hair -- and the cold, dry stuff is......

It seems there aren't any good vibrations in Surf City, USA. Beach Boy Mike Love is suing cousin and ex-bandmate Brian Wilson over Wilson's recent Smile release. According to an Associated Press report: Love filed the lawsuit in federal court Thursday accusing Wilson of promoting his 2004 album, "Smile," in a manner that "shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love's songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the `Smile' album itself." The Beach Boys,......

LAist would like to send you and a guest to see Brian Wilson perform the legendary lost Beach Boys album SMiLE live at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, September 4th. The Polyphonic Spree will open the pop extravaganza; Wilson will also perform some of the Beach Boys greatest hits alongside the music of SMiLE. To enter for your chance to win tickets to a night of sublime harmonies, fill out the form below:......

Southern California is lucky to have Domenic Priore, 45, as a native son. The author and documentary filmmaker has focused his considerable energy on documenting the heyday of the Sunset Strip music scene and Beach Boys hagiography resulting in books like his latest "Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece," which can be considered an adjunct to the documentary on Brian Wilson called "Beautiful Dreamer," and his upcoming book "Riot on Sunset Strip:......

Do listen to classic Beach Boys tunes on occasion. Do not go in the water. The LA Times reports that the storm has exascerbated our already poor sewage system. The overrun has done a great job of "polluting some beaches with more than 10 times the usual levels of bacteria." City health officials are recommending staying out of the water until at least Friday. LAist is recommending just staying away from all kinds of......

Terry Melcher, the ultimate California kid, died of cancer last Friday night in Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles Times described him as a "surfin'-era singer, songwriter and recording executive who produced the Byrds' No. 1 hits "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" and co-wrote the Beach Boys' "Kokomo." Melcher provided the template for the Angeleno archtype: the Celebrity Scion who thrived behind the scenes of the entertainment world and made a lasting impact on......

This morning, a small service was held in San Luis Obispo to honor the passing of Los Angeles musical icon Ernie Ball, who passed away September 9th. Even if you aren't a guitar player, chances are you've seen the brightly colored packages that hold Ernie Ball strings—a staple amongst nearly all guitar players. A native of Santa Monica, Ernie Ball was a successful musician, playing in many bands and on television before starting up......