This year marked the first time the festival duplicated itself on two back-to-back weekends. So just what did artists do with their valuable time in Southern California between weekends? Some bands played by the rules while some skirted them. more ›

The infamous reputation of the Black Lips' live show stretches far and wide. Their music itself is actually pretty straightforward, by the book, catchy garage rock. There are the usual songs about teen angst and political strife, but nothing too shocking. Black Lips' shows, however, cover everything that would make your mother die of shame. Public urination, vomiting, crowd surfing, stage diving, eating firecrackers, inciting riots, and nudity are all not only possible events at a Lips show--they're expected. Last year they were kicked out of India for exposing themselves in public. (Although why the promoters booked a band who is famous for nudity in a town where it's considered a crime is a mystery.) We caught up with guitarist, Cole Alexander, before their show at the El Rey to talk about their upcoming album, learning chords from Buddy Holly, and what it's like to flee a country in the middle of the night. Here is some of what was said. more ›

At the end of Fucked Up’s powerful, frenetic set, frontman Pink Eyes looks out at the crowd and says something along the lines of “You can say we played the Hipster Woodstock. You can say we play punk rock. One thing I know, my hips are in a state of shock.” It’s actually a fitting summary of last Saturday’s FYF festival - whose crowd is a healthy cross-section of young hipsters, and aging punk rockers with bad hips. I’m not entirely sure of the significance, but there seems to be a poetic irony in the proliferation of teenagers in Black Flag T-shirts and forty-somethings in Vivian Girls T-shirts. more ›

Long lines and food shortages aside, it would be hard to call the FYF Fest anything but a success. Now in it's sixth year, an inspired lineup and a great cause made the "hipster Woodstock" the most successful F-Yeah yet. In-depth reviews are fothcoming, and make sure to check out more LAist coverage here. more ›

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Tonight Australian rockers Wolfmother will be performing with New Zealand's own indie pop outfit the Ruby Suns at the Natural History Museum for this month's edition of First Fridays. English pop rock act Starsailor are poised to grace the Troubadour. And, lastly, Atlanta-bred garage rockers Black Lips will be headlining the El Rey Theatre with LAist favorites the Strange Boys (LAist Review, #2) in tow. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Montreal-based buzz band Winter Gloves. Local experimental indie rockers Useless Keys are slated to kick things off. more ›

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their... more ›

Tell me this isn't the best single and video of the year more ›

Kid Sister - "Pro Nails" Got my toes done up with my fingernails matchin Kid Sister, A-Trak & DJ Mehdi, Kavinsky, Cool Kids @ The Roxy Sunset Rubdown @ El Rey J.Lo & Marc Anthony @ Staples Dios Malos, The Movies, The Submarines, The Henry Clay People @ Little Radio Youth Brigade, Career Soldiers @ Safari Sam's Video Games Live @ Nokia Theater Rick Springfield @ House of Blues Anaheim Southern Culture on the... more ›

Cole Alexander of Black Lips more ›

Metal Skool, The Effects, Bandcamp, DC4 @ Key Club more ›

Anavan, Crooked Cowboy, Bob Bellerue, Bizzart @ Il Corral (fundraiser - go) Brian Wilson @ Long Beach Terrace Theater (final all Pet Sounds concert) Robbers on High Street, Lemon Sun, Mezzanine Owls @ The Echo (6pm) Of Montreal @ Avalon Cherryholmes @ Citrus College The Chieftains @ Cerritos Center The Briefs @ Alex's Bar (LA Derby Dolls afterparty) Shirley Caesar, Angie Stone, Kelly Price @ Galen Center RTX, The Binges, Year Long Disaster, HDR... more ›

Echoes of a Boundless Life, The Lottery, Fkenal, The Natural Disasters, Muso @ Mr. T's Bowl more ›