As a life long hip hop fan who's friends are mostly casual hip hop fans, at best, I am constantly being told that a live show that features an emcee rapping over the record is hardly entertaining. To some extent I would agree. On one hand I won't pass up the opportunity to see someone who's lyrics I feel even if they are simply rhyming alongside a DJ who is playing their record, but...
Brother Ali, Ghostface Killah, Rakim w/ Rhythm Roots All-Stars @ HOB, 10/29
Tonight in Rock in LA - Bruce, Tegan, QOTSA
Bruce busking in Copenhagen Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band @ Sports Arena Tegan and Sara, Northern State @ Orpheum Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon @ Nokia Rakim, Ghostface KIllah, Brother Ali @ House of Blues Limbeck, Annie Stela, Rachael Cantu, Tiffany Randol @ The Hotel Cafe Abe Lincoln Story @ Mr. T's Bowl Castledoor, Aaron Espinoza, Frankel, The Morning Benders @ The Echo Hot Hot Heat @ House of Blues, Anaheim...
TV Junkie: Weekend Edition
Hope you caught the season finale of Mad Men - it was excellent, especially the final pitch to Kodak (the finale will repeat tonight at 10:00pm on AMC). Am still bummed over the death of Deborah Kerr, of the King and I and From Here to Eternity fame (yeah, that was her rolling around in the surf with Burt Lancaster), she will be very much missed. We also lost the last remaining member of the Rat Pack (not the Brat Pack as I previously wrote), comedian Joey Bishop.
TV Junkie: Monday - Tonight's Picks, 10pm is Busy, Choose yer Poison
8:00pm So You Think You Can Dance FOX - Two dancers get the boot 9:00pm Fat March ABC - The fat marchers have made it all the way from southeast Massachusetts to Connecticut. The men face a strength challenge. but wait! there's more! 9:00pm Hell's Kitchen FOX - Finalist hell! The final challenge!!! The winner becomes the new head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay's Las Vegas restaurants! 10:00pm Weeds SHOWTIME - Season premiere!...
Tonight in Rock in LA - John Densmore Doing Jazz, Rage Against The Machine, Cheap Trick Doing Covers
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill @ Honda Center
Tonight in Rock in LA - Brother Ali, Great Northern, The Monolators, The Watson Twins
Great Northern, Sara Lov, Buddy @ The Bordello Brother Ali, Psalm One, BK One, Boom Bap Project @ The Troubadour AI, Soccer Mom, Suicide Girls, Galaxy Gran Prix @ Roxy Summer Darling, The Monolators, Castledoor, 8 Bit @ The Echo The Watson Twins @ Largo The Murdocks @ Relax Bar OK Stranger, Black Palms, A for Attack @ The Scene Just Off Turner, Sabrina Vargas, David Babich @ Tangier The Randies, Bang Sugar Bang,...
Tonight in Rock in LA - Brother Ali, Albert Hammond Jr., El-P, AM, Gliss, Metal Skool
Brother Ali @ Amoeba (free) Albert Hammond Jr., The Dead Trees @ House of Blues El-P @ El Rey Doug Benson, Andy Kindler @ Largo AM, Jim Bianco, Buddy, Kelly Dalton, Laura Jansen @ The Hotel Cafe Gliss, Meho Plaza, The Flesh, Casper @ Spaceland Metal Skool, Vertical Chain, 3 Against 1, L.A. Bonfire @ Key Club Bodies of Water, The Parson Redheads, Muso, Knifey Head @ The Echo The High Society, Bolero, Victor...
Maneuvering Through Friday's Coachella Lineup
Now that the line-ups have been announced, I'm happy to follow Sloane's lead and speculate on what my day will look like.
Tonight in Rock in LA - Sage Francis, Pat Metheny, Pitbull, As Tall as Lions, Let's Go Sailing
Blackalicious, Sage Francis (above), Brother Ali, Jean Grae, Mr. Lif, Visionairies, Cage, Zion I & the Grouch, Devin the Dude, Evidence & Alchemist, Pigeon John @ Orange Pavilion
Coachella Line-up, And the First 2007 Poster
Like a presidential election, the information is trickling into the newsroom... Earlier today Andy let everyone know who most of the confirmed artists would be for this year's Coachella. Now we let you know who is playing on what days, etc. April 27 - Björk / Interpol / the Jesus and Mary Chain / Arctic Monkeys / Jarvis Cocker / Sonic Youth / Faithless / DJ Shadow / Peeping Tom / Brazilian Girls / Peaches...
Prelim Coachella Lineup: Rage, RHCP, Bjork...
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tiesto, the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Happy Mondays, Decemberists, Faithless, Gotan Project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, Paul Van Dyk, Arctic Monkeys, Roots, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth, Crowded House, Placebo, Satellite Party, Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong, Kings of Leon, DJ Shadow, Kaiser Chiefs, Kokono No. 1, LCD Soundsystem, Nickel Creek, Travis, Damien Rice, Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, Infected Mushroom, New Pornographers, Peeping Tom, Placebo, Rufus Wainwright, the Rapture, Explosions in the Sky, Richie Hawtin, !!!, Benny Benassy, Felix Da Housecat, Hot Chip, Jacks Mannequin, Julieta Venegas, Lily Allen, Lupe Fiasco, Ozomatli, Peaches, Ghostface Killah, Jose Gonzales, Amos Lee, Brazilian Girls, Fountains of Wayne, Regina Spektor, VNV Nation, Coco Rosie, Cornelius, Gillian Welch, Junior Boys, Pharaohe Monche, Roky Erickson and the Explosives, Soulwax, Sparklehorse, the Kooks, Tilly and the Wall, Andrew Bird, Peter, Bjorn & John, the Frames, Gogol Bordello, Comedians of Comedy, Justice, MSTRKRFT, We Are Scientists, Yeva, Grizzly Bear, Amy Winehouse, Avett Brothers, Circa Survive, the Coup, the Cribs, CSS, Digitalism, Erol Alkan, Evil Nine, Girl Talk, Klaxons, the Noisettes, Spank Rock, Tapes 'n Tapes, Fields, Tokyo Police Club, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, DJ Heather, the Feeling, Fratellis, Mike Relm, Silversun Pickups, Busdriver, Brother Ali, Nightwatchman, Bojones, Mika, Pop Levi, Anathallo and Fair to Midland.
Una Soda
If you won't be joining LAist tonight at the Viper Room to see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, here are some other activities that run a close second:

