The 20th Anniversary for the falling of the Berlin Wall was a big deal here in Los Angeles, a sister city of Berlin's. Thanks to the Wende Museum of the Cold War, Wilshire Boulevard last night was bisected by the 60-foot L.A. Wall, donned with images by such artists as Shepard Fairey and Thierry Noir, who began painting the Berlin Wall in 1984. more ›

Members of the Towne Street Theatre are on stage tonight in a double bill. First is The 10 Minute Play Festival, which features plays ranging from comedy to satire to drama brought to you by 23 actors and 9 director. Second is PassingSOLO, a one-woman show based on their play version of Nella Larsen's 1927 novella Passing. There will be a talkback after every show. more ›

more ›

The LA Times reports that local indie stalwarts Dim Mak Records has made a deal with Downtown Music (Gnarls Barkley, Cold War Kids, Art Brut, Justice) in which Dim Mak will continue to discover and develop new artists, and Downtown will give them that boost in distribution and promotion that Dim Mak has never been fortunate enough to be able to offer. Sounds like a deal that could make everyone happy. more ›

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. more ›

We Barbarians, the Long Beach locals who recently played on tour with the Cold War Kids, begin their Silverlake Lounge Residency tonight. And we fully approve. more ›

John Fogerty - "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" John Fogerty @ Nokia Cold War Kids, Richard Swift @ The Wiltern Social Distortion @ House of Blues White Out, Alasdair Roberts, Charalambides @ Spaceland TSOL, DI @ Echoplex Down @ Henry Fonda Poncho Sanchez @ The Mint The Fine Print, Illumination, Clown Bitch @ CIA Aztlan Underground, Olmeca, Pachamama @ Knitting Factory... more ›

The Dilettantes, Run Run Run, After Midnight Project, Jake Smith @ Safari Sam's more ›

LA’s theatre scene is packed with good stuff this week: Dolly Parton serves as muse; a Korean family’s road trip goes wrong; and a bunch of people sing about chess at the Ford. So without further ado, here are LAist’s five theater picks for this week: Journey to Dollywood Jolene is a small-town waitress who idolizes obsesses over Dolly Parton. When a stranger’s car breaks down in town, her life, a rival co-worker’s, and their... more ›

Visiting the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda used to be as much an edifying journey through the 37th president's life as an exercise in fact-checking and second-guessing. The room dedicated to covering the Watergate scandal, for instance, treats you to several nuggets of wisdom that make you wonder whether you were really awake in that history class you took a while ago. more ›

Menomena - Cough Coughing Brian Wilson @ Pasadena Civic Auditorium John Doe @ Amoeba Menomena @ Troubadour Ne-Yo @ House of Blues Dave Stewart @ Largo LCD Soundsystem, Yacht @ El Rey Lifesavas, Strange Fruit Project @ Roxy The Duke Spirit, Twilight Sleep @ Spaceland Bleed the Dream, Hey Mike, Umbrellas @ On the Rox Hazelden, Tattooed Millionaires, Firebug, Stepsonday @ Safari Sam's Cold War Kids @ Echoplex... more ›

Man, didn't you just love "Freaks and Geeks"? Weren't you pissed when it got cancelled, almost as pissed as you were when they cancelled "Arrested Development"? Or, if you discovered it post-axe, weren't you pissed there was only one season to savor on DVD? But then The Forty-Year-Old Virgin came out and was really funny and did really well at the box office, and you were still pissed about "Freaks and Geeks", but at... more ›

Tonight's a crazy night of rock. And yet, is there anything cooler than Morrissey playing the bowl tonight? Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age, Sum 41, The Bravery, Plain White T's, Silversun Pickups, Shiny Toy Guns, Cold War Kids @ Seaside Park (Ventura) Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio, Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, Sugar Hill Gang, Stacey Q, Expose, Stevie B. @ Honda Center Morrissey @ The Hollywood Bowl Reverend Horton Heat,... more ›

Recently there has been an explosion of local bands that have burst onto the music scene, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids and Under the Influence Of Giants, to name a few. After touring extensively for the past year one of these bands returned home for the first time in about that long. Under The Influence Of Giants returned home to Los Angeles to the El Rey Thursday Night. more ›

KCRW's Sounds Eclectic cd is one of our favorite new offerings of 2007. Tonight's fundraiser for the station brings us live performances from Lily Allen, the Cold War Kids, the Shins, shredders Rodrigo y Gabriela, and others @ Gibson Amphitheater The Lords of Altamont, Rolling Blackouts, The Hexxers, The Clamour @ Safari Sam's Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks @ McCabe's Jedi Mind Tricks @ Henry Fonda Trash Fashion, 8-Bit @ The Scene Three... more ›

I'm Tivo-ing Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe from 24) on Conan tonight because it's the only new TV worth watching. Did you know Mary Lynn used to be David Cross' girlfriend? Did you know she's starring in a full-length comedy show at the Steve Allen Theater? Go see her Sunday, Apr. 15 @ 8:00pm, it's like $5 or $10 or something, pocket change. more ›

Wanna know why LAist has four writers at SXSW all of whom paid their own way? Because LA loves music and LAist is obsessed with good tunes. Below are just some of the killer acts playing today here in Austin. Yes be jealous, but better, come here next year and party with us. LA Bands: 4pm: Ozomatli @ Austin Convention Center 8pm: The Chairs of Perception (formerly Urinals) @ Soho Lounge 10pm: Dengue Fever... more ›

Bonjour Tristesse As part of its ongoing Saul Bass mini-tribute, the Skirball Center will screen Bonjour Tristesse, a drama directed by Otto Preminger that stars David Niven as a suave playboy-turned-father and Jean Seberg as his pixie-ish daughter. Their dissolute existence of tromping across Europe from nightclub to cocktail party to casino is upended when Niven falls for the hopelessly upright Deborah Kerr. I also highly recommend the mildly smutty book by Françoise Sagan on... more ›

Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne @ Gibson Amphitheatre Flogging Molly @ Henry Fonda Theater Cold War Kids, Delta Spirit, Matt Death & the Intellectuals @ The Troubadour Lamb of God @ Grove of Anaheim Big Head Todd & the Monsters @ House of Blues The Shakes, The Prix, The New Fidelity, Velvet Ratio @ Safari Sam's (bring a can of food) Michael Franti, Blackalicious @ Wiltern Boy Hits Car, Rama Duke, Porcelain, Malea McGuiness, 40... more ›

A Word Or 30: Who else is waiting to hear the announcement of the Anna Nicole Smith Story film deal? Jaime Pressly presents us tonight, with the first reason to watch Leno in years. Tonight - Wednesday - February 21st, 2007 That Touch of Mink (TCM, 6:30 p.m.) Cary Grant wants to get hot n' heavy with Doris Day. Trail Blazers @ Lakers (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Jericho (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) Back from hiatus.... more ›

Cold War Kids @ El Rey Ghostface Killah @ Key Club Van Morrison @ Gibson Flogging Molly @ Henry Fonda Gomez, Ben Kweller @ The Wiltern Grizzly Bear, Foreign Born, Papercuts @ The Troubadour The City Drive, Le Meu Le Purr, Eva Elliott @ The Knitting Factory Rock Kills Kid, Circus Minor, Little Wolverines @ Spaceland Kissing Violet, Down From Hollow, The Faded, Big Rig, Krell @ Dragonfly Astra Heights, Castledoor, The Procession, The... more ›

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

With news of more locations poised to serve, it's about damn time we did a little investigative journalism. Pinkberry: Come on, now, really? Isn't it just frozen yogurt? What's the big deal? Pinkberry is the little yogurt shop that could--and has--bloomed into a behemoth of local franchises, and with all the hype, they seem set to convert you to be one of their kind. Every trend loves its skeptics, and we count ourselves among the... more ›

It’s difficult to argue that KCRW, 89.9 FM, isn't one of the better things we, the citizens of Los Angeles, get to experience firsthand. Yeah, the station offers podcasts and streaming radio, but it’s not the same as actually living in the city the station is broadcast from. Not only does the station play some of the most innovative and unique music in the world, but broadcasts daily news and cultural information unable to... more ›

Bob Forrest @ Silverlake Lounge (5:30p show) Cold War Kids, Parson Red Heads @ Silverlake Lounge Reverend Horton Heat, Junior Brown @ House of Blues My Ruin, Revolution Mother, Flatline @ Whisky Wounded Lion, Arrow Down @ Zamakibo Subtle, Pigeon John @ The Troubadour Terry Bozzio @ The Baked Potato Pretty Boys @ The Gig Odetta @ McCabe's Supernova, Midway, The Make, Golgotha Rock City @ The Scene Ninja Academy, 8-Bit, The Mormons, We... more ›

There are really only two major music festivals that truly matter, like really matter: Coachella and South by Southwest. The former happens over two three days in the desert near Palm Springs, the latter rages for about a week on the dusty streets of Austin, Texas. SXSW features over 1,000 bands. You buy a wristband and you wander from bar to bar, club to club, alleyway to patio and you get to see some... more ›

We admit it. We love year-end Best Of lists. Why? We think lists by a variety of people are a far better way to see trends and discover new acts than say award shows or sales charts. If it weren't for Best Of lists it's rare that you'd hear so much about TV on the Radio, The Cold War Kids, The Hold Steady, Joanna Newsum, or the Knife - and who knows, maybe it's... more ›

Joseph Mailander is editor of Martini Republic, a local blog, a national blog, a political and cultural blog, but most of all, a toper's blog at heart. Beyond Joseph, Dr. Cocktail (Ted Haigh), Tod Mesirow (of Monster Garage fame) and anonyblogger Alex DeLarge (an obvious surly drunk) all monitor the beverage industry there with the kind of scrutiny that puts them at the top of all beverage industry blogrolls. MartiniRepublic's fabled drinks blog is... more ›

OK so last night's Colbert/Decembrist Green Screen thing wasn't such a great premise but the line-up was incredible. Due to non-existent new programming somebody here suggested that I occupy my time with porn, but this is the TV Junkie spot, not the Porn Junkie spot, I'm not sure that the LAist editorial staff want that to happen yet, and no one has stepped forward to start supplying me with said porn yet either --... more ›

The Mere Mortals, who LAist has written about before, continues to climb up the charts despite being unsigned. Their self-made "Rebel Radio" EP continues to rise on the FMQB album chart , one that tracks national airplay on new music radio shows. Currently the Mere Mortals are #3, just behind And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead 's "So Divided" (Interscope), and The Kooks' "Inside In/Inside Out (Astralwerks). They're outpacing such... more ›