Initially conceived as a gift for a child, Violet Valen decided to develop her own line of custom teddy bear-themed one-of-a-kind sweatshirts after the adults went batty for the designs. Since forming Buddy Society in 2004, she's expanded into all manner of items to adorn yourself with, including denim jackets, jeans, and t-shirts. more ›

Tonight legendary English blues/rock singer Joe Cocker will be headlining the Nokia Theatre in Downtown. Local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) is poised to jam with friends at Largo at the Coronet. Montreal-based indie pop outfit Clues, which is inextricably linked to the likes of the Unicorns and Arcade Fire, will be headlining the Echo. LA/SF-based "apocalyptic comedy-lounge-punk-jazz-storytelling-cinematic-what-the-hell?-art rock band" the Fuxedos will be taking on Spaceland with Killsonic in tow. And, lastly, Swedish microhouse proponent Axel Willner, otherwise known as the Field, will be performing alongside the Juan Maclean at the Avalon. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Natural History Museum to catch Phoenix-bred mashup DJ Z-Trip for this month's edition of First Fridays. LAist favorites DâM-FunK, or rather the "Ambassador of Boogie Funk," and the Gaslamp Killer are slated to kick things off. more ›