As one blogger so delicately phrased it, "CMJ goes out with a whimper". There wasn't a whole lot I wanted to see on Day Five of CMJ. So I rested my weary bones, wandered around Williamsburg, and caught a couple of shows. One highlight was Ha Ha Tonka's performance at Union Pool in Williamsburg at a homey, jam-packed venue. I believe there was a BBQ going on as well. Williamsburg was lovely, flourishing with... more ›

Day Four began with jazz hands. I started off at Cake Shop to see NY native Patrick Cleandenim. He struck my interest with his brand of flamboyant, jazz-infused pop. However, it'd be nearly impossible for him to replicate the orchestral backing live and thus his live performance seemed a bit flat. Regardless, Patrick is destined for large things. His latest effort Baby, Come Home was recorded in Kansas at a studio I am quite... more ›

Whew! We're a little more than half-way through this music marathon in New York and I'm starting to realize how similar this experience is to an actual marathon. It requires a lot of endurance, patience, and you'll wish you were an amputee afterwards. With two more days left, I'm still yearning for more and I'm certain that CMJ's final days will sate me. Yesterday started off a bit slow. I began my trek in... more ›

Yesterday commenced with an LA bang. I started off at the Indaba music loft again because they have been hosting a plethora of good (free!) shows. There's something comforting about watching bands from someone else's living room. I showed up around mid-day to catch one of my favorite LA bands Division Day. Front man Rohner Segnitz and the boys ran through a pleasant acoustic set. With drummer Kevin Lenhart on shakers, Division Day sounded... more ›

I've always dreamed of attending the CMJ, the annual New York gathering of pretty much every band in the entire universe. The people over at Fader are saying CMJ should be an acronym for Conquering Many Jams. I'm just not sure if I'll be doing the conquering. With thousands of bands to choose from, It's more than likely that the music will be conquering me. As I arrive at the Puck building on Lafayette... more ›

Nearly two weeks ago, I traveled eastward on an excursion to the Lone Star State. I expected Texas to be a hostile experience filled with unnecessarily aggressive, booze-fueled behemoths. You know the truck driving, cowboy kind. My weekend trip proved it to be quite the opposite. I arrived at LaGrave Field, home of Ft. Worth's AAA baseball team, bright and early for the 3rd annual Wall of Sound Festival. Considering all of our Spector... more ›

Last Friday night in a small, nondescript office space in the middle of Denton, Texas, The Strange Boys put on an unforgettable show for twenty five unsuspecting kids. After hearing Keith and Sean rave about them, I saw them at the Fuck Yeah Fest and they absolutely blew me away. I became obsessed with this band immediately because they're doing something literally no one else is: reviving 60s garage rock. At times I hear... more ›

First launched in May of 1945, the Lane Victory saw service in three wars (WW2, Korea, and Vietnam), and is now maintained as a museum ship and docked at LA Harbor Berth 94 in San Pedro. Although the Lane Victory wasn't a combat ship (she was operated as a Merchant Marine vessel and carried cargo), she saw plenty of action and still has all her guns, some of which are still occasionally fired. Nothing... more ›

Only one man in the electronica realm could entice me to endure the 378 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco just for a measly DJ set. Simon Green, a.k.a. Bonobo, hails from Brighton (UK) and has released three full length albums of downtempo that have changed my musical world. With that said, when my friend asked me if I wanted an extra Bonobo ticket for a show in the city by the bay... more ›

No, it's not some crazy Southwest or Virgin deal. This is the Magic Bus as the LA Times calls it. A new nonstop line will roll into Los Angeles next week, serving seven cities with a handful of fares as low as $1. Megabus, a subsidiary of Coach USA, will carry passengers from L.A. to San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix. The fleet will follow routes well served by... more ›

Photo by Henry David for LAist.com The 6.5-acre Japanese Garden in Van Nuys is open 5 days a week. It was opened to the public in 1984 and has since served as an ideal place of rest and meditation. It is conveniently located close to the 405 freeway in the Valley -- we encourage you to take a visit. It usually has only a handful of visitors and offers more than enough space to... more ›

In the next several weeks, LAist will embark on a series of hikes and present to you an ambitious 6-part photo essay. This is the fourth one. Here is parts 1, 2, and 3. As always, LAist encourages you to get out and take advantage of and experience the beautiful landscape of Southern California. Most of us forget that we are fortunate to live in such a diverse and ecologically unique locale that offers... more ›

In the next several weeks, LAist will embark on a series of hikes and present to you an ambitious 6-part photo essay. This is the third one. Here is parts 1, and 2. Stunt Ranch is a 67-acre private UCLA reserve with public access to its trails. It is located on the north-central flank of the Santa Monica Mountains just outside of Malibu (4.5 miles North of). It was recently devastated by a wildfire... more ›

In the next several weeks, LAist will embark on a series of hikes and present to you an ambitious 8-part photo essay. This is the second one. As always, LAist encourages you to get out and take advantage of and experience the beautiful landscape of Southern California. Most of us forget that we are fortunate to live in such a diverse and ecologically unique locale that offers breathtaking sites at spectacular heights -- hike... more ›

In the next several weeks, LAist will embark on a series of hikes and present to you an ambitious 8-part photo essay (not as majestic as BBC's Planet Earth). This is the first one. As always, LAist encourages you to get out and take advantage of and experience the beautiful landscape of Southern California. Most of us forget that we are fortunate to live in such a diverse and ecologically unique locale that offers... more ›

LAist doesn't usually care what's happening in our eastern neighbor Arizona, but we've got to admit we're curious about the new Grand Canyon West observation platform opening 375 miles away on March 28. more ›

One of the great benefits of Los Angeles weather to man and beast is the year round use of Dog parks. As a playground for hounds and a social gathering hot spot for owners, dog parks provide an enjoyable, mostly incident free outing at any given time of day. The odds are there is one near you that hopefully is not being tested for radiation like the one in Brentwood. However like any community there... more ›

by Kevin McCollister more ›

Something possessed us to hop in the car and to cruise on up to the little town of Ojai to spend a sunny afternoon. We needed a little getaway -- you know how it is when things get a little hectic in the city and a new landscape on loan is just what's needed to give yourself a break and recharge the old batteries. So out came the map of California (well, okay, we downloaded a PDF from the state's website to save the unfold-fold hassle) and we hatched a plan. Remembering lore about Ojai's majestically quaint beauty, thriving arts scene, and reputation for eclecticism, we thought the hour-and-a-half trip would be just the right thing for us. We had delusions of roadside produce stands offering cornucopias of local agricultural products for sale. We had visions of ourselves strolling along the historical main drag, eager to part with hard-earned cash on any sort of local art, antiques, or goodies to take home. We thought about the beautiful nature, the tasty food we could have, the plentiful homages to famed resident Beatrice Wood... more ›