Dublin-based musician Lisa Hannigan has crafted a sophomore album just as strong as her first. "Passenger" explores themes such as travel, home and the passage of time—and no matter where you listen to the music, this album will make you yearn for the home Hannigan describes. Tuesday night, she and her band will take the stage at the El Rey. more ›

Joy Williams and John Paul White of The Civil Wars met during a professional blind date after drawing straws at a 2008 songwriting workshop. It didn't take long for them to realize they were meant to make music together. Their debut album, Barton Hollow, has garnered praise from critics and fellow songwriters alike, and this week they're set to perform at the El Rey and Largo at the Coronet. more ›

With the release of their third album, "Arrows," there are 12 new reasons to explore the sonic landscape of The Lonely Forest. This Pacific Northwest-based band will be Death Cab for Cutie's opener at the El Rey tonight. LAist caught up with guitarist Tony Ruland last weekend to get the scoop on the new album and the band's adventures on the Oregon Trail. more ›

If there is any burden that comes with being a seminal artist, it’s the slavish obsession and attention perpetually paid to the seminal art. For pioneering UK electronic artist Gary Numan in America, it all revolves around his timeless hit song, “Cars.” Taken from his 1979 album “The Pleasure Principle,” it’s one of the first songs to introduce electronic music to the American masses, reaching #9 on the US charts in early 1980. more ›

Daniel Barassi is man of many media talents with two primary public identities. The Brat is known by a globe of Depeche Mode fans as the band’s webmaster, creating a constantly evolving site that pleases even the most finicky superfan. He’s also a music producer, giving birth to mashups that've been consumed on the Internet by hundreds of thousands, and heard locally on KCRW. (The above mashup was recently featured on Gary Calamar’s program.) more ›

Punch Brothers' music is the sound of synapses firing. The band's mix of unpredictability and virtuosity means there's always something new to uncover in their original pieces. And upon listening to one of their covers, you'll be hard-pressed to imagine Bach's Brandenburg without banjo or Of Montreal's "Gronlandic Edit" without mandolin. Don't miss them tomorrow night at the El Rey with opener Jon Brion. more ›

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The little-barroom-band-that-could, did, this week in Los Angeles. On the eve of the release of their fifth album in six years, Brooklyn-based The Hold Steady occupied L.A. Live's rin gong of acoustic perfection, taking to the confines of the Grammy Museum's intimate, 200-person theater for a moderated interview, audience Q&A, and rare acoustic show including songs from the new record, "Heaven is Whenever" (Rough Trade/Vagrant). more ›

All you really need to know is that Fol Chen's Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made was one of my favorite albums of 2009 and the Liars know a thing or two about what it means to perform live. The El Rey was packed for both bands on Saturday night (I can't remember the last time it was that crowded for the opener) and I'm 100% sure that the rumblings of a dance rock mosh pit mid-set during Liars coupled with the deafening applause after each Fol Chen song meant that everyone had an amazing night. more ›

As with a lot of good things, the band The Big Pink wasn't supposed to be a band at all. Friends, Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze were already distracted with other projects when they started messing around in the studio. 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 ›

In a city with a penchant for dress up, it took a bit of time to realize that Wednesday night at the El Rey was in fact themed for the Junior Boys Halloween Tour. (The dude dressed as Jesus only confused the matter; it was the carved pumpkins that finally did it.) Vancouver duo Circlesquare took the eerily back lit stage first with their not-really-dance-music dance music, described on their album website as "opiated rave-ups, like early bleep techno chopped and screwed, or shoegaze in an electric exoskeleton". more ›

"We were bums without jobs or anything to do, so we decided to form a band." Wye Oak's lead singer, Jenn Wasner giggles. "We really didn't want to do the typical acoustic stripped down duo type of band. It was really important to us that we had a range. Andy pretty much brainstormed his whole set up. I was pretty skeptical that he could pull it off. He wanted to create this whole bass drum thing. He disappeared into his basement for months and finally emerged with this instrument and was like, "Check it out! I can do it." And we had a band." Three years later, these unemployed bums have emerged as one of the most interesting bands out of Baltimore in a long time. Their hypnotizing vocals and hazy shoegaze melodies soon attracted the ears of Merge Records and the band took off. more ›

Cowboys and Turbans is a fusion restaurant that doesn't wear too many hats. Just two. Fusing Mexican and Indian, this fast-enough food establishment has an impressive menu -- the likes of which I've not seen around our fare city. Tandoori quesadilla, masala fries, chicken or tofu naanwiches -- all of which sound delicious. Though I wouldn't know. Thanks to the wretched economy, I've only indulged in their happy hour tacos -- $1 each, mid-day to 6 p.m. more ›

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but if the big one should show up on Thursday...these New York rockers are toast. Poor bastards. They think they're coming here to headline the El Rey. Of course this information wasn't shared with Donald Cumming during our interview with him on Saturday. (Yes, the lead singer of the Virgins is named Donald Cumming. Go ahead. Giggle. We'll wait. Feel better? Okay.) I mean, we can't scare the Virgins off before they get here. It's the only way to save California from sinking into the sea. Although this would mean killing off one of the best neo-disco acts around, which would be a shame. These guys have put out a slinky debut album which would make even a nun's blood run hot. more ›

Friday night at the El Rey Theatre, the guitarist for Tilly and the Wall, Derek Pressnall, opened for the Black Lips with his new band, Flowers Forever. The only adornment on-stage was a tangled mass of lights that glowed like a giant light-up hairball that served as a visual embodiment of the Flowers Forever sound: bright, messy, pretty ugly, but intriguing nonetheless. Each song jumped around from melody to melody with no smooth transitions. Drums ricocheted from delicate to pounding, guitars from fuzzy to jangling, and the bass and keyboards seemed to fill in wherever necessary. The unpredictable tone of the lyrics went from sweetly lighthearted ("Beach Bum") to mopey ("Jealous Motherfucker") and finally to politically pissed off in "Golden Shackles." The overall sonic effect of this lack of cohesion was extremely off putting, because the moment you decided you finally liked what the band was playing, they immediately started playing something else. Forever Flowers have potential, though, and could improve enormously if they dedicated themselves to one idea per song, not five. With a little focus and some strict editing, they could make some seriously interesting pop. more ›

My first thought when Boots Riley took the stage was, "Holy crap! Shaft has gone on tour with Kurt Cobain." Sporting an Afro, leather overcoat with a fur collar, and some impressive sideburns, he took the stage at the El Rey accompanied by a young man with long blond hair, a green winter jacket, and who frankly looked quiet stoned. If you look at the photo gallery below, you'll see that first impression was warranted. more ›

Awash in a sea of plaid on Monday night, an epiphany struck: folk was chic again. It is currently hip and groovy to wear plaid shirts, headbands, feathers in your hair, and beads around your neck. We're back in the 1960s, baby. But more interesting than the fashion, because fashions come and go, was the music. The opening act was a young man from Los Angeles named Frank Fairfield. He looked and sounded like he was from the Los Angeles of 1908 rather than 2008. Hair slicked back like Clark Gable, button-down shirt buttoned to the very top button, and pants hiked up unfashionably high, this young man looked like he had just walked out of O' Brother Where Art Thou? more ›

Friday night at The Troubadour featured long-time local favorites Earlimart and UK indie pop/rock group The Wedding Present. And, unexpectedly, Keanu Reeves, sitting up in the VIP session, rocking out to the latter. Earlimart went on right at 9 o'clock, with bright, hypnotic images projected on the wall behind them, which included forests, fields, and underwater sequences. An original Ship Collective band whose offshoots/former members include Great Northern and Silversun Pickups, Earlimart are currently back to the basics: talented founders Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray, with a touring drummer. The set included music from their two recent albums Mentor Tormentor and Hymn and Her (Majordomo in Japan), as well as from some oldies like 2004's Trebel and Tremble. Murray is fascinating in her effortless switching from a Christmas-light-strewn keyboard to a low-slung bass guitar, and her mellow vocals are the perfect accompaniment to Espinoza's higher, whispery voice. The combination of Murray's synthesized string sounds and Espinoza's hard-driving guitar are very effective; the dynamics between harder rocking songs like the infectious "Nevermind the Phone Calls" and the pretty "Happy Alone" (reminiscent of Headlights' Kill Them With Kindness) kept the show at a good pace, and is part of what keeps Earlimart interesting and continuously on the radar for indie rock fans, regardless of their lack of a label in the U.S. Steadfast good songwriting refuses to be ignored. Espinoza told the crowd, "You are the reason I live here", and bands like this are the reason many of us live in L.A. (Take that, Pitchfork and Airborne Toxic Event.) Needless to say, it was a very enjoyable set. more ›

Los Angeles really can be an amazing place sometimes. Where else will an artist the stature and as experienced as Elvis Costello decide to play a secret, free midnight show? Very, very few places. Luckily, we are in Los Angeles and this exact thing did happen Wednesday night. Announcing the show at 7pm on Indie 103.1, Costello came straight from his performance in support of the Police, and proceeded to rock the El Rey for two solid hours. more ›

I don't know if it was all those Ikea fish eggs I consumed this weekend, but I was definitely ready to be in a Swedish frame of mind Monday night at the El Rey, where Anna Ternheim and Lykke Li opened for El Perro Del Mar. All three artists are representing a new wave of Scandinavian indie pop, with danceable rhythms, melancholic lyrics, and a moody, sensual sound that feels like a cold, fresh breeze on the pop landscape. Abba they ain't, but Robyn sure likes to hang with them. more ›

Mike Doughty attracts a particular crowd. more ›

There is little doubt that by now you have seen them on MTV, heard them on KROQ or Indie or seen them on SNL, if you haven't then it must be dark in that cave. The ginormous hype machine known as Vampire Weekend came through LA Thursday night to play their first proper show in support of their debut self-titled album. With tickets reportedly going for upwards of $400 a pair on ebay, (!!) the mere curiosity factor of seeing whether this band could deliver would almost be enough to warrant attendance. Once the prep-rockers hit the stage and began their set it was clear that this band does indeed deserve the hype and praise they have been given. With their quirky blend of afro-pop and world influences they bring a refreshing vibe that is unlike anything out today. more ›

Carbon/Silicon took their punk rock pedigrees to the stage at the El Rey Wednesday night and kicked out an inspired, energized set that left the crowd of several hundred white 40-year-olds ecstatic that they’d stayed out past their bedtimes. more ›

Tuesdays are usually slow nights in LA for music and as bands prep to head Texas-way for SXSW, we'll probably see even fewer choices like tonight. But fewer doesn't mean worse. Mountain Goats and Jeffrey Lewis (great video below) play at the Troubadour tonight (and tomorrow), Working For A Nuclear Free City is back with another concert, this time at Cinespace (though it's a private premier party. Crash?) and LA Weekly says to head over to Glendale and check out The Scene. more ›

As we said yesterday in this column, Robert Francis fell ill earlier this month, prompting the cancellation of his Monday night residency at the Silverlake Lounge. Good news, though, the new favorite local artist of ours is playing tonight at El Rey at 8:45 p.m. with the Australian Missy Higgins performing after. There's no better way than letting you get to know Francis via a few songs below. more ›

Yay for Monday nights, there's lots of quality to choose from. If you're looking for something crazy and fun, then watch this video we recently took of Killsonic, who plays at The Bordello tonight. LA Weekly picks Tracy Spuehler at the Hotel Cafe as their pick and What Made Milwaukee Famous plays once again, for free, at The Echo tonight. Also BPM Magazine is hosting a new issue release party (RSVP here) at the Roxy with Peanut Butter Wolf and others. more ›

More What Made Milwaukee Famous? Yes, more of that! more ›