Food lovers flocked to Malibu on Sunday for Los Angeles Magazine's sixth annual The Food Event. Unlike last year, the weather cooperated beautifully as 2,500 Angelenos enjoyed the rolling green hills of Saddlerock Ranch. more ›

Last night’s red carpet premiere of the first Los Angeles Food & Wine festival at L.A. Live proved to be a star-studded affair, with vintners and top chefs from TV—and brick and mortar restaurants—either working the festival or sampling each other’s wares. more ›

Bummed about Sunset Junction being cancelled and you now have a block of free time on Saturday night? Well just head a little more East for an alternative: Chinatown Summer Nights takes over Chinatown in DTLA tomorrow night from 5 pm to midnight on Broadway. more ›

Your chance to see Hanson take the stage at the Sunset Junction Festival could be hanging in the balance if organizers don't cough up fees from last year's festival, according to the Los Angeles Times. Organizers are already selling tickets. But the city is withholding permits that would allow the show to go on, until the festival pays back $267,000 in fees for police staffing and police closures from last year's event. more ›

Friday night in LA and we have lots in store for you tonight and this weekend. There's a museum store sale at the Santa Monica Museum of Art and Bergamot Station; Taste in San Pedro kicks off tonight for a weekend of food and music; and tons of indie and international TV pilots screen at Laemmle Sunset 5 this week. more ›

Not one, but two, theater festivals open in LA this week, bringing theater-goers hundreds of performances to choose from, in the genres of comedy, drama, experimental, variety shows and musical productions. more ›

A few ideas for some things to do on this Memorial Day holiday in L.A. including a benefit rummage sale, a wine fest in Downtown, a country fair, and a free day at LACMA. more ›

more ›

more ›

more ›

Tonight Australian electro pop duo Empire of the Sun, which is of course features Luke Steele of the Sleepy Jackson, will be concluding a four-night stint at the Music Box at Henry Fonda Theater. Local indie rockers Red Cortez (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) are poised to head a bill of talented locals for Bloomfest in the heart of the Arts District. And, lastly, local indie pop quartet Superhumanoids will be gracing HEARDfest, a fledgling music/arts festival which takes place at Junction Block and is organized by local collective Heard of Elephants. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch NY-based disco/house duo Hercules and Love Affair. more ›

Tonight local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming with friends at the Largo at the Coronet; And Jon's is performing less frequently these days, so you have no excuse to soak it up. Critically acclaimed London-based house duo Basement Jaxx are poised to head the biggest electronic dance festival outside of Europe, otherwise known as the Electric Daisy Carnival, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Expo Park in Downtown. And, lastly, Australian-bred singer-songwriter Andy Clockwise will be taking on the Hotel Café in anticipation of his forthcoming studio-album, 2010's The Socialite. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch San Franciscan psych-infused garage rocker Ty Segall, who is touring in support of his latest tour de force—2010's Melted. more ›

It was a busy weekend in Pasadena with their Annual Chalk Festival and Make Music Pasadena. LAist photographer Koga covered the bands and above we present the street atmosphere. more ›

Tonight London-based electronic singer-songwriter Imogen Heap will be gracing the Greek Theatre. LA-bred all-female, retro 60s pop rock quartet The Like (LAist Review, #2, #3) are poised to headline the Troubadour in celebration of their recently-released Ronson/Greenwald-produced debut, 2010's Release Me. And, lastly, our dear friend Jody at When You Awake is at it again, always keeping busy; This time she's throwing a Beach Boys Tribute at the Bootleg Theater with Red Cortez (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) , the Chapin Sisters, Leslie Stevens (of Leslie and the Badgers), Hi Ho Silver Oh, and of course the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) at the top of the bill. But we strongly suggest spending the day in the lovely confines of Pasadena—the city yours truly calls home—for this year's Make Music Pasadena Festival. It's one of the more beauteous Summer days here in Pasadena: cerulean skies, a slight breeze, and mind-numbingly temperate 70 degree conditions. Two of Brooklyn's finest, dance punk duo Matt and Kim (LAist Review) and indie rock trio the Antlers (LAist Review) will be performing, as well as a bevy of locals—including Warpaint, Voxhaul Broadcast, Breakestra, and Big Whup (LAist Review). And, what's more, it's freaking free! more ›

more ›

Tonight Scottish rock act Frightened Rabbit will be headlining the Henry Fonda Music Box with none other than Chicagoan indie rock outfit Maps & Atlases. San Franciscan chamber-punk outfit Bonfire Madigan are poised to take on the Bootleg Theater. And, lastly, Geneva Garvin, an experimental electro songstress who performs under the pseudonym Geneva Jacuzzi, will be gracing the Echo for this week's edition of Part Time Punks. But we strongly suggest heading over to Myra Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard and North Hoover Avenue where the first ever Silver Lake Jubilee, a two-day community festival which features a bevy of twenty-some-odd local bands each day, will be coming to a close. LAist favorites, local indie rock outfit Foreign Born (LAist Interview, Review) and all-female, retro 60s pop rock quartet The Like (LAist Review, #2, #3) are slated to headline. more ›

Tonight Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati indie rock act the National will be concluding a two-night stint at the Wiltern. Québécois singer-songwriter Patrick Watson is poised to headline the Hotel Café with none other than OC-based folk outfit Yellow Red Sparks in tow. Southern rock maestro Shooter Jennings & Hierophant will be performing at the Troubadour. And, lastly, the first ever Silver Lake Jubilee, a two-day community festival which features a bevy of twenty-some-odd local bands each day, will be taking place on Myra Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard and North Hoover Avenue. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch Hottlanta-based rocker Kaki King. LAist favorites, Australian indie pop duo An Horse are slated to kick things off. more ›

With so many bands playing, the breadth of Coachella’s line-up can be a curse as well as a blessing. It forces the fans to make a choice between potentially up to 5 acts they may all love. Unfortunately, I have been faced with decisions such as Them Crooked Vultures or Grizzly Bear, Dead Weather/MGMT or Muse, and on Sunday Phoenix/Thom Yorke or Pavement/Gorillaz. Most of these decisions have essentially been an old favorite vs. a curious desire to see a different band. So far, the old favorites are up 2-0. more ›

Beyond the far reaches of LA, where its last subsets of cities have finally dwindled down, lies a strange place: a desolate and scattered collection of cities where any passing bystander is unsure where civilization ends and the desert starts. Indian casinos, gentlemen’s clubs, and outlet malls are a common theme along the freeway, and you kind of get the feeling that this is where Hollywood’s lost dreams end up. The inhabitants seem to know this, too, for their freeway literally says, “10 E - Indio, Other Desert Cities”, directly acknowledging this stark existence on both the literal and metaphorical front. But amidst this barren landscape, something, once a year for the past 11 years, very special happens. more ›

Tonight through Sunday are a few events to take you far enough away from the city to make you feel like you're on a trip without the Coachella traffic experience. more ›

This week the unremitting three-day music marathon known as Coachella (LAist Coverage) takes over our lives. This year's impressive bill boasts a broad array of headliners, including Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Muse, Gorillaz, Pavement, Phoenix and Atoms For Peace. Progressive bluegrass outfit the Punch Brothers, which of course features former Nickel Creek member, virtuosic Oceanside-bred mandolin player Chris Thile, will be performing at the Broad Stage in Santa Mon Mon. Classically trained English experimental musician Micachu and the Shapes are poised to grace the Getty Center for this week's edition of Saturdays Off the 405. And, lastly, Colorado-based pop-infused folk/bluegrass act SHEL will be performing here for their first time ever, making their debut at Bardot. more ›

Ok, party people. I've got two words for you: Superchunk (and) Hole. Showing the new kids how things are done, both bands rocked the house in their entirety. Even Courtney declaring, midway through her 1 am set, “Listen, folks. I’m an elderly person. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I just want to get my blow job on and go to bed,” couldn’t detract from her screaming through a ballsy rendition of a "Doll Parts." And Superchunk’s energy was so frenetic that it instantly brought me back to their three-night run at the Fillmore over 10 years ago, with Mac’s bounce as pogo-y as ever. As for bands I haven’t followed for a decade or more, French Miami, An Horse, Bear Hands, and Rumspringa all pulled me in from the street for an enjoyable listen. Surfer Blood, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the xx all gave good performances and rounded out my Friday at SXSW - don’t forget to check out Molly Bergen’s recap for a more in-depth perusal of the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous. As for me, I’ve got to get to GWAR. Pics to follow - if I survive it, that is. more ›

First of all, it’s more madness this time around than I remembered. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and lamer and my half-Irish liver can’t quite swing St. Patrick’s Day with as much gusto as it once did. Or maybe it’s because Molly and I, in an effort to bring recommendations, recap, and (SXSW) reality to those of you who couldn’t make it this year are trying to see as many bands as humanly possible each 24 hour period. more ›

Tonight legendary Akron-based new wave act Devo (LAist Interview) will be taking on a two-night stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box. Local indie rockers Silversun Pickups (LAist Review, #2, #3) are poised to headline LA Weekly's 101 Fest at the Gibson Amphitheatre. And, lastly, LA-bred electronic mastermind Daedelus will be gracing Cinespace with Jogger... more ›

This week legendary Boston-bred alternative rock outfit the Pixies will be taking on a three-night stint at the Hollywood Palladium with local noise-infused rockers No Age (LAist Review, #2) and Brooklyn-bred TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone, who will be performing material from his solo endeavor Rain Machine of course. Equally legendary Akron-based new wave act Devo are poised to take on a two-night stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box. Local indie rockers Silversun Pickups (LAist Review, #2, #3) will not only be headlining LA Weekly's 101 Fest at the Gibson Amphitheatre, but will also be performing special sets for Kia Soul Collective at Siren Studio and Kidrockers at the Echo. And, lastly, experimental Icelandic collective Múm will be gracing the El Rey Theatre with none other than Icelandic indie pop outfit Sin Fang Bous. more ›

Tonight Vermont-based jam band Phish (LAist Review) will be concluding Festival 8, a three-day stint in Indio at the famed Empire Polo Club. Indie rock duo Black Gold are poised to take on the Troubadour with none other than all-female rock trio Girl In A Coma. And, lastly, Ohio-based lo-fi rock act Times New Viking will be performing at the Echo with San Franciscan noise-infused pop outfit Sic Alps for this week's edition of Part Time Punks. But we strongly suggest heading over to Amoeba Music in Hollywood to catch Los Angeles' own "Ambassador of Boogie Funk," Culver City-based DJ/selector DâM-FunK. more ›

Last night Phish tore through the first two of eight sets which the quartet's scheduled to play during their three day "Festival 8" in Indio, California. The Halloween-themed bacchanal, taking place at the astonishingly beautiful Empire Polo Grounds (also home to the Coachella music festival), is a homecoming of sorts for Phish, which invented a new rock festival model in 1996—even before disgruntled audience members rioted at Woodstock '99 over the rapacious price of water. Phish was the first contemporary band to organize multi-day rock festivals which treated attendees like guests, not numbers. This novel approach inspired Bonnaroo, where Phish performed for the first time in June. more ›

Tonight Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of Scottish alternative rock outfit Travis will be taking on the penultimate night a sold-out four-show stint at Largo at the Coronet. Thes One and Double K, the self-proclaimed B-boys of People Under The Stairs, are poised to headline the Key Club in Hollywood. And, lastly, the Raincoats, Crystal Stilts, Abe Vigoda and WEAVE!, among many, many others, will be commandeering the Echo and the Echoplex for this year's Part Time Punks Festival. But we strongly suggest doing whatever it takes to get into the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch Seattle-based indie rock progenitors Sunny Day Real Estate. LAist favorites, local indie rockers the Jealous Sound are slated to kick things off. more ›

more ›

Tonight local indie rock buzz band Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' (LAist Review) will be performing at the Abbot Kinney Music Festival with Eskimo Hunter, the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3) , Chief and Dios (Malos) (LAist Interview, Review). San Francisco-based psych-folk-pop act the Dodos are poised to headline the El Rey Theatre with Auckland's own indie pop outfit the Ruby Suns and London-bred experimental post-rock collective Sian Alice Group in tow. And, lastly, Sacramento-based dance-infused punk act Chk Chk Chk (!!!) will be headlining the Troubadour with none other than Houston-based psych-infused noise anomaly Indian Jewelry. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood to catch Berkeley-bred hip hop producer and rapper Jel and labelmate Odd Nosdam, who will be performing amongst many others for the 2nd Annual Longhair Illuminati Arts & Music Festival. LAist favorites Tweak Bird, Warpaint (LAist Review, #2, #3), Blank Blue and Slang Chickens are slated to take stage as well. more ›