Van Hunt plays the Temple Bar tonight, Feb. 19 and March 6 | Photo via his MySpace page In an e-mail early, early, early this morning, McCabe's announced something unexpected: The Swell Season will be playing tomorrow night in the guitar shop's intimate performance space. You may not recognize the band's name, but you know them as Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech pianist Marketa Irglova from the movie Once. The gig got booked......

With two months left until the Feb. 5 California Primary and 31 days until the Iowa Caucus, candidates from both parties are in full election cycle mode as they try to convince voters of their cause. As we countdown to the Jan. 31 caucus and the CA. Primary, let's take a look at each candidate from the parties in a primer that is not intended to be complete but is meant to offer a brief......

On Monday night, and after being on tour for two months, Rilo Kiley (MySpace) made their triumphant return to Los Angeles with a performance at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Grand Ole Party (MySpace) and The Bird And The Bee (MySpace) were the openers. More photos after the jump.......

Did you know you can still get tickets for Monday night's Rilo Kiley show at the Santa Monica Civic? Do you know why you can still get tickets for the show? Because it's in Santa Monica. And when the people of Santa Monica aren't trying to destroy old trees and houses, they're looking for things to do Other than see great rock shows. Let's think of things they do on the Westside other than......

Ziggy Marley @ Pacific Amphitheatre Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars @ Malibu Inn Queen Ida and her Zydeco Band @ Santa Monica Pier The Shys, Grand Ole Party, The Procession @ The Roxy Reel Big Fish. Less Than Jake @ The Wiltern Marnie Stern @ The Echo Volto @ The Knitting Factory The Big Believers, Baker London, The Kris Special, The P. Lacquers @ Mr. T's Bowl......

Oh those Swedes and their delightful pop melodies. Indie darlings the Shout Out Louds will play their last US date at the El Rey tomorrow night before heading out for extensive tour globetrotting. Opening the show will be San Diego’s Grand Ole Party and their special brew of vocal domination and dashing, funk-rock riffs. If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, leave a comment citing your favorite Swedish thing (mine......

Spoon @ Little Radio Louis CK, Dana Gould @ Largo Ferraby Lionheart, Franklin for Short, Karabel Nightlife @ Tangier Moris Tepper, Thee LA Gentleman Callers @ The Echo Vampire Weekend, Grand Ole Party @ The Troubadour Black Lips @ Amoeba (6pm) Suki Ewers @ The Bordello Eskimo Hunter, Minutes til Midnight @ Spaceland High Society, Honeypot, The Futhamuckas @ The Scene Good on Paper, Happy Hollows, Thailand, Hearts of Palm UK @ Viper Room......

Let me preface the following review with: I've never seen Grand Ole Party, Everest, or Sea Wolf perform live before. Last night's show at The Echo was exceptional. However, I noticed a palpable disparity between Sea Wolf fans as I traveled from the back to the front of the brimming room. In the back, I experienced insouciant veterans, who felt as though the set list dragged a bit, but ended with a bang. In......

Roger Waters @ Hollywood Bowl Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes @ The Pond of Anaheim L.A. Guns, The Cauze @ Whisky Peter Tork @ The Coffee Gallery Backstage (Altadena) Mort Sahl @ McCabes The Black Seeds @ The Vine Street Lounge Two Ton Boa, Thrones, Bipolar Bear, Knight Rider @ The Smell Clear Static, Rome to Paris, Lylah @ Key Club Califone, The Heavenly States @ Spaceland Gil & Jer's Soul Explosion @ Liquid Kitty......