Part of an ongoing series. Last Tuesday, local singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop (MySpace), whose album Kismet was number one on Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2007, performed a solo acoustic show at Temple Bar (MySpace) in Santa Monica, opening for Van Hunt (MySpace). Hoop's next local show will be with the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) on April 12th at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, alongside Meiko (MySpace) who was mentioned by LAist last......

Local singer/songwriters Meiko (MySpace) and Priscilla Ahn (MySpace) share similar qualities -- they are part-Asian (Meiko is quarter-Japanese and Ahn is half-Korean), and originally from back east (Meiko from Georgia and Ahn from Pennsylvania). So perhaps it was coincidental that both were booked in back-to-back shows last week at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with Meiko onstage last Wednesday and Ahn last Thursday. Meiko, a one-time Hotel Cafe waitress, became a favorite of controversial......

In no particular order... 1. Secret Shows at the Viper Room 2. La Taquiza on Figueroa 3. Saturdays with the USC Trojans 4. The Henry Fonda Theatre 5. A short hop over Laurel Canyon to see my family 6. Friday Nights at the Rainbow Room 7. Using Venice Blvd. to get from work to play 8. The newly built lane at the 405/101 interchange 9. Amoeba Music 10. Some of the most eclectic, intelligent,......

Last night Spoon played alongside Kool Keith at the Henry Fonda Theatre. Need I say more? Oh and it was for a great cause! Both artists rocked out to raise money for the non-profit organization Creative Commons. This was the third time they've held a CC Benefit. Prior CC Benefits featured David Byrne, Gilberto Gil, Girl Talk, Diplo, and Peeping Tom. I had no idea who was opening this special event until I arrived......

LAist: Snoop we love you! Snoop Dogg: I accept your love and return it back to you snoop-fold. Bro, you're playing at the Henry Fonda Theatre next Tuesday the 26th with a live band for a BET Awards after party. And tickets haven't sold out yet. What's up with that? Oh it's chill, my cousin. People sometimes need things to percolate before it strikes them that they can see Big Snoop Dogg live and......

5. The Melbourne, Australia-based sextet will perform a high-energy, boogie-inducing set featuring songs from their third LP, "Places Like This" (due August); so if you've seen them before, it's time to go back for more. AIH incorporates what's best described as Australian bush yelping reminiscent of early Midnight Oil while managing to sound at times like the B-52s, Gang of Four, Devo, and Talking Heads. Oh, and vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Kellie Sutherland has a most......

(l-r): Billy Bob Thornton, Marty Stuart, Porter Wagoner, and Dwight Yoakam perform a surprise set before Neko Case @ The Henry Fonda Theatre. Photo courtesy Ice Cream Man. For the first time in recent history, Hollywood was rattled by bonafide foot-stomping. Many in the audience at the Music Box last night had no idea what was taking place when Neko Case announced Porter Wagoner's intention to take over Hollywood. But a historic buzz took......

Cam’Ron Killa Season (Diplomatic Man) – He’s straight-up gangsta. In the last two years he’s hunted internet pedophiles, gotten shot and beefed with Jay-Z. Some critics complain that the beats on this album sound too much like the last one, but most agree that his lyrics make it an enjoyable listen. He’s even got a song about his battle with irritable bowel syndrome. Dinosaur Jr. Green Mind and Where You Been (Rhino) – While......

She Wants Revenge is back tonight. one month later, with Astra Heights and local independents - Monsters Are Waiting. The show is sold out at the Henry Fonda Theatre, but we know you have ways of getting tickets. Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders continues his six-day residency at the Jazz Bakery through Monday. Sanders used to play with Sun Ra and John Coltrane. Oni and Pika are from Osaka, Japan. They are Afrirampo. Nudity besides, their......

You asked for it, we listened. Our "essentials" list has a decidedly local flavor now. All bands are either LA-based, LA-natives or playing gigs in the Southland. Some bands are so new that they don't have an EP, MP3 or CD yet. To remedy that, we've linked to their myspace streams and included upcoming tour info so you can catch them locally. Army Navy | Local Rock Silvery Sleds [stream] Although their latest EP......