It is always unnerving as a fan when an artist you like experiments with his genre. We always want them to ride that line between doing something new and different and changing their sound completely. We want something fresh, but also something we can recognize. So when an artist jumps genres, we get nervous. Don't get me wrong, experimentation is essential for any sort of artistic growth to occur. We don't want to hear the same song over and over again or even the same album twice, but at the same time we worry about the unknown. Will it be a successful leap like Nelly Furtado's foray into dance pop? Or will it crash and burn like Garth Brooks' disastrous attempt at reinvention as Chris Gaines? Her Space Holiday (otherwise known as Marc Bianchi) made the leap with his latest album XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival in which he changes his sound from the light synthetic, electronic pop of his previous five albums and ventures into the world of alt-country and folk. more ›

Tonight legendary Belfast-bred singer-songwriter Van Morrison will be kicking off a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown. Beach Boys front man Brian Wilson will be performing at the Peterson Automotive Museum for its annual charity gala. San Mateo-based electronic musician Marc Bianchi, otherwise known as Her Space Holiday, is poised to headline the Echo. And, lastly, Detroit's own indie rock buzz band the Silent Years will be gracing Spaceland. But we strongly suggest heading over to Largo at the Coronet to catch North Dakota-based singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau, who will be ringing in his first new album of studio material in two years. German pianist/composer Hauschka is slated to kick things off. more ›

As the year enters week two, organizations are programming newer music, that which was composed in the last century. This weekend, the Los Angeles Philharmonic began their Concrete Frequency series to an excellent start wth Aaron Copland's "The City" played to film and Edgard Varèse's "Amériques." After the concert, hip-hop violinist duo Paul Dateh and inka one (we interviewed Paul him this summer) played in the lobby by the cafe while Breakestra funked up the BP Hall. more ›

Datarock, Honeycut, Foreign Born @ The Echo Mark Ronson @ El Rey They Might Be Giants @ Avalon Queensryche @ The Canyon Joe Frank @ Largo Nikhil Korula Band @ House of Blues Kid Creole & the Coconuts @ Key Club Bob Schneider, AM, John Neilson @ The Hotel Cafe Driveblind, Sink To See, Love Lies Sleeping @ Viper Room Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Mozella, Curtis Peoples @ Knitting Factory Gruff Rhys, Her... more ›

Happy Wednesday, LAists. There is much to hear and see tonight, so check below for information on what's happening in the city. more ›