Last night at Hotel Café, I had the privilege of seeing Fionn Regan on tour for his new album The End of History, released July 10th. Hailing all the way from County Wicklow, this twenty-six year old Irish lad is a combination of a folk singer and acoustic journeyman, traveling and telling his stories to those with open ears. And his songs are stories- lyrics are the focus of The End of History and each......

One of Indie rock's rising stars, Ferraby Lionheart, is out with his new full length eleven song album Catch the Brass Ring and is playing Hotel Cafe tomorrow night. Before we go see this folksy pop singer songwriter, LAist interviewed Ferraby about his name, his love for Judy Garland, and where he hangs out in LA. Ok, so is your real name Ferraby Lionheart? If not, how did your come up with it? Its sounds......

Under the moniker, Sacred Fools, Hanson played a secret show at the Hotel Café on Friday to promote their upcoming record, The Walk (July 24 / 3CG). More than a handsome-band gimmick and no longer the teeny mmmboppers of the late 90's, the brothers H have grown into confident and relaxed professionals, blessedly talented musicians, and gifted vocalists with three-part harmonies that borderline on supernatural. Zac, in dark tight Levis, Taylor with a flowing,......

Wearing a slimfit, pin-striped pantsuit, and a giant, gold medallion, Joan Wasser, the prolific NYC singer-songwriter who performs as Joan As Police Woman, made a rare, solo, appearance last night at the Hotel Café in support of her new record Real Life, out now on indie-friendly label Cheap Lullaby Records. Switching and bewitching between piano and guitar, she cast all variety of soul-punk voodoo on the captivated crowd. Her voice -- like Chrissie Hynde......

Anya Marina is a chick we’d like to hang out with. Not only is she an awesome singer (kind of a cross between Jewel and Liz Phair), she’s funny, doesn’t take herself too seriously and is totally cute. The singer/songwriter performed Wednesday night at Hotel Café. The crowd was small but engaged, and appreciative of Marina’s sweet and folksy vocals. What was really refreshing about the show was Marina’s quirky sense of humor and......

Luke Doucet kicked off his LA residency last night in a cosmic overlap that seems to have perfectly paired his honeysuckle tone and mellow gold sound with the unexpectedly soupy-warm weather. How lovely. Manitoba born singer-songwriter (and sometimes spacey-art-rocker) Doucet brings to town a pickup truck of pleasant-voiced pitying and mid-tempo melancholy a la the alt-country greats of the mid-90’s. This long-loved formula still remains the best cure for the cigarette-holed and broken hearted.......

Mon 5/15 – The Bronx / Wires on Fire / Sabertooth Tiger @ Spaceland (Free) – Mondays are still free at Spaceland. This week you can see three loud, punk-inspired bands. The Bronx portray Black Flag in the new movie about Germs’ singer, Darby Crash. You can watch the trailer for that movie HERE. The Bronx and Wires on Fire will soon be on tour with Priestess and Riverboat Gamblers (they better have their......

Fri 4/21 - Dinosaur Jr @ Troubadour (SOLD OUT) – Here’s a show for the aging indie rocker. That first reunion show a year ago at Spaceland was a little disappointing (packed and a billion degrees inside). While Green Mind and Where You Been are still the best Dinosaur records, the first three with Lou Barlow have some great moments too. The show on Saturday night is sold out too. Sat 4/22 - Matthew......

Gram Rabbit Cultivation (Stinky) – They’ve got a unique sound (kind of like Calexico mixed with trip-hop) and they’re from Joshua Tree. This is their second release and they’re performing live at Tower Sunset on 4/20 at 6:00 PM and the Echo on 4/21. Listen to some tracks on MYSPACE. Languis Other Desert Cities EP (Pehr) – Highly recommended new release from an under-appreciated local band. If you haven’t seen or heard them since......

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......

And what good these myriad mythologies? And what good these magics (sic) not to be released? And what good unknowable divinity... if it's not the world? --Castanets, A Song Is Not The Song Of The World The enigmatic and brooding San Diego native, Ray Raposa, ponders these and other existential questions with his band Castanets on their second release "First Light's Freeze." Though Raposa's lyrics shift from prosaic to poetic, they never drift far......