Currently on tour promoting their sound, Quiet Corral released an EP about a year ago and is now working on a new record. We caught up with two Quiet Corral members - Isaac Flynn and Jesse Roberts - to learn about balls and biscuits, the band's forthcoming album, their thoughts on the City of Angels and when they're scheduled to play on the moon. more ›

In the title track from her forthcoming album, Lindi Ortega claims, "You're going to know me by my little red boots..." That may be true, but you won't soon forget her voice either. "Little Red Boots" is a mix of country, folk, rock and pop—as well as her own Mexican/Irish heritage. more ›

Joshua Radin's music has a way of arresting one's attention, which is probably why his songs have been used in more than 75 television programs and films over the last six years. But it's his full albums that offer the biggest payoff—they definitely live up to the promise of an initial taste. Radin's third full-length album, "The Rock and the Tide," showcases him at his most ambitious and playful, and proves he's just as adept at straight-up rock as he is at "whisper rock." more ›

Hayley Taylor's debut record, "One Foot in Front of the Other," is a bright, tender and saucy collection that'll keep you coming back for more. LAist caught up with her last week to learn more about the new album, her early acting role opposite Barbra Streisand, and her record release show Thursday night at the Hotel Cafe. more ›

April Smith and the Great Picture Show's fan-funded debut album, "Songs for a Sinking Ship," is chock full of toe-tapping retro pop with a decidedly modern spin. LAist caught up with Smith last week to learn about some of the band's unique instruments, their history of cursed tour buses, and their gig Thursday night at the Hotel Cafe. more ›

Every week, we bring you seven reasons to love Los Angeles, and today's video is just one more. Angelenos spoiled when it comes to music, as evident by the plethora of music going on every single night in the city... more ›

Jill Hennessy's music career has followed an unlikely trajectory. Prior to her high-profile acting gigs on shows like Crossing Jordan and Law & Order, Hennessy's dream was to become a musician. She's never relinquished this passion, and in recent years her music has come to the fore. LAist caught up with Hennessy earlier this week to learn about the new album, her strangest busking experience, and her gig Monday night at the Hotel Cafe. more ›

On Wednesday night, singer-songwriter and actress Kate Voegele performed a sold-out show at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood (also on the bill that night were Josiah Leming, Terra Naomi, and Joey Degraw). Now a Los Angeles resident, Voegele noted how great her return was to the venue, not unlike Katy Perry a year ago. more ›

With 2009 and New Year's Day now in our collective memories, Mysty at the female-focused local Internet radio station KGRL provides their list of Top 10 Albums To Watch Out For In 2010. more ›

As mentioned previously, earlier this month, over 50 singer-songwriters and bands participated in "Ho-Ho-tel" 2009, a three-night fundraiser with the proceeds benefiting the LAFD's "Spark of Love" Toy Drive, at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. more ›

Starting tomorrow, over 50 singer-songwriters and bands will participate in "Ho-Ho-tel" 2009, a three-night fundraiser with the proceeds benefiting the LAFD's "Spark of Love" Toy Drive, at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. more ›

On Monday night, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and Spirits in the Sky -- germinated from the recent Sky Saxon tribute at The Echoplex, whose lineup includes guitarist Dave Navarro and 19 year old drummer Mike Byrne -- performed the final show of their mini tour at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. more ›

The trio Lady Danville (Michael Garner, Dan Chang and Matthew Frankel) took to the stage for an early set at Hotel Cafe on Tuesday night to solidly appreciative and collegial crowd. Our guess is that many UCLA students, alums and friends ventured East of Westwood to hear the band who were all members of UCLA’s a cappella choir, Awaken A Capella. more ›

LAist favorite Sasha Grey has been quite a media sensation due to her leading role in Steven Soderbergh's , with film critic Roger Ebert even observing that "I haven't seen any of [her adult work], but now I would like to see one, watching very carefully, to see if she suggests more than one level." more ›

Singer/songwriter Asa was born to make music. From her birth and later years in Paris to her formative years in Nigeria, music has remained her constant companion. In an effort to grow as a musician, she secretly enrolled in music school, bought a guitar and carved out a distinct sound that's unmistakably Asa--a blend of reggae, folk, soul and jazz. She weaves many themes throughout the 10 tracks of her self-titled debut, and the way she communicates emotion is further heightened through her use of English and her mother tongue, Yoruba. LAist recently sat down with Asa at Caffe Etc. prior to one of her recent gigs at the Hotel Cafe. Over espresso, she opened up about the meaning of her name, the beauty of Nigeria and her thoughts on Los Angeles. more ›

Mexico City blogger Alejandro De La Cruz is in town and last night went to see a friend of his play at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. To his surprise, John Mayer tweeted/announced (twinounced?) that he would be playing later that night. A few hours later, the intimate venue was packed--luckily, De La Cruz already had a front row seat at a table, allowing for some good photos. more ›

On Sunday night, Georgian-born singer-songwriter Katie Melua performed a sold-out show, as part of her latest tour promoting the release of her new album , at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. It was actually her second show of the day as she did a free in-store earlier at the nearby Amoeba Records. more ›

UK-based singer/songwriter Katie Melua has sold more than 10 million records, performed for the Queen and headlined at Wembley Arena. Even though she can sell out larger venues, Melua still enjoys playing more intimate spaces. Tonight, a lucky few will have the opportunity to hear her play a set at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. Melua's current tour coincides with the US release of her studio third album, "Pictures," which mixes jazz, folk and pop influences. LAist recently spoke with Melua to learn about her childhood in the country of Georgia, the new album and her favorite roller coaster in Southern California. more ›

Last Wednesday, San Diego-based Tristan Prettyman (MySpace) and local Jesca Hoop (MySpace) anchored a solid night of female singer-songwriters at Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood that included openers Lucy Schwartz (MySpace) and Annie Bethancourt (MySpace). more ›

Thanks to top late-night picture-taker Drew "Rukes" Ressler, we can see what goes bump in the night, and who dances to that bump. Last month we did. This month we present evidence, that despite the cold fist of the economy, SoCal is full of people dancing, led by those DJs who make us dance. That, and Rukes paid a visit to rockers Last Exit. more ›

The story goes like this: When Joe Pug was a junior studying playwriting at the University of North Carolina he had an two sequential epiphanies. He decided that he was unhappy in his studies, and he wanted to pursue a career as a musician. So he picked up his things, packed up his car, and headed for Chicago. Three years later, Joe Pug has released his first EP Nation of Heat upon the world, and we are all thrilled he made such a bold choice. more ›

I'm used to conducting interviews at the back of 7-11s or at Target or a local coffee shop. So when I was told to meet Maia Hirasawa at a swanky little hotel in Beverly Hills called Maison 140, which requires that I mention it in the article in order for me to take pictures there (Mentioned!) it felt odd. Not just odd, but so un-rock n' roll. The host had reserved us tables at their bar which was packed with business men. more ›

One can't help but be intrigued by Lex Land's voice. She deftly navigates fervor and vulnerability in a manner that usually takes a lifetime to cultivate, and yet she's only 22. Since the release of her debut record, Orange Days on Lemon Street, comparisons have already been made with Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple and Liz Phair among others. But Land takes it all in stride. Last Thursday, LAist sat down with Land at Peet's Coffee in Studio City and spoke with the Southern California native about her whirlwind year, her three tattoos, the craziest experience she's ever had on LA public transportation, and her gig tonight at the Hotel Cafe. more ›

On Monday night, while Norwegian rocker Ida Maria (MySpace) wowed the Spaceland (MySpace) crowd, Santa Barbara's Katy Perry (MySpace) returned to her singer-songwriter roots by headlining a sold out show at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, with support from last-minute openers Holly Conlan (MySpace) and Meiko (MySpace). LA-Underground observed that, "If [Perry] returned to the 50-capacity Genghis Cohen Cantina or Highland Grounds where she really started now that would be something (especially since Highland Grounds/The Dive closed last year)." But to say that this intimate show wasn't highly anticipated would be wildly inaccurate, as fans flew in from as far away as Vancouver, offering as much as $200 for a pair of tickets, and upwards of 15 paparazzi camped outside at the front and rear entrances for the duration of the evening. more ›

Songwriter Round is a semi-regular gathering of singer-songwriters, hosted by local Jay Nash (MySpace), that's usually held at the Room 5 Lounge above Amalfi on Fairfax. But Monday's edition was moved to the newly-expanded stage at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood to accomodate peers Joey Ryan (MySpace), Javier Dunn (MySpace), and special guest Sara Bareilles (MySpace), who was advertised as the anagram "Lara Sarables." more ›

In recent months, Erin McCarley's music has been featured on shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Privileged and One Tree Hill. The movie trailer for He's Just Not That Into You includes her song "Love, Save the Empty." And tonight, she'll appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. Not bad for an artist whose first album debuts today! LAist recently chatted with McCarley a couple days after hanging out on the set of her first music video shoot. During the conversation, she opened up about the new record, the best advice she ever received, and why she might take up grocery shopping as a hobby. more ›

Earlier this month, Buddyhead held its Christmas Party at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, with a lineup that included poet Ryan Ritchie, Brandon Intelligator and The Sheriffs (MySpace), Tsk Tsk (MySpace), Sid Brown (MySpace), Todd Congelliere ("MySpace), Dios Malos (MySpace), Claire Cronin (MySpace), Zander Schloss (MySpace), Nick Jago, Alain Johannes, Jason Simon, Sweethead (MySpace), and Aaron North. more ›

Earlier this month, Brooklyn-based rock trio Earl Greyhound (MySpace) headlined with an acoustic set at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, supported by singer-songwriter openers Angel Taylor (MySpace) and Annie Stela (MySpace) -- previously mentioned here. Attendance was unfortunately down from a typical night there but understandable given the torrential weather. more ›

Earlier this month, local singer-songwriter Gary Jules concluded his "Old School Tuesdays" residency at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, supported by openers Simone White (MySpace), Oren Lavie (MySpace), and Jim Bianco (MySpace). At first a space for jazz musicians, the Hotel Cafe was revitalized as an alternative to Largo -- for early-adopters Jules, Bianco, and Joshua Radin (MySpace) -- a fact that hasn't been lost on Jules, who reminsinced during his set about those early days. more ›

Earlier this month was "Ho-Ho-Tel 2008" at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood. The three night fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting the LAFD's "Spark of Love" Toy Drive, featured a "very good" all-star lineup of singer-songwriters and bands that included The Abdomen (MySpace), Sweet Talk Radio (MySpace), Alvin Stewart (MySpace), Holly Conlan (MySpace), Laura Jansen (MySpace), AM (MySpace), The Paper Raincoat (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Buddy (MySpace), Gary Jules (MySpace), Brian Wright (MySpace), Joe Firstman (MySpace), Greg Laswell (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Butch Walker (MySpace) for Friday, while Sunday included Jenni Alpert (MySpace), Rob Giles (MySpace), Shane Alexander (MySpace), Charley Turner (MySpace), Lissie (MySpace), Austin Hartley-Leonard (MySpace), Jay Nash (MySpace), Brother Sal (MySpace), Chris Pierce (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Pedestrian (MySpace), Andy Clockwise (MySpace), Foster Timms, Tim Jones (MySpace), and Truth and Salvage Co. (MySpace). more ›