To anyone who’s spent enough time there, the sound of New Orleans music always evokes memories of instant parties breaking out where you stand; you’re just hanging around on the street and all of a sudden, there’s a band playing and people dancing for no apparent reason. Last week, the Bowl brought three of Louisiana music’s foremost living contributors to one place at one time and gave LA a taste of the real deal, played old men the likes of which they don’t make any more. It proved to be a funky evening indeed, a masterclass in drumming, in making the most complex ideas flow like water. more ›

Film festival season approacheth! Since this isn't Phoenixist, we can start with the Hola Mexico Film Festival. The festival opens Thursday at the Arclight with gritty crime drama Bitten Bullet (if you habla Espanol, Edward James Olmos introduces the film in this clip) and, for aficionados, the Opening Night Fiesta featuring Bostich & Fussible of Nortec Collective... more ›

Amoeba holds its weekly Monday night series of music-related films in the courtyard of Space15Twenty. Tonight’s free screening is Trouble The Water, an award-winning look at Hurricane Katrina.Tia Lessin and Carl Deal tell the story of an aspiring rap artist and her husband who survive the storm and then take a chance for a new beginning. The DVD comes out tomorrow from Zeitgeist Films, and will be made available for early sale at the screening. The movie starts at 8 pm. more ›

I was first introduced to The Knux on a late Monday night back in June 2007. Instead of staying at home and resting up for the next work day, I decided to take Interscope up on their invitation to check out the latest addition to their roster perform at the Viper Room. That was a brilliant decision. As I said in my review of their show, "the hours of shut eye lost were worth the chance to have my eyes open to something new and fresh from a genre of music that has been putting me to sleep." more ›

Local independent dance artist Liz Hoefner has directed and choreographed Fear of Drowning/Fear of Flying and will present its premiere this Friday through Sunday at the Diavolo Dance Space in the Brewery Arts Complex. According to her, the new dance theater work is a collection of stories, dialogues and dances that relate to actual and metaphorical fears of traveling, flying, drowning and dying in a post 9/11, tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina world. The cast of eight dancers, five actors and two musicians will explore the origins of fear in comic and tragic dance theater. more ›

It’s Super Tuesday and Mardi Gras. What other reason do you need to celebrate with LAist? Come to Seven Grand tonight to watch election returns. (Who knew that primaries would be this exciting?) You never know…people may start flashing for beads after a few Glenlivets. For questions or to RSVP: events@laist.com (Note: Seven Grand is a 21+ bar. We apologize for any inconveniences). more ›

• Want a Wii this holiday season? Well toooooo fuckin bad. The best you can hope for is a rain check certificate that will entitle you to a console at some point in January. Even the Wii people themselves are now admitting what a mess they've made of manufacturing this thing.
• Two members of a terrorist cell have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to wage war: the splinter group was "was poised to attack military sites, synagogues and other targets" in Southern California. The two men face 20-25 years in prison.
• Oh noes! The hipsters will be so dry now! The DWP will be draining Elysian Park and Silver Lake reservoirs because of high levels of toxic chemicals in the water.
• Gas prices soar, consumer inflation also goes up: "Consumer Price Index rose 0.8 percent last month, the biggest one-month increase since a 1.2 percent surge in September 2005, when the country was hit by rising energy costs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."
• It's the PLAGUE!!! Actually, no, it's just the flu, and a child in the Valley is the first to be diagnosed this season. Get your flu shots! Unless you're like me and treat every illness with a few stiff shots of whiskey.
• Rhino Records is open again! Not at their storied Westwood location (sniff sniff), but they're operating a "pop-up" store during the month of December only over at Third and Fairfax.
• A "guns-for-gifts" exchange will be held tomorrow in Compton: "People turning in a gun to sheriff's personnel will receive a $50 gift card to Best Buy, Home Depot, Ralphs or Target. $100 gift cards will be given for each of the first 50 guns turned in. About 400 guns were turned in at a similar exchange in 2005".
• Conan O'Brien and NBC are getting sued...by a bodybuilder...over a Clay Aiken gay joke. Do we live on the moon or something? Oh no, that's right -- Hollywood.
• Midnight Ridazz are doing an all-city Bring-A-Toy-For-Charity bike ride tonight. Check their website for details.

Hear that sucking sound? The media's commitment to learning from its many recent mistakes in reporting ethics and the semantics thereof is again being sucked out of the collective memory hole. Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina survivors were initially referred to by numerous media outlets as "refugees." While "refugee" can be inferred to be descriptive of one who "takes refuge," the fact is that -- at least since the 1951 approval of the UN Convention... more ›

We were all emotionally affected by Hurricane Katrina. And I'm sure we are all frustrated by the lack of progress in rebuilding New Orleans. But like me, you are probably wondering, "What can I do about it?" Well, right now, you can buy a CD or a download. Enjoy some rightous music while doing what's right. more ›

8:00pm Going Back to New Orleans UPN/KCOP - Music icon Deacon John Moore documents the unique culture of the Big Easy. 9:00pm Against the Tide: The Battle for New Orleans CNBC - The business side of the New Orleans recovery effort. 10:00pm Still Waiting: Life After Katrina PBS/KOCE An African American/Creole family returns to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, hoping to hold on to their bayou culture. 10:00pm DIY to the Rescue: Katrina Rebuild... more ›

The LA Times has nominated five books in each of nine different categories for the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. In the weeks leading up to the Festival of Books where the winners will be announced, LAist will take a quick look at each category and will wax poetic on a few favorites (or least favorites) along the way. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley... more ›

Current Record: 2-1, T-2nd Pacific more ›

Clowns are scary. Especially in the parking lot of a shopping center in the suburbs as your mom waits in an SUV. more ›

In the small space that is the Theatre of NOTE, catty corner to Amoeba Records in Hollywood, the current show explores humanity through a bastard of a character who gains our sorrow as he traverses life full of opportunities not belonging to him. In this dark and deadpan world, where no serendipity can exist, love and forgiveness can be still found. more ›

Kiino’s own work is on display at Peel Studios until December 28th. His show, called “First in Flight,” is an exhibition of photographs, featuring society fixture (and Danielle Steele offspring) Vanessa Traina, that appeared in Anthem Magazine’s winter issue. Kiino’s upcoming projects include shoots for Emmy Magazine, Stiil, an Estonian magazine, and an assignment in post-disaster New Orleans for Fit Pregnancy, creating images to accompany a woman who delivered her infant in one of the hospitals abandoned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. more ›

THURSDAY more ›

Tonight, many Los Angeles-area restaurants join with OpenTable.com and the charitable organizations Share Our Strength and Windows of Hope to raise funds for relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The following restaurants are slated to participate: 310 Lounge & Bistro, Asia de Cuba, Border Grill, Chaya Brasserie, Chaya Venice, Ciudad, Doug Arango’s, The Edendale Grill, Il Fornaio Manhattan Beach, Il Moro, Joe’s, Josie, La Cachette, L.A. Prime, Literati II, The Lobster, Locanda del Lago, L’Orangerie, Madre’s, Mark’s, Mi Piace, Minibar, O-Bar, Ocean Avenue Seafood, Pacé in the Canyon, Reed’s, Röckenwagner, Tesoro Trattoria, and many, many more. A full listing with dining information is available via the OpenTable site's page for the event. A portion of the proceeds from your meal will support relief efforts. Reservations are recommended, and can be made via OpenTable, or by contacting the restaurant directly. Bring your appetites and help bring some relief; every little bit counts. more ›

- Since the city stinks, Dadtalk thinks all this discussion of air pollution (olfactory or otherwise) is a good excuse to think about leaving town. more ›

We've said this before, but the thing about a hurricane that made what happened in Hurrican Katrina particularly tragic is that you can see a hurricane coming, and plan for it. more ›

There have been signs of autumn in Los Angeles all week. There have been cool breezes during the day, the sun sets earlier, and there are a lot of new television programs, as well as movies about Serious Issues. more ›

The Woman's Club of Hollywood is sponsoring an event tonight, , with proceeds benefiting Hurricane Katrina relief. The line-up of over 10 female comedians features Stephanie Whang, our friend Maia Madison singing "All The Good Men Are Gay," and other quirky and divine tidbits of the LA stand-up scene. This fundraiser, originally intended to help support the college fund of a graduating senior at Hollywood High School, has now been expanded to also send supplies to Katrina disaster victims. One night only. more ›

It has been quite a while since KRS-One was claiming criminal minded and the few reports we've read about the event don't suggest there were problems or even calls of complaints to the force so we're very curious about the reaction of the LAPD to a Hurricane Katrina Relief concert at a warehouse in Downtown LA this past weekend. more ›

note: we posted and pulled this article because the original material is from a satire site. We still haven't decided whether we're sadder that we couldn't tell it was a satire or that we wouldn't have been surprised if Pat Robertson had actually said it. In this case, though...he didn't. more ›

We're still waiting for the Dine for America site to launch with the details of their nationwide event to benefit Hurricane Katrina survivors through local restaurants' generous participation. Meanwhile, we've got our eye on a couple of the many local happenings that promise good eats and drink with proceeds going to help this extremely worthy cause. Our friend at Eating L.A. tipped us off to the Silver Lake Wine hurricane benefit, which is this Sunday, September 11th from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. to be held at their store. Admission is $20 per person, with each person receiving 4 tickets for trade to sample things like Abita Amber and Turbo Dog beer, wines by the glass, and food from hot restaurants like AOC, Literati Cafe, and many others. No reservations are needed, and there is no limit on how many people may attend. more ›

Not likely. At least not at tomorrow's NFL Kickoff Event. Based on his press conference yesterday, it looks like Kanye isn't even allowed to mention Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in any context when he performs or promotes the concert. Who's to say what he'll do on his $2 Bill show or the weekend's relief benefit airing across the cable music channels. That doesn't mean it'll be a bad show though and the entire NFL Kickoff concert is free to the public. All you have to do is get to the Memorial Colisseum by 2:30 tomorrow (the NFL recommends the Metro) and you should get a seat for the show which also includes Rihanna (whose Pon de Replay is the dance song of the summer), Good Charlotte and Maroon 5 at the home of the NFL's first Super Bowl. more ›

Yesterday, County Supervisor Mike Antonovich suggested the Coliseum play host to the New Orleans Saints this season, while the city recovers from the tragic destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. The NFL rebuffed the offer because it's not feasible for this year. The Saints, for their part, have expressed a desire to play closer to their fans, preferably in Baton Rouge. But some speculate that the team would really like to play in San Antonio, or move to Los Angeles. more ›

Amongst the -ist sites, DCist has been doing the lion's share of coverage about the disaster and its aftermath. DCist Katrina coverage here. more ›

OK, we're getting really pissed off watching all the news channels reporting on the thousands of people still stuck in New Orleans -- in the Superdome, the Convention Center, on the interstates, in the hotels and hospitals. And who knows how many are stuck in their own homes. more ›

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf Coast is almost unfathomable even to people who are there. I've noticed that many of my friends here in Los Angeles, while sympathetic to the destruction they see, don't know what it is like to live through a hurricane. I (I'm dispensing with the editorial "we" for this post) grew up on the Gulf Coast, in Houston, Texas, so I do know about hurricanes, though those I've been through were not as deadly as Katrina. Think of the night this January in Los Angeles when, after days of rain, the streets flooded and houses slid down cliffs. Now imagine that amount of water coming down in a few hours, and accompanied by winds at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. Now you have not only the water and wind to deal with, but the wind rips up trees by the roots, peels off the roofs of houses, and sends them hurling at you. more ›