Tonight Brooklyn-based neo-psych rockers MGMT will be headlining the Greek Theatre with NY-based electro-funk act Francis and the Lights. John Doe & Exene, two members of the formidable LA punk rock band X, are poised to grace the Autry National Center of the American West with none other than the Living Sisters—a triumvirate of venerable female troubadours... more ›

Tonight, or rather early today, local country-infused folk, twin-sister duo the Watson Twins (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be making an appearance near the Bruin Bear statue at UCLA for the LA Times' Festival of Books. the Living Sisters—a triumvirate of venerable female troubadours, which includes Inara George, Becky Stark, and Eleni Mandell—are poised to grace the Bootleg Theater with none other than pseudo-super group Black Prairie, which of course includes three moonlighting members of the Decemberists. And, lastly, local singer-songwriter Kenneth Pattengale will be performing a very special, collaborative set at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Mon Mon with folk singer-songwriter Joey Ryan. Although we strongly suggest heading to the aforementioned show, we highly recommend heading over to Spaceland to catch Austin-bred indie rockers Shearwater, who will be performing in support of their latest—2010's The Golden Archipelago. LAist favorites, Baltimore-based folk rock duo Wye Oak (LAist Interview) and Lawrence's own Hospital Ships. more ›

LAist was in attendance as an eager crowd filled up the sold-out El Rey Theatre for a night of googly-eyed swooning. Zooey Deschanel & Co.—best known as She & Him—took the stage in support of their latest album, 2010's Volume 2. The real highlight of the night though was the harmonious performance by the Living Sisters, which featured a very expectant mother-to-be Inara George. more ›

Tonight Portland-based alt-country duo She & Him, or rather Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, will be performing to a sold-out crowd at the El Rey Theatre with the Living Sisters—a triumvirate of venerable female troubadours, which includes Inara George, Becky Stark, and Eleni Mandell—in tow. San Franciscan indie pop outfit the Morning Benders (LAist Review, #2, #3) are poised to headline the Troubadour with none other than LAist favorites Miniature Tigers (LAist Interview, Review) and We Barbarians. And, lastly, LA-bred psych rockers Dead Meadow will be ringing in their latest endeavor—2010's feature-length film and soundtrack Three Kings—at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever for free. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch local indie rockers the Deadly Syndrome (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4), who will be ringing in their latest effort—2010's Nolens Volens. Signals (LAist Review), the phoenix to rise from the ashes of the Mae Shi (LAist Interview, Review, #2), are slated to kick things off. more ›

The Getty Museum fires up its free music-spoken word-dance-etc. series on a new night: Saturday Nights at the Getty. (We guess that spending Fridays near the 405 wasn't a great marketing hook for traffic-plagued Angelenos.) more ›

It's not very often that local songstress supergroup The Living Sisters, comprised of Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark, Eleni Mandell, and The Bird and the Bee's Inara George, perform live, so it's little wonder that they drew a packed house on Tuesday night at the Bootleg Theater as part of Ferraby Lionheart's month-long residency. "Their sweet songs imbued with the cadences of doo-wop, classic country, and folk evoke a nostalgia for the pure and simple songs of last century," noted West Coast Sound last December, reporting that they "...have recorded an album with Vanguard Records that should be released in March." more ›

Last Tuesday, LA-Underground co-presented a show with KCRW at the Bootleg Theater, featuring Kentucky-based Daniel Martin Moore as well as beloved locals Eleni Mandell, Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), and Ferraby Lionheart. more ›

Tonight Utah-based alternative rock outfit the Used will be headlining the Wiltern with Florida-bred Underoath side project the Almost. The Bird and the Bee front woman Inara George is poised to take on the Bootleg Theater. And, lastly, Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins (LAist Interview) will be gracing Largo at the Coronet. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch Brooklyn-based indie rocker Bishop Allen. Seattle-based indie pop act Throw Me The Statue are slated to perform as well. more ›

On April 10, Mandy Moore turned 25. With a new album, a tour, volunteer work, and upcoming film projects, she really knows how to keep busy. If you want to try to keep up with Mandy, you can follow her on Twitter, check out her blog, and see her play at Largo. LAist talked to Mandy last month as she was putting the finishing touches in her new album Amanda Leigh. She was home recovering from having wisdom teeth removed, gushed on and on about her collaborator Mike Viola, and didn't let on even a hint that she and Ryan Adams were about to tie the knot. We asked Mandy about her new album Amanda Leigh, her long list of collaborators, and what she has planned for her show at Largo on April 25. more ›

After a childhood in Boston and living most of his adult life in NY, Mike Viola has arrived...in LA. We met Mike at a screening of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and had the opportunity not only to watch the film but hear about how Mike and the team of songwriters created a catalog of songs for a fictional music star. more ›

KGRL -- mentioned previously here -- is a local "...non-profit non-commercial internet radio station that plays the freshest and the best ALL QUALITY female artist / fronted acts in a wide variety of genres." Their "Top 10 Artists To Watch Out For In 2007" included local singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (MySpace), who in 2008 experienced mainstream recognition due to "Love Song", which garnered Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of The Year. more ›

Last Wednesday, local indie band Obi Best (MySpace) -- previously mentioned here -- performed at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood. Opening were Miami-based singer-songwriter Rachel Goodrich (MySpace) and the Rio de Janeiro-based Kassin +2 (MySpace). more ›

Sunday afternoon in LA has been taken over by matinee performances. We're really excited about Kid Rockers, a wondrous series of shows that aims to bring families and great indie music/comedy together. LA-based indie rockers the Deadly Syndrome and the Afternoons will be playing at the Echo for the kiddies, along with comedians Patton Oswalt and Seth Herzog. You must have a child in hand to gain entrance. Inara George ("bird") and Greg Kurstin ("bee") will be performing a special solo show up the street at Tangier Restaurant in Los Feliz. But for those of you who are looking to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon, we suggest you save your energy for the Bigler Benefit Show at the Echoplex. The fundraiser, which features hometown favorites No Age and the Movies, is being held in Michele Bigler's honor. Recently, the artist/local music scene fixture was diagnosed with cancer and, like far too many Americans, does not have health insurance. All proceeds will go towards Bigler's treatment. more ›

Brian Wilson may have boogalooed it at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday night--but just a few miles away, on the Largo stage in WeHo, Wilson's former writing partner and bong-buddy Van Dyke Parks was tinkling the ivories behind a more recent collaborator, singer-songwriter Inara George. more ›

Last month, the singer-songwriter supergroup trio The Living Sisters (MySpace), comprised of The Bird and the Bee (MySpace)'s Inara George (MySpace), Eleni Mandell (MySpace), and Lavender Diamond (MySpace)'s Becky Stark, performed at the 35th Annual Topanga Days Festival (MySpace). more ›

Two weeks ago, local singer/songwriter Inara George (MySpace) and her band The Bird And The Bee performed as the headliner at Detroit Bar (MySpace) in Costa Mesa. more ›

Rain rain has gone away...so Tuesday we'll go out to play. Here's what's going on around town tonight: 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 ›

Earlier this week, KGRL, "...a [Southern California-based] non-profit non-commercial internet radio station that plays the freshest and the best ALL QUALITY female artist / fronted acts in a wide variety of genres," presented their List of Influential CDs of 2007, which included local residents Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), Charlotte Martin (MySpace), Sara Bareilles (MySpace), and Carina Round (MySpace). more ›

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For everyone that couldn't make it to ArthurFest, fear not! We've assembled a list of up-and-coming acts and rarities to keep you in the know. Sample them and let us know what you think.

Remote | Bird's
Eye View | Los Angeles-based.

Per our earlier
review, this band calls upon a myriad of influences, with Radiohead being
the most apparent. Over the course of 10 tracks, brothers Tal and Ran Pink
deliver compelling vocals and philosophical lyrics. Standout
tracks include: How
Trees Become Money, Police
Myself and Late
Night Radio.



TWO

Inara George | All
Rise | Los Angeles-based.

After hearing the opening lines of the seductive and melancholy Mistress,
we were a fan. All Rise reminds us of a pared-down effort from Beth
Orton, though George's vocal strength and phrasing is arguably smoother.
This is the sort of "chill-out" CD you want to play after a long day at work. Standout
tracks include: Genius and No
Poem. On Fools
Work, George pleads, "Listen awhile, and I will sing to you / Tear apart
my body and you'll see / My heart is beating / And so I'm free." With lyrics
that are as sharp as her vocal chops, we're happy to listen for a while.
[ Read
our interview with George. ]


more ›