Last week, we brought your attention to two videos that took on the lofty theme of "shit L.A. people say." One, which stars actresses Elena Crevello and Heidi Niedermeyer, includes the oft-stated opinion that Jason Bentley of KCRW sounds hot. more ›

Without a doubt, Sunday September 11th is going to be a day where most of the nation's attention is focused on remembering the tragedy of ten years ago. While there are several local events planned to mark the somber anniversary, the show must--and will--go on for Angelenos. Few things exemplify summer in L.A. like an evening at the Hollywood Bowl, so that's where we're headed Sunday night. more ›

Moby, The Crystal Method and Shepard Fairey headline tonight's Dance For Equality at Avalon. The MoveOn.org / Courage Campaign fundraiser benefits continued efforts to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California after being approved by a majority of voters in 2008. more ›

[Update: Since this interview went live, HARD has been canceled. Read the latest update here and read the interview below to see how organizers were approaching this festival from a safety point of view.] more ›

"This and Coachella are what we've been looking forward to," observed Local Natives' Taylor Rice during their soundcheck at KCRW's . Two weeks ago, the local indie rising stars were the in-studio guests on the Jason Bentley-hosted program, serving up a concoction that had much of the press buzzing at South By Southwest. more ›

As you may have heard, the 29th annual Sunset Junction Street Festival is this weekend. "I've only attended the last three years, and never knew the festival back in [its] free days," says Brad Roberts from Radio Free Silver Lake. "So, frankly, the cost isn't as much of an issue for me as it is for others. The days of expecting a bankrupt state and federal government to provide something as ephemeral as a music festival, are, unfortunately, relics of the past. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself at the last three, all of which introduced me to many of the local bands who are regular favorites of mine. The cultural mix is a Los Angeles specialty and in spite of occasionally resembling a frying pan, everyone seems to really enjoy themselves, the variety of food available is impressive and the atmosphere remains laid back and So Cal." more ›

Last month, local art-rockers Fol Chen dropped by KCRW in Santa Monica for an in-studio performance and interview on hosted by Jason Bentley. more ›

Jason Bentley began his journey at KCRW 89.9 FM in 1988 as a volunteer. Today he takes the helm with the one of the most important jobs at the radio station: Music Director. He succeeds Nic Hartcourt who announced that he was stepping down earlier this month. That means Bentley leaves his weeknight show, Metropolis, for the popular Morning Becomes Eclectic, which airs this morning at 9 a.m. We shot over a handful questions, thanks to LAist staff and readers, to ask him about the changes, local bands and more. more ›

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Once a volunteer for the radio station when he was in high school, DJ Jason Bentley has been named as the new Music Director at KCRW, replacing Nic Hartcourt who will step down from his post after 10 years. more ›

Right around Labor Day we interviewed KCRW dj Jason Bentley about the 30th anniversary of Morning Becomes Eclectic. Today he provides us with his top ten albums of 2007, and you Radiohead fans will be glad to see that he adds them to his list just like most of his cohorts did. Interestingly when Mathieu Schreyner left Radiohead off his list, not only was he not criticized, but he received many more positive comments... more ›

You shoulda seen the kids run down the street during the LA Weekly Detour Festival a few weeks back. You shoulda heard them scream when they appeared behind their wheels of steel. You shoulda seen em dance once the dirty streets of downtown. Add the filthy, nasty, hilarious Peaches, who rocked out with Tone-Loc last night at the Avalon, PLUS the godfathers of controversial rap, the 2 Live Crew - and now you got... more ›

Last week we celebrated the 30th anniversary of KCRW's flagship show, Morning Becomes Eclectic with interviews with Jason Bentley, Chris Douridas, Nic Harcourt, Anne Litt, Liza Richardson, and we conclude our special with Gary Calamar, the host of KCRW's Sunday night staple, The Open Road. For those of you who might be watching tee vee at night instead of listening to the radio, you might not know it but you were probably listening to... more ›

Jason Bentley spends four nights a week in the basement studios of KCRW at Santa Monica College. 20 years ago that was virtually the job description of a DJ, but Jason's one of those DJ that didn't exist 20 years ago. He's as likely to be found talking music on the radio as he is to be spinning to four city block's worth of dancing revelers in downtown Los Angeles. If you've enjoyed "Metropolis"... more ›

While public television has a reputation of stuffiness with TV classics like "Masterpiece Theatre" and "Nova" documentaries, public radio, especially here in Los Angeles, is on the cutting edge of music and news reporting. Keeping that edge sharp on the music side is KCRW's (89.9 FM and KCRW.com) morning music show "Morning Becomes Eclectic." MBE celebrates is 30th anniversary this week. To celebrate, the station is offering special programming today. The three DJs, Tom Schnabel,... more ›

D.J. and producer Danger Mouse, a.k.a. Brian Burton, made musical waves two years ago when he layered music from the Beatles' White Album with vocals from rapper Jay-Z's Black Album — and then sent about 3,000 copies of the resulting Grey Album out as promos. Before long, critics were gushing, and collectively minded Web users had posted the album onto free-download sites. EMI, which owns the rights to the White Album, was less enthusiastic: The mixing Mouse had not asked, nor received, permission to use the Beatles' songs. But a few cease and desist orders only served to rally free-loading fans. They organized a event called Grey Tuesday during which 170 Web sites hosted a full copy of the album. more ›

Act quick to grab your tickets for tonight's Urb Magazine 15th anniversary party at the Avalon. Everyone's favorite vegan tea entrepreneur Moby is coming in from NY to DJ. Local hero Jason Bentley will also be spinning and we'd wager you can count on some surprise guests. Doors open at 10pm and advance tickets are available online for $20 or $25 at the door. That is, if there are any left when you arrive. more ›

According to a few reports, including one on LJ's LA community page, it looks like you won't have access to Fergie's Humps tonight (or Ben Gibbard's or Jason Bentley's for that matter). Police and Fire officials have supposedly cancelled Giant Village 6 for safety concerns. more ›

Got a crush on Jason Bentley? Wanna know what Nic Harcourt looks like? We can't promise you they'll be nearby, but we know how you can get behind the scenes at KCRW. Right now the station is is signing up volunteers online to help with their winter fund drive in January and February. Volunteering to answer phones during the fund drive is a cool (cheap) way to support the station. Chances are they'll have bagels and coffee for you. And we hear that their hold music is the best in town. more ›

LAist wants to give you a pair of tickets to see Planet Electronica at the Hollywood Bowl on July 17th. more ›