Lou Reed had more to do than simply warm the lives of the few hundred people who nearly froze to death waiting to get inside of his small venue, special performance at Sundance last week. He also had a film there. more ›

“This is so much fun!” A sweaty Damon Albarn beamed from the crowded stage towards the end of the outrageously triumphant Gorillaz show at the Gibson Amphitheatre Wednesday night, surrounded by a mob of musicians including founding members of the Clash, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones. Given the rapturous response of the packed venue, he could have been speaking for a majority in attendance. more ›

In the middle of a busy year for British singer-composer Rachel Fuller, what with two original musicals being prepped for world premieres, one of her pet projects from years past is finally getting its wide-scale US release. In The Attic, a program of loose, informal collaborations between Fuller, her partner Pete Townshend, and a series of musical guests ranging from the world-renowned (Lou Reed, Flaming Lips, Raconteurs) to the near-totally unknown, has evolved from a webcast based in Fuller’s literal attic, to a live-on-location travel show, to a cabaret show in tiny American nightclubs. The performances captured on the CD/ DVD package released through Best Buy in April are from the last phase, and include a set of songs taped at LA’s Hotel Café in early 2007 with collaborators Amos Lee, Alexi Murdoch, Rachel Yamagata, Tenacious D and Ben Harper signing up for Fuller and Townshend's experiment in open-mic night. more ›

This nifty little package - 1 DVD and 2 CDs bargain-priced at $11.98 for the set, and only available at Best Buy - captures two of the intimate acoustic productions put together by Rachel Fuller, the English composer, arranger and singer who is also the longtime partner of Pete Townshend, at various stops on the Who’s 2006-07 world tour as a way to keep herself busy. “I said, if I’m gonna go, I’m gonna have to have something to DO,” Fuller explained when the Attic came to the Troubadour last fall. The house-partyish production, which started as a webcast from her actual attic back in 2005 and gradually worked its way into American nightclubs, has allowed Fuller to present her music to a wider audience, and as a side benefit, has sparked some of the most fun and inspired Pete Townshend performances of the last twenty years. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." more ›

For the 86 people who didn't see , I once lived underground for 3 years harrassing innocent women from below. more ›

It's already a foregone conclusion that The Dark Knight will set some sort of record this weekend at the box-office. The only question is how much it will eventually make. 130 million bucks? 140 million? More? The buzz surrounding the film has been almost universally positive so expect a great time as you settle into your seat and enter the dark world of Batman and the Joker. Ledger's final performance is one for the ages. more ›

Agreed--for what it's worth--it's just not the same. more ›

As Lou Reed put it, "The first thing you learn is you always gotta wait." But when you are jonesing, you are always willing to wait. And the catfish at Cafe Soul definitely brings the jones down on me. Cafe Soul opened this past October in the location that was formerly home to the Kitchen on 43rd Place. The changeover was so fast, I'm not sure the restaurant even closed its doors. Cafe Soul... more ›

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... more ›

If you're a dude you wanna hate Evan Dando for his flowing long locks and his runway model looks and his lack of irony of wearing an old school Lou Reed tshirt and Vans. But then he plugs in that SG and does his little stoney version of shredding and you sip your beer and chill the hell out. The Lemonheads are the Goo Goo Dolls without any aspiration. They're the sober man's Replacements.... more ›

New Releases April 24, 2007 All Smiles - Ten Readings of a Warning (Dangerbird) Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) Leonard Cohen - Songs from a Room [Remastered][Bonus Tracks] (Sony Legacy) The Detroit Cobras - Tried and True (Bloodshot) The Band - Best of a Musical History (Capitol) The Electric Soft Parade - No Need to be Down - Hearted (Better Looking) Fishbone - Still Stuck in Your Throat (Sound in Color) Front... more ›

Every morning at 6am we are posting a video of someone singing or playing the "Star Spangled Banner". One of the coolest things about 2006 was the return of The Dixie Chicks, who came out with an amazingly powerful record, a successful nationwide tour, a super insightful documentary, and several Grammy noms. Turned out that their only crime was in criticizing the President a few years before the country did. Lou Reed used to... more ›

Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of Ron) turns 25 today. She's doing both artsy and big-budget stuff; soon she'll be in both As You Like It and Spiderman III. more ›