Last Thursday evening, photographer/director Octavio "Winkytiki" Arizala (MySpace) celebrated the release of his Vivid-Alt (MySpace) movie The Bad Luck Betties at the Redwood Bar & Grill in Downtown LA. Also in attendance, besides Bad Luck Betties' "Smoking" Mary Jane (MySpace) and Mika Tan (MySpace) and newcomers Sochee and Mika, were Vivid-Alt head Eon McKai (MySpace), photographer/director Dave Naz (MySpace) and his girlfriend Ashley Blue, and director Vena Virago (MySpace). The party was presented in......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist *Update 5:00 p.m.* A beige Lexus SUV attempting to enter into the neighboring commercial building couldn't complete the turn, and mistakenly hit the accelerator rather than the brake. The motion sent the driver on a diagonal path through the awning of Barry's Tickets, then through the patio and front of Tokyo Ice, a sushi restaurant at 16161 Ventura Blvd. The business was preparing for its 5 o'clock opening and was......

Twilight Sleeps is one of the bands that opens for Pity Party tonight at Spaceland | Photo by Joya Martuscello Sometimes Monday nights lead to tough choices. For Jax at Rock Insider, it's between The Pity Party (who we interviewed this morning) and The Henry Clay People. Luckily, both bands are playing all month. Still, there are many choices. If you like your music Folk, your drinks cheap and have never been to Joe's......

Kelly Clarkson @ Gibson Mika Miko, Jay Reatard, No Age, The Strange Boys @ The Smell Rademacher, Earlimart, Tigers Can Bite You, Karabal Nightlife @ Spaceland Nickel Creek @ House of Blues Carlos Guitarlos @ Liquid Kitty The New Christy Minstrels @ Cerritos Center......

KT Tunstall - "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" KT Tunstall @ Avalon Misfits @ House of Blues Spiritualized @ The Vista Black Dice, No Age, Mika Miko @ Echoplex Sondre Lerche @ Troubadour American Music Club @ Echo Jill Sobule, Julia Sweeney @ Largo The Whigs, Wild Sweet Orange @ Spaceland Falco Does It Dirty, Omissa, There Shall Be Blood @ Knitting Factory Back Door Slam @ Viper Room DTFM, Truth In Fiction,......

The Donna's @ The X Games - Honda Center, 2:30pm, $5 VHS or Beta, Gran Ronde @ The Troubadour The Slits, The Icarus Line @ El Rey Rick Springfield, John Waite @ The Gibson Gravy Train, Mika Miko, Sugar & Gold @ The Echo Unwritten Law, Zebrahead, Bullets & Octane, Bangkok Five @ Key Club Earthless, RTX, Entrance, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, Titan @ Safari Sam's The Mutaytor, DJ Wolfie, Blue, Porter Tinsley......

The Raveonettes, Electric Duo, Midnight Movies, The Meek @ Spaceland The Black Angels, VietNam, Spindrift @ The Troubadour Deerhoof @ Natural History Museum B-Real @ Key Club The Pharcyde, Ugly Duckling @ Blue Cafe The Colour, Simon Dawes, Takota @ The Roxy Kottonmouth Kings @ Ventura Theatre Matt & Kim, Japanther, Mika Miko, No Age @ The Echo The Moderates, Gliss, The Cheat @ El Cid Sara Hickman @ McCabe's Lorenzo Lamas @ The......

Sunday there are lots of great bands, culminating with the reunion of one of the best groups ever, Rage Against the Machine. Here's how we're probably going to do it, thanks to the magic of the Coachooser which, if you leave a little early from shows will show you how you too can see 17 bands. Mika: 1 - 1:30 Anathallo: 1:30 - 2 Mando Diao: 2:15 - 2:35 Tapes 'n Tapes: 2:35 -......

LAist is proud to offer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts......

LAist gets and listens to a Lot of music. You can see the bands we like in the concerts that we review, the Tonight in Rock listings that we compile, and in the cds that we review. But we realize that we listen to way more music than we review so we figured we make a list once a week letting you know what we're into. week ending 3/31/07 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible......

- The Name the Year of the Dog contest ends at 4:20pm today, so to enter the contest where you could win a pair of tickets to the new Molly Shannon animal lovin movie, go name that pooch! - The Win the Fall Out Boy tickets at the Forum contest ends on Friday, so head over to that post and tell us why you love the band and you might get to see FOB......

Why Queen is messing with around with any other singer than Mika is an exercise in futility. Paul Rodgers? Are you kidding me? And he writes good songs, good enough to get picked up by Motorola's red campaign (see the video after the jump). Queen needs to sign this guy up and fast. Mika @ The Troubadour Blue Oyster Cult @ Grove of Anaheim The Gears, The Crowd, The 77s @ Safari Sam's Heavens,......

If you are gay or European, or considering becoming gay or European, this record may already be yours. For the heterosexual American who has never heard of Mika, however, fret not. You will not be excluded from this elite club. This album is for you, too. Perky, discoed, electro-pop ala Scissor Sisters (but less Elton John, and more Queen) awaits your every, equal opportunity, partying need. Road trip? Perfect. Getting ready to go out......

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts......

Lifetime, Mika Miko @ The Troubadour Kristin Hersh @ Amoeba (2pm) Mana @ Gibson Dave Alvin @ McCabe's Aimee Mann @ Largo Camera Obscura @ El Rey Neko Case @ Henry Fonda Leo Nocentelli, Cyril Neville @ The Mint Everyday Stranger, The Moderates, Ride the Blinds, Modicum @ Lava Lounge El Ten Eleven, Whirling Dervish, Someday Assassin @ The Scene John Wiese, Captain Ahab, Flaspar, Kyle H. Mabson, Sky Pigs @ The Smell Destruction,......

Norah Jones @ Amoeba (6pm, free) Fear, The Dickies @ Galaxy Theatre Stanley Clarke @ Vault 350 Radars to the Sky @ El Cid Miho Hatori @ The Troubadour sosohuman, Jucifer @ The Mint KRS-One @ Blue Cafe The Fray @ House of Blues Sparklehorse @ Henry Fonda Patty Booker @ Viva Cantina Castaneda @ Spaceland Chevy Metal @ The Canyon Darker Shadows Macabaret @ The Bordello Murderland, Candygram for Mongo, Automatique @ The......

OUT TODAY: Aereogramme - My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go (Sonic Unyon) Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Men Belinda Carlisle - Voila [Bonus Disc] (Rykodisc) Bloc Party - Weekend in the City (Vice) Chicken Shack - Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Blue Horizon) Deerhunter - Cryptograms (Kranky) Dexys Midnight Runners - Projected Passion Revue (Umvd Import) Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five (Zedtone) Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High......

Like a presidential election, the information is trickling into the newsroom... Earlier today Andy let everyone know who most of the confirmed artists would be for this year's Coachella. Now we let you know who is playing on what days, etc. April 27 - Björk / Interpol / the Jesus and Mary Chain / Arctic Monkeys / Jarvis Cocker / Sonic Youth / Faithless / DJ Shadow / Peeping Tom / Brazilian Girls / Peaches......

Those are the headliners, other confirmed acts via the preliminary lineup ("subject to changes and additions") posted this morning at coachella.com: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tiesto, the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Happy Mondays, Decemberists, Faithless, Gotan Project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, Paul Van Dyk, Arctic Monkeys, Roots, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth, Crowded House, Placebo, Satellite Party, Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong, Kings of Leon, DJ Shadow,......

The Cramps, The Demolition Doll Rods, The Groovie Ghoulies @ House of Blues ¡Forward, Russia! @ Spaceland Z Trip, DJ Goldenhead @ Vault 350 John Lee Hooker Jr. @ Harvelle's India.Arie @ Grove of Anaheim Stuart A. Staples @ The Troubadour Witchcraft, Danava @ Safari Sam's Ahmet Zappa (signing) @ Book Soup Billy Vera & the Beaters @ Rusty's Surf Ranch Jesca Hoop, Emily Wells @ The Hotel Cafe Los Super Elegantes, Mika Miko......

He is Angelina Jolie's uncle, Jon Voight's younger brother, he wrote the Troggs (and Hendrix, X, etc.) tune "Wild Thing", Janis's "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)", and Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning" and gave it all up to be a professional gambler. Now he tours around with a super-hot singer/violinist Carrie Rodriguez. James Wesley Voight aka Chip Taylor is at McCabe's tonight with Rodriguez Dead Meadow, The Ponys, Midnight Movies, Icarus Line,......

Dead Kennedys, Bad Samaritans @ Malibu Inn X, Rollins Band @ Pacific Amphitheatre Dirty on Purpose @ Echo (6:30p), Spaceland (10p) Sen Dog @ Viper Room Warren G @ Vault 350 Say Hi To Your Mom @ Echo Whisky Circus @ The Whisky Sparta @ Troubadour Mika Miko, Party Fowl, Prs Hltn Mthrfckrs The Big Ball Stars @ Knitting Factory The Phyre, Sexohol @ The Good Hurt Sherlock Poems @ The Gig photo by......

Fri 6/9 - Silversun Pickups / Film School @ the Echo ($10) – The Silversun Pickups drop their debut full-length, Carnavas, on July 25th on Dangerbird Records. The record is consistently strong and they're one of the handful of local bands with a really good chance of blowing up this year. Expect to hear a few Smashing Pumpkins comparisons in the reviews (classic Gish/Siamese Dream-era Pumpkins). San Francisco’s Film School frequently gets favorably compared......

• The Grindhouse Film Festival returns to the New Beverly Cinema tonight at 7:30 PM, featuring screenings of The Hollywood Hillside Strangler (aka Hollywood 90028) and Don't Go In the House. Show up on time for the free raffle and vintage exploitation trailers. Admission is $7. • San Francisco avant-pop band (and great live show) Deerhoof are at The Echo with the Flying Luttenbachers and Mika Miko. Show starts at 8:30 PM; tickets are......

Maybe LAist should forgive the punk rock beer gut boys who, after watching a documentary in which girls talked about the frustrations of being in the scene and having to stand in the back while tall boys with greasy long hair crowded the stage in their aggro immature style, packed in in front of Mika Miko during the reception. At least they took the time to come to see the flick. Maybe not. Coming......