This morning, the RIAA announced that it will cease filing mass lawsuits on behalf of major record companies against individual users of file-sharing software, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It is estimated that an approximate 35,000 users have been sued in these cases since 2003. Instead, as reported by Wired, the music industry trade association will focus on working directly with Internet Service Providers to slow or cut off Internet service to frequent offenders. more ›

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We ran into two of our favorite LA-based music bloggers, Justin Gage of Aquarium Drunkard and Ashley Jex (Jax) of Rock Insider at SXSW last week. We ducked behind The Mohawk, where Aquarium Drunkard cosponsored the Hot Freaks! day party featuring performances by Jens Lekman, Film School, British Sea Power and more. more ›

LAist catches up with Michael J. Nelson, a former host of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as he talks about his latest project, RiffTrax. In the interview, he also gives us the scoop about political ads, bloopers and a possible live event in Los Angeles. more ›

Last night we checked out What Made Milwaukee Famous playing to a small crowd at Spaceland. Simply put, amazing. We're shocked that more people were not there. Lucky for us, luck for you, they have four more shows within the next nine days here in LA starting Thursday at the Silverlake Lounge. more ›

Despite it being Superbowl Sunday, February residencies got off to a great start last night with Alex & Sam at Tangier. Tonight is the first night of February residencies at Spaceland, Silverlake Lounge, Crash Mansion and The Echo/Echoplex. By last Thursday, The Airborne Toxic Event had gained so much popularity from their January residency, they had to reject 300 people from the door. Case in point, catch these bands in residency early on in the month. more ›

Tonight's the first show of undergrounDNUOS, which is a nonprofit night of collaboration and experimentation put on by Amoeba Music and its employees as a labor of love. " It is a monthly series set at various underground spaces, art galleries, warehouses, and strange bars embracing the concepts of improvisation in any genre and any sound... it is designed to be a space for people to step outside of what they normally do and collaborate with others in an unexpected live setting." more ›

Yesterday was Xena: Princess Warrior picket day at the WGA Strike. Tonight, Xena herself, Lucy Lawless, will be bashing heads and belting out songs over at the Roxy. And earlier this morning, we interviewed Talib Kweli who will be at the House of Blues down the street from the Roxy at House of Blues. more ›

Here in LA, we’ve seen record store closures from the behemoth Tower chain to the local gem Sea Level Records as of late – a clear sign that the record business is edging closer to extinction with each new year. We are most likely heading towards a world where music is primarily consumed digitally, with physical product existing only for the die-hards who feel that they need to own something tangible along with their music. Would a plastic card emblazoned with album artwork or a band photo do the trick? That’s what Starbucks and now Sony are betting on. more ›

Shock the monkey indeed! One of the weirdest hybrid-electronics to come out of the CES is a personal tasing device -- that also doubles as a 1-gig MP3 player! So useful for those morning jogs, when you're fending off rowdy UCLA students and working out with the new Chromeo record! The MP3 player is actually a separate holster that you fit your taser into -- the whole thing fits comfortably into a pocket or purse, we're assuming. more ›

Don't forget to donate to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund this month, because you should, and for a chance to win their latest fun gift: a special, one of a kind silk-screened Clash T-shirt designed by bassist Paul Simonon (now of The Good, The Bad, and The Queen). The shirt goes to one lucky person who donates at least $20 to the charity between January 15th and February 26th. Simonon designed most of the band's look, and this is an original, 1977 era "Security" T-shirt. The shirt's cred is upped one further by the fact that its original owner was Patti Smith, who gave it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daugherty, who in turn donated it to Sweet Relief. Find out how to donate at Sweet Relief's website or myspace. more ›

About the above picture: The Rawking Refuses To Stop!, a blog of all things Los Angeles pop culture and MP3, shares with us their best concert photos of 2007. Above, they sneak out of LA to New York to see Les Savy Fav at the Bowery Ballroom (we'll just say they did the same thing when they came here). Don't forget -- you still have today and tomorrow to enter our Rufus Wainwright/Belinda Carlisle... more ›

"It's so nice and quiet and beautiful in here... from here the lighting kinda looks like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica." -- Neko Case, melting the heart of every geek in the house while taking in the mysterious angles and lighting inside the Frank Gehry-designed concert hall. Neko Case closed out the first half of Walt Disney Concert Hall's 2007-08 Songbook Series last Friday to a rapt, grateful, near-sellout audience of about 2,000. The... more ›

SONICS - The Witch &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/16 The Witch.mp3"> CREAM - Strange Brew &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/Cream - Strange Brew.mp3"> DONOVAN - Season of the Witch &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/Donovan - Season Of The Witch.mp3"> KINKS - Wicked Annabella &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/Kinks - Wicked Annabella.mp3"> SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS - I Put A Spell On You &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/Screamin' Jay Hawkins_Choice Rock Cuts_09_I Put A Spell On You.mp3"> FUNKADELIC - March To The Witch's Castle &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/03 March to the Witch's Castle.mp3"> LEON REDBONE - Witch Queen of... more ›

OUT TODAY: Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (Rykodisc) [MP3]: “We R The Handclaps” via Fluxblog Eisley - Combinations (Reprise / Wea) [MP3]: “Invasion” via Lullabyes Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart (Rounder) [MP3]: “Beauty (feat Antony)” via Homo Eclectic The Wildbirds - Golden Daze (Universal Republic) [MP3]: “Way Down Low” via Come Pick Me Up You Say Party! We Say Die! - Lose All Time (Paper Bag) [MP3]: “Giant Hands” via... more ›

OUT TODAY: Flight Of The Conchords - The Distant Future (Sub Pop) [MP3]: “Business Time” via Tunes Consumed Magnolia Electric Co - Sojourner (Secretly Canadian) [MP3]: “Leave The City” via Aquarium Drunkard The Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone Records) [MP3]: “Chicago Falcon” via Inflight at Night Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) [MP3]: “Unless It’s Kicks” via Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good Augie March - Moo, You Bloody... more ›

Generously coated with crunchy quirks and utterly bursting from its chewy 60s center, Philadelphia’s lo-fi recording traditionalists, Dr. Dog headlined a packed show at the Echo last week in support of their latest record, We All Belong (Park The Van). The attending cross-section of fandom was something like suburban Silverlake meets overgrown, asymmetrical haircuts meets the Laurel Canyon revivalists. And this makes sense if you believe that Dr. Dog is what happens when The Beach... more ›

The title track off this young englishman’s new record is today’s afternoon delight. Cheery but not cheesy. Experimental but not inaccessible. Catchy but not obtuse. You will be dancing. Or at the very least, snapping your fingers. That is not a request, by the way. That's an order. [MP3] Patrick Wolf - "The Magic Position" &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://andysternberg.com/laist/02 The Magic Position.mp3">... more ›

Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy...a kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you? [MP3] Angelo Badalamenti - "Twin Peaks Theme" &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://andysternberg.com/laist/twinpeaks.mp3">... more ›

I’m a pepper, you’re a pepper, he’s a pepper, she’s a pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too... Happy, Happy Birthday Dr. Sgt. Pepper, you psychedelic, rock and roll, definitive sonic buffet, you. Download: The Beatles - Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [MP3]... more ›

A bear-hugging belated congratulations to local rockstars The 88 for their record deal with Island Def Jam (announced last week). These LA marvels have been working their tush (it’s a technical term) off for years and I am thrilled for their success. I heard a track off Kind Of Light in 2002 or 2003 and it was one of those compulsive, immediate love, kismet things. I assaulted the internet looking for any information on the... more ›

Boxer, out May 22 on Beggars Banquet, is the kind of record that makes you want to do nothing with your life. More specifically, The National’s fourth, full-length album is an offering of unfussy rock that is neither sentimental nor whiny, rather, a perfectly romanticized malaise that could convince even the most upwardly mobile type-A to consider a path of murky, scotch-fueled depression. Matt Berninger’s confident and dreamy bass-baritone opens the record by quietly guiding... more ›

Here’s a little honeysuckle/sunbeam ditty to remind us that you don’t have to live in this city to sing about it. Picture yourself in a hammock on a wraparound porch somewhere, sipping sweet tea, and takin' it breezy. Happy Friday folks. more ›

The following dramatic reenactment is based on actual events. No names have been changed to protect anybody. MISS JAY: Hey Lisa. Want to go to Eagle Rock to see a band called Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts? LISA: Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts!? I'd go anywhere to see a band called Clown Eyes and Corn Nuts. The crushing blow came many hours later when it was discovered that I had misunderstood Miss Jay, and... more ›

You've heard the original version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," you've heard the disco remix, now hear the 80s power ballad sung in German as a duet between an innkeeper's beautiful daughter and the king of all vampires. more ›

Los Angeles' own multicultural alternative rock collective Ozomatli recently held a video contest inviting fans to create their own video for "City of Angels." The band offered live video footage and an MP3 of the song on their Web site, then basically told their fan base to go wild. more ›

The Austin duo Ghostland Observatory, recently played an LA show to a captive audience of taxidermied bison and eager beavers. Their hypersonic, March 2nd gig at the Natural History Museum was without question the auditory equivalent of the visual representation of launching into light speed. Never before have two people made so much damn noise at a museum. Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner brought us their fabulous, electro-stupefying dance magic -- sometimes glittery, sometimes... more ›

The South by Southwest film, interactive, and music fest is just a few weeks around the corner and LAist couldn't be more excited to attend and participate. Yours truly will be speaking on a panel, LAist will be throwing a concert at a great club, and we will cover the hell out of the fest in a way you've never seen done ever. more ›

Welcome to the LAist weekly tech news roundup. Each week I'll be bringing you the latest, and hopefully most interesting, technology news from around the city, the state, the country and maybe even the world. Also, if you have any news, tips or things of interest you want to point out, feel free to drop me a line at: themacist [at] gmail dot com. Now, let's get to the news: Microsoft was ordered by... more ›

- Mack Reed steps down from LA Voice, hands over the reigns to two new editors, Ryan Knoll and Scott Schmidt. Congratulations, Mack for your years of dedication and great blogging - LA Voice - Ozzfest will be free this year, and it will kick off in LA - Ozzfest - LAPD's story is different than witnesses stories in the death of a 31 yr old who some say was beaten while handcuffed -... more ›