Pizza! plays tonight at Spaceland | Photo via their MySpace Saturday, July 5, 2008 Hybrid, Peter Hook @ Avalon Hootenanny 2008 @ Oak Canyon Ranch (Irvine) Red Maids, Divisadero, Dorian Wood @ pehrspace Pizza!, Master Slash Slave, 11:11, The New Centuries @ Spaceland Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy, Supersuckers @ House of Blues Dear & the Headlights, Aushua, Love You Long Time @ Knitting Factory The Health Club, Exit Music, Mospeada, The Miles Approach......

Dave Koenig of LA-based Spindrift, Little Radio Day Party, Red Eyed Fly, SXSW 2008, Austin, TX | Photo by Andy Sternberg/LAist There can't be a better match between Fourth of July and good local rock music than with Spindrift, the indie western-esque band that is one of our favorites. Friday, July 4, 2008 Castledoor @ The Scene Balobi Bandeko @ Temple Bar Marty and Elayne @ The Dresden Orquesta Charangoa @ El Floridita Spindrift,......

Photo by Open Air Control Testing Ground via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The Hammer museum kicks off it's I Also Like To Rock series in their courtyard tonight with Nico Vega and The Growlers. And for tomorrow night, there are still some quality shows (check before heading out, holiday shows tend to get canceled). Tonight Peter Hook @ Detroit Bar Nico Vega, The Growlers @ Hammer Museum Constantines, Ladyhawk, The Jet Age @......

This is a difficult movie to market without a red-band trailer, due to the subject matter. The Wackness is this summer's "it" indie movie. It's got all of the typical elements you'd see in an indie film; it's the coming-of-age story of an apathetic and depressed graduate (Josh Peck) who meets and falls in love with a carefree girl (Olivia Thirlby). This chance encounter allows him to experience a whole slew of emotions he......

One of the most requested features on LAist is more warning for events. To that, today we did our first This Month in Rock post with Ali Miller. Check it out and keep your suggestions coming! Also, since Flight of the Conchords are always doing these unannounced appearances, the latest is coming from Bic Runga, who plays next week at Largo. According to an e-mail, the duo will probably show up for a song or......

Spencer Rollins of the Young Animals | Photo via the band's MySpace profile After leaving the Autonomous Music Festival in Victorville this past weekend (cops broke it up for lack of permits), the lead singer of the locally based band, the Young Animals, was arrested and charged for possession of a Controlled Substance. Spencer Rollins was pulled over for having is license plate light out when police asked if they could search his vehicle.......

One of the worst experiences as a "professional" extra in Hollywood was working on music videos. There's something that goes hand-in-hand about an industry that sues kids and grandmas for illegally downloading MP3s and not fully paying background talent for working on a music video because they "ran out of cash" (if you have any bad experiences, write them in the comments section). With that said, local and Cisco Adler prodige Shwayze is filming a......

Saturday night was hopping in Chinatown, from Hop Louie's to the Lindy Hop on the dance floor as the iconic neighborhood celebrated their 70th anniversary. A big band was on hand to provide the tunes, folks in 30s and 40s garb milled about, the shops were open, and the Central Plaza was abuzz with young and old alike celebrating Chinatown's history. To learn more about the area's features and stories (like why it's called "New"......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr Kickchella is free and featured 14 excellent bands. It all goes down at 6:00 p.m. at the All-Star Lanes in Eagle Rock. The lineup: Le Switch, Henry Clay People, You Me and Iowa, I Make This Sound, The Flying Tourbillion Orchestra, Tandemoro, Les Blanks, The Hectors, The Voyeurs, Swim Party, Marvelous Toy, The Damselles, The TC4, Nathan Wasilewski. Tonight Willoughby, Graves @ Tangier Meshell Ndegeocello @ Key Club Kickchella......

Camper Van Beethoven/Photo by "Friends of Camper Van Beethoven" via their website By Roger Park This June marks the 25th anniversary of one the most unique bands still rocking the sonic cosmos: Camper Van Beethoven. On Thursday, Camper Van Beethoven performed at the House of Blues in Hollywood as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF). On the same bill that night was Soul Asylum and Everclear. Combing elements of rock, Celtic, ska,......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr It's the last night of the 1st Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival and it's also a night for electronica(ish) insomniacs at the Electric Daisy Carnival. Then tomorrow, it's all about indie with 14 or so bands at Kickchella in Eagle Rock. Saturday, June 28, 2008 Louis XIV @ Viper Room Mickey Avalon @ Key Club The Mutts @ Genghis Cohen Cheap Trick @ Hollywood Bowl Electric Daisy Carnival @......

by the Facebook Gangsta And below is the classic "MySpace" song by the local comedy band, The Fresh. (Also: check out The Fresh's version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" done in a Polka/Klezmer way). On Sunday, they play at Tangier.......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr It's a weekend of festivals. First, you've got the 1st Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival, hosted in various classic West Hollywood clubs. Second, the Electric Daisy Carnival takes place Saturday downtown for an all night fete featuring Moby, Paul van Dyk, Rabbit In The Moon and many many others. And third is a pretty killer Sunday lineup of local favorites (14 bands total) at the All-Star Lanes in Eagle......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr And today is the first day of the first Sunset Strip Music Festival. Tonight Cyndi Lauper @ Jimmy Kimmel Live Oliver Future, The Gray Kid @ Spaceland Grandmaster Flash, EPMD @ Crash Mansion Sara & Sean Watkins @ Largo at the Coronet The Movies, Pizza!, The Savages, The Voyeurs @ The Echo Katt Williams @ Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Citywalk Everclear, Soul Asylum, Camper Van Beethoven @ House of......

Capitol Records was hoping the plan for a 16-story condo building next door to their iconic Hollywood & Vine tower would not go through. They're worried that construction of an underground 242-space parking lot and vibrations from traffic will cause damage. It "will interfere with and potentially ruin the operation of the unique echo chambers and sound studios at the Capitol Records tower next door," the record company said in a statement. On Tuesday at......

The music venue that is the Knitting Factory has been a mainstay in the resurgence of Hollywood since 2000. As an anchor tenant and early adopter of the area, the New York City based club saw Hollywood change from having the 18th Street Gang territory sit one block away to having tourists flock the area making it a likely candidate for one of the most pedestrian dense areas in the city. Now that the area......

This guy is so sad. He paid $20 for parking and now can't afford to hit any music venues. | Photo by ClownBog via Flickr The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is notoriously known for its high parking prices. As the Sunset Strip Music Festival approaches, we decided to see to test Sunset Strip business owner's claims of the myth of high priced parking. On a short drive down the famous boulevard, especially on......

No big surprise here, but Paste Magazine announced the 17 Coolest Record Stores in America in their soon-to-be-released July issue. “The resources on the Internet are supplements to actual record stores, not replacements," explained Paste editor-in-chief Josh Jackson in a statement. "Fortunately, despite the increasing pressures from illegal downloads and online music stores, many independent record stores have found clever ways to fight back against the electronic tide that was supposed to have run them......

Jessie Baylin, who LAist's Michele Reverte interviewed last month, is holding her CD Release show tonight for her Firesight album at Hotel Cafe (listen below). Earlier today, she interviewed another Hotel Cafe mainstay, Greg Laswell. &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/TheGlitter.mp3"> Jessie Baylin - "The Glitter" Tonight The Mae Shi @ The Smell Update: To be Rescheduled Billy Idol @ Virgin Megastore Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Laswell @ El Rey Jenny Lewis, The Watson Twins @ Amoeba Music Stone Temple......

How cool is this? A free all-night festival on the beach and pier in Santa Monica with over 20 multi-media artists and music from KCRW, Machine Project, Dub Lab and other to-be-announced artists? That's what's happening at Glow, a dusk-to-dawn (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) event put on by the city of Santa Monica on July 19. Of note, Machine Project will have an orchestra play from the buckets of the new ferris wheel as......

Capitol Records wanted to leave it's iconic Hollywood building and turn it to condos back in 2006. But then the city said "no, you're so special to us, stay and prosper and keep the cultural economic engine of Los Angeles going." So Capitol agreed, but now this: "Capitol Records believes that the planned construction of a 16-story building and 240 car underground garage at 6230 Yucca Street (old KFWB radio building), will interfere with and......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr Wow. What a week. From outdoor concerts at The Greek, Hollywood Bowl and The Getty to the first Sunset Strip Music Festival, this week is chock full of concerts to see. As always, if anything is missing, contribute it to the comments and we'll make sure to list it in the main section. Tonight Lukas Haas @ Hotel Cafe Ingrid Michaelson @ House of Blues (Anaheim) Death Cab For......

No longer hosting the show in Las Vegas, MTV is moving their annual Video Music Awards ceremony to Paramount Studios on September 7, according to the Associated Press. The plan is to broadcast from the studio lot, rooftops and city streets making this edition possibly a very local and special show for Los Angeles. "With Paramount Pictures as the ideal setting, the glamour and musical heritage of L.A. are sure to be catalysts for creating......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr Hot days make for usually cool and perfect nights. There's a good deal to do outside including shows at the Greek Theatre, Hollywood Bowl and at Warner Park where Berlin plays for free at 6:00 p.m (it's also Orange Line accessible at the end-of-the-line stop at Warner Center). Tonight Berlin featuring Terri Nunn @ Warner Park Earth Wind & Fire, Macy Gray @ Greek Theatre Frightened Rabbit, Oxford Collapse,......

Electrocute at last week's Summercamp by Little Radio (more photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist Two special events are happening today, so get out before going out tonight. Make Music is happening Pasadena today with a great lineup that's free to watch and it's another session of Little Radio's Summercamp in Long Beach (see photos from last week's camp). Last night, Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 played a spectacular concert at Grand Performances......

Photo by Jsome1 via Flickr There's what looks to be a great issue of Under the Radar magazine coming out the first week of July. The Decemberists, Spoon, R.E.M., Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Jarvis Cocker, The Flaming Lips, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, Moby, Bright Eyes and others will be exploring the 2008 presidential election. Other bands appearing in photos holding protest signs include British Sea Power, The Dresden Dolls, Supergrass,......

The Flight of the Conchords via their MySpace page Rumor has it, according to one post on the Fairfax Avenue, word on the street is that the Flight of the Conchords may open for Jon Brion tomorrow night at Largo at the Coronet. Largo is known for surprise guests, so this rumor is not too far fetched. Officially, Flight is confirmed for the Greg Proops Chat show in July, so that's good. The The......

Typical from Kelly Herrington on Vimeo. One of the best bands out there that's still not getting the rap they deserve is Mute Math. To honor them and have a little fun out in Venice and Santa Monica, filmmaker Kelly Herrington made a lip dub video of "Typical" with a friend (original video with Mute Math below). You may have seen Herrington's work before as he is often the one behind Improv Everywhere-type pranks......

KCRW announced a new set of celebrities in their ongoing Guest DJ Project where big names from all walks of life sit down with KCRW DJs and share the music that has inspired them. Joining the roster today is actor Jason Schwartzman, “Top Chef” host and author Padma Lakshmi, “Hancock” Director Peter Berg, Danny DeVito (embedded below) and award-winning playwright Neil LaBute. All of the mini-shows are online and can be heard interspersed during......

Return to Forever is no "Boy Band"--they'd rather be called a "Man's Band." | Photo by Lynn Goldsmith/Used with permission By Roger Park Musical mastery is a rare beauty. On Friday, legendary jazz supergroup Return to Forever played two sets to an enthusiastic audience at the Gibson Amphitheater. Formed by keyboardist Chick Corea over 30 years ago, Friday’s classic lineup featured bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al Di Meola and drummer Lenny White. The group......