With so much ground to cover this past weekend and so many slices of LA to savor with Culture Collide, CicLAvia, Wine Fest and more going on, we knew the best way to cap it had to be a joyride away, up in the hills. more ›

Tonight Caetano Veloso, most known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, will be gracing the Greek Theatre. Legendary Stockton-bred indie rockers Pavement are poised to take on the Pomona Fox Theater before following an eastward course. And, lastly, Portland-based alt-country duo She & Him (LAist Review), or rather Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, will be performing down the street at the Glass House. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hotel Café to catch Portland-bred indie rock quartet Archeology. more ›

LAist was in attendance as an eager crowd filled up the sold-out El Rey Theatre for a night of googly-eyed swooning. Zooey Deschanel & Co.—best known as She & Him—took the stage in support of their latest album, 2010's Volume 2. The real highlight of the night though was the harmonious performance by the Living Sisters, which featured a very expectant mother-to-be Inara George. more ›

Tonight Portland-based alt-country duo She & Him, or rather Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, will be performing to a sold-out crowd at the El Rey Theatre with the Living Sisters—a triumvirate of venerable female troubadours, which includes Inara George, Becky Stark, and Eleni Mandell—in tow. San Franciscan indie pop outfit the Morning Benders (LAist Review, #2, #3) are poised to headline the Troubadour with none other than LAist favorites Miniature Tigers (LAist Interview, Review) and We Barbarians. And, lastly, LA-bred psych rockers Dead Meadow will be ringing in their latest endeavor—2010's feature-length film and soundtrack Three Kings—at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever for free. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch local indie rockers the Deadly Syndrome (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4), who will be ringing in their latest effort—2010's Nolens Volens. Signals (LAist Review), the phoenix to rise from the ashes of the Mae Shi (LAist Interview, Review, #2), are slated to kick things off. more ›

Monsters of Folk is one of the most honest super groups I've ever seen. What I mean is this: most super groups are so in love with their new project that they pretend that it is their only musical work to date and that the audience is solely there to hear that album. They get so wrapped up in this feeling that they refuse to play the hits that everyone came there to see. I'm pleased to report that Monsters of Folk, a group made up of Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis, did no such thing. They were fully aware that most of the people who packed the sold out Greek Theater were mildly curious about Monsters of Folk's debut but were mostly there to see Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward. more ›

Tonight Long Island-bred pop punk outfit Brand New will be concluding a two-night stint at the Hollywood Palladium with Atlanta-based indie rock act Manchester Orchestra and Portland's own folk rockers the Builders and the Butchers (LAist Interview) in tow. Legendary San Diegan indie rockers the Black Heart Procession are poised to headline the Echoplex with none other than San Jose-bred eclectic rock outfit the Mumlers. And, lastly, Glendale-based folk troubadour Michael Runion will be gracing Spaceland for free with local pop rock act HAIM. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Greek Theatre to catch Monsters of Folk, the folk-oriented supergroup that brings together Jim James, Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst and M. Ward. more ›

If you find yourself on a street corner singing "Maybe God is God. Maybe the Devil is me!" like some crazed Hollywood and Highland street preacher, chances are good that Matthew Vasquez had something to do with it. Like the sensation of a raw nerve pulsing deep down in your ear, his voice reaches into your skull, takes command of your vocal chords, and orders them to sing along, with or without you. more ›

Tonight prominent, folksy rock singer-songwriter M. Ward will be performing to a sold-out crowd at the Henry Fonda Music Box with San Diegan rockers Delta Spirit (LAist Interview) in tow. Bluegrass stalwarts Gillian Welch and her longtime musical partner Dave Rawlings are poised to jam at Largo at the Coronet. And, lastly, Auckland's finest indie pop outfit Cut Off Your Hands will be sharing the stage with Eagle Rock-based pop rockers Princeton (LAist Interview) for this week's edition of Club NME at Spaceland. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Roxy to catch LA's most prepossessing electro pop duo Electrocute (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4). more ›

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›