Tonight former Nickel Creek member, virtuosic Oceanside-bred mandolin player Chris Thile will be gracing Largo at the Coronet. LA-based experimental punk outfit Abe Vigoda are poised to take on Bardot for the free, RSVP-only 'It's a School Night.' And, lastly, local rockers War Tapes will be continuing their... more ›

Tonight local "fancy pop" songstress Obi Best (LAist Interview, Review, #2) will be gracing the Echo, warming up the stage for Walking Sleep, the venerable local indie rock outfit formerly known as the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra... more ›

This week the unremitting three-day music marathon known as Coachella (LAist Coverage) takes over our lives. This year's impressive bill boasts a broad array of headliners, including Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Muse, Gorillaz, Pavement, Phoenix and Atoms For Peace. Progressive bluegrass outfit the Punch Brothers, which of course features former Nickel Creek member, virtuosic Oceanside-bred mandolin player Chris Thile, will be performing at the Broad Stage in Santa Mon Mon. Classically trained English experimental musician Micachu and the Shapes are poised to grace the Getty Center for this week's edition of Saturdays Off the 405. And, lastly, Colorado-based pop-infused folk/bluegrass act SHEL will be performing here for their first time ever, making their debut at Bardot. more ›

Tonight Utah-based alternative rock outfit the Used will be headlining the Wiltern with Florida-bred Underoath side project the Almost. The Bird and the Bee front woman Inara George is poised to take on the Bootleg Theater. And, lastly, Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins (LAist Interview) will be gracing Largo at the Coronet. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch Brooklyn-based indie rocker Bishop Allen. Seattle-based indie pop act Throw Me The Statue are slated to perform as well. more ›

Tonight Brooklyn-bred rock outfit Amazing Baby will be headlining the Troubadour with none other than local psych-infused rockers the Entrance Band and Night Horse. Former Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins (LAist Interview), among many other virtuosos, is poised to grace the Grammy Museum in Downtown. And, lastly, Washington-based indie rock act the Lonely Forest will be taking on Spaceland for this week's edition of Club NME. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch the first night of the three-day French music festival known as Ooh La La. LAist favorites Sébastien Tellier (LAist Review) and Gonzales are slated to perform. more ›

Tonight legendary Georgia-based folk rock duo the Indigo Girls will be headlining the El Rey Theatre. Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins is poised to grace Largo at the Coronet in celebration of her forthcoming debut solo album. And, lastly, local indie rockers the Happy Hollows (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be sharing the stage at the Troubadour with fellow Los Angelenos Warpaint and Afternoons. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Regent Theater in Downtown to catch the final show of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' month-long residency. LAist favorites Amnion (LAist Review, #2, #3) are slated to kick things off. more ›

It's not often that an accomplished Grammy-winning musician waits two decades to release a solo album, but in the case of Sara Watkins, the timing has worked out perfectly. Watkins has been performing professionally since the age of eight, and in the years since, people the world over have fallen in love with her emotive voice and adept fiddle playing. In addition to the 18 years she spent in the band Nickel Creek with brother Sean Watkins and Chris Thile, LA residents may also know her work from one of the best shows in town--the Watkins Family Hour evenings at Largo at the Coronet. When Nickel Creek went on hiatus in 2007, Watkins crossed paths with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, who told her he wanted to be the one to produce her first solo record. The result of this effort is Watkins' self-titled solo debut, which combines original songs and instrumentals with inspired covers. Her voice absolutely shines throughout this disc, and her most brilliant moments are those when she is somehow able to convey a sense of hopeful melancholy. LAist spoke with Watkins last week to learn about the new album, where she likes to shop for clothes in LA, and her gig at Largo this Thursday night. more ›

Tonight LA-based pop singer-songwriter/producer extraordinaire Ne-Yo will be performing for a sold-out crowd at Club Nokia in Downtown. Grammy Award-winning Stone Temple Pilots front man Scott Weiland is poised to rock the Henry Fonda Music Box with the Colour Turning. Fiction Family (LAist Interview), a collaborative project between Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins and Switchfoot front man Jon Foreman, will be gracing the Largo at the Coronet. Alabama-bred country singer-songwriter Charlie Louvin is slated to headline Spaceland with none other than Mike Stinson in tow. And, lastly, Charlotte's own genre-crossing singer-songwriter Benji Hughes will be performing at Home Restaurant in Silverlake. But we strongly suggest heading over the hold-and-corner Pehrspace to experience Fol Chen's record release extravaganza. Karin Tatoyan and Avi Buffalo are slated to kick off the show. more ›

The songwriting process for Fiction Family's first record didn't follow standard procedure, and that's probably one of the reasons why it's such a fun and fascinating album. When Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot decided to write music together, they knew they'd have to do much of their songwriting while one (or both) of them was on tour. So they established something of an electronic pen pal system for writing the music and getting each other's feedback. Along with that, they established some ground rules: 1) no tuning of vocal tracks, 2) no amp simulators, 3) no shlepping of gear back and forth, 4) no pussyfooting around each others musical feelings and 5) no crap. Thus they began a collaboration that would have been technologically impossible 20 years ago, while making sure they maintained an organic sound. The result is Fiction Family's self-titled debut, which was released on Jan. 20. Last Friday, LAist spoke with Watkins to learn more about the new record, surfing, Guitar Hero and Fiction Family's gig at Largo at the Coronet this Saturday night. more ›

Tonight Chicago-based butt rockers Disturbed will be performing at the Hollywood Palladium. New York's own folk rock outfit Nickel Eye, which features none other than Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes, are set to headline the Troubadour with Low vs Diamond in tow. The Echoplex will play host to a handful of French DJs, including LAist favorite Anoraak. Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek is performing solo at the Largo at the Coronet. And, lastly, local experimental collective Heard of Elephants will be performing with Collisions at the Unknown Theater. But we strongly suggest that you head over to the Key Club to catch D.C.-based rapper Wale, who has been exalted by the likes of Pitchfork and LA's foremost hip-hop expert Jeff Weiss. more ›

ART: Downtown’s Art Walk happens the second Thursday of each month. The Art walk is a monthly, self-guided tour of the art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles, which includes commercial art galleries, public museums, and nonprofit arts venues. Museum of Contemporary Art on Grand Ave (MOCA), Los Angeles Public Library Grey Goose, LA Artcore Center are just some of the places on the Walk. more ›

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... more ›

Thursday night's Watkins Family Hour performance at Largo was a humdinger. At one point, they must have broken some kind of a Largo record, because they fit NINE people on that tiny platform. Throughout the three-hour set, eight additional performers joined Sean and Sara Watkins on the stage. The lineup included Fiona Apple, Benmont Tench, Glen Phillips, Greg Leisz, Mike Elizondo, Willie Watson, Jay Bellerose and Dave Rawlings. They performed more than 20 songs... more ›

Over the last few months, there have been rumblings about a possible Largo concert film. And 24 hours ago, a trailer popped up on YouTube that confirmed it all. Produced by Largo owner Mark Flanagan and Andrew van Baal, the film will be sure to highlight the intimate magic of this unassuming venue on Fairfax Ave. Featuring snippets of performances by Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Paul F. Tompkins, Zach Galifianakis, Nickel Creek, Grant Lee... more ›

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... more ›

Ms. Apple wrote the following message on her website today and because it's for such a good cause - to help fund her soundman Gungi's fight against Cancer, I decided to post it here as well. (I also altered her grammar a bit. She,likes,to,avoid,spaces) I'm writing to put word out that I am doing two shows at Largo on March 5th & 9th, for my wonderful friend, Gungi. If you happened to have gone... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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, Kaiser Chiefs, Kokono No. 1, LCD Soundsystem, Nickel Creek, Travis, Damien Rice, Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, Infected Mushroom, New Pornographers, Peeping Tom, Placebo, Rufus Wainwright, the Rapture, Explosions in the Sky, Richie Hawtin, !!!, Benny Benassy, Felix Da Housecat, Hot Chip, Jacks Mannequin, Julieta Venegas, Lily Allen, Lupe Fiasco, Ozomatli, Peaches, Ghostface Killah, Jose Gonzales, Amos Lee, Brazilian Girls, Fountains of Wayne, Regina Spektor, VNV Nation, Coco Rosie, Cornelius, Gillian Welch, Junior Boys, Pharaohe Monche, Roky Erickson and the Explosives, Soulwax, Sparklehorse, the Kooks, Tilly and the Wall, Andrew Bird, Peter, Bjorn & John, the Frames, Gogol Bordello, Comedians of Comedy, Justice, MSTRKRFT, We Are Scientists, Yeva, Grizzly Bear, Amy Winehouse, Avett Brothers, Circa Survive, the Coup, the Cribs, CSS, Digitalism, Erol Alkan, Evil Nine, Girl Talk, Klaxons, the Noisettes, Spank Rock, Tapes 'n Tapes, Fields, Tokyo Police Club, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, DJ Heather, the Feeling, Fratellis, Mike Relm, Silversun Pickups, Busdriver, Brother Ali, Nightwatchman, Bojones, Mika, Pop Levi, Anathallo and Fair to Midland.

Is Indio the new Austin? Over two back-to-back weekends this spring, scores of the best indie, rock, pop, electronic, and country music will play to tens of thousands outside Palm Springs. The last weekend of April will bring three days of Coachella, and the following weekend will see the first Stagecoach country festival. Voici: Saturday, May 5, 2007: George Strait, Alan Jackson, Sara Evans, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case,... more ›

LAist is proud to begin offering 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 #1’s. Billboard Charts... more ›

Because you really can't get too much of a good thing, the good people of Goldenvoice announced last night that this year's hugely successful Coachella music and arts festival will grow to a three-day-and-night affair on the sprawling polo fields in Indio outside Palm Springs. The Miracle Mile concert promoters also announced that the weekend after Coachella they will throw a two-day country festival that will include stages for alt-country, bluegrass, and even storytelling.... more ›

Many folks cringe when they hear the word "bluegrass." But not LAist. We love listening to a certain Southern California-based trio that's burned through the banjo-playing, Deliverance-esque stereotype. Nickel Creek -- lead singer/mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins and guitarist Sean Watkins (her brother) -- have created a progressive folk-pop sound that builds upon their bluegrass roots. Their crossover appeal has even led to a slot on the VH-1 playlist. more ›

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TUESDAY more ›