Initially conceived as a gift for a child, Violet Valen decided to develop her own line of custom teddy bear-themed one-of-a-kind sweatshirts after the adults went batty for the designs. Since forming Buddy Society in 2004, she's expanded into all manner of items to adorn yourself with, including denim jackets, jeans, and t-shirts. more ›

Tonight Kansas-bred indie pop duo Mates of States (LAist Review) will be kicking off a two-night stint at the Echo with none other than the City of Brotherly Love's rock and roll quintet Free Energy (LAist Interview). DâM-FunK, or rather the "Ambassador of Boogie Funk," is poised to take on the Troubadour with San Jose-bred DJ, hip-hop producer and founder of the hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf. And, lastly, Oakland-bred Euro-American musical group Fishtank Ensemble will be performing for free at Levitt Pavillion in the heart of Pasadena. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown to catch French "freak folk" outfit CocoRosie, who are touring in support of their latest endeavor—2010's Grey Oceans. LAist favorites, local rapper Busdriver (LAist Review, #2) and Sao Paulo's self-proclaimed purveyor of tropical punk, Cibelle, are slated to kick thing off. more ›

Tonight critically-acclaimed NY-based electro pop outfit LCD Soundsystem at the Hollywood Palladium with label mates, Brooklyn-based duo Holy Ghost!. Silver Lake's own indie rock sensation Local Natives (LAist Interview, Review, #2) are poised to perform to a sold-out crowd at the Troubadour with Brooklyn quartet Suckers. And, lastly, Austin/Brooklyn-bred electro pop duo Neon Indian will be taking on the Natural History Museum with none other than San Jose-bred DJ, hip-hop producer and founder of the hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf for this month's edition of First Fridays. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echo to catch Danish electro-infused soul duo Quadron, who are touring in support of their self-titled debut. more ›

Tonight New Zealand-bred electro pop singer-songwriter Ladyhawke is poised to grace the Avalon with Seattle's own electro pop sensation Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. NY/LA-based folk troubadours Elvis Perkins in Dearland (LAist Interview) are poised to headline the Troubadour with North Dakota-based singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau and Echo Park-bred folk pop act Correatown in tow. And, lastly, local indie rockers You Me & Iowa will be gracing Spaceland with Radars to the Sky. But we strongly suggest heading over to Eagle Rock to catch forty some-odd—including No Age (LAist Review, #2), The Happy Hollows, Peanut Butter Wolf, Nico Stai, The French Semester, Amateurs, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, Blank Blue, Pocahaunted, Bobb Bruno, The Gaslamp Killer, Julia Holter, Jail Weddings, Free Moral Agents, Fol Chen (Canceled!) and Leslie and the Badgers, among many, many others. Head on over to the Verdugo Bar in neighboring Glassell Park for one of many promising after-parties! more ›

Tonight San Jose-bred DJ, hip-hop producer and founder of the hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf will be performing at the Greek Theatre. Brooklyn's own punk rock trio Vivian Girls are poised to take on the Smell with the Beets and Lucky Dragons. And, lastly, local psych-infused folk rockers Eagle Winged Palace will be graving the Echo early for this week's edition of Grand Ole Echo. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hollywood Bowl to catch Grammy Award-nominated Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, who will be sharing the stage with none other than Brazilian singer-songwriter Seu George. more ›

At the end of Fucked Up’s powerful, frenetic set, frontman Pink Eyes looks out at the crowd and says something along the lines of “You can say we played the Hipster Woodstock. You can say we play punk rock. One thing I know, my hips are in a state of shock.” It’s actually a fitting summary of last Saturday’s FYF festival - whose crowd is a healthy cross-section of young hipsters, and aging punk rockers with bad hips. I’m not entirely sure of the significance, but there seems to be a poetic irony in the proliferation of teenagers in Black Flag T-shirts and forty-somethings in Vivian Girls T-shirts. more ›

Long lines and food shortages aside, it would be hard to call the FYF Fest anything but a success. Now in it's sixth year, an inspired lineup and a great cause made the "hipster Woodstock" the most successful F-Yeah yet. In-depth reviews are fothcoming, and make sure to check out more LAist coverage here. more ›

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This week Cleveland-bred industrial rockers NIN will be performing not two, not three, but four farewell shows with Danish rockers Mew and local noise-infused rock outfit HEALTH in tow. Illinois-bred Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan will be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Hotel Café. And, lastly, the sixth annual F Yeah Fest, which boasts a bevy of artists including: the Black Lips, Tim & Eric, No Age, Lightning Bolt, Lucero, Converge, the Thermals, Glass Candy, Fucked Up, Matt Skiba, Times New Viking, Japanther, Mika Miko, Telepathe, Crystal Antlers, Darker My Love, AA Bondy, Wavves, Dios, Peanut Butter Wolf, the Strange Boys, Ninjasonik, Cold Cave, Har Mar Superstar, Avi Buffalo and Kurt Vile, will be taking place at Los Angeles State Historic Park. And, lastly, local indie rock act Division Day (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be gracing Spaceland with LA-based indie pop outfit and labelmates Bad Veins for this week's edition of Club NME. more ›

Joe Dante returns to the New Bev, and this time he's brought company! Living legend Roger Corman joins Dante for a double-feature of his films St. Valentine's Day Massacre (Corman's first directed for a major studio) & Not Of This Earth (far from his first directed for a schlocky drive-in). The inferno rages all-day Saturday, with a screening of The Movie Orgy, a cut-and-paste epic of found footage & cinematic anarchy. Best of all, to quote Dante, "admission is free because even I don't know who owns the rights to all this found footage". It all climaxes with a 25th anniversary screening of Dante's classic Gremlins. You will have to pay for that, but Gizmo's so cute! Just keep your popcorn away...it's a midnight show. more ›

Tonight Wilco (LAist Interview) will be concluding a three-date stint at the Wiltern with Okkervil River (LAist Review) in tow. San Franciscan alternative rockers Third Eye Blind are poised to perform at the Hollywood Palladium with locals Low vs Diamond. And, lastly, Detroit-bred electro-pop one-man band Deastro will be gracing Spaceland with Healamonster and Tarsier. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch local electronic mastermind Daedelus, who will be performing in celebration of the Friends of Friends label launch. Not only will local experimental electronic act Jogger be kicking things off, but LA-based DJ, hip-hop producer and the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records Peanut Butter Wolf will be putting together an A/V set. more ›

Tonight rapper/actor/chunk of chiseled meat LL Cool J will be performing at Club Nokia. Local producer/musician extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Review) is poised to jam with friends at Largo at the Coronet. Prolific Lawrence-based indie rockers the Appleseed Cast will be gracing the Knitting Factory in support of their eighth album to date, Sagarmatha. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch legendary producer/DJ Prince Paul. Stones Throw's own Peanut Butter Wolf is slated to kick off the show. more ›

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Yay for Monday nights, there's lots of quality to choose from. If you're looking for something crazy and fun, then watch this video we recently took of Killsonic, who plays at The Bordello tonight. LA Weekly picks Tracy Spuehler at the Hotel Cafe as their pick and What Made Milwaukee Famous plays once again, for free, at The Echo tonight. Also BPM Magazine is hosting a new issue release party (RSVP here) at the Roxy with Peanut Butter Wolf and others. more ›

Tomorrow is the finish up the AMGEN Tour of California in Pasadena. But before hitting the old money city, they're headed towards Santa Clarita this afternoon (where Six Flags Magic Mountain has decided to stay put). From 4 to 10 p.m. tonight “Rock the Bike,” a free outdoor cycling expo and music festival, will bring together an array of people following the stage 6 finish. Various bands will be playing and headlining act, the Gin Blossoms, will be on stage around 8 p.m. (of course, if it rains, who knows what will happen, this is an outdoor event). The tour itself is aired on the cable channel, VERSUS, at 2 p.m. today and tomorrow. For more check our TV weekend listings. more ›

Two highly recommended Hip-Hop shows take place tonight. Experience the powerful Gospel of Hip-Hop with KRS ONE at The Roxy or explore some electronic Hip-Hop with Sole and the Skyrider Band. And we mean no disrespect to Peanut Butter Wolf who is playing at El Rey with Chromeo, but we know for sure that show is sold out (scalp away!). The Troubadour has some jazz fusion rock going on (MP3s after the jump) and you can find straight ahead jazz at UCLA. more ›

Beck @ The Echo (the site says tix may be available at the door, so get in line now) Social Distortion @ House of Blues Chaka Khan @ Gibson Neil Hamburger, Imagine the Band, Abe Lincoln Story @ Spaceland Roy Zimmerman @ Karin Tatoyan, Rademacher, One Trick Pony, Killsonic @ All Star Lanes McCabe's Underground Railroad to Candyland, God Equals Genocide, Shark Pants @ Safari Sam's Peanut Butter Wolf @ Urban Outfitters - Melrose... more ›

Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" Of Montreal, Grand Buffet, MGMT @ Avalon Phantom Planet, The Hives @ Staples Ween @ The Wiltern David Allan Coe, Dos @ Knitting Factory Gram Parsons @ Amoeba Valient Thorr @ Spaceland Ben Harper @ Orpheum Great Northern, Robbers on High Street @ Echoplex Peanut Butter Wolf @ El Rey Ima Robot, The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Roxy Hello Stranger @ The Viper Room Mason Jennings @ Troubadour... more ›

The Dilettantes, Run Run Run, After Midnight Project, Jake Smith @ Safari Sam's more ›

Here's the LAist Mix for June 2007 - an audio summary of only a fraction of the bands and music events we mentioned or reviewed last month. Powered by Podbean.com Peanut Butter Wolf - Casio[LA Tour heads up by Kemp Powers] the Misfits - Static Age [Punk Rock cover bands concert review by Elise Thompson] Keren Ann - Sailor and widow [concert preview by Michele Reverte] the Killers - Sam's Town [Street Scene preview... more ›

Datarock - Computer Camp Love Roger Waters @ Hollywood Bowl Datarock, 8-Bit @ The Troubadour Hot Chip @ Henry Fonda Joan as Police Woman @ Hotel Cafe Peanut Butter Wolf @ The Echo Lindsey Buckingham @ Ventura Theatre Umphrey's McGee, Banyan @ John Anson Ford Scissors for Lefty, Lemon Sun @ The Knitting Factory Jana Hunter, Imaad Wasif & the Two Part Beast, Eric Player, Whitman @ The Smell... more ›

Oh, that Peanut Butter Wolf. Leave it to one of LA's busiest DJs to stick it to the digital music crowd by dusting off a week's worth of vinyl and taking his 45 road show to more than half a dozen of the most popular clubs in town. more ›

Pravada: music by Amon Tobin, Cut Chemist, DJ Spooky, Peanut Butter Wolf, J-Rocc, Dublab Soundsystem and others including a ten-piece theremin orchestra, visuals from classic Russian cinema @ Disney Hall more ›

Margaret Cho @ Largo more ›

Outside the Standard Downtown on Thursday night was a two-hour wait wrapping around the corner, a flashy red carpet, and huge security guards keeping attendees in order. With a quick passing, one would most likely think Hollywood’s A-list celebs and socialites were inside swanking it up, but in reality, the mega-event was in celebration of the release of Kidrobot’s new toy, the “Hello My Name Is Dunny,” seen above. more ›

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WEDNESDAY more ›

WEDNESDAY more ›

If you're looking for something to do tonight, why not treat yourself to the last night ever of Blue Bongo. The regular club at Little Pedro's has managed to be dance club, blues club, avant-rock club and artist hangout all at once without ever copping attitude. But Little Pedro's, a chronically underappreciated Moroccan-Spanish hybrid bar, restaurant and club on the southeast edge of downtown's art-n-architecture district finally captured the imagination of a new buyer. Who lacks the imagination to keep the Blue Bongo folks around. more ›

TUESDAY more ›