The release of Final Destination 5 this weekend shows that the preceding film in the horror series wasn't, as its title proclaimed, The Final Destination. Thank goodness! While the franchise won't (& shouldn't) win any Oscars, it delivers exactly what it promises: ridiculously contrived, increasingly gory death sequences. more ›

Happy Memorial Day, LA! Here are your event options for today: VINO The first City of Angels Wine Fest kicks off at noon today in the Music Center Plaza. It's a fundraiser hosted by the Rotary Club of Los Angeles to benefit the Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA) downtown homeless service center. Wines from more than 30 California wineries will be paired with foods from several Patina Restaurant Group offerings. Tickets are $75 at the door, and the tasting runs until 5 pm. more ›

Somebody must have sat on a scarab beetle, because the Egyptian hits the ground running this weekend! Friday, party with Native Wayne (formerly of KROQ, currently of Indie 103.1) and pour out a little Red Stripe in memory of Perry Henzell, whose 1972 classic The Harder They Come introduced the world to the heights of reggae more ›

Kinda quiet on the event front on the Memorial Day, so here are a few ideas for those of you who aren't 'cuing it up at home today. FILM BBQ The 5 Minutes Game & Cinefamily Memorial Day BBQ happens at 6 pm tonight at the SIlent Movie Theatre. “What we're gonna do is choose fifteen movies you've likely never seen before (with most, if not all the films unavailable on DVD), line 'em up, and only show you the first five minutes of each, not counting their opening credits. After all that, you, the audience, gets to vote on which film out of the fifteen we all then watch in its entirety.” Bring something to cook on the Cinefamily Grill. Tickets are $10, and the 'cue starts at 6 pm. more ›

Thelonious Dub is a Glendale-based instrumental trio that plays a jammy mishmash of jazz, reggae and pop, often featuring covers of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus – in between their original compositions and a few other surprises. “T-Dub” draws inspiration from groups and artists like Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation and Sly & Robbie. more ›

This past Thursday night “Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style” made its world premiere at the Silent Movie Theatre. Directed by Steve Hanft, the documentary tells the story of how L.A.’s weekly Dub Club was formed and maps its continuation of the reggae dub soundsystem tradition in Los Angeles. Hanft’s documentary, like the Dub Club selectors, digs deep into the history of dub and its impact on other music movements such as hip hop. The film is packed to the brim with compelling interviews of some of reggae’s legendary artists such as Ranking Joe, Brigadier Jerry, Scientist, Sister Nancy, U-Roy, L.A. resident Jah Faith and more – many who have ignited the Echo Park club’s stage. more ›

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label, after waiting out his contracts with other labels. more ›

It's the biggest dance club night in Los Angeles over at The Vanguard and tonight is a special one -- GIANT is having its eighth-anniversary party. Join Steve Aoki, Glycerin and others along it 1500 clubbers. Metromix has the low down. more ›

The last time I saw DC punk icons Bad Brains play live was in a big hall somewhere in Long Beach or Pedro circa 1987. HR still plays solo projects, and sometimes they come around billed as Soul Brains, playing mostly reggae. Wednesday night was a rare opportunity to see the original lineup play their punk rock catalog. Their new record, Build a Nation, produced by Adam Yauch, is definitely reminiscent of their early... more ›

Photo by Prawnpie via Flickr I recently discovered that my friend's brother does PR for Lee Scratch Perry, one of the first reggae artists and experimenters in dub. Being half-Jamaican, (but born in Louisiana), I was a bit ashamed for only barely recognizing the name, but hey, my dad was listening to The Kinks and The Who at the time, and took off to England as soon as he was old enough, so I... more ›