One week after music die-hards make the annual pilgrimage to Indio for The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, a new fest will rock the Empire Polo Grounds. This gathering, however, will be a decidedly heavier affair. And by heavy I mean, pure, face-melting, metal destruction. On April 23rd, the Big 4 Festival, featuring Anthrax, Megadeath, Slayer and headlined by Metallica, will make its first and only American stop. After 7 European dates last year, American metal fans prayed for DEMANDED a stop here. Goldenvoice, the force behind both Coachella and the Stagecoach Festival (also taking place on the Polo Grounds, one week after the Big 4) has granted their collective wish. more ›

The lineup is an eclectic array of musicians, from headliner The Rapture to indie favorites like Panda Bear and Delorean, to older, influential bands like Unbroken and 7Seconds. Carlson’s programming criteria are simple: “It’s real mix tape of the bands that I love, so it’s all over the place. For the bands, it’s a chance to play with other amazing bands that would never play with one another.” more ›

In marches Chin Chin, changing the dynamic of Def Jux records with this its first non-hiphop release. They are touring the west coast in late May/ June, and come through LA on Friday, June 6th @ Mint, and in Fullerton on Saturday, June 7th @ The Continental Room. more ›

Marilyn Manson and Slayer bashed open our collective brains, and feasted on our souls. We in turn worshiped and thanked them for every second of it. Of course, it's a haul getting one's ass all the way out to the damned Irvine Meadows/Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, but where else can these dudes play? Promoters aren't letting all of us head bangers and moshers into the Hollywood Bowl anytime soon. Pffft... we'd destroy that place. The... more ›

Marilyn Manson - "Tainted Love" Daniel Johnston @ Henry Fonda Slayer, Marilyn Manson @ Irvine Meadows Dios Malos, Pissed Jeans, Infauxtech @ 1269 E. 6th St. (Fuck Yeah Fest Pre Party) Clint Black @ Cerritos Center Air Supply @ The Canyon Aimee Mann @ Largo Gypsy Kings @ The Greek Wild Child @ The Whisky OneRepublic, Glacier Hiking, Northern, The Cheat @ The Roxy Big Bad Voodoo Daddy & The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra @... more ›

Maybe we should take things like this more seriously, but last week "vandals" broke into a vacation home in Palm Springs and caused some eyebrows to rise when they turned over furniture (very nicely), arranged foliage and sticks to create pentagrams and clog toilets, and wrote words like "Pigz" and "Helter Skelter" on a window and on the fireplace... with soap! It was right around the 38th anniversary of the Manson Family murders of... more ›

This is the first in a series of albums that I feel are crucial to the experience of the city of Los Angeles. These are the albums that endure year after year, and continue to make me feel alive and thrilled to be living in LA. Some of these are going to be obvious, and some are hopefully going to inspire you to go listen to something you have never heard before. In an era... more ›

A Heartwell Ending - Trust Us, We Lie (Mediaskare) C-Bo - Money to Burn (West Coast Mafia) Cassie - Cassie (Bad Boy) Comets on Fire - Avatar (Sub Pop) Daughters - Hell Songs (Hydra Head) Ani DiFranco - Reprieve (Righteous Babe) Dirty Pretty Things - Waterloo to Anywhere (Interscope) Nina Gordon - Bleeding Heart Graffiti (Warner Bros.) Hello Stranger - Hello Stranger (Aeronaut Records) Hellogoodbye - Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! (Drive-Thru) Jonas Brothers -... more ›