n this viral video cross-shilling, Kareem, a noted jazz fan slam dunks a pumpkin to the delight of Billy Corgan, who, as the leader and only remaining original member of Smashing Pumpkins claims to have never seen or attempted such a smashing, and then returns the favor by pitching Kareem's latest project. more ›

Ah, 1997... Conan O'Brien was at the helm of NBC's Late Night, with Max Weinberg and his band as his musical sidekick, and the Smashing Pumpkins were getting Grammy noms for their double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. more ›

It's the most KROQ-y time of the year, and this morning on Kevin and Bean the line up for the 21st Annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Chrismas was announced. The two-day, holiday-themed, rock and rollathon will take place December 11-12 at the Gibson Amphitheatre with long-time-listeners and first-time-callers taking the stage. more ›

Last year it was Ozzy, this year the Smashing Pumpkins, the Sunset Strip Music Festival announced today for its 3rd annual festival. Billy Corgan, Jeff Schroeder and Mike Byrne will join their new bassist Nicole Fiorentino to headline on Saturday August 28th. This year, again, the event will shut down the Sunset Strip for a day of 50 bands on two outdoor stages and inside The Roxy, Whisky, Viper Room, Key and Cat clubs. Slash is the the 2010 honoree at the festival -- in previous years it has been Ozzy Osbourne (2009) and Sunset Strip club owners Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and Elmer Valentine (2008). Photos from last year can be seen here and here. more ›

Tonight Illinois-bred Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan will be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Hotel Café. Danish rockers Mew, who are slated to open for NIN later this week, are poised to perform at Zune LA. And, lastly, Austin's own retro soul singer-songwriter Black Joe Lewis (LAist Interview) will be performing at the Troubadour with half-American, half-Kenyan Benga rockers Extra Golden. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch LAist favorites Local Natives (LAist Interview), who will be closing out their month-long residency tonight. Hometown heroes the Henry Clay People (Review, #2, #3, #4), OC-based pop rock outfit Aushua and NY's own indie pop supergroup Fun—which features the Format front man Nate Ruess, Steel Train front man Jack Antonoff and former Anathallo multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost—are all slated to perform as well. Yours truly will be DJing between bands. Come on out early! more ›

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 ›

NOTE: See LAist's coverage of world premiere and UC Irvine's Sociology 69: Sociology of Sexuality. more ›

4 pm // Nokia Theatre L.A. Live // 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles // $50 - $500 (plus VIP options if you have several thousand to burn) more ›

Tonight Chicago-based alternative rockers the Smashing Pumpkins will be performing at the Gibson Amphitheatre. LA up-and-comer the Gray Kid is slated to headline Check One Twosday at the Echoplex. We love what we've heard from his forthcoming record, 2009's Free Music. And, lastly, we're just receiving word that Brett Dennen will be the special guest for the Gary Jules show at the Hotel Café. But we strongly suggest catching local noise rockers No Age, who will be playing at the Troubadour with Titus Andronicus. If you didn't already get on the free RSVP list, then tough cookies—head over to the plex. more ›

After the disaster that was ? Screw Charlie Chaplin--give me Buster Keaton! America has nothing like the divine nimbus that is Frenchie Ludivine Sagnier--to our great detriment. more ›

Don't forget to donate to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund this month, because you should, and for a chance to win their latest fun gift: a special, one of a kind silk-screened Clash T-shirt designed by bassist Paul Simonon (now of The Good, The Bad, and The Queen). The shirt goes to one lucky person who donates at least $20 to the charity between January 15th and February 26th. Simonon designed most of the band's look, and this is an original, 1977 era "Security" T-shirt. The shirt's cred is upped one further by the fact that its original owner was Patti Smith, who gave it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daugherty, who in turn donated it to Sweet Relief. Find out how to donate at Sweet Relief's website or myspace. more ›

KROQ's LA Invasion: Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Kid Rock, Chris Cornell, Cypress Hill, Satellite Party, Hot Hot Heat, Against Me, others @ Home Depot Center K- EARTH Show: The Doobie Brothers, Chicago, War, The Stylistics, The Four Tops @ Irvine Meadows Rise Against, Lagwagon, Strung Out, Silverstein @ Long Beach Arena Mudhoney, the Melvins, Flipper @ Henry Fonda Scorpions @ Gibson Guster @ Avalon Pink Martini @ Hollywood Bowl The Groovy Rednecks,... more ›

I don't know how I missed this, but there have been a slew of major announcements regarding the upcoming release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and lemme tell ya, this shit is serious. Apparently even Lars Ulrich got the memo about GH being an incredible (and lucrative) game, because Metallica's classic "One" has been confirmed to be a part of the set-list for the fall release. ("Enter Sandman" will be appearing on... more ›

The 88 are great. The end. Dot com. But there is a disturbance is the force, and I’m not sure what the deal is. I do not know why Muppet-haired Brandon Jay left the band, but his high-energy nerdiness was visibly missing from last Friday’s performance at the Troubadour. Also missing were lead singer/guitarist Keith Slettedahl’s trademark glasses (sweatily sliding down his nose), and the whole band-in-matching-suits gimmick. New to the line-up, a suspicious... more ›

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge) Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (Side One Dummuy) Mark Ronson - Version (RCA) Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil And The Sea (Dim Mak) Gravy Train!!!! - All the Sweet Stuff (Cochon Records) Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Evilive) The Monkees - Headquarters [DELUXE EDITION] (Rhino) Chris & Rich Robinson - Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy (Eagle) They Might... more ›

The greatest surprise performance at the 24-hour Live Earth was not Kanye West and John Mayer joining the Police on "Message in a Bottle." Hell, no. It was Spinal Tap (reunited) with some help from Metallica (they actually laugh) bringing down London's Wembley Stadium with hits like "Stonehenge" and "Big Bottom." Madonna's gypsy-hobo-punk performance -- fully choreographed -- of "La Isla Bonita" with Eugene and Serge from Gogol Bordello was also surprisingly excellent (watch... more ›

The biggest international benefit concert since Live8 Live Aid of all time is ON. The 24-hour affair began around 10 p.m. PDT Friday and concludes late Saturday in Jersey. And we must rock because... why? Whelp... Al Gore said so. Yes, the former Veep who let some derelicts pickpocket his presidency before performing an Academy Award-winning PowerPoint presentation in An Inconvenient Truth is taking green global. Why not turn "can rock 'n' roll save... more ›

-- For £10 million and a private jet you’d do it too. They’re getting the band back together. [AOL Canada] -- $80 for the new Smashing Pumpkins record? Fantastic. [Shoutmouth] -- Rape me and a bag of chips. [Pitchfork] -- Leaking the leakers. Applications for 'snitch’ now being accepted. [Idolator] -- Choose your own Bob Dylan adventure. [Billboard] -- Woody “I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is... more ›

I feel true joy when I’m able to experience the simple pleasures in life. These include loling, warm nights, people thanking me after I’ve let them into my car lane, and chill bars. I get downright giddy when said chill bars include passwords for entrance and a jukebox that plays Elton John, the Violent Femmes AND Smashing Pumpkins. more ›

- Hey hippies, the world’s largest wind energy conference and trade show ever is happening here in town - All American Patriots - LAPD accused of beating up homeless - LAT - Random two sentences out of today's LA Daily News: The 23-year-old star of "Teeny Tarts 4" and president of Hollywood-based Nautica Thorn Productions made a name for herself getting naked on camera. That name pushed her into mainstream consciousness recently as she... more ›

So I heard it first tonight via the hot lips of G4TV's Olivia: the new Guitar Hero III (slated to be released on all "next generation" platforms - that means the Wii, the PS3, and the XBox 360), will include songs by Weezer, Muse, Heart, Tenacious D, The Rolling Stones, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Joystiq confirmed the dirty details, and we will get to RAWK on songs like "Barracuda," "Cherub Rock" and even Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" - sweet! more ›

Billy Corgan got the band back together, sorta, and the Smashing Pumpkins are really going to have a new record this summer. James Iha probably won't be on it, and our girlfriend D'arcy or our other girlfriend Melissa Auf der Maur will probably also be replaced, but Billy and Jimmy Chamberlin didn't do us wrong on Zwan, and that rhymes with bring it on. LA street art pioneer and Obey founder Shepard Fairey's official... more ›

The Police aren't the only band to reunite and tour in 2007, and though their twenty-three year hiatus is the longest of the bunch, there is much more nostalgia to be had.... Rage Against The Machine, everyone's favorite rightously angry band, is reuniting to close this year's Coachella festival, which, fingers crossed, will bring about a tour. All four members -- Zack De La Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk -- will... more ›

10) While LA's Silversun Pickups can't seem to shed the Smashing Pumpkins comparisons despite releasing a record -- "Carnavas" -– that tops anything Billy Corgan's done since Siamese Dream, the only think rockin' in Chicago these days is the back seat of R. Kelly's stretch Benz. more ›

It might not always feel like it, but LAist loves its readers. We do this for you. So while we were t-p-ing your block, smashing pumpkins, changing the street signs, and defacing the letters on the Hollywood sign to spell "wood lol!", it dawned on us that we probably shouldn't still be doing liquid acid at our age on the dark hillsides of LA. And then we realized that we should be more "interactive"... more ›

- Paris is the best girlfriend ever - PR Inside more ›

Fri 6/9 - Silversun Pickups / Film School @ the Echo ($10) – The Silversun Pickups drop their debut full-length, Carnavas, on July 25th on Dangerbird Records. The record is consistently strong and they're one of the handful of local bands with a really good chance of blowing up this year. Expect to hear a few Smashing Pumpkins comparisons in the reviews (classic Gish/Siamese Dream-era Pumpkins). San Francisco’s Film School frequently gets favorably compared to your favorite Manchester bands. more ›

Coachella, the 100-plus-degree Woodstock of the West has announced its 2006 lineup. As rumors had predicted, Depeche Mode will perform in the unofficial "I love the 80s" slot. We're surprised that rumors of Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine reuniting haven't proved true. Maybe concert organizers are holding back a few "surprise guests" to goose ticket sales down the line. more ›

One would assume that the line-up will be announced tomorrow or Tuesday but that hasn't stopped the fake line-ups from cropping up. There's a really good mock-up out that seems to have scoured the internet for every band rumored to be coming to the Empire Polo Field. As losanjealous notes, Smashing Pumpkins, either in a headline or a second from the top spot (we're guessing a second from the top spot on day 2 since Depeche Mode probably has the headliner spot on day 1) seems like a pretty safe bet. more ›