Last night a public memorial was held in Los Angeles for singer Etta James, who died earlier this month at 73 from complications of leukemia. Stevie Wonder, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and hundreds of mourners showed up to honor James. more ›

Prince is now at roughly the halfway mark of his planned “21 Nights” stint, with eleven shows at the Forum and two sets at the Troubadour under his belt. We thought we’d check in on That Skinny MF With The High Voice once again and see how his extended LA residency is progressing. more ›

When the band finished their version of Love’s “Along Again Or” aided by a mariachi horn section I was pretty sure we’d seen the highlight of an already strong show. Then, front man Joey Burns called out “Here’s one for D. Boon!,” and burst into the Minutemen classic “Corona,” taking a gringo punk rock imagining of Mexican music and sending it straight back to Mexico with a straight face. It was perhaps the finest only-in-LA moment... more ›

Jon Hamm aka Don Draper aka Dr. Drew Baird is available for a date ......for charity. Paul Rudd, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, Patrick Duffy, David Schwimmer, Julianna Margulies and others are also available for dates so take your checkbook to the Adrienne Shelley Foundation website who is auctioning off these wonderful people on eBay. more ›

How did this messy mashup happen? Who paired the Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder at tonight's Grammy Awards? We've never seen the Jonas Brothers perform before, but boy did they blow. Nevermind that one of them flubbed his line, but didn't it seem a little smug of them to yell, "C'mon, Stevie!" Like he needs any encouragement to perform? Next time, brothers, it's Mr. Wonder to you. more ›

The annual House Full Of Toys benefit has been a holiday destination for folks in Los Angeles for the last thirteen years. For many of those years, it was just about the only chance anyone on earth had to see Stevie Wonder doing his incredible thing, as he'd apparently settled in to a long retirement from the road. Typically, the roster would be filled with up and coming R&B stars (I caught my first glimpse of India.Arie and Ja Rule at his 2001 show), while the man himself would do a half-hour set at the end of the night, much of it in medley form. The last two years, however, has seen him fully back in action, touring the world, playing lengthy shows that dug deep into his most classic material. When this year's benefit was advertised, no special guests were announced, which led us to speculate we might get three full hours of Stevie, doing a similar show to the one at the Greek Theater last fall which left us dumbstruck. more ›

The stage is set for Barack Obama to accept the Democratic Party nomination for president | Photo by Rocky Mountain News via flickr. more ›

It's a wonderful night, Stevie Wonder is playing tonight. For more of what's going on in rock music this month, check out our This Month in Rock guide. more ›

You know its officially summer when the Hollywood Bowl schedule is in full swing and your local Whole Foods boast empty shelves of wine and cheese. Yes, the sun is out later and perfect temperatures always serve as a pleasant compliment to any night of music, but that isn’t to say that there’s nothing going on in your favorite sweaty rock venue. July happens to be a jam-packed month, and we’d like to give you a little breakdown. more ›

Stevie Wonder was the first of two surprises led to the Pauley Pavilion floor by Michelle Obama at yesterday's Get Out the Vote for Obama Rally. After a short explanation of his history as a Clinton supporter turned Obama believer, Wonder led the crowd in a rather difficult vocal exercise based on the candidate's name (see video below). more ›

"If Barack Obama was a state," California's First Lady said, "he'd be California." more ›

Etta James & Chuck Berry - "Rock n' Roll Music" more ›

It's a rockin' Friday night in LA with Stevie, Van Halen, RZA, and R. Kelly in town, a XMAS Sweater Party at Crash Mansion featuring local indie up'n comers, and cow punk comes alive at Safari Sam's, with X side project (since 1982) The Knitters. more ›

Toward the end of his Greek Theater appearance on Wednesday, Stevie Wonder called for his daughter – “Aisha!!!” – as a familiar drum/bass line crept out of the background, and the band swung into Isn’t She Lovely, the song written about her some thirty-odd years ago. For a few seconds, the Jumbotron screens were filled with the two of them, Stevie bobbing back and forth intensely, Aisha gazing at him with great love as he began to sing. more ›

Stevie Wonder never ceases to amaze. He is a true icon, a kind spirit, and funny. The man is really funny and the crowd loves him. I think the concert of the summer has to be Stevie Wonder at the Greek this past Wednesday. I'm not just saying that because I went with a superfan who drove all the way from Colorado to see this show or because everyone seemed to know every word and Stevie hardly let us sit for a few minutes before everyone would be back on their feet singing along with him. The only downside, no cameras allowed! I snuck mine in, of course, but I heard they were kicking people out who took pictures and I simply couldn't bear that thought, so not that many pictures were able to be taken. more ›

Blackberry Smoke w/Slash - "Highway to Hell" Stevie Wonder @ The Greek B.B. King @ Hollywood Bowl Lucinda Williams @ El Rey Subhumans, 50 Cent Haircut @ The Knitting Factory Blackberry Smoke, Roses on her Grave @ Viper Room Ben Kweller @ The Echo Sage Francis @ Ivar Theater Kittie, It Dies Today, Silent Civilian, Bring Me the Horizon @ Key Club The Monolators, Kissing Cousins, Ghost Kings @ Silverlake Lounge Gran Ronde, A... more ›

Gogol Bordello - "Ultimate" Stevie Wonder @ Santa Barbara Bowl Crowded House, Pete Yorn @ The Greek Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda No Age @ Amoeba Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds @ House of Blues The Watson Twins, King Straggler, Everest @ Spaceland Sally Kellerman, John Clinebell, Mimi @ Genghis Cohen The Mormons, Bad Dudes, The Frescas, The Janitors @ Mr. T's Bowl Lo Mass Republic, The Felice Brothers, Dan Mangan @ Viper Room I See... more ›

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco would probably prefer it if you didn't talk on Wednesday Spinal Tap @ Avalon, tonight Joss Stone @ Greek, tonight Metal Skool, Shapes of Racecars @ Key Club, tonight Stevie Wonder @ Santa Barbara Bowl, Tues Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda, Tues Wilco @ Greek, Weds. The Like @ Spaceland, Weds Los Lobos @ Santa Monica Pier, Thurs Kronos Quartet @ California Plaza, Thurs Mat Kearney @ House of Blues,... more ›

Stevie Wonder will hit the road this month for a 13 city U.S. tour. The man who just called to say I love you will kick off his tour, dubbed "Wonder's Summer Night," in San Diego at Humphrey's on August 23. Wonder announced the details of the tour Thursday afternoon at a press conferenced in Century City. Those who were lucky enough to be in Century City this afternoon were treated to a mini-concert from... more ›

Can we fast forward through the rest of the American Idol season? We already know the two finalists will either be Melinda Doolittle vs. Lakisha Jones (if America has its way) or Antonella Barba vs. Sanjaya Malakar (if the site votefortheworst.com has its way). It was boys' night out on American Idol and as a bunch, they were pretty bad sucked. Some of the lowlights included: >> Sanjaya with a new, straighter (more masculine???)... more ›

There's five hours of American Idol on TV this week. And last night's two-hour singing competition that was supposed to separate the men from the boys -- at least the American Idol contenders from the poseurs -- felt like all five wrapped up in one show. That's not a good sign. But we realized why we do these recaps (despite some naysayers): It's so you don't have to lose two hours of your life... 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. __________________________________________________________________________________________ A selection... more ›

coffee, in the morning, outside, sitting alone) the best thing about
being PJ is the shoes. The shoes come from everywhere and they make
me feel like the young Sammy Davis Jr., if you will. They glisten on
the dusky sidewalks of L.A. They keep me company. Now the worst thing
about being the Pigeon is the vats of depression that spill on me in
the morning....the huge puddles of despair that I fight to leap
over...and the little dark guy in the corner that wants to ruin my
life....slowly.

Where are your favorite cities to do shows, and where does LA
rank?
Whittier, CA is my favorite city in the world to play. They're number
one. There's Memphis, Orlando, Boulder and Seattle too. L.A. Is
always fun, but the fun comes at a price. I get real nervous when I
headline shows in Lost Angels. The weight of trying to blow up leans
in on you all day. Show LA or more precise, Hollywood would rank at
number 15 in the places I like to play.

Where's the best place to buy clothes in LA?
Another great question Sherlock Holmes! That's 2 for you and none for
me. The best place to shop for clothes would be Wasteland on Melrose.
They have one in SF as well. Vintage, classic, endless amounts of
anything you'd ever think of thinking of thinking about. Its cheap
too. Great, sleek shoes laughing at you and the slacks dance around
on their hangers....the hats float.

What happened with you and L.A. Symphony?
Wow, you're really going for it aren't you? Is your name Dracula? Do
you want blood? Me and LAS went our separate ways in 2003 when I had
to make a decision to do LAS or PJ full time. I was missing Symph
shows because I'd be out touring alone....so it had happen I guess. I
always wished we all could come and go and schedule tours around each
other, keeping our identities as well as keeping the group
alive...but I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too. Or we
didn't think we could. We could've though....we strangled each other
out of wanting to do it anymore. Oh well.

What non-hiphop influences do you draw upon?
Rock and Roll is great. Jazz delivers. Electronic kills. Old Country
is rad. The Streets and The Strokes dance in my head a lot. Bob Dlyan
intimidates me. Stevie Wonder is untouchable. D'Angelo too. (Where's
is he now? Please come out with another album coke head!). Honeycut
is our Bread. The list goes on and on. I have very big ears and
eyes.....Charles Bukowski is King. I try and draw solely from people
that are way ahead of me....I try not to hang around the playground
too much. Crabs in a bucket.

The obligatory: How did you get the name Pigeon John?
Jesus gave it to me. I was walking through Inglewood one day when out
of nowhere Jesus rolled up on me in a '77 Cutlass Supreme...4 doors,
grey. He hopped out and handed me a dead pigeon. He whispered "Please
have a good time, you're really bumming me out." I watched him sink
back into the cushioned seats and drive, quickly away. And that's
when it happened, the pigeon started shaking violently and became
awake, picked up and flew away. I don't think I had a choice....its
was "pigeon" or die.

more ›

In a move certain to wind up the tails of many a fan of The Mouse, Disneyland announced that they they are temporarily replacing the onboard soundtracks to both the Space Mountain and California Screamin' roller coasters with remixed versions of songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Disneyland asserts "rock fans’ dreams will come true as Rockin’ Both Parks provides new special effects and soundtracks specifically remixed to heighten every twist, turn, rise... more ›

Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Brian McNight, Common, Corinne Bailey Rae @ Gibson The English Beat @ The Canyon John Doe @ Blue Cafe Colin Hay @ Largo Silversun Pickups @ The Troubadour DeVotchka @ Avalon Royal Jelly @ Forty Deuce Dos, Underground Railroad To Candyland @ The Smell XBXRX, Numbers, Shift, Ni Hao @ The Echo Sandbillies, Franki Doll & the Broken Toys, Sharon Needles @ Silverlake Lounge Dressy Bessy, Big Sir, 8mm @... more ›

She Wants Revenge, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Monsters Are Waiting @ Grove of Anaheim more ›

photo of Stevie Wonder and Jason's dad by Jason Toney more ›

Are Ben Stiller, Christina Applegate and Taye Diggs American Idol groupies? While they weren’t the only celebs that Fox tcaught on camera at the Kodak, the sightings show how much this pop competition has become a red-hot ticket in Hollywood. more ›

The LA-based, music production/management company Xperimental Entertainment is trying to break the William Hung stigma attached to Asian American pop singers by conducting its own American Idol-type contest on its website. more ›

Sample these tracks and let us know what's in your iPod playlist this week.