Today's L.A. Board of Public Works meeting voted 3-1 to deny a permit for the Sunset Junction Street Fair until $141,000 in fees are paid, reports Buzz Bands. What a buzz kill for fans. more ›

The Butthole Surfers may or may not be shredding the stage at next weekend's Sunset Junction Street Fair. Unless organizers pay back $267,000 in police staffing and police closure fees, the show will not go on. If cancelled, street fair goers will not be clapping their hands and saying yeah. They'll be clenching their fists and saying other four-letter words. more ›

This week English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes will be headlining the Greek Theatre with Nashville-based three-time Grammy Award-winning folk songstress Lucinda Williams in tow. Nashville-bred alternative rockers Kings of Leon will be taking on the Forum with Athens' own garage rock revivalists the Whigs. Oklahoma-based psych-infused alternative rock outfit the Flaming Lips are poised to unleash their rather euphoric theatrics upon onlookers at the Greek Theatre, as well as the newly-reopened Pomona Fox Theatre. And, lastly, Saturday and Sunday will mark the 29th year of the annual street fair that we all hold dear to our hearts: the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Both prominent, national acts (Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band, Built To Spill, Sly & Robbie, to name a few) and local acts (Local Natives, Dengue Fever, Fool's Gold, to name a few) will be performing across four stages in the heart of the Eastside. more ›

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. more ›

Last weekend's Sunset Junction Street Fair was so fun that another photo essay was necessary. So join us after the jump for more memories of the Silver Lake fiesta and lots and lots and lots of pictures. But instead of pics of bands like in our other bad ass photo dispatches, this essay is about the people, the food, and the services. If you were there perhaps you will see yourself...... more ›

Sunset Junction on Saturday was one word: damn hot. Tons of bands played, gallons of sunscreen was applied, and hundreds of gallons of fluids were ingested. However, the sweat poured out in a way that was quite interesting. It was as if all the fluids inside wanted to go outside to see the pretty girls, be amazed by the variety of tattoos, and listen to the beautiful music. It didn't matter how much you... more ›

Buzzcocks, Hot Hot Heat, The O'Jays, The Bronx, Airborne Toxic Event, She Wants Revenge, Cheb I Sabbah, Millie Jackson, Thelma Jones & Arthur Adams, Rocky Dawuni, Conjunto Jardin, The Aggrolites, The Movies, Eskimohunter, others @ Sunset Junction Street Fair Beastie Boys @ The Greek Smokey Robinson @ Cerritos Center RX Bandits, The Fall of Troy @ The Troubadour Esthero, One Trick Pony @ Roxy 311 with Matisyahu, the Wailers, Pato Banton @ Verizon Bowling... more ›

Photo by dogseat via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

I love Sunset Junction because I love to see the people of LA. I love the kids, the surfers, the young Mexicans, the gays, the hotties, the locals, the tourists, and the punkers. I like seeing them all in one place, smiling, interacting, getting pushed up against each other, drinking beers, eating chicken off a stick, listening to classic punk and soul, checking out the girlies under their parasols. I like that the vibe... more ›

Are you looking for an alternative to the indie hipster lovefest called the Sunset Junction Street Fair? Are you looking for an artsy fartsy night, after pigging out on tofu from the Tofu Festival? Are you looking to rock, but not necessarily roll? Check out the Michael Motorcycle, Dan Grzeca, and Guy Burwell show on Saturday night, Aug. 18th, at the Mr. Musichead Gallery (7511 W. Sunset Blvd.). The man who shares the same first name and middle initial is one of the most sought-after rock 'n roll poster artist. Having designed posters for musical acts such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to the Blonde Redhead and the Mars Volta, Michael Michael Motorcycle's work has been showcased around the country as well as in concert festivals like Vegoose. His unique creative style, typography, and design sets him apart from his contemporaries. His handmade Victorian-styled prints are some of the most-prized rock/art posters available out there. more ›

Photo by Adamina via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

It's not like Sonic Youth slacks. They always seem to be on the road, working on new projects, curating this, guest starring that. But this year LA will be spoiled with some special shows by Kim and Thurston and Lee and Steve. more ›

by Evan Storey Maybe it's already time to store away your memories of this year's Sunset Junction Street Festival, or maybe, as in my case, they're a bit too hazy to even give it a try. Nevertheless, as yet another non-native I feel it worthwhile to comment on the admirable atmosphere that my other non-native friends and I experienced. Growing up in the suburbs of Phoenix socialized me into assuming you can force a... more ›

Our final remembrance of Sunset Junction is this bizarre scene that we stumbled across on Sunday. After a few beers we were very confused. We understood the free haircuts and it looked like they were doing a radio show. But what was going on with the American Apparel girls? That was them right? They looked great and they danced great and we loved their energy but what did they have to do with radio,... more ›

We love Sunset Junction. We know there were issues this year. The heat, the flooding, the crater, the moving of one of the stages, the prices, the complaining... but still, LAist enjoys hanging out with our neighbors and eating chicken on a stick and listening to music and saying hello to our pals the carnies. We also love taking pictures. We hope you like looking. Way more pics after the jump.... more ›

It's never been tough for a guy to get into a skirt here in LA, but a vendor from this Seattle company was trying to get guys IN skirts this weekend during the Sunset Junction Street Fair. more ›

In certain pockets of the blogosphere and even in our own comments we have noticed that the Sunset Junction Street Fair is receiving some criticism for having the gall to charge an admittance fee for providing a fun, safe, entertaining day on Sunset Blvd. while showcasing some pretty damn good musical acts, who in some cases you'd be totally lucky to only have to pay $15 to see. more ›

For us there is no better LA street fair than the Sunset Junction annual event in the Silver Lake stretch of Sunset Blvd. One can enjoy eating chicken on a stick and drinking a beer while peoplewatching the hipsters, the kids, those of alternative lifestyles, and the random tourists who don't really know what they've stumbled into. The volunteer "donation" is now a hard $15 admission, but for all the good music, good food,... more ›

So, you're a Silver Lake hipster* who wants to go to the Sunset Junction street fair this weekend without shelling out that $15 no-longer-suggested-donation entrance fee. It's not that you're not into fiscally supporting harmony and diversity in the community blah blah blah, and some old grampa at the Little Joy the other night said that the Cramps alone were well worth that $15, but frankly, you're a little ticked off that you haven't... more ›

The Sunset Junction Street Fair is just a few days away and one of the bands that LAist is totally stoked about is the southern rock band Drive By Truckers who are equal parts Skynyrd, the Dead, and Neil Young singing songs about watching Bon Scott at an impressionable age. They're soulful and rocking and one of the few bands that takes that Wilco-Americana-folky thing and turns up the V a smidge. more ›

Born in LA 33 years-and-a-day ago, June 21, 1973, it seems like Juliette has done it all. more ›

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Ambitious-Outsiders has a more complete lineup than the official site (how'd that happen) but what jumped out at us on this year's Sunset Junction Street Fair lineup is all the old school soul showing up on the Edgecliffe Stage. Freda Payne, The Supremes not named Diana Ross and Richard Street all perform on Saturday while 80's R&B songstress Jody Watley shows up on Sunday. We might be most excited about Watley performing. She put out a surprisingly good (and very much unnoticed) neo-soul/downtempo-ish CD a few years ago called Midnight Lounge. more ›

This weekend marks the arrival of the annual Sunset Junction Street Fair in Silverlake. SJ will be happening from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Saturday and 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Sunday; the admission price is a $10.00 donation. more ›