Love is hard. So is creating anything original that touches upon a subject Shakespeare, Beethoven and Elliott Smith all emptied their hearts for. But people keep trying to successfully send up life’s most vexing problem, and to varying degrees of success and originality. more ›

The sold-out Smith Westerns show at The Echo on February 11 was, like their recent album Dye it Blonde, filled with awesome, George Harrison-inspired riffage. Unfortunately, that's where the awesome stopped. The young Chicago foursome’s 45-minute set was just short of tragic: the drums were too loud, the keyboard didn’t contribute anything, and lead singer Cullen Omori’s vocals were drowned out under the noisy playing of his band mates. more ›

Radio Free Silver Lake presents a new monthly residency series on Tuesday nights at LaBrie's in Glendale. The FREE series starts this evening with The Californian and supporting bands Death To Anders and Alpine Decline. more ›

The Henry Clay People did a wonderful job at the 2nd annual Rock n' Roll Circus. With more than a dozen bands performing, free popcorn, face painting, and costumes and decorations in full force, this year's circus was exhilarating. Bands such as Downtown/Union, the Little Ones, Andy Clockwise, and of course the Henry Clay People turned in great sets alongside a slew of other bands performing full-on electric sets or side stage acoustic sets on the patios of the Echo and Echoplex. Attendance seemed down, or at least nowhere near capacity, which is a shame because the event had none of the pretentiousness that so often accompanies rock shows and instead truly felt like a community event. I for one am looking forward to next year. more ›

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Police this morning arrested an alleged biker gang member who is suspected of shooting three people shot outside a popular Echo Park music venue on June 21st. Around 2 a.m. that morning, a crowd was leaving The Echo on Sunset Boulevard when bullets were fired into the crowd. more ›

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Following a early Monday morning shooting outside their doors, owners of The Echo have taken steps to bring more security to the popular Echo Park music venue. more ›

A man on a motorcycle opened fire on a group of people leaving the Echo early this morning after last call. Eight shots were fired in the 2:10 a.m. shooting, leaving three hit: one in the torso, another in the arm, and one grazed in the head, according to the LA Times. All three are expected to survive. more ›

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Words by Molly Bergen. more ›

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This Sunday afternoon, the family-friendly Kidrockers returns to The Echo, hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer and Jonah Ray with performances by His Orchestra and LAist favorite Warpaint. In the meantime, enjoy photos taken at Kidrockers shows earlier this year with Buddy and Dengue Fever as well as The One AM Radio and The Watson Twins. more ›

I realize there are a million choices on a given weekend night, but I think it's worth your while to play a little "LAist's Tonight In Rock Roulette" once in a while. Close your eyes and jab your finger at the screen - whatever you land on is what you attempt to attend. more ›

Earlier this month, the family-friendly Kidrockers followed their November show with The Henry Clay People and Silversun Pickups with their last show of 2009 at The Echo, hosted by comedian Matt Dwyer and music by local indies The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and The 88. more ›

For all of you who are bummed that you missed all of the glorious psychedelic freakout party that was the 1960s rock scene, fear not. Molding themselves in the image of the Yardbirds, the Zombies, and the Kinks, The Black Hollies are here to revive it. Sprung out of Justin Angelo Morey's attic, these four New Jersey kids sound and dress like it's 1968. Bringing joy to all the those who thought that that ship had sailed. (Or who thought they would have to wait until a time machine was invented.) We caught up with Angelo Morey last night to talk about his new LP Softly Towards The Light, his influences, and Ace of Cakes. Here is some of what was said. more ›

Last month, the family-friendly Kidrockers presented a show at The Echo, hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer and Greg Behrendt, with music by The Henry Clay People and the newly Grammy-nominated Silversun Pickups. "Two hometown favorites returning from their respective fall tours, performed together... filling the room with a wall-to-wall mass of kids and their rock-savvy parents, with the Henry Clays modifying their rock 'n roll classicism for the under 18-crowd (lyrical references to beer were quickly and humorously ad-libbed to Hi-C) and the Pickups playing a full-band acoustic set," reported Travis Woods from Web In Front. more ›

As mentioned earlier this month, the family-friendly Kidrockers kicked off its second season at The Echo, hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer and Emily Maya Mills, with music by The Damselles & the TC4 and Quazar & the Bamboozled. more ›

Local singer-songwriter Angela Correa's band Correatown has held this month's Monday residency at The Echo, and tonight is their final show before embarking next month on a European tour. While this gallery features photos taken during their soundcheck with Eagle & Talon and The Voyeurs, see photos from the actual show at Web In Front. more ›

In these fiscally responsible times, it's all about the size of the bang relative to the buck. While the days of blowing cash on the trendy, half-assed, and all-around mediocre are long gone, I'm inclined to see this as an opportunity for those who do more with less to garner our attention and our paychecks, because, quite frankly, it feels good to promote a thoroughly good time. more ›

After a successful inaugural season that included The Afternoons, The Deadly Syndrome, The Parson Red Heads, Whispertown 2000, The Broken West, Le Switch, Radar Bros., The One AM Radio, Eulogies, Langhorne Slim, One Trick Pony, Local Natives, and Saint Motel, the family-friendly Kidrockers LA returns this Sunday to The Echo, hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer and Matt Braunger with music by The Damselles & the TC4 and Quazar & the Bamboozled. more ›

"So what's with the Prop 8 bullshit anyway?" more ›

Local songstress Juliette Commagere has had the Monday night residency at The Echo, and last week, she was joined by Ceci Bastida, Commagere's brother Robert Francis, and Fresno-based Rademacher. more ›

Since LAist's last report on Kidrockers, the monthly event entertaining families with live music and stand-up comedy, two more shows have taken place -- a Dangerbird Records presentation with The One AM Radio and Eulogies on April 26th at The Echo, and a special pre-Mother's Day Spa Retreat benefiting Kid's Play International with Le Switch and Afternoons on May 9th at Castle Ivar in Hollywood. more ›

LAist first met Long Beach/Los Alamitos-natives Avi Buffalo last March at an LA-Underground-presented showcase that included local rising stars The Sweet Hurt, Ema and the Ghosts, Amnion, and Cobra Lilies. more ›

Tonight is the last night for film buffs to enjoy the Bigger Than Life: 70mm Returns retrospect at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Featuring a series of 70 mm, wide-screen films, the event closes out tonight with a screening of the psychological thriller Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock. Filmed in 1958, the film tells the story of a retired San Francisco detective -- played by James Stewart -- who is hired to follow a young woman (Kim Novak) whom he eventually falls for, then discovers was paid to trick him to cover up a murder. Curtains go up at 7:30 PM. more ›

Last Sunday was the fourth edition of Kidrockers at The Echo (MySpace), hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer (MySpace) and Matt Braunger (MySpace), with performances by local indie bands Le Switch (MySpace) and Radar Bros (MySpace). more ›

Last Sunday was the second edition of Kidrockers, hosted by comedians Seth Herzog (MySpace) and Greg Behrendt (MySpace), with performances by local indie bands The Henry Clay People (MySpace) and The Parson Red Heads (MySpace). more ›

Black Friday, Schmiday. Even with the impending recession, we know you dragged/dragging/will drag your kids to the various malls and outlets in the LA area the whole damn weekend. While you may enjoy the thrill of sabotaging your neighbors shopping cart in hopes of snagging whatever Elmo incarnation is hot this year (call me when he can do my taxes and empty the cat box), your poor offspring cannot be placated with more than one Hot Dog on a Stick. Trust us. more ›