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The 2010 Coachella Music and Arts Festival capped off to a rather anticlimactic ending on Sunday night, with the standout performance of Atoms For Peace ending well before the rest of the festival did. more ›

The Soft Pack is officially screwed. Originally named, The Muslims, this hot garage band from San Diego (recently located to LA) , caught about the same amount of attention for their name as for their music. Eventually it got to the point where the band thought it would be better if they just changed it to the Soft Pack. As guitarist Matty McLaughlin explains, "We were sick of the shit people would say about the old name. I guess they were trying to be funny and some things that were said came off as racist… It just became fucking stupid." So they changed it, and were rewarded with a torrent of disapproval like a city under siege. Fans accused them of being lily-livered sissies and not sticking to their guns. Damned if they did, damned if they didn't. Whatever their name, they rock, hard, so we'll ignore all this nonsense about names and labels and whatnot, and focus instead on their music. We had a chat with Matty McLoughlin about The Soft Pack's sophomore album, which they just finished recording in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. Here is some of what was said. more ›

Tonight Palm Desert-bred rockers Eagles of Death Metal will be headlining the Henry Fonda Music Box. Brooklyn-based punk/dance duo Matt & Kim are slated to perform at the Troubadour with experimental rockers the Mae Shi (LAist Interview, Review, #2) in tow. LAist favorites the Soft Pack (formerly known as the Muslims) are slated to rock with San Diegan garage rock outfit Crocodiles at the Echo early on in the night. English electro-pop sensation Little Boots will be gracing the stage at Spaceland. And, lastly, local indie rockers Castledoor (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6) are poised to play Bordello. But we strongly suggest stopping by the Silver Lake Lounge to see electro-pop songstress Glasser. more ›

Tonight, if all goes according to planned, Animal Collective (LAist Review) will be performing to a sold-out crowd at the Troubadour—health permitting, of course. Yes, the line-up is inherently inferior to last night's canceled concert. But word on the street is that Friday night's show will be rescheduled for Sunday. Minneapolis-based indie rockers Tapes n' Tapes will take on the El Rey Theatre with Wild Light, who are still tightly clutching their memories of supporting the Arcade Fire way back when. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch Danish rock duo the Raveonettes, who are slated to headline with none other than LAist favorites the Soft Pack (formerly known as the Muslims) in tow. more ›

Tonight there is way too much going on in LA. For starters, Latin/hip-hop outfit Ozomatli will be spending their second night at the House of Blues Sunset. The front men of Thrice, Saves the day, Sparta/Sleepercar and Switchfoot will all be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Troubadour for an Invisible Children Benefit. Local musician/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Review) is poised to jam with friends at the Largo at the Coronet. LAist's favorite b-boys People Under the Stairs are headlining the El Rey Theatre. Hawthorne-bred rapper Pigeon John will be performing at the Knitting Factory with electronic mastermind Daedelus. And, lastly, Darker My Love and the Soft Pack (formerly known as the Muslims) are slated to headline the Echoplex. But, all things considered, we recommend making a trip out to Eagle Rock. Somehow, someway Fuck Yeah Fest organizer Sean Carlson has arranged for Metallica (LAist Review) to play an acoustic set on the tiny stage at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. more ›

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›

We haven't seen a Sunday like this since the summertime. We've got Athens-based new wave rock band the B-52's performing at Club Nokia in Downtown. Seattle's own experimental rockers Minus the Bear will be coming through the Henry Fonda Music Box with our favorite Raleigh-based indie pop group, the Annuals. LA locals Tigers Can Bite You are slated to rock at the Alterknit Lounge at the Knitting Factory. And, lastly, singer-songwriter Charlie Wadhams will be continuing his month-long Sunday Night Residency at Tangier. Word on the street is that Tangier will be closing its doors soon due to financial woes. But how could anyone turn down the Part Time Punks Festival at the Echo and Echoplex compound? Not only will some of LA's prominent fringe acts be playing (The Muslims, Mika Miko, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti), but living legends like Manchester's A Certain Ratio will be headlining the predominantly punk-tinged extravaganza. It will be the band's first performance in the US since 1985—the year I was born. more ›

Tonight kicks off early with a performance by local garage rockers the Muslims at Amoeba Records on Sunset. Red Cortez, formerly known as the Weather Underground, will be playing their first night under the new moniker at the Silver Lake Lounge. We're guessing that they may have wanted to ditch the negative political associations. But that's pure conjecture on our part. And, lastly, the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age will be rocking out at the Avalon for the Blackberry Storm Party. It must have cost them a pretty penny to put together that bill. Tickets were made available earlier at random via text-only. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to witness German electro-pop sensation the Notwist. If our calculations are correct, the last time the group came through LA was Feb. 17, 2004. So don't miss out because we can't promise they'll be back for, oh, another four years. The Bay Area will be heavily represented with electronic mastermind Odd Nosdam and Anticon's own drum-pad master Jel as openers. more ›

Annual music marathons like SXSW in Austin and CMJ in New York have long served as industry-only gatherings. But now, like never before, they have become regarded as a necessity for those enthusiasts on the cusp of music. They've evolved into a breeding ground for next year's latest and greatest—a musical pageantry of epic proportions. more ›